Berlin Cooking Club does Cajun/Creole

Last weekend, on an extremely wet Saturday night the Berlin Cooking Club got together for another cookup. The theme this time was Cajun/Creole. We had quite a few new faces cooking this time: Suzy (@Foodieinberlin); Jill (@CHEFinBERLIN) and Caroline (@ThymeSupperclub). And some familiar faces too: Stefan (from the first berlin cooking club meetup) and Rene (@coachz_beta).



When we first arrived we did a bit of juggling around until everyone had a corner to work in. Everyone was hard at work getting their dishes ready and the place was filled with an intense quiet.



As guests started arriving and Kelsie's cocktails started to make the rounds the hum of activity grew. Now we had to figure out in what order we'd get to use the two induction rings. The dishwasher was starting to do it's work on all our prep bowls and boards and things started speeding up for dinner time. We all helped each other out with advice, an extra pair of hands, and lots of tasting.



First up was Suzy with a trio of canapes: the lightest, cheesiest cheese straws that would crumble just right in your mouth, a roasted tomato consomme and her famous devilled eggs.





Next was Rene with his Cajun pasta with a spicy cream sauce, chicken and crawfish.



Meanwhile, Jill dry-fried some okra that ended up being like a green kinda popcorn. I tried mine on top of a devilled egg and it was marvelous.

By this time we had joined all the tables up to make one long table in the space. It was tight seating but did the job perfectly. Wine and conversation were flowing.



We brought all the rest of the dishes out at the end: Stefan made some lovely manioc fritters with two types of sauce -- a punchy horseradish/lime sauce and a papaya-chili sauce. Both were a great foil for the creaminess of the manioc which he formed in patties, paned and fried in butter. Special mention goes to Jill and her "magic" Thermomix machine which saved Stefan from labouring over removing all the fibred in the manioc. Stefan also made a gorgeous Creole themed salad, with tuna and papaya -- light and zesty.



Jill had some novel dishes -- a raw sweet potato salad and a veggie jambalaya made with farro. I loved the nuttiness of the farro and that salad would go great with jerk chicken..



I brought out my meat jambalaya. It's supposed to have Andouille sausage which i couldn't source here in Berlin. so i substituted some intensely smoked polish sausage, some bretonne sausage, and some chistorras i had in my freezer. The recipe i used originally called for 4 dozen shucked oysters. I would have happily complied but knew it would break the bank, so went for shrimps instead.



More wine, more laughter, more stories and it was time for dessert: Caroline made decadent spiced chocolate pots topped with candied nuts and fresh redcurrants. We were stuffed. I couldn't have eaten a bite more.



Everyone, guests and cooks, pitched in at the end to get the restaurant cleaned up, and off into the rainy night we went. I can't wait for the next one! Stay tuned at the berlin cooking club site for more details!



Another round of special thanks to Shannon for kindly letting us use The Dairy to host this event.



And check out Suzy's blog post about the night here.

Berlin Cooking Club: July Meetup

Photo by Alex Trebus


Last Saturday, Berlin Cooking Club got together for another meetup. This time we were fortunate that Shannon, owner of The Dairy, graciously offered us the use of his kitchen and space for the night. We met a few days before the meal to finalise our menu and plans. Here's what we ended up with:

Cocktail (Kelsie): Negroni
Antipasto (Xesus): Bruschetta
Primi (Felix): Mussels in tomato broth
Secondi(Rene): Wild Boar with polenta
Dolci (Mel): Pine Nut Tart

Here's some photos of the evening.

Slideshow

For more info about Berlin Cooking Club visit our posterous page, or email berlingcookingclub@googlemail.com

Sources:
The Dairy
address: Raumerstrasse 12, Berlin 10437
Map
Web

Mitte Meer
address: Gotlandstr. 6-10, 10439 Berlin
Map
Web

Strawberry Risotto (Yes, it's savoury)

June is almost over and i can't let this month pass without a nod to the current Berlin food obsession: strawberries. All the Beelitzer spargel stands have been replaced by cute Erdbeer huts selling local strawberries. These are definitely strawberries worth waiting for. These aren't those huge but tasteless things your local supermarket tries to pass off as a strawberry. These are the real thing. Every bite gives you that strawberry taste you remember from your youth but never found again....until now!

