Showing posts with label foreign delights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foreign delights. Show all posts
Some of the favourite holidays that Todd and I have taken together have been to Germany. I actually lived in Germany for a time when I was a child, and have German ancestry on my mother's side and some on my father's side way, way back. Todd has lived there several times in his lifetime, both as a serving soldier and then as a civilian farm worker. In any case, it is a country which we both enjoy, not the least of which is because of the food!
Since it is October I thought I would cook us a real October-fest meal the other night, of Bavarian Sauerkraut , Bochwurst and boiled potatoes.
My mother's father and his family used to make their own Sauerkraut from scratch and indeed it is a very Nova Scotian Ingredient. We buy it back home in wax cartons, much like milk cartons, with the most famous brand being Tancook (they also make Turnip Kraut which is really good). Here I buy it in the jar, with the above being my favourite band. There is not a lot of liquid in this one, so it hardly needs draining at all. (My sister still makes her own Kraut.)
Mom always cooked a piece or ham or a pig's knuckle in hers and I have cooked pickled pork with mine in the past which is very good, but for today I served the kraut with German Bockwurst, which is really like big fat hotdogs. You don't really need to do anything to them, except to add them in a layer on top of the kraut about 5 or 10 minutes before it is done.
They are already cooked, so basically you are just heating them through. If you were going to cook them with ham, pork or some other raw meats, you would need to add them a lot sooner and perhaps cook the whole mess for a lot longer. Mom used to have hers cooking for the best part of a day, or at least for several hours.
Mom always served hers with mashed potatoes and that is certainly what I have done for the most part. My favourite thing is a pile of mashed potatoes, with a heap of kraut and a knob of butter melted in. Today however I kept to the German tradition of serving it with simple boiled garden potatoes . . . boiled in the skins and then peeled and rolled in some butter, parsley and seasoning.
A good German mustard is also very nice served with this dish. I don't like the really hot one, preferring the medium hot, or even Dijon. (Shhh . . . don't tell the Germans!)
Todd likes his with hot English mustard. He insists that English mustard is the only mustard worth eating. LOL He is such a Brit.
Altogether this went down a real treat. Of course if you were in Bavaria and a drinker you would be washing this down with iced mugs of a good German pilsner beer.
We don't do alcohol as a beverage so I enjoyed mine with a diet coke and Todd with a glass of milk. To each their own!
A nice crusty roll is also great with this or a slice of a good Rye bread. Oh, I do so love the German Brotchen!!
Whenever we have travelled there breakfasts are always served with heaped baskets of fresh Brotchen . . . crusty German bread rolls . . . beautiful and fresh, crisp on the outsides and soft in the middle . . . with plenty of cold butter for spreading . . .
Fresh jams, an assortment of fresh fruit, meusli, yogurt and platters of sliced meats and cheeses. Ohhhh . . . butter cheese . . . that is so good . . .
Heck, now I am wanting to go back to Germany, if only for the breakfasts. Sigh . . .
Yield: 6
Bavarian Sauerkraut
prep time: 10 minscook time: 40 minstotal time: 50 mins
This makes the perfect Octoberfest meal served with some boiled potatoes, German sausages and a good hot mustard!
ingredients:
1 TBS bacon drippings or butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
650g jar of mild wine sauerkraut (about 23 ounces)
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
120ml chicken stock, cooking sherry or boiling water.instructions:
Heat the fat in a medium sized saucepan (with a lid) over medium
low heat. (I use my La Creuset cast iron casserole) Add the onion and
cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent. Drain the
sauerkraut and rinse if necessary. Add to the pot along with the brown
sugar, caraway seeds and diced apple. Add the stock/sherry/water. Stir
well together, then reduce to a really low temperature and cover
tightly. Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until almost all of the liquid has
been absorbed. Serve hot.
low heat. (I use my La Creuset cast iron casserole) Add the onion and
cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent. Drain the
sauerkraut and rinse if necessary. Add to the pot along with the brown
sugar, caraway seeds and diced apple. Add the stock/sherry/water. Stir
well together, then reduce to a really low temperature and cover
tightly. Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until almost all of the liquid has
been absorbed. Serve hot.
serving hot dogs or bochwurst with this, layer them in the pot for the
last 5 to 10 minutes or cook time to heat through. Serve a portion of
sausage with some of the kraut and some boiled potatoes for a genuinely
authentic German Meal.
