Mahlzeit - Food without Borders

There are many versions of Soljanka on the internet. This is my version. We need 1 large onion (chopped) 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes 1/2 bottle of tomato juice 1  cup of chopped up pickles (famous Dave's spicy chips) 4 cups of water 2 tsp of tomato bullion from Knorr 1 pack of Eckrich Turkey sausage, sliced in half over the full length and then cut into 5mm pieces 1/2 tsp of Allspice 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika The picture also shows tomato paste. I ended up not needing it. In a dutch oven, heat up some  oil, add the chopped onions, let them get translucent. Then add the sausage and let it get some color. Now add all the remaining things, bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat down and simmer for about 1h. Stir occasionally. Serve with a slice of lemon and some sour cream. -Mahlzeit-

A lot of people in Germany have potato salad with wiener and some side salad for Christmas Eve. Time to go main stream German and not have a duck or a goose. Christmas Eve is potato salad with wiener and a side salad. We need 6 medium yellow yukons (like the size of your palm) 3 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 cup of low fat sour creme 1/4 chopped onions salt, pepper, mustard,  little ground red pepper, mayo, a little bit of liquid of pickles (2tbsp). Cook the unpeeled potatoes until they are soft, drain and let them cool down. Put the eggs into cold water, bring them to a boil and turn off the heat. Remove XL eggs after 10 min and X after 8 minutes. Let them cool down. I usually cook them the day before and keep them over night in the fridge. Wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil, so they don't dry out. When all is cold, peel the potatoes and the eggs. Slice potatoes into bite size pieces about 5mm thick, Slice the eggs with an egg slicer turn the egg 90 degrees and cut again. Put

After a lot of stress it was time to get some comfort food. At the same time, my fridge needed some cleaning out. So I decided to call it noodles and the kitchen sink. It contains 2 slices of bacon, thinly sliced into 5mm stripes 1 large onion chopped 2 links of Eckrich Turkey sausage chopped 1 can of stewed tomatoes 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes 1 cup of mushrooms sliced 1 can of corn (drained) 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika 1/8 tsp of Korean hot pepper a hand full of chopped cilantro 5 leaves of finely chopped basil In a big skillet with a high rim, render the bacon, add the onions and the chopped sausage. Let all of it get some color, but don't burn it. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and the basil. Turn the heat to medium, cover and let it simmer. Stir occasionally. After 15 min, add the basil and stir, cover again, turn the heat down to medium low. After another 5 minutes add the cilantro, cover, and let cook for 2 more minutes. Serve with

I just came up with that name. Don't get me wrong. I found that to be very tasty, but it has a lot of fat. More then I want in my diet. In any wevent, here we go. 2 x 1" slices about 5" long of pork belly Marinate that for 24h in 1/4 cup soy sauce 4 slices of ginger 1 large crushed garlic clove 2 tsp of hoisin  sauce 1 dash of hot asian pepper powder Cut them into 1.5" pieces. After 24h (give or take 3-4 hours) In a dutch oven, add 1tbsp of veggie oil and sear the pork belly from all sides including the skin side. Then add 2 cups of water and cook for 1 hour  at 350F for 1h in an oven. Remove the belly from the pot, add a rack right above the pot, put the pieces back onto the rack, but try to place them over the dutch oven to catch the drippings. But the oven to broil for 5-10 min for each side. I used Mondamin to thicken the the sauce a bit. Aside from this serve with potatoes and a side salad. -Mahlzeit- The Thai Spice Pork Belly

Yesterday I was at my favorite Asian Grocery store again. I worked my way through their spice isle. I have no idea what I am looking at most of the time.  On jar caught my attention. It looked like one of the very hot spices that I usually get at a Thai restaurant. So I picked one up. I also got chicken hearts. In my fridge there are still chicken thighs (no bones, no skin). This should make a good chicken noodle soup Britta's Thai style. 4 bone and skinless chicken thighs 2 packs of chicken hearts 8 cups of water 8 tsp of Knorr chicken bullion 3 carrots peeled and cut 1.5 cups of chopped celery 3 kaffir lime leaves 3 inches lemon grass, chopped into 1/4 inch chunks All of this goes into a pressure cooker. Use the chicken/meat program + 3 minutes In the mean time cook any pasta you like according to the package instructions. When the pressure cooker is done, make sure to release the pressure before opening. Serve in a bowl with cilantro or parsley as garnish and th

