World Yums

May 26, 2012 5:00 pm

German Recipe: Vogtland-Style Potato Dumplings
(Kartoffelklösse aus dem Vogtland)

Adapted from Horst Scharfenberg’s cookbook, “The Cuisines of Germany”. Dumplings are a very popular dish in German cuisine, especially those made from the also very popular ingredient, potatoes. I also admit that they are pretty cute looking. Some potato dumplings use raw potatoes, others cooked (boiled) potatoes, and shredded; some potato dumplings even combine the raw and cooked potatoes in the recipe for a unique texture combination. These Vogtland-Style dumplings use boiled potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
3-5 tablespoons sour cream
Salt
Grated nutmeg
1 stale or dry-baked roll, cut into cubes (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Boil the potatoes in their jackets. Allow to cool off, peel, and grate (or press) them.
Mix the flour with the grated potato, stir in the egg, then add as much sour cream as the dumpling dough mixture can still accommodate after the egg has been added.
Season with salt and grated nutmeg.
With wet hands, shape the dough into dumplings the size of a small child’s fist.
Fry the bread cubes in butter until crispy, then press a crouton into the middle of each dumpling.
Cook for about 15 minutes in boiling salted water.

Variation: To make Speckklösse, the Saxon version of the above, take about 3 ounces diced medium-lean bacon and a finely chopped onion, sauté together, drain, and add to the dumpling dough.

Makes 4 servings.

Tags

➜

May 26, 2012 12:54 pm

German Recipe: Pork Cutlets with Marjoram

Adapted from Hannelore Kohl’s A Culinary Voyage through Germany. Pork is a special part of the German cuisine, in some regions “reserved for Sundays” because it is so prized while beef is an “everyday” kind of meat. Also, marjoram is one of the cuisine’s signature herbs. We used 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano instead from our little herb garden :) Fresh herbs are usually used in twice the quantities as dried. Also, we used four pork chops instead of the pork loin.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ pounds boned pork loin
Salt and pepper to taste
German mustard
1 large onion
1 large apple
3 tablespoons clarified butter
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried rubbed marjoram

Directions:

Cut the loin of pork into 1 ¼-inch thick slices. Gently flatten the slices with your hand, season with salt and pepper, and spread them with mustard.
Peel and slice the onion. Peel the apple, quarter, core, and cut into eights. Melt the clarified butter in a frying pan and sweat the onion and apple in it. When everything is soft, remove and keep warm.
Add the butter to the pan. Brown the pork slices on both sides. Reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid. After about 3 minutes sprinkle with the marjoram.
Add the onion and apple slices and cook everything together for 2 minutes longer. Arrange on a serving dish. Serve with boiled potatoes and a salad.

Serves 4

Tags

➜

May 26, 2012 12:34 pm

German Recipe: Stuffed Head of Cabbage
(Gefüllter Kohlkopf)

Adapted from Hannelore Kohl’s cookbook, A Culinary Voyage through Germany. Cabbage is a major staple of German cuisine, and this recipe is from the waterfront Hanseatic League cities, including Lubeck, Rostock, Hamburg, and Bremen. There is even a “Cabbage Queen” crowned from a large folk festival! We used beef instead in this recipe, and served it with mashed potatoes. This recipe seemed really unique, and despite its intimidating appearance it tasted yummy as well!

Ingredients:

1 large head savoy or white cabbage
1 ½ pounds ground slab bacon or salt pork
Pinch of pickling spices
1 bay leaf
1 onion, peeled and halved
¼ cup clarified butter
¼ cup flour
Pinch sugar
Salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg to taste
1 cup sour cream

Directions:

Remove the cabbage stem. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil, add the head of cabbage, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and leave to drain.
Cut the cabbage head in half and remove the heart from each half, reserving the hearts. Stuff the cavities with ground bacon or pork. Put the halves back together and tie them with kitchen string.
Put the cabbage in a pan with water to cover, the pickling spices, bay leaf, onion, and reserved cabbage hearts. Cook on a low heat for 1 ½ - 2 hours, until tender.
In another pan, melt the clarified butter, add the flour, and cook until brown. Using a whisk and stirring all the time, add enough stock from the cabbage to form a thick, smooth sauce. Season with the sugar, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Finally, stir in the sour cream.
Let the head of cabbage drain, remove the string, and arrange the cabbage on a serving dish. Pour the sauce over the cabbage. Serve with boiled potatoes and the cabbage hearts.

Serves 4.

