warm salad

watercress warm salad
150g chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
1tbsp olive oil
orange zest, flesh and juice
1tbsp chilly jam 
1tsp runny honey
salt to taste
90g watercress
1/4 pomegranate (seeds)
handful walnuts (chopped and toasted)
pecorino slices for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, and cook the chicken for about 10 minutes. Make sauce out of orange juice and zest (using one half), table spoon of chilly jam and tea spoon of honey. Pour over the orange-chilly sauce, salt to taste and let cook until golden brown.

In another bowl place watercress and slices of orange flesh (no skin, no white strips of membrane) and add meat to it. Dribble over meat juices, add pomegranate seeds and sprinkle over toasted walnuts. Mix everything together with two forks and taste to check the seasoning.

Serve on a flat plate with slices of pecorino on top.

It's four in the afternoon. 

Don’t slave away at the stove. 

Don’t eat calorific treats. 

Make delightful farewell for 2014. 

Make light, fresh and easy salad. 

Happy New Year!

another hot delicacy: ginger

Ginger-anise syrup

30g fresh ginger
3 star anise
300ml water
100g sugar

50ml apple cider vinegar

Put water, sugar, vinegar, and star anise and peeled and grated ginger in a pot and bring to a boil. Peel the ginger and grate it on a grater. Put the grated ginger into the pot and let it all cook for approx. 15-20 min. so its cooked until that it begins to thicken and make syrup consistency. Put syrup in a jar/bowl and let it cool. Take out the anise and Store the syrup at room temperature because if you put it in the fridge, it will get to cold  and crystallize. Use the syrup on top of yogurt panna cotta, toast or in tea or dressings.

by mikkel karstad / weyoutheyate.com/2014/01/ginger/

winter warmers

December, not only the holiday season month but the month of heavy, gray clouds just waiting to let out first snow flakes. Cold air is nipping the ears and fingers and the only way to enjoy winter is to keep yourself warm. Keep your hands and feet warm or in other words wool up all unhidden parts of the body. On cold nights stay indoors and have indoor affairs with food, the food that will not only keep your body warm but will also keep your senses stimulated.

So, let winter be at your service!

Chilli jam

110g long fresh red chilli peppers (deseeded and cut into few pieces)

150 grams red peppers (cored, deseeded and cut into rough chunks)

200g gelling sugar (2:1)

5tbsp regular sugar

270ml apple vinegar

Put the peppers into a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Heat them up together with the sugar and vinegar in a pan over a medium-high heat, bring to boil and let it boil for about 5-7 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and allow it to cool but just a bit (minute or two) and ladle the jam into cleaned jars. Seal tightly, turn the jars upside down and keep them like that for 10 minutes. Turn them ‘up’ and let cool completely.

I prefer eating this with hard cheese or thin slices of ham. But believe me, once you try this heavenly ‘Christmas’ treat you will have Christmas not only in December but all year round.