With our best wishes for you and your families, we would like to thank you for your continued trust throughout 2018!

Mit den besten Wünschen für Sie und Ihre Familie, möchten wir herzlich Danke sagen für Ihr Vertrauen in diesem Jahr!

Avec nos meilleurs voeux pour vous et votre famille, nous vous remercions pour la confiance que vous nous avez accordée en 2018! This is Nexell !! It is with pride that the Nexell team and I have prepared this cook book, Christmas card. There is a backstory as to what brought us here, almost one year later. It all started in 2017, when we all celebrated Nexell’s 15th anniversary. The family of one of our team members was diagnosed with ALS. Nothing nice can be said about the situation except we were struggling to see what we could do to help, all of us feeling helpless. Overhearing in one of our many discussions, that simple things, like helping to eliminate daily chores and having a meal prepared, provides much needed relief to the family. This turned into our end of year Nexell team event, where our Angels prepared a number of recipes, in large quantities, packed and frozen, ready to be consumed, when a little relief in the form of a good, healthy & nutritious meal was needed. In your hand is the first edition, with a compilation of said recipes, as well as a few more, to help spice up the holidays and the coming year. This is Nexell!! - with a little personal touch. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did trying these recipes, and preparing this booklet for you. More can be ordered, free of charge at www.nexell.net/thisisnexell. Bonne Appetit !! John Sas (HC – Head Chef) on behalf of the whole Nexell Team Recipes Königsberger Klopse 02 Züri-Gschnätzlets 04 Escondidinho de mandioca 06 Andalusian Gazpacho 08 Strammer Max 09 Mango Chicken 12 Tabbouleh Salad 14 Salmon filet on its bed of leeks 16 Kale with sweet fried potatoes 17 Indonesian Chicken Satay 20 Chestnut Purée Fondant 22 Roasted Chicken 24 alla Trapanese 26 Le Ndolé Camerounais 27 Stuffed Vegetable “Petits farcis” 29 Notes 31 ANDRE

Warum dieses Gericht? Als kleiner Junge bis ins Teenageralter bin ich jedes Jahr mit meiner Mutter meine Grossmutter in Deutschland (Nordrheinwestfalen) besuchen gefahren. Das Rezept wurde über Generationen von der Mutter an die Tochter weitergegeben. Es war von kleinauf mein Lieblingsgericht und durfte während unseres Besuches nie fehlen!

Es ist ein einfaches Rezept, typische Hausmannskost, und schmeckt sehr lecker. Übrigens schmeckt es am zweiten Tag aufgewärmt noch viel besser!

Als ich meine Frau Silvia kennenlernte bin ich sprichwörtlich auf den Hund gekommen. Nach etlichen Damaltinern (einmal hatten wir sogar einen «wilden» Wurf mit 8 Welpen) haben wir uns jetzt für eine Cockapoo-Dame (American Cocker Spaniel- und Pudelmischung) entschieden und geniessen mit Miley eines unserer liebsten Hobbies: das Wandern in den Bergen.

01 “Königsberger Klopse” or Meatballs Koenigsberg style

Ingredients meatballs:

500 g

1 mince (pork and beef) 3 egg tbsp br 1 eadcrumbs onion, finely chopped Salt, pepper , Aromat, Maggy

Ingredients sauce:

100 g butter, in fine slices 4 tbs flour 3 tbs capers 1 l water 1/2 lemon (juice)

Salt, pepper, Aromat 1 egg yolk

How to do it:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and shape medium sized balls (10-12)

2. Heat the butter in a pan (liquid) and add the flour. With the wooden spoon sweat the flour in the butter (do not let it turn brown!)

3. Stir 1 liter of water with the wire whisk bit by bit (it should not clump up) and season it (including lemon juice). Add capers.

4. Put the meatballs into the sauce and let it cook on a low heat for one hour.

5. Before serving, put the egg yolk in a coffee cup, mix with 3-4 tablespoons of sauce and return to the sauce. Finish!

SIDE DISH: boiled potatoes TIME: approx. 35 min. QUANTITY: 4 people

02 CLAUDIA

Als ausgewanderte Deutsche und gefühlte Halbschweizerin gibt es viele Schweizer Gerichte, die ich gerne habe, vor allem mit Käse. Züri-Gschnätzlets ist dennoch eines meiner Schweizer Lieblingsgerichte, da es mich an meine Kindheit erinnert: ein typisches Sonntagsgericht mit Fleisch, viel Sauce (oooh ja!) und einer leckeren Beilage.

