Table happiness with friends

To enjoy a meal in peace, for hours, some of us have almost forgotten. So much have we gotten used to the fact that everything should go fast: working, mailing and just the food. Doner, pizza, sushi to go? the focal points for fast food lure on every street corner. As practical as careless, a momentous tribute to the motto of our society: time is money. And yet, there is another longing: many people want to celebrate food and drink again as a shared experience, in the restaurant, rather in the familiar atmosphere of home.

Food culture is pure sensuality

Many discover how exhilarating it is to sit down with family and friends at a well-laid table to discuss the little and big things in life over a good meal. Who is still surprised by the boom of cooking programs on TV? The latest quota hit is "The Perfect Dinner": Five people cook each other in their home from Monday to Friday, get to know each other, and in the end, the participant wins a prize, which the quintet chooses as the best host. Here you can learn while watching almost incidentally, what is important? In addition to craftsmanship on the stove, this is above all this other, even more important art: addressing all the senses in us, so that we can open them for table happiness with friends.

Enjoy a Prosecco and feel the anticipation of the evening. Colors, aromas, scents with the eye, palate and nose perceive how they unfold on beautiful dishes intensively. Talking together, laughing, remembering, dreaming, all with soft candlelight? those are the hours when we realize that time may often be money, but at the same time much, much more? Appreciation, attention, attention, in short: love. And nothing is nicer than giving presents to family, friends and ourselves. Such a delightful evening inspires us even beyond the day. Because it's rather the little things that make our happy hormones kink.

At the long table

Recipe: Fennel risotto with shrimp skewers

4 portions Shrimp skewers: 1 small garlic clove, 1 red chilli pepper, 1? 2 bunch of plain parsley, 5 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 4 tbsp rapeseed oil, sea salt, 16 king prawns; Fennel risotto: 2 shallots, 375 g fennel tuber with greens, 1? 2 tablespoons butter, 275 g risotto rice (eg Arborio), 200 ml dry white wine, 1 small garlic clove, 600 ml hot vegetable stock, 50 g parmesan cheese, 50 g Ricotta cheese, freshly ground pepper, 1 lime, 2 tablespoons olive oil

? For the prawn skewers: Peel garlic and finely chop. Rinse the pepper, cut it lengthwise, remove seeds and finely chop (work with kitchen gloves). Rinse the parsley, shake dry and finely chop the leaves. ? Stir garlic, chili, parsley, lime juice, maple syrup and oil. Season with salt. ? Remove the king prawns from the shell to the tail end. Cut the prawns lengthwise to the tail end and remove the black intestinal thread. Rinse the shrimp, pat dry. ? Put two shrimp across skewers. Drizzle with the marinade and let cover for about 30 minutes.

? For the risotto: Peel the shallots and finely dice. Clean fennel and rinse off, keeping the green. Quarter the fennel, cut out the stalk and cut the rest into strips. ? Heat the butter in a saucepan, fry the shallots and fennel strips in it for about 10 minutes. Add rice and simmer over medium heat for 1 minute. ? Add wine and let it boil down. Crush garlic clove with peel and add to rice. ? Gradually add a ladle of hot vegetable stock, always boil down. This will take about 20 to 25 minutes (important: do not cook with too much heat, so that the rice has enough time to swell). ? Remove garlic clove. Rinse the fennel green, finely chop. Rub parmesan. Stir with ricotta and fennel greens under the risotto. Season with salt and pepper. ? Rinse lime and cut into slices. Marinade streaked by the skewers. Fry skewers and lime wedges in hot oil from both sides for about 2 minutes each. ? Arrange risotto and shrimp skewers on plates and garnish with lime slices. 655 kcal per serving, E 38 g, F 24 g, KH 63 g, BE 6 Ready in 1 hour

Recipe: Beef fillet with honey-rosemary jus and potato gratin

4 portions gratin: 1 red chilli pepper, 1 clove of garlic, 1 sprig of rosemary, 450 g of whipped cream, freshly ground nutmeg, sea salt, 1.5 kg of potatoes floury, cooking; Fat for the mold; 30 g butter; Filet: 800? 1000 g fillet of beef, freshly ground green pepper, 11? 2 tablespoon buttered lard, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp rosemary needles, 100 ml red port wine (or beef stock), 200 ml beef stock, freshly ground black pepper

? For the gratin: Preheat oven to 200 degrees, convection 180 degrees, gas level 4.? Rinse and chop the chili pepper. Crush the garlic with the shell. Rinse off rosemary and chop the needles roughly. Boil the cream, nutmeg, chilli, garlic and rosemary in a saucepan. Season with salt, remove from heat and leave for about 20 minutes. ? Peel potatoes, rinse briefly, slice thinly. Grease an ovenproof mold (about 20 x 20 cm). Shake in potato slices, season with salt in between. Pour the cream evenly over the potatoes through a sieve. ? Add butter flakes and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown.

? For the fillet: rinse off the meat and dab dry, fold the thin end of the meat. Tie together with kitchen yarn so that the fillet is uniformly thick everywhere. ? Rub beef fillet with salt and green pepper and fry in an ovenproof roasting pan in 1 tablespoon of hot clarified butter. ? Put the meat together with the gratin in the oven and fry for about 20 minutes. Remove the filet, wrap in aluminum foil and then let it rest in the oven for 15 minutes. ? Melt leftover butter and honey in a small saucepan. Add rosemary needles and lightly caramelise. Pour port and cattle stock and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the gravy from the filet. Season with salt and pepper. ? From the gratin, cut out 4 round cakes (Ø approx. 7 cm) with a cookie cutter or divide the gratin with the knife into four portions. ? Slice the meat and serve with honey-rosemary jus and potato gratin. 940 kcal, E 53 g, F 53 g, KH 57 g, BE 5 Ready in 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe: mushroom pot with beef

4 portions 600 g beef goulash, 5 g dried mushrooms, 350 g fresh mixed mushrooms (eg porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, mushrooms), 2 onions, 50 g bacon, 1 tbsp butter lard, salt, freshly ground pepper, 250 ml mushroom or cattle stock ( from the glass), 1? 2 l of red wine (or beef stock), 5 stems of thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1? 2 tablespoons of sauce binder, 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, 1 pinch of sugar? If necessary, cut the pieces of goulash, dab dry. Soak dried mushrooms in 250 ml of cold water. Clean fresh mushrooms, halve or quarter depending on size. Peel and dice the onions. ? Cut the bacon into strips. Fry crispy in the hot clarified butter, lift from the cooking fat and set aside. ? Fry the mushrooms in hot frying fat, salt, pepper and remove from the cooking fat. Add the goulash pieces to the frying fat, fry well in brown. Add onions, fry briefly. ? Add the stock, red wine, mixed mushrooms and dried porcini mushrooms with the soaking water. Add 3 stems of thyme and bay leaf to a bouquet and add. Stew everything over medium heat for about 1? 2 hours. ? Remove thyme and bay leaf from the sauce. Tie with sauce binder. Stir in crème fraîche and season with salt, pepper and sugar. ? Arrange the mushroom pot, sprinkle with the strips of bacon and garnish with the remaining thyme. 360 kcal per serving, E 39 g, F 12 g, KH 8 g, BE 1 Ready in 2 hours 15 minutes

Old-World Table Happiness: (May 2024).