CookAndTalkEnglish

Cook and Talk English

Ginger Wade's Cook and Talk English class meets every Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in her kitchen in Hamburg's St. Pauli neighborhood. Following recipes sometimes self-created, or often stolen from other internet sites, we cook together and socialize in English whilst eating vegetarian (not British!) food. Most weeks we choose a theme or a region and cook in that style - the goal here is not necessarily authenticity, but enjoyment! Feel free to ask any questions at gingerwade @ hotmail.com . Enjoy!

Useful link: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/cvcookix.html provides conversion guidelines between Metric and U.S. measures. It's not that difficult, really!

Also, check out our Resources: places to buy good stuff in Hamburg.

White Trash Night (American Style) - February 12, 2008

Lest anyone think I can serve caviar every week, we decided to balance the blini binge with its (economic) opposite - white trash food, at its (un)finest. How to pack in the maximum calories for the minimum outlay. Butter, cheese and cream are yummy!

	< Let's eat! Tonight's cookers: Kerstin F., Frank, Daniel, [me], Christiane and Andrea (taking photo) > Baked Macaroni and Cheese may be white trash, but it's good trash
	> Vegetarian chili, with the minimum number of beans to still qualify as chili
	< Frank contemplates his chopping task > Andrea and Christiane at the stove
	<Green bean casserole > Dig in
	> Once the frenzy of frosting hit the cupcake, we were too busy to take photos. Here they are, unfrosted

MACARONI & CHEESE BAKE

3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup diced process American cheese (Velveeta)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped pimiento
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cooked macaroni
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
milk, to thin soup
PREPARATION:
Combine milk, water, cheese, and butter in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and mix in the bread crumbs, onion, pimiento, parsley, and seasonings. Fold in beaten eggs and cooked macaroni.
Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat soup with 3 to 4 tablespoons milk, or enough to thin slightly. Pour hot soup mixture over casserole. Return to oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
INGREDIENTS:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 cups cooked green beans
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 1/3 cups French fried onions
PREPARATION:
Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup fried onions and bake about 5 more minutes, until onions are lightly browned.
Serves 6.

VEGETARIAN CHILI
1 1-pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
Olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini, diced
2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded, diced
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely minced (Taste and check the heat of the jalapeños. If very hot only use one, if mildly hot, use two. Wash hands with soap and water after handling. Do not rub eyes.)
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1-2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 cup cooked white beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
Zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cubed eggplant into small, shallow roasting pan. Toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven, set aside.

2 Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven. Add onions, cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic, cook for a minute more. Add zucchini, red bell peppers, and jalapeños. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 Coarsely chop the canned tomatoes, add to pot with their liquid. Add wine, cumin oregano, and fennel seeds. Add chili powder to desired heat. Gently stir in reserved eggplant, simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.

4 Add beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and cilantro. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions.

Golden Butter Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine (1-1/2 sticks) softened
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Citrus Buttercream Frosting
1 pkg. confectioners' sugar (16 ounces)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick) softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp fresh lemon lime or orange juice
1 tsp grated fresh lemon lime or orange peel

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin-pan cups with fluted paper liners.

2. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed (with heavy-duty mixer, use whisk attachment; otherwise, cupcakes will not rise properly when baked), mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. Add butter, milk, vanilla and eggs, and beat just until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 1 to 2 minutes or until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

3. Spoon batter into muffin-pan cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cupcakes are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

4. Prepare Citrus Buttercream Frosting: In large bowl, with mixer at medium-low speed, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth and blended. Add citrus juice and peel. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until frosting is light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in additional milk as needed for easy spreading consistency.

5. When cupcakes are completely cool, frost with Citrus Buttercream Frosting. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

Words of the Week:
apprehensive
timer
green beans
holistic medicine
ladle
licorice
beyond
extinct
taste buds
jello
husband
visualize
fuzzy

Something(s) Fishy - January 22, 2008

So Ralph's friend went back to Russia and left him alone with more caviar than he could eat by himself (is that possible???) As someone who has never really understood caviar (the few times I've tried the black stuff I always thought it tasted like salty boogers) I was a bit wary, but figured the blini recipe looked easy enough to make and sounded yummy even without fish eggs. But I must confess: I am now a convert. Do it. Lay out the cash and get the real Russian sturgeon. Or better yet, convince Natalie to come and visit you where you live : )

	< The fun begins: Daniel, Andrea, Gerd and Ralph, who has, for one this one evening, attained deity beyond Muse-hood > Preparing blini batter
	<An ugly lasagne and a dish of fish eggs >The photo on the Vattenfall Recipes 2008 calendar somehow looks more appetizing
	<What we made (it tasted good, but the recipe called for WAY too much milk, and it was floating in the pan) >Cookbook lasagne (no, it's not just better photography)
	Blini, beautiful blini: each the size of a half-dollar, with a generous dollop of creme fresh and caviar
	<Lots of caviar >This is what Gerd looks like after eating lots of caviar
	<We also made Ginger Carrots >Andrea prepares fish for the lasagne
	<Hmmm, that looks like far too much milk for that little pan of lasagne >We could've had the milk with the oatmeal cookies instead of with the lasagne...

Buckwheat Blini with Beluga Caviar and Crème Fraîche
For the buckwheat blini:
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup beer
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt extra-virgin olive oil
1) Put the yolk in a large bowl and whisk in the flours alternating with the beer and then the milk until you have a smooth batter. Put the egg whites in a separate bowl and beat until the whites hold medium peaks. Add the salt and whip for 15 seconds more. Fold the whites into the buckwheat batter and pour batter into a pitcher or container with a spout.

2) Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan over high heat. When very hot (the oil should smoke lightly), pour out as many 1½" circles of batter as possible in the pan. When the tops of the blini dry a bit and bubbles in the batter pop, after approximately 2 minutes flip the pancakes over. They should be nicely browned on top. Cook for a minute on the second side just to brown lightly. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately while warm, or let cool and wrap by the couple of dozen in plastic wrap or plastic. When ready to serve, rewarm the packets in the microwave or - if you are using zippered plastic bags - in boiling water.

To serve: 12 ounces Beluga caviar, crème fraîche
Place a dollop of Beluga caviar on a warm blini and garnish with a touch of crème fraîche. Serve immediately.

Fish Lasagne
(Note: I’ve adjusted the milk to what I think would be more reasonable – but haven’t actually tried it. The original called for 500 ml milk).
800g frozen leaf spinach
40g butter
40g flour
200 ml lowfat milk
salt
pepper
nutmeg
lime juice
200g salmon filet
400g whitefish (such as flounder)
4 Tbsp. frischkaese or cream cheese
1 box uncooked lasagna noodles
50g cooking oil

Thaw spinach and heat until water is drained. Allow to cool, then stir cream cheese into spinach.

Knead butter together with flour. Heat milk in a pot at highest heat but do not boil. Put butter/flour mixture into milk and stir. Allow to cook 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lime juice.

Clean salmon filets and whitefish and cut into thin slices. (Better yet, ask your fishmonger to do it, like I did). In a glass baking pan, layer lasagna noodles with fish and spinach. Pour some of the milk sauce over as you go. When pan is full, pour the rest of the milk sauce over the pan. Sprinkle cheese over the noodles to keep them from burning.

Bake, covered, in oven at 200 C for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes to let cheese brown slightly.

Ginger Carrots
500 g carrots, peeled and cut smallish
2 inches ginger root, peeled and diced
2 oz. bourbon
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp honey
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Boil carrots until soft. Mash with potato masher, add butter and spices. Serve.

Words of the Week:
freshwater
tongs
lobster
fire crackers
detonator
high jump
tolerant
I catch myself…
sniffle
telephone receiver
voice
archways
gothic

Breakfast for Dinner - January 15, 2008

I came back from my trip to the States inspired by one great thing: BREAKFAST. Big, greasy, fat breakfast. Following a long-held American tradition, we decided to make breakfast for dinner and share the joy.

	<Tonight's Cookers: Daniel, (Max), Kerstin F., Alex, (Glockchen), Frank, Maureen, Christian, and Ralph >Corn muffins
	<What a thing to wake up to (though Budni's vegetarian sausage doesn't really compete with bacon) >French toast, in the pan
	>Waffles <Maureen's waffle, topped with Nutella, bananas, and vanilla sauce.
	<Alex's new doggie, Glockchen, joined us (but was too shy for a good photo) >Maureen claims she's still hungry, but no one believes her

CORN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Waffles
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. oil
2 cups milk

Stir together, allow to sit in fridge for approx. 20 minutes. Spoon into waffle iron. Waffles are done when steam stops coming out.

Note: the same recipe also makes good pancakes (our original plan).

French Toast
1 egg
¼ cup milk
½ tsp. honey
4 slices big fluffy American white bread (ideally, stale)

Heat butter or margarine in frying pan. Dip both sides of bread in egg mixture. Lay in pan, frying each side until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.

Mushroom-Pepper Omelette
6 eggs
250g mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 onion

Wash mushrooms and pepper and slice small. Slice onion. Fry onion, pepper and mushrooms until browned. Remove from frying pan and allow to cool.

For an extra-fluffy omelette, separate egg whites from yolks. Beat egg whites until frothy, then add yolks one at a time, still beating. Pour eggs into warm frying pan and cook over *low* heat until cooked through. Add mushrooms mixture on top. Flip and cook until other side is lightly browned. Serve.

Words of the Week:
to tie
lawyers
to experiment
“over the holidays”
minerals
trace elements
audio book
squirrel

Kinda Greeky Night - December 18, 2007

So - last June, for Ralph's birthday, I promised I would cook a leg of lamb for him. As of December, it still hadn't happened. In lieu of an actual Christmas dinner (goose was out of the question) I decided we'd break the "meat-free" rule for a week. After all, we all know that lamb is vegetarian : )

	< Tonight's cookers: Christiane, Gerd, Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F., Daniel and Ralph
	< Spanakopita Pockets >Rosemary Potatoes
	<Big Meat (with garlic) >Many Furry Pears
	<Furry Pears >Post-feeding nap time

Spanakopita Pockets

2 Whole Eggs
250g Feta Cheese
1 roll puff pastry
2 or 3 stalks Green Onions (Sliced)
1 onion, chopped
½ bulb fennel
1 Pinch Pepper (to taste)
1 Pinch Salt (to taste)
16 oz. frozen spinach
2 Tbsp olive oil

Thaw the spinach well in advance

Slice fennel, green onions and the onion. Combine in frying pan and brown lightly using the olive oil. Add the spinach, mix in and cook until liquid has cooked off. Seaon with salt & pepper.

Lay the puff pastry onto baking paper and cut into 8 squares. In the middle of each square, spread about 2 Tbsp of the spinach mix and sprinkle with Feta cheese. Fold into pouches and cook until pastry is lightly browned.

Rosemary Potatoes

Slice potatoes thinly or cut into sticks. Drench with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped rosemary. Bake in oven until potatoes are soft.

Furry Pears
1 ½ cups coconut flakes
4 medium pears
100g quark (or farmers cheese, or cream cheese)
2 Tbsp. Preiselbeeren jam (or cranberry jam)
sugar (optional)

Toast coconut over high heat in a pan without oil. Allow to cool.

Wash and peel pears, then cut into halves. Remove seeds and centers, but leave stems intact. Roll pears in coconut to cover entire pear with coconut. Set on serving plate.

In a separate bowl, combine quark with jam. Add additional sugar if desired. Spoon jam mixture into the centers of the pears, serve.

Words of the Week:
grease
venison
mutton
pile
metal-head
ride the train
aquarius
honest
turnstile hopping
to frogmarch [someone]
downward spiral
to hell in a handbasket
warmed up
epipany
obviously

Frenchy Night - December 11, 2007

Dessert wasn't really Frenchy, but dinner really was... Remember, the best mussels are in season in the months that end in "R". December's your last chance until next fall!

	< Wonderful Bouillaibaise: everything a soup should be >Really crappy picture of really yummy garlicky rouille sauce
	< The soup pot >Soup, bread and rouille sauce - heaven on a plate
	< The Cake (I only have one springform, so we baked a rectangular cake and cut it in half) > Good crusty white bread - always better homemade
	< The date sauce which goes between the layers > The most wonderful date cake

BOUILLAIBAISE
4-6 large potatoes
½ tsp. crushed fennel
fresh fennel
parsley or water cress
onions
4-6 green onions
1 leek
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 c. white wine
4-6 tomatoes
¼ tsp saffron threads
2 c. chicken broth
1lb each of 2 kinds of ocean fish
2x shellfish

Combine sliced onions, tomatoes, leek and crushed garlic in a shallow heat-proof casserole. Place the sliced fish on top. Sprinkle with coarse salt, red pepper flakes and ground pepper to taste. Add bay leaves, dried fennel, dried orange peel and saffron and moisten with olive oil. Stir to mix the flavors, adding more olive oil if necessary. Marinate this mixture covered and at room temperature for 5 hours.

Meanwhile, pre-boil about 4-6 good-size potatoes, skin them, cube them, and add to:
A large pot with 2-3 cloves of garlic, pinch of oregano, 4-6 stalks of chopped green onion + 2-3 chopped leeks+1 small-med yellow onion, 2 tbsps olive oil, simmer until onions are translucent.

At this point add 2 cups white wine (sauvignon blanc pref.), plus pepper to taste.
Add 2 teasps fennel seed crushed with flat of knife. Cover.
After 20-30 min on medium low, add 1-2 cups of chicken broth (or 2 teaspoons of chicken boullion powder and 1-2 cups water), stir. Let rewarm about 15 min. Keep covered.

Add your marinated fish, along with the marinade. Add a pinch of saffron, pinch of coriander, 1/4 teasp. turmeric.
Boil down for about 20 min Add 6-10 shrimp (I like them unpeeled). Add 2-4 quartered tomatoes
Boil another 20 min.
Add a handful of leafy stuff: Italian Parsley is good, or water cress.
Add more wine to taste.
Carefully layer 5-6 clams or mussels on top of soup so that they 'steam', but aren't submerged in broth.
Serve when these babies are done (about 15-20 min.). Take out a clam/mussel for each person, and ladle the fish stew on top of them in a bowl.
Enjoy with french bread and lotsa good wine

Rouille Sauce
Yield: Makes 1 1/4 cups sauce rouille and 10 servings of croutes
Preparation Time: 1:15 hours

1 1/2 cups diced French bread, white part only
1/2 cup fish broth (reserve some from the making of bouillabaisse)
4 to 6 garlic cloves, to your taste, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red chili pepper
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
1 large egg yolk
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
40 to 50 slices French baguette bread (about 1 loaf)

1. Soak the diced bread in the fish broth. Squeeze the broth out. Mash the garlic cloves in a mortar with the salt until mushy. Place the bread, mashed garlic (saving 1 garlic clove for the croutes), red pepper, saffron, egg yolk and black pepper in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds then pour in 1 cup olive oil through the feed tube in a slow, thin, steady stream while the machine is running. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Store whatever you don't use in the refrigerator for up to a week.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the croutes. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat with the remaining crushed garlic until it begins to turn light brown. Remove and discard the garlic.
3. Lightly brush both sides of each bread slice with the melted butter and oil and set aside. When all the slices are brushed place them back in the skillet and cook until they are a very light brown on both sides. Set aside until needed.

Variation: Another way to make the croutes is to toast them first and then rub both sides with a cut piece of garlic. Note: If the rouille is separating, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the fish broth and whisk it in until smooth and re-emulsified.

White Bread
200 g Water
100 g Milk
25 g butter
20 g Sugar
20 g Salt
350 g Flour
200 g Wheat Flour
A cube of yeast

First you mix the warm water, milk, sugar and butter. Heat gently until butter is melted. Add yeast and dissolve.

Add salt and flour and mix again until the dough has a firm consistency.

Leave the dough to rise for 2 hours. After the 2 hours are up, place the dough onto a baking tray and mould into a loaf shape.

Leave to rise for another 30 minutes. Place the bread into an oven that has been preheated at a temperature of 210 degrees Celsius. Leave the bread to bake for one and a half hours (or, with my crap oven, significantly less time - one hour until overdone brownness).

Chocolate Date Torte
Cake:
120g bitter chocolate, broken into small piecees
1 Tbsp. bitter pomegranate syrup (or normal grenadine, in which case skip the 1 Tbsp. sugar below)
1 Tbsp. sugar
125 g. butter
60g sugar
2 large eggs
80g flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. ground rice
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar for decoration
Filling:
120 dried dates, cut fine
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. orange juice
25g almonds, cut small
2 Tbsp. ginger marmelade (or, if you can't find this, you can use apricot jam)

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and flour 2 18cm springform baking pans. Heat chocolate, pomegranate and sugar (or grenadine) in double boiler over water and stir until a smooth consistency. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then beat in chocolate mixture.
3. Sift flour and baking powder into a clean bowl. Add rice powder. Fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture and cream together.
4. Pour batter into equal parts into both springforms. Bake at 180 C for 20-25 minutes until golden-brown and firm. Turn onto cooling racks and allow to cool.
5. For the filling: Combine ingredients in a pot over low heat. Stir together 4-5 minutes until well mixed. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Spread one half of cake with filling mixture, set the 2nd layer atop the mixture. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Words of the Week:
cradle
wedding anniversary
ladle
potent
congeal
pretentious
rancid
sympathy
simplicity

Cheesy Night - December 4, 2007

Winter is fondue time. We got cheesy.

	Dinner seemed to take a long time tonight - the impatient eaters: Daniel, Frank, Kerstin F., Maureen
	< Dipping: even without a proper fondue pot, fondue is still yummy. Bread >
	< And pineapple with cheese: Kerstin brought us a pineapple, so we had to try it > Much preparation
	< Pear upside down cake, step one: carmelise the honey, and arrange pears to prettiness > Step 2: pour batter over pears
	< Step 3: Bake until golden and yummy looking > Step 4: flip and eat

Classic Cheese Fondue
1/2 lb Emmenthaler Cheese (shredded)
1/2 lb Gruyeye (shredded)
1 clove Garlic
2 cups Dry White Wine
1 tbs Lemon Juice
2 tbs Flour
3 tbs Kirsch (optional)
1/4 tsp White Pepper
Nutmeg and/or Paprika to taste

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove - add clove to pot or discard
Heat up the White Wine & Lemon Juice - should be hot but do not boil
Reduce heat to low and slowly add cheese while stirring
Slowly add remainder of ingredients while stirring
If fondue is too loose add more cheese
If fondue is too stiff add more wine

To Dip:
Italian Bread (or any crusty bread) cut into bite-sized cubes
Vegetables - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bell Peppers, etc. We also used dates and apples - try it!

Honey-Glazed Pear Upside-Down Cake

1 cup honey
4 small or 3 large Bosc pears, pealed, quartered lengthwise, and cored
3 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) plus 1 tb butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In a 9 inch ovenproof skillet (not nonstick), simmer honey until it begins to reduce, caramelize and darken in color, about 3 to 6 minutes. Do not let honey burn; if it starts to smell burned, turn off heat. Arrange pears close together with cut-side down, in a circular patter in skillet, stem ends pointing toward center. Simmer over medium heat, turning from one cut side to the other, until they begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Flip pears over to their curved side and scatter with thyme sprigs if using. Transfer skillet to oven and roast, uncovered, until very tender, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl,, whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour and salt, still in ½ c butter. When pears are soft, remove skillet from oven, discard thyme sprigs, and brush edges of pears with remaining 1 tb melted butter. Pour batter on roasted pears and scatter almonds over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool for 30 minutes in pan. Run an offset spatula along edges of pan to loose cake; carefully invert cake onto a serving planter. Serve warm or cooled. Serves a small army for several days (8-10 dense servings).

Everything But the Turkey - November 20, 2007

One of my British colleagues claims this should be the new name for my band... We had our Thanksgiving on Tuesday night, without the big bird. Despite some confusion about the starting time of the class, we were all well-fed and thankful.

< The essence of Thanksgiving: pumpkin pie

> Tonight's thankful eaters: Stefan, Christiane, Ralph, Gerd, Daniel and Max (later joined by Andrea and Kerstin F., not in picture)

< Roasted Brussels Sprouts: a winner at any meal

> Kate's Tennesse Yams - everything tastes good with enough butter and bourbon

< Turkey or no turkey, there must be stuffing

> ...and banana bread, because it's American and because it's good

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well until all sprouts are covered evenly. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Kate’s Tennessee Yams
(This recipe is taken verbatim from an email from my friend Kate in NYC. Enjoy!)

2 kg yams
½ milk or cream
2 - 4 tablespoons Jack Daniels or bourbon
1 cup brown sugar, divided into halves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 or 2 pinches salt to taste
3 tablespoons butter

There's really no recipe. Just sweet potatoes/yams, fresh or canned
(canned are actually better because they are easy and less stringy).
Let cook in boiling water. We're talking about enough for a large
casserole. In the US, about 5-6 small cans or three cans. If they are
kind, you just need to stick them in the boiling water long enough to
get them hot so you can mash them. For fresh, you'll need to cook them
until they are done--chopped into chunks takes 20-25 minutes.

Mash sweet potatoes with a stick of butter, maybe a 1/2 cup to a cup of
milk/cream. You don't want it to be runny. It's good a little
chunky--don't worry about getting it totally smooth liked mashed
potatoes. Add a couple tablespoons Jack Daniels or Bourbon, about a
half cup brown sugar, and if you want, maybe a 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or
cinnamon as well as a pinch or two of salt.

Put your mashed stuff in a casserole dish. I then add a glaze made of
a stick of melted butter cooked with brown sugar (about half a cup)
and a couple tablespoons bourbon/JD. When it's melted, just pour it
over the top of the casserole and stick in the oven at 350 for about
20-25 minutes until glaze is bubbly and caramelized. (The temperature doesn't
matter so much.). Just watch it. The aim is to get it warm and
bubbly--but it's fully cooked when you first stick it in the oven, so
it doesn't matter much.

Peter likes me to add chopped walnuts on top, which is really good.
And for a fifties touch, I like canned mandarin orange sections on
top. NO MARSHMALLOWS!!!

I hope this helps. Sorry there isn't any real recipe--but it's kinda
hard to screw this up.

Stuffing
Ingredients:
2 loaves 12 grain bread
200g chopped mushrooms
2 stalks chopped celery
1 onion chopped
100g butter
100g vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons vegetable broth powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Brown mushrooms, celery, and onion in butter. Add 1/2 of the spices. Remove from heat. Cut or rip bread into small pieces. Combine with cooled vegetable mixture. Sprinkle on remaining spices and add more to taste as desired. Mixture should be the level of moistness you would desire it to be at the outcome. Add broth or juice to achieve this as necessary. This stuffing is excellent both stuffed in the bird or not. Usually, I spray Pam on a casserole dish and pack the stuffing into it, cover it, and bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!
This is enough for a large turkey or to serve around 8 - 10 people.

Banana Bread
4 very ripe bananas, smashed
100g melted butter
200g plain sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 envelope vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda (Backpulver)
Pinch of salt
300g flour
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 170° C (350°F). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla sugar. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

PUMPKIN PIE

PIE CRUST:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

PUMPKIN PIE FILLING:
3 large eggs
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 1 - 15 ounce can (425 grams) pure pumpkin
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Bake at 190 C until knife comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.

