07/06/2011

Yvette Van Boven / Winter & Zomer

.

Yvette Van Boven / Winter & Zomer

Can illustrations be delicious? Yvette Van Boven’s are. Her warm and approachable style is a reflection of her enormous passion for food – she co-owns an adorable restaurant in Amsterdam, Aan de Amstel, and her work has appeared in an enormous range of publications, from Grazia’s online edition to the cover of Wallpaper* and her delicious Sunday Brunch column on The Blogazine.

As a followup to her fan-favourite and critically acclaimed (2010 Dutch Cookbook Of The Year) “Home Made,” Yvette is releasing two seasonal additions to her canon: Winter and Zommer. So far, Yvette’s only released the covers to the world, but we can probably safely guess that they’ll be filled with lovely photography, a host of gorgeous handwritten recipes, illustrations and perhaps even a few of her lovely paper cutouts.

But just before Winter will hit bookstore shelves in October, Home Made will also be released in English (at last!) – pre order for its September 1 launch date! Zommer will be out spring 2012.

Facciamo un bis! Seconds, please!

Tag Christof

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
01/06/2011

Essen: Tonno Sardo / Sardinian Tuna

.

Essen: Tonno Sardo / Sardinian Tuna

This week, we join photographer Vittore Buzzi on the tiny island of San Pietro off the coast of Sardinia. Here in this city, Carloforte – where you’re just as likely to hear Ligurian as Italian among the citizenry – Vittore captured scenes of a bustling fish market where hauls of some of the world’s finest tuna are brought in, and where fisherman still operate like they did generations ago.


This particular series of photos is special. They were shot in film and developed and handprinted by Giancarlo Vaiarelli on Forte fibre paper using an atypical process typically reserved for graphics. A graphic plate and cross-processing makes for an otherworldly effect – warm, evocative, distant – and timeless, with a sienna tone that evokes Sardinia.

Essen takes us up the western Sardinian coast to Alghero for our food feature of the week:

In the extreme heterogenity of the island of Sardinia, Alghero has lately charged itself with uniqueness. An enclave for the of the seafaring republic of Barcelona for centuries, it was for very long linked more closely to Spain than to the Italian “continent.” Clearly, this cultural and political exposure couldn’t help but leave traces in the local gastronomy.



Characterised by fresh, simple food that tends to revolve heavily around fish, algherese dishes mix the fruit of Sardinia’s crystal blue sea with a few leitmotifs of Spanish cuisine, like Paella Algherese.

Although the city’s signature dish is lobster, a much more simple fish – yet every bit as versatile – is notably important: the tuna. Here we’re sharing a simple, flavourful recipe that is quick and easy to prepare, and that in its simplicity brings all the flavours of Alghero to the table.

Tonno all’Algherese (Algherese Tuna)
Feeds 4

Ingredients:
1kg fresh tuna filets
3 glasses of Torbato D’Alghero (Doc) (May be substituted for an airy, dry white)
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
30 grams of pitted black olives
1 celery stick
1/2 white onion
1 lemon
2 bay leaves
salt

Submerge the tuna in water infused with the lemon, and let marinate for a at least a couple of hours. In the meantime, chop the onion, celery and bay leaves finely. Brown them in a terracotta saucepan – if you don’t have one, a non-stick pan will work fine.

When the greens have browned, add the fish to the pan and cook on slow heat for around 20 minutes making sure to brown it on both sides. Don’t use a fork and instead use wooden utensils. Halfway through cooking, add the white wine, allowing it to dissolve slowly over the tuna. Add the black olives, then salt. Cover the pan and finish cooling. Serve hot, laid out over its juices.


Photos Vittore Buzzi – Text & Recipe Cristina Zaga – Intro & Translation Tag Christof

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
25/05/2011

Essen: Ethiopian Teff / Injera & Sega Wot

.

Essen: Ethiopian Teff / Injera & Sega Wot

This is the second The Blogazine & Essen collaborations with photographer Vittore Buzzi, whose travels have taken him to the very farthest corners of the globe in search of adventure, exotic food and beautiful imagery.

Teff is an a grain native to the Horn of Africa. Adaptable and resistant even to the most difficult territorial and climactic conditions, it is as important as it is mistreated. “Orphan” is the adjective with which it often comes accompanied, as it hasn’t received much investment interest as agricultural systems are modernised.