Als Naturkind liebe ich es, meine Mahlzeiten mit Kräutern aus dem heimischen Garten sowie mit Wildkräutern und Wiesenblumen “aufzupeppen”. Noch etwas unbedarft auf dem Gebiet?

Einfach mal ausprobieren: nebst der Petersilie, etwas Wiesensalbei und eine Rotklee- oder Gänseblümchenblüte - ein Genuss! Sieht übrigens nicht nur schön aus sondern ist obendrein auch sehr gesund!

Ingredients:

“Bratbutter” or rapeseed oil for frying 800g sliced veal (à la minute) 1 tbsp flour 0.75 tsp salt Little pepper 1 onion, finely chopped ooms, in fine slices 200 g mushr 1 dl white wine 2.5 dl cream oth 1 dl meat br 1 tbsp Maizena Salt, as needed Pepper, as needed , finely chopped 3 tbsp flat-leaved parsley

03 “Züri-Gschnätzlets” or Diced veal Zurich style

How to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 60 degrees, preheat plates. 2. Heat Bratbutter/ rapeseed oil in a frying pan. Fry the meat in portions for approx. 3 minutes, dust with a little flour, then remove the meat, season it and keep warm. Reduce heat, possibly add a little bit of butter. 3. Fry the onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes 4. Pour the wine, simmer almost completely, mix the cream, bouillon and Maizena well, pour into it, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cook for roughly 3 minutes, season. 5. Add the meat and half of the parsley, just let it get hot. Serve on plates, sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Side dish: Rösti/ fried grated potatoes

Time: approx. 35 min.

Quantity: 4 people

04 DANIEL

Brazilian-Italian living in Switzerland. Helping clients to solve challenges is what motivates me on a daily basis.

After work, 4 times a week I train Jiu-jitsu (martial art) which is great to enhance my problem solving skills needed at the office.

At the office everyone knows that Google and Youtube are my best friends. Last winter I learned how to ski watching YouTube videos, it worked quite well, but lets see what comes next season!

I recommend this recipe because maniok is really a traditional and tasty carbohydrate in Brazil. At home, we always do it to feel closer to our roots.

05 Escondidinho de mandioca

Ingredients:

1kg Manioc 1 tbs Butter 500g Ground beef 150g Bacon (sliced) 1 Onion 1 Tomato 1 Red pepper 1 Tomato sauce (Barilla basilico if possible) 1 head (we use 2 or 3 cloves) 100g Grana padano/parmigiano r 250g Käsekuchen-Mischung (Migreggiano grated Salt o Classic) Olive oil ( we use one table spoon)

How to do it:

1. Peel and cook the manioc using a pressure cooker for 25-30 min 2. While they are still hot, mash them in a bowl and put to the side. 3. Heat the butter and sauté the garlic and onions until translucent 4. Add the tomatoes, red pepper and cook for about 2 minutes 5. Add the ground beef and cook until browned (about 10 minutes) 6. Add the tomato sauce and cook for more 3-4 minutes 7. Add ½ of the grana padano, mix and reserve. 8. In a baking dish spread half of the mashed manioc 9. Spread the ground beef sauce in a second layer 10. Spread the sliced bacon over the ground beef sauce 11. Create a layer with Appenzeller cheese 12. Spread one more layer with the manioc 13. Cover with the Käsekuchen-mischung and the rest of the grana padano 14. Bake for 30min at 180C

TIME: 60 Min.

QUANTITY: 8 portions

06 DAVID

Let’s go straight to the point, I have 2 passions in life: food and unique experiences. Be aware that unique food experiences could tick both boxes at once. Among some of the nice experiences I took off from my bucket list, you will find: skydiving, swimming with dolphins, climbing on top of the Empire State building, attending a Chicago Bulls game, or becoming a father.

Before you ask, no, I am not Spanish. But I lived in Andalusia and this kind of refreshing but tasty dish is ideal under hot temperatures. The other good thing about gazpacho is that you can tweak it with extra ingredients: garlic, onion, parsley, mint. Feel free to give it a try and enjoy!

