A seafood specialty from the Polish city of GdanskRecipe for herring tartare on Polish black bread

Ingredients

Serves two

2 herring fillets

2 slices of black bread or pumpernickel bread

2 tablesspoons of diced sour pickles

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of diced onions

1 small bunch of chives

1 small bunch of dill

lemon juice

Marinade ingredients:

100 ml vinegar, 1 tablespoon of onions, cloves, red pepper, salt and sugar

Preparation:

Marinate the herring fillets for 12 hours. Then dice the fish and mix it with the diced sour pickles and onions. Finely chop the herbs and add them with the mayonnaise to the mixture. Add a few drops of lemon juice. Cut the black bread into circles with a ring mold, shape the tartare on the bread and serve the dish with fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Simon Kaiser from the restaurant "Das Esszimmer" in Baden-Württemberg is promoting the comeback of an old breed of pig for gourmets, the Swabian Hall swine.Serves 6

Suckling Pig Loin

Ingredients:

1 loin/saddle or 2 separated cutlets/chops with the skin

of a Swabian Hall suckling pig

canola oil

fresh-ground salt and pepper

a sprig of fresh thyme

Salt the loin or saddle on the skin side and sauté the meat on the skin in sufficient canola oil for 4-5 minutes till crispy. Then turn the meat and and bake in the oven until golden at ca. 160°C for 5-8 minutes.

Schupfnudeln

Ingredients:

500 grams floury potatoes from a day in advance

120 grams coarse flour (for example, Wiener Griessler)

100 grams hard wheat seminola

4 egg yolks

salt, pepper, nutmeg

oil

A day in advance, boil the potatoes in saltwater with some caraway seeds. Peel and store in the refrigerator for further processing.

On the day the food is to be served, press the potatoes through a ricer and prepare a smooth dough with the other ingredients. Form little rolls by hand. Boil in simmering saltwater for ca. 4-5 minutes until they rise to the top of the water. Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with oil so they don't stick. Later, sauté them gently in a coated pan till golden brown. Add more salt to taste.

Tip:

To make gnocchi dough, add grated parmesan to taste while preparing the dough.

Sweetheart cabbage

Ingredients:

1 young head of sweetheart or pointed cabbage

canola oil

1 pinch brown sugar

salt

nutmeg

Cut the sweetheart cabbage in half lengthwise and into narrow strips. Heat the oil in a pan and briefly swizzle the cabbage in it. Add the sugar and allow to lightly caramelize. Season the cabbage with salt and a little freshly ground nutmeg -- voila!

Vinegar plums

50 grams brown sugar

1 fresh twig of 2-3 bay leaves

100 ml dry red wine

100 ml dark balsamico vinegar

1 pinch of salt

100 grams plums

Slowly caramelize the brown sugar in a pan. Deglaze with the red wine and vinegar; add the bay leaves. Reduce to a syrup (ca. 60% of the liquid). Shortly before the reduction is finished, add the halved, pitted plums and let them simmer for max. 1 minute. Remove from the stove and allow to cool, or decant directly into preserving jars.

Bon Appetit!

The menu at the Sofie Hütte in the Val Gardena is more extensive and diverse than at the usual skiing chalet. Chef Markus Prinoth cooks bacon dumplings using typical products from the Dolomite region of South Tyrol.Makes 4 servings:

100 g Tyrolean bacon or 'Speck'

¼ onion

200 g day-old white bread

10 g butter

30 g sunflower oil

10 ml milk

2 eggs

1 bunch chives

Some additional flour and milk for the dough

Chop the onion, bacon and bread. Finely chop the chives.

Sautée the onion in butter. Mix onion and Tyrolean bacon with the bread. Combine the eggs with the milk and add to the bread mixture. Add the chives. Add flour and milk as needed to reach the desired consistency, and add the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the bacon is already seasoned.

Combine ingredients until well mixed, then allow mixture to rest for 30 minutes.