But despite a lack of drive towards possible intensive cultivation, teff has for centuries on end been the bedrock of the bread of Ethiopia: injera. This thanks to the crop’s incredible robustness – all its takes is a handful of seeds to plant an entire field! And this very bread is key to the celebrated dish zighini, a meat dish with rich sauces whose only rule is that it must be eaten without silverware.


Only in the past few years has the phenomenon of land grabbing taken hold in China and India – “I pay you for the land, I reap its fruits” – and teff has consequently experienced a huge surge. Nonetheless, this comes at the expense of Ethiopian agriculture, as foreign pockets are lined while the situation of those within the country only worsen.

Beyond its inimitable flavour (spongy and acidic), teff has one very important characteristic: it is entirely gluten-free. (Check out Essen’s very cool infographic on coeliac disease.)

In an unprecedented historic period, where one in every 100 people has a gluten allergy and half of all sufferers go undiagnosed, intensive teff production could have a positive effect on the diets of those who are forced to take gluten-free “vacations.”

A second, but certainly no less important consideration, is that teff production could help to reduce the plight of Ethiopia, a country burdened with an economic system that can only politely be described as inauspicious (read: a disaster).

So, while we consider these particular dynamics together – which remain thoroughly outside the conscience of most occidental consumers – we present to you a tasty Ethiopian recipe for dedicated to all the gluten-free of the world (and pretty delicious even for gluten eaters)!

Recipe: Sega Wot

This is a variation that can be prepared at home. Unfortunately, following the original recipe without local Ethiopian utensils is very difficult and doesn’t guarantee success. The modifications here will get you very close to the real thing, however, and it remains gluten-free! Feeds four.

Ingredients:
1 packet beer yeast
120cl hot water
1/2cl honey
600 g finely ground teff flour
Baking soda
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
20 grammes butter
40 grammes berbere sauce
40 grammes of cubed pork
500 grammes peeled tomatoes
salt

Injera Preparation

Dissolve the yeast in a mug of hot water. Wait 10 minutes until it starts to foam, and then add the remaining water and flour. Mix well and cover. Let it rest at room temperature for 24 hours. Mix the batter well and add a bit of baking soda.

Heat up a large nonstick pan at medium heat. Pour the batter into the pan forming a spiral in such a way that the bottom of the pan becomes completely covered by the batter. Cover and cook for a minute. The bread must not be toasted; it should only slightly increase in thickness Injera is normally only cooked on one side – its top must be moist and covered completely with tiny perforations (eyes). Let cool on a serving plate, and place the others on top as they are cooked.

Sega Wot Preparation

Sauté the chopped onion with the crushed garlic. After five minutes add 1 tablespoon of butter and 3 tablespoons of berbere sauce, 1 glass of water and a generous dash of salt. Reduce the mixture gently, then add the peeled tomatoes and as it cooks, add another glass of water. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes, then add the cubed pork. Let cook for an hour, or until the meat is cooked an the sauce is thick. Serve over the injera.

Reportage Vittore Buzzi – Text and Recipe Christina Zaga – Translation Tag Christof

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
18/05/2011

Essen: Delhi Chicken / Mysore Pack

.

Essen: Delhi Chicken / Mysore Pack

India is an infinite tapestry of overlapping cultures and opposing traditions, miraculously held together by inclusive policy and a long history. In the sprawling metropolis of Delhi alone, at least eleven languages are commonly spoken. Modernisation is widening the already massive gap between rich and poor, and international fashion, music and art is pouring into Indian culture at increasing speed. It comes as no surprise that India’s food culture is equally as diverse, both in terms of the dishes themselves, as well as the religious and social customs that go into each cuisine’s preparation.


Sikh diets differ markedly from those of hindus or buddhists, and all can differ markedly even within the groups. Islam openly encourages vegetarianism, but for muslim carnivores Koran law requires that the meat they eat be slaughtered as humanely as possible. Factory farming is out of the question. India’s vast muslim population, therefore, requires an alternative.

Somewhere deep inside the pulsating Delhi metropolis, hidden in plain sight adjacent to a massive food market, chickens are slaughtered in accordance to Koran tradition. This is a sophisticated operation despite its apparent lack of machinery, with upwards of two billion chickens passing through every year.

