Mahlzeit - Food without Borders

I bought last week a few more things, thinking I can cook more meals and freeze them. Life had a different plan. I ended up with 1/2 celery root, leaks, plenty of tomatoes, red peppers. The original idea was to make Letscho . This is a pepper based with tomato dish, that can be a side dish or a sauce.   What my fridge had in mind: Veggies: 1/2 celery root 3 stalks of leeks 6 tomatoes 2 red peppers 1 large onion 3 stalks of regular celery Other things 3 tbsp of olive oil 4 cups water 3.5 tsp of Knorr chicken bullion 4 cups of tomato juice 1/2 tsp thyme 1 tsp of ground cumin 1 tsp dried smoked paprika 1/2 tsp of curry 1 pack of turkey sausage (optional) Clean and cut all the veggies into almost  equal pices. Slice the sausage into thin slices, but keep them seperate.  In a large pot add the olive oil and heat it up over medium heat. Add the onions. when it starts to get translucent add all the celery. Keep them over medium heat. Stir every now and then. After another 1...

Growing up we had a green house at home to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. During high season we had a lot of cucumbers. Of course a lot of them got canned. Many ended up in salads and then for lunch we braised them. This is a nice vegetarian version. If the cucumbers have a lot of seeds, you may want to remove them. Mine were seedless... or what the industry calls seedless...lol...  Here we go:  Peel the cucumber and cut them into 4 pieces. This is just to make the cucumber easier to handle. Then cut the 2 pieces along the long side and cut it into small pieces about 5mm wide. We also need  1/2 of a medium onion (chopped) olive oil ( it depends on how much cucumber you used. For me I used about 5-6 tbsp. ok, I didn't measure). 2 heaping spoons of creme fraiche or sour cream fresh chopped dill (frozen dill can be used as well) salt and pepper to taste In a pan heat the olive oil add the onions and let them get translucent. Then add the cucumber pieces, salt and pepper to tas...

My grandma made great pierogies. I loved her blueberry version. I will make them some time, when the blueberries in my backyard are ripe. For now I am going for the potato/cheese/sour cream version. The idea for the recipe comes from  Nagi . Now I don't need to feed many people. So I am cutting things down and changing the process. There are several components that come together at the end. Potato cheese mixture (part 1): Peel about 6 potatoes, cut them, and cook until done. When they are still fairly hot, put them through a potato ricer. (I got myself one a few years back, as I also like to make German potato dumplings, and for those I would need that.) Spread the potatoes on a flat board or plate and let it cool down. When they are room temperature, cover tight with cling wrap and into the fridge they go. I did that yesterday. The next day (part 2): Put the potatoes in a bowl, add some salt and pepper, 2 tbsp of melted butter, and some cheese. I used a mix of smoked gouda and par...

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...

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...

This is one of my favorite refreshing salads in the winter.  For all the fruits, it pays to use fresh and ripe fruits. 1 big handful mixed spring greens 3/4 cup of chopped pinapples 3/4 cup of  chopped water melon 1 pomegranade 1/4 of an onion finely chopped 2 tomatoes 5 fresh basil leaves finely cut  The dressing is easy 5 tbsp maple sirup juice of 1 fresh lime salt and pepper Cut everything up and mix in a bowl. I should sit for about 1 hour so the flavors can all mingle. With a slice of bread and butter it makes a meal by itself. It is also a great addition to any other full meal. -Mahlzeit-

I love lentils. It is time to have  another variation. We need 2 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces (leave out for a vegetarian version) 1 cup of brown lentils, washed and picked through 1 cup of brussel sprouts, cleaned and cut in half 1/2 cup of Celery 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into equal size slices 1 medium onion chopped 2 tbsp of olive oil (use 3 tbsp if no bacon is used) 1 cup of mushrooms sliced 1 pack of Wieners (leave out for the vegetarian version 1 cup of cooked potatoes (left overs from yesterday is just fine) 5 cups of water 4 tsp of Knorr Tomato bullion 1.5 tsp of ground all spice 3/4 tsp of dried thyme 4 bay leaves I get my lentils at Indian grocery stores. They usually cook in 30 minutes without soaking. In a Dutch Oven, render the fat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots and Celery, cook for about 5 minutes. Add the Brussel sprouts, lentils, water, Tomato bullion and the spices. Cover and bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it s...