It is hard to come by good bread. So I am going to work myself through recipes. Ursula M. posted the following on Facebook. I just halfed everything, I didn't want that many broetchen. We need: 3/4 cup of hand warm water 2 cups unbleached King Arthur bread flower. 3/4 tsp salt 1 tsb dry yeast 1/4 tsp sugar I used the dough hook on my kitchen machine. Add the salt, sugar and yeast to the water and stir until it is dissolved. Turn on the kitchen machine and start on very low speed. Slowly add the water with the dissolved salt, yeast and sugar. When the dough comes together keep the machine on low for another 2-3 minutes. Then turn it off. On a flowered surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes. I formed a roll, then put on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 min. Preheat the oven to 500F. Cut the dough into 1" slices, and cut a slice over the full length. Drip your finger in a little bit of milk and smear it on the top of the broetc

It was time to cook something real German without putting my spin on it. Buletten (German Hamburgers) got the vote. I actually went shopping for some of the things I needed. Ketchup is not a staple in my pantry. We need 1 lbs of 90/10 ground beef 1 tbsp breadcrumbs 2 tsp ketchup 2 dashes of Worcestershire (use the real thing from Lea & Perrins, and not some store brand, you will taste the difference) 1 egg 1/2 medium onion finely chopped salt, pepper Mix all of the ingredients and form patties. I form my patties in the middle a little with a little bid of a mold. It will fill in while cooking. In a frying pan add some oil, and heat it up. I tend to cook over a little less then medium heat, so the meat has time to cook and develop color on the outside. Cooking time depends on the thickness. Mine are usually a around 1cm thick (1/3") So per side I cook them 5 minutes for medium well. For the peas I was lazy this time and just heated up a can. oops. Tomato salad: C

Leg of Lamb: Remove the net from the leg of lamb and open it. Add 2 springs of fresh rosemary, 4 big cloves of garlic, salt and pepper. Close it back up, put the net back on, and salt and pepper from the all sides the outside. In a dutch oven, add olive oil and heat it up. Sear the leg of lamb from all sides. Add quartered carrots, 2 large cloves of garlic, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, allspice , 2 bay leaves, 3 cups of after. Close the lid bring to a boil and cut the heat so it just simmers. Cook till done, For me it this was 1 hour. Potato Dumplings: Cook 6  medium pealed golden Yukon potatoes. When they are done, remove all the water and press them though the a potato ricer. Let's it all cool down. Add   4 tbsp of potato starch, 1 egg, 2tbsp of semolina, some nutmeg and mix all of this up very well. Bring a big pot with salt water to a boil, turn down the heat, so it does not simmer anymore. Form dumplings that are about 1.5" in diameter. and put them into the w

I know liver is not something for everyone. This will still have a liver taste. We need 2 tetra packs of beef broth, 2 cubes of beef broth. 4 slices of calve liver, still a bit frozen 1/3 lbs of lean ground beef 2 small cut onions 1 slice of extra thick cut bacon, or 2 regular thickness, cut into small pieces parsley (dried or fresh) marjoram 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs salt, pepper, nutmeg Put the liver through the meat grinder into a bowl. Add the ground beef, set aside in the fridge. In a pan render the bacon, add the onions let it cook till the onions get translucent. Add a bit of nutmeg, parsley, marjoram, a little salt and pepper.  When the onions are translucent, turn off the heat and set aside. This needs to cool down. Bring the beef broth to a simmer in a pot that is wide enough to hold all dumplings, add the 2 cubes of beef broth for additional spice. Take the liver beef mix out of the fridge, add the onion/spice mix, the breadcrumbs and a little salt and pepper,