07 Andalusian Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 6 medium size ripe tomatoes, about 800-900 grams • 3 red bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into chunks • 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks • 3 dessert spoon olive oil • 2 dessert spoon sherry vinegar • 1 toasted slice of bread • Salt to taste • to taste

Steps:

1. Peel tomatoes Chef’s tip: bring water to boil, make a cross or x cut on each tomato, place them in the boiling water for a couple of minutes until they start to peel. 2. Remove the tomatoes from the hot water, dive them in a bowl full of ice cold water, and remove the skin. 3. Place the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, bread, and salt in a blender. Blend until you obtain a smooth consistency 4. Pour the gazpacho mix into a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours. 5. Stir in the sherry vinegar and olive oil right before serving

08 “Strammer Max” or Strapping Max - the luxury version

Ingredients:

4 4 scallops, raised 4 quail eggs 4 slices of bacon, smoked (very thinly sliced, ask butcher) slices of rye baguette 30 g Imperial caviar 40 g 1 of creme fraiche lime, or ganic sea-salt black pepper olive oil flour

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. 2. Rinse the scallops with cold water and pat dry. Put a slice of bacon across each scallop and encase, with the bacon ends ending up on top, lightly dust with flour. 3. Fill crème fraîche into a small bowl, it is served separately as a dip. 4. Marinate the slices of bread with olive oil and put them in the preheated oven at 170 degrees celsius and roast for 4-7 minutes. 5. Carefully open the quail eggs and fry in a pan with a little olive oil, with little salt, as a fried egg. 6. Now sauté the scallops on the dusted side for one to two minutes, then turn and finish frying for another few minutes. 7. Grate the lime peel.

FOR SERVING:

In the end, cut the scallops horizontally into halves, lightly season with salt and pepper, put the fried eggs over it, spread some lime over it. Spread the caviar with a little crème fraiche on a slice of rye baguette and add to it.

QUANTITY: 4 portions

09 “Strammer Max” or Strapping Max - the luxury version HEIKO

Der Strammer Max wird in Hamburg gerne als deftiger Imbiss gegessen. Eine Scheibe Graubrot wurde mit Rührei und Gurken belegt, in anderen Varianten konnte es auch Fleisch mit etwas Sauce sein, das vom Vortag übriggeblieben war.

Ich liebe diese Variante, weil die Jakobmuschel und der Kaviar eine unübersehbare Verbindung zu Hamburg und dem Meer herstellt. Zusammen mit dem flüssigen Eigelb des Spiegeleis ergibt sich ein wunderbarer Geschmack. Ein Glas Weisswein dazu – fertig!

Es muss im übrigen nicht echter Kaviar sein. Es gibt heute gute Ersatzprodukte, die diesem Gericht einen schönen Pfiff geben …

10 JOHN

Travel is our passion, and my wife Anneli and I both ensure we maximize our holiday time. The running joke at Nexell is my newly “inherited” title, CHO - Nexell’s Chief Holiday Officer. I can live with it, and accept it with pleasure.

This year for us was special, celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary with 3 weeks in Thailand, starting in Bangkok and visiting the south. We have to go back, with so much more to see. We loved it !!

My selected recipe for our first edition, Mango Chicken, is not from Thailand, but really could be. Easy to make, tropical, as spicy as you want and guar- anteed to put a smile on your guests faces. Also good to freeze and serve again. Enjoy !

11 Mango Chicken

Ingredients:

1.2 kg

1 Chicken br 1 tsp Butter - (to eastsfry) Sambal Oelek 2 dl 1 Water (may need more) 2 tbsp Cube chicken bouillon (do not dilute)

1 Soya Leek (Lauch) 4 dl Crème Fraiche (maybe more, depending on how much 4 tbsp sauce you want)

1 Mango Chutney Mango

How to do it:

1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. 2. Fry the chicken in butter and put aside into big pot / casserole. 3. Add Sambal, Soya & bouillon cube. 4. Cover and cook for 15 min. 5. Cut Leek into pieces, separate rings and put into pot. 6. Add crème fraiche & mango chutney into pot. 7. Let the whole thing cook for 5 more min. 8. Cut the mango into small pieces and put into the pot before serving. 9. Serve with rice and mango chutney (sambal for extra spicy).

Side dish: Rice

Prep time: ca: 15-20 min

Cook time: ca: 30 Min.