Words of the week:
cloakroom / coat check
brussels sprouts
on purpose
by accident
starch
doormat
grapes
soil
pebbles
chalk
clay
steep
seminar
taste
flavor
stems
skins
to tow away
new year’s eve
boots
interest rate
dignity
fountain

Greatest Hits Volume II - One Year of Cook and Talk Celebration - November 13, 2007

We voted on what some of our favorite recipes from the last year have been, and here's the results - the second part of a two-week celebration of the Best of Cook & Talk. Yum!

	<Tonight's Cookers: Maureen, Christiane, Ralph, Frank and Daniel > Tibetan Loaf
	< Sushi Factory: rolling the Kim-Bab > Kim-Babs
	<Eggplants, pre- and post-sauce
	<Secret Weapon: Aubergine Sauce >The men didn't melt the marshmallows fully before adding the crispies, so our Treats were a little lumpy (and pink, since I could only find German marshmallows).

Iranian Stuffed Aubergines with Coconut & Almond Sauce
Ingredients
For the spice mix
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric

For the aubergines
3 medium aubergines
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 green pepper, diced finely
60 ml/2fl oz orange juice
100g/3½oz chickpeas, cooked weight
150g/5oz roasted cashews
100g/3½oz dried apricots
100g/3½oz dates, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce
1 tbsp sunflower margarine
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne
1 tin/400ml coconut milk
750ml water
1 cinnamon stick
100g/3½oz ground almonds
zest and juice of 1 lime
salt

Method
1. preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas7.
2. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, place on a roasting tray cut side uppermost and cover with silver foil Roast in the preheated oven until soft and cooked through (about 30 minutes). Leave the aubergines to cool, then scoop out the middles leaving enough flesh for support. Coarsely chop the innards and set aside.
4. Re-hydrate the apricots in boiling water for 30 minutes, then finely chop.
5. Fry the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the spice mix and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the green pepper and orange juice, stir well. Fry until the pepper is soft.
7. Roast or toast the cashews - be careful they don t burn.
8. Mix the cashews with the cooked chickpeas, chopped apricots, chopped dates and diced tomatoes.
9. Add the cashew mix to the onion spice mix along with the chopped aubergine innards, lemon juice, coriander, salt and lots of black pepper. Reserve some coriander for the garnish.
10. Pile the filling into the aubergine skins and bake for 15 minutes.
11. For the coconut and almond sauce: Gently fry the onion in the margarine until soft, add the garlic and ginger and fry very gently. Make sure the onion and the garlic don t brown as this will ruin the colour of the sauce.
12. Add the spices, stir into the onion mixture, then add the coconut milk, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
13. Take off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick
14. Add the ground almonds, lime zest, juice and a pinch of salt.
15. Blend the sauce in a liquidizer. Check the seasoning.
16. Serve the aubergine, garnished with fresh coriander with the coconut and almond sauce and a green salad.

Korean Kim-bab
Ingredients:
Short grain rice : 5 cups
Eggs : 5
Carrots : 2
Cucumber :1/2
A bunch of spinach
10 sheets of seaweed
Fish cake (available in Korean grocery store) : 1 sheet
Yellow Korean pickled radish

Rice seasoning:
1 t. salt
2tbs sugar
6tbs rice vinegar

1) Cook rice and allow to cool. When cooled, stir in rice seasoning.
2) Cut cucumber in long strips, and pickle it in a vinegar(8tbs),sugar(3),water(1/2 cup)and 1/2 tbs of salt for 1hr.
3) Cut carrots in long strips, and stir-fry it.
4) Cook eggs like pancake way, and cut them in long strips.
5) Cook spinach in a boiling water for 1 minute, and squeeze water out.
6) Season spinach with pinch of salt, sesame seed and sesame oil.
7) Cut fish cake in long strips, and cook it with soy sauce (3tbs), sugar (1tbs), until it is evaporated. Add a few drops of sesame oil. (If using fried fish cake, skip the cooking step).
8) Cut pickled radish into long strips.
9) Cover 3/4 sheet of seaweed with rice. Arrange some of each ingredient in the center and roll firmly.
10) Slice them in 1" and serve it!

Tibetan Roast
1 t Oil
4 oz Buckwheat
4 oz Onion, diced
8 oz Mushrooms, chopped
1/4 pt Red wine
1/4 pt Vegetable Stock
4 oz Walnuts
8 oz Spinach
1 t Rosemary
1 t Sage
Salt & pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Heat oil in a skillet & fry the buckwheat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions & mushrooms & cook for a few more minutes.
Pour in the wine & stock & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer for 20 minutes. Add more stock if necessary. Grind the walnuts finely.

Wash & cook spinach without water for 6 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid & chop thoroughly. When buckwheat is cooked, remove pan from heat & let cool slightly. Stir in walnuts & spinach. Mix in the herbs & mix well. Season to taste.

Grease a 1 LB loaf tin & press in the mixture. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes till the top is dark brown & feels firm to the touch.

Let it stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Serve with vegetables & greens.

Rice Crispie Treats
Ingredients
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 package (10 oz. about 40) regular marshmallows
or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies®
Directions
1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add rice crispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2-inch squares when cool. Best if served the same day.

Words of the Week:
picky
choosy
sea-food diet (i see food, i eat it)
spit
drool
the devil incarnate
marinate
clarion call
weed
sledgehammer
deprivation
deviation / detour
power of attorney

Greatest Hits Volume I - One Year of Cook and Talk Celebration- November 6, 2007

We voted on what some of our favorite recipes from the last year have been, and here's the results - the first part of a two-week celebration of the Best of Cook & Talk. Yum!

	< Cookers: Frank's knee, Kerstin F., Maureen, Gerd, Daniel > First course: Spicy Pumpkin Soup
	< Multi-lingual wrappers > Thai Summer Rolls
	<Filled with many good things >The very important Dipping Sauce
	<Red Pesto Lasagne >Chococake preparation
	<Red, red pesto > Soft Chocolate Cake has been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award (rated even higher than Greatest Hits...)

Spicy Pumpkin Soup
100g unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
600-700g of chopped roasted pumpkin*
1 liter vegetable broth
500g brown sugar
200g milk or heavy cream (optional)
1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over mediium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.
2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.
4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.
Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Serves 8.
*To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 170° C (350°F) until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.

RED PEPPER PESTO LASAGNE
Ingredients for the red pepper pesto:
8 oz Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or water
4 Sweet red peppers;roast/chop
1 cup Kalamata olive;pitted/chopped
1 c pine nuts
3/4 c Flat-leaf parsley; chopped
1 c Basil, fresh; finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic; minced
3 tb Olive oil (or use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)
1 ts Balsamic vinegar
Fresh-ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the lasagna:
1 box lasagna noodles
400 g fresh mozzarella cheese
150 g other grated white cheese, such as edamer, jack, etc.
150 g grated parmesan

First prepare the pesto by roasting the peppers and peeling them.
If using canned peppers, rinse and drain them well, and blot them on
paper towels, then chop them pretty finely. Combine them with the
chopped Kalamata olives, the chopped fresh herbs, and the minced
garlic.

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the oil. Pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and vinegar, pulse again, scraping down as needed, until no large chunks of tomato are left. If you do not have a food processor, just finely chop the soaked sun-dried tomatoes as you do all the other ingredients. It will only take a little longer.

Combine the tomato mixture with the other ingredients, mix well, and
taste. Grind in some black pepper if you like, and add some salt if
needed, though probably the olives provide enough.

Preheat oven to 220 F. To prepare the lasagna, grease a baking pan and spread a layer of pesto on the bottom. Layer noodles, pesto and cheese. Top with a good layer of cheese. If using no-bake noodles, you’ll definitely need to pour at least a ½ cup of water into the pan before baking. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until the noodles are soft and the cheese melted and lightly browned.

Fresh Vegetable Summer Rolls

12 round rice paper, dipped in hot water for 20 seconds until soft and drained
Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketjap manis (sweet soy) sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili sauce
1 Tablespoon finely chopped Thai basil
1 Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Filling
1/4 head Chinese cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red capsicum, [pepper] thinly sliced
3 green onions, sliced
100 g bean sprouts
4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
4 tablespoons chopped nuts
200 g vermicelli rice noodles, soaked in hot water 10 minutes drained
Directions
1. For Sauce mix together all ingredients.
2. For filling mix together all the vegetables.
3. To assemble one at a time, dip rounds in water, lay some noodles, nuts and filling in bottom of paper. Drizzle some sauce over and fold up like a spring roll. Eat and enjoy.

Soft Chocolate Cake
(From Robert Linxe’s cookbook “Chocolat Sinnliche Verführung”, as translated the best I could do).
70g dark chocolate
70g butter
70g crushed almonds
2 eggs and 6 egg yolks
165g sugar
40g unsweetened cocoa powder
4 egg whites
1 pinch salt
½ tablespoon vanilla extract

a. Grease 26cm round cake pan and dust with flour. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (Celcius).
b. Melt chocolate over boiling water in double boiler. After chocolate is melted, add butter and met. Remove from heat, add almonds and stir together until well mixed.
c. Add egg yolks and whole eggs along with cocoa powder into melted chocolate mixture.
d. Separate egg whites in a bowl, add salt and beat until stiff. Add vanilla extract and sugar. Using a whisk, slowly fold in the chocolate mix into the egg whites.
e. Bake approximately 30 minutes. Cake is done when a knife comes out clean from the center.
f. Dust with additional unsweetened cocoa powder before serving; also recommended is fresh whipped cream served atop the cake.

Words of the Week:
obstacle
party girl
stag
hen
forgive – forgave
specialty
eat – ate – eaten
vocational school
swamp
vintage car
fibre
repressed
prudish
tale / tail
volunteer
twist my arm
granola
to doubt
streaker

Recipes inspired by Hiltl - October 30, 2007

Tonight's recipes were inspired by Ralph's favorite restaurant in Zurich, Hiltl - http://www.hiltl.ch . Since we couldn't get the original recipes from the restaurant, we improvised a bit and created some variations of our own.

	< Tonight's eaters: Chief Cooking Muse Ralph (waxing poetic about food), Daniel, Frank and Gerd >Spinach soup
	<Fennel Bake wasn't so fennel-y, but it was good >Mushroom Poofers
	<Poof! >Baked Spicy Chocolate Apples
	<The Secret Weapon: Dolce de Leche >Just add yummyness

Fennel Bake

1tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large head of fennel, trimmed and chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
14oz tin chopped tomatoes
1tsp oregano
salt and pepper

For the topping:

2tbsp breadcrumbs
2oz/50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
2tbsp Parmesan cheese

Method
1. Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the fennel and carrot and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Season.
3. Place the vegetable mixture in a lightly oiled oven-proof dish.
4. Mix together the breadcrumbs, walnuts and Parmesan. To make the dish vegan, substitute nuts for the cheese.
5. Sprinkle the topping over the vegetables and bake at 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5 for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot.

Spinach Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 lb frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/8-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

Melt the butter in the saucepan; sautee the onions until soft.
Stir in the flour.
Add the chicken broth a little at a time, stirring constantly.
Bring to a soft boil and add the spinach. Season with nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour into bowls and garnish with egg slices.

Mushroom Poofers
500g mushrooms (ideally a mix of brown mushrooms and oyster mushrooms)
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp cream
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 package filo dough (Blattertieg)

Chop onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook onions until glassy, add mushrooms and garlic. Cook until soft and browned. Add cream, stir until well mixed. Mix in breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to sit for about 10 minutes until cooled.

Cut dough into 8 squares approx. 10cm square. Lay 1 Tbsp. mushroom mixture in the center and pinch corners together. Bake in oven approx. 180 C until golden browned.

Baked Spicy Chocolate Apples
Faced with a large bag of sour apples and an abundance of jalepeno peppers growing in my window garden, we created this recipe to spice up traditional baked apples.
6 firm apples (a sour variety works best)
¼ cup crushed hazelnuts or almonds
50g dark chocolate, shaved
1-2 spicy jalepeno peppers
1-2 soft Sharon persimmons
¼ cup sugar syrup

Dolce de Leche or other caramel sauce for serving

Remove cores from apples. Remove seeds from hot peppers and cut small. Using a potato peeler, shave chocolate into fine pieces. Peel persimmons and mash insides until soft. Mix nuts, chocolate, persimmons and peppers. Stuff into the cores of the apples. Cover pan with foil and bake at 180 C for approximately 45 minutes until apples are softened. Serve with Dolce de Leche or other caramel sauce.

Words of the Week:
to overdo
to accompany someone
failure
to extinguish
credentials
to brainstorm
prosperity
a clog
to adopt (a word or phrase)

Argentina Night - October 23, 2007

Argentinian food consists mainly of meat, but we managed to find a selection of (almost) vegetarian recipes. Chocolate Mocha Cake is not Argentinian, but I wanted to test out a few recipes from my newest chocolate cookbook. Enjoy!

	< Tonight's cookers: Maureen, Andrea, (me), Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F., Christiane, and Daniel (taking the photo) >Swiss chard in cream sauce
	< The Argentinian version of Russian salad, featuring sweet potatoes > Not really vegetarian Mussel Soup
	<Eggplant >Andrea put in all 12 eggs instead of the 8 called for in the recipe - "Tortilla Campesina" becomes potato souffle
	< Amazingly, it did cook completely through, and didn't fall when sliced open >
	< Not owning 3 springform pans, we baked one big flat cake, sliced it into squares and made layers. It tasted better than it looks!

Herb Grilled Aubergine - This recipe calls for an outdoor grill, but we did it just fine in the oven.
Ingredients
2 medium Aubergines (eggplants)
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 teasp dried Oregano
1 teasp dried Basil
1 teasp dried Thyme
1 teasp Paprika (check ingredients)
1/2 teasp dried Chili Pepper Flakes, optional
Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the grill to hot. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic and olive oil.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine the oregano, basil, thyme, paprika and pepper flakes .
3. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, leaving stem ends intact and lightly brush the cut sides of with the oil mixture. Place on the grill rack, cut side down and grill for a few minutes until lightly browned.
4. Lightly brush the skin sides with oil mixture then turn (cut sides up) brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle the cut sides with the dried herb mixture, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Return to the grill and continue cooking (cut sides up) for a further 10 minutes or until very tender. Serve hot.

Lemon Chimichurri

Ingredients
120ml/4fl.oz. Olive Oil
90ml/3fl.oz. Lemon Juice
1 tbsp freshly chopped Parsley
1 tbsp freshly chopped Thyme
1 Garlic Clove, Crushed
2 Shallots, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until well blended and relatively smooth.
2. Cover and leave to stand for at least 2 hours at room temperature before serving.

Swiss Chard in Cream Sauce
Ingredients
25g/1oz Butter
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, cut into julienne strips
1 medium Potato, cut into 12mm/1/2-inch cubes
450g/1lb Swiss Chard, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Salt and Pepper
3 tbsp Double Cream

Instructions
1. Heat the butter in a saucepan add the onion, carrot, and potato and sauté for about 15 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the chard to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and simmer over very low heat for about 10 minutes or until the chard is tender.
3. Stir in the cream and continue simmer gently, uncovered, for a few minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Potato Pudding (Argentine Name: Tortilla Campesina)
Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Onions, chopped
1kg/2.2lb boiled Potatoes in their skins, diced
6 tbsp Single Cream
2 teasp Paprika
1 teasp Garlic Powder
Salt and Black Pepper
8 eggs, beaten

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4 and lightly grease a shallow ovenproof dish.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and bacon and fry for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the potatoes, cream, paprika, garlic powder salt and pepper.
4. Add the onion mixture to the potato mixture together with the beaten eggs and mix well.
5. Transfer to the prepared ovenproof dish and bake for about 20 minutes until set and browned. Serve immediately.

Argentine Mussel Soup

Ingredients
1 Onion finely chopped
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
A pinch of saffron
1.1L/40fl.oz. Fresh Fish Stock
3 tbsp Long Grain Rice
1 tbsp Freshly chopped Parsley
The meat of 16 Fresh Mussels, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry until lightly browned.
2. Add the stock and the saffron and simmer for a 5 minutes minutes.
3. Add the rice and simmer for 10-15 minutes until just tender.
4. Add the chopped mussels, salt and pepper, mix well, cover and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ensalada Rusa - Russian Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup boiled potatoes
1 cup boiled carrots
1 cup boiled sweet potatoes
1 cup boiled beets
1 cup boiled or steamed peas
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Cook the vegetables. If you prefer, you can use a frozen mix of carrots and peas, or canned beets.
Cut the vegetables into small same-sized cubes. Combine with the mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Mocha Layer Cake

Cake:
200 g flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
100 g sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. light sugar syrup
150 ml sunflower oil
150 ml milk

filling:
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
1 Tbsp. boiling water
300g whipping cream
25g powdered sugar

decoration:
50g chocolate flakes
powdered sugar

1. Lightly grease 3 20cm springform pans.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Dig a hole in the middle, add eggs, sugar syrup, oil and milk. With a wooden spoon, beat together until mixed into a smooth batter. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 pans and smoothen. Bake at 180 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, allow to sit in baking pan for 5 minutes to cool. Cool cakes on wire baking rack.
3. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water. Add to cream and sugar and beat until creamy. Cover 2 of the cakes with cream, stack on top of each other. Use the remaining cream to ice the cakes.
4. With a potato peeler, shave dark chocolate from a solid bar to form flakes. Sprinkle chocolate flakes over the cream. Dust with powdered sugar, serve.

Words of the Week:
stem
thyme
sieve
outlet/socket
(he’s a) wimp
physical labor
pot
swiss chard
nephew
wig
shin
pear
sleepwalker
crispbread
superior
mussels
muscles
tax advisor
gear
keg
on tap
sign language
shove off

Norwegian Night (a.k.a., Cooking with Men) - October 9, 2007

So, due to a few last-minute cancellations, tonight was Cooking With Men. Fortunately, we had many Manly Recipes, including the thrice-cooked potatoes (does it get more manly than that?) We were so stuffed, we decided to skip dessert.

	< Men Cooking ("What, you want me to do something now???") > Stuffing the Eggs ("If we're gonna put all the stuff back inside the eggs, why did we take it out in the first place?")
	<Eggs, Restuffed >Potatoes Step One: peel and grate into small pieces, mix with flour and form into tennis-ball sized balls. Boil until soft, drain.
	>Potatoes Step Two: fry in butter until golden browned < Potatoes Step Three: Simmer in condensed milk
	<Potatoes Step Four: Eat. >Potatoes Step Five: drag your bloated belly to bed and sleep

Potet Klub (Norwegian Potatoes)
6 large russet potatoes
4 cups flour (Could use Gluten-Free flour)
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes. Using a cheese grater, grate the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add the flour one cup at a time until the potatoes are not sticky and are able to handle. You may need to add more or less flour, depending on how sticky the potatoes may become.
Form the potatoes and roll up into a ball about the size of a tennis ball. This should make about 6 balls.
In a large pot, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
Remove them from the water and allow to cool for about 10 minutes or so. Slice the potatoes into good bite-size pieces.
Heat a large skillet and add the 3 tbsp of olive oil or butter and add the sliced potatoes and fry until golden brown and salt and pepper for taste.
Add the canned milk and cook in the potatoes until the milk has evaporated into the potatoes.

Norwegian Stuffed Eggs
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/4 cup chopped smoked salmon
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 tablespoons grated swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon dill

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise.
Remove the yolks and set egg whites aside.
In a bowl, mash the yolks. Add in the chopped smoked salmon, butter, sour cream, cheese and dill; mix together well.
Stuff the egg whites with this mixture.

Norwegian Baked Cabbage
1 small cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter
fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut cabbage into shreds.
Place cabbage in sauce pan and add boiling water and salt.
Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes, drain.
In another pan heat butter, stir in flour with whisk.
Blend well, add milk stirring rapidly. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese, add cayenne pepper to taste.
Combine cabbage and sauce. Spoon into a buttered casserole.
Mix bread crumbs with butter.
Top cabbage with butter-bread crumbs.
Bake about 20 minutes and until topping is browned.

Words of the Week:
reminds me of
the name of
blanket
duvet / comforter
sheet
bedspread
bed skirt
kickback
contemplate

Carribean Night - October 2, 2007

Carribean Food proved to be easy to make, coming together very quickly and making for a good, easy meal. Lots of slicing and chopping, not too much cooking. We like that!

	< Tonight's Cookers: Frank, Steffi, Christiane, Daniel and Ralph >Steffi the Pancake Queen
	<Pancake and Rice >The Pancake: Crunchy, a little sweet, greasy and yummy
	>Best served with Mango Salsa <And coconut rice: DO try this at home!
	<Beans: hot stuff >Banana Kiwi Salad was salad, not dessert - sweet, sour, spicy and nutty

Chayote-Potato Cakes
In this recipe, chayote, which tastes like a cross between cucumber and zucchini, is shredded with potatoes and blended into skillet vegetable cakes. Since chayotes don't exist in Germany, we cheated and used one zucchini and one peeled cucumber. They tasted good..

1 large chayote, shredded (about 2 ½ cups)
1 large boiling potato, peeled and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 small yellow onion, shredded
2 medium eggs, beaten
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. canola oil
Papaya-Avocado Salsa or Mango Salsa
Place chayote, potato and onion in colander and squeeze out excess moisture. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and mix in eggs, cornmeal and seasonings.

In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook cakes in batches, scooping about 1/2 cup into skillet for each cake and pressing down to form 4- to 5-inch disk. Cook until both sides are lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer finished cakes to a warm plate and cover. Repeat with remaining mixture, adding more oil to skillet if necessary. Serve right away with Mango Salsa or Papaya-Avocado Salsa.

MANGO SALSA
1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and lemon juice. Cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

CARIBBEAN PINK BEANS
1 lb pink beans
10 C water
2 medium plantains, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 small red pepper, finely chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Rinse and pick through beans. Put beans in large pot and add 10 cups of water. Place pot in refrigerator and allow beans to soak overnight.
2. Cook beans until soft. Add more water, as needed, while beans are cooking.
3. Add plantains, tomato, pepper, onion, garlic, and salt. Continue cooking at low heat until plantains are soft.

CARIBBEAN RICE
2 teaspoons oil
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup onions, minced
2 cups rice
4 cups vegetable broth
1 firm ripe mango, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup fresh chives, minced

Heat oil in a large saucepan and add coconut.
Cook, stirring constantly until very lightly browned Add minced onion.
Continue cooking and stirring 1 minute longer.
Add rice, stir to coat.
Add broth and bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat to low.
Simmer 25 to 30 minutes until rice is tender.
Remove from heat and stir in mango.
Sprinkle with chives.

Banana Kiwi Salad
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 firm ripe bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped cashews, toasted (see Tip)

Whisk lime juice, oil, shallot, vinegar, honey, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add kiwis, bananas, bell pepper and mint; toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with cashews.

Getting into the groove, we listened to Radio Curacao: http://www.korsou.com/

OK, I seem to have misplaced the words of the week. But I did find the newly-instituted Grammar Point of the Week: Past Simple vs. Present Perfect

Past Simple: “Last week I went to Amsterdam.” Last week is finished, I am now back from Amsterdam, hence we use the past simple.

Present Perfect: “Tonight I have eaten far too much food.” Tonight is not yet finished, and the result of the eating is my current bloatedness – hence there is a link between past and present, here an action in the past (eating), which has a result continuing into the present (bloatedness). The action is completed, but the time (tonight) is not yet finished. Form: has/have plus Past Participle (3rd form).

Good Food - September 25, 2007

Okay, we've already had "Night Without A Theme" - so tonight we'll just call Good Food.