This is a very easy and fast one. We need 2 eggs per person potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup of half/half 3 tbsp capers (less if you don't like them) 3 tbsp of yellow mustard (any mustard actually will do) 3 tbsp of sour cream 2 tsp of margarine 2 tsp of corn starch In pot add the peeled potatoes with water and salt bring to a boil and cook till finished In a 2. pot, add the eggs,  cover with water about 1/2" above the eggs, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let it stand. Large  eggs let them stand for 8 minutes, extra large eggs for 10 minutes. In a 3. pot melt the margarine, add the corn starch. Let it cook for 5 -7 minutes stirring constantly. Add slowly the almost boiling chicken stock. Again stir, stir, stir. Add the half/half, sour cream, yellow mustard  and capers. Cook the sauce for about 5 minutes. Stir, stir, stir. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with a side salad -Mahlzeit-

The original recipe calls also for  mushrooms. I didn't have them. My variation goes like that: 6 chicken thighs without skin and bones (any remaining attached fat is welcome to stay :) ) 1 large onion coarsely chopped 1/2 tsb of allspice 1 clove 1 bay leave 2 slice of lemon 2 tbsp sour cream 1/4 cup half/half 2 tsp corn starch 1 tetra pack of veggie broth 1 tsb of margarine 3 tbsp capers ( I love them, use less if you don't) 1 tbsp caper liquid Chop the chicken thighs to  small  bite sizes chunks. In a Dutch oven, add the margarine and let it melt. Add the chicken and let it sear from the outside for about 5 minutes (keep stirring). Don't let it get really brown. This is not what we are after. Add the veggie broth, allspice, clove, bay leave. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down, cover and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. After 45 minutes add the mix the half/half and the corn starch. No lumps please. Turn the heat on high and slowly st

This is similar to beef rouladen. We need 4 slices of pork loin pounded out 1 slice of bacon cut into 4 pieces 8 slices of green pepper salt and pepper 1 medium chopped onion 1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp thyme 2 bay leafes 1 tsp margarine 2 cups of water 2 slices of cheese For the sauce 2 tsp of mustard 1/2 cup of heavy cream 2 tsp of corn starch Salt and pepper the meet on 1 side, add the 1/4 strip of bacon and 2 slices of green pepper. Roll them up and secure with tooth picks. I have roulade needs, however they are hard to come by here. In Dutch Oven melt the margarine, add the meet rolls and sear them from all sides. Stay with it, the margarine should not burn. Turn down the heat a little bit if needed. Then add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the spices and the water, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 90 minutes. Check every 15 minutes that there is still enough fluid, so it does not burn. After 90 minutes remove th

I got myself  a pork loin big enough to make two different dishes out of it. I sliced 4 slices off the loin about 1cm thick. I will use them tomorrow. The rest of the meat chop it into bite size pieces. We also need Curry: 2 medium onions chopped 1 clove of garlic minced 1 tsp curry 1/2 tsp tumeric 1/2 tsp all spice hint of ground cinamon 1 tetra pack of veggie broth 2 tsp of margarine Sauce: 1/2 cup of sour cream 1/2 cup of heavy cream 2 tsp of corn starch In a dutch oven add the margarine and onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes. When the onions are translucent, add the meat and sear it from all sides. Then add all the remaining ingredients from the curry list. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down, cover and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes. Turn the heat up, mix the heavy cream with the corn starch and and add to the curry, add the sour cream and keep stirring. Turn the heat off when it has the desired consistency. Serve with rice and a side salad -Mahlze

This is the cookbook, I am talking about when I reference Burda: https://www.amazon.com/Ko%CC%88stlich-kochen-fu%CC%88r-alle-Burda-Moden-Rezepte/dp/3920158296

Burda - day 2. This is very different than how I usually make them. We need 1 cup of chicken liver dried with a paper towel and cut into equal size pieces 1 can stew tomatoes 4 cl rum 1 tsp margarine 1 large onion cut in half and then cut in slices 2 stripes of bacon cut into little pieces salt, pepper, ground thyme In a frying pan render the bacon, add the onions. Cook. When the onions start to get brown, remove all of this onto a plate and set aside. Add the liver to the pan and cook on all sides until you don't see any raw meet anymore. Add all the remaining things including the bacon and onions back into the pan. Let cook for about 2 minutes then cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer to reduce the fluid a bit. Serve with fresh bread and butter. -Mahlzeit-

