member blog: Mia
Mia
From
Germany (but a native NYer)
Member since
15th Jul 2004
About
Exploring markets in any country, planning menus, and cooking are my passions. I periodically fall in love with countries and want to move there. Someday I will open something, somewhere, I swear!
I'm also interested in photography and travel (and travel writing, especially Paul Theroux!).
Mia's blog posts
fresh herb and pumpkin pasta
Sat 31 Oct 2009GENERAL BLOG
Now you know what to do with all those leftover pumpkins!
There is nothing more lovely and filling on a chilly fall evening than a warm bowl of this pasta. The pumpkin is tender and its sweetness so beautifully accentuated by the earthiness of the thyme. Sage also complements pumpkin; both herbs go equally well, so it depends upon what is growing on your kitchen sill.
This is one of those pastas that I consider "worth it," because I don't eat pasta very often. Not only do I feel bathed in deliciousness, much like feeling the sun on my face ... but by lowering the ratio of pasta to pumpkin, you end up eating less pasta and feeling just as satiated.
Something I always do, whenever a recipe calls for vegetable stock, is to make my own. It requires barely any effort and takes such little time, I don't know why people use those cubes. Use any vegetable scraps: tops of leeks, ends of onions or carrots, celery bits, onion skins, those tough fennel stalks ... anything you've got leftover from what you've used during the week ... and throw them in 4 cups of boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes and strain. That's it! I keep a plastic bag of my leftover odds and ends in my veg drawer.
Pumpkins ... in Germany, I find little hokkaido pumpkins readily available so I use those. As an alternative, you could use sugar pumpkins, or smallish butternut squashes. Here is a nifty website that tells you all about pumpkins (and squashes) and surprisingly (not really. it's my luck), makes no mention of the Hokkaido. (www.allaboutpumpkins.com.) But I assure you, it exists.
Happy Halloween everyone! Even though nobody celebrates it here, and all dancing and music is forbidden after 12 tonight in holiest Bavaria, I can at least have some really good pasta.
Ingredients
1/2 pound rigatoni or other tubular pasta
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 hokkaido pumpkin or other smallish pumpkin or squash
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme; you could also use sage, but use less!
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated pecorino or parmesan of your choice
Method
Peel, de-seed, and cut the squash or pumpkin into chunks. Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the onion, and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the brown sugar and cook until it has dissolved.
Add the pumpkin and the vegetable stock, and reduce the heat so that the sauce is just simmering. When the sauce is thickened, and the pumpkin is soft, add the cinnamon, lemon juice, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the pasta, adding a little bit of the hot pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce a bit.
Serve with a big lump of parmesan in a grater!
Chicken Breast Salad w/Warm Apple Jus and Avocado
Wed 24 Jun 2009GENERAL BLOG
I love grilled chicken breast over salad, but it can get quite boring in restaurants in the U.S.
Inevitably, the menu reads "caesar salad with grilled chicken breast"; "oriental" chicken salad with a *yawn* blend of carrot sticks and bean sprouts, and greasy sesame dressing; or some sort of mexican salad in a "crisp" (read: deep-fried, hold your stomach, run for the bathroom) tortilla bowl. And please don't put canned corn on my salad. I beg you.
In Germany, the standard salad with poultry is with "pute streifen" (turkey strips - or as the cute Germans say, turkey stripes) over field salad. Overcooked? Yes. Salty? Yes (read: Maggi, aka MSG). Drowned in a heavy dressing? Bingo. And though chicken breasts are readily available in the supermarket, I do not think I have ever seen them as an entree on a restaurant menu. The only chicken I have seen is "chicken salad cocktail", an overly mayonaissed clump of shredded chicken, which I assume is an attempt to duplicate American chicken salad from the deli.
But come to Mia's place (ok, if I had one) for a chicken salad that is simple and a little different. I can usually find local, organic apple juice in the markets -- in the U.S you can probably squeeze out your own right there, at 2 a.m, and they'll even bag it for you at the check out. But get your avocados ahead of time so they have time to ripen.
This is perfect for a light summer dinner, or even for a trip to the biergarten, if you happen to live in Munich. 
Ingredients
2 organic chicken breasts
1/2 cup of natural apple juice
2 big handfuls of arugula (rocket)
1/2 lemon
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp herby lemon oil (see previous post)
sea salt
white pepper
Method
Brush the chicken breasts with the olive oil, season with sea salt and white pepper, and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.
Heat a frying pan (mine is cast iron) until very hot, and add the chicken breasts. Brown on one side for about 4-5 minutes, depending upon the size and thickness of the chicken breasts. Turn and brown on the other side for another 4 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a square of tin foil (aluminum foil) and seal tightly. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
With the pan still on the flame, add the half cup of apple juice and deglaze the pan. Reduce for about a minute. Add a pinch of salt. Pour the jus into a small bowl to let cool for a few minutes.