With moist hands, form dumplings around 5-6 cm across in size. The dough should be neither too dry nor too soft. If the dough is too soft, do not add flour, but rather breadcrumbs. If the dough is too dry, add some milk. Simmer in salted boiling water for 15 minutes.

Lisbon‘s Nunes Real Marisqueira restaurant is thought to be one of the best fish restaurants in Portugal. Head chef Manuel Costa specializes in traditional dishes such as "Garoupa no forno".Grouper In The Oven

Ingredients of a portion of a person:

- 300g of Grouper

- 2 Units of White Potato

- 1 Small fresh pepper

- 100g Fresh Mushrooms (Champignons)

- 1 Small onion

- 20cl White Wine Reserve

- 20cl of Water;

- 20cl Fresh Cream;

- 5cl Extra Virgin Olive Oil;

- 30 g Parsley

- 30 mcl Tomato Sauce

First step:

Stir fry an onion with olive oil, adding the grouper, at the end seasoning with the white wine.

Second step:

Add the fresh tomato sauce and the previously fried potato (the potato cut into cubes of approximately 3cm x 3cm).

Third step:

Simmer for 5 minutes and then bring it to the oven. Add the fresh mushrooms and the pepper in small pieces. Let it cook for 15 minutes on the oven at 220º.

Fourth step:

Finally dusts with a parsley and is ready to serve, Enjoy!

Buon appetito! Michelin-starred Italian chef Ruggero Bovo makes pasta with crabs. The secret is in the herb mix that's typical for Burano, the island in the Venetian Lagoon where he is from.Tagliolini with Spider Crab

(Serves one)

Ingredients:

100g crab meat

20g onion, finely chopped

6 cherry tomatoes

Prosecco

salt

pepper

olive oil

100g fine white flour

1 egg

4 zucchini blossoms

Method:

For the noodles:

Put the flour, egg and a dash of salt in a bowl and mix well. Knead the dough and then flatten it into a thin layer. Cut the dough into pieces and roll them up. Then cut these dough rolls into slices.

For the crab ragout:

Cook the crab in boiling water and then carefully loosen the meat from the claws. Sauté the diced onion in olive oil in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper, and add a dash of Prosecco.

Add the crab meat to the frying pan and stir. After one minute, put in the cherry tomatoes. Let the ragout simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Use the time while the ragout is simmering to cook the noodles. They are then added to the crab meat mixture in the frying pan. Stir well and serve.

Arrange the 4 zucchini blossoms to form a star shape around the edges of the plate. If you have one, place a cooking ring in the centre of the plate and spoon in the noodle mixture, pressing it down slightly.

Remove the ring and serve the Tagliolini with Spider Crab.

Buon Appetito!

A recipe with a history: "Hünkar Beğendi" means ' the Sultan enjoyed it'. We went to Istanbul to learn how to make this Turkish specialty with eggplant and meat.Recipe for "Hünkar Begendi"

(Serves four)

Ingredients:

500g lamb

5 tbsp butter

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup of tomato puree

6 medium-sized eggplants

1 glass milk or cream

1 cup flour

1 cup olive oil

A pinch of salt

A pinch of black pepper

1 fresh nutmeg

1-2 chilli pods

3 cups water

1 cup of grated Kaşar cheese (or Gouda or Parmesan)

1 green pepper

2 tomatoes

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the diced meat. Fry for a short while on a high heat. Then add the onions and garlic and fry everything briefly. After 4-5 minutes add the tomato puree; season with salt and pepper. Finally, add 3 cups of water and allow to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes. Add fresh chilli to taste, if desired.

