Super Brain Foods

Ingredients (depending on the number of people):

• 1-2 cucumbers
• 1 watermelon
• cherry tomatoes
• 1-2 red onions
• 1-2 limes or 1 lemon
• olive oil
• light balsamic vinegar
• honey
• 1 packet of feta
• Fresh herbs according to your own preferences, for example mint, basil and coriander.
• Bread from the "self-made"

Preparation:

Wash and peel the cucumber, then cut into quarters lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into pieces approx. 1 cm wide. Place everything in a salad bowl. Wash and halve a few small cherry tomatoes and add to the cucumber. Remove the rind from the melon and remove the larger seeds. Dice the flesh and add to the salad bowl.

Mix the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the finely chopped onion. Freshly squeeze 1-2 limes and add the lime juice (possibly with honey) to the oil, vinegar and onion mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the melon, cucumber and tomato pieces and mix everything well. Allow to infuse briefly and season with the finely chopped fresh herb mix. Finally, sprinkle over the diced feta and fold in carefully.

Cut the bread into slices and serve with the salad garnished with lime slices and mint leaves.

Bon appétit!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 bunch of Frankfurt green sauce herbs (approx. 250 g), traditionally consisting of borage, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, sorrel and chives
• 250 g sour cream
• 150 g sour cream or yoghurt (to taste)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 tsp mustard (medium hot)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
• Optional: 1 pinch of sugar

Side dish suggestion:

• 8 small waxy potatoes
• 4 more hard-boiled eggs (for serving)

Preparation:

First, wash the fresh herbs thoroughly, shake dry and remove the thick stems. Depending on the season or availability, individual herbs can be replaced or omitted, the important thing is that it remains a balanced, fresh mixture. I then chop the herbs very finely, either with a sharp knife or a chopping knife. Alternatively, you can also use a blender, but you should only run it for a short time so that the sauce doesn't get too mushy.

I then mix the sour cream and sour cream (or yoghurt) in a large bowl until smooth. Two hard-boiled eggs are peeled, finely chopped or passed through a sieve and mixed into the sauce. Then add the chopped herbs. The mixture is seasoned with a teaspoon of mustard, salt, pepper and a little lemon juice or vinegar - if you like, you can add a pinch of sugar.
To allow the flavors to develop properly, I leave the green sauce to infuse in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It is traditionally served cold, together with boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs - a simple but incredibly aromatic dish.

Preparation time under 5 minutes
The quantities and preparation times vary depending on how hungry you are ;)

• tender rolled oats
• boiling water to pour over
  
• a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt to stir in
  
• coarsely chopped walnuts, almonds (we are not allowed to use hazelnuts due to a hazelnut allergy)
• chopped apple or pear
• blueberries, strawberries
• some granola muesli
• Maple syrup for a little sweet kick
• a few leaves of mint to finish

Preparation:

Carefully pour enough boiling water over the rolled oats in a muesli bowl and leave to soak for a moment until no more water is visible. Then stir in enough natural yoghurt to make it nice and creamy. Add the chopped almonds and walnuts. Then add the fruit, sprinkle with crunchy muesli and drizzle with a little maple syrup.

Bon appétit!

Photographed and eaten by Matilda Chi

• Rice paper
• Glass noodles
• Fresh herbs such as mint, coriander and Thai basil

For a summery filling, you can choose any of these ingredients:

• Lettuce leaves or pak choi
• Carrots, cucumber, peppers or cabbage
• avocado
• Boiled prawns, fried chicken breast pieces, tofu or scrambled eggs

For the winter version:

• Roasted pumpkin
• spinach
• Tofu
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Goes well with a garlic and yogurt dip

For the peanut sauce:

• Peanut butter
• peanuts
• soy sauce
• Coconut milk
• A squeeze of lime juice

Preparation:

• Cut the vegetables into small pieces or strips. The pak choi, lettuce and herbs can be a little coarser.
• Cook the glass noodles according to the packet instructions and leave to cool. Fry the chicken breast pieces or prawns in olive oil or peanut oil as desired.
• Place the ingredients in bowls on the table.
• Soak the rice paper in warm water in a deep plate. After about 10-15 seconds, the sheet of rice paper will be soft and pliable.

Now you can fill the rolls. Place the soft rice paper on a clean plate and place some of each of the prepared ingredients on the bottom third of the paper. Remember not to overload the filling. Leave about 2-3 cm of space on the right and left sides so that you can fold the sides of the rice paper over the filling. Then roll it up from the bottom to the top until you have a firm roll. Either eat straight away or fry briefly in a pan (see below).