Italian photographer Vittore Buzzi managed the difficult feat of capturing these heroic scenes. Blood. Overpowering smells. His recounting of the story is both disorienting and revealing: this food preparation for a modern society, even when regulated by a religious law that forbids cruelty, is a gory, dirty affair. This type of work is livelihood for many and chicken is an excellent source of protein for millions, but the violence inherent in the process is something we usually don’t give much thought to.

“The inner section of the market pulsates. Millions of terrorised chickens stare at you from cages, and the bitter odour of their excrements mixes with the sickly sweet smell of blood.”

While they may be unsettling, Vittore’s images provocatively raise the awkward issue of our tenuous relationship with food. Muslim or otherwise, most food crusaders today tirelessly advocate a more intimate relationship with everything we eat. But there is undoubtedly an awkward disconnect between informed consumerism and honest acknowledgement of our food’s origins: knowing where your vegetables come from is one thing. Coming to terms with where your meat comes from is much more difficult.

“In Europe it isn’t quite so easy to take these kinds of photographs… We seem to act as if the animals we eat grew on trees and didn’t have to be killed to be eaten. We distance ourselves from reality to sanitise our existence: cellophane and already cleaned chickens…”

In honour of the chickens, today we bring you a conspicuously meatless Indian treat from the canon of 19th century royal gastronomy.

Mysore Pack

The dish was prepared for the first time by Kaakasura Madappa, one of the chief Mahatmas of the royal court. The chefs of the kingdom were required to prepare sweets everyday for the court. One day, Madappa invented Mysore Pack by accidentally mixing besan (gram flour) with butter. It was loved by the royals, and subsequently by the common people.

The Maddappa family kept the secret of its preparation for years, until the grandchildren of Madappa opened a kiosk in Ashoka called Sweet Guru. Today, the fourth generation of the family runs the business and Mysore Pack has become part of Indian gastronomic patrimony.

Watch out – this is a recipe that can get quite sticky!

200 grammes besan (gram flour)
400 grammes sugar
200 grammes ghee
300 ml water

In a saucepan, heat the sugar in the water until when almost at boil, it attains a pastelike consistency. Slowly add the flour, mixing constantly making sure to avoid lumpiness. Once everything is well mixed, add the heated ghee and continue to mix.


Cook until the mixture becomes frothy and the ghee begins to separate. Pour evenly onto a plate coated in ghee. When it solidifies, cut into pieces and serve.

Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

Photos Vittore Buzzi – Text Tag Christof – Recipe Christina Zaga
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
11/05/2011

Essen: Old Spitalfield Market, London

.

Essen: Old Spitalfield Market, London

In search of the lost market…

Once upon a time in a Victorian hall in East London there was a jewellery market filled with exceptional and exotic food stands mixed in among pedlars selling every type of merchandise imaginable – especially if one was willing to dust the fleas off their newfound treasures. Once upon a time, there grew a grove of delicacies at discount prices, a place in which to taste an oyster while on an afternoon walk en route to enjoy a rice cake.


Like in a fairy tale, the curse of the Old Spitalfield Market London seems to have been broken. A market with very old roots (with the first records of it appearing in Roman times), and it was reconstructed in 1893 by Robert Horner in typical Victorian Art Deco, and subsequently sold to the City of London as a place always distinguished by its extraordinary authenticity and independence, which lately seems to have lost some of its lustre. Strolling today among the few remaining merchants can leave a bit of a bitter taste in one’s mouth, considering that the many of the stands formerly serving delicacies have been replaced by clothing shoppes and restaurants.


If you look closely, though, a bit of the market’s old splendours remain happily isolated. Place in which to go in search of the lost market. Fragrant black breads made with ginger and poppyseed remain. And there are still the famous McManus Brothers oysters for one pound fifty,. There are still Apple Crumble wagons stocked with delicate little rice cakes. There are still lamb koftas wrapped in paper, ready to be easily devoured.

Nothing has really changed, in the end. The market of 16 Homer Square is not at all lost – the key is finding it.


