I changed the name of my blogsite to Urban Apprentice (see above link) same idea just a bit cooler if you ask me.

Troy

God I feel like I am just plugging Jamie Oliver, believe me it”s not the goal of this website however his recipe is the only one I liked when I just googled this. I recently enjoyed this mouth-watering and refreshing dish with a friend of mine Peter at a little Italian restaurant in Munich.

Ours was served with jacobs muscles which have in the last few months became a very big trend in restaurants in Munich (along with a hefty price tag as well).

 The following receipe I found at http://www.jamieoliver.com/foodwise/article-view.php?id=2233

Beetroot Carpaccio w.Smoked Salmon,Avocado & Sweet Dill Vinaigrette

Ingredients
Serves 1

1 med. beetroot (cooked)
2 slices of smoked salmon
1/2 ripe black haas avocado
2 tsp creme fraiche

Dill Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp mild olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp agave syrup
2 tbsp finely chopped dill
Salt & black pepper to season
A couple of whole sprigs of dill

Method
1. First prepare the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and agave syrup.
2. Add the chopped dill then season with salt and black pepper. Set aside for now.
3. Slice the beetroot very thinly (either use a very sharp knife or mandoline). Place in a small bowl and add just a little of the dressing, mixing it in carefully. Arrange the beetroot on a large plate.
4. Chop the avocado into small cubes and dress with a small amount of the dressing.
5. Place the avocado on the beetroot, then top with salmon slices and the creme fraiche. Drizzle round the rest of the dill vinaigrette and finish with a couple of sprigs of dill and a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with crusty italian bread.

My new “Marcato Ampia 150 Pasta Machine”

I never imagined myself being patient enough to make my own pasta, however I have heard so many people rave on about how great it is to make your own pasta, so two weeks ago I went out and picked up the  above little gem and this week we gave it a go.

Using the following basic pasta recipe from Jamie Oliver website http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/a-basic-recipe-for-fresh-egg-pasta or from his cook book Jamies Italy I managed to make enough pasta for a massive lasagna as well as for a spaghetti for 4 people later in the week. Seriously go out and buy one of these pasta machines you are going to fall in love with it. It is easy to use, fast and the results are very tasty indeed…

and Potato Peel Pie Society

I love to read. When I am not in the kitchen or doing what I am paid to do 9-5 you will see me with a book in my hands. Last week I came across this book written by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, published by Bloomsbury.

Don”t you just love the title? I was in my local bookshop, checking out some new cook books when this title jumped out at me. I had to buy this book, I didn’t even read the back cover. And yes I buy as many of my books as possible from a bookshop not online. I love the smell and atmosphere in bookshops, I love being surrounded by so many authors writings…..

I have to admit, although I try to buy organic food as much as possible, at times I just can’t be bothered with spending the extra cash etc. After watching the entire episodes of the following clips on YouTube (big thanks to GsTaste for putting them up) I can say that  only organic or free range chickens will be cooked in the Patterson Scheele kitchen in Munich. 

Can you taste the difference between factory and organic chicken?

My new toy in the house. Friends asked me recently what I wanted for my birthday, and they all put cash in towards by dream  dinner setting. 

Here my Rosenthal Studio Line and Jade setting sits on my dinning table that is made out of 100 year old train tracks from South Africa. (a table that require’s aroudn 5- 6 men to move it)

www.rosenthal.de/

Nudo! Adopt an Olive tree!                                        

I was hunting around other “foodie” blogs and websites the other day and came across Nudo. I am a massive olive oil freak, like I carry on about olive oil (and you are going to read a lot more about this) as much as French wine expert carries on about French wine.

I have dreampt of owning my own grove since I first watched “Under the Tuscan Sun” and sinceI  have made numerous trips to Umbria and Tuscany staying on Olive mills and Olive farms / groves.

Unfortunately I havent the cash to buy an Olive Grove however now I can own my own olive tree through Nudo and every year receive in both Autumn and Spring , Olive Oil delivered to my door, and it’s organic olive oil as well.

This is a great present for anyone who is an olive oil freak like me, or buy one for yourself.

What is Nudo?

Nudo is an olive grove. And part of it can be yours.

Adopt one of its trees for a year and you’ll receive all the produce from your tree. Imagine dunking your bread in your own oil from your own tree thousands of miles away on a hillside in Italy.

It’s delicious, it’s good for the world and you get to show off to your friends.

Hang the consequences. Adopt an olive tree.

http://www.nudo-italia.com

A few years back a friend gave me a copy of this book for my birthday. I love to pull it out every now and then and have a flick back through it. In a way it makes me home sick of London, in another way it makes me realize how much I didn’t do in London and how much more I can do in London on one of my up-coming trips.  

I highly recommend whenever “foodie’s” go off traveling for a month in Italy or a two day weekend break in some vibrant city, not to pick up a Lonely Planet guide or other travel book however pick up a book like this or one similar. Whether it be about wine, restaurants, olive oil or cupcakes,  use this and let your taste buds be your guide – you will be amazed what you will find, as I was with “The essential guide to London’s best food shops” I was amazed with what I found (London isn’t just about Harrods food hall and Tesco).  

Most of my free time in London was spent in Soho, pretty much every second day for my first 18 months I was on Brewer Street. I had no idea that “Lina Stores”, an Italian delicatessen was hiding there all that time without me paying any attention until I was given this book. Believe me I enjoyed Brewer Street a lot more in my last 6 months in London following the “Lina Stores” discovery. 

What I love most about this guide is that it provides you with a compressive area by area guide, so its not just focusing on the trend area’s of Mayfair and Notting Hill, it is actually giving the “foodie” a complete guide to buying food a cross London including deli’s, bakery’s, cooks book shops right through to well renowned markets and internationally recognized food halls from Harrods to Selfridges and everything in between.  

“The essential guide to London’s best food shops” is published by New Holland Publishes (UK) Ltd and I highly recommend it for everyone.

 Grab a copy now from www.amazon.co.uk

It does happen, not often thou in the Patterson-Scheele manor that we have any leftovers from a roast dinner. Last Friday night I roasted a leg of New Zealand lamb (that had just been flown into Munich) along with some balsamico carrots and roast spuds.  

So Sunday night with a fridge full of leftovers a packet filo pastry I got to work. First things first I poured myself a lovely glass of Antonelli Rossa (dam it was the last bottle from our trip to Umbria in August) and started to create my ‘Roast dinner leftover bags’ – OK now I know it doesn’t sound classy however it taste great and that is the outcome I was looking for.

I grabbed my best friend in the kitchen, my KitchenAid food processor and put all the leftovers in, the lamb, potatoes, greens and the gravy and blended it all together. I then divided each sheet of filo into four, put approx two table spoons of the leftovers in the middle of each divided square, lifted up the edges gave the filo a twist to make it into a bag, and popped them in the oven for around 20 mins. The end result – see the picture below. My only wish is that I have more roast spuds left, I am a huge lamb fan (it’s my favorite meat) however even for me these tasted too much of lamb for me, if you know what I mean.  

Get your hands on a jar of this!

Last week I was in Kaufhof Galleria in Munich (a massive department store). On the ground floor there is a large supermarket – expensive, however it reminds me a little bit of the food hall in Selfridges London. So as I am in the store looking around I came across these sundried tomatoes from the Jamie Oliver group. As a product launch into Germany they were on sale for half price so naturally I bought 5 jars. Well yesterday I opened the jar and all I can say is 100% yum yum yum. I fell in love with sundried tomatoes years ago and once I open the jar I can’t pull myself away from them.

I am looking forward to going home after work today and attacking the jar again.