page contents Poor Man's Kitchen Recipes

The Perfect Mousse Au Chocolat

Chocolate mousse has never lost it's attraction of perfect desert to me.. it's basically a mousse that can fit to any type of menue.  Folding method is very crucial and important, don't over whip it, otherwise you will get a chocolate sauce and not mousse. So, treat this mousse as if it's your first date, be gentle to it and love it ! that will guaranty great results! I happen to try mousse au chocolat the first time in 1996 during hotel management school in Switzerland. It was amazing and I was always wondering on how they do it! Now, after many years I have had the privilege to find and try it out myself... a wonder thing that is not rocket science but simply discipline action following the steps that it requires. Celebrity Chefs would certainly become jobless on TV if you follow this recipe and not theirs, TV shows do not always have the best recipe...

Chocolate mousse is all about ingredients and the way you whip the mousse. There are only three ingredients, so they should be fresh and high-quality. Have your bowl and whisk for the egg whites immaculately clean and your cream very cold. If you've done these things, you’ll end up with a rich and perfectly whipped mousse that can kick the ass of any chocolate pudding. Another interesting aspect is that lot's of five star hotels have chocolate mousse on the menue, did you ever noticed that ?






These are the steps that you must strictly follow! Trust me, once you completed the mousse, it can taste even better than sex. So, try it yourself! Here the ingredients and steps!

Ingredients:

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup very cold heavy cream
3 large egg whites (no traces of yolk), at room temperature
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)






Then, the steps!
  1. Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  2. Place chocolate and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream in a large heatproof bowl. (Place remaining cream back in the refrigerator until ready to use.) Nest the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Melt chocolate, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until smooth and combined with the cream. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Place egg whites in a second large bowl and whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes (make sure the bowl and whisk have no trace of oil or fat, or the whites will not whip properly); set aside. (Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer.)
  4. Clean and dry the whisk (or your beaters if you’re using an electric mixer). Place the remaining 3/4 cup heavy cream in a third large bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. (Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer.)
  5. Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate, then gently stir in the rest (try not to deflate the whipped cream). Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate-cream mixture just until there are no longer large blobs of whipped cream or egg white (do not over mix).
  6. Spoon the mousse or pipe it from a pastry bag into serving cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Rien ne va plus! Leave it as it is, don't touch the mousse once these steps are completed! Dont mess it up! 




The Story of Roti John



Roti John - Which is a superb french loaf with Asian flavor - Easy to make dish if you follow the recipe. It originated in Sembawang, Singapore


The more I walk around streets in Singapore, the more stories I find out about local food and it's origins. Ever heard of Roti John before ? I bet you haven't ! Neither celebrity chefs like Jamie Olivier or Gordon Ramsey ever heard anything like this sort of famous dish called Roti John. The dish itself is not high tech and if you follow the recipe it's actually easy to make. Roti John is a melting dish between Asian flavor and western looking baguette slices.

Let's put it this way, it resembles more a South East Asian Sandwich or Burger.. Well, according to local legend, sometime in the 1960s an Englishman asked a Malay hawker in Sembawang for a hamburger.

Because hamburgers were not available, as a substitute, the ingenious hawker spread minced mutton and onions between slices of French loaf and fried the concoction in egg. The name for the dish is also attributed to this anonymous hawker, who was overheard saying to the customer, “Silakan makan roti, John”, which literally translates as “Please eat this bread, John”, but can also be understood as “Please eat this dish, John’s bread”.

Although roti john is often classified as Malay cuisine, partly because it is usually offered by Malay stalls, its origins, ingredients and taste meld together the diverse flavours of the English, Malay and Indian communities. The dish is sometimes considered as being of Indian origin possibly because Shukor, the hawker who popularised it, was of Indian ancestry. 




