1. Peel the carrots, trim the ends, and slice. Cut the roots off the onions and halve them. Separate the white and green parts of the leek. Wash the green part thoroughly and cut it into large pieces. Halve the lemon. Peel the garlic cloves. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
2. Heat a large pot over medium heat (no oil). Place the onion halves cut side down and let them brown. Then add the carrots, leek, lemon, herbs, peppercorns, and chicken thighs. Pour in 3 liters of cold water.
3. Slowly bring the pot to a gentle simmer, do not let it boil. Skim off any foam with a spoon. Let it cook uncovered on the lowest heat for 4 to 8 hours, making sure it stays at a gentle simmer. Skim off any foam occasionally and add cold water if too much evaporates.
4. In the meantime, prepare the chive oil and store it in the fridge until needed.
5. Once the broth is done, remove it from the heat. Take out the chicken thighs, let them cool, and then shred the meat from the bones and set it aside for later. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon. Strain the broth first through a fine mesh strainer and then through cheesecloth for a clear result.

If you’d like to turn your broth into a clarified consommé, follow the next steps. If not, jump to the section “Simple Version.”

Consommé Version

1. Let the broth cool slightly so it’s warm but not hot. In a bowl, whisk 4 egg whites just until frothy. Stir them into the broth. Let everything sit over medium heat for about 15–20 minutes, do not boil, or the egg whites will curdle.Over time, a layer of egg whites will form and trap any remaining fat or cloudiness. Gently remove this layer and strain the broth again: first through a fine mesh strainer, then through cheesecloth. The result: a crystal-clear consommé.
2. Reheat the consommé and season with salt (about 5–7g per liter). Keep it hot.
3. Slice the white part of the leek into rings and wash well. Slice the asparagus into chunks or thin rounds. Finely slice the green part of the scallions for topping.Optional extra step for curly scallion strips: Slice the tube lengthwise and open it up. Place the inside facing up and gently scrape off the slimy layer with a knife. Slice into thin strips and store in a bowl of ice water until serving.
4. Boil two small pots of salted water. In one, cook the noodles al dente. In the other, blanch the leeks first, then asparagus, and finally the peas. Place each component in a small bowl and set aside.
5. To serve, layer noodles, vegetables, and shredded chicken into serving bowls and pour hot consommé over. Top with freshly ground black pepper, fresh dill, chives, scallions, lemon slices, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of chive oil.

Simple Version

1. Reheat the broth and season with salt (5–7g per liter). Keep it hot.
2. Slice the leek into rings and rinse thoroughly. Cut the asparagus into chunks or thin slices. Finely slice the green part of the scallions for topping.
3. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles al dente.
4. Add the leeks to the broth and simmer until soft. Then add asparagus and peas, cooking for another 5 minutes. Finally, stir in the shredded chicken and cooked noodles. Simmer everything for 1–2 minutes until heated through.
5. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve hot in deep bowls, topped with fresh dill, chives, scallions, lemon slices, and chive oil.

