Saturday, November 24, 2012

Hazelnut ring



















GET
220g spelt flour
10-15g Weinstein baking powder (½ packet)
1 Tbsp honey
1 egg
125g butter

150g hazelnuts ground
50g sultanas
2 Tbsp Schnapps (or lemon juice, or rum)
1 Tbsp honey

1 egg yolk

DO
Put flour in a large bowl.
Add honey in the middle and egg.
Mix together with some flour into a paste using a wooden spoon.
Cut in butter. Mix.
Knead together into a pastry. Add more flour if sticky, more butter if not smooth. Cool.

Wash sultanas. Then soak them in the liquid for 15 minutes.
Mix the nuts, the sultanas and honey into a paste.

Roll out the pastry on a tea towel into a long rectangle about 40 x 10 cm. Fold the edges to make it straight. Turn often while rolling to make it thin and prevent it sticking to the tea towel.
Spread the nut paste into the surface of the pastry. Roll it up along the long side into a long roll using the tea towel. Form the roll into a ring carefully without breaking the pastry surface. Press the ends together.
Place the ring onto a buttered circular baking tray with the seam facing downwards.
Preheat the oven to 180°.

Mix the egg yolk with a fork. Paint it  carefully with a tea spoon or brush in small amounts onto the ring until the whole cake is covered. Carefully paint the sides, inside and outside.
Take a large sharp knife and cut into the outer layer of pastry making the shape of a star on the surface of the cake. When the cake rises the cuts will open up making the star-shape emerge in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 150° and cover the cake with some greaseproof paper and bake for a further 30 minutes. Cool.
The surface of the cake should become a golden brown.

Use more hazelnuts and more sultanas for a more generous filling.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Mushroom eggplant with pasta

GET
1 medium eggplant
300g champignons
2 medium red onions
olive oil
pink salt
optional: whole garlic cloves.

Pasta (e.g. Rigatoni, Penne) or Camargue red rice
all organic

Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

DO
Partly peel the eggplant and cut into cubes on a plate. Sprinkle salt on it and leave it standing for 1 hour or more. Pour off the dark juice which settles on the plate.
Wash the eggplant well to remove the salt and squeeze to dry.


Boil water for the noodles.

Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the eggplant in it. When it is golden, add a few tablespoons of boiling water/ tomato sauce and cook till it is done. Put it aside on a plate.

Start cooking the noodles.

Dice the onions. Cut the champignons into large chunks.

Fry the diced onion in the same pan with more oil as necessary. When soft, push the onion to the side and fry the champignon pieces until lightly golden. Add garlic if desired.
Mix the onions and mushrooms together and mix in the eggplant.

Serve with noodles, parmesan and a green salad.

Alternatively you can serve the dish with Camargue red rice and Brussels sprouts.


The eggplant should be firm and without black seeds. The mushrooms should be fleshy. In Germany use Steinchampignons, in Australia use swiss brown champignons.

Image Nr. 1:
Segantini, Giovanni, Mushrooms, 1886