Oliver Brachat - See It, Cook It: Easy-to-Do, Fool-Proof Recipes for the Would-Be Gourmet

Table of Contents

SALAD IN A JAR

Wash the salad greens and dry them well. Tear them into bite size pieces. Wash the cucumber and tomatoes and cut them into slices. Peel the onion and slice into thin rings. Take the skin off the avocado, remove the seed, and carefully dice. Wash the radishes and cut them into slices. Wash the green onions and cut them into fine rings. Peel the carrots and cut them into sticks. Wash the herbs, pat them dry, and chop them finely. Place everything into either a canning or a mason jar, alternating vegetables by layer.

For the dressing, mix the crme frache, mustard, and vinegar together. Peel the garlic, chop it finely, and add it to the mixture. Stir in the olive oil drop by drop, using a whisk, so that a homogeneous mass takes shape. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing into another jar, and then, ideally, bring everything with you on a picnic.

SPICY SHRIMP TOAST

Clean the shrimp and pat them dry. Peel the ginger and cut it into small pieces. Puree both of them finely and season with salt and pepper. Clean the chili pepper and chop it up. Add crushed cumin and half of the lime juice to the shrimp mixture. Mix well and spread smoothly onto the slices of toast up until the edges. Cut in half diagonally.

Wash the cranberries and cut them in half. Peel the onion and chop it up finely. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a pot, place the onions and sugar in it, and let them caramelize a little bit. Add the cranberries and let cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Monitor the pan to ensure that the chutney does not burn. Then, add the rest of the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Cook the shrimp toasts, first on the coated side, and then on the backside, for two minutes each. Serve with the chutney.

ROSEMARY ROASTED VEGETABLES

Wash and peel the vegetables. Cook the potatoes in a generous amount of salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a baking pan.

Cut the parsley roots and carrots into approx. 2-in (5-cm) long sticks. Put into the pan with the potatoes. Pour in olive oil and toss well.

Preheat the oven to 390F (200C), or 355F (180C) for a convection oven. Place the pan in the oven and let the vegetables stew for about 45 minutes. Every once in a while, stir carefully, using a spoon. After about 20 minutes, add the sprigs of rosemary. As soon as the vegetables are ready, remove from the oven and season heartily with salt and pepper.

BEEF SOUP

Heat up 13 cups of water in a big pot. Let the meat as well as the marrowbones simmer for about an hour.

Wash and chop of the vegetables. Add halved onions and spices to the meat. Salt everything lightly and let simmer for another hour.

Take the pot off the stove and let it cool. Take the meat out, remove the vegetables and spices, and strain the broth. Wash the leftover vegetables. Peel the celeriac and carrots, dice them, and cut the leeks into rings. Cook the noodles in hot water, drain them, and rinse with cold water. Blanch the vegetables, and pull the meat into bite-sized pieces.

To serve, heat up the broth, add meat and vegetables, and season with salt. Spread noodles on a plate and fill it up with the hot soup. Garnish with chopped chives.

LAMBS LETTUCE SALAD WITH POTATO DRESSING

Peel the potatoes and the garlic clove, cut them into small pieces, and put them in a pot with vegetable broth. Let it cook for 20 minutes. Add cream and let it cool. Next, add oil and vinegar, and puree using a blender. If the dressing is still a bit too thick, add a little vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper.

Dice the bacon and fry it in a pan until crisp. Let it dry on paper towels. Place butter in the pan with the leftover fat. As soon as the butter begins to get frothy, throw in bread, which has been diced into fairly large pieces, and fry until crispy. Wash the salad and arrange it on a plate, drizzle with a little bit of dressing, and garnish with bacon and croutons.

Tip: You can also mix the lambs lettuce with other types of lettuce, for example with rucola, chicory, or iceberg lettuce.

PUMPKIN AND GINGER SOUP

Peel the pumpkin, cut it in half, remove the seeds, and dice. Wash the apples, core them, and cut them into small pieces. Peel the onions, and chop them into small pieces as well. Wash the chili pepper and slice it into rings. Put everything into a pot along with the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Let simmer for approx. 30 minutes without a lid.

Add coconut milk, cinnamon and brown sugar. Bring to a boil again and add butter. Puree the soup with a blender. Season with salt. Chop the walnuts and roast them in an ungreased pan. Sprinkle the nuts with powdered sugar, and stir the two ingredients together. Pour the soup into little bowls and sprinkle with walnuts. Garnish with a few splashes of pumpkin seed oil.