BBQ Tips and Techniques from an Expert

Award-winning chef Johann Schwarz shares his secrets
 
It’s finally that time of the year again: Spring has come and is enticing us to come outside with balmy temperatures and fresh spring air. The first rays of sun also herald the beginning of the barbecue season, for whether you fancy fish or meat, food never tastes better than when it’s fresh off the grill.  

Award-winning chef Johann Schwarz offers some valuable tips and techniques to guarantee that your BBQ is a resounding success:

·        Fresh herbs are indispensable for a barbecue! Rosemary and oregano go well with beef and lamb, while marjoram and thyme go really well with pork. Poultry is best spiced up with sage. But don’t forget: the best way to get that perfect flavour is to leave the meat to marinate for a couple of hours.

·        Personally, I swear by a good old fashioned charcoal grill. The charcoal grill gives the meat its characteristic smoky flavour and creates that convivial barbecue atmosphere.

·         But be careful! It is essential that you get the charcoal to the right temperature! At the correct temperature of approx. 200°C the meat will become tender and lose less juice.

·        Everyone who has ever barbecued is familiar with the problem: Stomachs rumble but the charcoal simply won’t get hot. The solution is a chimney starter. This practical device will shorten the time you have to wait before you can start grilling and at the same time ensures that the charcoal is lit evenly.

·        And finally, guys, you’re much better off enjoying your beer straight away instead of pouring it over the meat. For a start, this dramatically reduces the temperature of the barbecue and secondly it churns up the embers and releases harmful particles that then stick to the food.

Our executive chef recommends …

Have you invited friends for a meal but don’t know what to cook for them? Have relatives said they are coming to see you on Sunday and you want to offer them a fantastic meal as well as the pleasure of your company?
If so, we’ve got the perfect solution!

Creamy veal goulash with gnocchi 
Serves 4 

Ingredients:
1 kg veal (shoulder cut)
200g onions 
2 tsp paprika powder (sweet) 
1 tbsp. tomato paste  
250 ml whipped cream  
20 g maizena
125 ml white wine  
Salt, pepper, 1 bay leaf 
1/16 litre oil (to brown)

Gnocchi Dough:
300 g flour (sponge flour) 
3 eggs  
150-200 ml milk (depending on the consistency of the dough) 
Salt, pepper, nutmeg 


Preparation:

Cut the meat into bite-size cubes and dice the onions. Heat the oil in a pan and then lightly brown the onions. Stir in the tomato paste, add the paprika powder and deglaze with wine. Add water. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper and leave to simmer for approx. 15 minutes. Add the meat, stew until tender over a low heat for approx. 90 minutes. Remove the meat from pan when tender. Add a little cold water to the maizena and stir to a smooth paste; add to the sauce. Put the meat back into the pan and briefly heat again. Season with salt and pepper. 

To make the gnocchi dough, mix the eggs with the flour and milk, adding a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg to season.
Bring salt water to the boil and press the dough through a sieve. Boil until the gnocchi float to the surface. Quench with cold water so that they do not form clumps. Melt butter in a pan and toss the gnocchi in it. 
Serve and enjoy!

The ARCOTEL Wimberger Vienna team wishes you BON APPÉTIT!

Recipe of the month

Beetroot gnocchi with long-pepper and coconut foam, sprouts, horseradish and beetroot and carrot potpourri 

Looking for an exceptional recipe because you have invited family or friends for dinner? Executive chef Johann Schwarz recommends beetroot gnocchi with long-pepper and coconut foam. Sounds great? Why not try to prepare it yourself? 

Ingredients for 8 portions:

 

Gnocchi: 

500g boiled potato

500g boiled beetroot

Margarine

Beetroot juice

350g flour

Salt, pepper, nutmeg, ground caraways seeds 

 

Carrot and Beetroot Potpourri: 

Carrots

Yellow carrots

Beetroot 

Coconut Foam: 

1/4l coconut milk

3 long pepper catkins

Salt

Pink peppercorns

Peanut oil or sesame oil 

Crisps: 

180g flour

2g yeast

Salt

Pepper

175ml beetroot juice

Sesame 

Preparation: 

Mash the hot potatoes and beetroot, add juice, margarine and spices and knead to dough with flour. Roll the gnocchi. Boil in salted water that has a splash of vinegar added. Cut the carrots and yellow carrots into triangles and then blanch. Boil the beetroot and then cut into triangles, toss in olive oil and add the gnocchi and sesame. Bring the coconut milk to the boil – add the salt and long pepper and leave to stand for half an hour. Strain and season with pink peppercorns and peanut oil. To make the crisps mix the ingredients and leave to stand for half an hour. Spread the mixture thinly on a silicone mat, sprinkle with sesame and leave to dry for 20 minutes at a temperature of 120 C°. Break into pieces. Arrange the individual elements on plates, spray with peanut oil and place the coconut foam on the mixture. Strew with sprouts and horseradish. Garnish with the crisps and rocket lettuce.

Breaking news, read all about it!

At the beginning of the new year ARCOTEL hotel chain is proud to announce its 25^th anniversary. Throughout 2014. this anniversary will be celebrated in each of the 10 hotels in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Vienna, Linz, Klagenfurt and Zagreb. Guests will be treated with the very special offers. One of the first offers available gives you the chance to book a stay in any ARCOTEL hotel for a mere 25,00 EUR per person (valid only on Sundays). The offer is bookable exclusively on the chain’s website www.arcotelhotels.com – for a limited time only!