	Soup is served! Andrea, Ralph, Alex and Daniel >Alex washes spinach
	<Yummy soup with Andrea's Cremant >Broccoli curry
	< Chutney Cheese Bread >Spinach Potage (soup)
	<Peeling potatoes >The masterpiece: Ralph and Andrea's cake achievement

Spinach Potage with Dill And Lemon Zest
Ingredients:
1 medium Vidalia or Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup water
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 ounces washed and ready to use fresh baby spinach
1 cup whole or 2% milk
1 cup half-and-half (regular or fat-free as preferred)
1 8 oz container reduced-fat sour cream
Garnish: Finely chopped dill and/or finely grated lemon zest
Method
In a 3 quart saucepan combine onion and canola oil, and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender and translucent. Add water, broth, lemon zest and potatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook 5 minutes. Cool mixture for 10 minutes then pour into a food processor and pulse until mixture is finely chopped. Add the milk, half and half, and sour cream. Process until smooth, transfer to a saucepan and heat gently over medium-low heat. Sprinkle each serving with chopped dill and finely grated lemon zest.

Chutney Cheese-Bread
Ingredients:
250g grated cheese
Chutney:
2 peaches, peeled and diced
3 plums, halved and diced
1 yellow onion, chopped small
3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/8 cup ginger, fresh, finely chopped (peeled)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small hot red pepper
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves
Dough:
1 pkg. dry yeast
3/4 c. very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 c. flour plus more for kneading
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

The Chutney: Peel peaches, dice fine. Slice plums and onions very small. Wrap cloves in cheesecloth satchel. Combine all ingredients (including cloves) in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Lower heat, allow to simmer about 1 hour, until the consistency of a loose jelly.

The Dough: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Soak yeast in water for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and sugar and mix to blend. Knead for 2-3 minutes until flour is well blended – you will probably need to add at least one more cup flour as you knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Assembly: Roll dough to fit a 12 inch flat pan. Cover with a layer of chutney. Sprinkle cheese over top of chutney. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

Broccoli Curry
Broccoli 1 head, cut into florets
Potato 1
Onion 1
Cut Corn - small can
1 Tbsp. Ginger; 2 cloves garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
1 Red Chili pepper, sliced small
Urad dal 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 4 spoons

Cut the broccoli into small pieces and steam until softened and bright green.
Heat 4 spoons of oil in a pan and add urad dal and mustard seeds and fry them to golden brown colour.
Chop the onion and potato into pieces, add to the above mixture and fry till the potato is cooked.
Add ginger and garlic , red pepper, little turmeric powder and if you want garam masala 1/2 tsp.
Add to the above pan, those separately cooked broccoli pieces along with cut corn and salt to taste and cook it for 5 minutes. Your broccoli curry is ready to be served with either rice or chapati.

Chris’ Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 cup instant cocoa
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups ground hazelnuts
2 cups white flour
1 packet baking powder
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix until smooth. Pour into a greased baking pan, bake for 60 minutes at 200 C. Note: Makes one really big cake, or two normal sized ones.

Words of the Week:
cloves
duty
mandatory
accounting
cutting corners
soil
vintner
bummer
RVs
motor home
curtains
chew your cud
tripe
revolting

Plum Night - September 18, 2007

Due to an abundant plum season in the Milde Family Schrebergarten, we were blessed with a surfeit of plums. Here are some really good things to do with plums.

Sorry, we kind of forgot to take photos : )

<Daniel.

>Plum Clafouti.

(Yum.)

PLUM CLAFOUTI
6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
14 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a 10 inch pie plate, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the bottom.
Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the plums. In a blender, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over the fruit in the pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Whole Wheat Couscous With Plums, Goat Cheese And Fresh Mint Recipe
2 oz aged goat cheese, crumbled .
3 1/2 tbsps balsamic vinegar .
3 ripe plums, sliced .
1 c whole wheat couscous .
1 1/2 c water (or the amount your package instructs using to cook 1 c couscous) .
3 tbsps honey .
1/4 c sliced fresh mint .
2 scallions, thinly sliced .
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions: Step #1 In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.
Step #2 Add couscous, stir, & turn off heat; cover saucepan & let rest for 10 mins.
Step #3 Fluff couscous with a fork & transfer to a medium bowl.
Step #4 Allow to cool. Mix scallions, goat cheese, then add plums, & mint.
Step #5 In a small bowl, whisk honey & vinegar until honey has dissolved; pour over couscous & carefully toss. Step #6 Spice up with salt & pepper to taste.

Butternut Squash with Plum Chutney
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash
1/2 pound peaches, peeled
1/2 pound plums, halved
1/4 pound seedless grapes, stems removed
1 yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup currants or raisins
1/8 cup ginger, fresh, finely chopped (peeled)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 (2 to 3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 tablespoon peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife, puncture squash in several places. Place on a baking sheet, and bake until tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
To make the chutney, pit and coarsely chop the peaches and plums, and combine in a heavy non-aluminum saucepan with the grapes, onions, brown sugar, currants or raisins, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, and vinegar. On a square of cheesecloth, place the cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and cloves and tie edges together with kitchen string. Add to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chutney develops the consistency of a loose jam (about 50 to 60 minutes). When the chutney begins to thicken during the last 10 or so minutes of cooking, stir often with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Discard the cheesecloth bundle. Set aside 1/2 cup chutney for the squash and refrigerate the rest for future use in a tightly covered container.
When the squash is done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Using oven mitts and a long, sharp knife, carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon and discard them. Scoop out the hot flesh into a warmed bowl. Add the butter and salt and stir until butter is melted.
To serve family style: Make a well in the center of the squash, and fill it with chutney. Serve immediately.

Norm's German Night - September 11, 2007

Taking advantage of a visit from California-boy Norm, we used this night as an excuse to do something we've never done before - cook German food! All in all, a resounding success - with the exception of Beer Soup, a recipe which defines the word "revolting". My students assured me that no self-respecting German would ever wasted beer in soup.

	Tonight's cookers: Guest of Honor Norm (tonight's official Vocabulary Scribe), Maureen, Daniel, Christiane, Ralph and Frank
	< The Auflauf >Senf Eier (yes there are eggs somewhere under all that yummy mustard sauce)
	< >Zwiebelkuchen (onion "cake", but not sweet)
	< Beer soup. Do not try this at home. > The ultimate German dessert: Uberraschung Eier ("surprise eggs")
	< Some assembly required - putting together the egg toys > Not suitable for adults: Daniel and Maureen concentrate on toy assembly
	< Surprise! > When in doubt, add more beer

Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Bread)
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cups flour, all-purpose allpurpose
1 each egg
4 tablespoons cream, half and half
1 x salt
4 medium onions
4 each bacon slices diced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large eggs
1 x salt and black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease an 11 inch quiche pan; set aside.
Using a pastry blender or fork, work butter into flour.
Stir in 1 egg, half and half and salt to make dough.
Let stand in a cool place for a few minutes.
Thinly slice onions.
Fry bacon in a small skillet over medium heat until golden brown.
Add onion rings; saute 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain off excess fat.
In a medium bowl, beat together whipping cream, 2 eggs, salt
and pepper.
On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry.
Line greased pan with pastry.
Prick pastry surface with a fork.
Spread cooked bacon and onions over pastry.
Pour in cream mixture.
Cover with foil.
Bake 20 minutes.
Remove foil; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until set.
Cut in squares or wedges.
Serve warm.

Gemuse Auflauf (see below for English translation)
750 g Kartoffeln
300 g Kohlrabi
300 g Möhren
1 St Zwiebel
1 Bund Petersilie
20 g Butter (oder Margarine)
300 ml Milch
200 ml Gemüsebrühe
125 g Käse (gerieben, z.B. Gouda)
30 g Sonnenblumenkerne
1 Prise Salz
1 Prise Pfeffer
1 Prise Muskatnuss
1 Prise Zucker
1 TL Fett (für die Form)

Die Kartoffeln und Kohlrabi schälen. Kartoffeln in Scheiben schneiden, Kohlrabi achteln und ebenfalls in Scheiben schneiden. Die Möhren waschen, falls nötig schälen und gleichfalls in Scheiben schneiden. Den Backofen auf 200 Grad (Gas Stufe 3) vorheizen. Eine rechteckige Auflaufform einfetten.

Die Zwiebel schälen und fein würfeln. Die Petersilie waschen, trocken tupfen und fein hacken. Das Fett erhitzen, die Zwiebelwürfel darin glasig dünsten. Milch und Gemüsebrühe zugeben und erhitzen. Den Käse in der Soße schmelzen und unter Rühren etwas einköcheln lassen. Die Soße mit den Gewürzen kräftig abschmecken.

Etwa die Hälfte der Petersilie unterrühren. Kartoffeln-, Kohlrabi- und Möhrenscheiben in die Auflaufform schichten, die Sonnenblumenkerne in den Auflauf streuen und die Käsesoße darüber gießen. Im vorgeheizten Backofen auf der untersten Schiene 45 Minuten backen. Mit der restlichen Petersilie bestreuen.

Veggie Auflauf (now in English)
750 g potatoes
300 g Kohlrabi
300 g carrots
1 onion
1 bunch parsley
20 g Butter or margarine
300 ml milk
200 ml vegetable broth
125 g cheese, Gouda or something like that
30 g sunflower seeds
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch sugar
1 TL oil for the baking pan

Directions: Preheat oven to 200 C. Grease the baking pan with oil. Peel potatoes and kohlrabi. Cut the potatoes and kohlrabi into thin slices. Wash the carrots, if necessary peel them and cut them into slices of the same thickness.

Peel the onion and cut into small pieces. Wash and dry parsley, remove stems and cut small. Heat butter in a frying pan, cook onions until translucent. Add milk and vegetable broth, heat until warm and then melt cheese into the liquid. Add spices to taste. Stir in about half of the parsley.

Lay potatoes, carrots and kohlrabi slices in baking pan. Cover with a layer of sunflower seeds, and then pour cheese-broth mixture over the pan. Bake approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining parsley over the pan and serve.

Mustard Eggs (Senf Eier)
8 Eggs - hard boiled (approx. 8 minutes) and cut in halves
1 yellow onion - chopped
1-2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons white flour
400 ml Vegetable fond
150 g Crème fraiche or heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh dill - chopped
salt & pepper

In a heated pan melt the butter and add the chopped onions. Gently steam these until soft. Sprinkle with the flour and cook this gently, making sure it does not go brown.

Pour in the vegetable fond and mix well. Add the heavy cream and allow to simmer for approx. 5 minutes. Add in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste.

In the meantime add the egg halves into the mustard sauce and heat through. Sprinkle the chopped dill over the sauce. Serve this on a heated plate with the rice.

GERMAN BEER SOUP (NOTE: Do NOT try this at home! This recipe was revolting!!!)
4 cans beer (total 48 oz.)
5 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 egg yolks, beaten
6 slices white toast, diced
1/2 lemon rind, grated

Boil beer, sugar, cinnamon, beaten egg yolks and lemon rind. Stir vigorously with wooden spoon while cooking. Boil 5 to 6 minutes, then simmer an additional 5 minutes. Dish over diced toast in bowls. Serves 2 or 3.

Words of the Week (as written by Special Guest Norm):
recollection
rosemary
hospitality
hospitable
prisoner of war
you’ve been cheated
give the shirt off his back
a monkey trying to fuck a football
croutons
spatula
lint
two-fisted drinker
see you soon
zipper

Tibet Night - September 4, 2007

By special request, tonight was Tibetan food. Labor intensive, but delicious. Since all the Tibetan dessert recipes I found involved overnight chilling, we wimped out and made chocolate brownies, instead. Note that this recipe is even better than the brownie recipe we cooked a few months ago (this one again from Robert Linxe’s cookbook “Chocolat Sinnliche Verführung” , though we adapted it a little with the beating of the egg whites).

	< Tonight's cookers: Daniel, Steffi, Christiane, Andrea, Ralph and Frank >Tibetan food proved to be labor-intensive: assembling Mo-mos and Khotes
	< And messy: lots of flour, everywhere >Daniel did not find success with Mo-mo making
	<This is what goes inside a vegetarian Mo-mo (mushrooms, not meat) > And this is what a successful one looks like
	< But first they have to be steamed >While brownies and Tibetan roast bake
	< Potato Soup was really yummy, but spicy (we accidentally used all the spinach in the roast, and thus substituted the remaining broccoli). >Tibetan roast
	< And now time for dessert >Brownies.

Potato Soup
1/4 c Butter
1 tb Minced ginger root
1 tb Minced garlic
1 c Diced red onion
1/2 ts Turmeric
1/2 ts Chili powder
1/2 ts Kopan Masala
3 c Mashed potato
4 c Water
1 c Diced tofu
1 c Spinach leaves,chopped
1 1/2 ts White vinegar
1 tb Soy sauce
2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Black pepper
2 tb Chopped green onion
2 tb Chopped cilantro

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add
ginger, garlic and onion and stir-fry over medium to
medium-high heat for 1/2 to 1 minute. Add turmeric,
chili powder and masala. Stir-fry 1/2 minute longer.
Add potato and mix. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Add water
1 cup at a time, stirring constantly with wire whisk
to prevent lumps from forming.

Stir until mixture is smooth. Add tofu and spinach.
Mix well and bring to boil. Add vinegar, soy sauce,
salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. If soup is too
thick, add water. Add green onions and cilantro and
mix well. makes about 8 cups

Kopan Masala
1/3 c Coriander seeds
1/4 c Cumin seeds
10 Black cardamom pods,peeled
15 Green cardamom pods,peeled
25 Cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks,broken up
1 ts Black peppercorns
1/4 ts Freshly ground nutmeg

Combine coriander, cumin, black and green cardamom,
cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and nutmeg and grind
finely, but not to powder, with mortar and pestle,
rolling pin, coffee grinder or food processor. Store
in airtight jar. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Mo-Mos and Khotes

---------------------------DOUGH---------------------------
2 c All-purpose flour
3/4 c Hot water

-----------------------MO-MO FILLING-----------------------
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 c Chopped raw kale or chinese cabbage
1/2 c Cilantro, chopped
3 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 tb Chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 ts Curry powder
1 tb Sherry, vermouth or brandy
2 ts Flour
2 ts Soy sauce
1/2 ts Cayenne pepper or
1/2 ts Hot chili paste

-----------------------KHOTE FILLING-----------------------
2 tb Butter
1 Chopped onion
3 Cloves garlic, chopped
3 Jalapeno Peppers, Sliced
1 ts Cumin
1 1/2 ts Curry powder
1/2 ts Dry ground ginger
1/2 ts Tumeric
1 1/2 c Raw broccoli, chopped
1/2 Red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 c Mashed Baking Potatoes
1/4 c Chopped cilantro
2 tb Yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and Cayenne to taste
1 Bunch Kale to line steamer

Dough: 1. Pour hot water over flour; mix with fork.
When cool enough to handle, finish mixing with your
hands until dough holds together. Allow to sit while preparing filling ingredients.

To assemble Mo-mos and Kohtes: 1. Work one piece of dough at a time; pinch off a
walnut-sized chunk, shape into a ball, knead several
times, then roll flat on a floured board. 3. Place
dough circle in the palm of your hand; in the middle
of the dough, place about 1 tbsp filling. Bring up
edges and seal at top with little gathers. Leave a
tiny hole at top for steam to escape during cooking.
4. Line steamer or bottom of skillet with kale leaves.
Top with a layer of dumplings and steam over boiling
water 15 to 20 minutes. If using a skillet use just
enough water to cushion the Mo-Mos; replenish water as
needed. Serve immediately, pairing Mo-Mos with soy
sauce, ginger, and vinegar.

Mo-Mo Filling: Saute onions and mushrooms, combine with other ingredients.

Khote Filling: 1. Melt butter in skillet. Add onion
and garlic and cook over low heat until onion is limp.
Add chiles and spices and cook a minute or two longer.
Then add broccoli and red bell pepper. Cook until they
are crisp-tender; then add mashed potatoes, cilantro,
yogurt, lime, and salt and cayenne to taste.

Dipping Sauce for Mo-Mos:
Yield: 3 Tbsp
1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp vinegar 1 Tbsp chile oil 1
piece of fresh ginger (about 1/2 inch long), shredded.

Combine all ingredients, serve.

Grease a 1 LB loaf tin & press in the mixture. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes till the top is dark brown & feels firm to the touch.

Let it stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Serve with vegetables & greens.

Brownies
300g walnuts
250g dark chocolate
225g butter
4 eggs
75g pulverized almonds
190g sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
75g flour

Preheat oven to 180 C. Break the walnut pieces into smaller chunks.
Melt chocolate and butter in a double-boiler until liquid, then remove from heat.

Separate eggs from egg whites. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
In a separate bowl, combine almonds, sugar and egg yolks. Sift flour and baking powder into mixture, stir. Stir in walnuts. Add chocolate mixture, and finally fold in egg whites.

In a greased baking pan 20 x 28 cm, bake for 30 to 35 minutes until fork comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Words of the week:
though
dough
jingo (ism)
stage fright
estimate
competition
harvest
opportunities
harvest
rotten
wallpaper
gas station / petrol station
patience
to vomit / to puke
loan
lukewarm
cufflinks

Night Without a Theme - August 28, 2007

No particular uniting theme tonight, just some "leftover" recipes - some from USA, some from elsewhere - that sounded good. I couldn't decide between a chocolate dessert or a fruit dessert, so Ralph suggested we combine the best of both worlds and make fruit fondue. Everything else was pretty healthy - but the chocolate made up for it!

	< Tonight's eaters: Steffi, Daniel, Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F., Christiane and Nilgun (Chief Cooking Muse Ralph not pictured) > First course: Moroccan Lentil and Garbanzo Soup
	< Stuffed kohlrabi - tastes better than it sounds! > Daniel has become the Official Onion Frier (no, not Friar)
	< Eggplant dip and >bulgar round out the main course...
	<Along with Mixed Greens and Pumpkin Seeds >And then onto dessert!
	The healthy part of dessert
	< And the fun part of dessert >
	>Until Ralph suggested, "What about dipping Gummi Bears?" Little did he know about my secret stash of Saftbaeren

Greens with Pumpkin Seeds
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 large onion
1 small bunch of spring onions
1 small bunch of spinach or any cooking greens
2 marrows or zucchini
A handful of crushed pumpkin seeds
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper

Roughly chop onion, spring onions, spinach and marrows.
First slightly fry onion, then mix in spring onions, spinach, marrows and crushed pumpkin seeds. Season with pinch of salt and black pepper. Leave to cook on very low heat, allowing natural vegie juices to cook the meal. Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Should be ready in under 10 minutes. Eat with new potatoes or wholemeal dumplings or stuff a pitta bread with it. Delicious.

Harira: Moroccan Lentil and Garbanzo Soup
Serving Size : 8

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions -- sliced
1 x 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8 threads Spanish saffron -- crushed
20 sprigs fresh cilantro
10 sprigs parsley, flat leaf
salt -- to taste
black pepper -- freshly ground
1 cup lentils -- rinsed & picked over
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans -- cooked, with liquid
1 1/2 cups fava beans -- cooked, with liquid
1/2 cup capellini -- (thin, dried pasta)
lemon wedges -- as desired/garnish
In a soup pot over medium high heat, heat the oil and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Puree the mixture, in batches if necessary, until fairly smooth.
Add to the onions and bring to a boil.
Add the lentils and water.
Cover tightly and reduce heat to low.
Simmer the soup until the lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
Add the undrained garbanzo beans and the favas and bring the soup back to a low boil.
Add the pasta and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lemon wedges.

Eggplant Sunflower Pate
1 large eggplant
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. yogurt
handful of fresh coriander or parsley
Bake eggplant, halved cut sides down, on baking sheet. Grill hot until flesh is blackened and innards soft. Let cool.

Scoop flesh out into food processor or mixer. Add garlic, lemon juice, sunflower seeds and yogurt. Chop coriander, mix in and serve with bread or crackers.

Stuffed Kohlrabi

4 small kohlrabi
400 ml hot vegetable stock
1 Tbsp. sunflower oil
1 onion
2 small red peppers
parsley to garnish

Preheat oven to 180 C. Trim, top and tail kohlrabi. Pour hot stock to come halfway up the vegetables. Cover and braise in oven 30 minutes until tender. Cool, reserving vegetable stock.

Heat oil in a pan, fry onions and peppers until browned. Add vegetable stock and seasoning, simmer until stock is evaporated.

Scoop out insides of kohlrabi, chop innards and stir into pepper-onion mixture. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Arrange in dish, stuff kohlrabi shells. Bake 5-10 minutes until heated through. Serve.

Chocolate Fondue:

250g dark chocolate

200g heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean

In a small pan, immerse vanilla bean in cream. Heat gently. When milk is warmed (be careful not to boil!), add chocolate and melt. Serve immediately - dip fruit, or whatever you like, into the chocolate.

And the words of the week:

skint
mens’ care product
to run out of
mold
malt
mould
flatshare
to scrape
an awful lot
G reece
attic
version
incineration
loft bed
bed slats
a play
epiphany
axe

Recipes brought back from my trip to the USA - August 21, 2007

These aren't really "American" recipes per se, just stuff I found while hunting through cookbooks at my mom's house. The peach puzzle was delicious, even though the sauce didn't all end up in the little porcelain ramekin the way it was supposed to. This could be because we didn't wait the prescribed 30 minutes after taking it out of the oven before flipping, or maybe because we didn't have a proper 9 inch pie plate. Who knows. Whatever the reason, it tasted good enough that I'm willing to try it again.

	< A small group, but hungry. Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F., Daniel, and Chief Cooking Muse Ralph (Frank sent his regrets, but had to work). >Lasagne.
	< This is what the Peach Puzzle looked like coming out of the oven. > Then flipped...
	< ooooh! And pulling the plate off the top. > aaaah!
	< Our puzzle was wondering why the syrup didn't end up in the ramekin > Mushroom ragout.

Spinach and Hazelnut Lasagne

2 lb fresh spinach or 16 oz frozen (500g)
300 ml vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped
¾ cup hazelnuts, roasted in oven
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
6 sheets lasagna
14 oz. (1 can) chopped tomatoes
200 g ricotta or fresh cheese

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius.
Cook spinach until wilted. Drain.
Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable stock and simmer onions and garlic. Stir in hazelnuts and basil.
Layer lasagna, alternating spinach, hazelnut mixture, cheese and tomato sauce. Pour remaining vegetable stock over pan. Back in oven approximately 45 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

Mixed Mushroom Ragout

1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry sherry or cooking wine
2 tsp tomato puree
2 tsp brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable stock
115 g (4 oz.) baby button mushrooms
115 g (4 oz.) brown mushrooms
115 g (4 oz.) oyster mushrooms
115 g (4 oz.) pfifferlinge mushrooms

Put first 9 ingredients in saucepan. Boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Uncover, simmer 5 minutes longer, or until liquid is reduced by half. Add baby buttons and brown mushrooms, simmer three minutes. Add oyster and pfifferlinge mushrooms and simmer 2 minutes longer (or until all mushrooms are cooked).

Remove mushrooms to serving dish, boil juices 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper, pour sauce over mushrooms and serve.

