World cuisine or just a big mess?

Yakitoris with airfryer, bad idea? 

Any japanese worthy of the name would do seppuku at the sight of the pic below. Traditionally, the japanese use a shichirin (long and narrow grill using binchōtan wood for grilling at very high temp.) to cook their skewers. But since we live in Finland, finding a working shichirin is easier said than done. Airfryer then!

We prepared a marinade with japanese teriyaki base sauce, sake, garlic, lime, a bit of sesame oil, and Shishimi Togarashi (japanese spice mix). Pieces of organic chicken have been left soaking in that mix for a couple of hours in the fridge, then cooked for approx. 12min, the time for the meat to reach 71°.

Since we still had a rack of pork ribs in the freezer, we decided to have it along the skewers, using the same marinade with a bit of added honey for better caramelization (ribs recipe below). 

From there, things went sideways: the meat is served with a maoroccan taboule salad with lots of herbs like mint, coriander, etc... (recipe in this blog), homemade marinated red onions (white vinegar, water, sugar, black peeper corns, left in the fridge a couple of days before use), Pirkka hummus heavily customized with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and cayenne pepper powder, and middle eastern flat bread (not on the pic) To go along, a chilled bottle of "Arthur Metz Pinot Noir Rosé" from Alsace. 

So... Morrocanese? Japanan? Or just yummi?

Where are the dogs?

It's kinda tricky to find joints in Helsinki selling hot dogs outside the occasional late night food trucks. The only places where you're sure to find some any hour of the day are the gas stations. And this exactly where we've been to... 

Melba... again

Pieces of Polka strawberries topped by a scoop of italian vanilla ice cream, and burried under a (very) generous amount of whipped cream. We were so eager to eat that thing that we didn't bother making strawberry sauce, or to roast some slivered almonds. 

 

It's a french thing

During the summer days, there isn't a more popular dessert/palate cleanser/refreshment in France than a "Colonel": a scoop of lemon sorbet (Limone Di Sicilia in our case) soaked in vodka. Great to round up a meal.

Juhannus korean style

It's Juhannus, and to celebrate it (way to speak), we have decided to make pork ribs korean style. So, as you can seen on the pic, we used 2 types of korean bbq sauces and mixed them 2/3 1/3, then added a bit of lime juice for tartness, cayenne pepper powder for extra spiciness and a few drops of sesame oil for that grilled nutty flavor.

A rack of 1kg of pork ribs has rubbed with sea salt and black pepper, and airtight sealed in a foil pocket. Then cooked in the oven for 3 hours at low temp. 140°. After that time, the foil is removed, the meat generously brushed with the bbq sauce, and back in the oven under a hot grill for 8-10min. each face.

The result is a rack of pork ribs wonderfully caramelized and crispy, super tender because it has been previously slow cooked (even overcooked) in the oven, and the meat literally falls off the bone. Really ymmi.

Served with the mandatory fries, but instead of coleslaw, we had a korean kimchi salad (spicy fermented cabbage - not on the pic). A few cold beers completes the lunch.

 

The Greatness of Kitsch

VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY the hustle (David Kust Remix) 

22 Years Later GOYG

Garden lunch

White & green aspargus, peeled and cooked in a steamer basket for respectively 10 & 5min., and served with an Hollandaise. Add a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé, and there is no better way to enjoy them.