Created using The Recipes Generator
We both really enjoyed this change of pace . . . October and German food go together like peas and carrots! Guten Appetit! Mahlzeit! Happy Octoberfest!
This dish is quick, easy and delicious. It is such a simple thing and goes very well with stir fries of any kind, and if you add a bit of leftover cooked meat or poulrty can even double as a main course. Mmmm . . . Chicken chow mein. Who doesn't love that!
One of my favourite salads is Tabouleh. I first ate it at a party my brother was having. I fell in love with it . . . it's that beautiful colaberation of flavours . . . lemon, mint, parsley, spring onions, tomatoes . . cucumbers . . . and then the bulgar wheat. It's a perfect combination of flavours and textures! Chewy, crunchy, tart, herby. I love it all!
I can still remember the very first time I had a Cantuccini, or Biscotti as they are also known. I was probably in my early 30's. My ex and I were enjoying a weekend on our own at my ex Sister in Law's condo in Toronto . . . down on Young Street . . . in the midst of what was happening in Toronto.
You know you are living in a nice complex when you have an Italian Coffee Shop on the first floor filled with foreign Italian delights and . . . what was really new to me . . . Barista Coffee!
>
Always the foodie . . . I remember seeing a glass jar on the counter filled with these long, crisp biscuits and I so wanted to taste one. They were very expensive as I recall . . . so it was a real treat when my husband bought one for me.
>
Always the foodie . . . I remember seeing a glass jar on the counter filled with these long, crisp biscuits and I so wanted to taste one. They were very expensive as I recall . . . so it was a real treat when my husband bought one for me.
I sat there and savoured every last crumb . . . crisp and filled with nuts, I thought it was quite wonderful. That started a lifelong love affair for me with these crisp Italian Biscuits!
When my ex boss and her husband went on their yearly trips to Rome . . . they always brought back Italian Cantuccini and Amaretti, Torcetti and Baci . . . I do confess, I would sneak one just so that I could savour an Italian treat.
When my ex boss and her husband went on their yearly trips to Rome . . . they always brought back Italian Cantuccini and Amaretti, Torcetti and Baci . . . I do confess, I would sneak one just so that I could savour an Italian treat.
Naughty me. It is my dream that one day I will be able to visit Italy and savour all it's flavours, but in the meantime, I try to recreate some of them here at home.
I have a whole Board on Pinterest dedicated to Biscotti! Biscotti and Cantuccini are pretty much the same thing. Biscotti (Twice Cooked in English) Cantuccini (Coffee Bread in English)
I have a whole Board on Pinterest dedicated to Biscotti! Biscotti and Cantuccini are pretty much the same thing. Biscotti (Twice Cooked in English) Cantuccini (Coffee Bread in English)
They are crisp dry biscuits, with lovely flavours that are perfect for serving with hot drinks or sweet wines. There are tons of different recipes out there to choose from . . . but I think the ones with almonds are my favourite.
I found this recipe on a German Food Blog called Lykkelig. Her photograph was very beguiling . . . and I loved the combination of spices used in the dough . . . warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves . . .
I found this recipe on a German Food Blog called Lykkelig. Her photograph was very beguiling . . . and I loved the combination of spices used in the dough . . . warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves . . .
I think a bit of orange zest would not go amiss. Next time I will add some.
It was a bit of a risk using a recipe from a foreign language, but the pictures on the blog looked okay.
It was a bit of a risk using a recipe from a foreign language, but the pictures on the blog looked okay.
Between Todd who really speaks quite a lot in German and Google Translate, I was able to make heads and tails of the recipe. They turned out perfect!
Not to mention they smelled just like what I would imagine Heaven to smell like while they were baking!
Not to mention they smelled just like what I would imagine Heaven to smell like while they were baking!
I think I have made a bit of a pig of myself since they came out of the oven and will have to ask Todd to lock them up for the rest of the evening!
I
found this recipe on a german blog and took the trouble to translate
it. Am I ever glad I did! Delicious! These smell heavenly when
baking.
Store in an airtight container.
