Rucola Salad with Goat Cheese, Honey Dressing and Pink Peppercorns

Here's the salad which accompanied yesterday's salmon with spice crust, rucola with goat cream cheese, crushed pink  peppercorns and a sweet honey Balsamico vinegar dressing! I wanted to use both the pink and the green peppercorns which I had just bought at the market, not in the same dish but in the same meal. The spiciness of the green pepper fit perfectly with the crust I chose for the fish but my salad, sweet and milky, needed a mild and less spicy aroma, pink peppercorns. The berries matched the sourness of the creamy cheese very well which was so young that there was only a hint of goat milk. I could have used mozzarella instead but I wanted  this special, slightly sharp aroma which balanced out the sweetness of my vinaigrette on the other side.

Usually, I make a quick dressing for my salads, 3 tablespoons of olive and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar plus salt and pepper, but this salad asked for more. I kept the ratio of vinegar and oil but I mixed my dark balsamic vinegar with the white one and added 1 small teaspoon of honey (depending on the sweetness you want to achieve you might need more or less honey). It turned out thick, sticky and syrupy, exactly what I wanted! For 2 I spread 2 handfuls of rucola leaves on plates and sprinkled 125g / 4.5 ounces of fresh goat cream cheese in big lumps on top. I drizzled the dressing over the  leaves and garnished my salad with 1 tablespoon of crushed pink peppercorns. It would have made us just as happy as a light and easy lunch on its own. I have to remember that, it will be perfect on a hot summer evening!

Bacon Sandwich with Balsamico Basil Cream Cheese

Before I tell you about my idea for this week's Sandwich Wednesday I would like to share some great news! Eat in my kitchen has been nominated for TheKitchn's "Best Daily Read Cooking Blog" which makes me very happy and proud. It would be great if you could take a minute to vote for eat in my kitchen (voting ends this Saturday the 22nd February) at this link: http://thekitc.hn/1gBlL11 

Thank you for your support, Meike xx

Back to my sandwich, this week I was in the mood for hearty, dark bread, topped with Balsamico cream cheese and crisp bacon. One of my favourites from my local bakery is an organic spelt potato bread, juicy but with a nice crust. It's similar to rye bread, just a bit lighter with the advantage that the loaf stays fresh longer because of the starch from the potatoes. Cut into thick slices, it's perfect for a late winter sandwich. I also bought some very strong bacon, a bit on the salty side. To balance this out I combine it with a smooth, milky cream cheese enhanced with Balsamico and basil. This is a great spread, I also use it on slices of grilled aubergine rolled up into little antipasti. Delicious, but I'll write about that another time!

For this week's sandwiches  -  for 2 as always - you need 4 slices of dark bread (spelt or rye), one side spread with my Balsamico basil cream cheese mixture. For the spread you mix 70g / 2.5 ounces of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons of Balsamico, 8 basil leaves sliced thinly and salt and pepper to taste. When this is done you just need to fry 6 slices of bacon until golden brown and crisp and lay them on the cream cheese. Sprinkle with some more Basil, close with another slice of bread if you like and enjoy!

A Bavarian Salad with Cabbage, Crispy Bacon and White Balsamico

I feel like a crisp, nourishing winter salad and find my inspiration in Bavarian cooking. White cabbage - the German Kraut - is the answer to my needs. A big head of cabbage has been waiting in the fridge for a few days and its time has come! A few years ago, my mother told me about a Bavarian salad made of raw white cabbage and fried bacon deglazed with white Balsamico vinegar. I made it just a few days after she told me about it, impressed by its simplicity but mainly by the taste, and it became one of my favourite winter salads, an absolute classic. The fried bacon juices and the white Balsamico create a great dressing, not too heavy but rich enough for the kraut. Good and solid Bavarian food!

I chop 500g / 1 pound of cabbage very thinly and mix it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. I rub the salt into it with my fingers which softens the cabbage's texture. It needs to sit for 15 minutes, so I fry some bacon next (around 100g / 3.5 ounces). I cut the bacon into very small cubes and fry them in a small amount of oil. When they are golden brown and crisp, I deglaze them with some white Balsamico vinegar, enough to have some liquid left to pour over my cabbage together with the bacon. I add some olive oil (2-3 tablespoons), more vinegar if necessary and season with salt and pepper. I have my salad with some bread and cheese, an easy but tasty lunch - stuffed with vitamins!