Peach Puzzle
Peaches and Syrup:
7 medium peaches, peeled (place in boiling water 20-30 seconds to loosen peels)
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
6 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Dough:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose white flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
6 Tbsp. very cold milk

1. Peaches and Syrup: Pre-heat middle rack of oven to 400 F (200 C). Place 6 oz. ramekin upside-down in center of 9 inch pie plate, arrange peaches in a ring around the ramekin. Combine brown sugar, water, vanilla and butter, stir over medium heat until sugar dissolved. Pour syrup over peaches.
2. Dough and Assemblage: Grate frozen butter into bowl with flour mixture, rub between fingertips until mixture turns pale yellow and coarse. Using rubber spatula, fold milk into flour mixture. Squeeze dough together and flatten into disk. Roll dough out on floured surface into a 9 inch circle. Lay dough over peaches and ramekin, but do no attach to pie plate.
Bake until the top of the dough is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool on rack for 30 minutes. Place large flat plate atop pie plate, flip very quickly. Serve.

Words of the week:
plastic wrap (Saran Wrap®)
Lisbon
absence
paintbrush
barricades
spatula
remote
decent
to breed (horses, etc.)
sod
diameter

BBQ on the Beach - August 14, 2007

At long last, Tuesday night and good weather coincided on the same day - grill time! We schlepped half the kitchen to the shore of the River Elbe, where we lit up 4 (!) grills and watched the sun set. The policy was strictly BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) - I provided veggies and dessert, and if you wanted meat, you could do that yourself. Other offerings included shrimp skewers and veggie sausages, which were actually surprisingly yummy.

We also discovered that food photographs much, much better in bright daylight : )

	< Setting up on the Elbe (we used the "Holzkohle" container as our impromptu work area) > Gerd fans the flames
	< Whoopie! Kerstin gets her meat at last! > Sonja tends to the grill
	< Sweet potatoes achieve caramelized perfection > The eggplant marinates...
	> ...then grills < Kabobs!
	< The Kerstins ponder something important... > ...like opening another bottle of wine
	< Max searches for buried treasure. Later, he ate the entire package of butter which fell into the sand. > Veggies and shrimp skewers.
	Time to eat! Tonight's class: Daniel, Sonja, Kerstin K., Kerstin F., Maureen, Gerd, and Chief Cooking Muse Ralph
	< And now for dessert: pineapple skewers, pre-roasting > Bananas, mid- roasting
	< Pineapple begins to form its sugar coating > Banana, hot and mushy: yum.
	< Introducing Germans to the high point of American culture: S'mores
	< Yes, we like these.
	And with that, a successful evening.

The recipes:

If you see something above which is not listed below, then the major ingredient was: fire!

BBQ Miso Eggplant
Round Eggplant cut 1/2" thick 1 lb.
Marinade:
Shiro Miso (white miso paste) 2 oz.
Sake (Japanese rice wine) 1 oz.
Sugar (raw if possible or brown) 2 oz.
Soy Sauce 1/2 oz.
Water (Vegan) 6 oz.
Green onion (scallion) chopped 1/2 oz.
Sesame oil 1/4 oz.
Procedure: Marinate eggplant slices overnight.
Drain and grill on a well oiled grill until grill marks are well defined. Serve with reserved marinade.

BBQ Sweet Potatoes

Peel and slice 2 or 3 large sweet potatoes into sticks or cubes. Cover a large piece of aluminum foil with olive oil, then add potatoes, more oil, honey, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme or other herbs. Fold into a tight packet, grill over coals for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Grilled pineapple

Peel and core a fresh pineapple, slice into long strips. Thread onto wooden skewers.

The sauce: in a saucepan, combine 1 cup apple juice, 1 cup dark brown sugar, 1 vanilla bean. Heat until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool, scrape out insides of vanilla bean and add to liquid. Put sugar syrup in squirt bottle.

Grilling: Place pineapple on grill or over open coals. Apply a coating of sugar syrup, leave 5-10 minutes until pineapple is softened and sugar makes a crunchy caramelized coating. Turn, apply more sugar. Each skewer should be turned once or twice. Serve warm.

S'mores

Stick your marshmallow on a skewer, hold over coals until lightly browned.

Assemblage: 2 graham crackers (we used Leibnitz Vollkorn), 1 piece of chocolate, and that warm gooey marshmallow. Lay the chocolate atop one cracker, put the warm marshmallow atop the chocolate, and squish a sandwich together with the other cracker. Eat immediately.

No words this week - we forgot the pen and paper!

South African Night - July 31, 2007

Ralph found some great recipes in his magazine collection, and we cooked. I've translated the best I could - sorry not to credit the sources, the magazines have since disappeared. As usual, the recipes below are what we actually cooked (rather than what the recipe said - often they're pretty different). No antelope meat tonight (the original recipe suggested, if possible, to use antelope instead of beef). We used tofu.

	< Tonight's cookers: Nilgun, Christiane, Daniel, Frank, and Chief Cooking Muse Ralph > Tofu with Cornmeal: the finished results
	< The Orange-Yogurt Cake requires some hands-on mixing. > Tofu and Rosemary
	< The Cornmeal didn't make the perfect Nuggets the way it did in the magazine... > Cold Papaya Soup never made it to photo time. We added a few seeds for garnish (yes they're edible).
	The Orange-Yogurt Cake was a total winner.

Cornmeal Nuggets

750 g cornmeal
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 liter water

Preheat oven to 180 C. Boil 1 liter water in a large pot, add 2 teaspoons salt. Add cornmeal, stir and reduce heat. Allow to simmer, undisturbed, until meal has become thick and absorbed all water. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter until melted. Spread cornmeal into a greased baking pan. Bake cornmeal in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Using a spoon, scoop out cornmeal into small balls, serve as a substitute for rice or other starch.

Cold Papaya Soup

4 papayas
350 ml fruity white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
salt
8 branches fresh mint
Hard goat cheese (for topping)

Peel papayas, cut in half and remove seeds (save a few seeds for garnish). Cut fruit into small cubes and puree in mixer. Place puree in pot, stir in white wine and gently heat. Add salt to taste, then remove from heat and cool in refrigerator. Wash mint, remove stems and cut into small pieces. Place mint in the bottom of soup bowls, pour cooled soup over mint. Sprinkle goat cheese over soup, add a few papaya seeds as garnish.

Tofu with Preiselbeeren and Apples

1 kg smoked tofu
3 onions
100g pfifferlinge or other mushrooms
2 apples
2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
150 g preiselbeeren jelly (you could substitute canned cranberries)
150 ml apple juice
2 branches rosemary
400 ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

Peel apples and dice into small pieces. Cut tofu into bite-sized chunks. Clean rosemary and mince into small pieces.

Slice onions small and heat in oil until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until browned. Add apples, cranberry sauce and apple juice, cook until reduced to a thicker sauce. Add rosemary and cream. Finally, add tofu and simmer until broth is thickened. Serve hot with cornmeal nuggets.

Orange Yogurt Cake

2-3 medium oranges
250g creamy yogurt
150g butter, room temperature
240 g sugar
2 eggs
300 flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 vanilla bean
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
powdered sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease 24cm baking springform pan with butter and dust with flour.

Remove zest from one orange, set aside in medium bowl. Add yogurt and mix well.

Completely peel both oranges, slice white pith away from flesh. Cut into thin slices and remove all seeds. Lay slices of orange along bottom and ½ slices around sides of baking pan.

Mix butter and 220g sugar in bowl. Beat by hand for approximately 8 minutes until creamy. Add baking powder. Add eggs and stir in completely. Add yogurt-orange mixture, then flour until all ingredients are completely mixed. Pour batter over orange slices into baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a syrup with 120 ml water, 20 sugar, vanilla bean, cardamom pods (lightly crushed) and cinnamon stick. Cook until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

When cake is removed from oven, immediately pour sugar syrup over the cake. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from springform. Shortly before serving, dust with powdered sugar. (The original recipe stated, “Serve with whipped cream or yogurt,” but sometimes less is more. We loved it just like it was.)

Words of the Week:
starving
court t.v.
witness
ladle
ward
negotiations
snail
slug
potemkin village
fun vs. funny
to take a breather

Latvian Food Night - July 24, 2007

OK, I didn't actually collect the recipes in Latvia - but the inspiration to find these recipes again came from the small cafe in Saulkrasti where we feasted twice a day on homemade Latvian delights.

< Tonight's cookers: Steffi, Frank (yes, that's his finger pointing), Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F., and Chief Cooking Muse Ralph.

> And Max, waiting for good things.

< Hard at work folding pancakes. (Once again, we were too hungry to photograph the food...)

> Frank fries Mushroom Schnitzel.

MUSHROOM SCHNITZEL

Yield: serves 10

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup scallions, minced, including some green tops
1 cup onions, minced
1-1/2 lbs. mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Tbs. parsley, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup matzo meal, approximately
2 lemons, cut into wedges

Melt 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over
medium heat. Cook scallions and onions 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add mushrooms and sauté over medium high heat 10-15 minutes, until
liquid has evaporated.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool. Stir in parsley and eggs.
Gradually add matzo meal until mixture has enough body to hold
together during frying. Add another 1-2 tablespoons matzo meal
if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Melt remaining butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium
high heat. Form each shnitzel by placing 1 heaping tablespoon of
the mushroom mixture in the hot butter and press with back of a
wooden spoon to a 3 inch diameter. Fry 3-4 minutes per side
until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon
wedges.

Latvian Pancakes: “Come Again Tomorrow”

We were so delighted by the sight of these, we ate them before they could be photographed. But you can visit the great website where I found this recipe and see preparation photos at http://justbraise.blogspot.com/2005/11/latvian-pancakes.html

The Crepe:
(makes about 15 pancakes, 8-in diameter)
1-½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp double-acting baking powder
1 Tbl sugar
4 eggs
1-1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup water
½ tsp vanilla
1) sift dry ingredients together.
2) Create a moat in the dry and add wet ingredients, whisk together getting as many lumps out as possible
3) Refrigerate at least ½ hour
Note: if the batter gets too thick to your liking you can thin it down with water
Pancake Assemblage:
1) In a large skillet on a medium-high heat, melt a small amount of butter. When warm, add just under ¼ cup of batter. Tip the pan quickly, spreading the batter evenly and thinly around the pan. (The thinner the crepe the easier the folding.) Cook one side only about 3 minutes until lightly brown, flip off skillet, onto a plate.
2) Continue the above step, finishing the batter. In this half-cooked form, the crepes will stick if stacked on top of each other. Avoid this by placing parchment paper between each crepe.
3) Once batter is done, add filling to create pancakes.
4) On browned side of crepe, place a heaping spoonful of filling in the center. (For filling, we used Schmand, but cottage cheese or farmer's cheese would work well, too). Fold crepe 4 times, forming a small square. The uncooked side of the crepe will aid in keeping the pancakes stuck together. Repeat until all crepes are filled.
5) Reheat the same skillet on medium-high heat. Fill the skillet with the stuffed pancakes to complete cooking. As the uncooked crepe side cooks, it will “glue” the pancake together. Flip once lightly browned, about 3 min. Cook on the other side about 3 min, until lightly browned.

Words of the Week:
impatient
rind
stencils
wholesale market
invented
invention
starch
zebra finch
rooster
mummy sack (sleeping bag)

"Foods Ralph Doesn't Like" Night - July 10, 2007

Since Chief Cooking Muse Ralph was out of the country tonight, we took this opportunity to cook all the foods that make him wrinkle his nose: fennel, feta cheese, and dark chocolate, to name a few. The Soft Chocolate Cake was truly wonderful - an easy way to impress your guests without trying too hard..

< Tonight's cookers: Steffi, Alex and Frank (not pictured). No muse present - but not the less Ralph inspired us (by his absence : )

> We forgot to photograph the food - and hence compensated by photographing the cake many times...

Fennel Pasta

1 small bulb or ½ large bulb fennel
1 onion
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon cumin powder
200g feta cheese, cubed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
ghee or olive oil for frying
7 – 8 cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
pasta (ideally, mushroom ravioli or other filled pasta)

Boil water for pasta, cook pasta according to directions on package.

Slice onion and fennel into small strips. Cut garlic into small pieces.

Cut feta cheese into cubes.

Heat oil in frying pan. Saute onion until browned, then add garlic. When garlic is partially browned, add sliced fennel and cook until wilted. If adding tomatoes, add them to pan and stir for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir together with cooked pasta and feta cheese.

Soft Chocolate Cake
(From Robert Linxe’s cookbook “Chocolat Sinnliche Verführung”, which I translated the best I could).
70g dark chocolate
70g butter
70g crushed almonds
2 eggs and 6 egg yolks
165g sugar
40g unsweetened cocoa powder
4 egg whites
1 pinch salt
½ tablespoon vanilla extract

Minty Summer Fennel & Grapefruit Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 lb/450g bulb fennel, washed and trimmed and finely chopped
2 grapefruits, peeled and pith cut away
1/4 cup lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
A few fennel leaf sprouts for garnishing

DIRECTIONS
In a medium salad bowl, stir together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Slice fennel into small pieces, discarding the tough core at the center. Combine fennel with the salad greens, grapefruit pieces, mint, fennel and cucumber. Add the lemon-olive oil mixture to the bowl and toss to coat.

Garnish with the fennel leaves and serve.

And the words of the week:
picky eater
perserverance
late bloomer
intructions

Rice Night - June 26, 2007

The theme was rice - which mainly was an excuse for us to make Rice Crispie Treats. Maureen, our resident rice hater, was finally happy when dessert came. Alas, all the Rice Crispie Treats were eaten before we could photograph them : ).

	< Full house again tonight: Maureen, Nilgun, Frank, Daniel, Lena, Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F. and Chief Cooking Muse Ralph > Chop chop
	< Tahini, Nut & Vegetable Rice salad > Spinach Risotto
	< Thai Green Rice > Lemon Rice Soup is super yummy
	> Washing up makes us happy (especially Ginger) < The usual suspects, after dinner

The Recipes:

Easy Spinach Risotto

1 small onion chopped
2 tablespoons oil olive
1 cup rice uncooked
2 cups stock chicken
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 ounces spinach thawed
1/3 cup cheese parmesan, grated
1/4 teaspoon pepper black
1 medium tomato

Directions
In 2-quart casserole, cook onion and olive oil on HIGH 3-4
minutes, until tender, stirring halfway through cooking.

Stir in rice, coating each grain.
Stir stock and salt into rice.
Cook, covered, on HIGH 5-8 minutes, until boiling.
Stir.
Cook, covered, on MEDIUM 13-15 minutes, until
liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Drain spinach well, squeezing to remove all liquid.
Stir spinach, parmesan, and pepper into rice.
Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Remove seeds from tomato and cut into 1/2" chunks; stir into rice.

Lemon Rice Soup
Ingredients
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked rice
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (we used Pfifferling soup)
1 cup cream (optional)
1 whole fresh lemon
1 or 2 beaten eggs (optional)
Salt and pepper

Directions: First bring broth to a boil. Then just remove from heat.
Them you want to take some mix with egg when mixed.
Now you want to pour egg and broth back in soup.
Next you want to stir until egg is cooked.
Then you want to add the juice and the pulp from lemon, rice, salt, cream (optional) and pepper. Finally you can garnish with parsley.

Thai Green Rice
Ingredients
12fl oz/340ml basmati rice
50g/2oz creamed coconut
4 cloves garlic
2 large or 3 medium-sized fresh green or red chillies
4cm cube root ginger
20g fresh coriander
1½ tbsp groundnut or other flavourless oil
3 x 2in/5cm pieces cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
15 black peppercorns
1½ oz/40g unsalted cashew nuts, halved
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
4oz/110g fresh peas, or frozen and defrosted
1½ level tsp salt, or to taste
15fl oz/425ml hot water
2 tbsp lime juice
Directions : Begin by dissolving the creamed coconut in the boiling water, then place it in a food processor with the garlic, chillies, ginger and coriander stalks, whizzing until everything is finely chopped.
Leave this aside while you heat the oil over a gentle heat in the frying pan, then add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns and cashew nuts to the pan and sauté everything gently for about 1 minute. Next, add the onions and continue to cook over a medium heat until they become softened and pale gold in colour, which will take 8-10 minutes. Next add the rice, then stir once and cook for another 2-3 minutes. After that, add the coconut mixture, give everything a stir, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Now add the peas, salt and hot water, bring it all up to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid. Turn the heat to low and let everything cook very gently for 8 minutes; use a timer here, and don't lift the lid.
Then remove the pan from the heat, take the lid off and cover the pan with a cloth for 10 minutes before serving. Finally, remove the pieces of cinnamon, sprinkle in the lime juice and the finely chopped coriander leaves, then fork the rice gently to separate the grains. Garnish with the reserved whole coriander leaves.

Tahini, Nut & vegetable Rice Salad

Ingredients

1 lb/450g cooked long grain brown rice
4 oz/100g red cabbage, finely chopped or grated
1 small green pepper, seeded, thinly sliced and chopped
1 small carrot, scrubbed and grated
1 oz/25g sultanas
1oz / 25g cashew nut pieces
2 floz/50m1 tahini (sesame paste)
2 floz/50m1 yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method

1 Combine the rice with the red cabbage, green pepper, carrot, sultanas and cashew nuts.

2 Combine the tahini, yoghurt and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

3 Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.

2. Add rice crispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2-inch squares when cool. Best if served the same day.

And the words:

lame
reamer
to ream
fabric
bland
bad timing
scoop
verdict
taste buds
rivals
deconstructed
tree bark
sneaky
Lower Saxony
minced
department
knitting
audition
application
delish
armpit of the universe
wavelength
awesome

Asian Night - June 19, 2007

Whereupon Ginger cancelled the planned BBQ, so we could all sit inside and look out at the glorious sunny evening outdoors. We'll try a BBQ again soon.

The backup plan, Asian Night, was really just an excuse to try to make our own Fortune Cookies. Alas, fortune was not with us tonight (see photos below).

	<Tonight's participants: Maureen, Steffi, Sonja, Daniel, Frank, Lena and Chief Cooking Muse Ralph >Really amazing Rujak Medan (Spiced Fruit Salad from Malaysia)
	< We finally figured out why they're called "Pot Stickers" - because that's what they do... >Spicy Noodles with Ginger and Fresh Vegetables
	<Cabbage Soup with Fish Cake >Maureen's bib
	Our attempt at baking Fortune Cookies was not so successful, hence their new name, Unfortunate Cookies <Unfortunate Cookies, pre-folding >Unfortunate Cookies, with fortunes "folded" inside

Asian Vegetable Salad with Sweet Ginger Apricot Dressing
1. Cook some brown rice (I used brown Basmati)
2. While rice is cooking, make the dressing:
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
1/4 cup cup rice vinegar
2 ripe apricots, minced
1/4 cup ginger marmalade (or, alternately, fresh ginger and some apricot marmalade)
2 tsp. chinese 5 spice powder
put all these in a blender and blend!

3. Chop up some veggies of your choice, such as:
baby corn
snow peas
bean sprouts
carrots
water chestnuts
red pepper
Mix them all together. Then serve over a rice, or mixed greens, or just on its own.

Korean-Style Pot-Stickers
You'll need:

2 packages of prepared potsticker or gyoza skins (find ones without egg).
They are about 3" in diameter, round.
Prepare filling:
in a large pot, 'saute':
6 large carrots, grated
1/4-1/2 small head of cabbage, sliced thinly
1/4 c. unsweetened rice wine
When carrots and cabbage have softened, place about 1/2 of the carrot/cabbage mixture in a food processor and process with:
1 can (small, 10 oz?) bamboo shoots
1 handful of dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked (10-20+ mushrooms, to taste)
mix blended stuff with unblended cabbage and carrots and add:
1 cup TVP, hydrated with some mushroom-soaking water, then drained
2 T. white or yellow miso, mixed until smooth with about 1/4 c. water
soy sauce to taste
white pepper to taste
chopped scallions (optional)
2 T. cornstarch, mixed until smooth with about 1/4 c. water
The filling should be moist and cohesive, but not drippy, so adjust water amounts.
Place a small blob of filling in the center of each potsticker wrapper.
Fold the wrapper in half, using water to seal. Join the points of the resulting half circle together.
Place several potstickers on a bed of cabbage leaves in your bamboo steamer over a pot of boiling water.
Cover, and do something else for about 7 min.
Eat potstickers immediately with a sauce of:
1 part soy sauce, 1 part rice vinegar
some grated fresh ginger or chopped scallions

Rujak Medan (Spiced Fruit Salad)
Origin: Sumatra; Serves: 6

1 small cucumber, sliced thin
1 cup thinly sliced jicama
1 cup cubed firm ripe papaya
1 star apple (carambola), sliced
1 to 2 cups cubed fresh or canned ripe pineapple
1 firm green pear, cubed
1 firm tart apple, cubed

FOR THE SAUCE
3 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts
1 or 2 hot red chilies, sliced and seeded
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup water and strained
1 small green banana, sliced (optional)

Arrange the cucumber and any 3 or more of the fruits in separate heaps on a serving platter.
In a food processor chop fine the peanuts, then blend in the chilies, brown sugar, tamarind, liquid, and banana (if used) to form a paste.
It is traditional to serve the sauce and fruit separately.
Each diner may then select the fruit and dip it into the thick sauce.
The modern method is to toss the fruit and sauce together and serve the salad at room temperature.

Oriental-ish Cabbage Soup
1 ordinary-sized cabbage (sorry, dunno what to do with that 8-pounder!)
250 g fish cake, sliced into cubes
Vegetable stock (un-salted, or only lightly salted)
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Black pepper
Cut the cabbage in half equatorially, then cut each hemisphere into sixes or eighths.
Cut out the bits of core, trying not to disturb the shape of each chunk.
Arrange the chunks of cabbage in a large, wide saucepan so that the cut edges form
Add stock to cover generously, and season to taste with soy sauce.
Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until the cabbage is done but still crisp-ish.
Drizzle a teaspoon or so of sesame oil over each helping after serving, add freshly ground pepper too.

Spicy Noodles with Ginger and Fresh Vegetables
2 carrots -- peeled
1 large zucchini
3 green onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons matchstick-size strips fresh ginger
3 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk -- (light is available)
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
9 ounces somen noodles or rice noodles
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted peanuts
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Cut carrots, zucchini and green onions into matchstick-size strips.
Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons ginger and 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic; saute until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add carrots, zucchini, half of green onions and sesame oil; saute 2 minutes.

Add remaining ginger and garlic; saute until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute longer.
Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to bowl.

Reduce heat to medium.
Add 1 1/4 cups water, coconut milk, soy sauce and curry paste to same skillet.
Stir until smooth.
Simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 6 minutes.
Add sautéed vegetables and remaining onions.

Meanwhile, cook somen in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes.
Drain.
Transfer to large bowl.
Add vegetable mixture.
Toss to coat.
Sprinkle nuts and mint over.

Unfortunate Cookies
Our attempt at Fortune Cookies did indeed produce cookies, but nothing that actually would have held fortunes. They tasted good anyway, and we had fun writing fortunes.

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 egg whites
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
...and of course 20 fortunes.

Directions
Preheat oven to 300.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt.
Stir in the oil, eggwhites, water, and vanilla.
On a well-greased sheet, roll a very thin 4 inch circle.
Cook for 15 minutes.
If you cook more than one cookie at a time, leave the flat circles in the oven as you fold.
Wear cotton gloves, and take each cookie out.
Hold fortune in the center of the cookie, and fold in half.
Fold in half again, using the edge of a muffin tin to help, and place points down in the muffin cup to hold in place as it cools.
If the cookie hardens too quickly, put it back in the oven to soften.

