Cooking outdoors - A hearty winter menu!
As we’re officially welcoming winter, we love to be surrounded by mountains. Chances of finding me at a beach wearing my lovely swimsuit are getting very, very slim.. I’ve stored away all summer gadgets –flippers, hats, sunscreen− and replaced them with scarves, beanies, gloves, knitted sweaters and winter boots. Can’t wait for Friday, it’s time for a much needed mountain getaway!
Nature looks beautiful during this time of the year, dressed up with captivating winter colours, entire mountain slopes seem to be painted with the deepest shades of red and brown. If it was a picture, editing in photoshop would be completely unnecessary! Only a few leaves and fruits remain on the trees and the dull, cold weather completes this impressive scenery. We can see our steaming breaths and hear this lovely crunching sound that dry leaves make when we step on them. Who doesn’t love this atmosphere?
Once the sun goes down, we’re always rushing to get in the house, holding our hot cups of mountain tea and sitting around the stone fireplace, covered up with woolen blankets.
The cold weather and mountain activities can really work up an appetite. We’re waiting impatiently for the sound of the cork popping when we open a bottle of wine; a clear sign that it’s almost dinner time, at last! We love winter menus. They are clearly more nutritious and packed with calories –but that’s exactly what we need during these cold winter days. Totally guilt-free! This is Not Guilty Food after all!
Our grill and wood stove are used very frequently here. When the weather gets extremely cold and no one is willing to be outside, we also use the fireplace as a grill. What a beautiful, warm image, despite the freezing cold! You can’t help but feel reconnected with nature.
My dream of getting a wood stove came partly true two years ago; it’s technically a wood stove but a more modern version of it. I always loved old, traditional, built-in wood stoves. They have become rare nowadays, you can find them mainly in northern parts of the country, in villages where people use them to cook their everyday meals or bake bread. Any food cooked in a wood stove is indeed incomparable! I haven’t given up on my dream of building the perfect wood stove though and I’ll definitely do some research when time allows. For now, I will have to compromise with the one I have –and it really does the job!
It’s really cold today and I’m in the mood of heading outdoors to cook. A great way of pleasing our guests! My baskets are filled with quinces, pumpkins, chestnuts, walnuts and all sorts of nature’s goodies that I collected from our garden today. Cold weather combined with this mountain scenery and meat, a match made in heaven!
So, I’ve bought gorgeous pork shanks and thick cut rib eye –and I also remembered this wonderful roaster that a dear friend of mine gave me as a gift and that will come in very handy today! Thus, we’ve got everything we need to make roasted pork shanks with quinces and herbs. As for the rib eye, I’m thinking of making rib eye skewers (like kebab) with rosemary and chili peppers. Our side dish will be organic yellow potatoes and grilled pumpkin with balsamic vinegar. Of course, they will be cooked with wood as well! Today's recipes are just a spontaneous inspiration taken from all the beautiful fruits and vegetables I collected this morning.
Nature is my kitchen today! While I’m preparing my dishes, I occasionally collect dry leaves and acorns falling from the nearest tree, as if they’re trying to take part in this beautiful cooking frenzy!
Ingredients
For the Rib Eye:
2kg Angus Rib Eye (cut in strips of 3cm)
Fresh rosemary
Chili peppers
Coarse salt
Coarse pepper
Lemon pepper
2tbsp olive oil
For the pork shank:
4 pork shanks
4 cloves of garlic
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 quinces cut in half
10 peeled chestnuts
Salt, pepper
1tbsp Dijon mustard
2tbsp olive oil
For the grilled pumpkin:
2 small red pumpkins
Salt, pepper
4tbsp olive oil
2tbsp fruit flavored balsamic vinegar (orange, fig etc.)
For the roasted potatoes:
2kg organic yellow potatoes
Juice of 1 orange
Zest of 1 orange
1tbsp Dijon mustard
4 sprigs rosemary
Salt, pepper, red pepper grains
Method
1. Rib Eye – Ask for your meat to be cut into 5 thick slices of tagliata (about 3cm). Then, depending on how long your skewer is, cut them into two or three strips. This kind of meat doesn’t really need much, it’s very flavorful and tender on its own. Add coarse salt and coarse pepper. I have a thing for lemon pepper so it couldn’t be missing! Skewer your meat and add chili peppers (medium hot) and sprigs of rosemary in between. Make sure your charcoals are well nested before you start grilling. Rib eye is high in fat so you might need to take on some firefighter duties! For a medium rare result –keep in mind that our slices are quite thick cut− grill for around 4-5 minutes each side. Set your meat aside on a grill, cover it and let it rest to remove its extra liquids and fats. Serve right away!
2. Pork shank – Keep in mind that pork shanks need quite some time to be cooked properly; the longer the better! Low heat and time are the key to success. Prepare your meat, add salt and pepper, spread the mixture of olive oil and mustard that you’ve made and place it in a baking sheet or ideally in a roaster. Cut your quinces in half and add them along with the peeled chestnuts, garlic, 2 bay leaves and thyme. Add a cup of water. Cover lightly with a piece of baking paper and close it very well. Cook over medium heat for about 3 hours. Give it time and you’ll be rewarded!
3. Potatoes – I believe that the secret to great roasted potatoes is their quality. Prefer organic yellow potatoes, they’re truly delicious. Today, we’re aiming for a more fruity taste so we’ve added oranges in our recipe. Add salt and coarse pepper, mix olive oil with mustard and spread over your potatoes. Place them in a baking sheet, add orange juice and its zest, rosemary and 1 grain of red pepper. Cover your potatoes and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover them and continue cooking until they are golden. I personally find them even more delicious when they’re extra crispy and golden!
4. Grilled pumpkin – I tried this one in Rome, by Alice (alicekiandra.adams), a wonderful Chef and Food Blogger. I really liked it so I thought I would try and make it with our own pumpkins. It turned out amazing! The recipe is very simple; remove the seeds from the pumpkins and cut them into slices (the way you’d cut a melon). Add salt and a bit of pepper. Spread olive oil and place them in a baking sheet. Add half a cup of water. Cook until they are golden. Serve them on a platter while they’re still warm and garnish with fruit flavored balsamic vinegar (I used orange flavored balsamic vinegar).
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