Saturday 5 April 2014

Easter Pinze

A typical pre-easter sweet bread in Central Europe.

Usually eaten fresh out of the oven with butter.


Friday 4 April 2014

Coming up soon: Nik K's Austria and Central Europe Trip 2014 - Back to the roots of cooking in search for the Millennial Kitchen, suiting our modern lifestyle.



Thursday 3 April 2014

Still no passport…But this gives me time to organize a lot of other things.

Friday 28 March 2014

Spicy Tilapia Penne


Easy and quick to prepare, this is the perfect dish for a busy, but healthy lifestyle.
           
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

6 Pc                         Tilapia Filet
2 cup (500 ml)           Penne Pasta
1 Stalk                      Leeks
2 cup (500 ml)           Plum (Italian) Tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 ml)        ground Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup (125 ml)        shaved Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup (75 ml)          fresh Basil
1/4 cup (75 ml)          Thai Style Sweet Chilli Sauce
5 tbsp (25 ml)            minced garlic
5 tbsp (25 ml)            extra virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp (5 ml)                Salt
1 tsp (5 ml)                freshly ground Pepper


  1. Chop Leeks (1/4” thick discs), coarsely chop Tomatoes (1½” cubes); (possible substitute: Cherry Tomato halves), coarsely chop Basil; safe top 3 leaves for plating.
  2. Cut Fish to fairly big chunks (2” to 3”). In a medium sized bowl carefully mix chunks of fish, 3 tbsp Olive Oil and just a bit Salt(optional)/Pepper till evenly coated.
  3. Cook Penne pasta in boiling, salted water to be “al dente” (Italian for “to the bite”; which means it still offers resistance to the bite)
  4. In large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp Olive Oil over medium-high heat; sauté Fish and Garlic till fish is mostly opaque (about 80%). It will finish cooking later.
  5. Add chopped Leeks; sauté for a minute, then add chopped Tomato and chopped Basil; Season with Thai Style Sweet Chilli Sauce, Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste.
  6. When you are happy with your seasoning, continue cooking till it starts to bubble and then cook for another minute.
  7. Add hot Fish and Veggie Mix to drained Penne; if it seems to dry, use pasta water to adjust.
  8. Add ground Parmesan; mix carefully not to mash up the now cooked and very delicate Fish Chunks
  9. Serve in a bowl, topped with shaved Parmesan Cheese and saved whole Basil tops.
  10. Enjoy!

Makes 4-5 servings
Per serving: 836 calories, fat 26 g, sodium 428 mg, carbohydrate 145 g,  protein 78 g(28%)

This dish is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Niacin and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein, B-Vitamins thiamin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid and mineral Selenium.

Thursday 27 March 2014