Place arugula (rocket) in two deep bowls. Slice the avocado and distribute among the bowls. Squeeze the lemon over the salads, season with salt, and toss gently.
When the 10 minutes are up, unwrap the chicken and slice diagonally. Place on top of salads. Pour the warm jus over the salads, and sprinkle a little more sea salt and another squeeze of lemon over them (to taste).
Garnish with a few cherry tomatoes -- you could also add a few apple slices.
Serves 2.
Summery Rosemary-Thyme-Lemon Oil
Tue 23 Jun 2009GENERAL BLOG
Summer means being outdoors and that means spending less time in the kitchen. This is one of the shortcuts that I use to keep things easy but still pack a lot of flavor into all the fresh summer produce available now. Use a few teaspoons of this oil, toss with chunks of zucchini, and roast on high heat for 30 minutes ... and you won't be complaining about all that zucchini you've got in the fridge. You can rub it onto beef or chicken before grilling, drizzle it over steamed greens or broccoli, toss it into your salad ... wherever you want to add flavor. A little bit goes a long way.
Ingredients
2 small lemons
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Method
Using a vegetable peeler, take the peel off of the lemons in long strips. Put the strips and the oil into a saucepan and turn the heat on medium-low. Keep an eye on it. When the lemon peel starts to bubble, let it bubble gently for about 15 - 20 seconds and then remove it from the heat. Let it cool for a few minutes. Add the herbs and marinate the mixture for 30 minutes to an hour. You can also put it into a jar and store it for future use (this is what I do!).
Mango and Cucumber Salad
Wed 03 Jun 2009GENERAL BLOG
Warmer days have arrived in Munich, and as you can tell from my last few posts, it's salad time. I make a bee-line for the produce section to find the most abundant items. This past week or so, mangoes have been a measly 99 cents each. They are beautiful and sweet ... yes, mangoes make me happy.
You should choose mangoes not by the color of the skin, but by aroma. Find the root end (with the little nib) and take a whiff. It should smell sweet and fruity. Close your eyes and inhale, and if you start drooling from the smell of mango, then it is ripe. If it smells like nothing, it's a reject.
Once you've got your mango home, after you pat it and admire it and smell it some more, you have to prep it. First, peel the skin off with a peeler...don't use a knife because you will lose too much fruit...and I'll freak out while I watch you and wait for you to slip and cut yourself. Those buggers can be really slippery.
Next, cut a piece off of the base (the larger end) so that the mango sits flat on your cutting board. With a sharp knife, start from the top and cut downward, following the shape of the pit. If you don't know about mango pits, they are oval are oval and flattish. It is best to cut the fruit away from it on either large side first, and then cut thin slices from the smaller sides.
Now that you've done the hard work, take the pit and happily gnaw away all the leftover mango while nobody is looking. Wash your face and hands, and then prepare this simple, fresh salad.
Ingredients
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks;
1 small cucumber; very thinly slices;
1 small plum tomato, diced;
a handful of mint, chopped;
a handful of basil, julienned;
2 green onions/scallions/spring onions, sliced;
1 teaspoon very good olive oil (optional);
1 - 2 limes (depends on size and your taste);
sea salt and pepper, to taste.
Method
Combine the mango, cucumber, tomato, onions, and herbs. Squeeze over lime to taste and add olive oil, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Toss again before serving.
Zucchini and Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Tue 19 May 2009GENERAL BLOG
We've all been there. You open up the fridge. You look inside. Not much is looking back at you. But it's Sunday (stores closed) and you want to make an appetizer for your roommate and her friend, who are making the rest of the dinner. There's a pepper and 1 1/2 zucchinis and stuff in the pantry.
Funny enough, this type of cooking is what I like most. It's more of a feeling -- what can I do with what I have? You get creative. Inspired, even. Out of nothing comes something really good.
So what can you do with a zucchini and a pepper? Lots. This, for instance.
Ingredients
2 zucchini, slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch ribbons;
1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded and chopped;
3 tablespoons of capers (if salted, soaked and rinsed well);
a handful of mint, or any fresh herbs on hand, chopped;
a lemon; or red wine vinegar; or both!;
olive oil;
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
If you have a fresh pepper and want to roast it, place it in aluminum foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in a 400F/200C oven for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool and then pull the skin off and de-seed. Chop it and set aside.
In a small pot of boiling water, blanch the zucchini strips for a minute and let dry on paper towels. When cooled, add to a bowl with the roasted pepper and capers.
Dress with olive oil, vinegar and/or lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Mint works really well but you can use basil, thyme, oregano, or any other leafy herb. Toss with your chopped herbs, cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Mia's foodwise posts