PREPARATIONS

• Place the beef shanks on a rack over a drip tray or a deep baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven at 250°C on the grill setting for about 25 minutes, until browned and starting to render fat.
• Meanwhile, cut carrots, onions, and celery into large chunks. Sauté the veggies with crushed coriander seeds and peppercorns in a large pot with a bit of olive oil. Stir in tomato paste and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
• Add water to the pot and toss in bay leaves.
• Remove the beef shanks and bones from the oven and add them to the pot. Cover with the lid and simmer for about 2 hours.
• Once the cooking time is up, strain the broth through a sieve into a measuring cup. Discard the vegetables and bones, and set the meat aside in a bowl. If you want to go the extra mile, strain the broth through a cheesecloth, though it’s not essential for this recipe. You’ll need 600 milliliters of broth and all the meat for this cottage pie.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel and halve the potatoes, then place them in a medium pot with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, gently heat milk and butter in a small pot until the butter melts. Grate Parmesan and slice chives into fine rings—set both aside. Finely dice the onion, peel the garlic, and dice the carrots into small cubes. Weigh the peas and set everything aside.
3. Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water. Add the warm milk-butter mixture and mash the potatoes. Stir in cream cheese and Parmesan, then season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Finally, fold in the chives. Cover and set the pot aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large pot or ovenproof pan. Sear the ground beef, remove it, and set aside.
5. Add the onions and carrots to the pan and sauté briefly. Press or finely grate the garlic, sauté for a moment, then stir in tomato paste and cook briefly as well.
6. Dust with flour and stir well. Add the ground beef and beef shank meat, then deglaze with the beef broth. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, paprika, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. While it simmers, finely chop the parsley.
7. Once the carrots are soft, stir in the peas and parsley. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spread the meat mixture evenly into an ovenproof dish. Smooth it out, then spread the mashed potatoes on top, smoothing and optionally decorating the surface.
8. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the edges are bubbling. Switch to the grill setting and cook for 5–7 minutes until the mashed potato topping turns golden brown. Let the cottage pie rest briefly before serving.

PREPARATIONS

• Here you’ll find the recipe for the rosemary oil. You’ll need about 4-5 tablespoons of it.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the whipped ricotta, put the ricotta cheese in a food processor. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and blend for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Place in the fridge for later use.
2. Next, make the gremolata. Prepare a small bowl. Finely chop the parsley and put it in the bowl. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice from one half into the parsley. Add the rosemary oil, salt, and pepper and grate the garlic clove. Place in the fridge for later use.
3. Now prepare the toppings. Heat some clarified butter in a small pan. While the ghee is heating, peel and finely slice the shallot into rings. Mix the rings with cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside. Drain the capers and pat them dry with a paper towel.
4. Once the ghee is hot, add the capers and fry for 1 minute or so until they burst open. Remove from the fat and drain on a paper towel. Next, add the shallot rings to the hot fat and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
5. Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Meanwhile, trim the ends of the asparagus and remove the tough leaves from the broccolini. Wash both well under cold water and place them on a plate. Prepare a medium-sized bowl with ice water and set it aside. Once the water is boiling, add the asparagus, broccolini, and frozen peas to the pot and blanch for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them directly into the ice water for a minute. Remove the vegetables from the ice water and place them on a paper towel to drain. If you want to eat the vegetables cold, you’re done. If you prefer them warm, you can briefly sauté them in a pan with some butter or roast them in the oven. I used them cold.
6. Take a large plate and spread the whipped ricotta in a large circle. Place the vegetables in the center on top of the whipped ricotta. Next, distribute the gremolata over the vegetables and top everything with the fried capers and shallots. For a final touch, drizzle more rosemary oil over the vegetables.

1. Cut romaine and butter lettuce into bite-sized pieces, wash thoroughly, and spin dry. Place in a large salad bowl.
2. Also wash chives, dill, and tarragon, dry, and finely chop. Add to the salad in the bowl.
3. Fill a small bowl with frozen peas and pour hot water over them to cover and then set aside.
4. In the meantime, in a separate bowl, prepare the dressing. Mix yogurt, lemon juice, peeled and pressed garlic cloves, and Dijon mustard together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Drain the peas in a sieve and rinse with cold water. Let them drain and then add them to the salad bowl. Peel the red onion and slice it into very fine strips.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and top with the sliced red onions. Enjoy the salad immediately.

• Thoroughly wash the cucumber, carrot, tomatoes, radishes, dill, and chives. Peel the cucumber and carrot and cut them into fine strips, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the radishes thinly, finely chop the dill, and cut the chives into little rolls. Put everything into a medium-sized bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. If the feta cheese is very salty, I would not add any more salt to the vegetables.
• Place the feta cheese in the food processor and turn it on. Gradually add 3 tablespoons of olive oil until the cheese is creamily blended.
• Spread the feta on a flat plate and smooth it out. Distribute the vegetables over the cheese and serve. If you store the plate in the fridge, the cheese might harden a bit. I would recommend bringing it to room temperature before serving.