This soup is from Cordoba, Spain and has a great similarity with Gazpacho. It is reduced to a few ingredients and contains no cucumber. Salmorejo is also much thicker than the Gazpacho because it contains more bread. A great and intense tomato taste!

Salmorejo can be also found on the Canary islands. There it is a marinade and peppers and chili is added to it.

Preparation time: 15 minutes + 2 hours of chilling

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Put the tomatoes into boiling water and leave them there for a couple of minutes until the skin breaks. Remove them and let them cool down a bit. Skin the tomatoes and cut them in quarters.

Add all ingredients to the mixer and transform into a smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper. Fridge for at least 2 hours, then serve in chilled bowls.

Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients. I like eating them in warm meals as much as in salads. This salad is reduced to a few tasty ingredients. Peppers and onions develop their aroma while baking in the oven.
They are being combined with lentils and a light lemon and cumin dressing.

Preparation time: 25 minutes + soaking the lentils in water over night

cooking time: 10 minutes

einfaches Rezept

Preparation:

Soak the lentils in water over night. Drain them then bring them to boil in a pot with water. Do not over boil them, they should be al dente.

Wash the peppers and put them in the pre-heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade.

Peel and quarter the onions and also place them in the oven.

Bake the peppers until their skin bubbles. Bake the onion until they are soft and took a bit of colour.

For the dressing mix the lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin and olive oil in a small bowl.

Put all ingredients into a salad bowl and mix with the dressing.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander or parsley over it.

Ideal for summer weather is this cold version of a vegetable soup. It is an alternative to Gazpacho, which I have written about quite a lot this summer. The iced vegetable soup can be done with a variety of vegetables, this version however is prepared with rocked salad, which gives it a spicy touch.

Preparation: 25 minutes

cooling time: 120 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds. Chop up the spring onion, but only use the white bit.

Peel and cube the garlic and the onion. Put all vegetables into a blender and add the vinegar and some olive oil. Add the piece of dry bread, it will give the soup more consistence.
Mix all well, like a smoothie.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve chilled.
Fridge for at least 2 hours.

Vegetable Soup

Again you have voted and chosen a winner of the last months Mediterranean cooking event. The topic was Slovenia and the winner is Seelensturm with the dish blejska kremšnita (Bled Cream Cake). Congratulation!

Please have also the current event in mind:

On the search for a tasty summer salad that could be beaten on a boat picnic I came up with this one. The figs always go great with bacon and the feta cheese gives the salad a Mediterranean touch. The salad makes a crunchy noise when eaten. This is due to the fig seeds.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Bring lightly salted water to boil in a pot. Boil the Fusilli until al dente.

Cut the bacon in stripes and fry with some oil until crispy.

Cut the feta cheese into small cubes. Peel and cube the figs.

Add the lemon juice, mustard, the crushed garlic, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well. Add the oil and mix again.

Drain the pasta and add to a large bowl. Put the bacon, cheese and the figs on top. Pour the sauce over it and mix well.

Not everybody likes Okra. For many people it seems to “slimy” once it is cooked. In Greece you con find it often cooked in a tomato and onion sauce which leads to very soft okra. Here they are called Βamies (Μπάμιες).

I have just fried them in some olive oil which results in crispy okra. The cumin sauce in combination with the pomegranate syrup add a lots of flavors to the okra.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Wash the okra and dry it off with a towel. Cut of the ends of the okra.

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the okra for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile crush the garlic on a board with a bid knife. Use some sea slat to turn it into a paste.
Mix with the yogurt and some olive oil. Season with pepper and cumin and stir well. Dilute with a bit of water.

Let the fried okra drain on a bit of kitchen paper. Then place it on a plate and drizzle the cumin dressing and the pomegranate syrup over the okra.

The village of Vlychos is an accumulation of a few houses and two taverns. It lies south west of the port of Hydra, just a few kilometers along the coast. It is connected to the main town by a stunning walk along the sea side. Here you can find in the evening hours wonderful little bays to go swimming for sunset.

There is also Marinas Tavern which is situated on a terrace directly by the sea. Here Despina is cooking simple food and grilling fresh fish. The fish is expensive as everywhere in Greece but Despina is mastering her BBQ perfectly. When you stick to some salad, some marinated sardines and wine your bill will be around 15 Euros. The view is certainly priceless.

The sun sets fast and you wonder how time is passing so quickly. Unfortunately you can’t slow some moments down.

Another fruit of the summer garden is the almond. The trees are full of almonds and one of the many things that can be done with them is pesto. A variation of the classic Italian pasta sauce. The almonds give the pesto more of a nutty taste then the pine nuts, is also is darker in color.

Preparatio time: 15 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Toast the almonds in a dry pan. Use medium to low heat to do so, in order not to burn the almonds.

Meanwhile peel the garlic and cut in in quarters. Cube the cheese. Carefully rinse the basil leaves. Dry them off with a paper towel.

Put all ingredients into a blender, add some olive oil and mix. You might have to add some oil in the process. Mix carefully, so it does not get too finely chopped. I personally prefer to still see the pieces of the almond.

Serve with freshly boiled Spaghetti.

TIP: The pesto stores well in a jar in the fridge.

The fact that the garden is full of capers let to this little experiment. The thought of preserving them was tempting, as well as a necessary step in order to eat them. Capers can not be eaten raw. It is late in the year and so the capers are not that small anymore, but also big capers can taste good.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Wash the capers well. Boil the jars in water. Then put them aside, upside down to cool down a bit.

Meanwhile bring vinegar mixed with water to boil. The mixture should be 50:50. Add the capers.

Then fill the capers with the liquid into the jars. Close them tight and let them sit for at least 10 days.

This is a chicken dish that is done very fast. The fillet of chicken is stuffed with Feta cheese and it is served on a variation of Lecsó (or Letcho) which is a Hungarian dish with Peppers. This makes it pretty much European fusion food.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

difficulty easy

Preparation:

For the Lecsó: Dice the onion and fry it in some olive oil for a couple of minutes. Then add the diced peppers and tomato. Add the wine, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper and let it cook.

Meanwhile cut the chicken breast pieces in half. Fry them on each side for 4 minutes so they get some color. Take them aside and let them cool down. Cut a pocket into them and fill the pocket with some Feta cheese.

Cut a 60 cm piece of aluminum foil. Spoon some of the vegetable into the middle. Place the chicken on top. Season with salt and pepper. Close the foil and bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.