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-  

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 was at a Whole Foods market on Saturday. Aside from some meat I also picked up a  pack of different mushroom and some baby Portobello.     The dumplings  8 oz of stale white bread, rolls or slices, cut into small pieces about the size of your thumb nail 2 eggs 2/3 cup of milk 1 onion finely chopped hand full of parsley chopped 2 tbsp butter Salt and pepper a bit of nutmeg breadcrumbs (no Panko) Put the bread into a bowl. In a frying pan, melt the butter,  add the onion and when it starts to get translucent add the parsley. When it is all translucent, turn off the heat. Heat up the milk, check the temperatur with the finger. It should not burn you finger, but be nice and comfy warm. Add the onions and the milk to the bread and mix it. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes. In the mean time bring a big pot with water and salt to a boil.  After 15 minutes, beat the eggs and add them to the bread mix and mix it in. If it is to soft, add some bread crumbs. If it...

The plan for this weekend was to make Ravoli with a Ricotta Spinach filling. Neither one actually materialized. I made fresh pasta and wanted to use my new engraved rolling pins to put texture on the outside. This did not work out at all. The pasta is just to thin to take any shapes from the rolling pin. Ok, this will become Fettucini and a tomato spinach sauce with cheese.  I like to  flavor my noodles. Aside from the usual ingredients, they always get some spice added, that I think could work with what I want. Noodles (feeds 2 people and is my base recipe) 1/2 cup of sifted All Purpose Flow 1 Egg 1/2 tsp of salt 1 tbsp milk To get the flavor I added 1/4 tsp of ground smoked Chipotle pepper. One can add more depending on how spicy things should get. I found a small jar of tomato basil sauce in my pantry. I took half of the fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped and into a frying pan the sauce and the spinach went. This got heated up over a slow heat and cooked for about 5 minutes....

It has been years since it had potato salad. There are so many recipes on the internet. This is mine. I use Yukon Gold potatoes. Per person count 2 medium potatoes. Cook them unpeeled until tender but not falling appart. Drain them and let them cool down and into the fridge they go. The dressing (for 6 potatoes): 1/3 cup of mayo 2 tbsp of white vinegar 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped onion 1 tbsp Dijon mustard salt and pepper   hand full of fresh or frozen parsley chopped Optional some chopped hard boiled eggs or pickles.   In a bowl, mix all the dressing components. This bowl gets a cover and ends up in the fridge as well. The next morning slice the potatoes into about 5mm thick slices, add the dressing, mix and back into the fridge. 1.5h before meal time remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Serve with eggs or sausage and a side salad. I heat up Eckrich Turkey Sausages in water for this. The taste is close to what I know as a Wiener. -Mahlzeit- ...

It is fall now and time to do some fall recipes. I decided to make a butternut squash potato soup. I need 1 lbs of cubed butternut squash 1 large sweet potato 2 medium yellow potatos Cook all of them the until tender.  Cook 4 cups of chicken or veggie soup. I was lazy and just used pre-made chicken bullion dissolved in boiling water.  In one of the pots used to cook potatoes, add all the other potatos and the butternut squash and bland with a handmixer until the desired consistency is reached. Add 1/2 cup of  heavy creme. Spice with nutmeg, salt and pepper,  dried coriander, curry and tumeric. Garnish with fresh basil or coriander a slice of garlic bread. -Mahlzeit-          

Something I came up with when sitting in a waiting room. My fridge had some mushrooms and tofu. I always have onions at home. In my freezer there were several bags of frozen veggies. A soup sounded good.  The quantities really don't matter here except the ratio of water to better then bouillon beef flavor. Tofu Cut the tofu into bite size pieces. I like extra firm tofu, so I can fry it without breaking apart. In a frying pan, melt some margarine. Add the tofu and season with Old Bay seasoning to your liking. Let it get a bit cross on the outside. I like my soup with vermicelli rice noodles.They can be cooked in parallel Soup In a soup pot, melt 2 tsbp of margarine, add 1 chopped onion, cook until the onions get translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and get them half way cooked. Add 4 cups of water and 4 tsp of better then bouillon beef flavor. I decided the other veggies were frozen artichokes. Add them into the soup pot as well. Cover and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and s...