I found an old cookbook from Burda - "Koestlich kochen fuer alle Tage" and decided I will cook myself through it, well, not everything but most of it. Today is day 1. Page 80 is veggie stew with meatballs. The meatballs are made from a mix of ground beef and brats. Of course I don't have that handy. But in my freezer there were still meatballs from some weeks ago. It also calls for a bag of frozen stew veggie mix, that I don't have... We need 1 generous tsp margarine 1 medium onion chopped 1 cup of chopped celery 2 large carrots cleaned and diced 1 tetra pack of low sodium chicken stock 1 can of sweet corn (most of the fluid drained) 1 can of green beans (most of the fluid drained) 1 can of diced tomatoes 1 can of mushrooms (most of the fluid drained) 1 can of sweet green peas (most of the fluid drained) 1/4 tsp of allspice 1/4 tsp of thyme 1 tsp of ground cumin 1/4 tsp of tumeric 3 tsp of Knorr beef bullion 6 already cooked meatballs Take a big

If somebody would have told me 10 years ago I will buy Chanterelles on Ebay, I would have laughed at them. Now that is actually what I did. They came yesterday. Time to cook something around. Potatoes: Get small potatoes with an 1" - 1.5" diameter and wash them. In a pot cover them with water and boil them. When they are done, remove the water and let them cool down a bit so you can handle them. Port Steaks: Use boneless thin cut pork chops, salt and pepper them. In a frying pan add some oil and fry them on both sides for about 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness. Dill-Mustard Sauce Make a roux with 1 tsp of butter and 1 tbsp of corn starch. Cook it for about 10 minutes. Stir very often. Add a little half and half very slowly until you have added about 1/4 cup stirring constantly. Add then water until you have the desired thickness. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, a little bid of Old Bay seasoning. Add 2 tbsp of sour cream, 2 tsp of yellow mustard, 2 tsp of d

Almost every family has its own way of preparing them. Here is my way 6 medium potatoes, peeled and grated. I tend to use a coarser grater, to have some texture 1 egg 1 tbsp sour cream Salt and pepper Drain the grated potatoes, try to get as much liquid out as you can. Then add all the remaining ingrediants. In a frying pan, add a taste neutral cooking oil and heat it up. Take 1 generous tbsp of the mixture and add it to the   pan. Press them down, so the height is not more than 5mm. Fry them until they are golden brown on both sides. Flip them a couple of times along the way. When done, put them on a paper towel to absorb the frying fat. Serve with applesauce and a bit of coarse sugar for the crunch. -Mahlzeit-

It is time, that the rabbit travels. He met curry and red wine along the way and ended up giving a delicious dinner. Spice mix : 1 tsp of curry 1/4 tsp tumeric 1/4 tsp allspice 2 shakes of thyme 1 bay leave What else is needed: 1 rabbit 3/4 cup of red wine 1 tetra pack of chicken stock 2 slices of bacon 1 tbsp of veggie oil Sauce: Buttermilk and potato starch or potato flower I defrosted my rabbit overnight in the fridge.   Cut it into 6 pieces. Salt and pepper all of them. In a Dutch oven add 1 tbsp of veggie oil and 2 slices of small cut bacon. Let it render. Add the rabbit and sear and brown it from all sides. Pay attention, the bacon should not burn to charcoal. After it has a nice color deglaze the pot with 3/4 cup of red wine. Use a wine that you would drink as well. I like the Cupcakes wines. So I used a Cupcake Merlot. Stir and try to get all the brown bits off the bottom and the sides of Dutch oven. This is what makes your sauce ta

Amerikaner   (cookies) were my favorite thing to eat as a kid. They are hard to come by these days even in Germany. Time to try myself in backing. The recipe is from here: https://www.erichserbe.de/199?fbclid=IwAR0Cj0hQ8TnTWs2EvYXcF9Z5eXzzKpi5UABGByfNlq5-qXhPVQr7whhko5Q I really did follow the instructions. They turned out not bad, but I think I have to tinker a bit with the recipe. -Mahlzeit-