You can buy generous 1kg crates from a hut for 4.50Euro Not a bad deal at all in my opninion.

So what to do with all these strawberries? Make Strawberry Risotto of course! People's first reaction when i mention strawberry risotto is to ask -- is it a dessert? When i tell them no, it's a savoury dish they still look skeptical. But trust me, this dish definitely works as either a nice starter or even as a main. I used Tessa Kiros' Strawberry Risotto recipe from her fabulous book Twelve.

Risotto alla Fragola
from Twelve by Tessa Kiros
serves 6

1.5 litres meat or chicken stock
60g butter
1 medium French shallot, peeled and very finely chopped
250g ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
3 Tbsp good quality brandy
500 risotto rice
50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving

• Heat the stock in a large saucepan and keep it on a gentle simmer.


• Heat half of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Saute the French shallot on a low heat until it has softened and add half of the strawberries. Cook gently for a couple of minutes, then add the brandy. When it has evaporated, add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to coat all the rice. Season with salt and pepper and add a ladleful of hot stock, stirring almost continuously to prevent the rice from sticking.


• When the rice has absorbed the liquid, add another ladleful and continue stirring, making sure you move all the rice at the bottom of the pan with the spoon. After about 20 minutes, taste the rice. It should be soft yet firm, and the texture should be creamy and slightly liquid. You may have to continue cooking it for a few more minutes.


• Add the remaining straweberry halves, the butter and the 50g of Parmesan cheese and stir in . Serve immediately with a grinding of black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese.

Meatless Monday: Megadarra (or what to cook when your fridge is empty)

We had a short 1-week holiday in Scotland last week. Prior to that, most of Northern Germany was in the grips of E.Coli paranoia and we were no exception. After days of no progress on finding the source we decided to play it safe and ditch the fresh lettuce, cukes, tomatoes and other vegetables that we had in the fridge. When we returned the source was somewhat inconclusively nailed down to a bean sprout grower. Our fridge however was still relatively bare, and, it being a holiday weekend, we had limited options for stocking up. (Note: as of today the E.Coli has been traced back to a stream in Frankfurt.)



What we did have was a bag of onions, some lovely brown lentils that I picked up on our trip to Spain, and rice. Being an ex-vegetarian I knew I'd get a proper protein with the lentil-rice combo and a garnish of lemon/garlic/cumin spiked yoghurt would help in that regard too.



I used Claudia Roden's recipe featured on Food&Wine online. It's pretty straightforwards and quick to make. Perfect for a mid-week meal and great as leftovers for lunch!

Brown Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions
from Claudia Roden in Food & Wine online

5 Tbsp olive oil
750g onions, thinly sliced
265g brown lentils
5 cups water
255g long grain rice (i used basmati)
salt
pepper
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin (i used about 1 tsp cumin + 1/2 tsp cayenne)

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the lentils are partially cooked, about 15 minutes. Stir in half the onions, the rice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add more water if needed to prevent sticking.


3. Meanwhile, cook the remaining onions over high heat until dark brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir the onions frequently so they don't stick to the bottom of the skillet and burn.


4. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with the garlic, lemon juice and cumin. Transfer the lentils and rice to a shallow bowl and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over them. Sprinkle with the caramelized onions and serve. Pass the yogurt separately.

Northern Spain: New Discoveries Part 2

When we first planned this trip we thought we would take 5 days to do a mini-tour in Northern Spain. However, we changed our minds and only did a one day/one night stint in Pamplona.

I've always wanted to explore Pamplona. I wanted to see the setting for The Sun Also Rises and, while I don't really fancy the San Fermin festival I did want to wander the narrow streets and just imagine the thick crowds of people outrunning the bulls.

We went on a cool rainy day, leaving from San Sebastian. We took the Alsa bus which leaves from the bus station near the Euskotren station. The journey takes just over an hour and return tickets are only 14,14€.

I did a bit of preliminary research at the Todos Pintxos site and found Casa Otano. This place also has a restaurant and pintxos bar, and there were a large concentration of bars/restaurants in the area that would provide plenty of opportunity for exploration. The room was basic in all ways and cost 45€ per night.



