Enjoy! Spring/summer 2013

Enjoy!

Spring/summer 2013

...the world of culinary possibilities

The Big Green Egg ‘Conquers’ Naples Read more on page 11

Seasonal cooking

It’s all about taste

A nose for fresh fish

Pizza Napoletana

The ultimate in seasoning

Seasonal products offer so many advantages. Stocks are abundant and their quality and taste optimal.

Taste the spring and summer …

Read more on pages 3 & 16

The Big Green Egg is in a category all of its own. But what makes this cooking appliance so unique? And how can you get the most out of it?

Fish is delicious and healthy. But what do you watch for when buying fresh fish to be sure it’s of the best quality?

The Neapolitan pizza is world famous and counts among this Italian city’s culinary delights. Join the journey and experience the taste of Naples.

Qualitatively superior ingredients deserve the best seasonings. Discover the possibilities and the most delicious combinations.

Read more on page 6

Read more on page 8

Read more on page 11

Read more on page 17

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Big Green Egg …the world of culinary possibilities Those of us who love cooking prefer using the best ingredients, materials and equipment.

The Big Green Egg is pleased to be able to contribute towards making this possible.

More than a decade ago, the first Big Green Eggs we imported were instantly snapped up by several leading European chefs. They immediately saw the qualities and opportunities; connoisseurs also experienced the fine flavours and got to know the wide variety of preparation methods offered by the Big Green Egg. From that moment on, this unique charcoal-fired ceramic cooking appliance grew in popularity like wildfire amongst cooking enthusiasts too. In combination with its superior quality, the Big Green Egg popped up on many a wish list.

Practically all ingredients and dishes can be prepared using the Big Green Egg, from nicely grilled, tender meat or delicious fish in a salty crust to stir-fried shellfish and a robust stew, crunchy bread and pizzas with a crisp base to delicate desserts. The culinary possibilities are endless. What’s more, the Big Green Egg makes responsible cooking a sinch. Little or no fat is needed and when dishes or ingredients are cooked slowly, they retain far more vitamins and the meat does not burn.

The insulated, patented ceramics developed by NASA offer the option of controlling the temperature within the Big Green Egg to an accuracy of one degree between 70°C and 350°C. Highly economic charcoal use, perfect heat distribution and the subtle flavours brought out in the ingredients and dishes you cook, put the Big Green Egg into a league all of its own. Partly because the temperature within the Big Green Egg can be kept constant under all weather conditions, even well below freezing, you can enjoy the tastiest dishes all year round. You will find loads of inspiration for characteristic spring and summer dishes in this edition of Enjoy! In the next edition, available from your dealer from October 2013, the emphasis will be on appetising autumn and winter dishes from the Big Green Egg. Enjoy!

Big Green Egg Europe

Recipe index Page 3 Three-course menu: North Sea sole with cauliflower cream Marinated Saratoga racks with smoked couscous Apple and rhubarb crumble Page 4 Grilled tuna with wasabi sauce Smoked octopus Page 9 Grilled red mullet with lemon With mushroom Duxelles with brill stuffing Page 13 Pizza Margherita Pizza Marinara Page 14 Pizza Pescatore Pizza Calzone Panini Page 16 Three-course menu: Grilled gazpacho with marinated scampi and puff-pastry bruschetta with pesto Grilled rib-eye with tomato salsa and country potatoes with bacon and onion Roasted pineapple with rum butter and vanilla ice cream Page 18 Barbary duck with apple syrup, new potatoes and apples Côte de Boeuf Grilled pepper trio Cherry clafoutis

Colofon Enjoy! is published by Big Green Egg Europe Jan van de Laarweg 18, 2678 LH De Lier, The Netherlands T: +31(0)174-640076 E: info@biggreenegg.eu W: www.biggreenegg.eu Editorial team Inge van der Helm, Arno Smit Recipes Michiel Deenink, Ralph de Kok, Hans Neuner, Arjen Rector Concept & realisation Creative Skills

Winter, spring, summer or fall?

The Big Green Egg offers you year-round cooking pleasure and delicious dishes!

Photography Creative Skills & Ivo Geskus With thanks to Angelo Caprio, Yvonne Coolen, Jakob Doorn (Vishandel Jan van As), Jeroen Hazebroek, Hans van Montfort Distribution Big Green Egg Europe Copying articles from Enjoy! is only permitted if written approval is provided

by Big Green Egg Europe. This edition has been compiled with the greatest of care.

However, neither the makers nor the publishers can be held liable for possible damage related to the information contained in this edition. © 2013 Big Green Egg Europe Enjoy! Spring / summer 2013

In ‘Enjoy!’ we (Hans van Montfort and Yvonne Coolen) will address (health-related) aspects and questions about the background of nutrition and food with all the associated social, emotional and psychic aspects. Do you have any questions about this? Send an e-mail to the ‘Enjoy!’ editorial team at enjoy@biggreenegg.eu. Perhaps your question will be answered in the next edition.

Centre for Integral Healthcare, J.C. van Montfort en Y.G.C.M. Coolen Photograph: Harri Vermunt

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Spring…

Taste the spring

This spring menu is an ode to the opening of a new season.

This delicious three-course meal embraces many seasonal ingredients. After its preparation, you can enjoy the delicious Big Green Egg spring recipe with friends or family. Would you like to get a tasty seasonal recipe in your mailbox each month?

Register for the Recipe of the Month at biggreenegg.eu Required utensils: Drip Pan Round Platte Setter Cherry Wood Chips Cast Iron Grid Cast Iron Grid Lifter

Shopping list for four people

North Sea sole with cauliflower cream

Marinated Saratoga racks with smoked couscous

Starter • 4 North Sea soles • 1 cauliflower, halved • 150 ml milk • 2 tablespoons vadouvan oil • 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed • 20 g roasted almond flakes • 30 g pancetta • 250 g unsalted butter • 40 g shrimps

Main course • 4 Saratoga racks of Texel lamb (cut just below the neck and just before the back) • 1 bunch of basil • 200 ml sunflower oil • 1 lime • 1 lemon • 1 orange • 1 small broccoli romanesco • 150 g broad beans • 12 black olives • 1/2 bunch of coriander • 1/2 bunch of mint • 1 pomegranate • 250 ml chicken broth • 250 g couscous • olive oil • 20 g butter

Dessert course • 125 g rhubarb, peeled • 4 tablespoons sugar • 2 apples (Golden Reinette or Pink Lady) • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder • juice from 1 lime • 75 g butter, in blocks • 90 g flour • 15 g almond flour • 15 g amaretti crumbs

Apple and rhubarb crumble

Preparation: Marinated Saratoga racks Blanch the bunch of basil for 30 seconds and rinse off with cold water. Squeeze the moisture from the basil, add it to the sunflower oil in a blender and blend until smooth.

Use a peeler to peel the lime, lemon and orange. Place the lamb racks in a Drip Pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and marinate for around two hours in the basil oil with the lemon peels and a splash of orange juice. In the meantime, cut and wash the broccoli romanesco florets. Double-pod and blanch the broad beans along with the florets until cooked (not overdone).

Finely chop the olives, coriander and mint. Halve the pomegranate lengthwise and remove the pips.

Preparation: Apple and rhubarb crumble Cut the rhubarb into thin slices and boil them for approximately 4 minutes in a pot with water and two tablespoons of sugar. Strain and set aside to cool. Peel the apples with a peeler, remove the core and cut them into blocks of around 1.5 cm. Sprinkle them with cinnamon powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar, dribble the lemon juice onto the mixture and turn it gently. Cover and set aside the apple blocks in the fridge. Use your fingers to kneed the butter, flour and amaretti crumbs in a mixing bowl with the almond flour into a crumb topping. Then mix the remaining tablespoon of sugar through the dough. Divide the apple blocks across four small baking dishes or a single large baking dish and top with a layer of rhubarb slices. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of crumb topping and cover and set aside in the fridge until preparation.

Preparation: Marinated Saratoga racks Light the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and leave the lid open for eight minutes. In the meantime, bring the chicken broth to the boil and pour it into the Drip Pan Round. Spread a handful of soaked Cherry Wood Chips over the charcoal, place the Plate Setter in the EGG, put the cooking grid on top of this and place the Drip Pan on top of the grid. Close the lid and smoke the chicken broth for six minutes.

Stir the couscous through the smoked chicken broth, heat for one minute with a closed lid and take it out of the EGG. Take the lemon peels out of the marinade for the racks, dribble the marinade over the racks, place the Drip Pan in the Big Green Egg and bring it to a temperature of 110°C. Let it cook for approx. 4.5 hours and baste regularly with the marinade. Around half an hour before ready, splash with lime juice and cover with silver paper. Take the pan out of the EGG and set it aside for ten minutes to stand under the silver paper (keep warm at a temperature of 60°C).

Preparation: North Sea sole While the Saratoga racks are cooking,

prepare the mashed cauliflower and vadouvan cauliflower mix. For the mashed cauliflower, divide half a cauliflower into small florets and boil them for around ten minutes in a mixture of milk and water.

Strain, but keep the l quid and a few florets for garnishing, and mash the remaining florets smooth with a hand blender.

