Enjoy! #12 Autumn/Winter 2018 EN

EN - #12 autumn/winter

MAGAZINE

BACK TO NATURE

WITH ANTS UUSTALU ---The chef’s region Flavourful stews The perfect terrine Fantastically vegan

INSPIRATION Big Green Egg • food • culinary voyage of discovery through Europe • recipes • outdoor • sustainable • enjoyment • educational • culinary heroes

Everyone loves the characteristic flavour of ingredients and dishes cooked on the Big Green Egg. With its versatile cooking techniques, user friendliness and durability, The Original is a unique and unparalleled cooking appliance that will delight you and impress your family and friends. That is why so many professional chefs are mad about the Big Green Egg. They look for top quality in ingredients as well as equipment. One of these chefs is Ants Uustalu.

‘I wasn’t too keen on barbecues until I became acquainted with the Big Green Egg about 8 years ago. I once took part in a grill event together with some of my chef friends. At the end of the day, most of the meat was burnt and everyone was tipsy. The only conclusion I could draw was that barbecues were not my thing.

All this changed when I was introduced to the Big Green Egg. Now I am completely sold. It is so much more than a simple barbecue. In the first few years, when I worked in a restaurant in Tallinn and spent my free time here in the country in Kuimetsa, I only used my EGG at home. In 2013 I opened Ööbiku Gastronoomiatalu and started using my EGG in a professional capacity. I knew it would be a valuable addition to my kitchen. It proved so valuable that I soon bought a second EGG. Besides giving food a fabulous flavour, the EGG can be used for so many different cooking techniques.

My EGGs also come in useful during catering events. I just roll them into the trailer and set up my own kitchen on site in no time.

As you see, I am a big fan of the EGG. And I have not even mentioned its reliability, temperature control and durability. Once the ingredients are placed on the EGG, I can leave it and go back to the kitchen. This is the case with my leg of lamb recipe on page 17. It doesn’t need checking for another two hours.

The Big Green Egg does all the work, leaving me to focus on something else.

With just one batch of charcoal, I can cook at a temperature of around 100°C for approximately 23 hours. In winter, too. In the EGG it makes no difference if the outdoor temperature is +20°C or -20°C. The result is always the same.’

Ants Uustalu Head chef at Ööbiku Gastronoomiatalu Kuimetsa, Estonia

COLOFON

Enjoy! is published by Big Green Egg Europe BV Leemolen 80 2678 MH De Lier The Netherlands E-mail: enjoy@biggreenegg.eu www.biggreenegg.eu EDITORIAL STAFF Inge van der Helm RECIPES Coen van Dijk, Karen Torosyan, Ants Uustalu, Ruud Jansen, Maurice Mulder, Ralph de Kok and Leonard Elenbaas.

CONCEPT & REALISATION Big Green Egg Europe BV PHOTOGRAPHY Sven ter Heide, Femque Schook, Benjamin Arthur and Lauri Laan.

DISTRIBUTION Big Green Egg Europe BV

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ENJOY!

PRINTING Rodi Rotatiedruk

The reproduction of articles from Enjoy! is only permitted with the prior written permission of Big Green Egg Europe. This publication was prepared with the utmost care. However, neither the authors nor Big Green Egg Europe are liable for any loss or damage in connection with the information published in this issue.

Big Green Egg®, EGG®, convEGGtor®, MiniMax™ and EGGmitt® are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Big Green Egg inc. © 2018 Big Green Egg Europe Enjoy! #12 autumn/winter 2018

Recipe index 04

Mini burgers with a maxi taste

06

Brioche buns

08

Stifado with smoked fish

09 11 14 16 17

EN - #12 autumn/winter

18

Grilled veal schnitzels with Stroganoff sauce

14

Hash with melted cheese Perch in salt crust with roasted tomatoes and herb oil Luke warm salad of duck ham with roasted and grilled vegetables Grilled leg of lamb with roasted vegetables Lamb tartare with roe and smoked aioli

18

Smoked mackerel fillets with lime mayonnaise Moroccan chicken with smoked beetroot couscous Banana smoked in cedar wood with chocolate, pistachio and coconut, served with vanilla ice cream

22 24 27 28 29

Farmer’s terrine

20 25

5

Farmer's terrine with fried kohlrabi & mustard cream Ribeye smoked on hay with toasted pine nuts and walnuts and a herb coulis Cauliflower curry with chickpeas and grilled aubergine Spring rolls with green asparagus and peanut sauce Grilled seitan steak with roast potatoes

12

4

And further…

The chef’s region - Back to nature with Ants Uustalu Productinformation The success behind Big Green Egg

30

Maintenance

31

Next time in Enjoy!

5 PIECE EGGSPANDER KIT Do you want to grill a juicy piece of fish while roasting vegetables and baking mini-cakes for dessert at the same time? Are you planning on using your EGG to make a delicious breakfast of pancakes and grilled fruit or toast, with a fried egg and roasted tomatoes? Or would you just like to increase your cooking area? Then the new 5 Piece EGGspander Kit is just what you need!

Your Big Green Egg is an all-round cooker. It lets you fry, roast, stew, grill, bake and smoke foods. Or maybe

you’d like to prepare your dishes low & slow, or caveman style. Thanks to the 5 Piece EGGspander Kit, it’s a cinch to deploy various cooking techniques all at the same time.

This new, well thought-out tool set consists of an convEGGtor Basket, which allows you to safely and easily place and remove your convEGGtor, a two-part Multi-Level Rack and two half stainless steel grids. Each product is also available separately.

If you want, you can combine all of these components and, for instance, create different levels in your EGG

New while increasing the grid area. When you add your Half Moon Cast Iron Grid, Baking Stone and the various Half Moon accessories, this system delivers an infinite number of cooking setups. It will stimulate your culinary creativity and help you to get the best out of yourself and your EGG. Take it from us: the EGGspander Kit is the perfect basic must-have for all EGG enthusiasts.

The 5 Piece EGGspander Kit is available for the Large model.

ENJOY!

3

Mini burgers with a maxi taste Do you want to make a good impression at a dinner party, a cocktail party or a big bash? You are bound to score bonus points with these tasty and eye-catching mini burgers in cool colour combinations!

Because of their small size, you can serve a trio of burgers as a main dish or hand them round as finger food at a party. You can bake the buns and prepare the burgers in advance. Then all you have to do is fry the burgers and you are ready to party.

FOR 8 BURGERS

Beetroot burger

For the burgers: 300 g raw beetroots (approx. 3) 2 (banana) shallots 2 cloves of garlic 125 g oatmeal 1 egg 1 tbsp olive oil 125 g feta cheese ½ bunch of basil Other ingredients: 1 red onion 2 tomatoes 4 gherkins 3 tbsp olive oil 8 green brioche buns 10 g rocket 2 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tbsp tomato ketchup

4 ENJOY!

Chicken burger For the burgers: 6 chicken thigh fillets 5 runner beans ½ red chilli pepper 1 bunch of coriander 1 tbsp red curry paste 2 egg yolks For the sauce: 1 clove of garlic 1 unsprayed lime 6 sprigs of mint 150 ml chilli sauce Other ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil ¼ cucumber ½ red pepper 8 quail eggs 8 yellow brioche buns 8 leaves of lollo rosso

Cod burger

For the burgers: 550 g cod fillet, without skin 50 g asparagus beans or green beans 2 kaffir lime leaves ½ egg 3 tsp green curry paste 1 tbsp fish sauce 3 tbsp cornflour For the sauce: 1 young carrot ¼ cucumber 4 sprigs of coriander 2 tbsp roasted peanuts 4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce Other ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil 8 black brioche buns 8 leaves of lollo bianco

Cast Iron Skillet With the Cast Iron Skillet it doesn’t matter how much time you have on your hands. This cast iron all-rounder is perfect for quickly sealing meat or letting it braise or stew for hours on end. You could make sirloin steaks, Indonesian Rendang, a potato gratin or a casserole. Time to spare? You could also prepare a lovely dessert, such as a cobbler or clafoutis, in the Cast Iron Skillet. There is also a Cast Iron Skillet for the Big Green Egg MiniMax.

BEETROOT BURGER Preparation in advance: 15 minutes (excluding 30 minutes for cooling) Preparation: 30 minutes

CHICKEN BURGER Preparation in advance: 15 minutes (excluding 30 minutes for cooling) Preparation: 35 minutes

COD BURGER Preparation in advance: 15 minutes (excluding 30 minutes for cooling) Preparation: 30 minutes

Accessories: convEGGtor Cast Iron Skillet

Accessories: convEGGtor Cast Iron Skillet

Accessories: convEGGtor Cast Iron Skillet

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE

❱ Peel the beetroots and chop coarsely. Peel the (banana)

❱ For the burgers, coarsely chop the chicken thigh fillets.

❱ Check the cod fillets for bones and remove them if

shallots and the garlic. Coarsely chop these as well and blend with the beetroots in a food processor using the chopping blades. Don't mash until completely smooth, as the beetroot mix should retain some texture.

Cut the runner beans into very thin slices. Remove the stalk and seeds from the red chilli pepper and finely chop the flesh. Pluck the leaves from the coriander and chop finely.

you find any. Cut the fish into chunks. Thinly slice the beans and the lime leaves. Beat the egg.

❱ Put the beetroot mix in a bowl and stir in the oatmeal,

❱ Blend the pieces of chicken thigh with the curry paste

egg and olive oil. Crumble in the feta, pluck the leaves from the basil and add the basil together with salt and pepper to taste. Knead everything well. Divide the beetroot mix into 8 equal portions of about 80 g and shape them into burgers. Place the beetroot burgers in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frying them.

and egg yolks in a food processor using the chopping blades. Put the chicken mix in a bowl and stir in the runner beans, chilli pepper and half of the coriander until all ingredients are mixed well (keep the rest of the coriander for the sauce). Add salt and pepper to taste.

❱ Meanwhile, peel the red onion and cut into rings.

Slice the tomatoes and slice the gherkins lengthwise.

using the chopping blades. Don't mash until completely smooth, as the fish should retain some texture. Put the fish in a bowl and add the sliced beans, lime leaves, curry paste, fish sauce and cornflour. Knead all ingredients until mixed well. Add as much of the egg as is needed to bind the fish mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. ❱ Divide the fish mix into 8 equal portions of about 80 g

❱ Divide the chicken mix into 8 equal portions of about

PREPARATION ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and, with the convEGGtor, the grid and on top of that the Cast Iron Skillet, heat to 180°C.

❱ Blend the cod chunks briefly in a food processor

80 g and shape them into burgers. Place the burgers in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frying them.

and shape them into burgers. Place the burgers in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frying them. ❱ Meanwhile, for the sauce, peel the carrot and thinly

❱ Meanwhile, for the sauce, peel the garlic and chop it

finely. Grate the zest from the lime, cut the lime in half and squeeze out the juice. Pluck and finely chop the mint. Mix all the sauce ingredients, including the remaining coriander. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

slice it. Cut the cucumber into small cubes. Pluck the leaves from the coriander and chop finely. Finely chop the peanuts. Mix all ingredients for the sauce, except the peanuts. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Store the peanuts in a sealed food container.

❱ Heat the olive oil in the skillet and place the beetroot

burgers in it. Fry them for about 4 minutes on each side until cooked and golden brown. Close the lid of the EGG after each action.

PREPARATION convEGGtor, the grid and on top of that the Cast Iron Skillet, heat to 180°C.

