Mahlzeit - Food without Borders

In a small household one does not need a bread with 3lbs of flower or a big cake.  I am starting to get experience with the process of changing recipes, so it is enough for 2-3 people. The original version can still be found  here  . I used 1 lbs of cream cheese (original Philadelphia) 2/4 cup of heavy whipping cream 2/3 cup of white granulated sugar 2 tbsp of all purpose flower 3 large eggs 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1 pinch of kosher salt (oops, I forgot that one) Grease a 8" spring form generously with butter.  Preheat the oven to 400F. In a kitchen machine bowl I added the cream cheese, the eggs and the sugar. I wanted to get that mixed up first. The cheese came out of the fridge, so it needed some time to get smooth. Then add all the remaining things. Bake for 30 minutes. Then the skin was already colored pretty good. I turned down the temperature to 375F and baked it for another 10 minutes. Use a think stick to test if the cake is done. It is done if it comes out...

This year I asked around and work for things they would have over the holidays or something that is popular in their country. One of the suggestions was Chicken Biryani. I did read myself through plenty of recipes. I failed to figure out how the cooking process really needs to be. So I gave up on that part and made it my way.  So here we go:   2/3 of an eye balled plain yoghurt 1/2 cup of water 3-8 cloves of minced garlic fresh grated ginger , about 1.5 tsp a few dashes of ground dried turmeric 1/4 tsp cinnamon 5 pieces of green cardamon. I didn't have ground cardamon. 2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp cumin 2 tbsp paprika(not smoked) 3/4 tsp of salt.  All of that goes into a bowl and gets mixed. Add the chicken and make sure it is all covered and over night into the fridge. The next morning I added some oil into a non-stick pot. Add the chicken and cook it. I added a bit of water, to make sure, it is not sticking. I added the remaining marinade, and cooked until all the chic...

I picked up a deboned butterflied leg of lamb the other day. It is time to prepare that.  I have a couple of good recipes for marinating the lamb, but I was looking for something new. Again I researched the internet and this is what I came up with. 1 generous tbsp of olive oil 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar. (There is a story to the bottle of red wine vinegar I have on the counter top. Red wine vinegar is not something I use a lot, not to say never ... The bottle on my countertop was part of set of olive oil and balsamic. Of course both of those bottles have been empty for 25+ years, but the set with the red wine vinegar in the middle just looked nice. According to the internet, if the bottle is properly sealed and stored in a dry place, it can last indefinitely. OK, I take my chances and it worked. Pssssst, the bottle is 28 years old, totally clear liquid, no smell and tastes like vinegar). 3 hand chopped cloves of garlic 1 eye balled tsp of fresh rosemary (I went to the grocery store...

Pork knuckles can be found in the many parts of Germany. However, the preparations can be very different. In the south it is usually grilled. The skin gets very crispy. In Berlin it is cooked. The orginal spice mix is from  "Calle cooks grandma's recipe's (in German)" . Of course some of the things I can't get here or they are really exepensive.  I used: celery (celery root would be better, but is hard do come buy and expensive) fresh thyme (I used some I had in the freezer, an eye balled tsp) parsley (I used frozen as well, a good hand full) 1 medium onion, cut into 8 pieces (on the internet some people don't even peel, I dont like that, I peel) 2 carrots, cut into larger chunks leeks or Chinese onions (they look like baby leeks, I used those) around 12 Allspice kernels around 10 juniper berries (smashed) around 12-15 whole black pepper kernels 6 bay leaves (fresh or frozen if you have, dried is fine as well) 1.5 tbsp salt water And of course a pork knuckle I...