Our fortunes (as written while the cookies were in the oven):
The next fortune cookie will bring you fortune.
The sun will shine out your ass.
You will meet an important person if you keep your eyes open.
Don’t worry!
You will have 4 children by the age of 40.
Who can read will have a clear advantage.
You can change it!
Sports is good for you: practice more sex
You will get there!
If things go wrong as they sometimes will, don’t give up or it will kill.
Life is not that hard. Just give it a smile.
Wisdom will come.
Your life will be colourful. Red is your colour, did you know?
You will win.
Move your ass!
You will meet the love of your life when you stop searching for it.
The true value of a thing is given to the owner.
Who says “A” also says “B”.
Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.
No matter where you go, the sky always has the same colour.
Stay calm!
Be patient, then you will become happy.
There will be no winner of your size.
Whatever comes around…
Love is the only thing that counts.
Good sex comes to those who wait.
Everyone creates his luck by himself.

Words of the Week:
dough
fish sticks
fish fingers
yeast
tamarind (not “tree poo”)
misfortune cookies
swearing match
collision damage waiver
on sale

Salad Night - June 12, 2007

After gorging ourselves on plenty of fat for Southern Night last week, suddenly the idea of salad seemed very appetizing indeed. The weather being hot and steamy outside, our goal for tonight was to get through an entire class without turning on the stove. With a little pre-preparation the morning before (potatoes, broccoli and macaroni) this was indeed possible.

	< Six salads for 5 people - and lots of it! > Tonight's participants were Kerstin K., Daniel, Maureen and Frank (Ralph and Max came later, just in time for dessert)
	< Pesto Couscous Salad >Pear Fennel Salad
	< Tabbouleh Cheese Salad > Mom's Black Bean Salad (special thanks to Mom for answering my "urgent" email so quickly...)
	< Sunny Sweet Potato Salad >Classic (American) Macaroni Salad
	< Return of the Dickmann's - Maureen keeps bringing them, and we keep eating them. This time, with strawberries > Ralph's dog Max came by for a visit after dinner

Mom’s Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:
Various colored peppers, about half a pepper of each color.
2 cans black beans
1 bag frozen corn (or 2 cans)
1 red onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
A clove or two of garlic
1 tb cumin
2 tb olive oil
1 tb vinegar (I use wine vinegar when it’s around).
Salt, pepper

Roast the peppers slightly—it helps the flavor greatly. You can either stick them under the broiler, or do like I do if you have a gas stove—just leave them on the burner a minute or two until the outside chars a little. Scrape off the blackest parts.

If possible, use frozen corn. Don’t cook it—just dump it in. And if you can get the white kind, better yet.

Chop and mix the rest, serve chilled.

Tabbouleh Cheese Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
2 cups cubed feta cheese
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Italian salad dressing

PREPARATION:
To make dressing: in a bowl, cobine ½ cup oil with ½ cup vinegar. Add salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme.

Salad:Rinse bulgur and soak in cold water to cover for at least 30 minutes or until bulgur is soft but still chewy. Drain well. (OR cook bulgur as directed on package.) When bulgar is ready, combine with remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

Pesto Couscous Salad

Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil
2 Avocados
1 head of lettuck (any kind of lettuce you prefer)
2 Tomatoes
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive oil
Kalamata Olives
100g of Parmesan Cheese
1 bell pepper
Couscous
Salt
Black Pepper
A clove of Garlic.
A half red Onion

Directions:
Wash and cut the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, and set it aside in a large bowl.
Take your tomatoes and cut them into cubes, throw into the bowl with lettuce.

Making couscous is easy, just remember, one part couscous and two parts water. In this case we used about 1 cup couscous and 2 cups of water. Soak couscous until soft and chewy (about 5 minutes).

Take that red onion and slice cut or dice into a preferred size. Add to lettuce bowl.
Cut avocados in halves, take out the pit, and gently peel them. Cut the avocado into smaller pieces. Chop bell pepper and add into lettuce bowl.
Chop one clove of garlic and toss it in with the rest of the salad.
Get that mozzarella, chop it up and put it in the bowl.
Now for the olives, Kalamata olives have pits in them so you have to cut around the olive, and then firmly squeeze out the pits. If you’re lazy you could just throw the olives in as they are. Either way, throw the olives in with the rest of the salad.

Now for the pesto. Remember that basil? This is the fun part of the salad goodness! Take the basil and put it in a blender-suitable container like a measuring cup (or if you have it, a stationary blender) Blend the basil along with shredded Parmesan cheese. Add olive oil, salt and black pepper. Mix it good. You’ll need about a small bush or so of fresh basil and a chunk of Parmesan to make pesto for two.

Mix the salad.
Add more olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle it with balsamic vinegar.
Add your delicious pesto sauce to the salad. Enjoy!

SUNNY SWEET POTATO SALAD

1 1/2 lbs. (675 g) yellow sweet potatoes
Water
1 large or 2 medium broccoli crowns
2 C. (480 ml) cooked beans, drained (pinto, kidney, or white)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 C. (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 T. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper (optional)

Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into slices 3/4-inch (1.5 cm) thick. Place them in a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan with about 1/2-inch (1 cm) of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and steam them until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cut them into bite-size pieces and put them into a large bowl.
Cut broccoli into florets and steam in a separate saucepan until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to the bowl with the sweet potatoes.
Add the beans along with the chopped tomato, cilantro, olive oil, and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
If desired, add a touch of spice with a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Classic Macaroni Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cooked macaroni, drained, rinsed, cooled
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
pepper, to taste

PREPARATION:
Combine all macaroni salad recipe ingredients, using about 1/3 cup of mayonnaise and stir well. Add a little more mayonnaise, if necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and chill for several hours before serving.

Pear Fennel Salad

3 pears
½ large or 1 small bulb fennel
50 g walnut pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
100 g parmesan cheese, shaved into thin slices
pinch salt

Cube ingredients small, mix in large bowl. Eat.

And the music:
When searching “salad music live stream” I came up with this:

The Jazz Radio page carries our live stream from 90.7 FM KFSR. ... Due to bandwidth limitations potato salad no longer included with transmission. ...

http://www.swingmusic.net/History.html

The Words of the Week:
seeds
pit
drowned
algae
shore
tarnhelmet
skull
beheaded
steamed
conserve
cilantro
the evil eye
mascot
belated
collateral
hibernate
reputation
collar
vomit
wagging
hooked
stroke unit
straw
puritan

Southern (USA) Soul Night - June 5, 2007

Featuring the star ingredients salt, sugar and plenty of fat! Plenty of photos, as everyone took turns playing with the digital camera tonight.

	<Christiane, Lena, Frank, Chief Cooking Muse Ralph, Daniel and Kerstin K. were in attendence. > Look, Daniel's getting good at this!
	< Yummy yummy cornbread > Baked Broccoli and Mushrooms with Breadcrumbs
	< It's getting hot in the kitchen tonight >Deep fried zucchini in action
	< Kate's Tennessee Yams - both with and without Jack Daniels > Ralph wields the mighty cornbread
	< The men cook... > and the women wait.
	< En garde! > Breading the zucchini prior to frying
	< Return of the Dickmann's Waffle Sandwich > Or the Dickmann's, without waffle
	< Why yes, I would like a beer, thank you. > Lena doesn't like photos...

Kate’s Tennessee Yams
(This recipe is taken verbatim from an email from my friend Kate in NYC. Enjoy!)

2 kg yams
½ milk or cream
2 - 4 tablespoons Jack Daniels or bourbon
1 cup brown sugar, divided into halves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 or 2 pinches salt to taste
3 tablespoons butter

Skillet Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups white cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup low-fat milk
2 large eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 400°.Add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a 10-inch seasoned iron skillet; place in oven.
In a mixing bowl, combine the meal, flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
In another bowl, whisk buttermilk and milk with eggs and melted butter.

Gradually fold milk mixture into dry ingredients, folding and mixing just until all dry ingredients are moist.
Using oven mitts or potholders, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven; swirl slightly so oil coats sides of pan. Pour batter into the skillet then return to oven. Reduce heat to 350°. Bake cornbread for 35 to 45 minutes, until it pulls away from sides of pan and is lightly browned.
Cut into squares or wedges.

Fried Zucchini Rounds

Take 2 medium zucchini slice off ends.

Slice in thin circles put in a bowl of cold water.

Meanwhile mix 1-2 cups flour with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet. Dip zucchini in flour mixture and immediately drop in hot oil fry on each side until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve with Ranch Dressing.

RANCH DRESSING

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
12teaspoon salt
1 dash of paprika

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and let chill for 1-2 hours.

Baked Broccoli and Mushrooms with Breadcrumbs

2 packages frozen broccoli
300g mushrooms, sliced
2 eggs, beaten
2 onions, chopped fine
2 packets dried mushroom soup mix
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup fine bread crumbs

Slice mushrooms and fry in olive oil until browned.

Thaw broccoli. If florets are large, you may need to chop them smaller.

Combine eggs, onion, soup mix and mayonnaise.

Place layer of broccoli in a large oven-proof dish. Add a layer of cheese. Pour a small amount of sauce on top. Repeat layers until all are used. Top with dry stuffing mix. Sprinkle margarine on top.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350° F.

Waffle Dickmann's Sandwiches

1 3/4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 lg. eggs, separated
1 1/4 c. milk
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 box Super Dickmann’s (Mallomars ® or marshmallows may be substituted)

Sift dry ingredients. Add egg yolks, milk and shortening. Beat thoroughly. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour on waffle iron and cook until brown. Squish a Dickmann's or similar marshmallow product in between two waffles. Eat. Repeat often.

Tonight’s Music
It pained me, but to suit the food, we needed the music – at least as long as I could tolerate it.

Listen to free Southern Gospel music online with CJRI radio.
Streaming Gospel and Praise online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!
http://www.cjri.fm/live.php

And the words of the week:
gunk
whisk
marshmallow
Mallowmar ®
graham cracker
raspberry
french toast
a dime a dozen

North African Night - May 29, 2007

It was supposed to be Moroccan Night, but the recipe for the Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves looked really good, and gave me a chance to use the package of grape leaves that's been sitting in my cupboard ever since it was never used in class #3. Yummy!

	< Tonight's participants: Nilgun, Christiane, Kitchen Fairy Kerstin F., Daniel, Frank, Maureen, and of course Chief Cooking Muse Ralph. > Chop chop! Rolling grape leaves.
	<Red beet salad marinates in the fridge for an hour before serving. >Merrily simmering away.
	<Frying tofu. High heat and ghee. >Couscous cooking with vegetables.
	>Stuffed grape leaves - the rice is uncooked when rolled, and cooked with the rest of the ingredients. <Grape leaves and tofu highlights
	<Chick peas in German are "Kichererbsen", which translates roughly as "laughing peas". Kerstin argues that this is because uncooked, they appear to be smiling. Obviously, they no longer smile when they are cooked. >But Kerstin smiles when she is well fed.

Moroccan Beet Salads
Beet Salad I

1 pound beets
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
Large pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Wash the beets well, being careful not to break their skins.
Cut off the tops, leaving a stalk of about 1 1/2 inches.
Boil, covered, until tender.
Allow the water to cool, then slip off the skins, trim off the tops, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over beets. Let marinate 1 hour before serving. Makes about 2 cups.

Beet Salad II

Prepare as described above, but add 1 teaspoon orange flower water, 1/8 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of paprika, and a little water to the sauce.

Moroccan Chick Peas

2 Cans chick peas (garbanzos)
2 quarts cold water (original) I used canned tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 teas. Organic Gourmet veggie broth
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chopped onion
2 T's chopped parsley
1 cinnamon stick
1 teas. grnd. ginger
1 teas. grnd. turmeric
1/4 teas. grnd pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cups raisins to taste
Saute onions in water with 1/4 teas. veggie broth.
Place garbanzos in large soup pot and add water (tomatoes) to cover.
Add 1 3/4 teas. veggie broth.
Bring to boil.
Add bay leaf, and all remaining ingredients except raisins.

Heat and then add raisins. Great with some brown basmati rice (or couscous).

Seared Moroccan Tofu
Serves: 6-8 Preparation time: 30 min

1 1/2 lb. Firm or extra firm tofu (not silken)
1/2 cup soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's liquid aminos
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Spike seasoning
1 generous pinch saffron
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil for frying

Press tofu to remove excess water.
Slice into 2" x 2" x 1/2" squares.
Mix remaining ingredients in blender.
Marinate tofu in liquid at least 1 hour.
Remove tofu, reserve marinade.
Heat skillet over high heat for a minute or so.
Turn down heat to medium.
Pour ghee in skillet (ghee works better than oil because you can heat it hot enough to sear tofu without it burning – and it tastes really good!)
Sear tofu on each side, brushing each side with marinade, until slightly blackened.

Moroccan Couscous
4 servings

2 Tbls. olive oil, divided
1/2 lb. medium mushrooms, quartered
1 med. red onion, cut into wedges
1 clove garlic, pressed
1-1/2 lbs. plum tomatoes, cored and cut into quarters
1 bag(10oz.) spinach
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (14 1/2oz.) vegtable broth
1 1/3 cups couscous
1 can (15-1/2 oz.) chick peas, drained and rinsed
Heat 1 Tbls. oil in large sillet over medium-high heat.
Add mushrooms, onion and garlic; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, spinach, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to high; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring often.
Meanwhile, mix vegetable broth with enough water to measure 2 cups.
Place in saucepan and bring to a boil.

Stir in couscous. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.

Stir chick peas into vegetable mixture; heat through. (We left out the chick peas because we had the other chick pea dish.) Once couscous is done, add remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil, fluff with fork, and spoon on vegetables.

Warah Enab - Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves

1 cup uncooked basmati brown or traditional white rice
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
One 16 oz jar of grape leaves
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups water

Round sliced carrots, frozen or fresh (enough to cover the bottom of a 3 quart pot, approximately 15 carrot slices, depending on their size)
Mix all ingredients except grape leaves, tomato sauce, water, and carrots in a bowl. Remove grape leaves from jar, unfold, and rinse with water. Place grape leaves with the rough side up, one at a time, on a large, flat plate. Be sure that the pointy parts of the leaf are directed away from you and the flatter edges and stem are towards you. Place one teaspoon of the mixture on the bottom of the leaf, near the stem, and arrange it lengthwise using your fingers. First roll the flat edges near the stem upwards and tuck them slightly under the filling. Then applying pressure to keep the leaves rolled tightly, tuck one side at a time of the two parts of the leaf pointing outwards. Now, roll the rest of the way upwards still applying pressure to keep the leaf tight.

Cook sliced carrots in water until tender. Cover the bottom layer of a large pot with these carrots. Begin layering the stuffed leaves above the carrots and be sure that they are packed tightly together; otherwise they may fall apart during cooking. Each layer of leaves should be in varying directions across the pot. Pour the tomato sauce and water over the leaves and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and place a flat plate (glass or stoneware) upside down over the top layer of leaves, and press down as hard as you can. Leave the plate in place during cooking. Cover the pot with its cover as well, and cook for 40-45 minutes. Check one leaf to see if rice has cooked fully. Serve warm.

Words of the week:

“spike” – Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce (American South – colloquial)
to spike
turtle
administration
girl scout / boy scout
pathfinder
girl scout cookies
private investigator (P.I.)
(to be) stuck
chick peas
wisdom
conventional wisdom
steam
sniffle

Asparagus Like Your Oma Never Cooked It - May 22, 2007

White asparagus season in Germany is a sacred time - served boiled limpid, topped with butter or hollandaise sauce, boiled potatoes and a side of ham, it drives hordes of Germans to the markets to buy it in bulk and promptly remove an nutritious content from the vegetable as quickly as possible. I joined the trek last Sunday morning to go to the Fishmarkt and fight my way through the throngs to buy 5 kilos in preparation for this week's class.

While I certainly admit that the German recipe for asparagus is quite good (could anything taste bad when drenched with homemade hollandaise sauce???), I decided it was time for white asparagus to break new frontiers. Tonight's menu: Asparagus in red curry, deep fried asparagus with honey-mustard sauce, a white-cheese pizza as a curry-sauce soaking-up starch, and waffles for dessert. The waffles were intended to have a topping of Rote Gruetze (OK, Oma probably cooked that! A mix of sweet berries, and cream), but Maureen had other (and perhaps better) ideas of what needed to be on the waffles - see below.

My apologies for the crappy photos - aside from the fact that the "Cuisine" setting on my camera (yes, there is one) generally makes things look utterly unappetizing, this time we ate everything before we remembered to take photos. The wonders of fried food - eat it while it's hot!

	< Daniel, Ralph, and Maureen being sullen about having her picture taken (Frank avoided it entirely) >The honey-mustard sauce, with remnants of beer batter floating in it
	<So here's the leftovers of the beer batter crunchies that coated the asparagus - even yummier than onion rings! >Red curry sauce, minus asparagus
	<Maureen brought one of Germany's miracle foods, Dickmann's - "dick" means "fat" in German >Interior view, marshmallow filling not yet evident
	<The first waffle, slightly burnt >Later, yummier, waffles
	<Waffle with rote gruetze (red berry mix) and Bavarian cream (sweet cream sauce) >Waffle Dickmann sandwich - fat indeed!

Red Curry Asparagus

Ingredients:
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large garlic clove, chopped
2 teaspoons bottled Asian red-curry paste
2 (14-oz) cans unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 kg asparagus, peeled and trimmed
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

Accompaniments: fresh cilantro sprigs; lime wedges preparation

Cook onion in oil in a wide 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate, then add garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in asparagus and return to a boil. Cover pot, then reduce heat and cook at a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Lower heat and simmer curry, partially covered, until asparagus is tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt to taste. Serve curry with rice or other starch (like white pizza - why not???).

Asparagus Fried in Beer Batter

2 lbs asparagus, stalks peeled and cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces
1 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. vegetable oil
Deep fat for frying (peanut oil is tasty)
1 egg
1 c. beer
1 tsp. salt

Mix flour and baking powder. Add egg, beer and oil. Beat until smooth. Heat oil until very hot. Dip chunks of asparagus into batter, immediately slide into hot oil (slide gently to avoid splatters). Fry until golden brown, fish out of oil and drain on paper towels. Serve with honey-mustard Sauce.

Tips:
You can use this batter for things other than asparagus, too, and it’s really yummy. It's best to use prawn-size or fritter-size foods, or a little smaller.
Avoid frying watery foods, like mushrooms in the batter; it just doesn't work well.
Cauliflower and zucchini rounds are very good. So are shrimp, scallops, chicken, etc.

Honey Mustard Sauce

1 jar honey
1 jar mustard
In a bowl mix honey and mustard until they taste right to you (varies by taste).

QUICK AND EASY PIZZA DOUGH

1 pkg. dry yeast
3/4 c. very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 c. flour plus more for kneading
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Soak yeast in water for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and sugar and mix to blend. Knead for 2-3 minutes until flour is well blended – you will probably need to add at least one more cup flour as you knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Roll dough to fit a 12 inch pizza pan. Top pizza with tomato sauce and toppings of your choice. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

EASY GOOD WAFFLES

1 3/4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 lg. eggs, separated
1 1/4 c. milk
4 tbsp. melted butter

Sift dry ingredients. Add egg yolks, milk and shortening. Beat thoroughly. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour on waffle iron and cook until brown.

And the words of the week:

to knead
yeast
superintendent (super)
shotgun wedding
skill
garage
enigma

Six Months of Cook & Talk English - May 15, 2007

OK, so our real six month anniversary was last week, but it was only in the process of building this webpage that I realized that - so we celebrated this week. After much deliberation, we decided that the theme was "Brooklyn Italian" - at least since Brooklyn's yuppification, which made the concept of meatless lasagne a possibility.

	Full house tonight! Cooking together. Partipcants were Frank, Steffi, Kerstin F., Daniel, Chief Cooking Muse Ralph, Maureen, and Maureen's friend Mark visiting from Utrecht (Netherlands).
	< Zucchini Fondue > Red Pesto Lasagne. Note that if you try all these together, start the pesto FIRST. We had to wait a while for it.. We were all so hungry, it didn't stay in the pan long enough to be photographed there.
	< Ciabatta. We made two, one with white flour and rosemary, and a second with whole wheat and sage. White was more popular. > Brownies
	< Time for a beer run? Thumbs up. > Ralph waxes poetic. Whatever the point was, it was obviously an important one.

For tonight’s music, I googled “zucchini live stream” to see what would come up. The top result: WFMU’s webpage, with the quote “able to transport zucchini through time and space, using monkey brain power alone...” http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/02/monkey_brain_co.html
I’d forgotten how much I miss WFMU…

Zucchini Fondue
I stole this recipe from Hans Gerlach in the “Suddeutsch Zeitung”, if my translation is wrong, don’t be surprised. It tasted great anyway.
1.5 kg Zucchini
3 cloves garlic
5 branches thyme
150g gruyere cheese

Wash zucchini and grate with a cheese grater. Peel 3 cloves garlic and slice. Wash thyme branches, remove leaves from branches, and chop fine. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and add zucchini, garlic and thyme. Cover and cook over low heat for 50 to 60 minutes until the veggies are fully cooked and soft. Grate gruyere cheese. Remove pot from heat, stir in grated cheese, and serve in a large flat bowl with bread.

RED PEPPER PESTO LASAGNE

Ingredients for the red pepper pesto:
8 oz Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or water
4 Sweet red peppers;roast/chop
1 cup Kalamata olive;pitted/chopped
1 c pine nuts
3/4 c Flat-leaf parsley; chopped
1 c Basil, fresh; finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic; minced
3 tb Olive oil (or use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)
1 ts Balsamic vinegar
Fresh-ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the lasagna:
1 box lasagna noodles
400 g fresh mozzarella cheese
150 g other grated white cheese, such as edamer, jack, etc.
150 g grated parmesan

First prepare the pesto by roasting the peppers and peeling them.
If using canned peppers, rinse and drain them well, and blot them on
paper towels, then chop them pretty finely. Combine them with the
chopped Kalamata olives, the chopped fresh herbs, and the minced
garlic.

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the oil. Pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and vinegar, pulse again, scraping down as needed, until no large chunks of tomato are left. If you do not have a food processor, just finely chop the soaked sun-dried tomatoes as you do all the other ingredients. It will only take a little longer.

Combine the tomato mixture with the other ingredients, mix well, and
taste. Grind in some black pepper if you like, and add some salt if
needed, though probably the olives provide enough.

Focaccia with Rosemary

I'm giving you the original recipe, which reads "Makes one loaf". Maybe if you're a midget. We ended up adding a lot more flour, and some additional water - but since we didn't measure, I can't give you the exact measurements. Good luck.

1½oz/15g fresh yeast or 1½tsp/7.5ml dried yeast and a pinch of sugar
8oz/225g strong white, unbleached flour
salt
3-4tbsp/45-60ml olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1tbsp/15ml fresh rosemary

Method

1. Cream the fresh yeast with 3tbsp/45ml hand-hot water. (If using dried yeast, sprinkle it on to 3tbsp/45ml of hand-hot water with the sugar and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes until frothy). Sift the flour on to a clean working surface. Gently mix in 1tsp/5ml salt, then form into a mound with a hollow in the centre.

2. Pour the yeast mixture into the hollow and carefully fold the flour over it, then add 3tbsp/45ml olive oil. Add about 4floz/100ml hand-hot water to make a stiff but pliable dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes.

3. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a clean tea-towel. Leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

4. Pre-heat the oven 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a round about 0.5cm/1¼in thick.

Brownies

Note: We added more flour than this, and they came out more like cake. Sometimes it's probably better to just shut up and follow the recipe (though they still tasted great).