PREPARATION ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and, with the convEGGtor, the grid and on top of that the Cast Iron Skillet, heat to 180°C.

❱ Heat the olive oil in the skillet and place the burgers in it.

❱ Heat the olive oil in the skillet and place the burgers in

Fry them for about 7 minutes on each side until cooked and golden brown. Close the lid of the EGG after each action. Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into slices and the pepper into strips.

it. Fry them for about 4 minutes on each side until cooked and golden brown. Close the lid of the EGG after each action. Meanwhile, stir the chopped peanuts into the sauce.

❱ Remove the burgers from the skillet and break the quail

❱ Halve the brioche buns, place a leaf of lollo bianco and

eggs above the skillet. Close the lid of the EGG and fry the eggs sunny side up for a few minutes.

a burger on the bottom halves, and ladle some sauce over the burger. Cover with the tops of the buns and fix with a cocktail stick if necessary.

❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and, with the

❱ Halve the brioche buns, cover the bottom halves

with the rocket and a beetroot burger, and spoon some mayonnaise and ketchup over the burger. Top with the tomato and gherkin slices and the onion rings. Cover with the tops of the buns and fix with a cocktail stick if necessary.

❱ Halve the brioche buns and cover the bottom halves

with a leaf of lollo rosso and a burger. Ladle some of the sauce over the burger and top with the cucumber slices, pepper strips and a fried egg. Cover with the tops of the buns and fix with a cocktail stick if necessary.

Brioche buns ENJOY!

5

The ideal setup for this dish

Brioche buns

Burgers and brioche buns are a perfect match. You can bake the buns yourself on the Big Green Egg, of course.

That way, they are not only extra tasty but you can also vary the flavour, colour and topping by adding extra ingredients to the basic recipe below. Please keep in mind that if the added ingredients contain additional moisture, extra flour is needed, as indicated for the various recipes. Aim for a total weight of about 75 g per bun. This gives them the perfect size for the small burgers, and the baking time will remain the same.

For 8 buns Preparation in advance: 25 minutes (excluding 90 minutes for rising) Preparation: 40 minutes 112 g butter + extra for greasing 270 g flour + extra for dusting 5 g sea salt 30 g fresh yeast 30 g sugar 150 g egg

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Meanwhile, mix the flour, sea salt, yeast, sugar and egg in a food processor using the dough hook. Pour in the butter and leave the machine on until the dough is flexible and cohesive. Use the probe thermometer to check whether the dough has a temperature of 26°C, so that it will rise well. If the temperature is too low, continue to knead for a bit longer.

s Stainles rid G l e e t S

❱ Flatten each dough ball and round them again by folding the

edges down and tucking underneath. Replace them in the greased container, smooth side up. Again, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water between the dough balls. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for about 1 hour.

PREPARATION ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat with the convEGGtor, the grid and the Baking Stone to 220°C.

on it and close the lid of the EGG. Bake the brioche buns for about 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked. ❱ Remove the brioche buns from the EGG and leave to cool.

Cooking on stone For baking pastry like cakes, breads, pizzas, and roasting of, for example, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and vegetables.

Uses include: Bread / Pizza / Hot chocolate cake Roasting potatoes and vegetables

Give some colour to your bun Yellow brioche buns For the yellow brioche buns, use the same amount of flour as in the basic recipe. As an extra ingredient, add 2 teaspoons of turmeric with the melted butter. When you have rounded the dough for the second time, fill a saucer with water and a saucer with 5 tablespoons of black sesame seeds. Dip the smooth side of the buns in the water and then in the sesame seeds before placing them in the greased container.

Black brioche buns For the black brioche buns, use 390 g of flour. This will make 9 buns and you will have some dough left over.

As an extra ingredient, add 4 g of squid ink with the melted butter. When you have rounded the dough for the second time, fill a saucer with water and a saucer with 5 tablespoons of white sesame seeds. Dip the smooth side of the buns in the water and then in the sesame seeds before placing them in the greased container.

Green brioche buns For the green brioche buns, use 336 g of flour. This will make 9 buns and you will have some dough left over.

As an extra ingredient, purée 80 g of leaf spinach with 80 ml of water in a blender or food processor. Press the purée through a sieve and collect the liquid. Add this liquid together with the melted butter. When you have rounded the dough for the second time, fill a saucer with water and a saucer with 5 tablespoons of poppy seeds.

Dip the smooth side of the buns in the water and then in the poppy seeds before placing them in the greased container.

6

ENJOY!

tor

convEGG

❱ Grease a plastic container with butter. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces of about 75 g. Fold the edges down and tuck underneath to create a nice round shape. Place the dough balls in the greased container, smooth side up, making sure there is enough space between them. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of water between the dough balls to increase air humidity during rising. Cover the container with cling film and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

❱ Lightly dust the Baking Stone with flour. Place the dough balls

Accessories: Instant Read Digital Thermometer convEGGtor Baking Stone

Baking Stone

Ants Uustalu iatalu m o o n o r t s a G u ร รถbik

ENJOY!

7

FLAVOURFUL STEWS SERVES 4

Stifado with smoked fish

8

ENJOY!

Do you ever make stews with your Big Green Egg? Stewing is just one of the many cooking techniques made possible by the EGG. The results are excellent - and the advantage of a stew is that you can just sit back and relax while the ingredients slowly cook. There is plenty of time for the flavours to mingle and for the ingredients to become tender and juicy.

You need a bit of patience before your stew or sauce is ready, but you will be generously rewarded.

GRILLED VEAL SCHNITZELS with Stroganoff sauce

O FAkeD SThIsm o d fish wit

This tasty stew with fish is based on the Greek stew Stifado. In most Stifado recipes the basic ingredients are onions and beef, but in this recipe we will add fish and prawns, smoked on the Big Green Egg. A delicious variation on a proven classic!

Advance preparation time: 15 minutes Preparation time: 80 minutes 1 kg pickled onions or small shallots 2 cloves of garlic 1 bunch of parsley the tops of 3 fennels 80 ml of olive oil 4 bay leaves 5 cloves 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 150 ml (sweet) red wine, such as Mavrodafni 2x 400g tins of tomato cubes 500g fish fillets and shellfish, such as mackerel fillet, red perch fillet, cod fillet and large, unpeeled cooked prawns 1 unsprayed lemon 40 ml red wine vinegar Accessories: convEGGtor Dutch Oven Cherry Wood Chips Grill Wok PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to 140°C. Preheat the Dutch Oven by placing it on the grid when the Big Green Egg has almost reached the right temperature. ❱ Meanwhile, peel the pickled onions or shallots and garlic. Finely chop the garlic.

Pull off the parsley leaves and chop finely.

Do the same with the fennel tops.

PREPARATION ❱ Heat the olive oil in the Dutch Oven.

Add the bay leaves, the cloves and black pepper and leave to simmer for about 2 minutes after closing the lid of the EGG. ❱ Add the onions and garlic and stir. Place the lid on the Dutch Oven, close the lid of the EGG and leave the onions to softly simmer for about 20 minutes. ❱ Now pour the red wine into the pan and mix in the tomato cubes. Leave to simmer for another 20-25 minutes until the onions are done. Meanwhile, soak a generous handful of Cherry Wood Chips in water.

You can make the best tasting Stroganoff sauce using fresh ingredients. We have added an additional flavour enhancer to this recipe. Because, by first grilling the peppers and onion in the Big Green Egg, the Stroganoff sauce will have even more flavour. Would you like to try something else for a change?

Then serve it with grilled beef instead of veal schnitzels.

PREPARATION ❱ Spread the onion and peppers over the grid of the EGG and close the lid. Grill the onion all over and the peppers on both sides until soft and displaying a lovely grill stripe. This will take about 10 minutes.

Advance preparation time: 20 minutes Preparation time: 60 minutes

❱ Heat the sunflower oil in the pan and briefly fry the finely chopped garlic. Add the mushrooms and roasted vegetables and mix in the tomato purée. Leave to fry for a couple of minutes and deglaze with the vodka. Pour the bouillon into the Dutch Oven, mix in the Worcestershire sauce and close the lid of the EGG.

4 veal schnitzels ❱ Then remove the lid from the pan and leave the Stifado to simmer for another 15 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce.

In the meantime, cut the fish fillets into pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice from one half over the fish and prawns.

Place the fish pieces and prawns in the Grill Wok and cut the other half of the lemon into slices or segments. ❱ Remove the Dutch Oven from the EGG. Add the red wine vinegar, the finely chopped parsley, the fennel greens and salt and pepper to taste. Keep back some of the parsley and greens to use as a garnish if desired. Place the lid on the pan to keep the Stifado warm.

Remove the grid and convEGGtor from the EGG, sprinkle the soaked Wood Chips on the glowing charcoal and replace the convEGGtor and the grid. Place the Grill Wok with the fish and prawns on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Leave the fish and prawns to smoke for about 8 minutes. The EGG will still have a temperature of about 140°C. ❱ Remove the wok from the grid and stir the fish and prawns into the Stifado.

Garnish the fish stew with the lemon slices or segments and the remaining parsley and fennel greens if retained.

For the Stroganoff sauce: 2 big onions 1 red pepper 1 green pepper 1 yellow pepper 250 g chestnut mushrooms 2 cloves of garlic 50 ml sunflower oil 2 tbsp tomato purée 50 ml vodka 150 ml beef bouillon 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 100 ml whipping cream Accessories: Cast Iron Grid Dutch Oven Cast Iron Grid Lifter convEGGtor PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the Cast Iron Grid, to a temperature of 200°C. ❱ Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Halve the peppers, remove the stalks and the seeds and cut the flesh in half once again. Cut big mushrooms in quarters, those that are medium-sized in half and leave the small mushrooms as they are. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

❱ Remove the vegetables from the EGG and place the Dutch Oven on the grid. Cut the peppers into strips and the onion into quarter rings.

❱ Wait until the contents of the pan are boiling and remove the Dutch Oven from the EGG. Remove the grid by using the Cast Iron Grid Lifter and place the convEGGtor. Place the stainless steel grid in the EGG with the Dutch Oven on top.

Place the lid on the pan and close the lid of the EGG. Heat to 140°C and leave the Stroganoff sauce to gently simmer for about 15-20 minutes. ❱ Finally, stir in the whipping cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the pan from the EGG. Remove the grid and the convEGGtor from the EGG and replace the Cast Iron Grid. Heat to 200°C. The sauce will keep warm due to the superb heat retention properties of the cast iron Dutch Oven. ❱ Sprinkle the veal schnitzels with salt and pepper. Place the schnitzels on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Turn the meat through 90 degrees after about 2 minutes and close the lid again. Turn the meat over after another 2 minutes and repeat the action to create a lovely grill pattern on both sides. ❱ Serve the Stroganoff with the schnitzels.

ENJOY!

9

How to light up the Big Green Egg 1. Fill the ceramic fire pit with charcoal to about five centimeters over the rim. Add three Big Green Egg Charcoal Starters.

Portable Nest for MiniMax If you’re going camping, to a park or a beach party, there’s no reason not to do that in style. Simply take your MiniMax with you in its portable nest. Simply unfold and your multifunctional outdoor cooking appliance will stand at a comfortable cooking height (the base is 60 cm!). Done EGGing? Simply fold up and go!

Raise your MiniMax to a comfortable cooking height in its portable nest wherever you go. The portable base is made of heavy-duty powder-coated steel. Attach the MiniMax using the quick-release clips, as this allows you to open the dome of your EGG without the risk of toppling. If you fold the portable nest back up, you have a flat pack that is easy to transport. Hey, wait for me!