If you pass by Old Spitalfield Market and you treat yourself to oysters, here’s a lovely little recipe for you:

Oysters allo Zabaglione
Ingredients and measurements for four people.
-16 oysters
-200g of round zucchini (courgette)
-1 yellow onion
-2 cloves of garlic
-4 egg yolks
-50 grammes of butter
-10cl of sparkling Brut wine
-Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation
Open the oysters and place the flesh in a plate; wash the shells well in running water. Cut the zucchini into thin rounds, then place in salted, boiling water for five minutes, remove most of the boiling water and liquefy them, making sure to leave a bit of the salted water for flavour. Place the sauce over slow heat, and add a spoonful of butter and a pinch of salt. Reserve.

Meanwhile, on to the zabaione: chop the onions finely, and crush the garlic cloves and place them in a skillet. Add the egg yolks and beat them with a whisk, diluting little by little with the spumante. Place the pan into a bain-marie at moderate heat, mixing vigorously, for about ten minutes or until it takes on the consistency of a cream. Be sure to keep it from boiling. Remove from heat, and fold in the remaining butter in little squares. Add a pinch of salt and of pepper.

On a serving platter, garnish eight oyster half-shells, filling them with a small spoonful of the zucchini sauce, and gingerly add an oyster drenched in the zabaglione. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 240 degrees for five minutes.


Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

Cristina Zaga – Images Stefano Secchia

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
09/05/2011

The Editorial: Sushi or Spaghetti?

.

The Editorial: Sushi or Spaghetti?

Sometimes it pays to be late to a party: after missing out on the early years of fast food, the now global Slow Food movement is wholly a product of Italy. And after mostly missing out on the dehumanising, smoke-belching factories of the Industrial Revolution which plagued the UK and other countries through the twentieth century, Italy’s fashionably late arrival to industrialisation saw the country become the world’s foremost producer of design goods (illustrated brilliantly in the Triennale’s current exhibition, Dream Factory), and it is one of the few western nations to maintain a solid manufacturing base. Still, at an ever increasing rate, the fads of the northern countries and the USA inevitably make their way here one way or another.

The country’s food culture has been particularly slow to change, with Italians generally sticking steadfastly to their simple, fresh and delicious food. Not coincidentally this inherent locavore attitude once made for one of the most sustainable (and healthy) food ecosystems on the entire planet. But with shifts of population, and shifts of taste (and for fear of being seen as provincial) Italians have begun to demand variety beyond the kebab and occasional dodgy Chinese restaurant. You can now find almost any ethnic food imaginable in some form around Milan, and while nowhere near as cosmopolitan in terms of food as Paris or New York, the food landscape has been altered drastically.

Sushi is among the most visible recent arrivals. While Los Angelenos and New Yorkers were eating the neat little morsels en masse by the mid 1980s, it was impossible to find it in any medium sized Italian cities even five years ago. Slowly but surely, though, sushi has arrived. Very recently, several all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurants have been springing up around Milan (the latest is a tacky black-lacquer affair in Porta Ticinese loudly proclaiming its unlimited sushi to passersby in an 80s kung-fu movie typeface). Sushi has gone mainstream in the Bel Paese, and despite its late arrival, chances are even your nonni have tried it.



But this fad has far-reaching consequences. The simple fact is, the food (especially the seafood) that is sustainable to eat when you live on an island in the Pacific is not the same food that is sustainable to eat when you live on a peninsula on the Mediterranean. Full stop. And with exponentially increasing demand from industrialising countries on the ocean’s reserve, there is bound to be a massive collapse that will leave millions without any fish unless drastic steps are taken. Fish populations are dwindling – entire species are in danger of extinction – and sushi’s liberal use of shark, snapper, swordfish and all sorts of unsustainable tunas is a major source of the problem. As another country of tens of millions embraces the cuisine, demand will only increase. Not to mention the peripheral damage caused by irresponsible hunting: countless dolphins, sharks, octopi, fish, crabs and others killed as “bycatch,” destruction of coastal habitats and coral reefs and a general loss of equilibrium in the sea.

Fish are the last wild animals we hunt commercially for food, and as we approach the limits of their resiliency we must become much more responsible, lest we find ourselves with ruined oceans and no fish within a generation. Quite simply, the world cannot sustain a planet of several billion sushi eaters. This is by no means only an Italian problem, but with with any luck, the country’s late arrival to the sushi party and exceptional food patrimony can help transform it into a voice of reason.