1/2 cup flour, sifted before measuring
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted (2 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans or other nuts

Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
Into a bowl or onto wax paper, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and eggs together until light and fluffy. Beat in melted butter and chocolate; stir in flour mixture then fold in the chopped nuts. Spread brownies batter in prepared pan; bake brownies at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes. Cut brownies in squares while still warm; cool brownies completely in pan.
Brownie recipe will make about 16 chocolate brownies.

And the words of the week:

injustice
martian
utter crap
to grate
to grind
chick peas
euphemism
ruler
showerhead
donation
faith
to share
to split
grumpy
rubber
to tear apart
diagonal
schmooze
“the good old days”
necklace
halfway house
overrated

	Ocho de Mayo... Otherwise known as "The first night Ginger got a digital camera!" Since Cinco de Mayo was on a Saturday this year, we renamed our feast night. <Participants: Frank, Daniel, Kerstin F. and Ralph, the cooking muse. >Vegetarian Chiles Rellenos - using Turkish green peppers (couldn't get chiles here!)
	<Vegetarian Enchiladas - two kinds of filling >Creme Brulee, pre-toasting. Flan isn't exactly the same as creme brulee, but we wanted an excuse to use the blowtorch...
	< Lighting the blowtorch... > And using it. Be sure not to turn it upside down - it really does take a little practice to get the torching techique (but even the mistakes still taste good).
	< Brown, but not burnt. > Smokin'.
	< Daniel's arm hair got a little singed in the process... > But it tasted REALLY good!

MEXICAN NIGHT (OUR VERSION OF CINCO DE MAYO) - May 8, 2007

Chiles Rellenos con Mushrooms and Walnuts:

Ingredients:

1 cup white or yellow rice
6 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
500g mushrooms
200 g finely ground walnuts
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup milk
1 cup Mexican crema, crème fraîche, or heavy cream
1 cup grated manchego, gruyere or Monterrey Jack cheese
pomegranate seeds as decorations

Preparation:
Prepare rice separately according to directions. Rinse the poblanos very well, pat them dry and set them aside while the filling is prepared. (Note we used small green Turkish peppers, because we couldn't get the right chiles).
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic until transparent, add the mushrooms and cook until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add 100g walnuts and brown slightly. Combine mushroom mixture with rice for chile stuffing.
Stuff the chiles and place them in a buttered baking dish.
In a medium skillet, melt the butter, add the flour and cumin and cook until golden.
Whisk in the milk gradually, over medium heat, making a white sauce. Add 100g walnuts. Remove from heat, stir in the cream, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce over the chiles, top with the shredded cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350º until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from heat, sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top for the colors of the Mexican flag.

Avocado-Cilantro Salsa

6 large avocados, halved and pitted
12 tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
3 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce
1 tablespoon salt

Scoop avocado pulp into blender or food processor container. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. If not serving immediately, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on top of salsa and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 4 1/2 cups.

Mango Island Spicy Salsa
1 mango, peeled and cut into chunks
3/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons TABASCO® Sauce (or other spicy pepper sauce)
2 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Combine all ingredients in a food processor container and pulse for 20 seconds or until fruits are minced but not puréed. (We didn't use the food processor, we just cut all ingredients cubed and served as a sort of salad). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Mushroom Enchiladas
500g sliced cooked mushrooms
1 cup Sour Cream
1-1/2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 cup Salsa
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
10 Flour Tortillas
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
Mix mushrooms, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the salsa, the cilantro and cumin until well blended.
SPOON about 1/4 cup of the mushroom mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa; cover.
BAKE 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomato just before serving.

Crème Brulee

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup or so of light brown sugar.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Whisk the cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Mix it all up until it gets nice and creamy. Pour this mixture into ramekins (those little ceramic dishes). I got it evenly distributed between 4 7-ouncers. I suppose you could pour it all into one smallish casserole dish too. Place the ramekins in a baking pan Fill the baking pan with hot water, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the pan with the ramekins in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or so. After 45 minutes or so check them every ten minutes. You'll know they're done when you can stick a knife in one and it comes out clean. Remove the ramekins from the baking pan, set them on the counter, and let them cool for 15 minutes or so. Then put them in the refrigerator and let them chill overnight.

Sprinkle a thin layer of the light brown sugar on the top of each. Make sure it's a THIN layer, but also make sure it completely covers the custard. Now torch it! Or, if you don't have a torch, you can supposedly put them under the broiler for a minute or so. I haven't tried this. [I got my wife one of those little kitchen torches for Christmas at Williams-Sonoma for about 25 bucks. It's fun!] The point is, you need to caramelize (melt and let harden) the sugar.

This recipe for Easy Creme Brulee serves/makes 4

And the VOCABULARY OF THE WEEK:

strainer / colander
extinct
parrots
to wiggle sideways
carbeurator
halo
skull
used to have
blowtorch
ingots
aisle
brute force
customs
fraud
halo
exposure
top shelf

IRANIAN NIGHT - April 24, 2007

The Word List:
soldering iron
overweight
obese
insanity
consecutive
wig
stage fright
maternity leave
best man
benefit of the doubt

And the Recipes:

Iranian Lemon Salad

3 cucumbers, sliced: 1 bunch parsley, cut
Green scallions to taste

Toss with juice of 2-4 lemons.

Adas Polo (Rice With Lentils) from Iran

Makes about 3 Persian or 6 Western servings.

2 cups long grain brown rice

1 cup dried lentils

potato, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons corn or peanut oil

1/4 cup of raisins, chopped currants, or chopped dates

Procedure

For this recipe, use a medium (about 2.5 litres or 2.5 quarts) pot which has a lid.

Rinse the rice several times in warm water to remove the surface starch. Then soak in lots of cold water, in the refrigerator, overnight. Drain the rice and set aside.

Bring 5 cups of water to a rapid boil. Then add the rice and lentils. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking together. Drain the rice and lentils. Then mix in the raisins, currants, or dates.

Spread the oil evenly on the bottom of the pot. Then cover with one layer of sliced potatoes or eggplant. Sprinkle the rice mixture over the potatoes. It should be heaped in the middle and not touch the sides of the pot. Cover the underside of the pot lid with a clean dish towel, and place the lid tightly on the pot. The towel absorbs extra moisture which otherwise would drip back onto the rice and make it soggy.

Cook the rice mixture for 10 minutes over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to allow the rice to steam for another 40 minutes. The heat can then be turned down very low to keep the rice warm before serving.

When ready to serve, level the rice and invert the pot over a large serving dish. The polo (rice mixture) is then served upside down, with a golden potato crust (called "tahdig") on top.

Kookoo-e Sabzi

4 Servings

1 kg herbs (coriander, lettuce, parsley, dill & spring onion ends)

4 large eggs

one spoon crushed walnut (optional)

one tablespoon baking soda

one tablespoon wheat flour

4 tablespoon cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Wash herbs and rinse thoroughly. Chop finely and fry in 2 tablespoon oil for about 5 minutes. Let cool completely.

Beat eggs well, then add salt, black pepper, flour, baking soda and walnuts. Add fried herbs and mix well. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan until it is hot. Pour in the mix, flatten the surface with the back of a spoon, and place the lid on. Reduce heat and fry for about 10 minutes, until kookoo is cooked under. Cut radially into 4 equal pieces, turn over, and fry for another 10 minutes. You can serve it warm or cold.

Iranian Stuffed Aubergines with Coconut & Almond Sauce

This recipe is labor-intensive, but REALLY worth it. Yum!

Ingredients

For the spice mix

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp turmeric

For the aubergines

3 medium aubergines

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red chilli, finely sliced

1 green pepper, diced finely

60 ml/2fl oz orange juice

100g/3½oz chickpeas, cooked weight

150g/5oz roasted cashews

100g/3½oz dried apricots

100g/3½oz dates, chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped

salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

1 tbsp sunflower margarine

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne

1 tin/400ml coconut milk

750ml water

1 cinnamon stick

100g/3½oz ground almonds

zest and juice of 1 lime

salt

Method

1. preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas7.

2. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, place on a roasting tray cut side uppermost and cover with silver foil Roast in the preheated oven until soft and cooked through (about 30 minutes). Leave the aubergines to cool, then scoop out the middles leaving enough flesh for support. Coarsely chop the innards and set aside.

4. Re-hydrate the apricots in boiling water for 30 minutes, then finely chop.

5. Fry the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

6. Add the spice mix and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the green pepper and orange juice, stir well. Fry until the pepper is soft.

7. Roast or toast the cashews - be careful they don t burn.

8. Mix the cashews with the cooked chickpeas, chopped apricots, chopped dates and diced tomatoes.

9. Add the cashew mix to the onion spice mix along with the chopped aubergine innards, lemon juice, coriander, salt and lots of black pepper. Reserve some coriander for the garnish.

10. Pile the filling into the aubergine skins and bake for 15 minutes.

11. For the coconut and almond sauce: Gently fry the onion in the margarine until soft, add the garlic and ginger and fry very gently. Make sure the onion and the garlic don t brown as this will ruin the colour of the sauce.

12. Add the spices, stir into the onion mixture, then add the coconut milk, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

13. Take off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick

14. Add the ground almonds, lime zest, juice and a pinch of salt.

15. Blend the sauce in a liquidizer. Check the seasoning.

16. Serve the aubergine, garnished with fresh coriander with the coconut and almond sauce and a green salad.

LEEK WEEK - April 24, 2007

This week's theme was LEEKS. Just in case you don't know what a leek is, here's a photo for you: Having searched in vain for parsnips for the prior class, I was fascinated by the baseball-bat sized leeks in all the markets which I saw everywhere. Since I consider self-education to be a vital part of this class, I decided it was time I learned what the hell to do with a leek. Now you can too. The Baked Leeks with Mushrooms recipe is a keeper. Enjoy!

Words of the week:

enamored of
ostrich
WASP-y
ladle
skewers
chives
pear
overtime
pay a fine
trial lesson
topic
fence
yummy
bribery
crust
backpack
to take a leak
word of mouth [propaganda]
residency permit
maternity leave
consecutively

And the recipes:

Boolawnee (Fried Leek Pastries)
Note: We doubled the recipe for the pastry, and it made about 25 tiny pastries, still leaving almost half of the filling. So you could probably even triple it and come out with LOTS...
Ingredients (pastry):
1 cup Plain flour
1/4 tablespoons of salt
1/3 cup cold water
Leek Filling:
1 Leek (1 1/2 cup chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tablespoon of hot chili pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons of oil
To Finish: Oil for deep frying
Sift flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add water. Mix to a firm dough and knead for 5 minutes until elastic, dusting with more flour if necessary. Wrap in plastic film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Cut most of the green tops from leeks, halve lengthwise and rinse well to remove all traces of soil between leaves. Remove roots and dry leeks with paper towels. Place flat on board, cut along length at 5 mm (1/4 inch) intervals than across to dice. Measure in cup measure and place in bowl.
Add salt and chili pepper and knead with hand to soften leeks. Stir in oil.
Roll pieces of dough into balls the size of a large hazelnut and roll thinly into a 10 cm (4 inch) circle. Alternatively roll out dough and cut into 10 cm (4 inch) rounds. Place about 2 teaspoons leek filling in centre of circle, moisten pastry half way round edge of circle and fold pastry over filling. Press edge to seal well, and using the edge of a thimble, (the traditional method) or a coffee spoon make little crescent- shaped marks around the edge, or press with fork. Fry 3 or 4 at a time in hot oil until golden brown, turning to brown evenly. Drain on paper towels and serve hot or warm.

Baked Leeks with Mushrooms

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Oven Temperature: 180° c - 360° f

30 g butter

5 medium leeks, trimmed and sliced

250 g mushrooms, sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

100 ml chicken stock

150 ml cream

1 tsp thyme leaves

30 g grated parmesan

salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Melt the butter over a medium heat and add the leeks. Saute the leeks for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, add the garlic and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

When the vegetables are lightly browned, add the chicken stock and cream. Bring to the boil. Transfer the leeks to the oven dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle over the parmesan. Return the dish to the oven for a further 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Yukon Gold Potato Salad with Leeks Recipe

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 -inch dice

2 small leeks, white part only, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

2/3 cup creme fraiche

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons minced chives

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Add the leeks and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 2 to 3 minutes longer. Drain the potatoes and leeks and cool under running water. Drain again and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.

In a medium bowl, whisk the creme fraiche with the sherry vinegar and chives and season with salt and white pepper. Fold in the potatoes and leeks and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND LEEK SOUP

(We used white asparagus, but you don't have to.)

2 tbsp butter

1 leek, white part only halved lengthwise, washed well and chopped

3/4 lb asparagus -- 375g, cut into 1/2" - 12mm pieces

2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add the leek and saute, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add the cream, salt, and pepper, and puree for 1 minute, or until smooth. Serve immediately.

Makes about 3-4 cups

Almost Dutch food week - April 17, 2007

Most Dutch (yes, that's the Netherlands) food is a mish-mash of different cultures from the places they colonized. Probably the only authentic recipe here was for the Speculaas cookies, which are actually Christmas cookies. We couldn't find allspice, but even without the allspice, they were REALLY good.

The vocabulary of the week:

dough
batter
leeks
confess
rare
rubber
carbohydrates
clogged
sink
drain
insane
detention
field
meadow
to broaden one's horizons
cardboard tray
formless
shapeless
pensive
sublease
one way street
dead end street
dwarf
to afford
booth
bi-monthly
subscription

And the recipes:

Dutch Speculaas (Christmas cookies)

10 min 10 min prep

1 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups flour

slivered almonds, how ever many you want, I usually put 1/2 cup to 1 cup (optional)

Mix All ingredients together in large mixing bowl – start with margarine and sugar, add eggs, spices, and finally the flour.

Shape into 1" balls and press onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

HONEY MUSTARD GLAZED PARSNIPS

50 min 15 min prep

2 lbs parsnips (OK, I couldn't find parsnips anywhere, so we used sweet potatoes, and it worked just fine)

2 tablespoons oil

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tablespoons mustard

2 tablespoons honey

Peel the parsnips, cut in preferred size and remove the hard core from the center.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook or steam the parsnips for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size.

In the meantime put a roasting tray with the oil in the oven to preheat.

When the parsnips are cooked add them to the hot tray and brush or coat them with a bit of the hot oil, add the salt and pepper, be careful the tray will be very hot!

Roast for 15 to 20 minutes; mix the mustard and the honey in the meantime.

Take the parsnips from the oven and brush them with the glaze.

Roast for another 8 to 10 minutes.

SPINACH NOODLE PUDDING (KUGEL)

Servings: 8

1 large onion, chopped

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, divided use

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 (16 oz.) pkg. egg noodles (fine or medium)

2 pkg Frozen Creamed Spinach

2 containers (8 oz. each) sour cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. grated nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

bread crumbs to sprinkle on top

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Saute onions in 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter until golden. Toss in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

Cook noodles according to directions on pkg. Drain noodles and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining1/2 stick of butter and toss to blend.

Cook creamed spinach according to package directions. Add to noodles with sour cream, sauteed onions, eggs, and nutmeg. Blend well. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Pour into a buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese. Bake 350 for 45-60 minutes and serve hot.

Homemade Gnocchi and other good stuff - April 10, 2007

When you've got six sets of hands to help with preparation, you can do a lot of crazy stuff you wouldn't bother with otherwise : )

Words of the week:

power outage - [noun] equipment failure resulting when the supply of power fails; "the ice storm caused a power outage"
occasionally - [adverb] at times; from time to time; now and then.
kitchen fairy - [Kerstin] The magic helper who comes and makes your kitchen clean and does all those other little tasks you need help with
to retire - [verb] to withdraw from office, business, or active life, usually because of age: to retire at the age of sixty.
curiosity - [noun] plural -ties. the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.
to yawn - [verb] (used without object) 1. to open the mouth somewhat involuntarily with a prolonged, deep inhalation and sighing or heavy exhalation, as from drowsiness or boredom.
to offer -[verb] (used with object) 1. to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer: He offered me a cigarette.
to resume - [verb] (used with object) 1. to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue: to resume a journey.

to carve -[verb] (used with object) 1. to cut (a solid material) so as to form something: to carve a piece of pine.
guinea pig -[noun] 1. a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, usually white, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as the domesticated form of one of the South American wild species of cavy: often used in scientific experiments or kept as a pet.
2. Informal. the subject of any sort of experiment.

and the Recipes:

Fresh Basil Pesto

200 g (2 cups) fresh basil leaves, packed

100g (1/2 cup) freshly grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

100g (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil

75 g (1/3 cup) pine nuts or walnuts

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special equipment needed: A food processor or other magic chopper thingie.

If you are using walnuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times in a food processor. Combine the basil in with the nuts, pulse a few times more. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated Romano cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Makes about 150g (1 cup).

Gnocchi di patate

1 kg yellow-fleshed potatoes

salt to taste

200g white flour (1 ¾ cups)

Scrub the potatoes and place them in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until tender all the way through but not falling apart (a kitchen knife should pass all the way through with some resistance). It’s important that the potatoes not be overcooked, or they will absorb too much water and take up so much flour that the gnocchi will sink like heavy little stones in your stomach.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, remove them from boiling water and peel. Pass them through the vegetable mill or press them through a coarse sieve and into a large bowl. (Don’t be tempted to use a food processor for this – it will turn them to glue).

Add a healthy pinch of salt and all the flour to the potatoes, working in the flour with a wooden spoon. Then knead the dough gently for about 5 minutes on a floured board or wooden work surface. Taste and knead in more salt if needed, but be careful not to overwork the dough – it should be soft and supple. Divide the dough in 5 or 8 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a long snake about 1.5 cm in diameter and 15 cm long. Cut each snake into regular pieces about 1.5 cm long. Continue until all dough has been rolled and cut.

Bring to a boil a large pot of lightly salted water. Drop in gnocchi (may be easier in 2 batches). Boil gnocchi until they float to the top of the pot, and remove with a slotted spoon. Serve while hot (ideally with fresh pesto).

Ginger Carrots

1 kg fresh carrots

1 large piece ginger, approx 4 cm long

Grate ginger with a cheese grater. Peel and slice carrots into round discs. Boil a large pot of water. Place ginger in a sieve or steaming basket, fill with carrots. Place lid on pot and steam carrots until tender, shaking occasionally to make sure all carrots cook evenly. Serve while warm.

Noodle Chaos - Alex's birthday dinner, March 27, 2007
Here are the recipes - I didn't include the recipe for the coconut balls because I couldn't be bothered to type it, but then I don't think anyone will be rushing out to cook that one again! It was a lot of fun, but they came out like small, rubbery coconut covered golf balls. Pretty to look at, but utterly inedible. If you really do want that recipe, let me know and I'll make you a photocopy...

Glynnis' Noodle Chaos

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon toor dal

1 bay leaf

3 curry leaves

1 ½ teaspoons grated ginger

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 can coconut milk

1 onion

4 carrots, sliced

200 g frozen spinach

1 small bok choy Chinese cabbage

½ teaspoon red pepper

500 g white asparagus

2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil

1 lb wide chow fun rice noodles

1 splash cheap white wine

Boil large pot of water for rice noodles, add 1 teaspoon salt. When water boils, add rice noodles and 1 teaspoon olive oil to prevent sticky noodles.

Meanwhile, heat ghee (olive oil) in pan. Add mustard seeds and dal, cook until popping and browned. Add onions and garlic, cook until onions are translucent. Add carrots, cook approximately 1 minute. Add asparagus, bay leaf and curry leaves and red pepper. Feel free to splash in additional water if ingredients begin to stick to pan. Cook another 2 minutes or so. Add cabbage and spinach (drained of most of the water). Cook until cabbage and spinach are wilted. Remove from heat, add coconut milk and salt to taste, stir thoroughly and add (drained) noodles. Stir and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Hands-on time: With pre-roasted peppers, maybe 10 minutes

Time to table: Maybe 30 minutes

Makes 7 cups

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

6 large red peppers, roasted and skinned (I had 5 but they were extra large)

1 cup water

3 cups water

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 teaspoon chili powder

Juice of a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

1/3 cup fresh minced herbs (basil and cilantro, or others)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil until shimmery over MEDIUM HIGH in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and saute until very soft, stirring often, adjusting heat as necessary. (I let them cook and cook and cook while the peppers were roasting so the onion flavor was very sweet and mellow.) Transfer to a food processor. Add the roasted peppers and 1 cup water to the food processor and process until smooth. (For a special occasion, I'd be tempted to use a chinois to achieve real smoothness.) Return to pot. Add the 3 cups water, wine and chili powder and bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and herbs. Season to taste.

Really Good Armenian Food - March 20, 2007

Khis Soko (Wild Mushrooms Telavi Style)

Certain mushrooms grow only in certain regions. These mushroom appear at springtime and they grow on the trees around Televi, Kakheti'- main city. Same mushrooms are not available in the United States. I suggest morels, but this dish will taste only as interesting as the mushrooms you choose. They should be strongly flavored, with firm texture. Serves 4

1 pound of flavorful mushrooms, such as shiitake or morels

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of minced cilantro

1 tablespoon of minced mint

2 tablespoons of minced scallion

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons of butter

Finely chop the mushrooms. Beat the eggs and combine them with cilantro, mint, scallion, salt and pepper. In a large skillet melt the butter and cook the mushrooms quickly over high heat. Do not allow them to give off liquid. Add the egg mixture and stir until they are just cooked through. Serve immediately.

Labda (Potato Pancake)

Labda is a Passover specialty of the Georgian Jews, but this large, rich pancake makes a quick and filling supper any time of the year. Serves 8

1 pound of boiling potatoes

1 cup of finely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of corn oil

Boil the potatoes until tender; peel and mash them. Stir in the walnuts, parsley, salt, pepper to taste and eggs, mixing them well.

In a 10-inch skillet with sloping sides, melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil. When hot, spoon the pancake batter into the pan, pressing down with a spatula to form and even pancake. Cook over medium high heat for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is brown and crusty. Slide the pancake onto a platter. Melt the remaining butter and oil in the skillet, then invert the pancake into the skillet and fry the other side until brown, about 4 minutes more. Slide onto a platter and serve, cut into wedges.

Matsvnis Shechamandi (Yogurt Soup) Serves 4

1 tablespoon of flour

A pinch of salt

2 cups of plain yogurt

1 cup of water

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons or 1/2 stick of butter

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tablespoon of minced fresh mint

2 tablespoons of minced cilantro

1/4 cup of cooked rice

Stir the flour and salt into the yogurt, then add water and beat well. In a stockpot, saute the onion lightly in butter, then stir in the yogurt. Bring this mixture to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Carefully stir a little of the hot liquid into the beaten eggs, then whisk the eggs into the soup. Simmer a few minutes longer. Just before serving add the minced cilantro, mint and rice. Obviously, one must have the rice boiled previously.

CHEESE BERAG (ARMENIAN TURNOVERS)

These delicious little turnovers can be served hot or cold!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INGREDIENTS:

Purchase fillo dough at your supermarket.

1/4 pound, or more, butter melted, or better yet rendered.

You need 6 sheets plus 3 sheets of fillo dough the size of the pan you are using

FILLING:

1 1/2 lbs. Jack cheese, or ricotta, or Armenian (Feta) cheese. Mix or take your choice.

Feta is the most authentic. I like to mix feta and jack cheese.

1/2 cup chopped Armenian or Italian parsley, Flat leafed

2 eggs [beaten well]

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Mix the above ingredients for the filling

1.) Butter your cake pan well and lay in a sheet of fillo, and butter the top.

2.) Put on a layer of filling.

3.) Add another fillo and butter the top and add more filling.

