My 501st post: Spicy Cumin Guacamole and Bacon Sandwich
500 posts (and even more recipes) on eat in my kitchen and I missed it! Sunday's cinnamon peach cake was the big jubilee recipe and it would have been more than festive enough to raise a glass of champagne, but anyways, this chance is missed and over. So, today I celebrate the 501st post with a spicy guacamole bacon sandwich, refined with citrusy coriander and hot chili peppers. The meat's smokey saltiness wonderfully breaks the velvety smoothness of the Mexican dip and makes it hearty and rich. I wanted to write about this creation much earlier but after July's hot tempered discussion about a green pea guacamole recipe caused by Melissa Clark's article in the New York Times, I lost interest and faith in further guacamole variations.
But this is in the past now, like all the 500 recipes that found their way from my humble kitchen in Berlin (and Malta) to so many people and other kitchens all over the world. How all of this could happen still amazes me. I just write about what happens on my cooker or in my oven and then it reaches whoever feels inspired by the title, the pictures or the story behind each post. In the past, before eat in my kitchen, I used to just cook or bake my recipes, sometimes just once but most of the time they became staples, dishes that always come back to my table. Obviously, the taste and look would vary slightly as no recipe is always the same. But now I can come here, like everybody else, and see the whole collection of meals that passed through our kitchen. This is really beautiful - and inspiring for myself as I tend to forget about recipes.
At the moment, I need all my time to write for my cookbook which is a totally different experience on another level. The web is digital, it changes constantly with a pace that can be intimidating at times but a printed book is unchangeable. I'll be able to feel it in my hands when I thumb through the pages, to lay it on my kitchen table, and I like this feeling, it's real. It's as real as all the wonderful messages I've been receiving from you from the start, messages about all the recipes that inspired you or simply teased your appetite.
Thank you! xx
A note on the side: In my opinion, guacamole can easily take variations as any other dish - as long as it pleases the personal taste of the creator. This is part of our worldwide kitchen culture, it's makes it richer every day, it evolves, changes and always finds its way back to its roots. It's a gift that shows that a culture is alive, not a threat.
Spicy Cumin Guacamole and Bacon Sandwich
Makes 3 sandwiches
dark, rustic buns, cut in half, 3
breakfast bacon 6-9 slices
fresh red chili pepper, seeded and sliced, 1/4
For the guacamole
large ripe avocado 1 (or 2 small ones), the flesh scraped out
sour cream 2-3 heaping tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon
fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped, 3 heaping tablespoons plus a few leaves for the topping
ground cumin, a pinch
fine sea salt
ground pepper
In a bowl, chop the avocado with a knife until chunky, stir in the sour cream, lemon juices, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well, season to taste and set aside.
In a heavy pan, cook the bacon until crisp, transfer to kitchen paper to remove excess fat.
Spread the guacamole voluptuously on the bottom side of the buns, sprinkle with chili pepper and lay the bacon on top. Finish it off with a few coriander leaves, close the bun and enjoy!
Spicy Roast Beef and Rhubarb Chutney Sandwich
Amazing news: eat in my kitchen is Yahoo Food's 'Blogger of the Week'!! Click here to take a peek in my kitchen and read the interview with the wonderful Rachel Tepper about sweets and plans in life!
Distracted by this excitement, I felt a bit indecisive in the kitchen, an unusual state of mind for me especially when it's about my Sandwich Wednesdays. To come up with a yummy new creation between two slices of bread every week has been one of the easier tasks since I started eat in my kitchen.
Sandwich recipes come to me quite easily, luckily, I don't have to think much about it. And it would have been the same this week if I hadn't gotten the stubborn idea stuck in my head that I wanted to empty an open jar of my spicy rhubarb chutney (amongst a few other jars) and use it for a sandwich. I was hardheaded and that always blocks my creativity. Soon we'll be in Malta and our apartment will be in the hands of a trusted friend while we're away, including our fridge which I'm aiming to empty completely and to have in a sparkly and spotless state by the day of our departure.
So, the chutney had to go and a sandwich had to be made. Pastrami seemed perfect but the quality at the store didn't convince me. When I spotted roast beef, freshly cut, bright pink on the inside with a spiced crust my chutney sandwich was saved. Still at the market, I threw some fresh chili peppers and a rustic French loaf into the basket and off I went. The first bite confirmed my suspicions, the beef and spicy rhubarb are a match made in heaven!
This recipe has been featured by Food52, you find my rhubarb chutney recipe here!
Spicy Roast Beef and Rhubarb Chutney Sandwich
For 2 sandwiches you need
rustic white bread 4 slices
roast beef, thinly cut, 8 slices
rhubarb chutney (or any other fruity chutney) 2-4 teaspoons, to taste
rucola leaves (arugula), a small handful
fresh red chili pepper, without seeds and thinly sliced, 1/2
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
olive oil, for the bread
Brush the bottom slice of bread with a little olive oil, arrange the rucola and roast beef on top and sprinkle with chutney, chili pepper and crushed pepper. Close your sandwich and enjoy!