Grind the mash through a sieve, slowly adding just enough of the liquid set aside to form a nice, smooth mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shred the other half of the (raw) cauliflower into snippets using the peeler. Heat the vadouvan oil and add the cauliflower snippets, capers and roasted almond flakes. Stir well and heat for around two minutes at a medium temperature. Slice the pancetta into small pieces and fry until crisp.

Preparation: North Sea sole Using the Cast Iron Grid Lifter, take off the grid and the Plate Setter from the EGG. Spread a handful of soaked Cherry Wood Chips over the charcoal and put the Plate Setter and grid back. Put the butter in the Drip Pan Round, place it in the middle of the grid, close the lid and smoke the butter for around eight minutes (stir once halfway through preparation). Remove the pan from the EGG and lay the soles in the melted, smoked butter. Make sure they are completely submerged so that they cook in the butter. Take the cooked fish out the butter after 10 to 15 minutes. Let the wood finish smoking and heat the EGG to 200°C to prepare the dessert. Dish up the mixture of cauliflower and almond flakes and capers with the mashed cauliflower on the plates. Fillet the sole carefully using a teaspoon to lift the top layer of fish from the bone.

Role the shrimps into the fillets and place them on the plates. Garnish with the fried pancetta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Preparation: Marinated Saratoga racks side dish While keeping the Saratoga racks warm, melt the butter in a frying pan and heat the broccoli romanesco florets and broad beans. Heat up the smoked couscous with a dash of olive oil. Dish up the racks, couscous and vegetables on the plates and sprinkle with pomegranate pips. Serve with a red wine or a fresh yogurt sauce with mint and coriander.

Preparation: Apple and rhubarb crumble Directly after smoking the butter for the sole (once the wood has finished smoking and the EGG has reached a temperature of 200°C) place the baking dish or small baking dishes on the grid with the apple rhubarb. Heat for around an hour until the crumble is a nice golden brown. Serve with delicious vanilla custard!

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Creations from the sea: Grilled tuna with wasabi sauce

dish, pour the marinade over it and set aside for an hour.

3. Light the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and leave the lid open for around ten minutes. Close the lid and bring the Big Green Egg to a temperature of approx. 180°C. Take the tuna out of the marinade and dab it dry with kitchen paper. Pour the marinade through a sieve and keep one decilitre aside for the sauce.

4. Put the tuna on the grid and grill it with a closed lid for approx. three minutes on each side.

Serves 4 to 6 people

Dayong to taste (traditional mix of Chinese herbs & spices using largely paprika, pepper, chilli pepper, curry, ginger and sesame seeds) 1 decilitre sesame oil 1 decilitre sunflower oil 200 g lemon grass, chopped finely 1 tablespoon coriander seed (ketoembar) 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 2 shallots, finely chopped 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1-2 tablespoons kizami wasabi (finely chopped fresh wasabi root in marinade) shiso leaf, finely chopped

1 kg toro (fatty tuna belly, rod & reel caught) 3 decilitres chicken broth 1.5 decilitres soya sauce 1.5 decilitres fish sauce 1 decilitre Ketjap Manis 1 tablespoon honey Juice from 1 lime

1. For the marinade, mix the chicken broth, soya sauce, fish sauce, Ketjap Manis, honey, lime juice and dayong in a blender. Spin the blender and add the sesame and sunflower oil bit by bit.

2. Stir the lemongrass, coriander seed, fresh coriander, garlic and shallots through the marinade. Lay the tuna in a

Vila Vita Parc Ocean Restaurant Rua Anneliese Pohl Alporchinhos 8400-450 Porches Algarve / Portugal www.vilavitaparc.com vilavitaparc.com

The recipe below is a robust version of the recipe shown in the illustration.

You could choose to make the more luxurious version and garnish it with blocks of apple, pieces of radish, red seaweed, wasabi mayonnaise and orange compote.

Smoked octopus Serves 4 to 6 people

Required utensils: Grilling Plank (oak)

1.5 kg octopus (deep frozen), defrosted 300 g mirepoix (diced mixture of 150 g carrots, 100 g onion and 50 g celery in small blocks) 200 g shallot, cut finely 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon tomato purĂŠe 5 decilitres red wine 1.5 litres chicken broth 2 large bay leaves 10 black peppercorns 3 allspice berries Worcester sauce Soya sauce Olive oil Piri piri spices

1. First make a stock. Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan, add the mirepoix and stir until golden brown. Add the shallot and garlic and fry for a bit longer.

2. Stir in the tomato purĂŠe and heat for a few minutes to take off the edge and quench with some red wine. Bring the mixture to the boil and let it boil down to half its volume.

3. Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan and add the bay leaves, pepper corns and allspice berries. Bring to the boil and let it simmer at a low temperature for around five minutes.

Add Worcester sauce, soya sauce and salt to taste. Lay the octopus in

the stock and let it simmer for 50 to 60 minutes.

4. In the meantime, soak the oak Grilling Plank. Light the charcoal in the Big Green Egg. Take the octopus out of the stock and use a fork to check if the thick parts are cooked properly (if necessary, cook for longer). Let the octopus cool and cut off the tentacles and jab them lengthwise or in blocks onto wooden skewers.

5. Place the Grilling Plank on the grid and place the skewers on the top.

Close the lid and smoke the octopus for approx. five minutes.

6. Take the octopus off the skewers, flavour to taste using the piri piri spices and serve immediately or use as a basis for Carpaccio or a salad.

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‘Spring Fever’ With birds chirping in the morning and evening, and the weather reports looking up, ‘Spring Fever’ is upon us.

We can’t wait to head off outdoors to admire all the new green shoots, awakened as it were by an unfailing inner clock.

We, too, are awakening. Windows are thrown open, sidewalk cafés and shop fronts are being cleaned up, and outdoor tables and chairs are being put back in place to enjoy the sunshine. In short, preparations are in full swing for spring’s arrival. Outdoor living is set for revival and we can join family and friends eating outdoors.

Waking up in spring provides a great opportunity to reassess the ‘Here and Now’. Just imagine, it’s never been spring 2013 before. For all of us, this is a new experience and if we take a moment to think about it, we should understand just how special it is.

Nature literally enables us to experience rejuvenation; everything smells different, sounds different, looks fresh and new, tastes different and feels different. And by different we mean new. As a new experience, the ‘Now’ holds the promise of endless opportunity, from winning the lottery, finding the love of your life, getting that much coveted job or starting a new hobby to heading off on an amazing journey. But closer to home as well, in everyday life, the ‘new’ embraces every opportunity. Everyday life becomes an adventure, routine doesn’t exist, because everything we do or say is a new action and has never been done before on the day in question. Even reading this article is a new experience.

Regional ingredients form the basis of Hans Neuner

And what makes it all the more exceptional is that the ‘Now’ can never be captured on a clock. Each time we try to hold onto the ‘Now’, it escapes our grasp. Apart from being new, the ‘Now’ is therefore also timeless. Fantastic, especially at a time when everyone and everything seems to be driven by the clock and relentless deadlines…

dishes. Since 2007, Hans has been the executive chef at Ocean, the restaurant at the luxurious Vila Vita Parc resort in the Algarve. The Atlantic Ocean serves as the main

Centre for Integrated Healthcare, J.C. van Montfort and Y.G.C.M. Coolen

supplier of this two-star Michelin restaurant. Take a peek behind the scenes with this acclaimed chef and enjoy the creations of the sea!

Ocean!

Connoisseurs of note: the ‘Foodie’ ‘Foodies’ are connoisseurs.

They are crazy about cooking, especially if they can spoil their guests with tasty dishes prepared using lots of seasonal products.

By cooking in sync with the seasons, a great many ingredients are always used in preparing every meal.

They seek challenges in terms of dishes and only use the nicest ingredients and the best materials and utensils.

“The Big Green Egg is a genuine eye catcher. Its colour and design are absolutely amazing. But I’m especially enthusiastic about how easy it is to use. You hardly use any charcoal to reach high temperatures, which I find perfect for cooking steaks. What’s more, the Big Green Egg keeps its temperature for hours, enabling you to cook elaborate meals for large groups. And the ‘Baking Stone’ has to be the ultimate invention. It’s perfect for cooking pizzas with a sublimely crispy base, usually tasted only in Naples. But chicken and spare ribs also taste perfect when I prepare them using the Big Green Egg. My motto: You can get by without the Big Green Egg, but life is so much nicer with it!”

Jakob Gorin, Germany

“The Big Green Egg is my way of life. Our two ‘EGGs’ are always outside and can be fired up for use within 20 minutes. The XL model can easily cook 20 kg of meat and the Large, with the raised grid, is good for at least 18 kg. All the ingredients cooked using the Big Green Egg taste full of flavour and totally juicy, even after 22 hours of slow cooking.”

Marc de Groot, the Netherlands

The options presented by the Big Green Egg fit in perfectly with the passion and lifestyle of the ‘Foodie’.

“As an enthusiastic chef, I’ve been through various barbecues and outdoor kitchens. But I finally found what I’m looking for in the Big Green Egg. It’s fulfilled my dream; the Big Green Egg is altogether the best!”