Temperature & times Preparation

Weight

Big Green Egg Temperature

Core Temperature

Time (approx.)

2. Fully open the air control at the base and light the charcoal starters. Leave the lid open. The large amount of oxygen will soon get the charcoal glowing.

3. After 10-15 minutes, if the charcoal starters have burned up, install the accessories for the desired setup, depending on what you are cooking.

4. Close the lid and install the dual function metal top.

Set the temperature with the draft door and dual function metal top.

N.B. After lighting up, keep the lid of the Big Green Egg closed as much as possible to maintain the desired temperature.

The ideal setup for the stews

Grilling Fruit & vegetables

20-100 g

220°C

-

2-5 min.

Shellfish

20-100 g

220°C

55°C

13 min.

Fish

150-250 g

220°C

55°C

13 min.

Côte de boeuf

1 kg

230-250°C

52-58°C

16-20 min.

Rib Eye

100-250 g

220°C

50-68°C

5-10 min.

Lamb chops

100-250 g

220°C

50-68°C

5 - 10 min.

Chicken

150-250 g

150°C

77°C

16-20 min.

Duck breast

300 g

190-200°C

54°C

6-8 min.

Roasting potatoes

-

150°C

-

2-3 hour

Roasting root vegetables

-

150°C

-

2-3 hour

Pork neck

2-5 kg

120°C

65°C

4 hour

Leg of lamb

2-5 kg

120°C

55°C

3 hour

Rump steak

2-5 kg

120°C

48°C

1,5 hour

Full chicken

1,5 kg

180°C

77°C

75-90 min.

Chicken leg

250 g

180°C

77°C

35-34 min.

Chicken breast

250 g

180°C

77°C

16-20 min.

Pork neck

2-5 kg

90°C

65°C

8-9 hour

Rump steak

1-3 kg

90°C

48°C

1,5 hour

Salmon

180 g

90°C

50°C

20-25 min.

Meat stew

2-8 kg

150°C

-

3-4 hour

Vegetable stew

1-5 kg

150°C

-

20 min.

Pizza (crust 2-3mm)

-

250°C

-

6-10 min.

Hot chocolate cake

-

200°C

-

15 min.

Cooking with indirect heat

Dutch Oven

s Stainles id r G l Stee

Smoking

Stewing

Cooking on stone

10 ENJOY!

Stewing By using the Cast Iron Dutch Oven without a lid the delicious aromas for which the Big Green Egg is known are absorbed by the dish.

Uses include: Stewed pork cheek / Vegetable stew Boeuf Bourguignon / Stewed onions

Sprinkle a small handful of soaked Pecan Wood Chips over the glowing charcoal before placing the tray with Époisses on the grid. It will give the melted cheese a delicious smoky taste.

HASH with melted cheese

This is the ultimate hash recipe and you can prepare this delicious beef stew entirely in the Big Green Egg. The spicy aromas released during cooking will have you chomping at the bit to savour this stew. However, if you cook the hash one day in advance, it will taste even better the next day. You can heat up this hash dish with or without the convEGGtor in about 12 minutes at a temperature of 150 °C while regularly stirring. This will again release the aromas.

Advance preparation time: 15 minutes Preparation time: 5-6 hours 5 onions 100 g butter 200 g lean bacon strips 1 kg beef shoulder or braising steak 1-2 tbsp flour 75 ml red wine vinegar 1x 70g tin of tomato purée 3 bay leaves 5 cloves 200 ml Leffe Tripel or other blond beer 300 ml beef bouillon 1 thick slice gingerbread 1x 250g tray of Époisses Accessories: convEGGtor Dutch Oven Cast Iron Grid Cast Iron Grid Lifter PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to 80-90°C. Preheat the Dutch Oven by placing it on the grid when the Big Green Egg has almost reached the right temperature. ❱ Peel the onions and cut them into rings.

PREPARATION ❱ Heat the butter in the Dutch Oven. Add the onion rings, close the lid of the EGG and let the onions softly simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Simmering at a low temperature will allow the onions to slowly caramelise, which will only enhance the flavour of the hash.

❱ Remove the caramelised onions from the Dutch oven and put them on a plate. Scatter the bacon strips in the pan, close the EGG lid and fry for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the Dutch Oven and leave to drain on a piece of paper towel. ❱ Remove the Dutch Oven, the grid and the convEGGtor from the EGG and put the Cast Iron Grid back. You can do this quite easily and safely using the Cast Iron Grid Lifter. Close the lid of the EGG and heat to 270°C. There is no need to clean the Dutch Oven. You will need the fat that remains for frying later. ❱ Place the beef shoulder or braised steak on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Turn them through 90 degrees after about 30 seconds and close the lid again. Turn the meat over after a further 30 seconds and repeat the action to create a lovely grill pattern on both sides.

beer and beef bouillon into the pan. Place the lid on the Dutch Oven, close the lid of the EGG and leave the hash to softly simmer for about 3 hours. ❱ Crumble the gingerbread and mix into the hash. Leave it to simmer for another 10 minutes, allowing the hash to bind. ❱ Remove the pan with the hash from the EGG and increase the temperature to 150°C. ❱ Place the tray with Époisses (without lid) on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Leave the cheese to melt for about 8 minutes. ❱ Remove the tray with cheese from the EGG and serve as a side dish so you can drizzle a tablespoon of melted cheese over your hash. This tastes great in combination with mashed potatoes and caramelised carrots!

❱ Remove the beef from the EGG and place the Dutch Oven on the grid. Close the lid of the EGG and slightly close the draft door and the dual function metal top to allow the temperature within the EGG to drop to 200°C. The placing of the pan will speed up this heat reduction.

Meanwhile, cut the grilled meat in cubes of approx.

1.5 centimetres. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dust with flour. ❱ Add the meat to the pan, close the lid and fry until brown all over. Occasionally open the lid and stir. Deglaze with red wine vinegar and remove the pan from the EGG. ❱ Remove the grid, place the convEGGtor and replace the grid. Heat the EGG to 110°C. ❱ Place the Dutch Oven back in the EGG. Add the caramelised onions to the meat and mix in the tomato purée. Then add the bay leaves and cloves and pour the

ENJOY!

11

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The chef’s region

Back to nature with Ants Uustalu Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is becoming an increasingly popular destination for city trips. This is partly due to the appeal of the historic city centre, which is encircled by the modern parts of the city. Connoisseurs are spoilt for choice in Tallinn as there are so many restaurants, both traditional and contemporary.

The interior of the country also has attractive culinary hotspots, such as Ööbiku Gastronoomiatalu, the restaurant of head chef Ants Uustalu.

Ants seemed destined to become a chef. He was already cooking his own meals at a young age. ‘I lived on the island of Saaremaa as a child. My parents worked in the city and I soon indicated that I preferred to stay in the country, as I liked the outdoor life.

However, this meant that I had to take care of my own meals, as my sister wanted to move to the city as well. I still remember the first meal I ever made for myself. It was pasta soup with milk, cinnamon and lots of sugar,’ he laughs. Ants later followed a course at a catering college, after which he packed his bags and moved to London.

Ants relates, ‘I acquired a great deal of experience during my years of living and working in London. I was working almost all the time and I became familiar with various ingredients and cooking techniques. I had formulated 300 questions for myself, and I did not return

12 ENJOY!

to Tallinn until 2008, when I had the answers to these questions.’ Ants worked for a boss at first. It took him another five years to establish his own restaurant: Ööbiku.

Pop-up restaurant ‘In 2010 I worked in the kitchen of the Finnish embassy, which was an incredibly busy job,’ Ants continues. ‘Then, on an impulse, I bought Ööbiku, a house in the country in the province of Raplamaa. It was already called Ööbiku, which means nightingale. I later realised what I had done. The house and the outbuildings were severely neglected and I only started clearing the mess a year later. After another year I got the water and electricity connected, and on 7 July 2013, I welcomed my first guests. At first, this was in the form of a pop-up restaurant, which was soon fully booked thanks to Facebook.’

This was not really a surprise. Ants was already well known among local people as the presenter of the television programme Põllult patta, which means “From the field to the plate”.

Plate with a story From then on, the former living quarters of Ööbiku functioned as a restaurant. Ants still

--- Estonia ---

carries out renovation work on the buildings every year. Although the original purpose of the buildings is unknown, Ants is true to their heritage. For instance, at the entrance you can swap your shoes for a comfortable pair of slippers, in keeping with ancient rural traditions. In addition, one of the cutlery sets commissioned by Ants contains a knife shaped like a sickle, as was used to harvest grain in a bygone era. The fork looks like a pitchfork, alluding to the agricultural background of the area. There is also a story behind a series of plates on which Ants serves his food. These are immaculate white plates in which a shard from an old plate has been incorporated. This combination symbolises the old and new parts of the building.

Free range Wherever possible, the chef uses local products, often from small businesses, as well as natural ingredients. Smallscale producers are often passionate about their work. For instance, Merit Sarv from the Maruka chicken farm in Türi Vald supplies fresh eggs every week. Merit and her husband Aivar Mantsik were among the first guests at Ööbiku Gastronoomiatalu, when they still lived in Tallinn. After that first visit, they returned to the restaurant on a regular basis.

They subsequently bought a house in the country with 11 hectares of land and Merit started to keep chickens. She now has around 600 laying hens as well as several African chickens, quails and ducks, who all lay specific types of eggs. The animals have a good life. They can range freely outdoors in both summer and winter. ‘You can taste the difference,’ Ants insists. ‘These are free-range eggs of an excellent quality. They can be recognised by the yolks, which are slightly darker than those of most eggs. They also have a far more intense flavour.’

‘Then, on an impulse, I bought Ööbiku, a house in the country in the province of Raplamaa.

It was already called Ööbiku, which means nightingale. I later realised what I had done. The house and the outbuildings were severely neglected and I only started clearing the mess a year later.’.

Discovering new tastes ‘We pick all kinds of seasonal mushrooms and berries that grow wild in the woods, such as cranberries and bilberries’ adds Ants. ‘Cloudberries also grow in the marshes. These bushes can only be found in the northern hemisphere. We preserve seasonal fruit and vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and plums by pickling or fermenting

ENJOY!

13

Perch in salt crust with roasted tomatoes and herb oil SERVES 2

Preparation in advance: 20 minutes Preparation: 30 minutes 4 small perch, cleaned 2 egg whites 1 kg fine sea salt 1 sprig of vine cherry tomatoes For the oil: 50 g parsley 25 g dill 200 ml extra virgin olive oil Accessory: convEGGtor PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to 190°C. Meanwhile, wash the perches. Mix the egg whites with the sea salt and divide into four equal portions.

Knead a portion of the salt mix around each perch. ❱ Pluck the leaves off the herbs. Blend in a food processor with the olive oil and salt to taste, and pour into a clean, sealable, dark coloured bottle (or wrap the bottle in tinfoil).

PREPARATION ❱ Place the sprig of cherry tomatoes on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. ❱ After about 5 minutes, place the salt-crusted perches next to the tomatoes. Close the lid again and cook for about 20 more minutes. ❱ Remove the tomatoes and the salt-crusted perches from the EGG and divide over the plates. Break open the salt crust and sprinkle with the herb oil.

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them. Incidentally, this does not mean that we never work with imported products.

For instance, if the meat and potatoes in a dish are locally sourced, an exotic ingredient may well be added. The main priority is the flavour and quality of the ingredients, and our guests like to discover new tastes.’