Rolls are served with a delicious dip as the crowning glory. Always suitable: peanut sauce. You can buy this ready-made or mix it yourself. Puree all the ingredients well, plus a little sugar for sweetness if desired. Done. Peanut sauce is particularly popular as a real classic, but hoisin sauce, a dip with Thai fish sauce or soy sauce are also great for dipping.

A garlic and yoghurt dip goes well with the winter rolls. If you like them a little crispier, you can lightly fry the summer rolls until they are golden brown.

Ingredients per person:

• 80 g short pasta, preferably penne or rigatoni
• Olive oil for frying
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small teaspoon of peperoncini
• 2 shot glasses of vodka
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and seedless (canned if necessary)
• 2 tablespoons of cream
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Peel and chop the garlic cloves and sauté together with the peperoncini in olive oil over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally.
2. Deglaze with the vodka and simmer briefly, then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer over a low heat for approx. 10 minutes.
3. Season to taste with the cream and salt and pepper, continue to cook briefly. Done!
4. At the same time, cook the pasta, making sure it is "al dente"!
5. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and serve.
6. Add grated Parmesan to taste.

It tastes absolutely delicious and is my favorite dish, which also goes down very well with guests.

The traditional accompaniment is, of course, a dry Tuscan red wine. However, I now prefer the slightly fruitier red wines from southern Italy, preferably an Appassimento from Puglia.

Ingredients for 2 people (I love pasta, so use a little more generously).

• 200 - 300 g penne rigate (I usually use De Cecco pasta, it takes a little longer but is more intense)
• 2 small zucchinis, washed and roughly diced
• 2 handfuls of small tomatoes, washed, halved or quartered
• 1 bunch of basil, washed, shaken dry, simply pluck off the leaves.
• Tip: Always pinch off the basil leaves from the potted plant above the leaf base/fork, then they will grow back.
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped tastes better than crushed
• 1 red onion, chopped (sweeter than shallots)
• 1 handful of salted/smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
• 100g mascarpone (can also be a little more ;-)
• 100g burrata
• 0.5 liter vegetable stock
• 1 lemon, we only need the zest here
• salt, pepper, 2 pinches of sugar
• 1 flake of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil

We take a large pot or a medium-sized high pan (note: make sure you have enough volume! All the ingredients go in here step by step). Sweat the chopped onion and finely chopped garlic in the oil and butter over a medium heat until translucent and lightly caramelized with the sugar, slower is better. Don't forget to stir so that the onion pieces don't burn, about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the vegetable stock with hot water according to the instructions on the packet and then pour into the pan. Now add the zucchini pieces, pepper and a little salt. If you like the zucchinis firm to the bite, add the penne to the pan immediately. The stock should just cover the pasta, otherwise add a little more stock. Put the lid on and control the heat so that it simmers nicely. After about 4 minutes, add the tomato pieces. Now you can taste again and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

After approx. 9-10 minutes (cooking time of my penne), check how the pasta is doing. If the pasta is almost "al dente", you can start with the last step. Otherwise, wait a little longer until the pasta is the way you like it. But be careful - the dish will take a little longer to cook and overcooked pasta is not a good idea.
Now stir in the mascarpone, basil (leave a few leaves for decoration) and chopped almonds. Allow everything to infuse again very briefly and tear the burrata with your fingers over the whole mixture and fold in gently. The cremoso starts to pull strings ;-) and you arrange it on the plates. Garnish the (hopefully!) melted burrata with basil leaves.

I would drink a red wine with it tonight, it will be a real pleasure enhancer. The red wine comes from Portugal, Monte da Pimenta, and is also available from Rewe. If you want to eat the penne rigata "quello cremoso" as a primo piatto, I can imagine grilled fish with spinach afterwards, but of course reduce the amount of penne rigata "quello cremoso". And now bon appétit.

5 min | cooking time 20 min | for 2 people

• 200 - 300 g small new potatoes (you can also use normal storage potatoes)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 TSP OIL
• 200 - 300 ml water
• Roasted sesame seeds

Wash the potatoes, then peel them. If they are too large, cut them into bite-sized pieces (smaller pieces will cook the potatoes faster). Leave to rest in a bowl of water for 5 minutes, then drain.

Fry the potato pieces over a high heat with a little oil, turning frequently so that they absorb the oil well.
Mix the soy sauce, sugar and mirin together and add to the potatoes, mixing well. Then add water until all the potatoes are covered and cook. Keep adding water until all the potatoes are cooked.

Finally, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Optional: serve over rice. You can add salad or other vegetables (if you like) or make an omelette.

