Shrimp with Zucchini

I think I have posted a variation of this before so hang in there. This dish is super easy to make and you'll be done in probably less than 15 minutes. I buy shrimp that are already peeled and deveined, season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. They sauté in a pan with olive oil for about 5 minutes.
While that's happening, I chopped a couple of zucchini and half an onion, threw that into a separate pan with olive oil and minced garlic and after about 5 minutes, I added frozen corn kernels and peas. I seasoned the veggies with salt, pepper and dried thyme and cooked them for a couple more minutes until the frozen veggies defrosted.
Squirt some lemon over the shrimp if you have it and plate it all up and enjoy.

Salmon Melts

In a moment of genius, I came up with these salmon melts (think tuna melts), which are a cinch to make and a delight to eat. I used salmon salad instead of tuna salad since I happened to have salmon on hand, and topped that with dill-flavored Havarti cheese. The mixture went on crackers which were popped under the broiler for a couple of minutes. No longer, trust me. Made that mistake only once.
For the salmon salad, I mixed canned salmon with mayo, diced pickles and onion and some of the pickle juice. No need to add salt since the canned fish is already salty on its own. That along with the pickles.
These are great for entertaining, especially during the holiday season.

Chicken and Couscous

When all else fails, good old chicken is a reliable standby for dinner. In this case, chicken with couscous. You might be busy after work, cleaning, paying bills, working out, washing the kids, washing laundry, or maybe even yourself, but you still have time to cook dinner. No excuses. The meal pictured below took me no more than 15-20 minutes to prepare. No kidding. The couscous is a cinch. Equal parts water or broth/stock to couscous. You boil the water, add some butter and salt, turn off the heat and add the couscous. Cover with a lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, season the chicken (I used thighs) with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté on both sides for about 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Fluff the couscous with a fork and serve with the chicken. Voila, dinner is done. And yes, for once, there is nothing green on the plate. Don't know how I managed to pull that off.

More Peas!

Because I apparently cannot get enough of these green things, I am pairing them with everything. Here they are pictured with chicken schnitzel, a thinly pounded breast or thigh, dunked in seasoned flour and pan fried to golden perfection. Yes, peas are a miracle food, they go with all sorts of crazy things. Especially soup, although if my husband sees another bowl of pureed green mush, he will throw it out the window, I'm sure. He has made threats like that.

Sausage in Everything

Yes, the title is correct. I find myself throwing bits of cut up sausage in everything nowadays. From stews to veggies, bean soup to stir-fries. Because I'm crazy. And because it provides excellent flavor to the base of whatever you are making. Some use bacon, I use sausage. There are many different types and I don't discriminate. It's all good. The picture below shows garlic/feta/spinach sausage alongside greens, which if I remember correctly, consisted of bok choy, peas and onions. An unusual combination I have to admit but hey, it worked and dinner was done in a snap.

Snow Pea Stir-Fry

One of the easiest stir-fry dishes ever is this. Snow peas, zucchini, mushrooms and bacon (or pancetta in my case), chopped into bite-size pieces and sautéed together for 5-10 minutes on medium-high heat. Oil is not necessary since the bacon releases its fat but you do have to get that going first, before all the veggies. Add salt, pepper and maybe a bit of garlic or garlic powder, and bam, dinner is ready.

Orzo with Asparagus

When my cousin was here for a visit, she made pastazotto, which is a spinoff from risotto. Risotto is made with rice and pastazotto, well, you can probably guess, is made with pasta. The pasta used is orzo, which is small in size and shaped like rice. She cooked it slow with onions, white wine and chicken stock, just like regular risotto, then added lots of parmesan. It was delicious.
The next day, we had leftovers, so I sautéed about a cup of chopped asparagus with 1/4 of a cup of pancetta (or bacon) and tossed in the pasta. I added more parmesan because there can never be too much cheese and the whole thing turned into lunch in less than 10 minutes.

Green Beans Bundles

I had the idea to par-boil green beans, meaning cook them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, and then wrap them in prosciutto before sautéing in a pan. Don't think the picture does it justice but they were perfect little bundles even my husband was impressed with. However (of course there has to be a however), I should have thought about how much prosciutto I used. Although they ended up perfectly cooked, due to the large ribbon of meat, they actually ended up kind of salty. At first it was delicious but into the second bundle, I chugged a tall glass of water. So the learning lesson for next time is to cut the prosciutto into one inch strips to avoid salt overload.
The chicken pictured was drumsticks cooked with a sliced onion, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 cup of whole mushrooms, 2 cups of water, salt and pepper and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. They simmered together for about 30-45 minutes and it came out good and was easy as pie.