From head to tail Game is another natural ingredient that Ants likes to work with. ‘Estonia has many hunters to keep the animal population under control. My father was an excellent hunter and as a child, I accompanied him every weekend. I have a permit myself, but I simply don’t have the time to go hunting. Fortunately I am friendly with several hunters, who call me if they shoot anything. One of them is August Tuisk, who is also my lamb supplier. Every year, 60 lambs are born at August’s farm, and I buy between 45 and 50 of them. August is a true professional. The welfare of the animals is his main concern, and he slaughters and skins his lambs himself. After the slaughter, the carcass has to cool and hang for seven days, after which I use the entire carcass, from head to tail, in my dishes.’

Surprise menu ‘August also taught me how to skin and quarter a lamb. If this is not done correctly, the meat will have a very pungent flavour. You have to cut away the belly fat and part of the

stomach, and the hand that touches the skin must never come into contact with the meat.’ In the case of lamb, Ants knows more or less when he can expect a new carcass, but with game and some other ingredients, this is more problematic, as he is limited by availability. That is one of the reasons why he has decided to always work with a five-course surprise menu instead of a standard menu. Ants relates, ‘I buy some of my products purposefully and for the rest I use the products that I am offered. Because I generally don’t know what will be on hand, we often decide that same day what will be on the menu. This makes things more exciting for the guests and gives them a unique experience.’

Popular fishing spot Finally Ants takes us to the nearby Lake Loosalu. Estonia has many lakes, but Loosalu is one of the largest, and is a popular fishing spot. Small perches are the only fish to be caught there, as these are the only fish that can survive in the nutrient-poor water of the lake. When caught, the perches are found to be black in colour. ‘No aquatic plants grow in this lake,’ explains Ants. ‘The bed is muddy, and that is what gives the fish their colour.’

The fish do not have a muddy taste, however. Ants has come prepared for a good catch.

He fires up the MiniMax he has brought with him and cooks the perches in a salt crust.

‘This is a good way to prepare fish. Steam forms inside the salt crust, keeping the flesh deliciously juicy!’

ENJOY!

15

SERVES 4

Luke warm salad of duck ham

with roasted and grilled vegetables Preparation in advance: 30 minutes (excluding 5 days for curing) Preparation: 90 minutes 4 duck legs 70 g fresh thyme 1 kg salt 70 g sugar For the vegetables: 3 yellow beetroots 3 onions 12 mini carrots For the dressing: 2 oranges 1 lemon 100 ml olive oil ½ tsp mustard dark caster sugar to taste For serving: 6 medium-boiled eggs Accessories: convEGGtor Cast Iron Grid Instant Read Digital Thermometer Cast Iron Grid Lifter PREPARATION IN ADVANCE 5 days in advance ❱ Debone the duck legs, if required.

Remove the leaves from the thyme and mix well with the salt and sugar.

Sprinkle a layer of the salt mix in a plastic container and place the duck legs on top. Sprinkle the remainder of the salt mix over the duck legs, making sure they are well covered. Put the container in the refrigerator and leave the duck legs to cure for 5 days. Check regularly to see whether the legs are still well covered.

On the day ❱ For the vegetables, ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and bring to a temperature of 200°C. Meanwhile, wash the beetroots. Roll each beetroot and onion in a piece of tinfoil.

PREPARATION ❱ Lay the wrapped beetroots and onions among the charcoal. Close the lid of the EGG and leave to roast for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Turn the beetroots and onions during roasting every now and then. ❱ Remove the beetroots and onions from the EGG and put them aside. Place the convEGGtor and Cast Iron Grid, and bring the temperature of the EGG to 120°C. In the meantime, thoroughly rinse the duck legs and pat dry. ❱ Place the duck legs on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Roast the duck legs until they have reached a core temperature of 54°C. This will take about 40 minutes. In the meantime, for the dressing, halve the citrus fruits and squeeze out the juice. Mix with the other ingredients and add salt to taste. ❱ Remove the duck legs from the EGG and leave to rest. Lift the Cast Iron Grid from the EGG using the Cast Iron Grid Lifter and remove the convEGGtor from the EGG. Reposition the Cast Iron Grid and bring the EGG to a temperature of 200°C. In the meantime, peel the carrots and remove the tinfoil from the beetroots and the onions. ❱ Place the beetroots, onions and carrots on the grid, and grill them for about 5 minutes until the beetroots and onions are crispy all over and the carrots are nicely grilled all over. Turn every now and then during grilling to achieve this. ❱ Remove the vegetables from the EGG and cut the beetroots and onions into wedges. Cut the duck meat into nice slices. Peel and halve the eggs. ❱ Divide the duck ham slices, onions, beetroots, carrots and halved eggs over the plates. Sprinkle with the dressing, as well as salt and pepper to taste.

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GRILLED LEG OF LAMB with roasted vegetables SERVES 4

LAMB TARTARE with roe and smoked aioli SERVES 4

Preparation in advance: 40 minutes (excluding 2 hours for marinating) Preparation: 3 hours 1 small leg of lamb 2-3 tbsp olive oil For the rub: 3 cloves of garlic 2 sprigs of rosemary 5 sprigs of thyme 2-3 tbsp Turkish spice mix (see basic recipe) 1 tbsp brown caster sugar For the vegetables: 2 parsnips 2 red beetroots 2 yellow beetroots 2 potatoes olive oil Accessory: convEGGtor

Turkish spice mix 5 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp ground coriander ½ tbsp dried thyme ½ tbsp ground cumin ½ tbsp garlic powder ½ tbsp black pepper ½ tbsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cayenne pepper Mix all ingredients together.

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Cut off any loose skin and fat from the leg of lamb. For the rub, peel and finely chop the garlic. Remove the needles from the rosemary and the leaves from the thyme, and chop finely. Mix the ingredients for the rub and add salt to taste. Brush the leg of lamb with olive oil and coat firmly with the rub. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. ❱ Remove the leg of lamb from the fridge half an hour before starting to cook it.

Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to a temperature of 150°C. Wash the vegetables but don't peel them.

PREPARATION ❱ Place the leg of lamb on the grid. Close the lid of the EGG and leave the meat to cook for approx. 3 hours. ❱ When the leg of lamb has cooked for about 2 hours, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. Place the vegetables on the grid next to the leg of lamb and leave to cook for 1 hour. ❱ Remove the leg of lamb and the vegetables from the EGG. Halve or quarter the vegetables and serve them on an attractive plank together with the leg of lamb.

Rack, saddle and leg are the most popular cuts of lamb, but lamb has so many more tasty cuts - such as the heart and the rump, which can be used to make an irresistible tartare.

Furthermore, using the less common parts of the animal makes meat eating more sustainable.

Preparation in advance: 20 minutes Preparation: 15 minutes 200 g lamb heart, cleaned 1 small onion 100 g lamb rump (sirloin) 75 g piece of Romaine lettuce (cut from the crop lengthwise) 15 g hot mustard 70 ml olive oil For serving: 35 g smoked aioli (see basic recipe) 10 g mixed lettuce 50 g vendace or salmon roe Accessory: Cast Iron Grid PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the Cast Iron Grid, to a temperature of 220°C. ❱ In the meantime, dice the lamb heart.

Peel and finely chop the onion.

PREPARATION ❱ Place the lamb rump and the romaine lettuce on the grid and close the lid of

the, EGG. Grill the lettuce all around and the lamb rump for a maximum of 1 minute per side. ❱ Remove the meat and lettuce from the EGG and leave to cool slightly. Dice the lamb rump and finely chop the lettuce. ❱ Mix the cubes of lamb heart and lamb rump with the onion, mustard and olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. ❱ Spoon a spoonful of aioli on each plate and and spread into a nice circle using the back of the spoon. Divide the grilled lettuce over the aioli. Place a cooking ring (approx. Ø 6 cm) on top of this and fill with the tartare. Remove the rings and garnish with the mixed lettuce and the roe.

Smoked aioli 2 egg yolks 1 tbsp mustard juice of ½ lemon 30 g smoked paprika 200 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 clove of garlic brown caster sugar to taste PREPARATION ❱ Whisk the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice and paprika together in a large bowl. Keep whisking and slowly add the olive oil. Peel and press the garlic.

Add the garlic, brown caster sugar and salt to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

ENJOY!

17

Three courses from the Big Green Egg Smoking is one of the cooking techniques that is possible with the Big Green Egg. This gives your ingredients and dishes an extra flavour accent. Is smoking food still one of the activities on your bucket list? Do you use this technique mainly for fish and large pieces of meat? Do you want to try something different? Or do you just like making elaborate meals? If so, you will be delighted with this delicious three-course menu.

Moroccan chicken with smoked beetroot couscous

Smoked mackerel fillets with lime mayonnaise

DIGITAL RECIPES Would you like to receive the latest Big Green Egg seasonal menus and recipe specials by e-mail? Sign up for Inspiration Today on biggreenegg.eu and be inspired by the tastiest recipes time and time again.

Banana smoked in cedar wood with chocolate, pistachio and coconut, served with vanilla ice cream 18 ENJOY!

Serves 4 Preparation in advance: 3 hours, excluding 3 hour for marinating Preparation starter: 25 minutes main course: 30 minutes dessert: 15 minutes Starter: mackerel fillet 4 x 150 g mackerel fillets with skin 4 tsp mustard with garden herbs (Maille) 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil sea salt to taste 1 unsprayed lime 100 ml mayonnaise Main course: Moroccan chicken 8 chicken thigh fillets 2 tsp ras el hanout 6 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic 2 onions 200 g of small raw beetroots (red, yellow and/or Chioggia) 200 g Hokkaido pumpkin flesh with peel 100 g chickpeas (tin) 200 g dried apricots 1 Golden Delicious or another refreshing, sweet apple 12 sprigs of coriander 50 g smoked almonds For the beetroot couscous: 250 g couscous 250 ml beetroot juice 6 tbsp olive oil finely grated zest of ½ unsprayed lemon Dessert: smoked banana 25 g shelled pistachios 10 g grated coconut 100 g dark chocolate 4 not too ripe bananas vanilla ice cream Accessories: 2 Cedar Wooden Grilling Planks Apple Wood Chips Cherry Wood Chips Green Dutch Oven convEGGtor Instant Read Digital Thermometer Additional accessories: 4 CedarWood sheets Butcher's twine

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE Moroccan chicken ❱ Cut each chicken thigh fillet into six pieces. Sprinkle them with the ras el hanout, drizzle half of the olive oil over them, and mix well. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

the grated coconut. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt au bain-marie. Peel the bananas, spread the melted chocolate all over them and sprinkle with the pistachio mix. Roll up each banana in a CedarWood sheet and tie with a piece of butcher's twine. Place the banana packages in the fridge.

Mackerel fillet ❱ Check the mackerel fillets for bones and remove them if you find any. Thinly score the skin side of the fillets every centimetre and brush the mustard into the cuts.

Cover and store in the refrigerator. Soak the Cedar Wooden Grilling Planks for at least an hour and soak a handful of Apple Wood Chips in a bowl of water for at least 15 minutes.

PREPARATION Mackerel fillet ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and bring to a temperature of 70-90°C. In the meantime, remove the Cedar Wooden Grilling Planks from the water and coat the upper side of each plank with a teaspoon of olive oil.

Sprinkle the flesh side of the mackerel fillets with sea salt to taste. Place 2 fillets on each plank, skin side up, and grate half of the lime peel over the fillets.