In the 1970s, Shukor set up stall at the Taman Serasi hawker centre near the Botanic Gardens serving Eurasians and Caucasians, many of whom frequented the nearby Tanglin Club. Shukor obtained the recipe for roti john from a fellow hawker in Geylang and began offering the dish at his stall in 1976. Shukor’s recipe for the dish contains up to 30 eggs beaten with onions, minced mutton and sambal (minced chilli). Some of the mixture is slathered onto sliced halves of a local bread loaf similar to the French baguette, then pan-fried on a hot griddle. So popular was the dish that Shukor sold up to 800 loaves on weekends and over 100 plates a day at his Taman Serasi stall.

Shukor’s innovation is considered the original roti john by some and his eatery remains the benchmark for the dish. After his death, his wife, Khadijah bt Mohd Salleh, continued running the stall. The stall, Shukor Makanan Istimewa, originally located at Number 9 Taman Serasi Food Centre, made the hawker centre synonymous with roti john. When the hawker centre underwent changes in 2001, the stall moved to the Serangoon Garden Market where roti john is still sold by Shukor's daughter Noriani Shukor.

Today, roti john is served throughout the Malay Peninsula, with variations in Malacca and Penang that use toppings of sardines or ikan bilis (anchovies) rather than meat.




The Dish itself…

Sometimes called Singapore's version of the burger, roti john is made using a local bread loaf similar to the French baguette, but shorter in length and with rounded ends and a softer texture. Good roti john is considered to be crispy on the outside, while the meat and egg mixture remains soft and the onions crunchy. It is usually served in bite-sized slices with green chilies, tomato sauce and sweet chilli sauce on the side. Variations on this dish use chicken, beef or sardines instead of mutton. More recent innovations include adding melted cheese and mushrooms to the topping. The Malaccan version of this dish uses longer bread with a topping mainly of sardines and ikan bilis with onions, eggs and chili.





Singapore Coffee Made Easy

Recently there has been a campaign in Singapore Kopi education to reduce ignorance among tourists and business travelers by Coffee Toast, Ya kun Coffee and others. I must admit that this campaigning is really good and even myself discovered that there is much more than Kopi C or Kopi O in Singapore Coffee.

I should actually include Malaysia as well, although not sure if the names of Kopi are the same or not. To order kopi like a pro in Singapore is not easy if the pronunciation in hokkien dialect is not accurate. The best ever experience for me is to learn pronunciation skills from local colleagues in Singapore. Even my dearest friend from Switzerland can speak hokkien better than I do, simply because he has been living in this city since quite sometime and he counts as very experienced kopi drinker..

I guess that celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Olivier never heard of anything like this in the UK before and discovered kopi on their first visit to Malaysia and Singapore many years ago. The love affair with kopi o and kopi peng went on till Jamie launched his first restaurant at Vivo City in Singapore. Surely not for long and Gordon Ramsay will follow Jamies footsteps and launch his own Restaurant somewhere in Katong area where he did learn lots of skill and secrets in making Laksa and Chicken Rice.


Western coffee expressions such as “black”, ”cream and sugar”, “flat white” or just plain “coffee” will likely gain you little more than a confused look and unwelcomed libation at a hawker center in Singapore. These are just expressions of headless tourists not informing themselves before stepping foot in south east asia. Hello, south east asia is not all about surfing in Bali or snorkeling in Tioman ok!

Singapore Kopi Owl Brand since 1956


So take a moment to learn the lingo with our quick guide - starting with the four basics:

kopi = coffee with condensed milk
kopi-c = coffee with evaporated milk (sweetened)
kopi-o = black coffee with sugar 
kopi-o kosong = plain black coffee (unsweetened)

And then add additional expressions to adjust for your preference:

kosong = no sugar
ga dai = extra sugar
siu dai = just a little sugar
po = weakened with water
di lo = strong; no water added
peng = iced coffee
dai bao = take away

All that’s left to do now is slurp away (although take the first sip with caution – it can take a few attempts to find the perfect kopi for you!)



Wild Kopi Luwak from Indonesia


How to keep birds out of your garden

Growing tomatoes ? So you are growing your own food and wonder why birds fly in and eat your plants ? Especially the ripe ones are target of mocking birds, crows and other kinda birds! Many people believe that by hanging out CD's you could scare away unwanted visitors. Wrong! all you will achieve is even more birds, simply because they like to look at themselves in mirrors to see how pretty they are..