It has been a long time since my last post. My pressure cooker decided to not keep the pressure anymore. l. I think I bought it 10 years ago for 99$. With all the dishes I cooked, I got a lot of milage out of it. In the summer I started to research a replacement and found an Instant Pot. The price back then was $149.99. That was more then I wanted to pay. This year the Black Friday deals came in very early. The price was now $119.99. That is a price I could live with. Gulasch = beef stew is something that many cultures have. Time to explore how I can use my Instant Pot for this and change the recipe a bit.  Here we go 2tsbp veggie or olive oil  1 large onion coarsely chopped 2 lbs of beef stew meat 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 can tomato sauce 1 can diced tomato Spices 3 bay leaves 3/4 tsp ground all spice 6 juniper berries 1/3 tsp of dried thyme 4 cups of water 3.5 tsp of beef bouillon 1 tbsp ground paprika 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Turn on the Instant Pot and select Sautee. Add the oi...

There are many versions of this on the internet. Some have 20 or more ingrediants, some only have a handful.  I decided to go with a medium version. Ingredients 5 medium potatoes chopped into smaller pieces 2 cups of chicken broth 1 can of Radeberger beer (Pilsner Style) 1 slice of bacon 2 tsp of butter 2 tsp olive oil 8 baby carrots cut into smaller pieces 3/4 of a stalk of celery half of a small onion finely chopped 1/2 tsp ground Allspice 1 bay leaf salt/pepper to taste (not much is needed as the chicken broth has plenty) hint of nutmeg Wash, peel and cut the potatoes. Cut the celery, onions and carrots. Cut the bacon into small pieces. In a soup pot, add the oil, bacon and butter. Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, but don't let anything burn. Add the celery, onions and carrots. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the onions are a bit translucent. Add all the remaining things, cover and bring to a boil. The potatoes should be covered by liquid. Turn down the heat and s...

I am a big lentil soup junkie. I am finally getting better from that bad cold, I couldn't think of anything better then a lentil soup. May be this time I can change it up a bit more. The fridge still hat a pack of sausages. I had gotten some bacon last weekend and the rest like carrots, celery, onions, potatoes I always have at home. Here we go: 2 slices of bacon cut into small pieces 1 pack of sausages, sliced into pieces  1/2 cup of bite size celery chunks 1/2 cup of bite size carrot chunks 1/3 cup of coarsely chopped onions 2/3 cup of brown lentils, rinsed and picked through 3 medium sized potatoes cut into bite sized pieces (peeled or not, what ever you prefer) 1 std can of diced potatoes 1 std can tomato soup 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp of ground Allspice 2 bay leaves 2-3 cups of water salt and pepper to taste Here is a picture of the sausages I bought: Hm, I didn't realize I bought plant based sausages. Note to self, pay attention to what you buy. Well at least I can try....

There are still some chicken thighs in the fridge and I don't care for chicken noodle soup, at least not at the moment. It is going to be baked.  Preheat the oven to 350F. Salt, pepper, thyme, a bit of smoked paprika, a bit of ground Allspice. Cover a baking sheet with alu foil, add the chicken thighs, add some olive oil and into the oven it goes. 45 min later it is all set and done. Serve with rice and a veggie. For me it was green peas. -Mahlzeit-

My first few hours of vacation and it rains hard. There is plenty of lightning and thunder. The weather service just issued a flash flood warning.  It is time to make some comfort food. Time for  a fridge around version. The short description is: "let me see what is in the fridge that can be used to cook up something". I got tomatoes, 2 cups coarsely chopped celery, 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1 medium finely chopped ground turkey 85/15 orange bell peppers, cleaned and chopped into small pieces like 5x5mm 6 cups of tomato juice 1/2 cup of orange juice Spices 1 tsp ground curry 1.5 tsp ground Allspice 1 tsp ground smoked paprika 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp dried thyme Anything else? grated cheese noodles In a pot add some olive oil or vegie oil and heat it up. Add the onions, bell peppers and celery. Cook all for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir every now and then, so it does not burn and stick. Add the ground turkey. Cook  for about 10 minutes over medium heat. P...