Moroccan chicken ❱ For the couscous, ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat to 70°C. Meanwhile, soak a handful of Cherry Wood Chips in water. ❱ Grease a Dutch Oven with the remainder of the olive oil and pour the couscous into the pan. Sprinkle the soaked Cherry Wood Chips over the glowing charcoal, place the grid in the EGG and place the couscous pan on top of this, without a lid. Close the lid of the EGG and allow the couscous to smoke for about 30 minutes. ❱ Remove the Dutch Oven with the couscous from the EGG. Put the couscous in a bowl and leave to cool.

Cover and store in the refrigerator. ❱ For the chicken, remove the grid from the EGG, place the convEGGtor and replace the grid. Heat the EGG to 180ºC. In the meantime, peel the garlic and the onions.

Finely chop the garlic and slice the onions into thin half rings. ❱ Heat the remainder of the olive oil in the Dutch Oven on the grid of the EGG. Place the beetroots and the pumpkin (skin side down) on the side of the grid. Add the marinated chicken to the Dutch Oven and fry on all sides until brown. Close the lid of the EGG after each action. ❱ Add the onion, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste and fry for a few minutes. Pour water into the pan until the chicken is half covered Place the lid on the Dutch Oven, close the lid of the EGG, and reduce the temperature of the EGG to 120°C. Let the chicken simmer for about 45 minutes. ❱ Drain the chickpeas. Cut the apricots into small strips.

Peel the apple, remove the core and cut the flesh into pieces. Stir these ingredients into the chicken mix and simmer for another 30 minutes, without the lid on the Dutch Oven. Add extra water if needed. ❱ Remove the beetroots, the pumpkin and the Dutch Oven from the EGG and allow everything to cool. Put out the charcoal in the EGG or get it ready to prepare the mackerel fillet. Peel the beetroots and the pumpkin. Cut the beetroots into slices and the pumpkin into cubes, and carefully spoon into the chicken mix. Place the lid on the pan and store in the refrigerator.

Smoked banana ❱ In the meantime (no earlier than two hours before preparation), finely chop the pistachios and mix with

❱ Sprinkle the soaked Apple Wood Chips over the glowing charcoal and place the convEGGtor and the grid in the EGG. Place the Wooden Grilling Planks on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Smoke the mackerel fillets for about 15 minutes. Make sure the temperature doesn't exceed 90°C. ❱ In the meantime, finely grate the rest of the lime peel.

Cut the lime in half and squeeze out the juice. Mix the lime zest and juice with the mayonnaise. ❱ Use the core thermometer to check whether the mackerel fillets have a temperature of 70°C. Remove the Wooden Grilling Planks from the EGG once this temperature has been reached, or otherwise smoke the fillets for a bit longer. ❱ Serve the lime mayonnaise and, if you like, the radicchio salad with the mackerel fillets.

Moroccan chicken ❱ Bring the temperature of the EGG (with the convEGGtor and the grid) to 120°C. ❱ Put the Dutch Oven with the chicken mix on the grid and heat the dish in about 20 minutes, stirring gently now and then. In the meantime, pick the leaves of the coriander and coarsely chop them. For the couscous, bring the beetroot juice to the boil. Pour the juice over the couscous and cover the dish with clingfilm. Allow the couscous to steep according to the time indicated on the pack. ❱ Loosen the couscous with a fork. Sprinkle it with the olive oil and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the Dutch Oven with the chicken mix from the EGG. In an attractive dish, mix the beetroot couscous with the chicken mix, and sprinkle with the almonds and coriander.

Smoked banana ❱ Remove the grid and the convEGGtor and replace the grid. Reheat the EGG to a temperature of 120°C. ❱ Place the banana packages on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Allow the bananas to cook for about 10 minutes. ❱ Removes the packages from the EGG and serve while still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

ENJOY!

19

ANCIENT WISDOM & INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

To find out more about the idea behind the kamado and Big Green Egg we have to travel back in time for many centuries. More than 3,000 years ago it was already used in East Asia as a traditional, wood-fired clay oven. That is where the kamado was discovered, embraced and taken along by the Japanese, who lovingly referred to it as ‘kamado’, meaning oven or fireplace. American soldiers discovered the kamado in Japan in the middle of the previous century and took it home as a souvenir. In the course of time, the ancient model was further refined in accordance with contemporary knowledge, production technologies and innovative materials. Even the revolutionary advancements in ceramic technology

by NASA contributed to the realisation of an exceptional outdoor cooking appliance: the Big Green Egg.

Mini

Grid: ø 25 cm Cooking surface: 507 cm2 Weight: 17 kg

MiniMax

Grid: ø 33 cm Cooking surface: 855 cm2 Weight: 35 kg

The Mini is delivered as standard without EGG Carrier.

THE SECRET BEHIND THE BIG GREEN EGG

The Japanese, the Americans, the Europeans: everyone who tastes dishes prepared on a Big Green Egg is forever a fan due to the unparalleled great taste. What is the secret behind the EGG? It is actually a combination of several things. It is the ceramic that reflects the heat, generating an airflow that makes the ingredients and dishes exceptionally tender. It is the perfect circulation of air, which ensures that food cooks evenly and at just the right temperature. And it is the fact that the temperature can be controlled and maintained down to the finest degree.

As a result of the high-quality heat-insulating ceramic, even external temperatures do not affect the temperature inside the EGG. And – last but not least - its spectacular appearance!

Small

Grid: ø 33 cm Cooking surface: 855 cm2 Weight: 36 kg

Large

Medium

Grid: ø 46 cm Grid: ø 38 cm

Cooking surface: 1.140 cm2 Cooking surface: 1.688 cm2 Weight: 73 kg Weight: 51 kg

ENJOYING THE ULTIMATE TASTE EXPERIENCE TOGETHER

Enjoying the good life together - that's what the Big Green Egg is all about. Surrounded by family, friends and loved ones, and the most delicious dishes you have ever tasted.

Because the Big Green Egg has a temperature range of 70°C - 350°C, you can apply all sorts of cooking techniques, such as grilling, baking, boiling, stewing, smoking and slow-cooking. Do you want to make it more versatile than it already is? There are clever accessories available for each Big Green Egg model which make cooking on the EGG even more easy and fun with even more flavour. The multifunctional EGG and good company are a great recipe for unforgettable moments.

XLarge

Grid: ø 61 cm Cooking surface: 2.919 cm2 Weight: 99 kg

2XL

Grid: ø 74 cm Cooking surface: 4.336 cm2 Weight: 170 kg

THESE ARE THE COMPONENTS OF A BIG GREEN EGG High-quality ceramic & reliable quality CERAMIC SNUFFER CAP Close off the Big Green Egg after every use with the

DUAL FUNCTION METAL TOP A cast iron disc with two functions: it regulates the

ceramic snuffer cap and close the draft door. The lack

airflow and allows the temperature to be accurately

of oxygen will extinguish the charcoal and you will be

managed.

able to re-ignite it the next time you use your EGG.

TEMPERATURE GAUGE LID WITH CHIMNEY The ceramic dome features a chimney that, thanks to

Accurately displays the temperature within the EGG, eliminating the need to open the lid.

the spring system, is easily to open and shut. The ceramic has been provided with a protective double layer of glaze. Thanks to the ceramic’s insulating and reflective properties, an airflow is created within the EGG that produces evenly cooked, flavourful foods.

STAINLESS STEEL GRID The Stainless Steel Grid is where you place the foods you are preparing.

CERAMIC FIRE RING The ceramic fire ring rests on the fire box and ensures that the right amount of space is maintained between the glowing charcoal and the grid.

GRID This grid is placed in the fire box. The openings in the grid produce a rising airflow within the EGG and allow

CERAMIC FIREBOX The fire box rests in the ceramic base and is intended

the ash to fall into the base, so that it can be easily removed through the draft door.

to be filled with charcoal. Thanks to the carefullyplaced openings and notches on its bottom, a constant and optimal airflow is present in the EGG when the draft door and dual function metal top are open.

DRAFT DOOR Together with the dual function metal top, the draft

CERAMIC BASE The ceramic, heat-insulating base that has been provided with a protective double layer of glaze on the

door regulates the flow of oxygen, which allows you to manage the temperature. The draft door is also used to easily remove ashes from the EGG.

outside.

e Check for th s tion a v o n n i t s e t la our website: .eu biggreenegg The natural Big Green Egg charcoal consists of a mix of oak and generating - unlike many other types of charcoal - exceptionally little

Just 3 charcoal starters are needed to be ready to cook within 15 minutes!

ash and providing a subtle smoky flavour. One batch of charcoal

The natural Big Green Egg Charcoal Starters contain

provides a constant temperature for an average of 8-10 hours.

no chemicals, and are odourless and tasteless.

hickory; a perfect blend! The large pieces of charcoal burn slowly,

By placing the ceramic convEGGtor, you can easily convert the Big Green Egg to an oven. This heat shield ensures that the Use the cast iron dual function

charcoal does not radiate direct heat onto the food, which is

metal top to control the airflow

ideal for cooking delicate ingredients, slow cooking and more.

and accurately manage the

Adding the Baking Stone allows you to also bake the best

temperature.

bread, and pizza with an authentic crispy crust.

ENJOY!

21

The perfect terrine Does your bucket list include making traditional terrines on your Big Green Egg? Then check out this recipe by Karen Torosyan, owner and head chef of Bozar Brasserie in Brussels. With good ingredients, some TLC, your EGG and a Dutch Oven, you will be able to rival this talented chef's tasty terrines.

Karen is a professional in everything he does. Ever since Bozar opened in 2010 in the Brussels Palais des Beaux Arts, Torosyan has been in charge of the kitchen. Driven by passion, he always aims for perfection, which has gained him an extremely good reputation. For some years now, Karen has been seen as the rising star among Belgian chefs, and in restaurant guides you'll find nothing but compliments and rave reviews, including one in the form of a Michelin star. The professionalism of this chef was so evident that the organisation behind the Gault & Millau guide created a new category and declared Karen 2017 Artisan of the Year. Karen is ambitious, but in a very modest way. ‘I don't aim to be better than my colleagues, I just try to improve myself. Day after day!’

Pâté en Croûte World Champion Karen’s love for his craft is expressed not only in his dishes but also in the transfer of his knowledge. ‘I strive for professionalism, by working according to traditional methods in combination with good techniques, and it makes me really happy that I have the opportunity to teach young chefs in the kitchen a few things. As a personal fan of the French classics, in my view a dish is a success if the preparation techniques, the presentation and the taste all make sense,’ explains the passionate chef. Thanks to his craftsmanship and philosophy, Karen placed the spotlight on a typical French classic by becoming the Pâté en Croûte World Champion in 2015. Since then, the chef of Bozar Brasserie has earned international recognition for his pastries.

22 ENJOY!

The best ever tasted Karen says, ‘I ate my first Pâté en Croûte in Paris, at Brasserie Baroche. That is the best I have ever tasted up to now. When I heard that a world championship existed for this discipline, I couldn't resist the challenge.’ As the Pâté en Croûte World Champion, and being the owner of a Big Green Egg, Karen is the ideal chef to make the perfect terrine on the EGG. After all, both preparations are closely connected. The big difference is that a pâté is wrapped in a dough crust, while a terrine is made in a mould - the Green Dutch Oven in this case.

Meticulous cooking ‘I came across the Big Green Egg during the Flemish Food Bash festival in Antwerp, in the same period as the World Championship. Privately, I use my EGG mainly for cooking food in the company of family and friends, when the restaurant is closed,’ Karen continues. ‘Often to braise or stew at low temperatures, but also to grill or roast meat or fish. Large pieces of meat are very easy to cook because you don't have to be afraid that your meat will burn due to flare-ups, as is the case with traditional barbecues.’

