Hey People,

Am back from my vacation, but before I begin posting the recipes for this month, here’s a little something from my trip.  Enjoy!

And you thought only humans were cool…

‘What on earth is that?’  Screamed Virginia, as she gaped at the bespectacled hog heads behind the glass partition.

I have just returned from a holiday in Barcelona, the Catalonian capital city in Spain.  Before my sojourn there, quite a few friends told me that it was a fun city.  The fun, they said, was not just owning to the fact that the city has a beach right in the middle of it, but also that the Barcelonans themselves are a really ‘relax’ and ‘cool’ people.

I live in Vienna – a city renowned for its reserved and conservative air – and before buying the Barcelona plane ticket my 2010 summer destinations of choice were Paris and London.  However, after listening to my friends rhapsodised about the ‘coolness’ of the Barcelona and the laid-back attitude of its people I thought, well, why not…I could do with a bit of cool and relax.  Another plus was that a very dear Spanish friend had just moved back to the city after several years abroad.  Therefore, finding someone to show me around the city  – not to mention saving me a few hundred Euros by providing bed and board – was not going to be a problem.  So, to Barcelona I went.

Though my friends were not wrong in their analysis of the city and its people, it was not the friendliness I encountered there, nor the ‘coolness’ of its people (although those were conclusively proven) that floods my heart with warmth and cause my cheeks to twitch in irrepressible giggles whenever I remember my seven-days stay there.  Rather, it was the realization that the Barcelonan  ‘coolness’ was not unique to its humans alone.

You see, on my fourth day there, we had just finished touring the city’s Opera House – Palau de la Musica Catalana – (another awesome experience) when Virginia, my Spanish friend, decided to take me around the ‘not so touristy’ part of Barcelona.  This area, el Born, is the city’s equivalent of The Village in Manhattan, New York.  A couple of turns into very narrowed side streets, I caught sight of something a little…well, kind of strange.  Thinking it was a trick of sight, I asked Virginia to stop the car and reverse back a little.

I had not made a mistake…neither was it a trick of sight; for smack in the centre of a delicatessen shop were the well-smoked heads of two hogs complete with, ‘his’ and ‘hers,’ sunglasses. As if in protest that being cool should not be the predilection of the living alone; and that even in death life does, indeed, go on, rakishly placed in the mouth of one of them was a half-smoked cigarette, which was spewing out smoke every now and then like a touchy and ill-tempered volcano.

‘Well, I’ll say a couple of very dead but real funky pig heads,’ I stated the all too obvious in response to Virginia’s question, as our laughter erupted and filled the confines of her red sedan.

‘Poor, poor pigs…that’s so unfair’ my friend’s daughter, the third person in the car, interjected – ever one for the preservation of the dignity of animals.

The funny thing was that while Virginia, her daughter, and I were literally turning ourselves blue with laughter, the two old women in the shop did not seem to find the idea of three complete strangers pointing at the spiffy dead pig heads in their shop, and going bonkers with laughter, that funny: which made the whole spectacle doubly hilarious.

‘Oh Barcelona, you are cool all right.  You are definitely cool,’ I hiccupped as I tried to bring my laughter under control.

Needless to say, it was the highlight of my entire summer and let’s just say… I will not be forgetting the Catalonia capital city in a hurry.

I am going off on holiday for two weeks, but before I do, here’s a little information about one of the attractions of Vienna, where I buy some of my ingredients.  See you in two weeks and…don’t forget to try out the recipes.

The Vienna Naschtmarkt – a Sight for Sore Senses!

“An international city full of culture and history,” that is how Vienna, the capital of Austria, is often described by people who have had the opportunity to pay her a visit:  and nowhere else is the city’s ‘internationality,’ and ‘culture’ more apparent than at its premier open-air market – the Naschtmarkt (situated in the 6^th district in Vienna).

As you step into the market you are jostled by people of every culture and region; and surrounded by aromas and fragrances of varying degrees:  the spicy and pungent aroma of Indian cooking; the softer and alluring one of Thai and Japanese; the sizzling smoky aroma from the lamb and chicken kebab stand of the Turkish region; and the cumin and cinnamon-based ones from Northern Africa. Topping all these are the vats of different kinds of sauer krauts (a cabbage delicacy often accompanied with sausages and dumping), a specialty of both the Austrians and the Germans.