Markus Fischer, Switzerland

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It’s all about taste…

Charcoal is what fuels the Big Green Egg, but no two charcoals are alike. Smaller pieces of charcoal burn relatively faster, making it necessary to top up in between and some types of charcoal produce more ash than others.

Big Green Egg charcoal consists of a perfect blend of 80% oak and 20% hickory!

The big pieces burn for a long time, give off practically no ash and can reach extremely high temperatures. The temperature inside the EGG can be precisely regulated by burning the right charcoal in the Big Green Egg.

When sprinkled on the charcoal, soaked wood shavings give the ingredients and dishes added flavour.

One measure of charcoal can produce a constant temperature for an average of 8 to 10 hours.

The power of the Big Green Egg lies in the patented ceramics developed by NASA. Ceramics are amazing because they retain and reflect heat. This produces heat waves unmatched by other materials, ensuring that everything is cooked to perfection. Because the Big Green Egg is the only cooking appliance in the world made of this exceptional ceramic material it is truly one-of-a-kind. No other cooking appliance is quite as strong, sustainable, weather resistant or heat-retaining as the Big Green Egg. External temperatures have no impact on the heat within the EGG. Patented by NASA, the ceramic material performs perfectly despite extreme temperatures and temperature fluctuations; it does not expand or shrink and is therefore indestructible. It’s not surprising that Big Green Egg issues a limited life-long guarantee on the materials and structure of all ceramic components.

…mixing old wisdom with modern technology...

Clay ovens existed more than 3,000 years ago in Asia. Combining materials and construction, these wood-fired ovens offered various advantages: they retained heat, and produced juicy tasteful dishes to boot. The Big Green Egg was created on the basis of the same principle, only using modern technology and perfected materials. In combination with the lid, the high-quality ceramics support optimal fuel efficiency, along with perfect air circulation enabling you to prepare food at a consistent temperature as required.

The ceramic Plate Setter enables you to conveniently convert the Big Green Egg into an oven. The heat shield prevents the heat from coming into direct contact with the food, and is ideal for preparing delicate ingredients or for slow cooking.

If you combine this with using the Flat Baking Stone, you can bake the most delicious bread and pizzas boasting an authentic crispy base.

Big Green Egg Charcoal Starters are natural firelighters that contain no chemical components.

They are odourless and do not affect the flavour.

With only three firelighters, your EGG can be used within 15 minutes!

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BIG GREEN EGG EXPLAINED SOLID QUALITY. SUPERIOR CERAMICS. SERIOUS OUTDOOR COOKER!

CERAMIC SNUFFER CAP

DUAL FUNCTION METAL TOP

Add the ceramic cap after cooking to extinguish

Adjust two ways, to regulate airflow and

heat and reuse the remaining charcoal next

precisely control temperature.

time. Leave in place when the EGG is not in use.

TEMPERATURE GAUGE Gives precise internal temperature readings.

CERAMIC DOME

Monitor cooking progress without opening

Heavy duty dome with spring hinges for easy

the EGG.

opening. Chip and fade resistant glaze.

Lifetime guarantee. The insulated ceramics evenly circulate heat, for perfectly cooked

STAINLESS STEEL GRID

moist food.

Stainless Steel grid is used as the primary cooking surface for grilling or roasting.

FIRE RING Stacks on top of the Fire Box, providing the

The so-called ‘nest’, a metal base, ensures that you can move the Big Green Egg easily and at any time.

shelf for the heat diffuser and cooking grids.

GRATE Sits inside the Fire Box. Perforated to allow

...and maintaining control Using the two adjustable air vents, the dual-function metal top and draft door, you can regulate and maintain the temperature within the Big Green Egg to an accuracy of one degree. The smaller the opening, the lower the temperature and vice versa. The Big Green Egg has a temperature range of between 70°C and 350°C. Partly because of this, the Big Green Egg can be used for all sorts of cooking like grilling, baking, cooking, stewing, smoking and slow cooking.

drop down, for easy removal after cooking.

Sits at the EGG base holding all the charcoal.

Its elevated legs enable steady airflow to the hot coals.

DRAFT DOOR BASE

Works in combination with the dual function

Heavy duty insulated ceramics. Chip and

top, regulating the inbound air supply

fade resistant glaze.Lifetime guarantee.

to control temperature. Also enables easy removal of ash.

Discover and learn more online: biggreenegg.eu

Ask the Big Green Egg expert If you have any questions about the (quality of the) Big Green Egg, one of the many cooking techniques at your disposal or a particular method of preparation, don’t hesitate to ask in English or Dutch via Big Green Egg Europe on Facebook or @BigGreenEgg on Twitter. Your question will be answered by our Chef de Cuisine and Big Green Egg expert Jeroen Hazebroek, owner of all five Big Green Egg models.

The dual function metal top regulates the airflow and makes it possible to adjust the temperature accurately.

Winter, spring, summer or fall?

The Big Green Egg offers you year-round cooking pleasure and delicious dishes!

Mini

airflow up through the EGG and any ash to

FIRE BOX

Small

Jeroen is a specialist when it comes to cooking with the Big Green Egg. As a professional, he provides workshops, demonstrations and catering services throughout the world. In addition, he manages the Dutch BBQ Forum, a community of passionate barbecue enthusiasts. Our Facebook and Twitter pages should also serve as a source of inspiration. Facebook: Big Green Egg Europe / Twitter: @BigGreenEgg For more information visit: biggreenegg.eu

Medium

Large

Extra Large

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A nose for fresh fish Fish is tasty and healthy, but what should you watch out for when buying fresh fish if you want to be assured of good quality? And what role do the seasons play in this?

Jakob Doorn, a fish specialist at Versvishandel Jan van As, and Michiel Deenik, owner and chef of restaurant Visaandeschelde, are both experts in fish, shellfish and crustaceans.

They’ve developed a nose for fresh fish!

How do you recognise freshness?

Fish and season

For experts like Michiel, recognising quality is no problem at all, but what should the uninformed consumer watch out for when buying? ‘Fresh fish should satisfy a number of characteristics,’ says Jakob.

Jakob and Michiel are out-and-out connoisseurs. A fish specialist at catering supplier Jan van As, Jakob has been working in the fish sector for more than 30 years and purchasing high-quality fish is his daily business.

Top chef Michiel has been running his Visaandeschelde restaurant for 14 years now and, as its name suggests, it’s a restaurant that focuses on fish.

And, of course, fresh fish!

They know better than most how to identify fresh fish and what the consumer should watch out for when buying it. After all, if you have the right know-how, you can be sure that the fish that you buy is good and has been responsibly caught. Fish is a delicate ingredient.

Michiel confirms this straight away.

‘Fish is a fantastic product to work with but you have to be far more exact than with meat. You can put lobsters straight into an aquarium but fish just has to be fresh. That’s one of the reasons why Visaandeschelde is open seven days a week. If you close a fish restaurant for two days, there is no good flow of product. So supply is pretty much constant. Except for Sundays, we get fresh fish delivered twice a day.’

‘For example, the eyes should be clear and round and the fins - particularly the tailfin - should be soft and flexible.

If the fins feel dry, then the fish is past its best.

The gills should be red. This means that they are still full of blood.

Other characteristics are a clear slime layer covering the skin of the fish and a fresh odour. If the fish has a sour, penetrating odour, it’s best left alone.

to do with freezing. ‘Look, this brill is actually still too fresh. You should either prepare fish immediately agter it’s caught or a day or two later.

Actually, rigor mortis sets in quite quickly after the fish is caught. Fish also needs to hang. Only then is its taste at its best.’

But you can also tell fresh fish from the firmness of the skin. If you press it gently, it should spring back. If that doesn’t happen, the fish is either old or has been frozen. When fish is frozen, the tension goes out of the flesh and you also get a white dot in the eyes.

You can read an awful lot from the eyes,’ explains the fish specialist. ‘But now and again the white dot can lead to confusion. The fact is that if fresh fish is kept on ice, there’s a high likelihood that this will occur too. So it’s important to watch out for various things.’

Freezing This does not necessarily mean that frozen fish has less taste. ‘For example, the Dutch fishing fleet consists mostly of big boats and that means deep-sea fishing,’ says Jakob. ‘Which also means that they are often at sea for days on end. So then it’s essential to freeze the fish. On the face of it, this is no problem at all. In general, on these ships the fish are cleaned and filleted straight away and then frozen at very low temperature. If you let these fillets thaw out slowly, there are no problem However, I wouldn’t recommend freezing fresh fish at home. At a temperature of -18°C, the process does not go fast enough and crystals are formed. This affects the taste.’ In the room where the fish is processed at Van As, Michiel points out a rather stiff example. However, this has nothing

Apart from the freshness of the fish, the season also plays a major role.

Even though a lot of fish is available year-round, that doesn’t mean that the quality is always optimum. ‘Every species of fish has a period when the taste is at its best, depending on the area in which it’s caught. In the spawning period - the time of year when the fish reproduces - there should actually be a ban on catching it for various reasons.