Anything is possible!

‘I immediately recognised that this was an exceptional device, partly because of its ease of use, but especially because of the control that the Big Green Egg gives me over the cooking process, whether this concerns fish, meat, vegetables or anything else. It imparts extra flavour to ingredients and dishes, and you can cook everything perfectly, all the way through, without burning the outside of the product. You can also use the EGG for roasting and grilling. Anything is possible! Even making a terrine.

Again, the combination of techniques, control and flavours allows you to create a perfect terrine in the Big Green Egg.’

The BRASVAR pig As a true professional, Karen uses only the best ingredients. For example, the basic ingredients for the terrine come from the BRASVAR pig.

The BRASVAR pig is bred on the farm of Kristof Verschelde and Angelique Dobbels in the Belgian town of Nevele. BRASVAR pork owes its rich, full flavour to the good living conditions of the animals, in combination with a diet of potatoes, draff and maize supplemented with grain, olive oil and fresh hay - the pig’s diet of old. For breeding, the Duroc variety is used. Of course, you could replace the BRASVAR meat with quality pork from your own region.

How to make a terrine worthy of a Michelin star

Preparation in advance: 1½ hours (excl. 48 hours for marinating + 8 hours for making the stock) Preparation: 3-3½ hours (excl. 3-4 days for refrigerating) For the pork farce: 500 g Brasvar pork neck 500 g Brasvar pork shoulder 500 g Brasvar pork belly 2 cloves of garlic 1 sprig of thyme 24 g salt 3 g pepper 6 g quatre épices (French spice mix) 30 ml cognac 3 bay leaves 2 eggs 100 g shelled pistachios For the pork jelly: 2 onions 5 kg pig bones 150 g shallots 100 g celery 1 leek 325 g carrots 200 g mushrooms 3 cardamom pods 1 bouquet garni 2 star anise 3 cloves 3 juniper berries 8 peppercorns 3 sheets of gelatine For the poultry farce: 150 g chicken livers 150 g shallots 1-2 cloves of garlic 150 g mushrooms 2-3 sprigs of thyme 2 tbsp olive oil 2-3 bayleaves 50 ml cognac Other ingredients: pork caul fat (crépinette) approx. 25 x 75 cm 16 peppercorns 30 juniper berries 14 bay leaves 8 sprigs of thyme slices of streaky bacon approx. 5 cm thick (enough to line the Dutch Oven)

FARMER’S TERRINE SERVES 10 PREPARATION IN ADVANCE 2 days in advance ❱ Chop the meat for the pork farce into cubes of approx.

1.5 cm. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and chop finely. Dissolve the salt, pepper and quatre épices in the cognac, and add the garlic and thyme. Mix this marinade and the bay leaves with the meat. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

8 hours in advance ❱ For the pork jelly, ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to 200°C. ❱ Place the onions on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Roast the onions for about 25 minutes until soft.

In the meantime, put the pig bones in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them fully. Bring the water to the boil. Remove the onions from the EGG and leave to cool slightly. Let the charcoal extinguish. In the meantime clean the other vegetables and coarsely chop them. Peel the roasted onions and coarsely chop them as well. Crush the cardamom pods. Turn the heat down low and skim the cooking liquid. Add the chopped vegetables, bouquet garni and spices. Leave the stock to simmer for about 8 hours, skimming regularly.

Final advance preparations ❱ For the pork jelly, soak the gelatine in water. Sieve the stock and squeeze the gelatine. Measure off 1 litre of the stock. Leave the rest to cool down and store in the freezer for another time. Dissolve the gelatine in the hot stock and set aside.

Accessories: convEGGtor Green Dutch Oven Round Dual Probe Remote Thermometer

❱ For the poultry farce, cut the chicken livers into small pieces. Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Dice the mushrooms. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and chop finely. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallots, garlic, thyme and bay leaves in it. Add the diced mushrooms and allow the mix to fry for a few minutes. Stir in the chicken liver and fry until the pieces are brown on all sides. Deglaze with the cognac, scraping off any bits stuck to the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the poultry farce to cool.

Additional accessories: meat mincer with a coarse blade (Ø 8 mm) large vacuum bag vacuuming machine pine branches

PREPARATION ❱ Remove the bay leaves from the pork farce and mince the farce twice using a mincer with a coarse blade (Ø 8 mm). Weigh the farce and mix in 1 egg per kilogram.

Add the pistachios and the poultry farce and mix well.

❱ Tip the farce onto a baking tray, cover with kitchen foil and press down firmly. Ladle the farce into a large vacuum bag and de-air several times using a vacuum device. This will turn the farce into a nice firm mass without any air bubbles, giving the terrine a nice density and enabling even cooking. ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to 120°C. In the meantime, rinse the pork caul fat well and pat dry. Divide half of the peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves and thyme over the bottom of the Dutch Oven. Line the bottom and sides of the Dutch Oven with the slices of streaky bacon. Fill with the farce and press down firmly. Cut off any excess bacon. Divide the rest of the peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves and thyme over the farce and cover with three layers of pork caul fat. ❱ Place the Dutch Oven on the grid, insert the probe thermometer into the core of the terrine and put the lid on the Dutch Oven. Close the lid of the EGG and set the temperature of the probe thermometer to 58°C. Allow the terrine to cook until this core temperature has been reached. This will take about 2 hours. Spray the terrine very lightly with water every 20 minutes to prevent it from drying out. ❱ Remove the Dutch Oven, the grid and the convEGGtor from the EGG once the core temperature has been reached. Lay a few pine branches on the glowing charcoal and replace the convEGGtor, the grid and the Dutch Oven. Remove the lid of the Dutch Oven, close the lid of the EGG and bring the temperature of the EGG to 150°C. Set the probe thermometer to a temperature of 65°C and smoke the terrine until this core temperature has been reached. In the meantime, heat the pork jelly until lukewarm. ❱ Remove the Dutch Oven from the EGG and pour a layer of pork jelly on top of the terrine. Allow to cool and refrigerate the covered terrine for 3 to 4 days before serving. This will make the terrine even tastier.

TO SERVE ❱ Remove the terrine from the mould. If it doesn’t come out easily, you could briefly heat the outside of the Dutch Oven using a gas burner. Slice the terrine and enjoy!

ENJOY! 23

FARMER'S TERRINE WITH FRIED KOHLRABI & MUSTARD CREAM SERVES 10 Preparation in advance: 10 minutes Preparation: 40 minutes 1 farmer’s terrine For the mustard cream: 200 g crème fraîche d’Isigny 40 ml lemon juice 2 g ground Piment d’Espelette (or 1 g paprika and 1 g cayenne pepper) 40 g grain mustard 40 g Dijon mustard For the kohlrabi: 4-5 kohlrabis 100 g butter Accessories: convEGGtor Green Dutch Oven Round (lid) PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ For the mustard cream, mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until firm but not completely stiff. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

PREPARATION ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the convEGGtor and the grid, to a temperature of 150°C. In the meantime, remove the terrine from the mould.

Cut the terrine into wedges to allow them to reach room temperature. ❱ Peel the kohlrabis and slice into long ribbons using a mandoline slicer. Roll each ribbon up lengthwise until it has a diameter of 6 cm. Depending on the width of the ribbons, slide 2 or 3 round pastry cutters (Ø 6 cm) around each kohlrabi roll (10 pieces needed in total) and cut along the edges of the cutters. ❱ Heat the butter in the lid of the Dutch Oven on the grid of the EGG until it is light brown. Place the pastry cutters containing the kohlrabi in the butter and fry on both sides until golden brown. During frying, spoon butter over the kohlrabi every now and then. Close the lid of the EGG after each action. ❱ Remove the pastry cutters and place a kohlrabi spiral on each plate. Put a farmer’s terrine wedge next to it and garnish with a quenelle of mustard cream.

24 ENJOY!

THE ORIGINAL

Ever since the first container with EGGs was unloaded in the port of Rotterdam in 2002, the Big Green Egg has been slowly conquering Europe. Europe was introduced to a unique device: the kamado. The professionals and foodies who quickly discovered the Big Green Egg have been cooking for years on this special type of kamado. The history of this unique and clay oven-based cooker goes back thousands of years...

Asian cooking pot

An ancient clay oven was the predecessor of the kamado, a cooking pot made of clay.

Ed Fisher, founder of Big Green Egg Inc., discovered the kamado by chance in the 1950s while stationed in Japan as a navy lieutenant. Impressed by the delicious taste of the dishes that were prepared on the kamado, Fisher decided to bring this Asian cooking pot to the US. Thanks to the American barbecue culture, the resourceful American fitted the kamado with a grid and thus created a multifunctional cooker.

The colour green

Filled with enthusiasm about the possibilities of the cooker and the great taste of the dishes he cooked on his kamado, Ed Fisher decided to import these cookers from Asia in 1974. Initially, the stock in the warehouse of his shop on Clairmont Road, Atlanta, just gathered dust. His core activity was the sale of pachinko machines of Japanese origin, and the kamado seemed unable to conquer the hearts of the Americans. Sales only picked up once Fisher thought of giving his egg-shaped cooking appliances a recognisable, uniform green colour and the catchy name of Big Green Egg.

The added value of an EGG

In order to rouse the curiosity of his customers and of passers-by, and to introduce them to the tasty and juicy foods cooked on the Big Green Egg, Fisher ceremoniously placed an EGG in front of his shop. He used it to prepare chicken wings and other dishes, and all this activity and the delicious smell began to draw attention. From that moment on, people were convinced by their personal experience of the added value of an EGG and within a short period of time, the Big Green Egg became incredibly popular. It was true that the flavours were irresistible, but the durability of the cooker left much to be desired.

For Ed Fisher, this was reason enough to develop the Big Green Egg further.

Indestructible

Fisher perfected the Big Green Egg based on feedback and his own experience. The EGG was fitted with a thermometer and in the mid-1990s, the vulnerable clay was replaced by a high quality ceramic that was produced using technologies developed by NASA. Big Green Egg is the only kamado in the world that is crafted using such a strong, durable type of ceramic. Since then, the ceramic components have been produced in Mexico, a country with an impressive history in the field of ceramics and where advanced production techniques are used. The highly insulating properties of the ceramic resulted in a decrease in fuel consumption and a more stable temperature. In addition, the EGGs were given a new coating consisting of an indestructible porcelain enamel.

Unequalled

This not only made the modern version of the EGG far more durable, it was also more versatile. To this day, the Big Green Egg is the only kamado made using ceramic produced in Mexico. Thanks in part to the use of technologies developed by NASA, its unique ceramics allow the Big Green Egg to handle much higher temperatures and it was - and is - many times stronger than the clay version, as well as other kamados produced with ceramic. Over the course of years, a unique cooker has been developed and the goal to produce the best kamado in the world had been achieved.

Big Green Egg Inc. is still investing in possible improvements so that Big Green Egg, The Original, remains the world’s best kamado and they have booked great success; after all, the Big Green Egg has often been copied but never equalled.

INSPIRING PEOPLE

ALL OVER THE

WORLD ENJOY! 25

Portrait of a FOODFREAK: Maurice loves to experiment. Just give him some nice ingredients and he will start playing around with flavours and cooking techniques. For the last two years or so, he has been doing this on his Big Green Egg, so his barbecue repertoire has expanded considerably. ‘I already knew about the Big Green Egg and I thought it was pretty cool,’ says our foodfreak.