Wash and dry the eggplant, make small cuts into the skin and then place on a baking tray and cook on the top shelf of the oven on a high heat, turning it repeatedly until it is softened on all sides. The eggplants can also be cooked on a grill. Cook until the skin of the eggplants turns black. The important thing is that they are cooked right through to the center. They are only ready once they are really soft all over so they could be easily mashed down with a spoon. Allow to cool and then remove the skin (even if it is not burned - otherwise the eggplant will taste bitter). Chop or mash the eggplant. Meanwhile melt the butter in another saucepan, then add the flour. Stir until the flour is completely mixed in. Add a glass of milk or cream and stir until smooth. Then add the eggplant and stir everything together well. Season with salt and allow to simmer for a few minutes, stirring all the time. Finally add the cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

When serving, first arrange the eggplant puree in a bowl and then add the meat with a little sauce. Garnish with grilled tomatoes and a green pepper. Afiyet olsun! Enjoy!

Hünkar Begendi, Sultan, eggplant puree, recipe, Istanbul

A recipe with a history: "Hünkar Beğendi" means ' the Sultan enjoyed it'. We went to Istanbul to learn how to make this Turkish specialty with eggplant and meat.Recipe for "Hünkar Begendi"

(Serves four)

Ingredients:

500g lamb

5 tbsp butter

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup of tomato puree

6 medium-sized eggplants

1 glass milk or cream

1 cup flour

1 cup olive oil

A pinch of salt

A pinch of black pepper

1 fresh nutmeg

1-2 chilli pods

3 cups water

1 cup of grated Kaşar cheese (or Gouda or Parmesan)

1 green pepper

2 tomatoes

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the diced meat. Fry for a short while on a high heat. Then add the onions and garlic and fry everything briefly. After 4-5 minutes add the tomato puree; season with salt and pepper. Finally, add 3 cups of water and allow to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes. Add fresh chilli to taste, if desired.

Wash and dry the eggplant, make small cuts into the skin and then place on a baking tray and cook on the top shelf of the oven on a high heat, turning it repeatedly until it is softened on all sides. The eggplants can also be cooked on a grill. Cook until the skin of the eggplants turns black. The important thing is that they are cooked right through to the center. They are only ready once they are really soft all over so they could be easily mashed down with a spoon. Allow to cool and then remove the skin (even if it is not burned - otherwise the eggplant will taste bitter). Chop or mash the eggplant. Meanwhile melt the butter in another saucepan, then add the flour. Stir until the flour is completely mixed in. Add a glass of milk or cream and stir until smooth. Then add the eggplant and stir everything together well. Season with salt and allow to simmer for a few minutes, stirring all the time. Finally add the cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

When serving, first arrange the eggplant puree in a bowl and then add the meat with a little sauce. Garnish with grilled tomatoes and a green pepper. Afiyet olsun! Enjoy!

Hünkar Begendi, Sultan, eggplant puree, recipe, Istanbul

At the Camara Boierului restaurant in Sibiu, stuffed cabbage with polenta is a particular favorite. Head chef Ioan Aron learned his craft in France and Germany, but he'll never forget this recipe from his grandmother. Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

Marinated white cabbage (one white cabbage marinated for three months in 5 liters water, 500g salt and 100ml white wine)

1½ lb minced pork

4 tsp vegetable oil

Four medium-sized onions, finely chopped

1½ cups celeriac, finely chopped

½ lb ham, diced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp sweet paprika

2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup rice

1 cup tomato sauce

¼ lb sauerkraut

1 bay leaf

Fresh dill & thyme

1 smoked knuckle of pork

Method:

Sarmale - Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Either marinate a white cabbage for three months as described above or simply boil up a fresh cabbage in a large saucepan. Add two teaspoons of salt and a quarter of a cup of vinegar to the boiling water. Allow to boil for five to seven minutes on a medium heat. Then remove the cabbage and leave it to dry and cool down.

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the onions, celeriac, ham, rice, paprika, parsley, and grated thyme for five minutes. Add part of the tomato sauce to the pan. Remove the sauce from the stove and mix it with the ground pork, adding more thyme and the dill. Season with salt and pepper.

Then take 1 cabbage leaf and fill it with 1-2 tablespoons of the ground pork, wrapping it up to form a cylindrical parcel. Do the same until all the meat is used up.