My mom made a lot of waffles during my child hood. My mom made the dough and my dad was the one working the waffle iron.  The original recipe is to much just for me, so I did cut all in half and changed it bit to make it work with standard US quantities 1 stick of soft butter (don't use Kerry Gold, use a domestic real butter product)  2 eggs 250g all purpose flour 1/2 cup of milk (1/8 l) 1/2 cup of water (1/8 l) 125g sugar a generous tsp of baking powder 1 pack of vanilla sugar 1/2 tsp of lemon extract Mix the vanilla sugar into the sugar. Combine the milk with the water. In a stand mixer use the wire whip. Add the butter and mix it up, add 1 egg and half of the sugar, mix it and add the second egg and the rest of the sugar. Mix it. Add the lemon extract and mix. Divide the flower into 3 portions virtually. add 1/3 of the flour. Put the mixer on low and mix. Add 1/3 of the milk/water mix again. Repeat that with for the second third of the flour and liquid. Mix the baking powde...

The original intent was to make Beef Wellington Ravioli. While cooking I changed my mind. The noodles turned out decent. It was only my 5th time to make noodles myself. I think I will do that more often. The meat Wellington style was good as well. I don't think the recipe for red wine reduction was great. I think it may even be incorrect with some of the measurements. So I am not going to post it. Here is what worked. Noodles: 1 cup and 2tbps of all purpose flower 2 eggs 1tbsp of olive oil. In a bowl mix all of it. Because it was really hard to get a nice dough, I added 1 more tbsp of olive oil and about 4 tbsp of water to it. I could still feel flour pockets, so I did run it a few times through the paster maker. Then I folded them all over, pressed them down, put it into plastic wrap and did set it aside for 30 minutes.. In the mean time fill a big pot with water, season it with salt and bring it to a boil. Meat: beef tenderloin, chop it in small pieces 4 medium mushrooms chopped ...

I am going through my freezer. Time to cook some of it. This weekend a leg of lamb. Parts of it was deboned already. The question was: to smoke or not to smoke. I decided the oven will do it. I had an appointment in the afternoon. I can turn off the oven and continue when I am back. The spice list: 6 cloves of garlic smoked paprika salt pepper oregano 1 lemmon EVOO The cloves go into the meat. One clove got away. So be it. All the other spices get applied generously. I used a turkey pan with a wire structure. That prevents the meat sitting in the bottom of the pan. Add water and 1/2 cup of EVOO into the pan. Roast it at 300F for about 2h. Check with a thermometer what the inner temperature is.  Half way through the roasting process I notices, I forgot the lemon, OK, slices and on top they go When it is ready, remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then cut it. Serve with sides of your choice. For me  this time just a toasted piece of baguette. -Mahlzeit-  

This recipe was posted by Anastasia Thompson in Facebook.  All the unit are for standard European measurements. Many things are sold in 250g per container. Here in the US it is a different story, so I have to adjust things a little bit. My numbers in round brackets. It really pays if one has a scale that speaks oz and grams, The crust 250g of cold butter cut into little chunks. (I was short about 10g) 375g of flower (369 g, it just happened to be this number with the last scoop) 1 egg beaten 1 pinch of salt 150g sugar (140g). I decided to mix the flower with the salt and the sugar. I did cut the butter into small pieces. Slowly but surely I added the flower sugar mixture using a pastry cutter. Eventually I added the egg. At then end all of this ended up on a silicon matt to knead. The dough was 780g, The original recipe recommends to cut it in half. Which I managed to do by eye almost exact.  Line a the bottom of a 24cm spring form with parchment paper. I have some pre-cut for...