Ever had a parrot before ? They love to play with small and shiny mirrors, so don't get this type of crap ideas that by hanging CD's will ensure to be safe from birds and other predators. Five good old ways have always been proven to be right! This is a simple recipe on how you could keep unwanted birds away from your fruits or veggie plants away. This blog is about finding ways to grow your own, cook your own cheap and good food.. its about poor man kitchen recipes and not stupid men growing techniques. So here the ideas..

Use netting for trees. You drape it over the tree, and birds don’t want to tangle with it theoretically. (However, at a farm in Malaysia I went to last year, birds were INSIDE the net – not a pretty situation. They were scared AND eating the fruit. So use with caution.)

Make somewhere else more worth their while. Put bird seed in an area far from your garden. So that will distract and attract the birds to eat somewhere else other than your plants..

If you’re growing seed plants, like sunflowers, try covering the head with an old pantyhose so it can grow or dry, but birds can’t feast.

Get a dog or cat. It’s not THE reason to get a pet, but if you are considering it already, add it to your arsenal of reasons why. Our dog tears out toward the garden and scares the birds away, and between him and the neighborhood cat contingent, squirrels never venture onto the ground away from a tree out there.

And if all this still doesn't work, then buy some chickens and let them roam freely around your garden. And if that still doesn't work then your fruits and veggies must be super good and you should invite me to visit your garden..





The super italian dish called Friselle





Guess what, Friselle is unknown to 99% of worlds population because it's non-commercial and the dish is not rocket science. I can bet with you that Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Olivier and many more celebrity chefs never came across this type of dish before. Friselle is a perfect and valid alternative to bread, it can be produced easily. I happen to make some in Singapore few days ago, it works simply because the ingredients are more or less the same. 

It is oven baked , then cut in half horizontally and it's then baked again in the oven. The looks of the frisella is with one smooth and one rough surface. Friselle are a staple food that was produced and acclaimed for its long conservation period and was therefore a valid alternative to bread, especially in those periods when flour was scarce.

The name with which friselle are also know in Apulia is “Pane dei Crociati” (Crusaders' bread) as it was certainly used to equip the Christian expeditions in their long travellings. A tradition for its consumption, from times past, was to dip friselle directly with sea water and with pure fresh tomato, which was squeezed to let the juices out. If you're wondering why the circular shape, it was not for the aesthetics: the hole at their center, allowed the friselle to be practically transported with a cord that was passed through them to form a sort of collier : that way they could either be hung for conservation or for comfortable transportation. Friselle were a typical travel-bread: that's why sea water was often used, or it was used as bottom for the fish soups, which were usually consumed during the days-long fishing expeditions in the open sea.


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How they look like

Friselle have a characteristic shape, derived from their production process: they are typically circular and with a hole at their center. Oven baked twice and cut after the first baking, they always come in pairs as they are nothing else that the two halves of the same form. Characteristic is also the surface, rough where it's cut after the first baking, smooth where it's remaining form the original manual shaping of the dough. Sizes are variable: friselle's diameter and their holes' diameter can vary from 5-10 centimeters to 20 or more. 

The color depends on both the baking time and the flour composition (more or less wheat/barley flour): color can then range from light to (very) dark brown. I have checked a number of cookbooks and online sources, and friselle are made from just durum wheat flour, salt, live yeast cake and water. Another recipe that yields more calls for:

1 k (2.2 pounds, or about 8 1/3 cups) flour, ideally durum wheat flour
1 3/4 ounces (50 g) live yeast cake
1 cup of Water
A pinch of salt





In this case, begin by combining the yeast with a 1 2/3 cups (about 200 g) flour, warm water, and a pinch of salt, to make smooth soft starter loaf. Cover it and let it rise in a warm place for a half hour.

