Earl Grey Biscotti with Almonds and Raisins
My perfect weekend includes a relaxed stroll through the market on Saturday morning (not too early though), a vast breakfast with bacon, eggs, and sandwiches, followed by some minor flat projects, such as rearranging a shelf in my kitchen. Not more than one shelf, it's the weekend after all. The afternoon can be filled with a walk at one of Berlin's lakes, or exploring an undiscovered neighbourhood and a hot chocolate at a cosy café. A visit to a couple exhibitions at some of my favourite museums in the city is also an option. There are always so many amazing art shows and at the moment, I'm far from keeping up. This week, it's Jackson Pollock at the KunstHalle showing his grand work Mural from 1943 and we managed to see it - it's breathtaking! In the evening, we may have some friends over for dinner, or maybe it's just the two of us enjoying a bottle of wine and an extensive meal. And if I'm lucky, we've got an invitation to a friend's house. This week it was my aunt Ursula and my uncle Uwe, their cooking is divine, the wine as well, and the company is always the best. I love to cook, especially in the evening, to calm down and relax after a busy day, but once in a while it feels so good when someone else takes care of you and invites you to join their scrumptious culinary adventures.
Sunday's next: Sleeping in is given, breakfast is a little more luscious than the day before and can easily extend into the early afternoon. I can't sit at the table and eat all day, I need a little activity even on a lazy Sunday, and some time on my own. So I bake, just me and my mixer, bowls, and sweets in the kitchen, some music from the vinyl player and I'm happy. I can't start my baking projects too late as at 6, the preparation of our weekly Sunday-pizza ritual begins.
In between, I also manage to squeeze in our obligatory tea time: A cup of English tea and some cookies. I made these Earl Grey biscotti with almonds and raisins a couple days ago and they taste so good that we enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, dessert, and tea time. The flowery aroma of the fragile tea leaves is present, I didn't aim for a subtle hint that makes you guess what this distinct taste might be. It's Earl Grey, presenting itself with confidence. I balance it out with the sweetness of the raisins, fruity orange zest, and the nutty almonds. They are nice and crunchy, perfect to dip into your tea or dark espresso, if that's your kind of thing.
If you feel like biscotti but you're not a big fan of Earl Grey, you can try these recipes here:
Biscotti with a shot of Ouzo (inspired by my aunt Ursula)
Earl Grey Biscotti with Almonds and Raisins
For about 42 biscotti you need
butter, melted, 100g / 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon
Earl Grey tea leaves (loose leaf tea, not from tea bags) 3 1/2 tablespoons
plain flour 400g / 3 cups
baking powder 2 teaspoons
granulated sugar 200g / 1 cup, plus more for sprinkling the biscotti
freshly grated orange zest 2 teaspoons
fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon
organic eggs 3raisins 100g / 3 1/2 ounces
almonds, roughly chopped, 50g / 1 3/4 ounces
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the tea leaves into the warm, melted butter and let it cool for a few minutes.
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest, and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until creamy, stir in the Earl Grey-butter mixture and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix with the dough hooks of an electric mixer until just combined. Stir in the raisins and almonds, form a ball and divide it into 4 parts. Form each part into a long loaf shape (around 5cm / 2″ wide) and place them on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-28 minutes (slightly longer if using a conventional oven) or until golden. Take the loaves out of the oven and let them cool for 20 minutes.
Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
Carefully cut each loaf into 1 1/2cm / 1/2″ slices and transfer the biscotti to the lined baking sheets, sprinkle each one with a little sugar. Bake for 6 minutes, turn the biscotti over and sprinkle the other side with sugar. Bake for another 6 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let them cool. Once completely cool, you can keep the biscotti in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Sicilian Calamaretti with Raisins and Capers in Vermouth Sauce
The last time I made stuffed calamari was in summer and I was closer to the sea than I'm now. Whatever recipe I chose to make I could be sure to find the right fish I needed at the local fish shop. In the city, I prefer to go to the fishmonger and take a look at the daily offers before I decide what to throw in my pan. That's what I did a couple days ago and when I spotted the calamaretti I remembered the warm nights in the Mediterranean, the salty air, the chilled rosé wine in my glass and my Sicilian stuffed calamari!
This recipes combines quite a few strong aromas in one dish, sweet raisins, salty capers, milky parmesan and fresh parsley. The sauce is made with sweet wine but I used vermouth as I'm a bit obsessed with it at the moment when it comes to deglazing meat or fish, I just like the flavour that it adds. I had to clean the calamaretti myself which took a bit long, if you find them prepared you just have to mix the stuffing and fill the tubes. I let them simmer in the sweet sauce for just a couple minutes, on top of some fried onions and the raisins. We enjoyed them with a glass of white wine, this tastes like a holiday to me!
Stuffed Calamaretti with Raisins and Capers in Vermouth Sauce
For two you need
calamaretti (or the bigger calamari), cleaned and the tentacles cut off, 300g / 10.5 ounces
raisins, soaked in warm water, 20g / 3/4 ounce
medium sized onion, chopped, 1
capers, chopped, 12
Parmesan, grated, 30g / 1 ounce
fresh parsley, chopped, 3 heaping tablespoons
dry breadcrumbs 30g / 1 ounce
lemon juice 2 teaspoons
vermouth or sweet wine 100 ml
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Mix the capers, parmesan, parsley, bread crumbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper and fill the calamaretti loosely. Close with a tooth pick.
In a large pan, fry the onion till golden and soft, add the raisons, the calamari's tentacles and deglaze with half of the wine. Put the stuffed calamaretti on top, add the rest of the wine and let them simmer on medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Take the calamari out of the pan and put them on plates. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour over the tubes.