4.) Do this until all six sheets of fillo are used and your filling is used up.

5.) You can now add the last three sheets of fillo making sure to butter each one.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake another 20 minutes. The time is not as important as the color of your fillo dough. Make sure it is a golden brown.

Take out the sou-berag and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut in diagonals or squares and serve warm.

Indonesian Night - March 13, 2007

Asparagus Soup with Crab Meat (Kuah Asparagus)

.5 l vegetable broth

250 g crab meat (imitation crab meat works, too)

1 can corn kernels

12 spears asparagus (green is preferable, but white is ok, too)

1 egg

1 tablespoon cooking wine

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons sale

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

2 cloves fried garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Wash asparagus, remove hard parts of stems; cut into 3 cm pieces; separate stem pieces from tips. Tear crabmeat into thin slices (bite-sized pieces). Bring veg broth to a boil in a large pot.

In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 teaspoons cold water. Add asparagus stems to broth – cook 4 minutes. Add spears and cook additional 4 minutes. Add crabmeat, cornstarch solution, and all spices; stir. Beat egg lightly with a fork. Pour beaten egg slowly into the boiling soup and stir gently; cook 1 minute. Serve.

Fried Plantains (green bananas)

2 or 3 overripe plantains (dark yellow or black skin)

1 egg

¼ cup white flour

½ cup cornstarch

¾ tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup water

6 tablespoons honey (optional)

2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Preparation: Peel plantains; slice in half and cut each half into 3 pieces.

Prepare a smooth batter by mixing all ingredients except plantains, oil, and honey (we goofed and added honey to the batter, but it tasted good, too! Normally honey served on the side for dipping).

Heat oil in small pan.

Dip plantain pieces into batter. Carefully drop coated pieces into hot oil. Deep-fry over medium heat for 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side. Eat while hot!

Salad with Peanut Dressing (Gado-Gado)

Peanut Dressing:

¾ cups water

3 tablespoons coconut milk

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, ground

2 tablespoons fried shallots

1 tablespoon fried garlic

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon ground red chiles (sambal)

½ teaspoon shrimp paste

dash coriander

dash salt

Dressing Preparation:

Mix all dressing ingredients (except lime juice) in a small pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat, add lime juice and cool in refrigerator.

Salad:

10 lettuce leaves (any kind)

1 green apple

½ cup alfafa sprouts

½ cucumber

4 carrots

1 egg, hard boiled and cooled.

Salad Preparation: Cut lettuce into 1 cm strips. Shred carrots. Peel and slice cucumber and apple. Slice hardboile egg. Mix all ingredients together. Mix with dressing shortly before serving.

Turkish Delight - March 6, 2007

Here's the link to the radio station we were listening to, with Turkish music: http://www.radyoiz.com/english.htm

And our random mix of vocabulary words from last week:

ladle - a long-handled utensil with a cup-shaped bowl for dipping or conveying liquids.
refugee - a person who flees for refuge or safety, esp. to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.
flee - to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight.
rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the joints, frequently accompanied by marked deformities, and ordinarily associated with manifestations of a general, or systemic, affliction. (the cause of Edith Piaf's death)

"The Bladder Factor" - American film director Alfred Hitchcock's theory of why films should not last more than 90 minutes - the length of time the average person can sit before they need to go to the bathroom

Okay, and now the recipes. The red lentil soup was my star of the evening - easy, healthy, yummy!

Red Lentil Soup

50 min 5 min prep

1 cup red lentils, washed and cleaned

4 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup mild onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup white potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

Place the red lentils in a colandar and rinse. Sift through to remove and debris or damaged beans.

Place the washed and cleaned lentils into a medium pot with the stock, potatos, onions and paprika. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Loosely place a lid on the pot leaving slightly ajar as to allow some evaporation. Cook for 40-40 minutes until the lentils are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place all but 1 cup of the soup into a blender or food processor and blend briefly. Return blended soup to the pot with the reserved cup of soup. Heat through.

Bulgur Pilaf with Spinach (Ispanakli Bulgur Pilavi)

1 cup bulgur, large grain, washed and drained

1 medium size onion, cut in small pieces

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red pepper paste

1 3/4 cup hot water

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp cumin

Salt

Pepper

Half bunch of spinach, roots cut off*, washed, drained

Saute the onion with olive oil for a few minutes. Add all the ingredients except the spinach and stir. Cook it over low heat with the lid on. When you start seeing holes on the surface of the bulgur add the spinach and stir slowly. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Turkish Eggplant Casserole

1 kg eggplants

2 medium onions, diced

3 large green bell peppers, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

5 large tomatoes, grated

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground thyme

salt and pepper

Wash and peel eggplants, leaving some skin on, and cut into 1 cm cubes. Heat oil in a cooking pan. Add eggplant, onion, pepper and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Serve over Turkish Pilav (bulgar).

46 min 5 min prep

Pita Bread

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast

3 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup shortening, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cups water

In a large mixing bowl soften yeast in warm water. Add 2 cups flour, shortening and salt. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping bowl. Beat 3 minutes on medium. (Lacking a mixer, we just kneaded it and it worked fine).

Stir in as much remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic.

Cover, and let rest in a warm place about 15 minutes. Divide into 12 equal portions. Roll each piece with floured hands into a smooth ball. Cover with a damp cloth, let rest 10 minutes. Using fingers, flatten balls. Cover, let rest another 10 minutes.

On a well floured surface lightly roll one piece of dough at a time into a circle 6 inches in diameter, turning dough over once. Do not puncture or tear dough. (Work with enough flour so dough does not stick) Place on baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time, in a 450 F oven about 3 minutes or until dough is puffed and softly set. Turn with a spatula, and bake 2 more minutes until dough is light brown.

Repeat with remaining dough, baking one batch before uncovering and rolling the next. Serve hot and yummy.

Awesome Korean Night - February 20, 2007

Here's the recipes from last week, along with our newest feature, a list of the vocabulary words (apart from the recipes) that came up in class. Most of the ingredients should be available at a good Asian market.

Word List (definitions taken from Dictionary.com):

persimmon - any of several trees (or the fruit thereof) of the genus Diospyros, esp. D. virginiana, of North America, bearing astringent, plumlike fruit that is sweet and edible when ripe, and D. kaki, of Japan and China, bearing soft, red or orange fruit.
cold cuts - slices of unheated salami, bologna, ham, liverwurst, turkey, or other meats and sometimes cheeses.
exact change - the precise amount of money required for payment
raise -(noun) an increase in pay or salary
bonus - extra payment based on merit or length of service
greedy- excessively or inordinately desirous of wealth, profit, etc.; avaricious: the greedy owners of the company.
value - relative worth, merit, or importance: the value of a college education; the value of a queen in chess.
control panel - the portion of a computer console that contains manual controls for regulating computer operations.
belated - coming or being after the customary, useful, or expected time: belated birthday greetings.
tremendous - extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity: a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.
radish - the crisp, pungent, edible root of the plant, Raphanus sativus, of the mustard family, usually eaten raw.
lid - a removable or hinged cover for closing the opening, usually at the top, of a pot, jar, trunk, etc.; a movable cover.

Recipes:

Jap Chae (Stir Fried Glass Noodles with Vegetables) Recipe Courtesy Hyungshin Song

1/2 pound Asian vermicelli noodles

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 onion, julienned

1 carrot, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

3 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths

1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms

2 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound spinach, stems discarded

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

In a bowl, soak the vermicelli in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the noodles, drop into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then rinse in cold water. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears.

Heat a large pan. Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are cooked but still a little crisp. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. To the pan add 1 more tablespoon sesame oil. Add the noodles, spinach, salt and pepper. Let cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Add to the vegetables with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds and combine. Transfer to a platter. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Kim-bab

It's kind of like sushi - but cooked! Try it, you'll love it.

Ingredients:

Short grain rice : 5 cups cooked

Beef : 300g

Eggs : 5

Carrots : 2

Cucumber :1/2

A bunch of spinich

8 sheets of seaweed

Fish cake (available in Korean grocery store) : 1 sheet

1 pickled yellow radish

Rice seasoning:

1 t. salt

2tbs sugar

6tbs vinegar

Meat marinade:

3 T. soy sauce

1 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. sesame oil

Method:

1) Cook rice in a rice cooker.

2) Cut cucumber in long strips, and pickle it in a vinegar(8tbs),sugar(3),water(1/2 cup)and 1/2 tbs of salt for 1hr.

3) Cut carrots in long strips,and stir-fry it.

4)Cook eggs like pancake way ,and cut them in long strips.

5) Cook spinich in a boiling water for 1 minutes,and squeeze water out.

6) Season spinich with pinch of salt,sesami seed and sesami oil.

7) Cut fish cake in long strips(8),and cook it with soy sauce(3tbs),sugar(1tbs),until it is evaporated. At last, drop sesami oil.

8) Cut beef in thin strips,and cook this one same way as fish cake.

9) Marinate rice with vinegar,sugar and salt.

10) Cover 3/4 sheet of seaweed with rice. Arrange some of each ingredient in the center and roll firmly.

11) Slice them in 1" and serve it!

Mrs. Chong's Korean pancakes

(Many thanks to Mom for her version of this recipe, as recounted below)

Ingredients:

Mung beans (dried and split – yellow)

2 carrots, grated

1 onion, chopped small

3 green onions

100 g mushrooms

1 can water chestnuts

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

¼ teaspoon Asian ground red pepper

You need split green (they appear yellow) mung beans. Any quantity, but soak them overnight (or at leave 5-6 hrs.) in cold water. Drain, then whir them in a blender with about enough fresh water to cover them. The result should be a cornmeal-like mixture. Add some grated carrots, onion, green onion, mushrooms if desired, water chestnuts (chopped) if you like. Fry in a small amount of oil in a non stick pan. Make sure the oil is hot enough when you add the bean mixture--this will help prevent sticking. Turn when brown, drain on paper towels over newspaper. (You get to put the newspaper on one of those round bamboo trays if you want--that's what they're for, I found out.) Serve with a sauce made of soy sauce, round toasted sesame seeds, green onion and about 1/4 tsp. Asian ground red pepper. If the sauce is too salty, you can add water.

Indian Night - February 13, 2007

Here's the recipes from last Tuesday's Indian night. Sorry I didn't have time to translate into English, I'm off to Frankfurt today - but I'll definitely be back for Tuesday night, when we'll be cooking a mixed-Asian theme.

Plantain curry

4 large plaintains (green bananas) cut into small pieces

Large onion- 1 (chopped)

Large tomato- 1 (chopped)

Garlic- 3 cloves (crushed)

Ginger- 1 small piece (grated)

Red chili powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt

Oil

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Urad dhal- 1/2 tsp

Chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves

Peel the plantains (unripe) and cut into thick slices. Heat 3 tsp of oil in a fry pan, add mustard seeds, when it pops, 1 tsp urud dal. Add the tomatoes ad onions and cook until clear. Add ginger and garlic plantain pieces and 1/4 cup of water and allow it to boil. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp red chillie powder, cilantro leaves and a pinch of tamarind and cook until the plantains are tender.

Spinach Kootu

Ingredients

Spinach 1 bunch washed and finely chopped

Thuvar dhall 1 t.spoon

Cumin seeds 1/2 t.spoon

Red Chilles 3

Coconut 3 t.spoons

Curry leaves a few

Mustard seeds 1/2 t.spoon

Urad dhall 1 t.spoon

Hing a small pinch

Salt 1 t.spoon (or to taste)

Method

Boil spinach and salt in 1 cup water (or use frozen spinach and thaw, in which case do not add additional water). Soak thuvar dhall, cumin seeds, and, 2 red chilles for 30 minutes. Grind this with coconut. Add this paste to spinach and cook until the flavour comes out. Heat some coconut oil in a pan, splutter mustard, then add urad dhall, 1 red chille, curry leaves, little hing, and add this to the kootu.

Mango Lassi

250 g Natur-Joghurt

130 ml Milch

200 g Mango(s) (oder 130g Mangopulp)

4 TL Zucker

1 TL Zitronensaft

Zubereitung

Mango schälen und würfeln. Alle Zutaten im Mixer fein mixen, mit Zitronensaft abschmecken, mit Zitronenmelisse-Blättchen dekorieren. Gekühlt servieren. Im Kühlschrank max. 24 Stunden haltbar

Naan

20 g Hefe (ein halber Würfel)

1 TL Zucker

140 ml Wasser, lauwarmes

200 g Mehl (Typ 505)

1 EL Joghurt

1 EL Ghee

1 TL Salz

1 EL Schwarzkümmel (Kalonjee Seeds, Zwiebelsamen)

Mehl für die Arbeitsfläche

Die Hefe mit dem Zucker in eine kleine Schüssel geben und mit dem lauwarmen Wasser verrühren. Wenn sich die Hefe komplett aufgelöst hat, einfach 10 Minuten stehen lassen. Es sollten sich nun Blasen gebildet haben. Ist das nicht der Fall, dann war die Hefe nicht frisch!

Das Mehl in eine Rührschüssel geben und für die flüssige Hefe eine Vertiefung in die Mitte hineindrücken. Nun Ghee, Salz, Joghurt und die flüssige Hefe hinzugeben. Alles solange rühren, bis ein geschmeidiger Teig entstanden ist. Ist der Teig zu flüssig, noch etwas Mehl zugeben. Wird er zu zäh, dann etwas Joghurt oder Wasser hinzufügen. Im Anschluss den Teig auf einer bemehlten Arbeitsfläche mindestens fünf Minuten gut durchkneten. Lieber länger kneten als zu kurz!

Anschließend den Teig in einer abgedeckten Schüssel, an einem nicht zugigen Ort (z. B. im ausgeschalteten Backofen) 1,5 bis 2 Stunden gehen lassen. Danach den Teig nochmals gut durchkneten, diesmal mindestens zwei Minuten. Nun schon mal den Backofen auf höchste Stufe vorheizen. Wenn ein Grill im Backofen vorhanden ist, diesen nutzen!

Den Teig in sechs Stücke teilen und Rollen oder Kugeln formen. Etwas Schwarzkümmel auf die Arbeitsfläche streuen, die Teigstücke zu etwa 1cm dicken Fladen flach drücken und im Schwarzkümmel wenden und dabei leicht andrücken, so dass Samen auf beiden Seiten in der Oberfläche haften bleiben. Wenn Zeit ist, jetzt die Teigfladen noch einmal bis zu 30 min. gehen lassen.

Alufolie mit Ghee bestreichen und mit den Fladen darauf für 5-10 Minuten in den Ofen. Die Fladen wenden, wenn die Oberfläche leicht(!) braun wird. Nochmal wenden, wenn die jetzt oben liegende Seite die gewünschte Bräunung erreicht hat. Nach Laune zwischendurch nochmal mit Ghee bestreichen. Fertig ist das Naan Brot, wenn die jetzt obere Seite die gewünschte Bräunung erreicht hat.

Varianten: Man kann Butter statt Ghee verwenden. Ghee bekommt man im Asia-Laden. Man kann das Naan auch nach dem Backen mit Butter bestreichen statt während des Backens mit Ghee. Da das Brot in Indien im Lehmofen gebacken wird, kann man es auch im Pizzaofen oder auf einem Brotstein backen. Viel Hitze ist wichtig, damit es gut gelingt.

Ginger's Swedish birthday feast - February 6, 2007

Sorry it took me so long to get the Swedish recipes out to you all. I've translated the German recipes to English the best I can - please let me know if I've made any serious mistakes or omissions (I've included the original German versions below as well.) The Flatbread is really easy and incredibly yummy, as are all the other recipes!

Spinach Wreath

5 cups fresh or approximately one box frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup bread crumbs
3 Eggs
2 ½ cups cream
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Cut spinach into large pieces. Mix all ingredients and put into a greased ring pan Bake 30 Minutes, turn the spinach onto a plate and serve. (Note: this recipe works just fine in an ordinary bowl, even if it’s not so pretty : )

Spinatkranz

500 g frischer oder 2 Pakete (à 250 g) tiefgekühlter Spinat
0,1 l Paniermehl
3 Eier
0,25 l Schlagsahne
etwas geriebene Muskatnuß
Salz und Pfeffer

Den Backofen auf 200 Grad vorheizen.
Den frischen Spinat abspülen und in leicht gesalzenem Wasser kurz aufkochen oder den tiefgefrorenen Spinat auftauen. Sorgfältig ausdrücken. Spinat grob hacken. Mit den übrigen Zutaten vermischen und in eine runde Backform von etwa 1 l Inhalt gießen. 30 Minuten im Ofen backen, dann den Spinatkranz auf eine Platte stürzen.

Swedish Flatbread
2 ½ cups milk
one packet yeast (1 teaspoon?)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon dried Fennel seeds, crushed
3 cups white flour
4 cups whole wheat flour or rye flour

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Heat the milk but do not let it boil. Dissolve the yeast in the hot milk. Mix 6 cups of flour, salt and fennel seeds. Set aside one cup of wheat flour for kneading.
Knead the dough thoroughly and roughly on a floured board, adding the rest of the flour. When all the flour is absorbed, form the dough into a long loaf and cut into ten equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin into a flat circle, approximately 20 cm around, rolling each side until even. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 10 minutes, serve warm and yummy.

Knäckebrot
0,25 l Milch
25 g Hefe
1 TL Salz
1 TL gestoßener Fenchel
300 g Weizenmehl
400 g Roggenvollkornmehl

Hefe in eine Teigschüssel krümeln. Milch auf
37 Grad erhitzen. Etwas von der Hefe in der Milch verrühren und den Rest der Milch, die Gewürze und das Mehl zugeben. Knapp 100 g des Roggenmehls zum Aufbacken aufheben.
Teig kräftig durchkneten, anschließend auf das Backbrett legen, zu einem länglichen Brot rollen und in 10 Teile teilen. Diese zu runden Brötchen formen und 10 Minuten gehen lassen. Backofen auf 200 Grad vorheizen.
Jedes Brötchen mit einem gewöhnlichem Nudelholz und danach mit einem Nudelholz mit Zacken zu Kreisen von etwa 20 cm Durchmesser ausrollen. Auf beiden Seiten rollen.
Auf eine gefettetes Backblech geben und 10 Minuten backen.

Swedish creamed potatoes
4 Portions (preparation time: 40 minutes)

12 small potatoes
1 shalot
2 Tablespoons Butter
4 cups cream
powdered white pepper
salt

Peel three potatoes per person and cut into slices.
Melt Butter in a pan, chop the shalot into small pieces and cook the shalot in the butter until transparent. Add the potatoes and cook in butter until slightly browned.
Add all the cream. The potatoes should almost (but not entirely) be covered with cream. Add salt to taste and let them simmer on a low heat until the potatoes are soft, approximately 30 minutes. Let them cook gently and do not stir while cooking. At the end add pepper.

Nordische Sahnekartoffeln

4 Portionen:

12 kleine Kartoffeln
1 Schalotte
50 g Butter
400 ml Sahne
weißer, gemahlener Pfeffer
Salz

Pro Person drei kleine Kartoffeln schälen.
Die Butter in einem Topf schmelzen, die Schalotte fein hacken und in der geschmolzenen Butter solange wenden, bis sie glasig ist.
Die Kartoffeln in die Butter geben, einmal kurz wenden und dann mit Sahne aufgießen.
Die Kartoffeln müssen fast, jedoch nicht ganz bedeckt sein und werden anschließend gesalzen. Nun die Kartoffeln bei geringer Hitze in der Sahne köcheln lassen, bis diese zu einer Creme wird und die Kartoffeln weich sind. Je nach Kartoffelart kann das bis zu 30 Minuten dauern. Die Kartoffeln müsst Ihr sehr vorsichtig kochen und zwischendurch immer mal wieder umrühren. Am Ende pfeffern und je nach Geschmacke noch mit etwas Muskat würzen.

Anmerkung: Die nordischen Sahnekartoffeln passen zu allen saucenarmen Gerichten, wie zB. zu Fleisch- oder Fischgerichten die nur mit wenig Sauce gereicht werden.
Schaut doch mal unter unseren anderen Rezeptrubriken nach, dort werdet ihr bestimmt ein geeignetes Rezept finden.
Besonders gut schmeckt zu den Kartoffeln Salat oder blanchiertes Gemüse.
(Zubereitungszeit ca. 40 Minuten )

„Pyttipanna“ Night - January 30, 2007

„Pyttipanna“ is Swedish for „everything thrown into the pan“ – tonight's "theme" was using a bunch of yummy-sounding but otherwise unrelated recipes that I'd collected.

White cabbage with coconut milk and ginger

One small white cabbage (or ½ large)

2 Tablespoons rapeseed oil

2 carrots

3 shalots or 3 small onions

1 can coconut milk

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

Salt, pepper and curry powder

Cut the cabbage into finger-width strips, peel the carrots and cut into slices. Peel and cut the shallots (or onions) in half. Heat the oil in a large pan. Brown the onions, then add other vegetables and brown lightly. After 5 minutes add a cup of water and the coconut milk. Add the ginger and simmer 15 minutes with the lid on the pan. Add salt, pepper and curry powder to taste. Serve with rice (see recipe for rice and mushroom ring, attached)

RICE AND MUSHROOM RING

1 c. rice
1 sm. onion, diced
2 1/2 c. water
Salt and pepper
Parsley, chopped
1 lb. mushrooms
2 tbsp. butter

Steam rice. Clean mushrooms and chop. Saute mushrooms and onion; mix with steamed rice. Add seasoning and place in a greased ring mold. Place in a pan of hot water in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.

"Pyttipanna“ with red beets, pickles and horseradish

Note that „Pyttipanna“ is Swedish for „everything thrown into the pan“ – it’s usually made with leftover meat, but mushrooms work just fine, too. The grated fresh horseradish is key.

(Serves 4 people)
6 medium size potatoes
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
½ pound of mushrooms, cut into small pieces

Sliced pickled red beets
4 entire salted pickles
3 Tablespoons Butter
Grated fresh horseradish

Cut potatoes into small cubes and let soak in water 30 minutes. Cook the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms in a pan until browned and soft. Serve with sliced red beets, pickles and grated horseradish

Baked Garlic

Cut the top off an entire heads of garlic crosswise. Bake in a glass or ceramic covered dish for one hour. Peel skin away and spread soft garlic onto buttered fresh bread.

Indian and Otherwise - January 16, 2007

Mini Pumpkins stuffed with Cauliflower Curry

2 small pumpkins (or acorn squash)

Medium sized cauliflower- 1 (cut into florets)

Large onion- 1 (chopped)

Large tomato- 1 (chopped)

Garlic- 3 cloves (crushed)

Ginger- 1 small piece (peeled and grated)

Red chili powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt

Oil

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Urad dhal- 1/2 tsp

Chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves

100 g basmati rice

Cut pumpkins in half and remove seeds. Bake in oven approximately 1 hour until flesh is soft.

In a separate pan, prepare basmati rice (200g water to 100g rice - boil, then allow to simmer until water is almost evaporated. Stir in salt and 1 teaspoon butter).

Boil 2 cups of water with 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Turn off the heat. Put the cauliflower florets in to the boiling water. Close the pan and leave it for 3 minutes. Then drain the water and wash the cauliflower thoroughly.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When it pops add the urad dhal and fry until golden. Add ginger, garlic and fry for few minutes. Then add the chopped onions and fry until it is translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Then put the cauliflower and fry for few minutes. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and pour very little water. Lower the heat and cook until the gravy becomes thick. Mix in rice so that rice is completely coated with curry sauce.

