Marinated orange carpaccio & Aperol granita

For ➍
8 oranges, 4 for serving
2 tbs pistachios, minced
fresh mint
granita:
2.5 dl Aperol
2.5 dl water
200 g sugar
zest of 1 orange
marinade:
2 dl fresh orange juice
50 g sugar
½ vanilla pod
½ ts pink peppercorns
1 quill cinnamon
1 star anise
lemon peel & orange zest for decoration

Prepare the granita the day before. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Let this syrup cool. Dilute 2.5 dl Aperol and add 2.5 dl syrup. Finish with orange peel and mix carefully. Pour into the ice cube tray and freeze for 12 h.*
For the marinade: bring all ingredients to a boil and let cool in the fridge.
Peel 1 orange per person, cut into thin slices and arrange on a freezer cooled deep plate.
Pour a little marinade over it. Decorate with mint and minced pistachios.
Just before serving, place a scoop (or a nice ball) of granita* over it.

*To make the granita ready for serving, mix lightly in a food processor. Continue with a fork.
The traditional method is to freeze the liquid for 2 h, or until the mixture is frozen around the edges. With a fork, draw ice from the edges towards the centre. Return to the freezer, and then repeat this process about 3-4 times, every 30 m, or until all of the granita mixture is formed of ice crystals. Serve immediately.

Roedjak manis (Javanese fruit salad)

For ➍
2 tbs lime juice
100 g peanuts
3 tbs brown sugar or palm sugar
1 tbs tamarind (paste)
1 small chilli, cut in tiny pieces*
1 mango, chopped
1 green papaya, chopped or apple
1 pineapple, chopped
½ or 1 small cucumber, sliced or chopped

Roast the peanuts in a dry frying pan. Finely chop them.
In a bowl, mix the tamarind with the sugar, shrimp paste and lime juice. Stir in half of the peanuts. Add the finely chopped chilli pepper*.
Mix the selected fruit. Coat the fruit with the dressing*.
Serve chilled as a dessert or as a side_dish for Indonesian food.

*Or sprinkle the chilli over your salad.

Caribbean pineapple salad

For ➋
1 small pineapple, chopped (catch juice)
2 sweet Caribbean peppers, seeded & minced (red or green, if possible)
1 bush coriander, shredded
1 large red onion, minced
2 tbs olive oil

Mix ingredients, some of the juice included, cover the dish and let stand for 2 h in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator.

Excellent with cold pork meat or grilled chicken.

*Add a dash of white balsamico, and a handful of chopped mint, and serve it with grilled white fish.

How to cut a pineapple!

Peppered pineapple

For ➍
1 pineapple
40 cl water
4 tbs sugar
3 juniper berries*
5 Jamaican pepper berries (allspice)**
ground Jamaican pepper***

Cut pineapple into chunks or slices. Put water, sugar, the juniper and pepper berries in a pan and cook until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the pineapple chunks, cover and let simmer on low heat for 10 m.

Serve the chunks with a little juice and a turn of freshly ground pepper. Serve hot or cold as a dessert or with grilled chicken as a main dish.

*Use 1 ts of gin instead.
**Use allspice powder instead.
***Use white pepper instead.

Gulyas alla Triestina (Trieste beef stew)

For ➍
750 g lean beef, cut into 5 cm cubes
1½ tbs sweet paprika
6 tbs olive oil
125 g pancetta, 0.5 cm thick, cut into 0.5 cm strips
2 large brown onions, chopped
½ ts cayenne pepper
1 ts cumin (fresh if possible)
2 tbs minced garlic
15 cl red wine
150 g seeded, chopped canned plum tomatoes with juice
1 sprig of rosemary & marjoram each, 1 bay leaf
grated zest of ½ lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Rub the meat with ½ tbs paprika, 1 tbs salt and 2 tbs of olive oil. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove from refrigerator 1 h before cooking.

Preheat oven to 130°C.

Heat a large pan to medium. Add some oil (4 tbs for the whole process). Add pancetta and let it render its fat (7 m). Remove pancetta and put on a plate.

Raise the heat to high. Brown beef cubes, adding olive oil as needed. Remove meat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the 2 onions and fry, add more oil as needed, until softened.

Stir in 1 tbs paprika, cayenne, cumin and garlic. Boil for 5 m.

Add the beef, pancetta, wine, tomatoes and their juice, herb sachet, and lemon zest. Stir for 5 m. Transfer to an oven-dish, cover and simmer for 2 (to 2,5) h*.

Discard herbs. Season stew to taste. Tastes best refrigerated overnight, then reheated.

Serve with buttered pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta or rye bread and a strong ruby wine like Trieste refosco or some Carso rosso.

*Alternatively, cook on stove-top in cast iron cookware. Cover tightly and simmer for about 1 (to 1.5) h on low heat. Uncover during last half hour for a thicker version.

The Adriatic city of Trieste came into bloom as the only sea-port of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and, being a frontier city for ages, about as great a melting-pot of nationalities as the capital Vienna. After the defeat of Austria in World War I, the Free-State Trieste became part of Italy.  After World War II and Yugoslavian occupation it finally became an Italian city, keeping the heritage of Slavian and Austrian influences alive.
This fusion gulyas (goulash) is close to the Viennese version of an originally Hungarian dish.

Moroccan fruit salad

For ➍
6 oranges
½ mid-sized watermelon
fresh mint, chopped (to taste)
1 ts cinnamon
2 shots of Grand Marnier Cointreau*

Cut the flesh from the chilled melon into bite size pieces, removing and discarding the seeds and set aside. Fillet 2 oranges and place into bowl with the melon.

Finely chop mint leaves. Add to the fruit.

Make a dressing of freshly squeezed juice of 2 oranges, cinnamon (and Grand Marnier or Cointreau*).

Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss gently until everything is coated.

*Optional.