Roasted Vegetables

Since I talked about roasted pumpkin seeds last time, I figured I'd share a photo of the roasted bell peppers and fennel I made some time ago. Just forgot to post it.
I chopped up the veggies into strips, drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and threw them in the oven. I want to say at 375 degrees, although I might have been feeling dangerous that day and done 425 degrees. Either way, I have done both before and you will get the same result, although at the higher temperature, they will cook faster. I tend to roast veggies for 30 minutes (my default time for pretty much anything) and if they need to cook longer, add on another 10-20 minutes, depending on how many vegetables you have in the pan.
I'm actually quite proud of the picture. It looks like a kaleidoscope of fall colors.

Pumpkin Seeds

It's a short entry this time around, not because I haven't been cooking or eating, there is always plenty of that to go around, but simply because I wanted to share awesome photos of our Halloween pumpkins, which contributed to very nicely roasted pumpkin seeds. It seems there were about a million of them and they are a pain in the butt to eat, so we still have a bunch left. They make great snacks during scary movie night though.
I cleaned and roasted them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or so. When the whole house smells like roasted seeds, you know they are done.

German Wurst

I enjoyed more family from Germany recently and have been craving nothing but German food since then. Actually even before they arrived. So here is one meal I made in the country's honor.

Boiled potatoes - until fork tender and then topped with butter and chopped parsley
Boiled then pan-fried sausages
Sautéed bell peppers and onions - sliced into strips and sautéed with olive oil, salt, dried thyme

The whole thing took about half an hour to put together and I served it with good mustard for the sausages of course. Because you can't eat sausages without mustard in Europe. It's a rule.

Acorn Squash Soup

My co-worker grows vegetables in her garden and was gracious enough to share some of her bounty with me. I have enjoyed delicious tomatoes as well as acorn squash.
The acorn squash (I had 2) was hard to cut through, I actually had to ask my husband for assistance since I’m such a weakling, but the chunks were roasted in the oven for about an hour and a half at 375 degrees until very tender. The smell that fills the house is amazing.
Once done, I let the pieces cool, removed the skin and put them in a soup pot with about 2 cups of chicken stock. The mixture simmered for about 10 minutes after which I poured everything in the food processor and blended it until smooth. I poured everything back in the pot to warm, added salt and before serving, topped it with crispy pancetta. You can always top it with bacon or omit it altogether, although the saltiness paired with the sweetness of the thick soup works well.

Celebrating Birthdays

We have not only come upon the beginning of the holiday season (I know, for me it starts in September), but also the birthday season for my circle of people. We recently celebrated my husband’s birthday with all sorts of goodies, including grilled chicken and steak, deviled eggs, potato salad, macaroni salad, appetizers, caprese salad, cakes, fruit salad and more. I was in charge of appetizers and made way more than was really necessary. Of course, I had no idea everyone would also be preparing enough food for an army. That’s alright though, I didn’t have to cook for the rest of the week and we enjoyed the leftovers every day.
So the apps I made were finger sandwiches with salami/cheese/cucumber, watermelon/tomato/basil skewers drizzled with balsamic glaze and marinated feta/olive/cucumber/mint bites. The feedback was good regarding flavor and they all looked cute. Everything was light and refreshing too so people went back to nibble all through the day. Here are the pictures I remembered to take.

 

 

Flammkuchen - Flatbread Pizza

A grocery store called Trader Joe’s carries this flatbread pizza that originates from Strasbourg, France. It is a very thin layer of dough, topped with caramelized onions, ham and cheese and it is delicious. It is very convenient to pick it up at the store and in 10 minutes of baking, you have a great snack to get you through a movie at home, and I do mean a snack, because it’s too thin to end up as dinner.
I was fortunate to visit a friend a few years ago who lives in Strasbourg and she took us out to dinner for just that thing, called Flammkuchen there. It is actually more of a German term since Strasbourg lies on the border of France and Germany. Anyways, that is their absolute staple thing to show off in that city and the Flammkuchen that came were served straight on the table, rustic style, and cut into huge sections. We all dove in with her entire family who accompanied us. It was delicious.
I have seen a chef on TV make Flammkuchen and it looked super easy. I am tempted to try it even though I have never made my own pizza dough before. Something about making dough scares the hell out of me. If you want the recipe, it is by Laura Calder, which I’m sure you can google or look up on the Cooking Channel website. If I end up making it, I’ll let you know how it goes, but until then, here’s what it’s supposed to look like.