‘But after working with it I decided that I had to have one!’

Maurice Mulder’s favourite recipe

Apple pie and lava cake ‘A Big Green Egg is completely different from a standard barbecue. The ceramic material retains the heat, the convection function is effective, and you can cook all sorts of dishes in it. In recent years I have worked on location with other kamado brands, but there is a noticeable difference. The ceramic material of the EGG retains heat more effectively, the temperature is more stable, the ironwork is more robust, and it looks more attractive. Additional benefits include the good guarantee and the aftersale service. I have really started to cook in a different and more varied way. Previously I used to grill most of the time, but now I bake things like apple pie and lava cake.

You can vary the flavour of your dishes not only by using selected ingredients but also by working with different types of smoking wood.’

Eye of the ribeye While he sprinkles hay with beer to make his latest favourite dish, Maurice explains how he came up with the idea of smoking on hay. ‘Head chef René Brienen smoked salmon and ham on hay in his Big Green Eggs, and I wondered if this could be done with other ingredients. We tried this out when I organised a workshop for a football team with my cousin Angelo. Angelo wanted to make carpaccio, and a butcher had suggested that I use the ‘eye’ of the ribeye instead of tenderloin. The eye is the oval section of the ribeye that can easily be separated from the surrounding cap muscle by hand. It is a delicious cut with a good structure, and it can also be eaten raw. It is very tender but has a bit more bite than tenderloin, which I prefer. And why not deviate from the norm every now and then? The ribeye is often cooked as a roast or cut into individual steaks, but for me the challenge is to use a cut of meat in a different way. The ribeye cap has a coarser structure and can be grilled or made into hamburgers if you cut off the hard fat.’

Hay as heat shield During the workshop a standard carpaccio was prepared. Maurice later perfected the recipe by adding ingredients including capers and walnuts as well as a herb coulis, and by cutting the meat into slightly thicker slices. ‘I didn’t want to use herb oil because the meat has a rich, slightly nutty flavour. What I like to do is throw a few ingredients together. If it tastes good, I develop the idea further without being worried about breaking any rules,’ he adds. In the meantime Maurice spreads the hay over the grid, places the meat on top and states that in this case the convEGGtor is not needed.

‘The hay acts as a heat shield and should catch fire. It is therefore important to moisten it properly so that it smokes rather than burns.’

‘My love for cooking and sociable dining is probably in my DNA,’ states Maurice Mulder.

‘I have Indonesian roots, and food has always played an important role within the family.

No birthday celebration was complete without delicious food. I started my outdoor cooking by smoking fish in a smoking barrel, but at a certain point I wanted to try something different. I was then given a steel barbecue for Father’s Day and I made my first spare ribs. From then on I was completely sold!’

Focus on the EGG After that Maurice really let his hair down. ‘I kept taking things one step further,’ explains our foodfreak. ‘I am the type of person who wants to try everything. For instance, I have a cut of mouflon in the freezer. And if the results fail to live up to my expectations, well, that’s just bad luck.’ Maurice’s first encounter with the Big Green Egg was when his neighbour, Dik Hommersom, asked Maurice if he would like to help with the catering for a street party. Dik already worked with the EGG, and Maurice became increasingly enthusiastic - not just about the Big Green Egg but also about applying his passion for cooking to the organisation of catering events, workshops and demos. Maurice explains, ‘I prepared a few dishes on the EGG and I soon decided that I wanted one of my own.’

26 ENJOY!

Meat with a story As the ribeye gently cooks, the fine marbling is mentioned. Not all ribeyes have such good marbling, and this gives the meat extra flavour. ‘This meat comes from Dubbel Doel cows. Dubbel Doel (Dutch for dual purpose) is not a cattle variety but refers to the dual purpose served by these cows, which makes the beef highly sustainable with a relatively low carbon footprint,’ explains Maurice. ‘I tasted the meat at the butcher’s and I immediately fell for the full flavour as well as the story behind these cows. They are first kept as dairy cows. When their milk production starts to decline, the cows are not sent straight to the slaughterhouse and turned into mince, as is common. Edwin and Anita Heijdra from Heijdra Vleesvee ensure that the cows enjoy the last few months of their lives. During this time they are pampered in a nice, spacious, modern stable and they are fed a delicious daily meal of grass, corn, shredded potato, brewer’s spent grain and concentrates. Because the animals are pampered so much, they quickly become well meated, and the meat has fine marbling and a good flavour. This is excellent meat to cook on the Big Green Egg,’ concludes Maurice.

Ribeye smoked on hay with toasted pine nuts and walnuts and a herb coulis SERVES 8

Preparation in advance: 15 minutes Preparation: 80-95 minutes Eye of the ribeye (1.2 kg) 200 ml Leffe Blond 50 g walnuts 2 tbsp capers 1 small red onion 80 g rocket 2 tbsp avocado oil 2 tbsp pine nuts 16 curls of Parmesan cheese sea salt flakes

ny flavours; Smoking comes in ma ct and (low &) fast with hay or indire unks slow with the Wood Ch Wood Chunks

Extensively tested by Big Green Egg chefs.

This premium range of 100% natural Wood Chunks is perfect for smoking and will continue to add a delightful aroma and rich flavour for quite some time. Opt for apple, hickory or mesquite and add a new and tasteful dimension to everything you prepare on the Big Green Egg.

For the coulis: ¼ clove of garlic 40 g basil 5 g flat parsley 5 g chives 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce Accessories: Cast Iron Grid Dual Probe Remote Thermometer Cast Iron Skillet Additional accessories Hay Butcher's twine

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the Cast Iron Grid, to a temperature of 130°C. If the meat is not evenly thick, tie it up with butcher’s twine to ensure even cooking. Put about 6 handfuls of hay in a bowl and pour over the beer.

PREPARATION ❱ Sprinkle salt and pepper over a chopping board and roll the meat over it. Spread the hay over the grid and place the meat on top. Insert the pin of the probe thermometer into the core of the meat and close the lid of the EGG. Set the core temperature to 48°C and bring the temperature of the EGG back up to 130ºC (placing the hay and meat on the grid will cause the temperature to drop). ❱ It will take about 45-60 minutes to reach the set core temperature. In the meantime, make the herb coulis.

Peel and press the garlic clove. Blend with the herbs, the Worcestershire sauce and 4 tablespoons of water in a food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste and spoon into a bowl. ❱ Roughly chop the walnuts and drain the capers.

Peel the red onion and cut into thin strips. Sprinkle the rocket with the avocado oil. ❱ Remove the meat and the hay from the EGG and heat the EGG to a temperature of 220°C. Meanwhile, brush the hay off the meat using kitchen paper and burn off any remnants using a crème brûlée torch. ❱ Place the meat on the grid and grill for 2 minutes on each side. If desired, turn through ninety degrees after one minute each time to create a nice grill pattern. ❱ Remove the meat from the EGG and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the Cast Iron Skillet on the grid. Add the pine nuts and walnuts and toast for a few minutes until golden-brown. Turn regularly to prevent burning, closing the lid of the EGG after each action. ❱ Place some of the rocket in the centre of each plate.

Carve the meat into nice thin slices and place these on the rocket. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts and walnuts, the capers, the red onion, the Parmesan curls and the herb coulis and sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

ENJOY! 27

Fantastically vegan

Sometimes you may feel like cooking an elaborate creation, and at other times you may fancy a quick and easy meal.

Whatever you choose, you can prepare it on your Big Green Egg! Because a simple meal based on fresh ingredients is much tastier if prepared on the EGG. Let these fantastically vegan dishes inspire you.

Green Dutch Oven

The Green Dutch Oven for the Big Green Egg is one heavy dude. This enamelled cast iron casserole stews, braises, cooks, bakes and roasts. So quite an all-rounder! The lid of the Green Dutch Oven can also be used separately as a shallow frying pan, or even as a tin for cakes and desserts. The Green Dutch Oven is available in both a round and an oval version.

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the Cast Iron Grid,

to a temperature of 200°C. ❱ In the meantime, peel and slice the young carrots. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Peel and finely chop the red onion. Peel and thinly slice the clove of garlic.

Halve the chilli pepper, remove the stalk and the seeds, and finely cut the flesh.

Rinse the chickpeas in a colander and allow to drain. Cut the aubergines into slices approximately 1 cm thick. Sprinkle salt to taste on both sides and drizzle with 50 ml of the olive oil. Pluck the leaves from the coriander and the mint and chop finely. Keep separately and set aside.

CAULIFLOWER CURRY with chickpeas and grilled aubergine SERVES 4

Preparation in advance: 20 minutes Preparation: 30 minutes 8 young carrots 1 average-sized cauliflower 1 red onion 1 clove of garlic 1 red chilli pepper 1 tin of chickpeas (400g) 2 small aubergines 150 ml olive oil 1 sprig of mint 10 sprigs of coriander 1 tbsp curry powder ¼ tsp ground cumin 250 ml coconut cream 2 large naan breads Accessories: Cast Iron Grid Dutch Oven

28 ENJOY!

PREPARATION ❱ Heat 50 ml of the olive oil in the Dutch Oven on the grid of the EGG. Add the carrot, cauliflower, red onion, garlic and three quarters of the chopped chilli pepper, and put the lid on the pan. Close the lid of the EGG and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Stir once after 3 minutes. ❱ Add the curry powder and the ground cumin to the vegetables and stir well.

Pour in the coconut cream, remove the lid of the Dutch Oven and close the lid of the EGG. Let the curry simmer for about 5 minutes until the coconut cream has reduced slightly. ❱ Stir the chickpeas into the curry and close the lid of the EGG. Wait for 1 to 2 minutes until the chickpeas have warmed up. ❱ Remove the Dutch Oven from the EGG and put the lid on the pan to keep the curry warm. Place the aubergine slices on the grid and grill for about 2 minutes.

Rotate the slices a quarter of a turn and continue to grill for another 2 minutes to produce a nice grilled diamond pattern. Turn the slices over and grill the other side for 2 x 2 minutes. Close the lid of the EGG after each action. In the meantime, in a shallow dish mix the remaining 50 ml of olive oil with the remaining chopped chilli pepper and chopped mint. ❱ Remove the aubergine slices from the EGG, place them in the dish with the olive oil mixture and coat thoroughly with the oil. Place the naan bread on the grid and grill for 1 minute max. on each side. ❱ Sprinkle the cauliflower curry with the chopped coriander and serve with the aubergine and naan bread.

GRILLED SEITAN STEAK with roast potatoes SERVES 4

SPRING ROLLS

with green asparagus and peanut sauce SERVES 4

Preparation in advance: 20 minutes Preparation: 25 minutes 1 bunch of green asparagus spears 250 g oyster mushrooms 1 Chinese cabbage 2 tbsp sunflower oil 5 spring onions coriander to taste 1 unsprayed lime 1 red chilli pepper 50 g peanuts 10 rice sheets For the peanut sauce: 1 tbsp sunflower oil ¼ onion 200 g peanut butter 50 ml lemon juice 30 ml ginger syrup 50 ml soy sauce Accessories: Cast Iron Grid Cast Iron Sauce Pot PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the Cast Iron Grid, to a temperature of 170°C. ❱ Remove the hard ends of the asparagus and, if necessary, halve the thicker spears lengthwise. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil. Sprinkle the oyster mushrooms with salt to taste as well and drizzle them with the second tablespoon of oil. Make sure that the asparagus and oyster mushrooms are completely covered in oil. ❱ Remove the 10 outermost leaves from

the Chinese cabbage and slice the rest of the cabbage into thin strips. Cut the spring onions into thin half rings. Pluck the leaves from the coriander and chop finely. Grate the zest from the lime, cut the lime in half and squeeze out the

juice. Halve the chilli pepper, remove the stalk and the seeds, and finely cut the flesh. Mix the chopped cabbage with the spring onion, coriander, lime zest and lime juice and half of the chilli pepper. Save the other half for the peanut sauce. Coarsely chop the peanuts, peel and mince the onion for the peanut sauce.