Quantity: 8 portions

12 JULIANNE

As a Swiss born with Oriental roots I appreciate the beauty of nature, being outdoors while blazing new trails. For me it is very important to stay constantly curious, mindful & thankful for everything. I love to hike in order to rewind, start new journeys and adventures. The Swiss Mountains are my inspiration. Even if I love to travel, home is always the most heartfelt place.

We all know, food connects people and represents cultures. The middle eastern kitchen is in my DNA and represents the closest home to me. One of my favorite recipes is Tabbouleh. You can eat it basically with everything, also as a side. Sometimes I prepare it for my hiking lunch pack as it needs no cooling and it will stay fresh with all its ingredients. There are many other Aramaic specialities of course, but a little more difficult to prepare. If you like the flavour of the salad, I am happy to share those with you too.

A perfect symphony of colour, taste and creativity. Life has to be a variety of all these.

Taudi u haniye

Thank you and enjoy

13 Tabbouleh Salad

Ingredients:

To cook the bulgur wheat water 1 ½ dl bulgur

50 g sea salt ½ tsp een parts, cut into thin rings Salad spring onions incl. gr 2 , deseeded, diced tomatoes, diced , finely chopped 2 slicing cucumber 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley 1 bunch peppermint, finely chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped 1 organic lemon, use grated zest and juice 1 olive oil 3 tbsp

To cook the bulgur wheat

Bring the water and bulgur wheat to the boil, season with salt, reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 5 mins. Remove the pan from the heat, leave to stand for approx. 5 mins., drain, allow to cool slightly.

Salad

Mix the onions with all the remaining ingredients. Mix in the bulgur wheat, cover and leave to infuse for approx. 30 mins.

TIME: 50 Min. | Active: 20 Min.

QUANTITY: 4 people vegan, lactose-free

14 JULIEN

I love (board) sliding sports and nature and those two go very well together!

Whether it’s skiing down the Alps or wakeboarding on a lake, I love the thrill of the ride and the speed, it’s a lot of fun!

I also appreciate nice landscape views, what better to stare at splendorous mountains or at your surrounding in the middle of a lake. We are so fortunate in the region since we have both lakes and nearby mountains, a true heaven!

You could even yourself go fishing the salmon for the dish in one of my native Brittany’s rivers, and for the veggies, you could either pick up the leeks you grew yourself in your garden or go wander in one of our markets for fresh produce.

This meal has many qualities, it’s healthy, fast and simple to cook (you don’t have to be a chef and at the end, you can pretend you are ;-) )

After this nice lunch, what better idea than to go surfing waves while enjoying the sunset on the ocean of our beautiful Brittany!

Total time: 40 minutes Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes

Utensils: -1 frying pan -1 pan -1 lid - aluminum foil -1 knife -1 oven

Ingredients for 4: thick slices of Salmon

4 leeks 4 ème fraîche of thick cr 20 cl Pepper Salt Olive oil limes

2 fresh dill

15 Salmon filet on its bed of leeks

Step 1 Cut the leeks into slices (all the white and a little green, about 3 centimeters), wash them and melt them in a pan with the oil, lid closed, so that they do not grill (about 15 minutes)

Step 2 Before the end of cooking, add salt and pepper as you please.

Step 3 Arrange these leeks in a baking dish, cover with salmon filets on top of which you added the dill, which can also be peppered if you like, and cover with cream.

Step 4 Close the dish as tightly as possible with aluminum foil, and put in the oven on middle rack at 220o F for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the salmon.

Step 5 final touch! I personally add freshly pressed lime on top

Enjoy your meal!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Julien

16 Kale with Kasseler and sweet fried potatoes

Ingredients:

margarine 2 Kg fresh kale, or corresponding amount of frozen kale 800 g potatoes, waxy 3 onions

Water, at will (rather less in beginning and refill) 4 slices of Kasseler 4 piece(s) of sausage (Cabanossi) salt and pepper sugar

How to do it:

1. Clean the kale, wash it and cut into pieces. 2. Bring to boil with an onion and a little water. 3. Add Kasseler neck and sausages and cook together. 4. When the cabbage is cooked, add little salt (if necessary, Kasseler and sausage bring a lot of salt) and pepper. 5. Do not cook the potatoes too soft. Peel and quarter (do not cut into slices!) and, fry in margarine. Season with salt. When roasted, sprinkle well with sugar until brown and sugar caramelized. Make sure you take enough sugar, it tastes great to the acerbic kale. The potatoes are crispy and do not taste like sugar.