Since we arrived just after lunch, most of the local bars were empty. Still, we managed to find Bar Baserri. I've been making one of their signature pintxos called 'Pintxo de la Foto' for some time now, having first discovered it in New Tapas by Fiona Dunlop. And i was thrilled to see that it was on display that day. It's quite a mouthful of flavours: marinated anchovy wrapped around smoked salmon, covered with piquillo pepper and doused in a sharp vinaigrette. It tasted just like mine (or is it mine taste just like theirs?)! Kelsie had a lovely smoked bacalao, topped with a tomato vinaigrette and drizzled with black olive oil.





We left Baserri and decided to have a wander around more of the Old Town and surrounding area. We found a lovely park with a sculpture garden.







After a mini-siesta in the room, we headed back out to the Old Town for some more food and drink. There were more than a few bars with gorgeous jamons hanging from the ceilings. This one particularly stood out for me.



We stopped at Bodegon Sarria where we had alachofa rellena de jamon y queso con salsa de piquillos.



Next was Mesón Pirineo where i tried pintxos with jamon fried quals egg piquillo and chistorra.



Our last stop was at La Mandarra de la Ramos where i finally gave in and ordered manitos de cerdo which, it seemed every bar/restaurant had on its menu. It was exactly what i expected, bony bits of porky foot with lots of gelatinous fat and meat. In retrospect it probably wasn't a great idea to try this last, but i'm glad i did and i probably would try it again. La Mandarra is a great bar with some nice decorative features, like the imprint of some San Fermin runners on the floor (see photo above).

Suitably stuffed, we headed back to our room, had a good sleep and headed back to San Sebastian the next morning. I enjoyed the contrast between Pamplona and San Sebastian. They each have their own specialities and fair share of award winning dishes and restaurants. Next time i hope we do the mini-trip we originally planned and discover even more!

Details
Casa Otano
San Nicolas 5 . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Bar Restaurante Baserri
San Nikolas Kalea 32 . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Bodegon Sarria
C. Estafeta 50-52 . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Meson Pirineo
c/ Estafeta, 41 . 31001 Pamplona
Map

La Mandarra de la Ramos
San Nicolás 9 bajo . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Northern Spain: New Discoveries Part 1

As you may know from here and here, we frequently travel to sw france to visit my parents. Inevitably we cross the border on the EuskoTren to visit our favourite haunts in San Sebastian. This trip was set to be more of the same but we had the advantage this time of a) having more holiday time (2 whole weeks thanks to very generous German holiday allowances!); b) finally figuring out how to make the most of the limited public transport options on offer in that part of France; and c) absolutely gobsmackingly gorgeous weather.

At the start we had intended to do a mini-tour of Northern Spain, making stops in Pamplona, Logrono, Santander, Laredo, Bilbao and finally San Sebastian. We got as far as Pamplona, which you'll read about in Part 2, before turning around and heading back to the sea.

Our first discovery was the town Hondarribia which lies just across the water/border from Hendaye in France. We've been there a couple of times before, but never really took the time to get to know if properly. Having done some research beforehand, we learned that more than a few bars there were taking top prizes in the annual pintxos competitions. My parents go there frequently and they also had some new discoveries to share.



To get to Hondarribia the scenic way, you catch a little navette at the marina in Hendaye. 1.60Euro gets you across in about 10 minutes or so. Once you step off on the Hondarribia side, it's a short 2 blocks to the main drag where most of the pintxos bars and restaurants are. Our first visit there was on a Friday and we had made plans to meet my parents' friends for lunch in their favourite restaurant, La Kupela. Beforehand we managed to convince them to first make a stop at award winning pintxos bar, El Gran Sol.



We lost no time in picking out 4 pintxos to try. It was still fairly early for lunch and we were able to sit at a table. As 2 pm approached it started filling with people and Kelsie and I made a mental note to come back another time to explore the menu. Lunch at La Kupela was a long, leisurely affair and we had wonderful, fresh, simply prepared seafood dishes. It's the kind of place my parents like: comfortable but a bit conservative.

To start, we shared a starter of a beautifully composed mixed salad, as well as confit of artichoke hearts with jamon.



