Eclectic Tastes Transform North Sea Culinary Scene
Two pals decide on a fresh start: abandoning jobs and familiar towns. They explore the globe, ride the tallest waves, sample countless kitchens. The experiences that Cozy and Jo accrued throughout the years are extraordinary. In their third cookbook, they narrate their adventures through 70 recipes.
Two companions freeze on a shaky wooden pier at the North Sea in January 2013, pondering life's challenges. They begin to weave dreams: What if...? "We're dreaming a little ahead, moving to warmer locations someday, leaving everything behind to embark on a grand adventure. To beautiful beaches, with good food, waves, and new acquaintances." A decade has passed since then, and Thomas Kosikowski and Johannes Riffelmacher, known as Cozy and Jo, plunge into a new life. Not impulsively, but still boldly: traveling, surfing, learning to cook. Their savings are depleted, and jobs are lost - and their life of excitement, inspiration, courage, and pioneering spirit begins. A world tour with no safety net and solid ground.
A certain amount of madness appears to be required for the pursuit of the world's most inspiring flavors. What starts as improvised catering from the communal kitchen turns into a culinary whirlwind that stirs up the cooking scene. By 2024, they have three cookbooks, three restaurant openings, and their own TV docu-series under their belts, but also Corona and existential struggles. You can read and be amazed, laugh and get thrilled, until you either get nostalgic or famished. Probably both. The third collaboration cookbook of the duo Kosikowski/Riffelmacher, "Salt & Silver at the Sea," was published by the Brandstätter Verlag this year, just like the two previous ones, "Salt & Silver Latin America: Traveling, Surfing, Cooking" and "Salt & Silver Mexico: Tacos, Tequila, Tattoos."
Both books by this impressive duo are filled with adventures and flavor experiences that can be found in the recipes. Open-minded and unbiased, Cozy and Jo encounter hundreds of people, cook and eat with them, create innovative recipes, and intriguing stories, vividly told and impressively illustrated. Cozy photographs, and Jo writes - learning is learned: Before the ride on the highest waves, Cozy studied cinematography, and Jo earned a living as an Art Director at an advertising agency.
At Last, Arrived
With "Salt & Silver at the Sea" (once as a restaurant, once as a cookbook), the circle is completed, which began in 2013 in the icy North Sea wind. There, on the beach of St. Peter-Ording, Cozy and Jo open their third joint restaurant in March 2022. Their life's dream finally comes true here - here, the duo creates unique dishes from experiences and flavors collected during their travels to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Marrakesh, Portugal, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, or Japan. The main ingredients are mainly local products, while the ideas and aromas come from their journeys to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Marrakesh, Portugal, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, or Japan.
Extraordinary Life with Unique Beach Cuisine
By the way, all three restaurants are listed by Michelin. About "Salt & Silver by the Sea," it says: "Impressive is the location in an 8-meter-high stilts building right by the beach, the sea right there. Offered is fresh cuisine, partly with regional products. The menu is tempting with fish and meat from the grill, 'Ceviche' should not be missing as a signature dish. The lively atmosphere, both indoors and on the lovely terrace, is really nice. Along with the two Hamburg Salt & Silver restaurants, there is another Salt & Silver variant."
In the same-named cookbook, Cozy and Jo recount their adventures in stories and 70 recipes. “Our cooking style is a product of our experiences on our travels. The aromas, ingredients, spices, and techniques we use for our dishes are inspired by the countries we visited. These impressions come together on our plates to form a unique style.” According to the preface, “we take you on two journeys: a culinary one - to the most exciting culinary places for us - and a personal one as beginners, who grew into the wonderful world of gastronomy."
A Life Worth Dreaming with Unique Beach Cuisine
The book is divided into the two large parts that make up Cozy and Jo’s life: “Away” and “Home”. Now that they returned home after years of traveling, it's fun to dive into their travel stories from Morocco, California, Lebanon, Israel, Tuscany, Portugal, Japan, Korea, and Latin America. In the second large chapter, the inseparable friends serve their unique beach cuisine: They combine local and seasonal ingredients with spices and cooking techniques from their travels. There are simple and elaborate recipes. To my joy, there are no irritations such as preparation times and calorie counts. Preparation times frustrate me and calorie counts spoil the mood - I usually take more time than stated. If you can't find the ingredients in the supermarket or at the farmers market: Online shopping helps.
Fun Recipes for Every Season
The cooking guide is organized by the seasons for your culinary adventure. Oyster enthusiasts will find an extended selection. The book ends with fundamental recipes that are versatile and long-lasting: stocks, dips, pickles (like balsamic onions and kimchi), dressings, creams, toppings, aromatic oils. A few explanatory sentences about utensils, ingredients, and resources are definitely included. The carefree spirit of being on the move is vividly felt! Throughout, you'll find beautiful images of people, animals, and meals.