*Spiced Cantuccini with Almonds*
Makes about 3 dozen
250g of plain flour (1 3/4 cup plus 1 3/4 tsp)
pinch salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 pinches each ground cardamom and ground cloves
1 pinch each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
30g of butter, softened (2 TBS plus 1/4 tsp)
180g caster sugar (15 TBS)
2 medium free range eggs
70g of blanched toasted almonds (scant half cup)
Cream
the sugar and butter together until well blended. Beat in the eggs one
at a time. Sift together the flour, spices, salt and baking powder.
Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing well with a wooden spoon.
Knead in the almonds, then shape into a flat rectangle, about 1 inch
thick. Cover with cling film and chill in the refrigerator for half an
hour.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Cut
the dough rectangle into 4 equal strips. Shape into rounded flat
loaves and place onto the baking tray, leaving plenty of space in
between for spreading. Bake in the heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove
from the oven and allow to cool.
Cut into slices with a
sharp knife, about 1/2 inch in thickness. Place the slices back onto
the baking sheet, cut side down and bake for further 10 to 12 minutes
until crisp.
Prior to moving over here to the UK, I have to admit I had a very limited palate. I was a good cook, everyone said so, and people enjoyed coming to our home for meals, but I wasn't very adventurous when it came to trying new things. I grew up on plastic cheese with a father who only let my mother season things with salt and pepper . . . using any herb or spice at all was to me quite adventurous. I did simple, plain food, but I did it well.
This is a delicious dish I made a while back and am only getting around to showing you now. It's a delicious Greek Stew made with lamb shoulder, tomatoes, wine and a variety of spices. It may not look like much, but it's really fabulous!
Following on from yesterday's post on a Chinese Combo Plate Number Nine, here are the delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls which went along with the Beef and Broccoli which I cooked for us the other day.
If you go to a Chinese Buffet (in Canada at least ) these are the first things to disappear! Followed closely by the won tons and the chicken wings!
I have been making these delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls since the late 1970's, which reminds me of a really funny story about them.
I have been making these delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls since the late 1970's, which reminds me of a really funny story about them.
Haha funny, not the other kind. My ex used to love these chicken balls and I often made them for him.
We had an electric deep fat fryer which I used to cook them in, and I used to use a paper grocery sack to shake them in and get rid of any excess fat when they were done.
We had an electric deep fat fryer which I used to cook them in, and I used to use a paper grocery sack to shake them in and get rid of any excess fat when they were done.
One night I was making some of these for a snack. When you are in your early 20's you can eat almost anything for a snack without gaining weight. Well we could at any rate.
We often made a pizza or a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese as a snack in the evening. We would eat it all and then go to bed without any indigestion keeping us up all night.
Imagine that!
Back to the chicken balls.
Back to the chicken balls.
I had just shook them in the paper sack when the young lad from a couple of doors down came in. We used to organize teen dances with him for charity, so he often came over to talk to my husband.
I can remember him standing in the kitchen talking to my ex and knocking the ashes off the end of his cigarette into the paper sack holding the chicken balls. Of course I was so shy and hesitant in those days I didn't have the courage to tell him what he was doing.
So my ex did not get his chicken balls that night at any rate!
This was the same young lad whom my husband caught sitting in our car in our garage necking with his girl friend one night as well.
This was the same young lad whom my husband caught sitting in our car in our garage necking with his girl friend one night as well.
You know those days . . . nobody locked anything. We were not afraid of being robbed or stabbed in our sleep . . . we were so trusting.
Now . . . again . . . back to the chicken balls.
These might look like they are a lot of work, but really they are not.
These might look like they are a lot of work, but really they are not.
There is a simple sauce that you can make well ahead of time if you wish.
Then there is a simple batter that you just mix your chicken breast chunks in.
It's quite a thick batter, and it may not look like it's going to do anything, but trust me, once those balls hit the hot fat it balloons out and you end up with lovely crisp coated little bites of chicken.
It's quite a thick batter, and it may not look like it's going to do anything, but trust me, once those balls hit the hot fat it balloons out and you end up with lovely crisp coated little bites of chicken.
Each crisp batter balloon contains moist little nuggets of chicken breast.
The batter is light, fluffy and delicious. Oh, so yummy.
This sauce is perfect . . . with just the right balance of sweet and sour and a nice colour.