After a half hour, make a well of the rest of your flour on your work surface, and work the starter loaf into it, adding enough water to make a dough. Roll the dough into finger-thick 8-inch long (20 cm) snakes, make them into rings and set them to rise on a baking tin. Let them rise for 2 hours, and then bake them in a 400 degree (200C) oven for about a half hour. Remove them from the oven, Split them down the middle to obtain 2 rings from each frisella, and return them to the baking tin cut side up. Bake them for another 20-30 minutes, or until they are quite dry.















Bringing the Country to the City

In the middle of the city a small farm revolutionized the idea of what can be done in an very unlikely place! 63 years old self reliant J. Dervaes started his own farm ten years ago, Jules and his children grow all the food they need in the middle of the city. Their produce is organic and their ducks and chickens lay thousands of eggs a year, on their 4000 sqf backyard they raise 400 varieties of vegetable and fruits.

It all started as an experiment, from 1/10th of an acre, four people manage to get over 90% of their daily food and the family reports earnings of $20,000 per year (AFTER they eat from what is produced). This is done without the use of the expensive & destructive synthetic chemicals associated with industrial mono-cropping, while simultaneously improving the fertility and overall condition of the land being used to grow this food on. Scaled up to an acre, that would equal $200,000 per year! 



One of the main reasons why I would not mind to start growing my own food, perhaps not today but down the road for sure..

1. GET THE NUTRITION YOU NEED & ENJOY TASTIER FOOD!
Many studies have shown that organically grown food has more minerals and nutrients that we need than food grown with synthetic pesticides. There’s a good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes—they taste better. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately our bodies.

2. SAVE MONEY
Growing your own food can help cut the cost of the grocery bill. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars and month at the grocery store on foods that don’t really nourish you, spend time in the garden, outside, exercising, learning to grow your own food.

3. PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices you make now will impact your child’s future health.




I also know that not everyone can become like Mr. Dervaes due to lack of space but at least the video documentary inspires people and opens up horizons to those unfortunate that are left behind by consuming a daily dose of MSG and pesticide.. I can also tell you that I am one of it as well!

So, lets jointly hope for the best and a self sufficient thought is a good start for the day! 








Durian Forever!

Durian forever! I don't know you guys but this fruit rocks! Durian is nicknamed ''the king of fruits'' for a reason! In addition, it's astonishing that half of worlds population never came across to try this amazing fruit at least once in their lifetime. I can't even detect Durian in official translation books except Wikipedia which is by far the best encyclopedia. 

I went for a Durian feast trip out of Singapore to Malaysia two weeks ago, the trip took us straight to Desaru Fruit Farm in Johor. Thankfully the weather was just right as I hadn't brought my umbrella and despite my fears of being bitten by mosquitoes, I survived the entire and pleasant day tour. The tour guide at the fruit farm was a generous local lady who looked to have helped herself to the farms produce and she spoke really good english. 

We had the opportunity to help ourselves in all you can eat Durian buffet during that special day. Although we didn't get the best type of Durians, it was really nice to have enjoyed the atmosphere together with wife and friends. All in all, a trip to Desaru Fruit farm is worth time and money. 

But this story isn't about my trip now, its sort of introduction of this marvelous fruit that remains unknown to many folks that either aren't living in the tropics or have never seen one. 

Losing your durian virginity is a private moment, so nobody can tell you what works best for you.
However, in general, there are two ways that people choose to do it. You could start off by acquainting yourself with the mildest dose possible of durian scent.

This usually comes in the form of durian-flavored cakes and cookies, wherein the taste and scent of durian can barely be detected, or durian chips which are made from under-ripe durians.

Once you think you can handle it, move up to durian desserts that are closer to the real thing in terms of both the smell and texture, e.g., durian custard, durian ice cream, durian cakes 

This should prepare you well for your first durian encounter.  The majority of durian veterans will tell you, however, that the best approach is to tackle durian head-on. Choose one that is not over-ripe and milder in both flavor and smell. Mon thong and kan yao varieties are two of the top favorites and generally milder than others such as kop or cha ni.