Call it provincial, but while in Italy, doesn’t it sound much nicer to have a nice branzino al forno caught just off the coast than a frigid piece of tuna flown thousands of kilometers to your plate?

Visit Seafood Watch for a wealth of excellent information regarding responsible seafood and other initiatives for preserving our oceans.

Tag Christof – Images courtesy Seafood Watch

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
04/05/2011

Essen: Il Pane d’Altamura

.

Essen: Il Pane d’Altamura

With bread we left our beastly beginnings and conquered, through grinding grain, a civilised state. Even Homer says this, having utilised “eaters of bread” as a metaphor for humankind. And going even further east and reaching back deeper into the centuries we see that even Gilgamesh, the sacred text Mesopotamia, told of man’s escape from the primitive with the discovery of the production of bread. In Puglia on a tract of land in the mountains in Murgia, among a landscape of volcanic rocks, the passage from barbarism to civility was made beautifully possible with the Pane d’Altamura.

Linked twice over with peasant culture since the end of medieval times, the “u skuanete,” or kneaded bread, is the principal good produced by the inhabitants of Alta Murgia and the centre of Pugliese society. It is the best bread in the world – or, so said the Latin poet Horace – and the clever adventurer always took a loaf away with him.

Made from durum wheat semolina, derived from the grains of the varieties “appulo,” “archangelo” “duilio” and “simeto,” water, natural yeast and salt. It is a process carried out in five phases: making of the dough, formation, proofing (the rising of the dough), shaping, and finally baking in a wood oven. These phases give the Pane d’Altamura an exceptional longevity. One loaf can be enjoyed even a few weeks after its baking, with tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil maintaining unaltered the flavour and nutritive properties.

Produced at home, bread was cooked in communal ovens. Bread was brought to the baker and marked in wood with the initials of the head of each family. Then, one waited for a yell from the baker at dawn announcing that the fresh bread was ready. Today, there are very few producers and bread makers who stick to the tradition.


If you would like to have an adventure in the valleys of Murgia, we advise you to always check that its colour is yellow, its crust crunchy and at least 5mm thick, that it has a porous, flakey inside, and that its baking was done in a wood oven. If, instead, you’re of the DIY conviction, here’s an excellent recipe to try out at home:

Recipe:
Making Pane d’Altamura at home is not easy, nor is there a guarantee of success.

The following is a slight variation for the “homemade” version, and is a previous recipe of a finished product. We also remind you that both this version and the original AOC version contain a notable percentage of gluten. Around 15%.

Ingredients:
700 grammes of durum wheat flour
20 grammes of natural yeast
400ml of water
1 handful of salt

On a cutting board, form the flour into a volcano-like shape, making a nice space at the centre. Add the yeast in the middle, with a glass of lukewarm water. Start forming the dough, adding a handful of salt and continue for at around 30 minutes. Allow to rise under a cotton cloth for at least three hours, then knead thoroughly and let rest for 10 minutes.

At the end of the second rest, make with a rectangular form from the dough and make it round by rolling it on itself. Dust with flour, and mark with a serrated knife with a cross from end to end.

Preheat oven to 250°C (480°F), and after having let the bread rest for a few minutes, bake for 40 minutes.

Pancotto d’Altamura
Pancotto is a typical Pugliese recipe, as simple as it is nutritious. It has been the principal and favourite dish of children in Murgia.

Ingredients for four people:
400 grammes of firm Altamura bread
1 crushed clove of garlic
Bay leaf (laurel)
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Pecorino cheese
Water

Preparation:
Paying special attention to the crusts, break the bread into small pieces and place it in a saucepan. Add water until the bread is covered and bring to a boil. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and let cook on low heat for around 20 minutes, allowing the water to boil away. Plate the bread and add extra virgin olive oil and the pecorino as desired.

A note to our regular readers: Essen’s Saturday food column has been moved to Wednesdays!” Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

Cristina Zaga – Translated by Tag Christof – Images courtesy Federico Garibaldi

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
16/04/2011

Essen: Eat Love / Marjie Vogelzang

.

