Mahlzeit - Food without Borders

On Friday I picked up 2 T-Bone steaks and a full rainbow trout.  I was not in the mood to go after another lemon dill thing. After reading about 10 other recipes a few days ago, this is what I came up with: On Friday I made a spiced butter for my steak. 3 tbsp of unsalted butter on room temperature 1/2 tsp of dried oregano 1/2 tsp of dried basil 4 medium cloves of fresh garlic smashed 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper 1/3 tsp sweet ground pepper Mix all of this in a small bowl. This is good for a few days in the fridge. Trout filling: 12 campari tomatoes (halfed) some fresh basil (frozen works as well), sliced 1/4 small white or yellow onion very finely chopped 1 tbsp of a good olive oil salt and pepper to taste   Mix all of this in a bowl and set aside. The trout: Preheat the oven for 450F. Take a large heavy duty aluminum foil (large enough so it can be folded in on the sides and the top to make a pouch) and place it on a baking sheet. Wash and pad dry the tro...

While I was making a potato salad, I decided to make an egg salad as well. The ingredients are almost the same, except for the potatoes and the sour cream. (One can add eggs to a potato salad btw) 6 large hard boiled eggs 2 tsp mayo 1/2 small red onion finely chopped 1/2 spear of Famous Dave's spicy pickles finely chopped  1 tbsp of pickling liquid from the pickles 1 tbsp of capers salt and pepper to taste On the internet I found the following instructions how to cook hard boiled eggs, so they never that that blue outline on the yolk. I only buy large eggs and that works very well. In a pot  add the eggs and make sure they are not stacked. They should be all laying flat. Cover with water about 1/2" above them. Put on high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as they are boiling (not just tiny bubbles are showing), set the timer to 6 minutes. When the timer barks, drain them. If you need them cold for a salad add cold water and ice cubes, to cool them down rapidly. If they are a p...

It was time to make potato salad again. This time a little different 6 medium potatoes (yukon gold) 1/4 cup of sour cream 2 tbsp mayo 1/2 small red onion finely chopped 2 spears of Famous Dave's spicy pickles finely chopped 2 tbsp of pickling liquid from the pickles 2 tbsp capers salt and pepper to taste Cook the potatoes unpeeled the day before. When done, remove the all the water, let them cool down and put them over night into the fridge. The next morning peel them and cut bite size 5mm thick sices. Add all the potatoes and remaining ingredients to a bowl, mix it up cover and back into the fridge it goes. By the evening all the spices should have mingled well. Serve with hot Wiener, to scrambled eggs or just some veggies. -Mahlzeit-  

There are many words for Hamburgers in Germany: Frikadellen, Hamburger, Beefsteak, Fleischpflanzerl, Boulette and many more. What it is called depends on the region.  On the weekend I got a pack of ground turkey 85/15. The original idea was to create a baked dish that could serve as a cold cut. And then there was reality, I needed something for dinner and a bit faster then what I had in mind. Summary the ground turkey ended up as hamburgers/Frikadellen/Boulette/.... you get the idea. We need 1 lbs of ground turkey 85/15 1/2 medium onion finely chopped 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (use the brand Le Perrin, it really makes a difference) salt/pepper to taste 1 egg 1/4 cup of bread crumbs In a bowl mix all of the ingredients.  In order to get similar size sliders, I use a an ice scoop to measure the portions. Depending on how generous one is, this are about 20 portions. When the ice scoop releases the portion smash it down to a bit less then the thickness of your pinky finger. In a...

I had 2 cooked potatoes left over from lunch. Rather then frying them, I decided to make a potato soup out of them. 2 cups of a broth 1/2 cup of half/half 1 cup of cooked potatoes. A hint of nutmeg Get the the broth to  a boil and add the potatoes. As mine came out of the fridge, I let it cook for about 3 minutes, to get the heated up in the broth.  With a hand blender, carefully smash all the potatoes to a consistency of your liking. Add the half/half. Bring it to a boil gain, cook for a minute and then turn the heat off and serve. I garnished it with a bit of garlic powder and dried savory. With a fresh toast this is delish. -Mahlzeit-

I am not a big fan of brats. I decided to get the brats meat and then start experimenting with it. In Germany there is something like Leberkaese. It is pork meat, chopped very fine with a meat grinder and spices and then baked. The picture shows prague powder. This is not really needed if the baked brats are eaten within 3-4 days and kept in the fridge. 1/4 tsp of dried thyme 1/4 tsp of sage 1/2 tsp of salt free original Dash spice (see note 1) 1/2 tsp of ground Allspice  1/8 tsp of prague powder (optional) Not in the picture 1 small onion finely chopped 1/2 cup of finely chopped ice Mix all of this into blender and blend until it is smooth. Preheat the oven to 350F. In the mean time grease a baking from. I have 2 small ones. Divide the meat mixture and fill it into the forms. Cut some nice lines in the top. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes, that the top does not burn. After 30 minutes, remove from the stove and let it cool down. Serve with a fresh toas...