In actual fact, the fish is just sick. We call it ‘seedy’. The fish is relatively thin and tastes watery when it’s carrying roe. Once the roe have been deposited, the fat percentage goes even lower and only starts to increase after a few weeks. The fish is not only less flavoursome but is also less profitable to catch. The price certainly does not match the quality. Take the herring season for example. This is sometimes postponed because the herring does not yet have the right fat percentage.

Apart from that, it’s bad for fish stocks to catch fish with roe. These days there are a lot of organisations involved in sustainable fishing but not a lot is said about the seasons. That’s a shame because even if fish are caught using sustainable methods only, that does not mean that the population will be maintained. These organisations should focus on the seasons first and then on the fishing techniques. This would allow the fish stocks to recover and stay intact,’ says Jakob.

You can find more information at visenseizoen.nl

Tuna ‘Now take tuna for example. These are caught right through the year in the Mediterranean. Among other things, for ‘bottarga di tonno’ a Mediterranean fish speciality made from tuna roe.

Moreover, a fillet from a tuna that is carrying roe has white spots that are exceptionally hard. A small part of it is sold as frozen tuna steaks but the majority of it is canned. Adding oil makes the flesh softer. When you consider what a tin of tuna costs, it’s actually very logical that its quality leaves something to be desired. There is tuna that is caught in the good period and which is available in good quality but unfortunately this is the exception rather than the rule. Fresh tuna is always preferable!’

But with tuna fillet there are also characteristics that you should watch out for when buying. ‘Tuna is a mackerel-type, warm-blooded fish whose flesh should be red. However, all too often they are caught in trawl nets and the fish get stressed. This stress produces a rainbow effect in the meat, which means that the fillets look less attractive and have a harder structure.

You should also pass over brown tuna fillets because these have not been properly processed after being caught.

For tuna, you should freeze them immediately after being caught. If this is not done quickly enough, or in the right way, the flesh goes brown,’ says Jakob.

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The Big Green Egg is great for preparing fresh fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Together with Jakob, Michiel searched out some good produce for an impromptu cooking session. Using seasonable fish, of course!

In for flavour?

At biggreenegg.eu you’ll find more recipes by Michiel, including grilled langoustines with rouille and shellfish with gremolata.

Sauce Antiboise Sauce Antiboise is a tasty garnish that is named after the French seaside resort of Antibes. It’s delicious served with grilled fish and meat.

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced 1 tablespoon of capers 2 salted anchovy fillets 1 shallot 1/2 clove of garlic 1/2 sprig of thyme 1 sprig of parsley 6 basil leaves finely grated rind of 1/4 lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tablespoon of ketchup 10 drops of tabasco 10 drops of Worcestershire Sauce 1 dl extra virgin olive oil freshly ground black pepper

Grilled red mullet with lemon Serves 4 4 red mullet weighing 250 g, cleaned and scaled 1 lemon, sliced very thinly 4 large green cabbage leaves, washed extra virgin olive oil freshly ground pepper and salt parsley, for garnish serve with sauce antiboise (see recipe)

1. Heat the Big Green Egg to a temperature of 200°C. 2. Meanwhile put three diagonal cuts on one side of each red mullet. Halve the lemon slices and insert a slice into every cut.

3. Fold two pieces of aluminium foil measuring approximately 50x30 centimetres in half widthways. On each piece lay two cabbage leaves folded in half and place the red mullet on these. Place the foil on the grill of the Big Green Egg, close the lid and grill until cooked (10-15 minutes).

4. Sprinkle the fish with olive oil and season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt. Transfer the fish and cabbage to plates, garnish with parsley and serve with the sauce antiboise.

1. Make a cross incision in each tomato and steep them for a few seconds in boiling water and then in cold water.

Strip off the skins, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into small cubes.

2. Finely chop the anchovy fillets, garlic, parsley and basil. Finely slice the shallots. Mix all of the ingredients together well and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

For more fish recipes by Michiel Deenik, see biggreenegg.eu

Grilled langoustines with rouille

Shellfish with gremolata

Brill stuffed with mushroom duxelles Serves 4 1 brill weighing 1.4 kg 200 g mixed mushrooms such as button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms For the duxelles: 3 finely sliced shallots 1 finely chopped clove of garlic 300 g of finely sliced mixed mushrooms such as button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms 50 ml cognac 1 dl cream 3 finely chopped sprigs of tarragon 3 finely chopped sprigs of parsley finely chopped leaves of one sprig of thyme olive oil freshly ground pepper and salt

1. For the duxelles, heat a dash of olive oil in a pan and fry the shallots and garlic.

Add the mushrooms and fry until the liquid that they release has evaporated.

Deglaze with the cognac.

2. Once the cognac has evaporated, stir the cream into the duxelles and leave to cook until the sauce has reached a smooth consistency. Take the pan from the heat and mix in the herbs. Season to taste with pepper and salt and allow the duxelles to cool.

3. Place a Plate Setter on the grill of the Big Green Egg and heat the EGG to a temperature of 180°C (instead of the Plate Setter, you may also place the stuffed brill on doublefolded aluminium foil).

4. Meanwhile cut the brill down the backbone from head to tail. Cut the flesh of the fish away from the bones and fill with the duxelles. Place the stuffed brill on the Plate Setter (or the piece of double-folded aluminium foil) on the grill of the Big Green Egg and close the lid.

5. Allow the brill to cook for approximately 25 minutes. In the last few minutes, grill the remaining mushrooms on the grill of the Big Green Egg. 6. Arrange the brill on a large plate and garnish with the grilled mushrooms.

Restaurant Visaandeschelde Scheldeplein 4 1078 GR Amsterdam +31 (0)20 675 15 83 www.visaandeschelde.nl Versvishandel Jan van As www.janvanas.nl

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Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

‘With “Enjoy!” we want to inspire and inform you, the reader,’ say Hans van Montfort and Yvonne Coolen. ‘However, we believe that food should not just be tasty but healthy too.’

In “Enjoy!” attention is focused on the various health aspects of food by Hans van Montfort (doctor) and Yvonne Coolen (gestalt therapist and awareness trainer) of the Centre for Integral Healthcare in Maastricht. After graduating from medical school, Hans van Montfort specialised in innovative medicine, focussing on nutrition research, gastrointestinal complaints and infectious diseases.

In this capacity, he is regularly invited to speak at national and international medical conferences.

Yvonne Coolen studied humanistic psychotherapy and dedicates most of her efforts to social and sustainable entrepreneurship. Yvonne also lectures and provides workshops at national and international level.

The challenge

A selection of Big Green Egg accessories What sets the Big Green Egg apart is not just the versatility and excellent quality of the ‘EGGs’ themselves. The extensive range of accessories is no less unique. At the moment there are more than 130 different accessories available.

Alongside the various basic tools, the range also includes a host of handy extras to provide the Big Green Egg with even more possibilities. To give you an overview of the quality and practical aspects of the accessories, here’s a selection from this huge range.

Big Green Egg Premium Charcoal Using the right charcoal makes a big difference to the taste of the food. And it also helps to reach and maintain the correct temperature.

Big Green Egg charcoal consists of a mix of 80% oak and 20% hickory – a perfect blend! The large pieces of charcoal burn for a long time and release extremely little ash.

Foto: Harri Vermunt

Years ago, we were sitting at the dining table with the late Cas Spijkers, who, at the time, was one of the best chefs in the Netherlands, if not in Europe. He was then chairman of Euro-Toques, a European organisation for artisan cooks.

‘Actually, we have the same interests at heart,’ he told us. ‘Why?’ we asked. ‘Well,’ he replied, ‘I think that what you mean by the right quantity of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients is what we call flavourings in our industry.’

And we firmly believed that he was right. We have to deal with farming methods that reduce quality. Species are grown to cater to an average taste and sweetness. Vegetables and fruit are harvested before they are ripe and then stored for a long time – sometimes years – in large warehouses where the ripening process is kick-started artificially just before sale.

And that is in spite of the fact that most vitamins are created in the last days on the plant or tree.

With these articles in ‘Enjoy!’ we want to make you aware of the food choices that you make. A knowledge of the raw materials is at the heart of every culinary adventure. Your common sense alone dictates that fresh (really fresh) is better.

Moreover, we will have to be very careful with so-called medical claims. From December 2012, there has been new European legislation in force that stipulates that a health benefit can be ascribed to a product only if this has been proven in multiple scientific studies. That sounds logical but there is not one producer of fresh food who is able to fund these expensive studies, which means that they will not be carried out. The same applies to the cooking processes. For a large number of foods, slow cooking is healthier because it preserves nutrients, is more easily digestible and avoids the production of harmful by-products that can be produced by quick roasting and frying.

Plate Setter The ceramic Plate Setter is a heat-shield that ensures that food does not come into direct contact with the heat. Because the heat is indirect, it creates the effect of an oven. This is a perfect way to prepare all ‘oven’ dishes, to cook delicate ingredients, to cook at low temperature and to use the ‘Dutch oven’.

We believe that healthy food is also tasty. You can learn to develop good taste, just as a wine connoisseur can recognise a wine without seeing the label. That will happen automatically once we return to purer food without added flavourings and sugar. However, there is a risk that we will become increasingly more critical about what we eat. In a social perspective, this is certainly a challenge.

The science of eating Why are flavourings so bad?