Tags

➜

May 19, 2011 10:47 pm

Moroccan Recipe: Moroccan Mint Tea
(Thé Naa Naa Marocaine)

Adapted from Jessica B. Harris’s cookbook, The Africa Cookbook. This was very simple to make, basically using a green tea base steeped with fresh spearmint or other mint leaves! It is very refreshing and a signature of the country’s cuisine. As the book describes, “Mint tea in Morocco is said to cool one off in the heat of the day. It is traditionally served after the meal to aid in digestion but is sipped all day long by shopkeepers in the medina of Fez. It is said that this mint tea appeals to all the senses. The eyes are gladdened by the amber hue of the tea; the nose twitches with the smell of the mint; the hand is warmed by the heat of the tea; and the mouth savors the taste. The ears? Well, when tea is traditionally served, the server pours a stream of tea into the glass from a teapot held aloft and the ears are delighted by the sound. Mint tea is traditionally served in small glasses that are held with the tips of one’s fingers.”

Ingredients:

6-8 cups water
4 teaspoons Chinese gunpowder green tea
6-8 sprigs fresh spearmint
Sugar cubes, to taste

Directions:

Heat the water to boiling in a kettle. Place the tea in a medium-sized teapot and pour the boiling water over it. Allow the tea to steep for a minute; add the mint and sugar.Allow the tea to steep for another minute or so, then pour a glass of tea and return it to the pot (to mix the sugar). Serve the tea very hot in small glasses. Tradition allows for slurping.

Serves 6-8.

Tags

➜

May 19, 2011 10:46 pm

Moroccan Recipe: Bastilla (Pigeon Pie)

Adapted from Jessica B. Harris’s cookbook, The Africa Cookbook. This was a time-consuming and multi-step recipe, but it was well worth it. The dish came out great and you could really see the cultural cuisine blend of Morocco. The book describes, “this classic pigeon pie is a festive Moroccan dish that is usually served at large banquets. Most of the recipes that [the author] has seen for the dish have several pages of steps and are prepared in banquet-sized quantities… This, then, is an adaptation of the classic recipe using Cornish hens”. This recipe is such a traditional and signature Moroccan dish. The sugar and cinnamon on top is something unexpected, but adds a nice and subtle sweetness to the otherwise rich and savory pastry layers.

Ingredients:

2 Cornish game hens
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 small onion, minced
2 teaspoons ras al-hanout
1.5 tablespoons plus ¼ cup butter
2 cups water
½ cup blanched almonds
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
3 eggs
15-20 sheets of filo
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Wash the hens. Place the salt, garlic, and parsley in a mortar bowl and pound until you have a paste. Rub the paste on the hens. Place them in a stockpot with the onion, ras al-hanout, 1.5 tablespoons of the butter, and the water. Bring to a boil then lower heat and cook, covered, for 35-45 minutes or until hens are cooked and tender.
While hens are cooking, sauté the almonds in the olive oil until lightly brown, then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. When the hens are cooked, reserve the cooking liquid and reduce it by boiling to 1 cup. Let the hens cool and pick the meat from the bones. When the cooking liquid has thickened, beat the eggs until light and drizzle them into the cooking liquid, stirring constantly, until you have a thick curd. The bastilla is now ready to be assembled.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep cake pan. Melt the remaining ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan. Separate the filo sheets and line the pan with 4 of them so that they overhang the edges. Place another filo sheet in the bottom and coat them all well with the melted butter. Place a few of the hen pieces and giblets on top of the pastry and sprinkle it with a few chopped almonds. Add some of the curd, top it with 3 sheets of the filo, and coast the filo with melted butter. Continue in this manner with the hen pieces and curd until they have been used up. Add a final layer of the melted butter and sprinkle the top with the remaining melted butter and almond pieces. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the bastilla is golden brown. When ready, remove and flip the bastilla onto a serving plate. Sprinkle the top with a mixture of the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon and serve hot.

Serves 4.