White Asparagus is very popular in Germany. It is very had to get here. White Asparagus is good for about 2 max 3 days, then all the crunch is gone. When it can be bend, it is good for the compost. Confession, I cheated here with the sauce. I used a package and followed the instructions there. Now cook potatoes to your liking. Peal the asparagus with a potato peeler. Cut off the bottom ends. In a pott add some water and salt, and lay the asparagus down flat. Layer are not a good idea. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer and cook until tender. I use a knife to check.Generally it takes about 15-20 minutes. Serve with potatoes and sauce Hollandaise. -Mahlzeit-  

There were plenty of mushrooms in the fridge, a bag of white mushrooms and 1/2 bag of shitake mushrooms.  shitake mushrooms cleaned and sliced. I discard the stems, they are usually a bit wooden white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 cup of sour creme 1/2 cup of cut Chinese chives 1 tbsp margarine 1/4 tsp Old Bay spice 1/4 tsp ground allspice 1 medium onion chopped salt and pepper to taste  In a frying pan with a high rim, melt the margarine and add the onions and the chives. Over medium heat get them translucent. Then add all the mushrooms. And cook them until done. I tend to add some water, cover the pan and after 5-7 minutes I remove the cover, add the Old Bay and ground Allspice and keep cooking. Add the garlic and keep cooking. When all the liquid is evaporated add the sour creme. Keep cooking until it is heated up. Serve with noodles and some cheese. -Mahlzeit-    

My fridge had 1/4 water melon sitting around. And there was some feta cheese left. Somewhere back in the back of my mind I seemed to remember they do go nice together and indeed they do. Melon together with mint is a winner as well. There is my simple salad. 1/4 melon chopped into bite size pieces 1/2 cup of chopped or crumbled feta 1 handful of fresh mint (frozen works as well)   salt and pepper to taste Dressing 2 tsp pomegranate molasses juice of 1 medium lime  Mix all of this in bowl, stir and let it marinate for 1h in the fridge. -Mahlzeit-

This salad gives a little taste of spring. On Saturday I picked up a small bag of mixed greens and a water melon.  In a bowl mix 2 cups of mixed greens 2 cups of chopped into bite size chunks water melon 2 tomatoes, cut into a cubes 1 small cumber chopped 6 mushrooms sliced 1/2 onion slices into small pieces 1/2 cup of fresh mint (frozen works as well) salt and pepper to taste For the vinaigrette juice of 1 lime 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp of pomegranate molasses  (honey or maple syrup will work as well) Mix all of this in a in a big bowl and put into the fridge for 1 hour. I like my salads cold. Serve with a fresh slice of bread or a warm dinner roll with butter. -Mahlzeit-

It was time to make something vegetarian, well sort off.  We need: 1 bunch of kale, cleaned, chopped into smaller pieces 1 large onion coarsely chopped 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 1/2 a white cabbage chopped 6 potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces 12 cups of water 1/2 tsp of thyme 1 tsp ground allspice 6 tsp of Knorr Chicken Bullion 1/2 tsp of mushroom umami 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning 1/2 tsp Mrs Dash Salt free original seasoning veggie oil In a big stock pot add some veggie oil and the onions. Under medium heat let them get translucent. Then add all the veggies, the water and spices, stir an cover. Let it all come to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer. Stir every now and then. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender to your liking.  Well, I added some German Wieners to the mix to heat them up. 😊 -Mahlzeit-