  

We would like to invite you to Joe’s bar for a wide selection of teas, coffees, mulled wine, punch or cakes. Don’t miss our January dessert recipe! You can challenge your cooking abilities and prepare the exquisite Raspberry yogurt.      

Raspberry yogurt

Yogurt ice cream

1l yogurt

1 sheet of gelatin

0.03 dl Amaretto

150 g powdered sugar

Crocanti

sugar

hazelnuts

Sweet crisps

100 g soft flour

100 g powdered sugar

5 egg whites

raspberries

Vanilla sauce

150 g white chocolate

2.5 dl whipped cream

3 dl milk

1 vanilla sugar

Yogurt ice cream:

Dissolve the gelatin in the liquid yogurt and mix it until it becomes thick and creamy. Gradually add Amaretto and finally add the sugar. Shape the ice cream into balls and place them in the freezer until they cool down.

Crocanti:

Melt the sugar until it becomes golden yellow and add large crushed hazelnuts. Pour everything together onto the metal surface, let it cool down and give it a good chop at the end.

Sweet crisps:

Mix a firm creme from egg whites, add powdered sugar and flour and mix it until the mass is smooth and soft. Spread the mixture on the wax paper the size of crisps and dry them in the oven at 150⁰C until they become golden yellow.

Vanilla and white chocolate sauce:

Melt the chocolate with the help of steam, gradually add sweet cream and stir it lightly. Add milk and vanilla sugar and let it cool down. Pour the mixture onto the plate, add raspberries and serve.

December at ARCOTEL Allegra

During the cold weeks in December we have prepared a great offer just for you. Our offer of the month called "Christmas Time @ Joe's Bar" includes a large selection of hot drinks such as mulled wine, punch and natural teas. We recommend a relaxing "warm up" at Joe'sbar, which is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. During these cold days refresh yourself with our hot drinks (starting from 15.00 EUR) and relax in the wonderful Christmas atmosphere.

Just like the previous months, in December we prepared the recipe of the month, which you can use to prepare your own food. Get all the necessary ingredients, follow the instructions and your delicious meal will soon be complete. But if you still do not have the time and will to cook, you still have the option to enjoy the "Pork Fillet with Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms" in the cozy atmosphere of Restaurant Radicchio during December.

Ingredients for 4 people:

1kg pork fillet

1kg oyster mushrooms

100 g cherry tomatoes

salt

pepper

onion

bay leaves

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

Preparation:

Cut the pork fillet into even slices; season it with salt and pepper. Dice the onion into small cubes. Pour some olive oil in the pan, let it heat up and add the onion. Fry it slowly, add mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, a little bit of garlic, bay leaf and season it at the end. Gently fry the pork fillet in a pan. Serve everything on a serving plate. Have fun cooking and bon appétit!

In addition, The ARCOTEL Allegra has created a special offer for your Christmas parties and New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve at The ARCOTEL Allegra Hotel is one of the best parties in town. An unforgettable experience and a great atmosphere in a decorated and pleasant environment with unlimited food and drinks, tasty snacks and entertaining DJ Emilio Dalbello are guaranteed. If you decide to spend the night at The ARCOTEL Allegra Hotel, a visit to our wellness center with jacuzzi, Finnish sauna and relaxation area after a memorable New Year's Eve is the best solution for a fresh start. For more information:

T: +385 1 4696 000
F: +385 1 4696 027
E-mail: bankett.allegra@arcotelhotels.com

Gastro-October at the Radicchio restaurant

The beginning of autumn has been marked for years with special offers of our restaurant Radicchio. One of the offers, launched in early summer, refers to the activity called "recipe of the month". The activity helps those who are always looking for delicious meals, by recipes published on the official website of our restaurant www.restaurantradicchio.com/en/home/, and lets everyone feel a part of the atmosphere of our hotel in their own home. For those who still want to be left in the experienced hands of our chefs meals, the specified meals are offered as an integral part of the Radicchio restaurant.

In the month of October, try preparing the following recipe:

VEAL IN LEMON WITH GRATAN

Ingredients for 4 per:   

800 g of veal  (from leg)

·         2 lemons

·         2 dcl of olive oil

·         half a teaspoon of thyme

·         salt and pepper

·         500g of sweet potato

·         500g of potatoes

·         50g of pine nuts

·         0.5L of cooking cream

·         250g of butter

·         1 endive

·         3 dcl of red wine

·         250 g of berries

Preparation:

Cut the veal into slices and marinate it with thyme, olive oil and lemon juice.

Gratan:

Peel the potato and sweet potato and cut into thin slices and mix with pine nuts. Grease the mold with butter, arrange the potatoes and sweet potato, pour cream on them, spice them up and put it like that in the oven at 160⁰ C and cook for 45 minutes. Cut the endive into thin slices and arrange it on butter and spice it up with salt and pepper.

Sauce made from red wine and berries:

Put the butter on the pan, add the berries, pour red wine and let it cook all together. Mix it until you get a thick sauce. If necessary, add a little sugar.
Bake the veal in a pan and serve with gratan and sautéed endive and gently pour with the sauce.

If you still want to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of our restaurant, in the period from 04^th to 13^th October 2013

in addition to our regular menu, we offer you delicious meat, fish and vegetarian menus, at a special price of only 100 HRK. These menus have been created specifically for Restaurant Week, in which our restaurant traditionally participates. We look forward to Your visit, and already wish You bon appétit! 

T +385 1 4696-040

F +385 1 4696-096

E allegra@arcotelhotels.com