Don’t even consider frozen durians, as freezing changes the texture to the point of ruin.
Go for the best and the freshest possible. After all, you can only have your first durian once, so save yourself for a high-quality durian that is very, very special. So it's a must try, unfortunately it's not available all around the world, you could take a note and try it in your next trip to south east asia! 

 




Craving for Gnocchi with Sage and Butter

Gnocchi is a very simple home made dish that brings a lot of joy to cook it for our loved ones. This Italian dish joins the family of the so called ''cucina povera'' cuisine of the poor due to it's simple and low cost ingredients. Nowadays Grocery stores and middle mens earn gigantic margins on it by simply selling Gnocchi to end consumers. 

During preparation, the Gnocchi's will resemble like dead bodies lying on a plate but don't worry because it taste simple, marvelous and I am very sure that you will be preparing willing to prepare Gnocchi again and again once tasted.

Again, there are plenty Gnocchi varieties and preparation styles existing, I have chosen to follow the style of my ancestors purely out of habit. You can either add more Butter, more Sage.. base it on Salmon, Tuna or add some meat stuff to it. It's really up to your imagination.. but here is how I do it. 

What is actually Gnocchi all about ?  Little dumplings made from potatoes, flour and egg. Not very exciting, you might think, but like real pasta made in the old-fashioned way, Gnocchi have a texture and flavour of their own which can absorb and complement other flavours. This recipe is very simple, served with just butter, sage and Parmesan. Always make the amazing Gnocchi the day you are going to serve them, because they will change in colour if left overnight.

Ingredients

275 gr Potatoes - just about two
95 gr plain flour, sifted, plus a little extra rolling
1 large egg, lightly beaten
salt and milled black pepper

For the sauce
8 fresh sage leaves
50gr of butter
garlic peeled and crushed

How to do it….

First place the potatoes, with their skins on, in a suitably sized saucepan, almost cover with boiling water, add some salt, then put a lid on and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Then drain well and, holding them in your hand with a tea cloth, quickly pare off the skins using a potato peeler. Then place the potatoes in a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk on a slow speed, start to break the potatoes up, then increase the speed and gradually whisk until smooth and fluffy. Now let them cool.
Next, add the sifted flour to the potatoes, along with half the beaten egg, season lightly and, using a fork, bring the mixture together. Then, using your hands, knead the mixture lightly to a soft dough – you may need to add a teaspoonful or so more of the egg if it is a little dry. Now transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and divide it into quarters. Now roll each quarter into a sausage shape approximately ½ inch (1 cm) in diameter, then cut it, on the diagonal, into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces, placing them on a tray or plate as they are cut. Cover with Clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes, but longer won't matter.

After that, using a fork with the prongs facing upwards, press the fork down on to one side of each Gnocchi so that it leaves a row of ridges on each one; at the same time, ease them into crescent shapes. The ridges are there to absorb the sauce effectively. Now cover and chill the Gnocchi again until you are ready to cook them. To cook the Gnocchi, firstly bring a large, shallow pan of approximately 6 pints (3.5 litres) of water to a simmer and put the serving dish in a low oven to warm through. Then drop the Gnocchi into the water and cook for about 3 minutes; they will start to float to the surface after about 2 minutes, but they need 3 altogether.



When they are ready, remove the Gnocchi with a draining spoon and transfer them to the warm serving dish. For the sauce, melt the butter with the garlic over a gentle heat until the garlic turns nut brown in colour – about 1 minute. Next add the sage leaves and allow the butter to froth while the sage leaves turn crisp – about 30 seconds – then spoon the butter mixture over the warm Gnocchi. Sprinkle half the Parmesan over and serve the rest separately.







The Benefits of Manuka Honey Skin Care

It's always amazing to discover that a lot of people don't know what manuka honey is all about, but yet they buy conventional honey believing that there's no difference! Well, I was told that manuka is not only food but also can be used for our skin. My friend told me that not all manuka honeys have the same effect, I then started to read more about it and learned we should pay more attention to issues such as unique manuka factor (UMF) etc. 