Essen: Eat Love / Marjie Vogelzang

Marjie Vogelzang does not like to give plates only a beautiful shape. For the Dutch food maven Marjie, the great hoax of our times is food design. Food has a perfect shape by nature – so what matters for the Amsterdam “eating designer” is “to think of food in different cultures, food history, the realisation of food, transportation, agriculture, the ‘industrialization of food, psychology of eating.”

Marje believed it so much that within the span of a few years, she has founded two restaurants called Proef (one in Rotterdam, the other in Amsterdam), organized a studio, participated in exhibitions throughout the world, written two books (Love to Eat and Lunch Box) and had two babies (!). One of these babies is still (for just a tiny bit longer!) in Marjie’s womb, but just before her maternity stop, she graciously talked with us about her projects, her thoughts and love.

The uninitiated widely know you as a creative and innovative food designer. But you’re not. Since food is perfectly designed by nature, you consider yourself as an “eating designer,” who is investigating the content background. It’s a fascinating thought. What if a food designer became an eating one? What would he or she have to do?
In order to answer, could you tell us about the sort of Decalouge a food designer must follow to become an eating designer?
That’s an interesting question. Well it’s all about giving things a name and I thought the name food design didn’t fit me. But sometimes I’m not sure about eating designer either.

What I think an eating designer should explore is the full potential and meaning of the subject of food and eating. I think an eating designer should look beyond only the obvious visual aspects and taste aspects of food. These obvious choises are making designers to make something that looks nice, tastes good etc. But I think the world of food is so much larger and touches everybody’s life and therefore is far more interesting to explore. Think about food in different cultures, food in history, the making of food, the transportation of food, agriculture, the industrialization of food, the psychology of eating. These are just a few examples of inspiring subjects that can be explored and used. Also the meaning of the word design can be discussed. I think the word should be used to mean “creative thinking” when it comes to eating design instead of just giving something a nice shape.

Design as a shaping device is a tool. Not the final goal. The final goal is creative thinking and to communicate the creative idea you need esthetics as a tool.

Following this idea of “what if”, if you were the rector of an Eating Design Faculty what will be the main subject?
I think we could make a program according to my 7 points of inspiration:
- Senses
- Psychology
- Culture
- Nature/education
- Science
- Technique/ material
- Society

It’s been less than a year that you’ve founded your second Proef in Amsterdam. This project seems more linked with your Philosophy of food with more plants and organic food than a design approach. What is changing in your work?
I founded Proef Amsterdam 5 years ago. At the moment it’s a restaurant in it’s own and the design studio moved out to somewhere else.
I wanted it to be a relaxed place how I personally would like a restaurant to be. I got a bit bored by formal dinners but also by overdesigned dinners! I wanted things to be fun and easy drinking coffe from empty jars. That’s what works for a restaurant. It’s almost impossible to run a highly conceptual idea as a restaurant and I would also find it boring.

Speaking about organic, there’s a lot of “buzz” about it and lot of speculation. According to you what is missing in oursociety to reach a good level of organic approach?
I think we’ll get there but it need time. The government should lower taxes on organic produce and give more support. Eventually things shouldn’t be labeled ‘organic’ anymore but ‘non-organic’ should be labeled and be the odd choice.

You stated that “Food goes to the stomach, but it can also activate the brain and can rouse strong memories and emotions” and you experiment food memory world serving World War II recipes to people who survived the Rotterdam Hunger Winter during the war stimulating their memories from more than 60 years ago. What are your very first taste memories? Is there any food or dishes that immediately recall your past?
I was speaking to a young journalist about taste memories not so long ago and she said that you remember everything you have put in your mouth as a young child. That doesn’t have to be food. The way of getting to know the world and materials is to put things in your mouth. That happens before you use language and is a very intruiging fase. When she said that she challenged me to imagine the taste of wood in my mouth. Of plastic, hard and soft, of textile and sand. When you think about a material, many times you can recall how this material feels in your mouth. I was very fascinated by her story and since I’m very much aware of materials and before I touch or even see them I know how they feel in my mouth. Wire, a plastic phone, rib-velvet (I’m a 70’b baby).
Food memories are very closely linked to smell. Sometime they surprise you. Going into someones house and suddely you catch the smell of grandma’s bedroom. I have food memories on these frozen lollypops that you can suck the taste out of. They were just lemomade packed in plastic sticks to freeze yourself.