A traditional German Gulasch is mainly pork and beef cubes and spices. While stores here general offer  beef stew meat, for pork this is a different story. I decided to got 1 piece of beef and 3 extra thick pork loin pieces. 2 of them were cut into cubes as well as the beef.  Ingredients 1 lbs pork and 1 lbs beef meat, cubed 1 red bell pepper chopped into pieces 1 medium onion coarsly chopped 1 tsp ground allspice salt and pepper to taste 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 can of chopped tomatos 2 slices of bacon chopped into small pieces 2 tsp of margarine or oil 3 bay leaves 3/4 tsp thyme 3-4 cups of water In a pot melt the margarine together with the bacon, add the onions and the red bell pepper. Let the onions get translucent.  Remove all from the pot, but let rendered fat in the pot. Then add the meat and sear it. Depending on the quality of the meat, water may come out. Most of this needs to evaporate during the cooking process. Then add the tomato paste, and stir. Now make sure...

On Friday they had single packed Cornish Hen. Most of the time one has to buy 2. I picked one up.   I took it from the freezer this morning and by 5pm it was defrosted. I did cut the at the breast side, so I can flip the hen open. Seasoning: salt  lime pepper paprika ground chipotle pepper Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil, place the hen on it and into the oven for 45 min at 400F convection. Now I dial on my counter top oven 400F, the thermometer I have place inside, said 350F. Who knows what is right. I think the thermometer is correct, because I only baked bread in there and it didn't turn out that great. In a little bowl, mix 2 tsp of maple sirup and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar. After 45 min, baste the hen, turn the heat to 350F. After another 10 minutes, baste again. After another 10 min turn off the heat and serve. As you can see, I already started to eat ...lol... and then I remembered to take the picture.  -Mahlzeit-

I have not had Kassler in ages. Searching the internet I came across this video:  Home Made Kassler  . The recipe can be found  here . I didn't feel like making to much. At the end of the day, I really don't want to have Kassler for a week. I opted for slices of pork chops. The package had about 1.5lbs. I still decided to use the recipe as is. It could turn out a little bit salty (which it did). Anyways. I marinated the meat for 3 days in the fridge. I think 2 days would be enough as well. Then it was time to prepare my smoker. Now my wood pellet smoker smokes also with low temperatures. Oh well, lot's of smoke it is. The smoker has not seen a lot of action in the past 4 or 5 months. Like a windows computer, it wants to update first....ok.... Now the pork chops go onto the smoker. Eventually I added a thermometer into the meat. Smoke after 2.5h the inner temperature was still 125 F. Time to speed this up a bit. I increased the temperature to 210 and about 40 min later the...

I didn't have a chance to go shopping after work yesterday. I need an easy bread, that works around my work schedule. This one does the trick. The recipe is from the internet, but I cut all in half. 225g bread flour, (all purpose will work as well) 3/4 cup of warm water 1 tsp of rapid dry yeast 1 tsp of kosher salt In a bowl mix the salt, dry yest and flour. Add the water and mix it with a fork or a wooden spoon until there are no flour pockets left. The dough will still be sticky. Cover the bowl air tight. I use cling wrap for this.  All this takes about 5 minutes. Set aside in a warm spot. My warmest spot is my computer room. The warmest spot in the computer room is on a running laptop. The work day can start. About 2.5h later I pre-heat the stove  to 450F with a Dutch Oven including the cover inside. After another 30 minutes it is lunch time. The dough has doubled. I just got myself a silicon baking matt. This makes a lot of things easier and I don't need to mess up the cou...

I bought a box of Tilapia filets this weekend. Time to try some recipes. As a first version, this is what I came up with: 2 Tilapia filets salt and pepper ground paprica juice of half of a lemon zest of 1/2 lemon 2 tsbp butter 1 tbsp olive oil Wash and pad dry the filets. Salt and pepper from both sides. Spingle some ground paprica on both sides. Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the the butter. When it is almost melted add the filets. Turn down the heat to low and cover. After about 5 minutes turn the filets over, add the lemon juice and sprinkle the zest over it. Cover and cook till done about another 5 minutes. Cooking time really depends how thick the filets are. As a side can be rice, potatoes and a veggie or salad. -Mahlzeit-