PREPARATION ❱ Place the the asparagus and oyster mushrooms (cap side down) on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Grill for about 5 minutes, turning the vegetables and mushrooms now and then. ❱ Remove them from the EGG and

place the whole Chinese cabbage leaves on the grid. Of course, you can do this in portions. Grill the leaves for about 1 minute per side. ❱ Remove the cabbage from the EGG. For the peanut sauce, heat up the sunflower oil in the Cast Iron Sauce Pot on the grid and sauté the onion.

Add the other ingredients, including the chili pepper you kept apart, and heat while stirring. Keep the sauce warm. ❱ Soak 1 rice sheet in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 5 seconds and then place it on a clean, moist tea towel. Lay a grilled cabbage leaf on top and place 1 or 2 green asparagus spears (depending on how many you have) about a third of the way from the bottom of the sheet. Divide some of the oyster mushrooms, the finally chopped cabbage mix and the coarsely chopped peanuts over the asparagus. Fold the underside of the rice sheet over the filling and roll up the sheet. Repeat with the remaining rice sheets and filling. ❱ Serve the spring rolls with the peanut sauce.

Preparation in advance: 60 minutes Preparation: 60 minutes For the seitan: 1 clove of garlic 200 g wheat gluten 150 ml vegetable stock 20 ml soy sauce 20 g salt 5 g four-seasons pepper 1-2 tbsp sunflower oil For the sweet potatoes: 4 sweet potatoes 1 clove of garlic 1 sprig of rosemary For the BBQ sauce: ½ shallot 1 sprig of parsley 50 ml ketchup 20 ml sweet soy sauce 5 ml sriracha chilli sauce 1 tsp small capers Accessory: Cast Iron Grid PREPARATION IN ADVANCE ❱ For the seitan, peel the garlic and chop finely. Thoroughly knead all ingredients for the seitan, except the four-seasons pepper and sunflower oil. The dough is very tough. First, knead as well as you can, then pull apart and form into a ball.

Pull apart and form into a ball again.

Repeat this process several times.

Finally, flatten the ball of seitan slightly. ❱ Put the seitan in a pan, add 1.5 l of water and the salt, and bring to the boil.

Lower the heat and cook the seitan until done in about 45 minutes. Allow the liquid to cool down. You can do this a day in advance if that suits you better. ❱ Peel and finely chop the shallot for the BBQ sauce. Remove the parsley leaves from the stalks and chop finely. Mix together all ingredients for the sauce.

PREPARATION ❱ Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat, with the Cast Iron Grid, to 180°C. In the meantime, coarsely grind the four-seasons pepper for the seitan using a pestle and mortar, and allow to soak in lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes. ❱ Place the sweet potatoes on the side of the grid and grill them until done in about 40 minutes, turning them over every now and then. In the meantime, cut the seitan into 4 slices. Drain the four-seasons pepper and rub the seitan steaks with the soaked pepper. ❱ Remove the potatoes from the EGG and cover loosely with aluminium foil. ❱ Brush both sides of the seitan steaks with the sunflower oil. Place them on the grid, close the lid of the EGG and grill them for about 2 minutes. Turn the steaks over and grill for another 2 minutes. ❱ Place a steak and a sweet potato on each plate, and serve with the BBQ sauce.

Serve with a delicious green salad with walnuts.

ENJOY! 29

HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY EGG?

It’s hardly rocket science. The better you look after your Big Green Egg, the longer it will last and the longer it will keep looking good. The question is how. Peter Bootsma, Big Green Egg expert since the early days, explains the maintenance required for each component.

CAST IRON DUAL FUNCTION METAL TOP

BASE

Clean the outside of the ceramic base occasionally (I do this more often as I use my EGG almost every day) using water and soft soap. This is easier to do if the EGG is still slightly warm.

If you are using your Big Green Egg for the very first time, make sure that the dual function metal top is properly seasoned. If you don’t, the metal top could attract dirt. This is how to season it. Heat your EGG to a temperature of 180200°C and place the dual function metal top on the grid in the EGG. Place the ceramic snuffer cap on your EGG and close the draft door (this will cause the temperature to drop slightly and the charcoal will go out, but this is not a problem). Leave for one hour, after which the cast iron will have changed colour. Once the dual function metal top has cooled down, rub on some Crisco or vegetable oil, such as peanut oil. This is what we call seasoning. Bring the temperature back up to 180-200°C. Replace the dual function metal top on the grid and close the EGG with the ceramic snuffer cap. Close the draft door and leave the dual function metal top to season for about an hour while the EGG cools down. Repeat this seasoning process once or twice a year to keep the dual function metal top in good condition. Another good tip is to replace the cast iron dual function metal top with the ceramic snuffer cap after cooking. This will help to keep the metal top in great condition.

FRAME If you regularly move your Big Green Egg around, the nuts and bolts could shake loose, so they need to be tightened every once in a while. Occasionally cleaning the frame with water and soft soap will do it the world of good. It will also look more attractive.

DOME

You can maintain the inside of the lid by occasionally brushing it with a steel brush.

e If you clean the outsid h of the ceramic base wit ld cou you , ter It is easiest to clean the grid when it is still soapy wa lid slightly warm. The Dual Brush Grid Scrubber clean the outside of the is the best tool for the job. After scrubbing, at the same time. just rub it with a wad of paper. I always store

STAINLESS STEEL GRID

my EGG immediately after using it, when I am not really in the mood for cleaning. When I fire it up the next time, I clean the grid as soon as it starts heating up. This takes no time at all, and cooking on the EGG is so much better without any leftovers stuck to the grid.

convEGGtor

The convEGGtor is designed in such a way that it ensures a good airflow and excellent heat conductivity.

As the convEGGtor allows only indirect heat to pass through, it transforms your EGG into a fully-fledged outdoor oven. If you want to prevent the convEGGtor from becoming dirty while cooking, place a drip tray on top of it. If you forget to use a drip tray, no worries. Just heat your Big Green Egg to 250°C with the convEGGtor inside and all the dirt will burn off. When there is no more smoke coming out of the dual function metal top, that means that it is clean enough. If you want to clean it more quickly, you could use the Dual Brush Grid Scrubber.

FIRE BOWL AND FIRE RING This is easy.

These components . require no maintenance

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CAST IRON GRID

Cast iron is a wonderful and tremendously strong material, but it is also brittle. This means that it does need a bit of extra attention every now and then. Besides cleaning, which is done in the same way as the Stainless Steel Grid, the Cast Iron Grid also needs to be seasoned like the dual function metal top. I explained exactly how to do that in the section on the dual function metal top. Be sure to always use a Grid Lifter when placing the Cast Iron Grid in your EGG. This will prevent you from accidentally dropping the heavy grid on your fire ring, causing this to crack. Always allow the grid to heat up gently in your Big Green Egg (in other words, do not place a cold grid in a very hot EGG) to prevent any cracks due to a sudden extreme temperature difference. This can be done by placing the grid in the EGG while this is heating up. This puts less strain on the cast iron.

HEAT UNTIL WHITE?

Let’s start by getting rid of a misconception here.

You sometimes hear EGG users say that they stoke up their Big Green Egg until white or clean. They do this by submitting their EGG to extremely high temperatures for a very long time.

However, the more you use the Big Green Egg, the blacker it will become. As a consequence, it will function more effectively and become more stable. For me, as a Big Green Egg fan, this seems to be the most important thing.

THERMOMETER

You can calibrate your thermometer to ensure that it continues to function properly (i.e. continues to indicate the right temperature). First detach the thermometer from the dome. Bring a pan of water to the boil, place a skimmer on the pan and push the pin of the thermometer through one of the holes in the skimmer. It should indicate a temperature of 100°C. If it doesn’t, use the adjusting nut on the back to set to 100°C. Afterwards, hang the thermometer in a container of ice water (water with ice cubes). After a few minutes, place it in boiling water again. If it has been properly calibrated, the temperature should rise to 100°C again.

HINGE

GASKET

The gasket in your Big Green Egg has two functions. It acts as a cushion, preventing damage when closing the EGG, and it also creates an airtight seal. If the gasket becomes too hard, it will no longer function properly and needs to be replaced. This is done by first removing the old gasket. Scrape the underlying ceramic clean using a sharp knife or putty knife and remove any residue using 80-grit sandpaper.

Finally, wipe clean with a kitchen towel. You can now apply a new band of gasket. When you have finished, the best thing to do is leave the EGG with the lid closed for 24 hours, then fire up your Big Green Egg gently to ensure that the layer of glue adheres well to the ceramic. The gasket should be replaced about once every two years.

The hinge is made of steel, the advantage of which is that it moves with the ceramic. However, this means that it tends to expand or contract when the temperature changes. As a consequence, you will occasionally need to check the hinge and refasten it. While doing so, you should also check that the band hasn’t dropped. If it has, you need to realign it (the manual describes exactly how to do that).

The heat ensures that the moving parts of the hinge become rough, resulting in friction and a possible loosening of the bolts. At the same time, you could spray the hinge with WD-40 or another silicone spray and wash the steel using soapy water.

#OPENFLAVOUR #BIGGREENEGG Do you take photos of your Big Green Egg dishes? You are not alone. More and more foodies are regularly taking food photos, to share these with the masses via Instagram and Facebook, but also to review them at a later date. However, social media is also a good channel for sharing experiences, renewed recipes and news items. Or to ask questions.

NEXT TIME IN ENJOY!

Do you want to be inspired and motivate others yourself? Then follow and tag us at: Big Green Egg EU Biggreeneggeu Big Green Egg Europe Biggreeneggeu Big Green Egg Europe Share your posts and photos with us and all other EGG fans using the hashtags #openflavour and #BigGreenEgg.

A must have, must read and must try!

This is perhaps the most essential accessory for your EGG. This unique cookbook is almost bursting at its seams with culinary creations, each of which will make you want to fire up your Big Green Egg. In it, international chefs have of course also revealed their favourite Big Green Egg recipes. Which one are we making tonight?

ALL BIG GREEN EGG FANS UNITED! Nowhere else than at a Big Green Egg’s Flavour Fair will you find so many like-minded foodies in one place. They are immediately recognisable, these fans of honest food, the latest trends, cooking techniques, top chefs and, of course, the Big Green Egg. Our food event is all about inspiration, knowledge and having an unforgettable day together. As Big Green Egg’s Flavour Fairs are held all over Europe, we’re certain we’ll run into you somewhere!

Check biggreenegg.eu for data.

We hope you have once again enjoyed the recipes and background stories in this issue of Enjoy! The next issue will again be brimming with inspiration, with a focus on spring and summer and typical seasonal products. For all of you who are curious about what to expect, we have included a preview below!

Off to a good start Breakfasts made in the EGG Star quality vegetarian The cooking style of head chef Pietro Leemann A voyage of discovery How Copenhagen cooks

The next Enjoy! will be available from your Big Green Egg dealer at the end of March 2019.

ENJOY!

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