The mains were: Txangurro (spider crab) soup,



Txiperones en su tinta (calamares in a squid ink sauce);


Merluza a la parilla (grilled hake)


; and brochettes of monkfish and prawns.


We finished with ice cteams for dessert.

The very next day we headed back with the sole aim of checking out as many different pintxos bars as we desired. When we got off the navette we decided to have a wander along the promenade towards the beach. The walkway is dotted here and there with cafes and restaurant, and by the time we reached the end of the walkway we were ready for our first snack. We had some excellent rabas (fried calamares) washed down with a beer.

By the time we got back to the main pintxo bar strip the entire street was hooching. Everyone and their grandchild, sister, unlce, great grandfather seemed to be out, with people spilling out from the bars into the street. We started off in a bar that had wide wooden tables and benches. The football was on and we had a simple pintxo of grilled chistorra on bread (plus another beer)



We poked our heads in El Gran Sol but it was at least 6 people thick to even get to the bar, so we decided to wander back later in the afternoon. Our next find was maritime themed, Txantxangorri. Compared to the bustling energy of the other pintxos bars we poked our heads into, Txantxangorri was a sea of calm.



We had a couple of glasses of chilled rosado and scanned the beautifully composed pintxos before settling on these spoons of smoked salmon and smoked cod(or halibut) simply garnished with a dollop of mayonnaise.



We had another two glasses of rosado and watched the effortless ballet of the three people behind the bar, move around each other to serve their customers.

Back outside we tried El Gran Sol again, and by now the crowd had thinned a bit inside. The main barman was in full form, using a microphone to call outside customers in to pick up their orders inside.


We tried two pintxos:

Rabo de buey con foie (oxtail with duck liver)



and a Confit of bacalao. Both were delicious and elegant.



Finishing up the afternoon of indulgence, we headed across the street to Vinacoteca Ardoka. There we had a lovely pintxo of salmorejo and another one of foie. By this time the crowds on the street had disperssed and thing were quieting down.









This wasn't to be our last visit to Hondarribia. We went a few days later with my parents for lunch at their new discovery, Arroka Berri, which is a bit on the outskirts of the main town. The restaurant is situated in a mostly residential area, and is in a traditional looking Basque building. Inside, the restaurant has a modern, light and airy design, with plenty of room for any size dining party. The tables are laid out nicely and there are picture windows all around the dining room. The wait staff, dressed in all black were attentive and friendly.



We were first presented with an amuse bouche which was a vegetable tempura ball and a puree of leek. The balls looked like lollipops in the special presentation plate.



We shared two starters, one of exquisite lobster ravioli and also of seasonal grilled vegetables.



For mains my parents shared a grilled monkfish, and i had grilled hake, garnished with clams. Kelsie went straight for the clams, which, when brought out were raw and served with wedges of lemon. She asked for them to be cooked which was done quickly and without any fuss.







Desserts were fanciful and fantastic. I had a passionfruit 'ecstacy', my father had a trio of chocolate puds, kelsie had gorgeous mini cheesecakse with raspberry and my mother had a citrus mango granita.









By the time the meal ended we were all in need of a siesta. We took our naps in the garden, on comfy sofas. Our waitress came out a few times to check in on us and ask if there was anything we needed. Really thoughtful service!

And on our final visit we went back to the upstairs restaurant at Txantxangorri for their lunch menu del dia, a bargain at 13euros for 3 courses. The highlight was a light almondy Pastel Vasco, basque cake.



So, if you're looking for something new that's a bit smaller than San Sebastian and has all the charm and excellent food you could wish for, think about visiting Hondarribia. They even have an annual Blues Fest which has an amazing lineup this year. I bet it's a great atmosphere and music and fully intend to try it out myself! There are connecting flights to Hondarribia airport from Madrid and Barcelona via Iberia, so easily reachable as well.

Details
Bar Gran Sol
San Pedro 65 . 20280 hondarribia
Map
Website

La Kupela
Zuluoga 12 . 20280 hondarribia
Call for reservations: +34 943 644 025
Map
Website

Restaurant Txantxangorri
San Pedro 27 . 20280 hondarribia
Map

Arroka Berri
higer bidea 6 . 20280 hondarribia
Call for reservations: +34 943 642 712
Map
Website