It is a market which caters for the differing taste and needs of its visitors.  Here you find smartly dressed men and women quickly slurping a couple of oysters brought in by Nordsee – the Norwegian seafood chain, before heading back to their offices.  It is a ready to eat (fast and healthy), interesting, and affordable meal location for breakfast, brunch, lunch and, of course, dinner – for those who cannot be bothered to wrestled with pot and pans after a stress-filled day at work.

As you step into the market your senses are bombarded by colourful fresh vegetables and fruits, seafood, meat and poultry of every description, and heady fragrances of spices and herbs from the Orient (all attractively displayed and advertised in a manner that guarantees that you are not burdened by the weight of your wallet at the end of your sojourn there).

Another interesting point of the Naschtmarkt is the internationality of its speech.  German (Deutsch), the official language of Austria, is the language one hears everyday on the streets of Vienna.  At Naschtmarkt, however, it is quite common to hear  English, Turkish, Italian, Chinese and Japanese, French, Portuguese and Spanish, and some African languages, all joyously bargaining, haggling and competing for attention, at any given time of the day.

Then there is the Flea market section of the market: now, need I say more?

In conclusion, perhaps the most convincing reason to visit the market when you do find yourself in Vienna is its easy accessibility. The Naschmarkt is right in the centre of the city – about 500 metres from one of the most important tourist attractions of Vienna – The Vienna Opera – which has played host (and continues to do so) to some of the most venerable Opera concerts in the world.

If we would be honest  with ourselves, we’ll admit that most of what we do, we do to please those who hold very special places in our hearts – that new hair-style, the fancy sport car, the bone-killing two hours on the treadmill – or the carrot and a piece of lettuce in place of real dinner, meal .  And who fits the bill of those we’ll go out of our ways to please better than the men, or women, we love?

And so, I call this meal the…

Spouse Catcher

I whole soft-flesh white fish (wash and pat dry)

A cube of fresh ginger (crushed)

Two bunches of coriander leaves – stalk included (wash and cut up into two length-wise)

I bunch of spring onions – set two aside (wash and thinly-sliced length-wise – )

Two red chili (seeded and thinly sliced)

Salt

Three tbsp of light soy sauce and three of very good vegetable oil  – sunflower oil preferably (mix together)

Two tbsp of sesame oil, two of vegetable oil

Blend the ginger and the two spring onions together – add salt and black pepper  to it, and rub all over fish, making sure to stuff the inside of the fish with the mixture.  Lay in a long-steam bowl (or put in a long flame-proof dish with a foil over it) and steam until the flesh flakes off easily when tested with a fork.   When fish is cooked, remove from the oven and drain off excess water. In a wok, fry  the chili in two tablespoon of the sesame and vegetable oil for 15 seconds; add the coriander leave and the sliced spring onions – fry for about 20 seconds.  Toss this over the fish and pour the three tbsp soy sauce and vegetable oil mixture over the fish.  Serve with steamed rice.

In West African cooking, palm oil is the queen of the kitchen.  This meal celebrates the importance of palm oil to the cooking of this region in all its  rich red smoky flavor.

Palm Chicken

You will need:

1kg of chicken thighs

6 firm fresh tomatoes

2 medium onions

a bunch of ntong (ask for pepper soup leave or nchiau in any African shop) or mint leaves (rinse and chopped)

4 fresh red chili (or less if you don’t want it too spicy)

quarter cup of palm oil

salt and I cube of maggi chicken

Wash the chicken and pat it dry, then put it in a cooking pot or pan.

Process (not blend) the pepper, half of one onion and the ntong, or  mint leaves

And pour over the chicken. Season it with the salt and the maggi and set aside for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes and the remaining onions into big chunks;  put this in the pot and mix well.  Drizzle the palm oil over the chicken, cover and bring to boil  for about 20 minutes– turn the chicken gently with a wooden ladle  every now and then to prevent it from burning. When ready, spoon onto a flat serving dish.  Serve with steamed rice, yam, or potatoes

Enzymes are a special class of biological chemicals in our body that act as catalyst to trigger functions to maintains and regenerate vital body fluids, cells, tissues and organs.