In the food industry, a large number of substances are used to change the colour of food, modify its taste and affect its consistency. Natural additives such as spices are fine. After all, we use these ourselves in the kitchen. Herbs and spices can even have a positive effect – on digestion, for example. However, unnatural, artificial additives can be harmful to health, and certainly in large quantities. The majority of permitted additives are not harmful but certainly there are a number of substances that are controversial and which are best avoided.

One of the most commonly used additives is monosodium glutamate, also abbreviated to MSG. In Chinese cooking, this is known as vetsin and features on product labels as E 621 to 625. Because a fermentation process is used to manufacture it, the manufacturer also calls it ‘yeast extract’. This does not mean that all yeast extracts are monosodium glutamate. The term ‘natural’ or ‘nature-identical’ glutamate is confusing because it does not have to be healthy.

For example, we could easily do away with an entire family with a natural extract of plants from the average garden.

Because glutamate is also produced in the body and is related to neurotransmission, we think that it’s safe. However, that argument will not hold water. A synthetically manufactured glutamate may well have the same biochemical formula and yet work in a completely different way. A good example of this is a very old test with synthetic vitamin C. People with scurvy who were given this did not really become healthy while those who were given bell pepper recovered completely. So nature does not allow itself to be led down the garden path. A second argument against synthetic glutamate is that it can affect neurotransmission. This is, after all, what glutamate produced in the body does. This is why its use has been related to agitation, sleep disruption, lack of concentration and the dreadful increase in ADHD and dyslexia. What’s more, the use of glutamate stimulates the appetite and has been associated with the increase in obesity.

Flat Baking Stone Lay the Flat Baking Stone on the grill of the Big Green Egg and you can bake things like delicious, crusty bread and pizzas with an authentic crunchy base. This handy stone is also available as the Half Moon Baking Stone - a half flat stone (available for the Large and Extra Large) for baking buns while you grill meat at the same time, or for keeping a pan of pre-cooked products warm, for example.

Cast Iron Grid The cast iron grid gives food that characteristic grilled flavour and an attractive criss-cross pattern on meat and poultry.

The solution is actually very simple. When you make something yourself, you know exactly what goes into it. The taste of glutamate is called ‘umami’, which means ‘tasty’ or ‘good feeling’. But it’s a taste sensation that you can also create with products such as yeast, mushroom extract, algae and mature cheese.

Centre for Integral Healthcare, J.C. van Montfort and Y.G.C.M. Coolen

Read more on page 17

Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

NAPLES & PIZZA

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SAY PIZZA AND YOU SAY NAPLES

We all know that the Big Green Egg bursts with culinary possibilities. And that there’s an almost infinite number of ways of using it to bake and grill meat, fish and vegetable dishes. But what is slightly less known is that you can also use it to bake delicious bread and - pizzas! Pizzas whose taste and quality can rival the most delicious products of La bella Italia.

But is that really true? We put it to the test in the pizza capital of Italy...

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NAPLES & PIZZA

Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

To show Naples what the Big Green Egg can do with pizzas, a team from Big Green Egg travelled to the pizza capital of Italy to get the famous Maestro Pizzaiolo (master pizza baker) Angelo Caprio to prepare four classic Neapolitan pizzas on the Big Green Egg. Using his recipes and with the aid of specially developed Big Green Egg accessories, of course.

We were naturally very curious about what this expert on pizzas thought of it…

Maestro Pizzaiolo Angelo Caprio of the restaurant/pizzeria Mascagni in Naples:

‘You can also bake a fantastic pizza with the Big Green Egg’ Naples: the city of pizza

When you drive into Naples for the first time, you’re not just impressed with the beauty of this magnificent though somewhat polluted city, but most of all with the enormous amount of traffic. The Neapolitans drive as if traffic regulations do not exist. You don’t expect priority; you just take it. There’s not a car without a dent in it. Through a maze of narrow streets, we climb the hill to the well-known neighbourhood of Vomero.

There, surrounded by exclusive shops and welcoming bars stands the ristorante/ pizzeria Mascagni, the final objective of our journey.

In the restaurant, we were given a warm welcome by Angelo Caprio, his wife Titti, daughter Marianna and the staff. Angelo and Titti have been running the restaurant for 20 years, assisted for the last few years by Marianna and from the start by their loyal four-man team.

This popular restaurant is well-known for the superior quality of its pizzas and other, typically Neapolitan dishes.

The menu is very varied, as are the customers. Both young and old appreciate the intimate, informal atmosphere and the excellent food. And also the modest prices and extensive wine list.

Angelo is always ready to give advice on wine and food. As well as being a Maestro della Pizza and ‘cheese master’, he is also a qualified sommelier. Naturally we agree to come and eat pizza there that evening. While the authentic pizza ovens are heated up in the morning, the telephone rings constantly. It’s going to be busy. The next day is Il Giorno di San Giuseppe: a day’s holiday for most people. In the afternoon we go shopping with Angelo, among other things for the pizzas that

we’ve asked him to prepare for us on the Big Green Egg. ‘Pizza is in our blood’ That evening we sample the pizzas prepared by Angelo is his authentic brick oven. They are, of course, exceptionally tasty. ‘For us Neapolitans, pizza is in our blood,’ says Angelo. ‘Here you eat pizza from early in the morning till late at night. The secret is in the right proportions of water, flour, yeast and salt for the dough and the fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. All of the ingredients are high-quality and are locally produced. As far as the dough is concerned, it’s important that you leave it to rise in a warm place for 2 hours, at about 25 degrees. Then you have to leave it to rest for 24 hours.’ The dough is kneaded

by hand. ‘You should never use a rolling pin or anything like that because then you press the air out of it. The base should be literally ‘airy’. And also make sure that the diameter is 35 cm.’ The baking time is short: only 90 seconds in the authentic brick oven at a temperature of about 350 to 400 degrees.

So far, these have been the main guidelines for true Neapolitan pizza as laid down by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, an association that monitors the quality of pizza. Further to that, Angelo points out that his pizzas are gluten-free: he does not use flour that contains adhesion protein, to which some people are allergic.

Round, flat bread has been baked for thousands of years in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Originally they were used as edible plates. We know that the Vikings, who conquered a large part of Southern Italy in the 9th century, took a great fancy to the bread with all sorts of ingredients on top of it. These pizzas avant la lettre were baked in brick ovens that were not so far removed from today’s pizza ovens. The word ‘pizza’ was used for the first time about 800 years later and it will not surprise anyone to know that this was in Naples: say pizza and you say Naples. Here the pizza acquired a certain reputation in the 17th century as a ‘farmer’s meal’. And because it was cheap, it tended to be favoured by the poor. The best pizzaioli were then found in the city’s poorer neighbourhoods.

Royal pizza

in the colours red, white and green, representing the flag of Italy and using tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. The Queen thought it was delicious and so began the triumphal march of the Pizza Margherita across the world. The pizza was no longer a typical dish of the poorer classes but one that was highly regarded in all levels of society.

Until the 1960s, the Italian pizza mostly consisted of a rectangular dough base topped with tomato sauce, cheese and anchovies, for example.

The pizzas were baked on large hotplates on street corners, after which a square of pizza was cut off and eaten with your fingers. Even today, pizzas in Naples are often cut into four or eight pieces and eaten with your fingers. The best-known Neapolitan pizzas are the Pizza Margherita, Pizza Napoletana (also called the Pizza Marinara), Pizza Pescatore (with shellfish) and the folded Pizza Calzone (see the recipes on pages 13 and 14).

All of this changed at the end of the 19th century when Raffaele Esposito, Naples’ most famous pizza baker was invited by the King of Italy and his wife Margherita to come and prepare this speciality in the palace. Especially for this occasion, he devised a pizza

Centro stórico So that we can take some evocative shots of Naples, Angelo shows us the bay with Vesuvius in the background.

When we tell him that we also want to take some pictures of the picturesque centro stórico, the centuries-old city centre, he firmly insists that we do that from the car. ‘If you walk through the narrow streets and alleyways of Naples with an expensive camera like that, you’re asking for trouble. Neapolitans

are hospitable and friendly people but, just like in any other big city, there are also types who maintain Naples’ reputation as a dangerous town.’

We decide to risk it all the same. While the photographer does his work, we act as bodyguards. And wherever we walk, we have to avoid scooters driven mostly by young people through the old centre.

Did we say ‘driven’? ‘Clearing a way’ would be more accurate.

Read more on page 14

NAPLES & PIZZA

Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

Angelo Caprio’s dough recipe for 6 pizzas

Ingredients and preparation For the Neapolitan pizza on the Big Green Egg

To prepare the base and to bake the pizza, see Angelo’s dough recipe on this page.

1.5 kg flour (gluten-free) 2.4 g yeast 40 g salt 0.8 l water This is for 6 Neapolitan pizzas with a diameter of 35 cm.

For each pizza, this is about: 250 g flour (gluten-free) 0.4 g yeast 6,6 g salt 130 ml water Multiply these quantities by the number of pizzas that you are going to make.

Preparing the pizza base dough Put the water, salt and yeast and 10% of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything together thoroughly. Add the rest of the flour over the next 10 minutes while kneading the dough until the dough feels soft and elastic.