Time: about 1.5 hours with frozen curly Kale. Otherwise longer.

Quantity: 4 people

17 MARIUS

Aus dem hohen Norden kommend habe ich vor langer Zeit die Grenzen getauscht: Aus Dänemark wurde die Schweiz, aus der Ostsee der Bodensee und aus Flensburg wurde Konstanz. Das geschah nicht zuletzt des schönes Wetters wegen…

Und wenn mir hier auch einfach alles toll gefällt, gibt doch auch einiges, was ich aus meiner Heimat mitgenommen habe. So trinke ich zum Beispiel gerne mal ein herbes Bier und es vergeht kein Winter ohne Grünkohl. Dazu trinke ich natürlich ein Flensburger Pilsener...

Grünkohl ist zum Glück recht einfach zuzubereiten, wenn man wie ich den Grünkohl fertig in Gläsern kauft.

18 MICHELLE

I’m half British and half Swiss, love to travel (42 countries so far!) and I learned this recipe from an Indonesian chef, but in Perth, Australia of all places. What could be a more perfect representation of our modern multicultural lives. The dish and experience of learning it is very me: I love to cook, especially Asian food, and often ask to go into the kitchen of a restaurant to learn how a chef did something.

The particularly good thing about this recipe is that it’s the only tasty satay recipe I know that does not require any marinating, so you can just decide to do it without any planning. Perfect for a quick meal after work or for unexpected guests.

If I’m making it for my children I sprinkle the chicken with paprika instead of chilli, and then I don’t add the chilli sauce at step 5 and instead, I add it at the end, after I’ve removed the children’s portions.

Enjoy, bon appétit, en guete, nikmati makan anda.

19 Indonesian Chicken Satay

Ingredients:

4 large or 5 small chicken breasts, sliced into strips 1 tbsp Chilli powder 3 tbsp coconut or vegetable or sunflower oil 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 2 tbsp hot chilli sauce 200 ml coconut milk 1 tsp brown sugar (white will do if you don’t have brown) ¼ tsp salt

Method

1. Lay the chicken strips on a board or plate and lightly sprinkle them with hot chilli powder. 2.  Put 3 tablespoons of coconut or vegetable or sunflower oil into a large frying pan or wok. Get the oil really hot and then fry 4 or 5 strips of the chicken at a time. Frying a few at a time instead of the whole lot keeps the oil hotter and seals the meat better. 3. When each batch is cooked, lift out of the oil and put on a plate. Keep the strips warm in the oven or under a very low grill. If you start running out of oil and the pan is getting dry, add another tablespoon of oil. 4.  Lower the heat on the hob to medium. 5.  Lift the pan off the heat while you add the next two ingredients (an important tip - otherwise the peanut butter scorches before you get a chance to mix it in and you end up making something that looks like mud! p.s. if this does happen, it still tastes OK - it just doesn’t look great!). Put 2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of hot chilli sauce into the still warm pan (you don’t need to remove any remaining oil first - just leave it in the pan). Mix them together until they form a paste. The heat the pan still carries should be enough to mix them. 6. Put the pan back on the medium hob and slowly pour in about 200ml of coconut milk, stirring all the time. 7. Stir in one teaspoon of brown sugar (white will do if you don’t have brown). 8. Stir in 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt. 9.  When the sauce is starting to steam, just before it bubbles, tip the chicken strips back into the pan with the sauce. 10.  Stir well and when the sauce starts to bubble and/or the oil separate reduce the hob heat to low and keep stirring. 11.  Allow the chicken to heat through in the sauce for about 5 minutes and then serve.

I like this served best with basmati rice, simple and classic. But it goes with pretty much any rice or noodles you fancy. You can substitute the chicken for turkey or prawns if you wish. 20 PIERRE

My wife and I are mountaineers. Luckily we live close enough to the mountains to enjoy our passion. We take any opportunity to go hiking, skiing, and climb the nearby summits. Above all we prefer glacier walks and high altitude skiing.

In my free time you can also find me play Irish music in pubs in Annecy. Cooking is another passion which sometimes fits perfectly well with being in the mountains!

My wife and I discovered this cake in a tea house located in a French ski resort. We used to go there after cold ski days and have this heartwarming cake with a hot chocolate drink. The tea house lady would never give us the recipe, so we decided to find it by ourselves. After many attempts, here it is!

