Mrs. G. Mixology (2): Homemade Arancello with Cinnamon and Cardamon | You've Got Meal!

Strong, full of flavor and sweet, this home made drink is based on the classic Italian Arancello. Ready in 2 weeks, it is amazing served chilled, with ice or used in desserts. It is also great to give someone as a gift, especially if you play around with the presentation.

You will need:

• the zest from 5 oranges
• 1 l vodka
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cardamon pods
• 600 g sugar
• 500 g boiled water

1st step: Week 1:

1. Peel the orange zest, trying to avoid the white, bitter part. Place the zest, the cinnamon and the cardamon in a big jar.
2. Pour the vodka on top of them.
3. Seal the jar.
4. Shake the jar everyday, for a week to combine all the flavors.

2nd step: Week 2:

1. Place the sugar in a heatproof bowl.
2. Pour the hot water over it and stir well, until all the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the syrup over the vodka in the jar and stir.
4. Let it sit in the jar for another week
5. Shake the jar daily.
6. When it is done, pour it in bottles. You can keep it bottled for up to 4-5 months.

Enjoy,

Beef and Root Vegetables Salad (Russian Salad Variation) | You've Got Meal!

This dish is a version of a mayonnaise-folded salad that is extremely popular in Eastern-Europe and in post-soviet countries. It is usually prepared during the winter, for special occasions like Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. It is  a great recipe for winter because it uses meat, potatoes, root vegetables and pickles, so all ingredients were and are easy to find during winter. This version is most similar to the Romanian version, that has a fancy, French name "salata de boeuf", although the inspiration is not French, but Russian, from Salad Olivier  or Russian Salad. As popular as it is, everybody seems to have their own version. Some use chicken breast, some beef, some don't even use meat, some add peas, some are totally against peas...Being such a simple salad, it is delicious in any way.

I think is that delicious because it has everything it needs: the meat, the neutral taste (potatoes), the sweet (carrots and parsnip) and the sour (pickled cucumbers). It can be useless to give exact measurements, it all comes down to preferences, but usually you will need relatively equal quantities for the four components above.  All that topped with delicious home made mayonnaise.

 Ingredients:

• 400 g beef meat
• 5 potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 4-5 pickled cucumbers
• home made mayonnaise made from 1 yolk
• salt

1.  Boil the meat and the boiled vegetables separately. 
2. Dice the meat and the vegetables. Dice small the pickled cucumbers and squeeze the pickles to remove some of their juice, or the salad will be too watery.
3. In a bowl, place all the diced ingredients, add salt to taste and  mix them.
4. Add mayonnaise to the diced ingredients and toss and mix well. Always taste, you might not need to add all the mayo.
5. By now, you can traditionally place the salad in a pretty bowl and cover with another layer of mayonnaise (optional). It can also be decorated with hard-boiled eggs or vegetables.
6. Decorated or not, it is delicious served chilled as a spread, as an appetizer on crusty bread or salad leaves, or even as a side dish for fried or grilled meats.

Enjoy,

Simple Homemade Mayonnaise- How to | You've Got Meal!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 250 ml vegetable oil
• about 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the egg yolk and salt with the mustard and stir it or whisk it  until well combined. Adding the mustard from the beginning prevents the mayo to split. Make sure the egg is room temperature, it is easier to work with it.
2. Start adding drops of the oil and keep mixing. Add the oil slowly, that is really the only secret. 
3. Once you have added have of the oil, the mayo should be thicker and you can add the rest of the oil faster, even in a slow, thin stream. Now the mayo should start changing its color and become really thick.
4. Add the lemon juice, more salt if necessary, incorporate them and keep the mayonnaise in the fridge covered. Never let it sit to much at room temperature.
5. If the mayonnaise is too thick, you can thin it with a little bit of water. If it is to thin, add some more oil and incorporate it as before.

Enjoy,

Halloumi, Tomatoes and Zucchini Skewers- Easy Appetizer | You've Got Meal!

Maybe we should have started our posts in 2014 with this one. We had this appetizer for our New Year’s dinner and it was great. It can hold its own at parties, breakfasts or brunches and it can bring some Mediterranean kick to your menu. 

Like any appetizer should be, this dish is dead easy. You’re going to need:

•  some diced Halloumi cheese, 
• cherry tomatoes, 
• diced zucchini, 
• thin bacon strips, 
• olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, mustard, lemon juice.

1. If using wooden skewers, place them in water for half an hour before cooking so they don’t burn. 
2. The only preparation before cooking is to cover each zucchini piece in a thin strip of bacon. 
3. Skew the veggies and cheese in any order you want. 
4. Lightly drizzle the skewers with a dressing made of 1 tsp. of hot mustard, some olive oil, lemon juice from half a lemon, pepper. 
5. You can make this on an ultra hot grill or in the oven – we opted for the second way, mainly because we didn’t feel like smoking our house. Be warned that in the oven the veggies- especially the tomatoes will leave some juice that could use removing – keep an eye for that. It takes around 15-20 minutes, 170 Celsius, or until the bacon in done.
6. Serve with some more of that mustard dressing on top and (optional) some freshly chopped basil.

Enjoy,