Leave the dough to rise for 2 hours at a temperature of approximately 25°C under a damp cloth. Divide the dough into 6 pieces of 250 g each and knead

Pizza Margherita Sprinkle flour on the working surface and knead the dough bun lightly with your hands to a smooth, round disk with a diameter of 35 cm. Cover the pizza base with:

80 g skinned tomatoes 80 g mozzarella 10 g Parmesan cheese (grated) 1 spoon olive oil 2 basil leaves salt (to taste)

Slide the pizza spade (Pizza Peel) under the pizza and place it on the pizza stone in the Big Green Egg. Bake the pizza for about 3 minutes at 320°C until golden brown. Remove the pizza from the EGG using the pizza spade (e.g. the Aluminium Pizza Peel) and cut it with the pizza slice into 4 or 8 pieces.

80 g skinned and pureed tomatoes 1 teaspoon of oregano 1 clove of finely chopped garlic 2 basil leaves 2 dessert spoons of olive oil

Use the pizza spade to place the pizza on the pizza stone (Flat Baking Stone) in the Big Green Egg and bake at 320°C until the pizza is golden brown - about 3 minutes. Use the pizza spade to take the pizza out of the EGG. Slice it with the pizza slice (e.g. the Rolling Pizza Cutter) into 4 or 8 pieces.

them into ‘buns’ (rounded at the top with a flat bottom). Put these in a plastic (storage) box and leave them to rise (for the second time) for 6 hours at approximately 25°C. After another 6 hours they are ready to be baked.

You can also cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and leave them for 24 hours in the fridge (like Angelo).

Heat the Big Green Egg to 320°C Fill the Big Green Egg three-quarters full with charcoal, not briquettes. Open the bottom flow draft door and keep the chimney completely free. Divide 3 Big Green Egg Charcoal Starters over the charcoal and light them. Place the daisy wheel on the chimney when the charcoal starts to grow brightly. Open the daisy wheel and the flow draft door at the bottom completely. Lay the Plate Setter* on the fire ring with its legs upwards and place the grid on top of this. Heat the Big Green egg for about 45 minutes to approximately 320°C. Lay the pizza stone (Flat Baking Stone*) on the grid 10 minutes before you are going to bake the pizza.

Pizza Marinara Sprinkle flour on the working surface and knead the dough bun lightly with your hands to a smooth, round disk with a diameter of 35 cm. Cover this with the following ingredients: * You cannot bake pizza in the Big Green Egg without the Plate Setter and the Flat Baking Stone!

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NAPLES & PIZZA

Pizza Pescatore Similar to Pizza Marinara, but then with seafood. Sprinkle flour on the working surface, and knead the dough bun lightly with your hands to make a smooth disk with a diameter of 35 cm.

Fill the pizza base with: 80 g peeled, pureed tomatoes 1 teaspoon of oregano 1 minced clove of garlic 2 basil leaves 2 dessert spoon of olive oil

Panini

Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

Mix the seafood together. These might be calamari rings (20 g), shrimp (20 g), mussels (125 g) and some shellfish (vongole or cockles). Season to taste with oregano, pepper and/or salt. Use the pizza spade to lift the pizza from the working surface and place it on the pizza stone in the BGE. Bake for approximately 3 minutes at about 320°C. Slide the pizza spade under the pizza and remove it from the BGE. Use the pizza cutter to slice the pizza into 4 or 8 pieces.

Heat the Big Green Egg to 200°C with the pizza stone in it. Sprinkle the working surface with flour and lay the dough bun on it. Knead the dough bun with your hands to make a smooth rectangle. Bake the bun for a few minutes until cooked and then leave to cool. Now cut it open like a book and fill it with the ingredients of your choice. Angelo filled it with mozzarella, Parma ham and rocket and drizzled it with olive oil.

Pizza Calzone For this pizza you need the following ingredients: 100 g ricotta 30 g salami 50 g mozzarella 5 dessert spoon of peeled, pureed tomatoes 4 basil leaves Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Continued from page 12

Testing time The next day was the one we had been waiting for: we were going to bake pizzas with the Big Green Egg Large.

Only when the charcoal was glowing brightly did we insert the Plate Setter in the Big Green Egg with its legs upwards and the grid on top. Now we raised the temperature to 320°C. To achieve that, we let in as much oxygen as possible by fully opening the daisy wheel on top and the flow draft door down below.

The temperature hit approximately 320°C after about 45 minutes. We then laid the special pizza stone on the grid and let this heat through for about 10 to 15 minutes.

No juggling Angelo sprinkled the working surface with flour and kneaded the dough buns that he had made 24 hours earlier to make a pizza base with a diameter of 35 cm. He didn’t use a rolling pin – just his hands. There was no ‘juggling’ like tossing the pizza base into the air. ‘That impresses the tourists, but it doesn’t add anything’. Angelo remarked that the Big Green Egg is ideal for baking gluten-free pizzas because the Plate Setter produces no flames, just glowing charcoal.

The moment of truth The first pizza that we baked in the Big Green Egg was the Margherita. After spreading the filling over the pizza it was placed in the Big Green Egg with the aid of the Aluminum Pizza Peel.

After 3 minutes it was ready. ‘Our’ pizza was placed steaming on a plate, smelled tasty and looked delicious. Marianna cut it into eight pieces with the Rolling Pizza Cutter. We just couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into it. And yep, it tasted as good as it looked – fantastic!

And that opinion was shared by the maestro himself, his daughter and the curious personnel. We also gave a taste to some passers-by, who were equally impressed.

Calzone Press Happily the Pizza Marinara also emerged from the Big Green Egg just as we wanted, as did the Pizza Pescatore and the Pizza Calzone. To fold the Pizza Calzone double we used the Calzone Press, the accessory developed especially for this by Big Green Egg.

‘Incredibile, ma vero’ A great invention ‘So may we conclude that the Big Green Egg is a good alternative way of baking pizzas that don’t differ much from the real Neapolitan pizza?’ we asked Angelo.

We may. ‘It’s a great invention. It’s not complicated to operate and the oven takes only 45 minutes to reach the right temperature. That’s fast. Our traditional pizza oven takes 4 hours to reach that but that’s another story. We use that to make pizza from early in the morning to late at night.’ ‘Another thing that’s special is that I didn’t have to alter the recipe for the dough for the Big Green

Flour your working surface and knead the dough bun lightly with your hands to make a smooth disk with a diameter of 35 cm. Place the pizza base on the Calzone Press, which is specially designed for this pizza. Fill one half of the base with the ricotta, salami, mozzarella, 3 spoons of pureed tomato and 2 torn basil leaves. Fold the pizza double with the Calzone Press, remove it and cover with the puree of peeled tomatoes, the grated Parmesan cheese

and the remaining 2 basil leaves. Place the pizza on the pizza stone and bake for more than 5 minutes at approximately 320°C until golden brown. Use the pizza spade to remove the pizza from the BGE.

Egg to get a tasty, airy, crunchy pizza.

And now people can also bake excellent pizzas in their garden, on a patio and anywhere in the open air. Incredibile, ma vero.’

Ristorante e Pizzeria Mascagni www.pizzeriamascagni.it.

Safe cooking In an oven and a Big Green Egg you can achieve much higher temperatures than the boiling point of water. And yet products cook less quickly. A potato cooks quicker in water boiling at 100°C than in the oven of the Big Green Egg at 200°C. The hot air and the radiant heat are less aggressive than bubbling water. Because the air has approximately 1/1000 of the density of the water, the molecules in the medium and the food in the EGG collide with each other much less.

You could compare it with a Finnish sauna where the temperature is about 95°C. You can relax and enjoy that without any problem while a bath at the same temperature would be disastrous. In short, cooking products with a Big Green Egg is slower than in boiling water.

Why is this so important?

If products are heated above a certain temperature and for longer than a certain time, this can produce substances that can be carcinogenic if they are used excessively or too frequently. This applies particularly to meat, fish, chicken and sugar. At temperatures below 160°C, this risk is limited. Above 205°C, the risk increases by 700-1,000% .

The smaller the distance between the food and heat source, the greater the risk and the more vitamins and minerals are lost. If vegetables and fruit are consumed together with a good oil, any negative effects of cooking meat and fish for too long are reduced. That also applies if fresh herbs are used. Personally, we often use wood chips to smoke the food for extra taste. It’s a great idea to know that we can eat safely in this way!

Centre for Integral Healthcare, J.C. van Montfort and Y.G.C.M. Coolen

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15

The latest Big Green Egg accessories for the ‘home (pizza) baker’!

To make preparing delicious pizzas even easier, Big Green egg has produced a series of exclusive accessories and added them to the existing range. With these tools, you can bake perfect pizza at home!

you can slide it just as easily from the Flat Baking Stone to the cutting board. The thin aluminium blade not only slides smoothly under pizzas but also under things like bread and cakes that you bake in the Big Green egg. The long wooden grip provides extra safety for your hands.

Pizza Dough Rolling Mat

Pizza Server

Good pizza dough is indispensable for real pizza. The Pizza Dough Rolling Mat makes preparing the right dough easier and more hygienic. You place the ant-slip silicone mat on an even working surface and use it for kneading and rolling your dough.