Cover the base of a deep ovenproof pot with a layer of chopped white cabbage, two to three centimeters deep. Place some of the cabbage rolls on the top and then cover them with another layer of chopped cabbage. Then place the smoked knuckle of pork on top of that, followed by another layer of chopped cabbage, then the remaining cabbage rolls. Finally cover the whole thing with chopped cabbage, add the bay leaf and pour over the remaining tomato sauce. Cook in the oven for two hours at 150 degrees Celsius.

Mamaliga

Ingredients:

300g maize flour

A pinch of salt,

1 liter water

Bring the water to the boil and add the salt

Quickly stir in the maize and reduce the heat. Cook on a low heat for half an hour, stirring constantly.

The mamaliga is served with the stuffed cabbage, a knuckle of pork and a chilli pepper. Add sour cream to taste.

Bon appetit!

“Ravintola Nokka” is one of Helsinki’s most popular restaurants. A classic choice is wild duck. Chef Ari Ruoho prepares it with roasted pumpkin, forest mushrooms and butter.Lightly smoked wild duck, oven roasted pumpkin and

black currant sauce.

2 Wild ducks

1l Game stock

1dl Blackcurrants

1 Onion

1 Celery stick

2dl Red wine

2tbs Red wine vinegar

Salt

Black pepper

2tbs Sugar free blackcurrant juice

200g Butter

Rosemary

Thyme

Garlic

Method:

Remove the wild duck's breast and the legs.

Cook the legs in the game stock slowly simmering for about 3 h or until the meat comes of easily of the bones.

Cut the wild duck carcass into smaller pieces and roast them in a sauteé pan.

Cut the onion and celery sticks into small cubes and caramelize them with the wild duck carcass.

Add the game stock so that it covers all the vegetables and the wild duck carcasses.

Let it simmer for 30 mins

Sieve the stock into a pot and add red wine and red wine vinegar.

Bring it to a boil and add the blackcurrants. Cook the sauce until it is reduced by half. Strain it.

Add 2tbs of blackcurrant juice and season the sauce with salt.

Smoke the wild duck breast with alder wood chips for 4 minutes.

Fry the breast skin side down in a pan with foaming butter, garlic, thyme and rosemary until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Turn the breast and fry for about 30 seconds.

Season them with salt and pepper. Put the breast in to a 140 degree Celsium oven and cook until the inside temperature is 42 celsius. Set aside until serving.

Fry the wild duck legs in butter until they are nice and crispy.

Oven roasted pumpkin:

1 pumpkin

1tbs oil

salt

Peel and cut it into pieces and season them with salt and oil. Roast the in a 200c until fully cooked (about 30-40 minutes). On top sprinkle some roasted pumpkin seeds.

Forest mushrooms and cabbage:

1 Cabbage

4dl Forest mushrooms

Cut the cabbage in to thin slices and cook in a pan with butter. Season it with salt.

Fry the mushrooms in a pan with rosemary and thyme until nicely browned and season with salt.

Ouzo is Greece’s national drink and of course it’s also used in cooking. Lina Chioti is the chef at the Achivada Tavern on Lesbos. She shows us how to prepare octopus with the anise-flavored aperitif. Recipe for stuffed octopus à la carte

Ingredients for four servings:

1 kg octopus

4 fresh tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 onions

2-3 star anise

2 tablespoons parsley

2 teaspoons pine nuts

2 cups olive oil

2 cups white rice

1 cup ouzo

3-4 cups water

To make the filling, dice up the octopus tentacles and tomatoes. Chop the onions into cubes and dice the parsley. Fry the onions in olive oil, and then add the ouzo, the tomatoes, the rice, the pine nuts, the diced octopus and the parsley. Add the star anise to the mix. Spice to taste with salt and pepper, add a couple of cups of water, and let the mixture simmer on low for 45 minutes. When it’s ready, remove the star anise and stuff the octopus heads with the mix, then close them with toothpicks so the stuffing can’t escape. Place the filled octopus in a pot, add the rest of the olive oil, and cook for a further 15 minutes. Bon appétit!