Spoon cauliflower curry and rice mixture into pumpkin halves. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and tzatziki sauce.

Fried plaintains

2 plaintains

oil

Slice plaintains into round discs. Heat oil in frying pan. Lay discs flat. Cook 3-5 minutes until golden browned, then flip and cook the other side. Serve warm with tzatziki or peanut sauce.

Tzatziki

Ingredients
1 container plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, not peeled, seeded and finely chopped plus a few thin slices
1/1-2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped dill plus additional sprigs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
Spoon yogurt into sieve lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter set over bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer drained yogurt to medium bowl and discard liquid.

Meanwhile, in colander set over bowl, toss chopped cucumber with 1 teaspoon salt. Let drain at least 1 hour at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. In batches, wrap chopped cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Pat dry with paper towels, then add to bowl with yogurt.

With flat side of chef's knife, mash garlic to a paste with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add garlic, chopped mint, oil, vinegar, and pepper to yogurt and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 4 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature, topped with cucumber slices and dill sprigs.

Rosti

1 kg Potatoes (see below)

50g butter or other fat

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

The potatoes should be boiled in their jackets the day before. These should be waxy potatoes of the potato-salad kind. The next day, peel them and grate them on the coarsest blade of the grater. Heat a large heavy frying pan, and let the fat get hot: then put in the potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and fry, turning them constantly. When they have soaked up the butter or whatever, add more. Now form a "cake" by pushing the potatoes from the edges of the pan into the middle and flattening down the top.

Sprinkle with the water or milk, reduce heat, and cover with a lid or inverted dish. Shake the covered pan occasionally to keep the potatoes from burning, and leave on low heat for at least 15 minutes. The potatoes must stick together, but not to the bottom of the pan. When cooked, turn the cake out onto a plate, bottom side up, and serve. (Or alternately, brown the other side as well.) . Variations: (1) Saute 2 T chopped onions in the fat before adding the potatoes. Don't let them brown. Also note that in this version, the potatoes will need less fat. (2) Saute 2 - 3 1/2 oz. diced bacon before adding potatoes. You won't need any extra salt. (3) Sprinkle cooked potatoes with grated cheese before serving, and heat it briefly in the oven to melt it.

Artichoke Dip

· 1 can Artichoke hearts -- unmarinated

· 100 g Mayonnaise -- not salad dressing

· 100 g Parmesan cheese grated

Drain artichoke hearts and cut into small cubes. Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 170° for 30 minutes. Serve hot with bread or other vegetables.

Cubano / Latin Night - January 9, 2007

Whereupon Ginger brought back certain essential ingredients after her travels to America.

Arepas de Queso

(Makes 12 arepas)

2 cups milk
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups white arepa flour (precooked cornmeal)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup grated mozzarella
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in butter. Combine arepa flour, salt, sugar, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Add hot milk and stir until combined. Let mixture stand until milk is absorbed enough for a soft dough to form, 1 to 2 minutes (dough will continue to stiffen). Form dough into 12 balls (about 2 inches in diameter) and flatten between palms into 3 1/2- to 4-inch patties (about 1/3 inch thick). Heat ‚ tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately low heat until hot, then cook 3 or 4 arepas until cooked through and golden in patches, 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Make more arepas in same manner, adding oil as needed.

Grapefruit Salad

4 red grapefruits**

¾ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons honey

Fresh mint leaves (garnish)

Peel grapefruits and remove skins from sections. Mix all ingredients and served chilled.

**To remove pith from grapefruits, drop fruit into boiling water. Remove from heat, let stand for 4 minutes. Remove grapefruits and cool.

Russian Feast - December 19, 2006

STAGE DELI’S CHEESE BLINTZES

For the wrappers:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons, approximately, sweet (unsalted) butter

For the Filling:
1 1/2 cups farmer cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional)

To make the wrapper batter: Combine all ingredients in the carafe of a blender and blend thoroughly. Allow to stand for thirty minutes in the refrigerator.

To make the filling: In a food processor, process the cheeses and sugar until smooth. If too liquid, add the flour to thicken.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Preferably, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a non-stick baking sheet.

To make the wrappers: Melt half the butter in an 8-inch diameter skillet, preferably a non-stick skillet. If no non-stick skillet is available, more butter will be required. Pour in enough batter just to coat the bottom of the skillet and swirl pan until it is evenly distributed. Cook over medium-low heat until the top is set and the bottom is golden when lifted gently with a spatula. Do not turn wrappers! Transfer wrappers to paper towels in one layer, golden side down. Repeat until all batter is used.

To fill blintz: Put 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper, keeping the golden side down for the exterior, and fold the opposite sides of the wrapper over the filling. Fold in the ends to completely enclose the filling, forming packets, and arrange these packets, seam sides down, on the baking sheet.

When all wrappers are filled and all freshly-made blintzes have been transferred to the baking sheet, cover the sheet loosely with aluminum foil. Bake blintzes until heated through, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Optional: Serve with sour cream and sugar as toppings, and with assorted fruit jams.

Makes approximately 8 blintzes.

‘Shrooms Stroganov

Ingredients:

650g mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
.1 m bouillon
1 tsp (scant) hot prepared mustard
2 small onions, sliced
3 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

Directions:

Slice mushrooms into thin, narrow strips. Sprinkle strips with salt & pepper. Heat 1 ½ teaspoons butter in saucepan. The butter must be very hot. Brown mushrooms and onions quickly on all sides and set aside, keeping warm

Melt 1 1/2 tbsp of the butter. Blend in flour. Stir in bouillon and bring to boil. Stir in mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, till thick and smooth. Add sour cream to mustard sauce. Bring to boil; add cooked mushrooms and onions to sauce. Cover and keep hot 20 minutes, either over stove or on hot plate set over lowest possible heat. The mix must be kept hot, but must NOT simmer. Before serving, heat through over high heat for about 3 minutes.

Makes 3 or 4 servings.

Borscht

1 bunch beets ( about 4 medium )
5 cups water
1 tsp citric acid ( sour salt )
Fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
white granulated sugar
powdered chicken bouillon to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream
Hot boiled potato
Chopped chives

Cut stems/leaves off beets but leave on skins and cover with water ( add a splash of vinegar so beets remain red ) and cook about an hour until tender. Drain and peel off skins ( slips off easily ) under running cold water. Coarse shred beets by hand into a soup pot. Cover with the 5 cups of water. Add citric acid, vinegar ( or lemon juice ) along with sugar to make a sweet and sour taste as desired. Add a bit of powdered chicken bouillon if desired.
Normally equal quantities of sweet and sour OR 1 part sugar to 1/2 part sour should give the desired taste you want.
Heat and stir to dissolve sugar and let soup simmer a few minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat and cool and chill well.
To serve one may stir in some sour cream into the soup ( it becomes a vivid pink!!) or just dollop sour cream onto individual portions.
Sometimes a hot boiled potato is placed into the cold soup too. Either way, sprinkle with chives. Serves 4 to 6.

A Russian Party (Commis that is) Salad
Easily assembled

equal quantitites of cooked :
{for a small salad start off with 1/2 cup each, 1 cup each for a larger salad }

carrots diced
peas
string beans sliced
potatoes diced
mushroons sliced
gherkins diced
Mayonnaisse to lightly bind
Top with:
sliced cooked beets
some red caviar (or not)

The Most Deliciously Decadent Meal of the Year - December 12, 2006

The recipe for the cheese Berliner was adapted from Helga Gleisert's Berliner recipe, carried only in her head for 76 years. She taught me to make Berliners, and I subsequently exchanged jam and Pflaumebutter (her favorite) for cheese (which she detested). Feel free to make sweet Berliner with jam instead of cheese, too - they're delicious in any form!

Mini Cheese Berliner

Ingredients:

500g flour, plus another 500g for kneading

.5 l milk

one cube fresh yeast (approx. 30g fresh yeast)

pinch salt

½ teaspoon sugar

Fillings: fresh goat cheese

spinach

walnuts

other cheeses

sesame seeds

.3 l peanut oil

Directions:

Measure 500g flour into large bowl. Dig a small well in the center of the flour.

In a pan, heat .5 liter milk until warm but not scalded. Pour approximately ½ the milk into a separate bowl and dissolve yeast, sugar and salt.

When the yeast is dissolved, pour the mixture into the flour and stir until mixed. With your hands, add flour and knead. Keep adding milk and flour until all the milk is gone. The dough should still be quite sticky. Keep kneading for another 4-5 minutes.

Divide dough into two lumps. Add flour until each lump is firm enough to remove from your fingers. Set dough lumps on a floured board, cover with a dishcloth and set in a warm place to rise for approx. 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the fillings – the cheeses should be cut into squares about 1.5 centimeters. If two fillings will be combined in one Berliner, divide the cube in half. Prepare enough for about 3 dozen cubes.

When the dough has risen, beat down and knead on a floured board. Remove enough dough to stretch a thin piece approximately 12 x 6 centimeters. Put a piece of cheese (or a mixture of cheese and spinach or nuts) in the center of one half and fold dough over the cheese. Using a shot glass or small water glass, cut dough in a circle so that the cheese is completely surrounded by dough (but not too much extra dough. When finished, allow to rise for another 15-20 minutes.

Heat peanut oil in a small pan until sizzling hot. Gently drop in 3-4 Berliners and heat until golden brown. Remove from oil and immediately roll in sesame seeds. Serve while hot. They are particularly decadent when dipped in warm honey, or a peanut satay sauce (see simple recipe Nov. 28, below).

***Note: to make sweet Berliner, increase sugar to 3 teaspoons. Substitute jam or jelly for cheeses and fry in vegetable fat instead of peanut oil.

Carrot ginger soup

2 lbs carrots

4 cups water

1 TBS broth

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (depends on taste. I use at least 4 cloves)

2 TBS freshly grated ginger

1-1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp each: cumin

ground fennel

dried mint

3-4 TBS fresh lemon juice

buttermilk or plain quark - to drizzle on top (optional)

1. Peel and trim carrots and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place in medium saucepan with the water, cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender - 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the broth in a small skillet. Saute onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt and spices. Turn heat to low and saute for another 8-10 minutes until onions are very soft. Stir in lemon juice.

3. Using a food processor or blender, puree everything together. You will need to do this in several batches. Transfer the puree to a large pot and

heat gently just before serving.You can serve each bowl with buttermilk drizzled on top, or a dollop of quark or sour cream.

Yield - 6-8 servings. Freezes well.

Tapas Night - December 5, 2006

Garlic Aioli

Ingredients:
4 large garlic cloves
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
100ml olive oil, *
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Peel garlic. Combine garlic, egg yolks, mustard, salt and pepper in blender jar. Cover and blend at medium speed until smooth. With motor running, remove cover and SLOWLY pour in HALF the oil in a small steady stream. Stop the motor and scrape down sides of jar. Cover and turn to medium speed. Uncover and add lemon juice, then remaining oil in slow stream as before, stopping motor to scrape down sides of jar occasionally as sauce thickens. Chill. Serve with hot or cold fish.

TO PREPARE SAUCE WITH HAND OR ELECTRIC MIXER: Use a narrow deep bowl (a one-quart glass measurer makes a good container, or use smaller bowl supplied with large electric mixer). Beat in oil VERY SLOWLY, especially at the beginning, being sure oil is completely blended before adding more. When thick, crush garlic cloves over sauce and mix well. Chill.

*Use half salad oil, if less strong flavor is desired. This recipe for Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise) serves/makes 2 cups

Spanish Orange Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

Sweet Spanish oranges (1-2 per person)

One jar fresh green peppercorns packed in water or vinegar

Preparation:

Peel small Spanish oranges but leave the fruit intact. Slice into discs and remove as many seeds as possible. For each orange add approximately ½ teaspoon peppercorns.

Baked goat cheese with honey

Ingredients:

One round disc goat cheese

2-3 tablespoons honey

Preparation

On a piece of baking paper or aluminum foil, heat the entire goat cheese in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, until very warm but it hasn’t yet lost its shape.

Pour honey into an oven-proof glass dish to coat the bottom of the dish. Heat the honey in the oven for 2-3 minutes until warm. Remove honey from oven, transfer goat cheese disc into honey and serve.

Potato Tomato Frittata

6 whole large eggs
2 large egg whites
200g finely grated parmesan
10 leaves thinly sliced fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
200ml tablespoons olive oil
¼ kg boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
250g tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes (6 oz), or red and green peppers

Whisk together whole eggs, whites, 1/4 cup parmesan, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.

Cook garlic in 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably nonstick and ovenproof) over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add potatoes to skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until just tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to bowl with garlic.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and tomatoes to skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until tomatoes brown and skins split, about 4 minutes.

Add remaining tablespoon oil and potatoes with garlic to skillet, spreading evenly, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Pour egg over vegetables and cook over moderately high heat, lifting up cooked egg around edges to let uncooked egg flow underneath, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and cook, covered, 5 minutes more (center will be moist).

Remove lid and broil frittata at 200ºC 5 to 7 inches from heat until set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan, then broil until cheese melts and frittata is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Slide onto a platter and cut into wedges.

Cooks' note: • If your skillet isn’t ovenproof, wrap handle with heavy-duty foil (or a double layer of regular foil) before broiling.

Persian Night - November 28

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 500g Chickpeas (canned, or cooked as below)

• 300 ml tahini

• 250 ml lemon juice (about the juice of 4 lemons)

• 1 clove garlic well mashed in part of the salt

• 5 tablespoons cold water (not quite .2 ml)

• Chopped parsley & red pepper for decoration.

Mash garlic with salt until fine. Drain chickpeas from water and stir into it the mashed garlic. Mix well. Pour the mixture into a masher (potato masher or food blender). When it is well mashed add sesame oil (tahini). Gradually add lemon juice which has been strained. Run the entire mixture through a fine strainer forcing it through with a spoon. Serve on shallow plates after decorating with chopped parsley and red pepper (you can also use some of the unmashed chickpeas for decoration as well as sliced radishes and black olives).

Chickpeas - Cooking method: Soak chickpeas in cold water for ten hours (better overnight), adding to it when soaking half (1,5 tbs) of the amount of soda above. Take chickpeas out of the soaking water, wash and add 3 pints of cold water and the remainder (1,5 tbs) of the soda. Cook over strong heat until foam appears. Skim and reduce heat. Cook for about two hours or until well-done.

Tabbouleh

• 500g bulgar

• 2 bunches finely chopped green onions

• 2 white onions, finely chopped

• 200 ml olive oil

• 200 ml lemon juice

• 2½ Tablespoons salt

• 1 Tablespoon pepper (a mixture of black and sweet pepper)

• 5 bunches of parsley

• 2 bunches of mint

• 1 kg tomatoes

• Tender grape leaves, lettuce or cabbage.

Wash bulgar half an hour before preparing the tabbouleh. Cut into small pieces the tomatoes and onions. Chop parsley and mint very fine. Rub white onion with a little salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well adding oil and lemon juice gradually. Serve on a platter and serve with it lettuce or grape leaves or cabbage or all three if available.

Muhammara

This is one of the most delicious middle eastern dips you can make, and certainly one of the easiest! Don't be turned off by the inclusion of pomegranate molasses -- it's very easy to make and I've listed 2 simple "recipes" for it. Or you may choose to substitute the pomegranate molasses with grenadine. This dip is sure to be a hit at your next party!

100g roasted red peppers from jar, drained

75g cup fine fresh breadcrumbs

50g cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine

2-4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (to taste)

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (see notes below) or grenadine

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

.75ml extra-virgin olive oil (2 Tablespoons if you won't be chilling the dip before serving)

toasted pita bread, triangles as an accompaniment

Pomegranate Molasses:.
Bring to boil 1 quart Pomegranate Juice (such as Pom Wonderful), 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup lemon juice and simmer on low until reduced to 1-1/3 cups.
Or even easier: simmer any quantity of pomegranate juice on low heat until it is reduced and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Recipe Directions:.

In a food processor blend together the peppers, the bread crumbs, the walnuts, the garlic, the lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses, the cumin, the red pepper flakes, and salt to taste until the mixture is smooth and with the motor running add the oil gradually.
Transfer the muhammara to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until it thickens.
Serve at room temperature with the pita triangles.

Baba Gannoush

• 1 ½ kg Eggplant (about 2 large eggplants) (a.k.a. aubergine)

• 300 ml tahini

• 250 ml Lemon juice or sour pomegranate

• 1 clove garlic

• 3 teaspoons salt

• Chopped parsley, sour pomegranate seed and sliced tomatoes for decoration.

Remove the green around the neck of the egg-plant, but leave the stem. Boil in a hot oven or over charcoal approximately 1 hour. Allow to cool and remove the peel. Add finely chopped garlic and salt and put all into food blender or through food chopper. Let it blend until it is a smooth thick liquid. Add tahini and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Serve on platters or individual small plates and garnish with parsley, sliced tomatoes, and pomegranate seed if available.

Satay Sauce with Couscous

8 Tablespoons. crunchy peanut butter
100ml water
3 teaspoons garlic salt
3 teasponns dark brown sugar
Tamarind juice to taste
100 ml coconut milk or additional water

1 box (500g) prepared couscous

Prepare couscous according to directions on the box.

Satay sauce: Put peanut butter and water in a saucepan and stir over gentle heat until mixed. Remove from heat and add all other ingredients except coconut milk or additional water. Use coconut milk or water to make sauce thick yet pouring consistency. Check seasonings and add more salt and tamarind juice if needed.

Thanksgiving Without the Turkey - November 21, 2006

As we all know, the side dishes are the best part of Thanksgiving dinner - who needs the silly Tofurkey thing?

Banana Bread

4 very ripe bananas, smashed
100g melted butter
200g plain sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 envelope vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda (Backpulver)
Pinch of salt
300g flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 170° C (350°F). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla sugar. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Un-stuffed Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 loaves 12 grain bread
200g chopped mushrooms
2 stalks chopped celery
1 onion chopped
100g butter
100g vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons vegetable broth powder
2 teasponns garlic powder
freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Brown mushrooms, celery, and onion in butter. Add 1/2 of the spices. Remove from heat. Cut or rip bread into small pieces. Combine with cooled vegetable mixture. Sprinkle on remaining spices and add more to taste as desired. Mixture should be the level of moistness you would desire it to be at the outcome. Add broth or juice to achieve this as necessary. This stuffing is excellent both stuffed in the bird or not. Usually, I spray Pam on a casserole dish and pack the stuffing into it, cover it, and bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!

This is enough to serve around 8 - 10 people.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

100g unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
600-700g of chopped roasted pumpkin*
1 liter vegetable broth
500g brown sugar
200g milk or heavy cream (optional)

1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over mediium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.

2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.

4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.

Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Serves 8.

*To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 170° C (350°F) until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
· 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed

· 3 tablespoons olive oil

· 1 teaspoon kosher salt

· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well until all sprouts are covered evenly. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.

3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Vaguely Asian Night - Our Second Class, November 14, 2007

Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls

25 min 20 min prep

12 round rice paper, dipped in hot water for 20 seconds until soft and drained

Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup ketjap manis sauce

1/4 teaspoon chili sauce

1Tablespoon finely chopped Thai basil

1Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Filling

1/4 head Chinese cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, grated

1 red capsicum, [i.e., bell pepper] thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

100 g bean sprouts

4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded (***make an effort to find these, they really taste fantastic!)

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

4 tablespoons chopped nuts

200 g vermicelli rice noodles, soaked in hot water 10 minutes drained

For Sauce mix together all ingredients.
For filling mix together all the vegetables.

To assemble one at a time, dip rounds in water, lay some noodles, nuts and filling in bottom of paper. Drizzle some sauce over and fold up like a spring roll. Eat and enjoy.

Hoisin Rice Noodles with Carrots

12 carrots

3 cloves garlic

3 medium onions

100g hoisin sauce (yeah, from the bottle!)

2 Tablespoons butter

200g Bahn Pho rice noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil

Boil a large pot of water for the noodles.Peel and slice carrots into medallions. Saute in olive oil until soft. Add onions and cook until onions are soft – some of the carrots will begin to brown and crisp.

(Hopefully by now your pot of water has boiled – this is the time when you should add noodles.) When water is boiling, add noodles and cook approximately 5 minutes, until soft. Drain noodles.

Add chopped garlic to carrots and cook until garlic is soft. Lower heat, add hoisin sauce and stir to coat carrots. Add butter and melt, stirring to distribute evenly. Pour sauce over hoisin noodles and mix thoroughly until all noodles are coated. Serve and enjoy.

Burritos - The First Official Cook & Talk English Class, November 7, 2006

“Blankenese Mountain Rabbit” Burritos

*Note: no actual rabbits were harmed during the preparation of this meal

4 extra-large burrito wrappers (Turkish Dunem make a really good substitute)

1 ripe avocado

2 tomatoes, diced

1 can black beans

200g mushrooms, sliced

200g cooked spinach

juice of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lime

100g lettuce, shredded

200g sour cream

200g cheddar cheese, grated

1 bunch cilantro

salsa

2 onions

3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

Guacamole preparation: Peel and slice avocado. Mash avocado together with lemon and lime juice until a paste is formed. Add salt, pepper and chopped cilantro to taste. Add diced pieces of one tomato.

Beans and mushrooms: Dice onions and garlic and sauté in olive oil. Set aside half of onions and garlic to add to mushrooms. Add beans and simmer over low heat, adding a salt, pepper and a splash of red wine if desired. In a separate pan, cook mushrooms until tender, adding garlic and onions when the mushroom are nearly done.

Assembly: In each burrito wrapper, layer small amounts of cheddar cheese, black beans, spinach, mushrooms, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cilantro and salsa. Wrap into a cylander and enjoy.

Resources: Where to buy all those strange ingredients in Hamburg

Hongfu Asian Market
Gotenstrasse 3
20097 Hamburg (Hammerbrook
Tel. 040 54 80 77 99
A bit hard to locate, but behind this Asian imbiss is a huge pan-Asian market, “der mit den Zwergenpreisen” (and for once the advertising is true).

Cook + Talk

Lust gut zu essen, und dabei spielend leicht Englisch zu lernen?? Ab sofort ist dies moeglich!!!

- 1 x die Woche, jeweils Dienstags ab 19:30
- Untericht limitiert auf nur 6 Teilnehmer
- Alle Stufen, auch Anfaenger koennen mitmachen
- EURO 15 pro Veranstaltung, einschl. eines leckeren (vegetarischen-) Essens
- Untericht wird gegeben durch professionelle Englischlehrerin/Muttersprachlerin

Interesse? What are you waiting for? Call right now and sign up !!!!

To Begin at the Beginning...

So one night, enjoying another great meal in my new kitchen, my dear friend and Chief Cooking Muse, Ralph, said to me, "You know, Ginger, you should teach a cooking class."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," I replied, and took another bite. "Hrmph."

Yet, somehow, the idea wouldn't go away. Enjoying the wonder of my huge new kitchen and the opportunity to invite friends for dinner at my large kitchen table (which I did often), I kept pondering the idea. How would it work? Would anyone be interested? Was I really a good enough cook? Would I ever be able to wash all those dishes?

Finally, I decided to print up some basic fliers (more or less what you see above) and hang them up in the neighborhood. The response was enthusiastic, and so we set the first class for November 7, 2006.

The participants of the first Cook &Talk English Class were Frank, Kerstin K., and Ralph. Despite my incredibly under-equipped kitchen ("What, a sieve? Why do you need that?") we were all well-fed, and though none of us then knew it, at the beginning of a long, delicious adventure.