21 Chestnut Purée Fondant

Ingredients:

4 eggs 500 g chestnut pur ée 2 tbsp flour ½ tsp powdered vanilla 120 g soft butter 3 tbsp white rum

Steps:

1. Separate the egg yolks from the white 2. Beat the egg whites until stiff 3. Mix all the ingredients (egg whites last) 4. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 min depending on the cake tin size (temperature 180°) 5. Will taste better if you let it cool down to ambient temperature 22 RAPHAEL

I love this recipe as it is easy to cook and there are not too many dishes to clean up after cooking. The flavour of coriander and ginger is heavily used in the Asian kitchen that I love and know it well because of my travels to Vietnam. To combine ginger and coriander with „our“ Swiss potatoes is awesome. Even if you are only preparing it for 1 Person it is worth the effort.

23 Roasted chicken breast with lemony Bombay potatoes

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. 2. Peel and chop the potato into 2.5cm cubes. Cook in boiling salted water for 6 minutes, then drain well and steam dry. 3. Add the turmeric and cumin to a bowl, then grate in half the lemon zest. Pick, roughly chop and add the coriander leaves. 4. Deseed and roughly chop the pepper and peel and matchstick the ginger, then add to the bowl. 5. Cut 2 slices of lemon and set aside. Squeeze a little juice from the remainder of the lemon into the bowl. 6. Shake the potatoes up in the colander and add them to the bowl, along with the chicken. Drizzle with oil and season with sea salt and black pepper, then toss everything around to coat. 7. Remove the chicken from the bowl, then tip the potato mixture into a baking dish (roughly 10cm x 15cm) and spread out into a single layer. Top with the lemon slices, then drape over the chicken. 8. Drizzle with oil, then cook in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

For 1 person

Ingredients: potatoes 200 g ound turmeric teaspoon gr ¼ ound cumin teaspoon gr ½ lemon 1 esh coriander a few sprigs of fr

red pepper ½ piece of ginger 2 cm free-range chicken breast 1 olive oil

24 SALVATORE

In my past lives I had the luck and fun to travel a lot and especially in so called “Cold Countries”, developing new skills and hobbies. Coming to live in france, in Haute Savoie, I have discovered a new hobby...and quite unthinkable for a Sicilian man...Snowboarding. As soon as there is enough snow...I never miss the occasion to ride my board in a slope 20 minutes walk from where I live.”

“Being a truly Sicilian guy, I do really miss my Home Land, My Sea...My Warm Sunny Days...my Roots. Whenever I feel that a cold and rainy day could chill me too much...I rediscover dishes from my tradition, from my Past. For this reason I have chosen Busiate as “Comfort Dish” as it is strictly related to Trapani

Each region in Italy has its own pasta shape, and in western around Trapani this is busiate. Like other fresh pasta from the south of Italy it is made from durum wheat flour (semola di grano duro rimacinato) and water only, no eggs. Although it is also available dried, busiate are best when freshly made. Homemade busiate are thin hollow tubes of pasta, about 7 cm (3") in length and with a diameter of about 4 mm (1/6"). Fancier types have the same dimensions, but resemble telephone cord.

The Reason why I chose this recipe is simple: It represents my roots, my heritage...my Tradition. Almonds, within the recipe, were brought by the Arabs. Garlic and Tomatoes by the Greeks.

Being Trapani a port in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and in front of the North African coasts, it had many influences either historical, cultural and of course in “Cuisine”.

25 Busiate alla Trapanese

Ingredients:

For 2 large servings or 4 small servings

300 g

250 g busiate (pasta)