Tags

➜

May 19, 2011 10:29 pm

Moroccan Recipe: Couscous Tfaya (Couscous with Onions, Raisins, and Chick-Peas)

Adapted from Copeland Marks’s cookbook, The Great Book of Couscous. Couscous is one of the staple food of northern Africa. Couscous can also refer not just to the small dot-like pasta itself, but to the whole dish, as in this case. This particular couscous dish is described as “a light semisweet couscous served on Fridays with tea and fruit”.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound boneless lamb, cut into 6 pieces
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water
1 cup dried chick-peas, soaked overnight in water, drained and skins peeled off
2-3 large onions (2 pounds) cut into long slices
1 cup white raisins
1 pound couscous

Directions:

Put the oil and lamb in the makfoul and stir-fry over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, and water. bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Add the chick-peas, onions, and raisins and cook over low heat 15 minutes.
At this time, prepare the couscous according to the instructions at the beginning of this section, rinsing and steaming twice in the beginning of this section, rinsing, and steaming twice in the kesskess while the meat and sauce are cooking in the makfoul simultaneously. Total cooking time for both pasta and meat is about 1 hour.
To serve, put the pasta in a large bowl and level it slightly. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the sauce over it. Do not overdo this as it will make the pasta soggy. Toss well to mix. (Excess sauce can be served separately.)
Put the lamb pieces in the center of the pasta and arrange the onions, raisins, and chick-peas over everything.

Serves 6.

Tags

➜

May 16, 2011 3:43 pm

Chinese Recipe: Winter Melon Soup

Recipe based off of various winter melon soup recipes and adjusted from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen cookbook by Grace Young. Winter melon is used in many Chinese soups and is very healthy. The soups it is in are often in a very light broth with only a couple of ingredients. In my recipe I also add Shanghai greens and shredded daikon radish, and without the pork loin. To substitute for the flavor I used a chicken broth base.

Ingredients:

One 3-pound wedge of mature winter melon
1 pound pork loin, well trimmed
One 1-inch thick slice of ginger, smashed
Salt

Scrub the winter melon rind and wash off the powdery white film. Discard the seeds and string pulp. Cut the winter melon into 3-inch cubes, leaving on the rind.
In a large pot combine the pork and 3 quarts cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim anything that rises to the surface.
Add the winter melon and ginger, and return to aboil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 4 hours. Add a little salt to taste. Serve the soup piping hot, and don’t eat the rind of the winter melon.

Serves 4-8.

Tags

➜

April 29, 2011 2:07 am

Argentine Recipe: Orange Honey Almond Cake

Recipe adapted and adjusted, original recipe “Orange Cake” adapted from Shirley Lomax Brooks’s cookbook Argentina Cooks! My modifications were making half of the sugar honey instead. This created a denser, moister cake. I also topped the iced cake with chopped, shelled almonds. Another difference is that I used a standard 13 x 9 inch baking pan with the same temperature, but a slightly shorter time by five to ten minutes or so.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups blanched and finely ground almonds
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
grated rine of 1 orange
1/4 cup orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar. Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add whole eggs and extra yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour and almonds and pour the mixture into 9-inch tube pan lined on the bottom with waxed paper. Bake for 1 hour, or until a clean broom straw or wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Turn the cake out on plate and allow it to cool.
To make the frosting, mix confectioners’ sugar with orange rind and orange juice until smooth. While still warm, spread the cake with the frosting.

Serves 6 to 8.

Tags

➜

April 29, 2011 2:01 am

Argentine Recipe: Cucumber Salad

Recipe adapted from Shirley Lomax Brooks’s cookbook entitled Argentina Cooks! This is a simple and refreshing first-course, using simple and basic ingredients. Note that English cucumbers are more similar to the real recipe than American cucumbers, because the American variety is waxed on the outside and needs to be peeled.

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers (peeled if waxed) and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and choppedc
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix cucumbers with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain cucumbers thoroughly. Add tomatoes and toss with oil. Remove seeds from lime and squeeze lime juice over the salad. Season with salt and pepper.

Tags

➜

April 29, 2011 1:56 am

Argentine Recipe: Chimchurri Sauce

Adapted from Shirley Lomax Brooks’s cookbook entitled Argentina Cooks! Chimchurri sauce is a necessary element in an Argentine asado. Also, it is often eaten with broiled or roasted poulty as a sauce, or beforehand it helps marinate the meat.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons hot paprika or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large jar, combine the oil, vinegar, paprika, garlic, parsley, peppercorns, oregano, bay leaves, and salt. Cover the bottle and shake well to mix the ingredients. Refrigerate the chimchurri until ready to use. Moisten the cooked meats in each course with a little of the sauce and serve the remaining sauce in a sauceboat at the table.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Tags

➜

April 22, 2011 3:09 pm

Indian Recipe: Kofte/Machh/Meatballs

Recipe adapted from Sudha Koul’s cookbook (I still can’t get over the genuis nor reassuring nature of it) entitled Curries Without Worries.