Enzymes play many roles in our body.  Some of the most essential roles of certain enzymes are the ability to digest food and assimilate the nutrients content of fruits and vegetables.

It’s been medically proven that following a primarily raw food diet can help maintain the essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes our body needs.  However, how convenient is it for most people to chew their way through platefuls of raw fruits and vegetables each day? In some cases certain people might find it hard to properly digest the raw fiber in their food.  For that reason juicing provides the best alternative method for ensuring that your body receives the daily enzymes and benefits it needs.

Full Moon – this week specialty – is guarantee to do just that.  enjoy!

Full Moon
1 ripe Mango – seeded

a quarter of pineapplee

I well-ripe orange

Quarter of pawpaw (papaya)

I carrot

I lemon-grass stick – or five long leaves

Wash all the ingredients and, peal the mango, orange and papa – but include the seed of the papaw as they are known to be rich in anti-oxidant – juice all the fruit together.  Your delicious drink  chock-full of vitamins and minerals is ready.

This recipe shows how much you can do with so little if  you love cooking. The idea for this creation came one day when I was looking inside an almost empty fridge and wondering what to cook for a friend who had decided to pay me a surprise visit – with another friend in tow, of course (Africans will do that to you. Never mind that you did not request their presence, nor indicate a need for your quiet peaceful afternoon to be disrupted, not only will they drop in on you, they will expect to be wined, dined and entertained). But you know what, I kind of like that,  real friends should never have to be given an invitation before showing up on one’s doorstep:-).

Skylark Mushroom

Quarter a kilo of button, or yellow mushroom

2 bulbs of garlic (minced)

1 medium onion (chopped)

Four firm fresh tomatoes (cut into big chunks)

A handful of dry shrimps

2 sliver of butter

A can of coconut cream

Coriander leaves, or Ntong – Scent leaves – the Igbos of Nigeria call it Nchiaun (chopped)

Salt and black pepper to taste (add a little chili if you so wish)

Wash and slice up the mushroom.   Melt the butter in a pan; fry the garlic, onions, and tomatoes gently for about three minutes. Pour in the coconut cream, mushroom (throw in a few dry shrimps if you have any), pepper and salt,  let it cook – stirring gently every now and then.  When the mushroom is cooked – should take about five minutes – add the coriander or Ntong and cook for a further 45 seconds.  Dish onto a serving plate and served with steamed rice, or yam.  You can top the mushroom with a pan-fried salmon fish, if you have any, then sprinkle  a few rucola leaves  (rocket salad leaves) and….la voila!

Hey people!

Welcome to another new week.

If some of you out there are like me (whose idea of greeting the morning is to blink one eye-lid, roll over and get right back to sleep!), you will love this one.  The ginger in it is a real pick-me-up, while the banana and carrot provide you with enough energy to propel you into that shower in preparation for your day’s job.

Don’t forget to wash the vegetables and fruits!

1 carrot

I banana

A slice of fresh ginger

Half  of a red beetroot (substitute one medium potato if you can’t get beetroot)

Juice all the ingredients together.  Makes one and a half glass – about .250ml.

• I have heard some say they don’t like fish.  Well, all I say to that is this, let’s have that conversation again after you’ve tried this recipe:-)

• I white-flesh fish – about half a kilogram (cut into big cubes)
• A can of coconut cream
• I fresh chili (chop it up)
• A cube of ginger (minced)
• 1 Lemon grass stick or a three of the grass (mash up it)
• A few sprigs of fresh dill and coriander leaves
• 1 tsp of ground turmeric
• A  sliver of butter

—

Wash and pat dry the fish.  Pour the coconut cream in a bowl, add the chili, half the ginger, dill, and half of the coriander leaves, salt, and the lemon grass – toss together.  Put the fish pieces in and let it soak for 1 hour.  Then take out the fish pieces – and set aside the marinade. Steam the fish for about 20, or until the pieces flakes off easily when tested with a fork.  Five minutes before the fish is ready, melt the butter in a pan, or work, and gently fry the turmeric and the remaining ginger for about two minutes, add the marinade sauce and boil until the sauce reduces a bit.  Arrange the fish over a serving dish and pour the sauce over it,  garnish with a few sprig of coriander and dill.  Served with steamed rice, or mashed potatoes.