Savoring the Labor of Love
Every bite is a taste of artistry and fun. The ingredients are fresh and the combinations are enticing. The book is a travelogue through the senses, each dish a reminiscent of a place, a person, or a memory. The stories behind the dishes are as delicious as the meals themselves. The book is a celebration of curiosity and the thrill of discovery. It's not only about cooking, it's about living. And that's what Cozy and Jo excel at. Bon appétit!
The kitchen can be a challenging space. It's hot, cramped, and the pace is fast. Anyone sane would shy away from the constant pressure. Yet, there's a feeling of life like none other - amid the glowing embers, shiny fish, vibrant vegetables, aromatic herbs, and spices. With friends, all sweaty and exhausted like us. And behind the scenes of our kitchen, there are countless stories worth telling.
These narratives are shared through Jo's eyes, offering a glimpse from the thrilling opening day to the acknowledgments to Kitchen Mastermind Simon Lindow and a dependable kitchen team. Who considers the kitchen workers before the dishes reach the table?
Of course, I've experienced burnt feet and aching backs while cooking for crowds - a trifle compared to what they face! When something goes wrong - "shit happens," and the situation is quietly ignored. Like Jo, I've been told to "clean up," maybe you have too? I certainly feel ensnared in my kitchen chaos. But gratitude surpasses frustration when I immerse myself in the recipes in the book.
Grilled Goat Cheese with Panzanella (vegetarian)
"When the tomatoes are ripe and filled with a sweet Italian summer aroma, it's time for this dish. Inspired by our adventure in Tuscany and the unforgettable feta cheese from Redlef and Monika."
Preparation:
For the Panzanella, take a handful of tomatoes from the vine. Add garlic, sugar, a pinch of salt, and thyme in a small pot. Fill with olive oil and warm over medium heat until the tomatoes become slightly soft. Strain the oil and preserve it.
Bake the bread cubes at 160 °C in the oven.
Meanwhile, cut a second handful of fresh tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Mix 50 ml of chilled balsamic vinegar with balsamic vinegar. Combine toasted bread cubes, confited tomatoes, shallots, and herbs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and toss with the vinaigrette. Let it sit.
Roast the goat cheese in a greased pan over medium heat until golden brown all around. Put the Panzanella in the center of a deep dish. Place the roasted goat cheese on top and sprinkle with Levante Crunch:
Levante Crunch (yields about 600 g):
35 g Za'atar50 g Aleppo Chili8 g Salt15 g brown sugar10 g sumac, ground100 g sunflower seeds, roasted50 g roasted white sesame seeds50 g roasted black sesame seeds50 g toasted panko breadcrumbs
Combine all ingredients and store in a jar with a lid. Stir in neutral oil as needed and use as a flavorful crunchy topping for finished dishes.
Butterfly Trout with Nutmeg-Cammille Butter
"We adore trout! Not only due to their enchanting appearance, but also because they can be ethically sourced and are prevalent in Germany.
Our preferred method to prepare trout is by cutting it into a Butterfly shape prior to cooking, allowing us to remove most of the bones before consuming. Butterflied, oiled, and placed in a fish tongs, trout make an appreciative grilling ingredient for summer BBQs.
The Nutmeg-Cammille Butter enhances this dish with a subtle Levantine flavor, complementing the trout magnificently."
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a small pot. Grind all the spices and nuts in a mixer or mortar, then combine sesame, poppy seeds, and camomile flowers to the butter and heat over low heat until the trout is cooked.
Season the trout with salt, brush both sides with rapeseed or sunflower oil, and cook it, ideally in a fish tongs over a charcoal grill, skin side down until crispy. Turn it over for 1 minute and continue grilling. Gently remove from the tongs and serve with the Nutmeg-Cammille Butter.
If a grill isn't available: Cook the trout individually in a large, non-stick pan over high heat for about 5 minutes on the skin side. Turn it over for 1 minute, then pour the butter over it on a plate.
Serve best with a simple herb salad and potatoes, which can be fried in the butter.
Peanuts, along with Szechuan pepper, chili flakes, salt, sugar, laurel, star anise, and sesame oil combined in a bowl.
Fry chopped garlic and ginger in a pot with some rapeseed oil for a brief period, then incorporate roasted cumin seeds.
Add the rest of the rapeseed oil and blend everything together over low heat for 6-8 minutes to produce a fragrant oil. Filter the oil and merge it with the peanut blend.
Blanch the chard in boiling water momentarily, then plunge it in cold water.
Heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté the chard. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Pecorino.
Set the chard in a dish and serve with the Szechuan Peanut Crunch.
Indulge in the flavors and delight in novel taste sensations, Heidi Driesner.
Read also:
Cozy and Jo, having settled in the coastal town of St. Peter-Ording, draw inspiration from their worldwide travels to North Sea fish markets to create innovative dishes for their third restaurant.
In their book "Salt & Silver at the Sea," Cozy and Jo showcase dishes incorporating flavors from their journeys around the world, particularly from the North Sea.