This sauce is perfect . . . with just the right balance of sweet and sour and a nice colour.
It would go well with won tons and other things also . . . dumplings, spring rolls, etc.
It's just a really nice sauce. I think you will like it.
The two together are just gorgeous, and when you combine these with that lovely Chinese Beef and Broccoli which I showed you yesterday . . .
The two together are just gorgeous, and when you combine these with that lovely Chinese Beef and Broccoli which I showed you yesterday . . .
Well, you have a fabulous meal indeed! Inexpensive and easy to make and one which is a real family pleaser.
*Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This may seem a bit convuluted and lengthy, but if you are organized, it happens quite quickly and it worth every ounce of effort. These are as good as any you might find in a restaurant. You can make the sauce the day before and just reheat it when you need it.
For the sauce:This may seem a bit convuluted and lengthy, but if you are organized, it happens quite quickly and it worth every ounce of effort. These are as good as any you might find in a restaurant. You can make the sauce the day before and just reheat it when you need it.
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
You will also need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
oil for frying
To
make the sauce, whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar and both
sugars in a saucepan. Whisk together the water/juice and the corn
flour until well blended. Whisk this vigorously into the ketchup
mixture. Place over medium high heat and cook, whisking constantly
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Cook for several minutes, then
set aside and keep warm. If you are making it the day before or
earlier in the day, pour it into a sealable container and refrigerate.
Reheat gently when you are ready to serve.
Combine
the flour and corn flour for the chicken balls in a bowl, along with the
baking powder, soda, seasoning salt, garlic powder and sugar. Whisk
in the water to make a thick batter, whisking vigorously. You want a
thick batter which will cling to the pieces of chicken, but you don't
want it too thick., it should flow somewhat. If you need to you may
add a little bit more water at a time to get the right consistency. It
should be like extra tacky glue. Add the chicken pieces, stirring them
in with your hand and making sure that all are well coated with the
mixture.
Heat about 4 inches of oil in a large heavy
saucepan or a deep fat fryer, to 190*C/375*F. Carefully add the coated
chicken pieces a few at a time (I add about 12) and fry them in the hot
oil, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown, about 4 to 5
minutes. If they are browning quicker than that your oil is too hot.
Scoop them out onto some kitchen paper toweling and keep warm while you
cook the rest.
For the egg fried rice, I simply followed this recipe, leaving out the pineapple and the chicken.
Serve immediately with the warm sweet and sour sauce. For the egg fried rice, I simply followed this recipe, leaving out the pineapple and the chicken.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
I wouldn't like to call myself predictable, but I guess there are some choices which I
We're usually starving when we get home from church on Sundays. If I've been smart I will have gotten up early enough to get something into the slow cooker, but if I haven't we have to resort to whatever I can come up with at short notice, because . . . we are absolutely famished by that time!
As you probably know by now we like to feed the missionaries from our church once a month. As we have two sets here, that is two missionary dinners a month. I love feeding the missionaries, and always try to cook them something that they might be missing from home. I figure they get enough roast dinners . . .
Today as they are two Utah boys, I decided to make them a Mexican meal. Enchiladas. I love enchiladas. I've been making them since my kids were growing up, from an old recipe that I found in a Sunset Cookbook. It was simple and didn't require anything fancy or out of the ordinary. Today I thought I would stretch my wings a little bit and do something a tad bit different.
I found a recipe on Buns In My Oven which looked nice for Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas. It looked pretty good. I had to improvise a bit as we don't get the canned green chilies over here, but it all worked out. I just used fresh green chilies, which I trimmed, de-seeded and chopped fine. (Wear gloves and don't rub your eyes!)
I liked that it had corn in the filling and a rich mixture of cream cheese and sour cream, which would help to cut the spiciness of the enchilada sauce. I am not sure if the enchilada sauce over here is the same as the enchilada sauce in America or not, but the one over here is really spicy!
They turned out pretty nice. Todd didn't complain too much and the younguns loved them. I served them with Mexican rice and a salad on the side, plus bowls of extra spring onions, sour cream and sliced black olives. They aren't quite as tasty as the ones I made the whole time my kiddos were growing up, but they were well received.
*Creamy Chicken Enchiladas*
Serves 4 (hearty eaters!)
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