Then its also very interesting to know that manuka acts as a anti bacterial agent, which means that it contains a special non-peroxide activity in itself. Also interesting to know is that not all manuka honeys have the same health-giving qualities. Its important to read how many UMF the honey contains and every manuka is quite distinct from the enzyme / peroxide activity that is common to most honeys. 




Manuka honey skin care can be beneficial to the skin in many ways. Some of the ways that you can benefit from when you use honey is to use it as facial. The honey mask hydrated and soothes the skin. The vitamins, enzymes and minerals found in the honey will improve the skin texture and its vitality. It also fights off the antibacterial since it has natural antibacterial properties. Honey mask can be used for any type of skin. 
The plantogen manuka skin oil is the superb product and it is used in fighting off the aging problems. Mask is the best method used to fight off skin aging while it also hydrates the skin. The skin can be improved within 7 days after using Manuka mask. Manuka can be used with other beauty care like spots, zits and acne. It is also used with the hair conditioners. Manuka honey has natural antioxidants which gives the cells enough minerals, amino acids and vitamins. It provides the white blood cells with necessary glucose while it also destroys the bacteria. Healing a wound using manuka honey will improve on the cellular regeneration and it gives the skin smoothness while it improves its skin texture. It also works in promoting the collagen production.

Manuka honey skin care is in different ranges which include cleansers, masks and moisturizers. If you are suffering from any skin irritation problems, then you can look for Manuka skin cream. Its active ingredients are Manuka honey active with 20+ rating. It has powerful antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. It offers a relief for different skin problems. Manuka honey is a wonderful property which makes the skin care products more effective and powerful. It restores the moisture while it also restores the damaged, cracked, dehydrates and dry skin. It makes the skin to look softer, younger and it improves on the skin tone. The Manuka honey also is known to revitalize and to nourish the scalp while maintaining healthy skin and hair.

Spaghetti alle Vongole

In Italy, exact recipes for spaghetti alle vongole vary from region to region and even from market to market place. It's really all about interpretation when we get to prepare this excuisite dish. Everybody believe to master the best Spaghetti Vongole on earth. Well, here is how I see it and I let you do the rest at your home :) Remember that a good cooking will depend on your ingredients and mood! Happiness is to be found along the way and not at the end of the road! So, please enjoy the process of making Spaghetti alle Vongole with your friends and loved ones! 

Some will add chilli, dried or fresh, and occasionally you will see tomatoes added, although I prefer the purist version with no tomatoes and just a hint of dried chilli.

The clams used vary too and can be quite expensive. Always try to use smaller ones that cook quickly and stay tender. You could also use cockles, mussels or razor clams in this dish or canned clams work really well. Look for the Italian brands actually sold as Vongole. Drain and rinse well, then just add them to the softened aromatics and warm through gently.

350-400g dried Spaghetti (My favourite brand is Barilla or Colavita) 
5tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
4 garlic cloves, crushed 
2 large shallots, finely chopped 
1/2tsp dried red chilli 
800g small clams rinsed well in cold running water 
2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley 
3tbsp dry white wine 
Salt and freshly ground white pepper 
50g unsalted butter

A video of my best personal inspiration and one of the best Spaghetti Vongole makers on earth, Antonio Carluccio has it all! 




Cook the Spaghetti in boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, then drain. While the Spaghetti is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the clams and gently cook the garlic, shallots and chilli for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the clams with the parsley and white wine, season with salt and pepper, turn up the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, giving the occasional stir, until all the clams have opened (one or two may not, so don't keep cooking just for them once most have opened). Add the butter and the drained spaghetti to the pan, stir well over a low heat for a minute and serve immediately.

Et voila! Buon appetito a tutti! 

The Basics of Natural Farming

Here is something interesting for all of you guys, a Tsunami of information to cure or at least to reduce some of our ignorance is often necessary; we don’t need millions of dollars in equipment to run a farm nor thousands of dollars to build our own Eden on earth.