Enjoy your meal!

15 minutes work, 35 minutes cooking time - not including the time spent queuing at Penny

• Vegetables you like or what's lying around in the fridge. Quantity: Imagine your plate and double the number of people. For example, zucchinis and tomatoes.
• Frozen salmon fillet. One per person. For the vegan version, simply omit and use more vegetables

• Herbs, fresh or dried if you have them - or if there's a rosemary bush on the way home, it's worth a detour! Thyme is the favorite.
• A pinch or two of salt
• Pepper, chilli to taste.
• Garlic, of course you like it and so does everyone else, so don't use too little
• Onions or spring onions
• Polenta

Unpack the fish and place on a deep plate so that it can defrost.
First, quickly make the polenta as instructed on the packet. Then spread it on a wooden board to cool. Cut the vegetables and tomatoes into 1 to 2 cm cubes.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

• If you are using zucchinis and eggplants, sprinkle the cubes with salt and leave to stand in a sieve so that they lose a little water, then squeeze out a little more water with a kitchen towel.
• If you are using carrots and fennel, pre-cook them briefly in salted water.

Marinate the fish with the garlic slices, olive oil, pepper and herbs. Rub it well with your warm hands to help it defrost.

Spread the diced vegetables in a baking dish (if you are using eggplants, give them a 10 minute head start in the oven before adding the other vegetables) or on a baking tray and mix well with plenty of olive oil, salt, pepper and chilli using your hands as if you were on the Jamie Oliver food program - this will heighten the anticipation of the wonder that olive oil, heat and a little salt will conjure up from your vegetables.
Place in the middle of the oven.

(Now you have 10 to 15 minutes to check your Instagram or take a shower, if you're disciplined. Or students can use this time to try and make something else brilliant for the project that looks like a week's worth of work).

The polenta should now be quite cool. If you're clever, you can prepare the polenta the evening before and divide it into slices. Now fry the slices in olive oil or put them in a second dish in the oven.

The vegetables should be slightly browned by now. Place the fish on top and put it back in the oven. Now you can switch on the grill of your oven and grill the fish from above. Yes, that's right, grill it, but make sure you stay close by and keep checking it, otherwise there may be a smoke alarm. (As I still had to write an e-mail, this time I simply left the fish in for another 10 to 15 minutes at 220 degrees. It would have looked better with the grill). The fish may still be slightly raw on the inside.

Remove the mold. With a professional hand gesture, sprinkle some chopped herbs on top in front of the guests or the flatmates. (In an emergency, use very finely chopped salad, no one will notice). Everyone is grateful, Wednesday has become a beautiful day!

Variations:

• Sheep's cheese instead of fish. Or prawns instead of fish.
• A few capers are always fancy too.
• Marinate the mushrooms in the same way as the fish and put them on top right from the start.
• If you don't have time to make the polenta: cook the pasta and simply mix everything together at the end. (Then add a little more tomato or some from the tin to make it moist enough). And add some pasta cooking water.
• Rice or simply bread. Also goes well.

Ingredients Kaiserschmarrn:

200 g flour
30 g sugar
1 pinch of salt
4 eggs
0.3 l milk
Butter or clarified butter for the pan (to taste)
If you like: raisins or almonds

Apple compote ingredients:

Apples
Water (not too much, add more if necessary)
Cinnamon stick
Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it - season to taste!)

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized tomatoes or 3 handfuls of date tomatoes
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno chili, if you like it hot
500-750 ml stock
Some marjoram and 1-2 bay leaves
Various garnishes and corn tortillas or tortilla chips

Side dishes:

• Feta cheese
• Crème fraiche
• Avocado cubes
• lime wedges
• fresh coriander
• roasted passilla chillis (without seeds). Passillas are dried chillis that contribute a slightly bitter but important flavor. However, other dried chillis can also be used.

Ingredients:

350 g flour
1 egg
10-12 cl lukewarm water
1 teaspoon fine salt
5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
50-60 g butter
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Mix the salt with the flour. Pour the flour in heaps onto a marble slab and gradually mix in the egg, beaten with a fork, and the lukewarm water. Knead until you have a firm pasta dough. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible using a rolling pin (if using a pasta machine, set the thickness to the penultimate notch), cut into 3 x 4 cm rectangles using a pasta cutter or pasta wheel and leave to air dry. Heat a large pan of salted water and cook the pasta until al dente.

Drain well and season with butter, Parmesan cheese and cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Tip: To distribute the cinnamon evenly, it is best to mix it with the grated Parmesan beforehand.