Meatballs seem like a relatively simple and straightforward dish, so I’ll simply describe this dish with the exclamatory single-lined phrase the cookbook says: “Red hot meatball curry!”

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground meat
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
salt to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves
1/2 cup plain, whole milk yoghurt
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon each: ground cardamom seeds, ground cumin seeds, ground cinnamon

Directions:

Spread the ground meat on a large plate. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper on the meat.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small, heavy saucepan until it starts to smoke a little. Pour over the meat. Add the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger powder, 1 teaspoon of the ground fennel, whole fennel, whole cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, and salt.
Knead together for a couple of minutes until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Now shape the meatballs. Traditionally, in Kashmir, these are made slightly elongated, like link sausages of a medium size. However, you could, if you prefer, make them round. Set meatballs aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a heavy 6-quart saucepan on medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and immediately thereafter the cloves, and fry till golden brown.
In the meanwhile, mix well the remaining cayenne pepper with the yogurt. When the onions are a golden brown, add the cayenne pepper-yogurt mixture. Stir fry briskly for a couple of seconds. Some rather pungent aromas emanate at this stage. People have been known to yearn for these aromas!
Add the water and remaining ground fennel and ginger; stir briskly until the mixture boils.
Add the meatballs, one at a time. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about half an hour or until the meatballs become firm and are well cooked and the oil has risen to the top of the liquid in the saucepan.
once you have placed the meatballs in the saucepan, do not stir until they have become firm. you could lift the saucepan and gently turn it about so that the gravy spreads well around the meatballs, but this need not be done more than once, if at all.
Once the meatballs are cooked and are firm, stir gently. Sprinkle the ground cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon on the meatballs, stir a little to mix well with the gravy, cover, and cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Makes about 20 meatballs.

Recipe: Stir-fried vegetables (mixed with the meatball dish after prepared)

This was not from a recipe book but cooked spontaneously to add some vegetables to the dish!

Ingredients:

5 carrots
2 green peppers
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons of a masala mix
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

Directions:

Rinse the carrots and green peppers.
Slice the carrots and coarsely chop the green peppers.
Heat the oil in a saucepan.
Finely dice the garlic.
Add the garlic to the pan. Add the masala. When it starts to turn golden, add the carrots and green peppers.
Stir fry the vegetables, lower the heat, and cover to let simmer together.
After several minutes, stir again a few times. Add salt to taste.
When the vegetables are tender, you can add it to the meatball dish and gently mix together, or serve separately.

Serves 3-4.

Tags

➜

April 22, 2011 2:27 pm

Indian Recipe: Chettinad Chicken Kulambu

Recipe adapted from cookbook Healthy South Indian Cooking by Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt.

The caption in the cookbook reads as follows: “slow-cooked in an aromatic sauce seasoned with garlic and ginger, Chicken Kulambu is delicious served over plain rice or accompanied by chappati. This South Indian specialty is comparable to the well-known Vindaloo Chicken dish”.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons corn/canola oil
2-3 small pieces cinammon stick
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped tomato
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 pounds (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts or thighs
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon vindaloo curry paste (more, if desired)
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

Directions:

Heat oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat.
When oil is hot, but not smoking, add cinnamon stick, bay leaf, fennel seeds, cumin, and urad dal. Fry until urad dal turns golden.
Add onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger and sauté for a few minutes. Add turmeric powder.
Cut chicken into small (stew-size) pieces. Add chicken pieces to saucepan and continue to sauté for several minutes until chicken turns opaque.
Add curry powder, cayenne powder, vindaloo curry paste, and tomato sauce with approximately 2 cups of water. Stir in black pepper and cumin powder. Add salt and continue cooking over medium-low heat for several minutes.
Add coriander, Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring often until chicken is tender (approximately 20 minutes). If the sauce becomes too thick, you may add an additional small amount of both water and tomato sauce as desired.

Serves 4

Recipe: Plain Boiled Rice

Recipe adapted from Sudha Koul’s fantastically titled cookbook, Curries Without Worries.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice (most common in Indian cuisine is basmati or jasmine rice)
2 cups water

Directions:

Bring the rice and water to a boil on high heat and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring off and on to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to the lowest point, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, until the rice is puffy and tender. If the rice appears a little hard after following the above procedure, pour 3 tablespoons of water over it, cover, and cook on the lowest heat for another 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Serves 2

Tags

➜

World Yums

international cuisine

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags

Tags