125 ml (1 1/2 cups) semola di grano dur

300 g (1/2 cup) water (.66 lbs) ripe plum tomatoes 50 g o rimacinato 1 (1/3 cup) blanched almonds big purple auber extra vir 6-12 gin olive oilgine (sliced and fried) 1 basil leaves, plus mor clove garlic e for garnish salt freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. T o make the alla trapanese, start by toasting the almonds for 10 minutes in the oven preheated at 180C/350F. 2. Meanwhile, remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes. 3.  Chop the almonds in a blender or food processor, or with a chef’s knife. 4.  Reserve about 1/4 of the chopped almonds (the coarser bits) for garnish. 5. Y ou can continue to make the pesto in the blender or food processor, or move over to pestle and mortar. Start with the basil and some salt. 6.  Use the pestle and mortar to reduce this to a smooth paste. 7. Add chopped garlic, chopped almonds, and some olive oil, and process it to a coarse paste. 8. Add the tomatoes as well. You need a large mortar :) 9. The pesto is done when it has a slightly coarse consistency. You could also make it the day before and allow to flavors to develop in the refrigerator. 10.  Boil the busiate in ample salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Start tasting the busiate for doneness after 6 minutes or so. Heat up a wide non-stick frying pan over low heat and add the drained busiate and the pesto alla trapanese. 11.  Add the sliced and fried purple aubergine...just on top...to garnish. A real “Trapanese” loves, literally goes bonkers for fried aubergines! 12. Toss to mix.

Serve on warm plates, sprinkled with the reserved chopped almonds and some basil. You could also add some freshly ground black pepper if you like.

Wine pairing: BERBARÒ – GRILLO – SICILIA D.O.C. 13,00% vol 26 VICKY

I was born and raised in Douala, Cameroon and living in Europe for decades now. There are 3 cornerstones on which I base my personal and professional fulfilment: My high interest and curiosity for innovative technologies. My passion for the sustainable development of my continent Africa and my passion for giving back to the community.

In addition to that, I am a world frequent traveler, I love foreign cultures and languages and during my time in Bavaria Germany I was called the “Bavarian African”. Other high interests of mine are my friends and family, cooking, entertaining, acting, interior design, dancing, nordic walking, fitness and wellness.

I recommend this dish because it represents the pride of a whole region of Cameroon, my lovely home country.

Le Ndolé Camerounais:

Direction:

Step 1: Boil the leaves of ndolé in a large pot filled with water with a little rock salt. After boiling, remove the leaves of Ndolé using a colander and change the water (repeat this at least 2 times). This step will remove the bitterness from the leaves of Ndolé.

Step 2: Boil the peanuts for 15 minutes, then let them cool. Then make a dough with a little water in the food processor or mortar.

Step 3: Heat the oil and fry onions, add garlic and pepper. Add the meat and brown for a few minutes.

Step 4: Add peanut paste and water. Allow the meat and peanut paste to cook for at least 40 minutes.

Step 5: Add the Ndolé leaves, then the dried crayfish, salt, bouillon cube and chilli. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the sauce occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve with miondo also called cassava stick, plantain bananas or rice - accompanied by a good red wine. Enjoy your meal!

27 Le Ndolé Camerounais:

Ingredients:

3 balls of Ndolé (bitterleaf) or spinach 500 g beef (or meat of your choice), cut into pieces 2 onions, chopped 400 g peanuts, peeled 2 tbsp dried crayfish 1 bouillon cube (Maggi), optional 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 200 ml of oil (peanut, sunflower or palm) salt and pepper and pepper 5 l of water , according to your taste

28 Stuffed Vegetable “Petits farcis”

Ingredients for 6 pers.:

3 3 round zucchinis 3 firm tomatoes 3 red peppers 300 g eggplants of minced white ham 400 g 6 of meat stuf cloves of garlicfing (Beef & veal usually) 1 Bread crumbs egg Basil Parseley Olive oil salt and pepper

Preparation:

Rinse and slice all the vegetables in two in their length. With a knife and a spoon, dig out most of the vegetable pulp. Keep it all except the seeds and white parts of the red peppers and tomatoes. Mince all that pulp and mix it with the meat, minced basil, parseley and garlic, the egg, salt, pepper and 4 tsp of olive oil. Make a homogeneous mix. Stuff the vegetables with it and drizzle on top your bread crumbs and a few drops of olive oil. These go in your pre-heated oven 180c° (350F°) for 1H30. Check the vegetable’s toppings after 45 mins., it just needs a little browning. If necessary reduce temperature. Serve warm with fresh lettuce or some rice.

29 Stuffed Vegetable “Petits farcis” VINCENT

About this dish:

Having grown up in the south region of France called Provence, I have always enjoyed our local cuisine which is very Mediterranean influenced. It is often vegetable based with some kind of meat so everyone enjoys it! This recipe has a special meaning for me because it is the one that my mother used to cook several times during the summer and that the whole family was so excited about. Don’t forget to serve a local rosé wine from the Aix-en-Provence region because it is a perfect combination. Enjoy!

30 NOTES

31 NOTES

32