What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?
My first upcoming project is giving birth in about 4 weeks. (Actually this interview is the last thing I’m doing before plugging out!)
Giving birth and having children is very inspiring to me and very close to my philosophy as an eating designer. Food and love are linked together. They are the first to things that a mother gives her child.Then in autumn I will be back with some big plans.I’m being the guest editor of design indaba Magazine’s food edition and I’ll go to south Africa to promote and do some lectures. We are doing a food event in Hong KongI’m working on an exhibition in TaiwanWe’ll do some events in Moskou and Hungaria.I have plans for at least 2 new books so I have to find some time to do that too!

And last up is a recipe from Marjie:
-1 banana
Take a pen, draw a mobile phone on your childs banana. Give it to them to take to school.

Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

Cristina Zaga

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
09/04/2011

Essen: Teen Delicatessen / Food Porn

.

Essen: Teen Delicatessen / Food Porn

It’s time for spring games. Time to stick fingers into some Chantilly. It’s time for the sensuality of food porn. This editorial is of the season, and loves frosting on strawberries. And to go along with it, we have a very special strawberry recipe for you.

Strawberry Choco Cupcake
2 cups flour

2 cups butter

2 tablespoons of cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

220 g sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 strawberries for garnish

Strawberry Frosting
2 cups Philadelphia

1 cup butter

3 cups icing sugar

Pinch of salt

In a bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa and salt.
Melt the butter and sugar together until the mixture is
 fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat them well.
Unite the mixture with flour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F

18 and muffin tins lined with paper cups of paper.
Fill the molds with dough, be careful not to fill to the brim, stop at mere.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool before decorating.

Beat the butter and Philadelphia until mixed well.
Unite the icing sugar and salt, and beat slowly.
Cool the frosting for about 20 minutes before using it.
Decorate the cupcakes with a pastry bag.
Go wild with the frosting’s form!

Cut strawberries in half and use them to flourish the frosting.

Eat. Feel the pleasure.

Editorial photographed by Nadia Moro and styled by Esmeralda Patisso.

Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

Text Cristina Zaga

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
02/04/2011

Essen: Curious Beasts – An Introduction to Small Game

.

Essen: Curious Beasts – An Introduction to Small Game

As cuisine becomes more and more localized chefs have increasingly touted the benefits of utilizing local flora, and rightly so. Home cooks are increasing the foraging ranks, and chefs from California to Scandinavia enlist teams of natural scavengers to adorn their seasonal menus with the best of local vegetation. Many local animal food sources, however, are often overlooked, be it for cultural, taste or availability reasons. But there is evidence that the hunting and eating of wild game is slowly taking hold.

In a constant effort to challenge perceptions of what food is, while simultaneously exploring new flavors and sensations, chefs like Brett Graham and Heston Bluementhal are naturally directing our attention to the world of fauna. What better way to challenge perceptions than with animals that are often perceived as inedible, road kill, or just downright disgusting.

In an effort to discover more about eating wild game, I had a chat with Baron Ambrosia, the star of the food show Bronx Flavor, and the host of the First Annual Bronx Pipe Smoking Society’s Small Game Dinner, held in January. The purpose of the dinner was to challenge chefs to get out of their comfort zones by preparing main dishes using unusual game, and to give guests the opportunity to explore the world of protein, outside of what is usually deemed as acceptable. And the results? The menu included such delicacies as opossum with dried pepper sauce, squirrel with black truffles, and a raccoon confit.

When asked what triggered his own interest in hunting and eating small game Baron Baron responded, “Out of the vast selection of fauna that is available (and delicious) we as a society are politely permitted to choose from a very small selection. Much of this selection is unhealthy industrial-grade offal. People are perfectly happy to pick up a hamburger made from a cow that has spent its miserable life in a dank pen being overstuffed with corn and antibiotics, yet they recoil in horror at the thought of consuming an animal that has had a beautiful and productive life in the wild.”

For those of us not lucky enough to be on the Baron’s guest list, our best option is probably heading down to the farmers’ markets to see what game is available, or availing ourselves of a hunting license. However you obtain that wild meat, the Essen guide to small game should serve as an excellent source of inspiration.

Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

By Eileen Bernardi – Illustrations by Lorenzo Fernandez

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
Next Page » « Previous Page