Natural Farming recognizes that farmers and gardeners must first attend to nature so that they may then learn how to tend. This gentle practice turns farming from the science it has become in the West into a craft; where this craft is a focused understanding of the primacy of nature.




Temperate Natural Farming proceeds from simplification applying the ‘do-nothing’ approach from deep observation through opening ourselves to nature, which is the work of a lifetime. Curiously, as we progress along the path of Natural Farming there comes the realization this is not agriculture at all because it wants to go nowhere and seek no victory and, ultimately, it is not about the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.

Natural Farming is truly inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka’s practices, in 1975 he wrote a book called The One-Straw Revolution that described his journey, his philosophy, and farming techniques. The One-Straw Revolution, in short, was Fukuoka’s plea for man to reexamine his relationship with nature in its entirety. In his most utopian vision, all people would be farmers. If each family in Japan were allotted 1.25 acres of arable land and practiced natural farming, not only could each farmer support his family, he wrote, but each "would also have plenty of time for leisure and social activities within the village community. I think," he added, "this is the most direct path toward making this country a happy, pleasant land."

I would highly recommend buying and reading it again and again because it tells so many facts and common sense of agricultural practices. In other words, it idiot proof that learning the basics of Natural Farming makes it really easy.


There are five principles to Natural Farming;

No plowing – because it destroys the cycles of life in the soil,
No fertilizers – because they deplete the land from which they are taken and disrupt the balance of the soils on which they are used,
No pesticides – because there are no ‘pests’,
No wedding – because there are no ‘weeds’,
No pruning – because a tree left undisturbed knows far better how to grow.


Natural farming is founded on the laws of nature. It assumes that all that is needed to successfully produce crops can be found in the natural environment. Engaging in natural farming, therefore, is a desirable venture. I don't have the opportunity to make use of these practices in Singapore, but I have to be patient. Good things come to those who wait!




Raclette, The Cheese That Melts in Your Mouth


Raclette is a piece of wintertime Switzerland that most of the people like to have not only in winter chalets but also at home. If you ask most of the people which they prefer, fondue or raclette, most will reply raclette! The reason why is this so remains a mystery! I am a fondue monster myself, which is not to say that I don't enjoy cheesy raclette with good old friends. 

For those of you who haven't a clue, perhaps I'd better explain what it is. Raclette is essentially melted cheese, served over boiled potatoes with lots of ground black pepper, accompanied by small pickled onions and gherkins. The name comes from the French verb "racler", to scrape, because of the way the melted cheese is scraped off the block.

Like everything with a strong tradition, there are lots of very strict dos and don'ts, which don't actually matter that much. After you've had it a couple of times you'll get to know what you like and what you don't. The only thing that you need is to have a good raclette machine! 




Once you have one of those, and the following ingredients, just invite some friends round and you're all set.


Time: whatever it takes to cook the potatoes, plus as long as you want

Ingredients:

  • 200 to 250g raclette cheese per person (in rectangular blocks for the first machine, or half-wheels for the second) - damage $15.00
  • small firm potatoes (in Switzerland we use Bintje, Charlotte and the aptly named Raclette varieties) - damage $6.00
  • pickled onions - damage $4.00
  • a selection of dried meats, prosciutto, parma ham etc. - damage $10.00
  • (optional) sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms
  • paprika and fresh black pepper




1. Boil the potatoes in their skins until they're done.


2. Set the table with your meats, pickles, vegetables and cheese, the latter cut into thickish slices (too thick for a sandwich).

3. Put the potatoes on the table in their pan, covered, to keep warm while the cheese is cooking.

4. Each diner takes a slice of cheese and pops it into his/her individual cheese tray, tops it with a slice of tomato or other vegetable if he/she so desires and slides it under the grill. This is a good time to eat a few slices of ham and some gherkins. When the cheese is bubbling convincingly and going brown around the edges, remove the tray from under the grill, scrape the contents with a small wooden spatula on top of the potato which you have just placed on your plate, sprinkle with pepper and paprika, and eat. As it can take five minutes or so for each slice of cheese to cook, particularly before the grill has warmed up properly, it's a good idea to put a new slice of cheese in as soon as you've scraped the last one onto your potato. That way you can keep 'em coming.