The Pizza Dough Rolling Mat comes in five different sizes (from 20 to 41 centimetres in diameter) and with the perfect recipe for baking a tasty, crunchy pizza base, from the ingredients to cooking in the Big Green Egg. You can do it all on the Pizza Dough Rolling Mat. Fancy something sweet? The Pizza Dough Rolling Mat is also ideal for preparing cakes, biscuits and other pastries.

Serve pizza and cake onto plates, saucers or napkins safely and hygienically with the Big Green Egg Pizza Server. Thanks to the generous size of the durable stainless-steel blade, the Server is ideal for both large and small slices.

Rockin’ Pizza Cutter The Rockin’ Pizza Cutter is also a special dough-cutter that’s been specially designed to slice through crispy-baked, richly filled pastry with a simple movement. Just rock the cutter and its sharp, stainless-steel blade will slice right down to cutting board. The Rockin’ Pizza Cutter has a soft plastic grip running its whole length, making it very comfortable to use.

Wooden Pizza Peel

Calzone Press

The Wooden Pizza Peel is an authentic hardwood pizza spade.

The wide blade has tapered edges to allow you to slide the pizza on and off the spade in one smooth movement. The sturdy handle provides a safe grip. And, of course, the Wooden Pizza Peel can also be used for other dishes and ingredients that you cook on the Flat Baking Stone.

You can make Pizza Calzone, the well-known filled, folded pizza, and other filled dough and pastries in a snap with the Calzone Press.

Just roll out your dough, use the underside of the open Calzone Press to cut out a circle and then place this in the Press. Fill one side with the filling of your choice, brush the edges with water for an extra seal, close the Press, press firmly and the Calzone is ready for baking!

Rolling Pizza Cutter It’s best not to slice pizza with a kitchen knife but with a special pizza cutter like the Rolling Pizza Cutter. Only then will the filling stay in place. The sharp, rotating stainless-steel wheel makes it fast and easy to slice through every pizza base in one movement, so that you can cut perfect pizza slices. The soft, comfortable plastic handle ensures a comfortable grip and also has a thumb-guard for safety.

The Calzone Press is available in a one-person size (16 cm diameter for 125 ml of filling) and a two-person size (28 cm diameter for 250 ml of filling).

Aluminum Pizza Peel Is your pizza ready for cooking? Then you can use the Aluminum Pizza Peel, a handy pizza spade, to slide the pizza safely from the Pizza Dough Rolling Mat to the hot Flat Baking Stone in the Big Green Egg. And when the pizza is crispy baked,

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Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

...summer Taste the summer

A tasty summer menu starts with seasonal ingredients. And of course this sunny, three-course menu uses lots of them.

So light your Big Green Egg and enjoy! you would like to receive an appetising menu in your mailbox every month, subscribe to our ‘Menu of the Month’ on www.biggreenegg.eu Accessories you will need: Cast Iron Grid Round Grill Wok Basting Brush Half Moon Raised Grid Cast Iron Grid Lifter

Shopping list for 4

Grilled gazpacho with marinated scampi and puff-pastry bruschetta with pesto

Grilled rib-eye with tomato salsa and country potatoes with bacon and onion

Starter • 7 tomatoes, halved • 1 red pepper • 1 large red onion • 1 head of garlic • 1 green chilli pepper, finely sliced • 8 basic leaves • 1 spring onion • 12 cherry tomatoes • 2 sheets of puff pastry • 3 dessert spoons of red wine vinegar • 4 large scampi, peeled • olive oil • coarse sea salt (fleur de sel) • freshly ground black pepper • a small pot of pesto • pepper and salt

Main course • 4 rib-eye steaks, 2 1/2 cm thick • 1 green tiger tomato • 1 orange tomato • 1 yellow tomato • 1 red tomato • 4 basil leaves, in strips • 1 orange pepper • 1 large onion • 800 g cooked potatoes with skins • 250 g bacon strips • 4 cloves of puffed garlic • olive oil • balsamic vinegar • pepper and salt

Dessert • 1 pineapple • 200 g butter (unsalted) • 200 g brown sugar • 125 ml whipping cream • juice of 1 lime • 4 sprigs of lemon balm • a large dash of brown rum

Roasted pineapple with rum butter and vanilla ice-cream

Preparation First make the rum butter. Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a bain marie and add the lime juice. Now stir in the whipping cream and then the rum. Heat for 1 minute longer. Turn off the heat and allow to stand. Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple and remove the skin. Make v-shaped cuts along the length to remove the seeds (this will also make the rum butter cling to the pineapple longer during preparation). Wrap the peeled pineapple in plastic foil.

Heat the Big Green Egg, without the grid, to a temperature of approximately 220°C. Place the red and orange peppers and the red onion (with skin) on the glowing charcoal and close the lid.

After a few minutes, turn them so that they blacken on all sides. Roast the red onion slightly longer than the peppers so that it feels a little soft – about 15 minutes. Open the lid of the Big Green Egg a few centimetres and then fully. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and keep the onion for later use.

Place the Stainless Steel Grid on the Big Green Egg and bring the temperature to 200°C. Cut off approximately 1 centimetre from the top of the head of garlic, wrap in a sheet of aluminium foil (leave the top open) and pour a little olive oil over it. Place the package on the grid and close the lid. Brush the flesh side of the halved tomatoes with olive oil. Place them on the grid flesh-side up and grill them for about 4 minutes with the lid closed. Turn them over and grill for a further 4 minutes.

Make sure that the tomatoes do not burn but are soft and caramelised.

Take the halved tomatoes off the grid and place the whole tomatoes (for the salsa) on the grid. Close the lid and roast for approximately 6 minutes, turning the tomatoes over halfway through.

Remove them from the grid, cut them into cubes and place them in a bowl.

Place the skin, seeds and juice from the halved tomatoes in a bowl with the peeled scampi. Add three dessert spoons of olive oil, two dessert spoons of red wine vinegar, 2/3 of the finely sliced green chilli pepper and salt and pepper. Keep the flesh of the tomatoes for the gazpacho. Remove the package of garlic from the grid when the garlic is softly puffed and the top has turned light brown. Cut the sheets of puff pastry in half and lay them on a sheet of baking paper. In the middle of each sheet place six halved cherry tomatoes, place them on the Half Moon Raised Grid and set aside. Now place the Cast Iron Grid on the Big Green Egg, close the lid and bring the temperature up to 200°C. Meanwhile remove the skins from the roasted peppers and remove the seeds. Slice the orange pepper into thin strips and add them to the tomato cubes together with the basic strips, some olive oil and a few drop of balsamic vinegar. Season the salsa to taste with salt and pepper. Place the red pepper in a bowl together with the tomato for the gazpacho. Peel away the top skin of the red onion and add to the marinade

for the scampi with four pressed cloves of puffed garlic. Add to the bowl for the gazpacho the inside of the onion, the remaining green chilli pepper, one pressed clove of puffed garlic, the basil leaves, the remaining wine vinegar and two dessert spoons of olive oil and puree until smooth with the staff mixer.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, pour into four glasses and place in the refrigerator. Place the slices of pre-cooked potato, onion, bacon strips and the remaining cloves of puffed garlic in the Round Grill Wok. Preparing the starter Place the Half Moon Raised Grid with the puffed pastry in the Big Green Egg and close the lid. After 5 minutes, place the scampi on the Cast Iron Grid and close the lid. Roast the scampi for four minutes, turning them over halfway through. Take the gazpacho out of the refrigerator and garnish with the spring onions. On each plate, place a scampi and puff pastry bruschetta (close the lid of your EGG!). Brush the bruschette with pesto, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Main course Raise the temperature of the Big Green Egg to 240-250°C. Place the Round Grill Wok with potato slices on the grid and pour over a generous amount of olive oil. Close the lid and stir with a wooden spoon after 2 minutes. Repeat this several times until the bacon has turned a lovely light brown. Take the wok off the grid and cver with aluminium foil.

Place the rib-eye steaks diagonally on the grid and close the lid. Turn the steaks a quarter round after 1.5 minutes to get a nice diamond pattern. Turn them over after another 1.5 minutes and then repeat the process to get the diamond pattern. Take them off the grid, cover with aluminium foil and leave them to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve the steaks with the tomato salsa and country potatoes.

Dessert Adjust the temperature of the Big Green Egg to 150-170°C. Carefully open the lid of the Big Green Egg and lay a few blocks of smoking wood (for example, oak blocks from rum barrels) on the charcoal. Place the pineapple in the centre of the grid and brush it with rum butter. Lay the lemon balm on the pineapple and close the lid. Leave to cook for about 45 minutes, brushing with butter regularly. At the end of the cooking time, carefully pour some rum over the pineapple so that it is briefly flambéed. Take the pineapple off the grid and cut it lengthways into 12 slices.

Remove the core and stick a wooden skewer in each slice. Serve with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, the strawberries and the remaining rum butter as a dip.

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Continued from page 10 Cast Iron Griddle Half Moon This very practical cast-iron griddle has a double function owing to its flat and ribbed sides. The flat side is ideal for cooking pancakes, blinis or eggs while the ribbed side is perfect for making toasted sandwiches or delicate fish fillets.