For some time now I follow a Moroccan cooking group on Facebook. There are so many great looking dishes. I remember when I was in Morocco, a tagine was one of my favorite dishes. This is inspired by the group and recipes I found on the internet. Time to try it: 1 clove of garlic chopped 1 tsp tumeric 1 tsp dried cumin 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder 1 stick cinamon, 1 inch long 1 hand full chopped cilantro 1 can of green peas   Juice of 1/2 small lemon 1.5   cups of chicken broth 1/2 cup white wine 1 can diced tomatoes 1/2 of a medium onion chopped Olive oil 1/4 cup of chopped olives 1 fresh apricot, sliced   4 chicken thighs with bone and skin In a dutch oven add the olive oil and the onions and let them get translucent. Add the chicken thighs and brown them from both sides. Then add all the remaining ingredients, cover and let it slowly simmer for about 2 hours or until the chicken meat falls of the bone

We need 1 big cut pork chop per person 1 baby bell cheese per person 2 slices of pickles per pork chop 2 slices of mozzarella per pork chop salt, pepper, old bay seasoning oil, butter 1/2 cup of water purple potatoes, brussel sprouts cleaned 1 clove of garlic sliced tooth picks. Lay the thick cut pork chops on a cutting board and cut it parallel to the cutting board. Don't cut it all the way . You want to be able to open it like a book on the long side. Slice the baby bell way the same way, but this time fully, so there are 2 slices. Open the chops like a book, season with old bay, lay 2 slices of pickles and 2 slices of baby cell cheese inside and close up. Use the tooth picks to prevent it from opening. Season both sides on the outside with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a pan (that has a cover) add veggie oil and a tbsp of butter. sear the pork chops from both sides. then add the garlic slices and the water, cover the pan and put in the stove for

My stomach is a bit mad at me. I don't know why. So I had to come up with something light to eat. A light chicken soup with no starch seems to be the right thing. 3 drumsticks 2 chicken breasts cubed up 1 fresh tomato cubed 1 cup of chopped celery root 6 cups of water 4 tsp on Knorr Tomato bullion 1" of cleaned sliced ginger root 4 kafir lime leaves 3" of lemon grass, sliced Put all of into a pot, bring it to a boil, then turn it down to simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Turn the heat off and eat. So far my stomach does not give me the feeling that he is angry. -Mahlzeit-

I had some left over from a pork loin. So I decided it is time to  look at Wuerzfleisch again. However I decided to take a few short cuts as some things in my fridge/freezer needed a home. In March I talked about meatballs and many meals and I mentioned I freeze the cooking liquid. Here we go: Remaining cooking liquid from meatballs 2 bay leaves 1/2 lb of chopped pork, 1cmx1cm cubes 6 cremini mushrooms sliced When the liquid boils, add the chooped pork, cook for 20 minutes and turn off. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms. Then time got away from me and I just let it cool down. For dinner I added several good dashes of Worcestershire Sauce (I love that stuff) and brought it to a boil again. In a Coffee mug,  fill half with water and add 2tbsp of corn starch, mix well so that there are no lumps. Slowly add the corn starch mixture to the boiling Wuerzfleisch stirring constantly. Stop when you have your desired thickness. Let it simmer for 2-3 more minutes and turn it off. Grate a c

The other day I got a boneless lamb shank steak. This can make a fine dinner. Sides  are potatoes, steamed cauliflower with bread crumbs and melted butter. I seasoned the steak from both sides with Old Bay seasoning and cooked to medium rare. Cook the potatoes to your liking. In a pot put 1/2 inch of water, cut the cauliflower into roses and  put them into the pot. Season with salt, cover and get the water to boil. Check every now and then until you get the crunchiness you want. For me that is about 10 min after the water starts to boil. In another pot melt some butter. I keep the butter cooking until it starts to get slightly brown. Take the cauliflower onto a serving place, sprinkle it with bread crumbs. (I don't use panko, I don't like the taste. I rather make my own.) Drizzle the melted butter over it. As a side I made myself a nice margarita. And then I tipped over my cocktail glass, it ended up getting all broken up into pieces on my plate. S