And to finish off, here's the last word on "Real Raclette", taken from Sue Style's book A Taste of Switzerland: "Light a good fire. Buy yourself a half wheel of real Raclette cheese, preferably from the Valais (Gomser, Bagnes, Orsières etc.), between three and five months old. Scrape off the rind, top and bottom, so that the cheese can melt more easily. Prepare boiled potatoes in their skins and have ready a supply of gherkins or cornichons, pickled onions and black pepper. When the fire has died to a mass of glowing embers, procure yourself a large stone and put it before the fire. Set the half cheese on top, its cut surface exposed to the heat. Nearby have a supply of plates. As the cheese melts, scrape it off on to a plate and serve at once. Continue in this way until everyone is full." 








How To Make A Quick And Easy Parmigiana


The name parmigiana sounds like a dish from Parma, but you be surprised to find out that parmigiana has its origins in the south of the country. They called this dish Parmigiana due to parmigiano reggiano cheese that originates from Parma in the north of the country. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas and new ways to do old things. It can also be a good idea for new year eves or xmast dish. I was intrigued by this version. It’s actually the way my family does it since generations. Not to my surprise, parmigiana is completely unknow to my area in south east asia. It always surprises my guests when I come up with this dish, simply because they have the impression that all western foods are expensive to make. Well, partly true but here I proof them wrong… its easy and cheap to make!

The parmigiana dish is a dish that you could be prepared with spending less and not much time investment and energy. Great dish to make a change every now and then. it actually has lot's of similarities to traditional beef lasagna  parmigiana can be a good alternative solutions for vegetarians. 


Ingredients for up to 3 persons:

3 large aubergines (damage $4.00)
Olive Oil
Garlic, I prefer old garlic (peeled and finely sliced)
1 teaspoon of oregano
800 g tinned plum tomatoes (damage $6.00)
sea salt
ground black pepper
a little wine vinegar
3 large handfuls of parmesan cheese, freshly grated (damage $6.00)
2 handfuls dried breadcrumbs
150g mozzarella, optional (damage $ 5.00)

The first thing to do is to remove the stalks from the aubergines, slice them up into 1cm thick slices, and put to one side. Whether you're using a griddle pan or a barbecue, get it really hot. Meanwhile, put 2 or 3 lugs of olive oil into a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and dried oregano and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic has a tiny bit of colour. If you're using tinned tomatoes, break them up, and if you're using fresh tomatoes (which will obviously taste sweeter and more delicious, if they're in season), very quickly prick each one and put them into a big pan of boiling water for 40 seconds.

Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put them into a bowl of cold water for 30 seconds, then remove the skins, carefully squeeze out the pips and cut up the flesh. Add the tomato flesh or tinned tomatoes to the onion, garlic and oregano. Give the mixture a good stir, then put a lid on the pan and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, grill the aubergines on both sides until lightly charred – you may have to do them in batches, as they probably won't all fit into your griddle pan in one go. As each batch is finished, remove them to a tray and carry on grilling the rest until they're all nicely done. When the tomato sauce is reduced and sweet, season it carefully with salt, pepper and a tiny swig of wine vinegar, and add the basil. You can leave the sauce chunky or you can purée it.

Get yourself an earthenware type dish (25 x 12–15cm). Put in a small layer of tomato sauce, then a thin scattering of Parmesan, followed by a single layer of aubergines. Repeat these layers until you've used all the ingredients up, finishing with a little sauce and another good sprinkling of Parmesan. I like to toss the breadcrumbs in olive oil with a little freshly chopped oregano and sprinkle them on top of the Parmesan. Sometimes the dish is served with torn-up mozzarella on top, which is nice too.

Place the dish in the oven and bake at 190°C/375°F/gas five for half an hour until golden, crisp and bubbly. It's best eaten straight away, but it can also be served cold. 





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