Because the Cast Iron Griddle Half Moon covers only half of the grid you can also grill other ingredients at the same time.

The new seasonings Herbs and spices have been the ultimate seasonings since time immemorial. And they also have a positive effect on health. For Big Green Egg this was all the more reason to team up with a leading manufacturer to produce a complete range of herb and spice mixes and rubs: the Big Green Egg Dizzy Gourmet line. All of the mixes are made from the best quality natural ingredients and contain no artificial additives. Making the culinary experience even more intense and flavourful than before. The six different flavours are obtainable from recognised Big Green Egg dealers.

Vertical Chicken Roaster & Drip Pan Round 9�

The Vertical Chicken Roaster makes it easy to prepare perfectly grilled chicken or turkey. The juices are retained because the vertical position ensures that the poultry is basted in its own fat.

This enhances the taste and the skin becomes deliciously crispy.

We recommend placing the Vertical Chicken Roaster on the Drip Pan Round to prevent fat from dripping onto the charcoal.

Wooden Grilling Planks Wooden Grilling Planks enhance the flavour and aroma of meat and fish. Place the ingredients on the plank after soaking it in water and then lay it on the grid.

The moisture absorbed by the wood creates a smoky effect. To provide different smoking accents, the Wooden Grilling Planks are available in cedar, alder, maple and red oak.

Kodiak River

Simply Zensational

Down and Dizzy

This tasty, mild rub is incredibly versatile and boosts the flavour of ingredients such as salmon, seafood, poultry, pork and vegetables.

Its contents include paprika, onion, garlic, orange and lemon peel, can and maple sugar and salt.

Simply Zensational gives a delicious, mildly exotic twist to shellfish and other seafood, poultry, pork and vegetables. Its main ingredients are lemon grass, ginger and sesame seeds, complemented with paprika, onion, garlic, cane sugar and salt.

A dash of smoked Morita chillies, a dash of sweet cane sugar, pink and green peppercorns, garlic, onion, orange and lemon peel and salt make this mix a subtle, universal seasoning.

Cosmic Cow

Viva Caliente

Whirly Bird

This sugar-free mix has been especially developed to get the most out of beef and lamb. Smoked Morita and fresh chillies, combined with black pepper, salt, onion and garlic, lend grilled steaks, ribs, burgers and brisket a mild, spicy flavour.

This mix includes Chimayo chillies, cayenne pepper, sage, onion, garlic, cane sugar and salt. It gives a delightfully zesty punch to poultry, fish, pork, beef, lamb, game, chili and vegetables.

This mix of fresh herbs and spices, garlic, salt, orange and lemon peel and maple sugar for subtle sweetness, bring an amazing taste sensation to seafood, pork, poultry and vegetables.

The Pit Mitt BBQ Glove The Pit Mitt BBQ Glove has many advantages over regular barbecue gloves.

For instance, the inside is lined with soft cotton while the outside is made of fire-resistant, insulating aramid fibres – a material that is also used in the aerospace industry. Because the fingers are separate from each other and the glove is finished with a silicone profile, it provides a superior grip. The Pit Mitt BBQ Glove is suitable for both right and left hands.

Charcoal starters Depending on its size, only 2-3 charcoal starters are needed to light the Big Green Egg. These natural starters contain no chemicals and are odourless and tasteless.

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Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

diversity

Big Green Egg stands for . On a Big Green Egg you can not only prepare just about any ingredients, such as a delicate piece of fish, meat, vegetables and the tastiest desserts, but you can also use a host of cooking techniques. The Big Green Egg’s versatility will continue to amaze you!

Barbary duck with apple syrup, new potatoes and apples Serves 4 1 Barbary duck (canette) 2 dl calvados 2 Jonagold apples 500 g new potatoes, unpeeled and washed Leaves of 2 sprigs of thyme Leaves of 2 sprigs of rosemary 3 dessert spoons of apple syrup Accessories you will need Sittin’ Chicken Ceramic Roaster Drip Pan Round Basting Brush 1. Heat the Big Green Egg to a temperature of 175°C. Meanwhile make crosswise incisions in the skin of the duck and sprinkle it will salt and freshly ground pepper.

2. Pour the calvados into the Sittin’ Chicken Ceramic Roaster, put the duck on it and place in the Drip Pan. Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and remove the cores. Arrange the apple slices and the new potatoes around the duck and sprinkle them with the thyme and rosemary.

3. Place the Drip Pan on the grid of the Big Green Egg, insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the duck’s breast and close the lid. Stir the apple and potatoes around from time to time while cooking.

4. When the inside of the duck has reached a temperature of approximately 28°C, heat the apple syrup gently until liquid and baste the duck with the apple syrup using the Basting Brush.

5. When the inside of the duck has reached a temperature of 56°C, take the Drip Pan out of the Big Green egg. Cover with aluminium foil and leave it to rest for 5 minutes.

6. Carefully cut away the duck breasts from the carcass and serve with the apple slices and new potatoes.

Côte de Boeuf

Grilled pepper trio

Cherry clafoutis

Serves 10

2 red (pointed) peppers 2 yellow (pointed) peppers 2 green peppers Olive oil

Serves 8-10

1 rib of beef with 5 ribs 1 bunch of thyme 1 bunch of rosemary 1 head of garlic Accessories you will need Cast Iron Grid Plate Setter 1. Remove the leaves from the thyme and rosemary, peel the garlic and chop everything coarsely. Rub the côte de boeuf with the herb-garlic mix and leave it to marinate for several hours (preferably 1 day).

2. Heat the Big Green Egg to a temperature of 250°C and insert the Cast Iron Grid. Wipe the herb mixture from the côte de boeuf and sprinkle it with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sear the meat on all side on the Big Green Egg. Remove the meat from the grid, remove the grid and place the Plate Setter in the Big Green Egg. Replace the grid, close the lid and reduce the temperature to 80°C. 3. Lay the côte de boeuf on the grid and insert a thermometer into the centre of the meat. Close the lid and allow the meat to cook slowly until it reaches a temperature of 52°C (rare) to 56°C (medium), bearing in mind a cooking time of approximately 60 minutes per kilo.

4. Remove the côte de boeuf from the Big Green Egg, cover with aluminium foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile remove the grid and the Plate Setter, replace the grid and heat the Big Green Egg to a temperature of 200°C. 5. Separate the ribs and grill them quickly on both sides. Turn the ribs a quarter on each side so that they get a nice diamond pattern.

Serve the côte de boeuf with the trio of grilled peppers.

Accessories you will need Half Moon Raised Grid Drip pan 1. Heat the Big Green Egg to a temperature of 175°C and place the Half Moon Raised Grid on the grid. Lay the peppers on the grid and turn them regularly so that the skins are blackened start to lift away from the flesh. Transfer the peppers to the Raised Grid and allow them to continue cooking.

2. Place the peppers on a dish, allow them to cool off slightly and then remove the skins and seeds.

Slice the peppers and season to taste with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve with the côte de boeuf.

1 vanilla pod 2 dl cream 1 dl milk 3 eggs 50 g caster sugar 70 g flour 1 dessert spoon of kirsch 450 g black cherry, stones removed butter for greasing the spring-form pan flour to dust the spring-form pan sieved icing sugar Accessories you will need Plate Setter BBQ Glove 1. Heat the Big Green Egg to a temperature of 180°C. Place the Plate Setter in the EGG and lay the Stainless Steel Grid on it.

2. Slice the vanilla pod in two lengthways, scrape out the seeds and place the pod and seeds in a saucepan with the cream. Warm on a medium heat and allow to stew for a short time. Take the pan from the heat, add the milk and strain through a sieve.

3. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and beat until light. Fold the flour into the egg mixture and fold this into the cream mixture.

Finally stir the kirsch and the cherries into the batter.

4. Grease a spring-form pan (with a diameter of 23 centimetres) with butter and dust with flour, tapping the pan to remove excess flour. Spoon the batter into the pan and place this on the grid of the Big Green Egg. Close the lid and bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown.

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Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities!

Grilling Smoking

Baking Slow cooking

...and more

Stewing

The next time in Enjoy!

Seasonal menus Taste the autumn and winter Game special Hunting in Bavaria Chef meets chef Jamming with the Big Green Egg Product information Seafood The next edition of Enjoy! brimming with new and inspiring recipes will be available from your Big Green Egg dealer from October 2013.

Enjoy the world of culinary possibilities.

Big Green Egg.

Big Green Egg presents: five models with unlimited culinary possibilities. There isn’t anything the Big Green Egg can’t do.

Grilling, baking, cooking, stewing, smoking, slow cooking... From beautifully grilled, tender meat to slowly done langoustines and from crispy bread to refined desserts. Because of the double walled ceramic the temperature can be adjusted to the exact degree. Therefore the Big Green Egg is the secret behind uncountable culinary ‘tours de force’. That is why the Big Green Egg is the favorite of many starred chefs and hundreds of thousands of foodies. Discover the Big Green Egg for yourself at one of our dealers or at Visit us: biggreenegg.eu

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