 

 

 

The Trader Joe's kind 

Halloumi Salad

Halloumi is a Greek cheese that is very salty and firm, which is great for cooking. It does not crumble like feta nor does it melt like mozzarella, so when you fry or sauté it in a pan, it just turns a beautiful golden brown. I did just that along with frying some pancetta to make a salad that was filling enough to be dinner. I also made the salad dressing right in the warm pan kind of like the French do it. There is no need to add salt to the dressing or the salad since the cheese, pancetta and mustard in the dressing all add their own saltiness.
If you don’t have pancetta, feel free to use bacon and not sure what a good substitute for halloumi would be. It is very salty and kind of rubbery when you chew it, making a fun squishy sound. I love it. I can find it at my local grocery store nowadays, so you might be able to as well. If not, you can buy it online or simply use feta instead, although I would omit cooking the feta and simply add it fresh.

4 cups lettuce
½ cup diced halloumi cheese
¼ cup diced pancetta
¼ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp mustard
Half a lemon

Serves2

Fry the pancetta over medium heat in a dry nonstick pan until brown but not overly crisp. Remove to a plate and add the halloumi cheese to the pan with the pancetta drippings. Add a little bit of the oil if the pan is too dry. Fry the cheese on all sides over high heat until golden brown, which should be a couple of minutes. Arrange the lettuce in a bowl and toss the fried cheese, pancetta and tomatoes over it. Turn the heat to low and add the oil, mustard and the juice of the lemon. Whisk together for a couple of minutes to emulsify, then drizzle the warm dressing over the salad and toss to combine before serving.

Artichokes & Hearts of Palm Salad

In an effort to eat healthier and consume more fiber, I came up with this recipe featuring artichokes, because apparently they kick butt in that department. I buy a can of cooked artichokes and jarred hearts of palm, so there is no cooking required.
I attempted to make traditional pesto sauce but didn’t have that much basil and used less garlic than normal. I have to say, I don’t usually pat myself on the back, but consider it done. Pat, pat…

1 cup hearts of palm, chopped
1 cup cooked artichokes, chopped
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup basil leaves
1 garlic clove

Serves 2-4

Process the nuts, basil and garlic in a mixer or food processor, drizzle the oil in while it is processing and add the cheese for a final mix/pulse. Combine the hearts of palm, artichokes and tomatoes in a bowl and stir the pesto over it. Mix well before serving. Great for lunch or on the side with some protein for dinner.

Chicken, Bell Pepper & Fennel Stir-Fry

I whipped up this meal in a rush once again, when I had a million things to do plus cook. Isn’t that always the case? I used chicken thighs although you could use chicken breast if you so prefer. I don't tend to like that since it is a bit dry for me and bland as well. Kind of reminds me of turkey, which I'm not a fan of either. But whatever, use what tickles your fancy.

3 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 bell pepper
1 fennel bulb
1 clove garlic
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
black pepper
¼ tsp ground paprika
½ tsp coriander seeds

Serves 2

Cut the chicken into small pieces and sprinkle with a bit of the salt, ground black pepper and paprika. Set aside while you dice the bell pepper and fennel. Heat the oil over medium heat, crush the coriander seeds and add to the oil with the garlic clove. When the garlic and coriander give off their scent and start to brown, remove the garlic and add the chicken. (You could also just crush or chop the garlic and leave it in the dish) Cook for about five minutes, turning on all sides to brown. Add the bell pepper, fennel and the remaining salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture while cooking over high heat for another 5-8 minutes. Move to a serving platter and eat as is or enjoy with a side of rice.

Omelets

It is safe to say that I have been on a creative roll lately and have made omelets that look like all sorts of things. Just this morning, I added goat cheese, pancetta and mushrooms to it and turned it into something resembling crepes. An egg crepe. Doesn’t sound that impressive but it was pretty decent. Can’t really go wrong with those ingredients, no matter what it ends up looking like.
Othertimes I only added pancetta or only goat cheese with dill, whatever was on hand. When making omelets, it’s pretty much clean out your fridge morning. So efficient….
Here’s how I made this one.

Serves 1 or 2, if you are not a greedy bastard

2 eggs
½ cup of sliced mushrooms
¼ cup of diced pancetta
1 chunk (about 2 tablespoons) of goat cheese, crumbled
1 tsp olive oil
Pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the pancetta until it starts releasing its fat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes, until both the mushrooms and pancetta are golden. Scramble the eggs in a bowl and add the salt before adding the mixture to the pan. Swirl the pan around so the eggs are evenly distributed over the cooked mushrooms and pancetta. Add the crumbled goat cheese and cook the omelet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are no longer runny. Fold the omelet in half, or however many pieces you can since it might break, and serve.

What I devoured this morning

 

 

From a couple of days ago - the rolling was fun and looked pretty darn impressive - the inside was full of surprises

Germknoedel

What the heck is that word, you are wondering? It's a German term for yeast dumpling, and boy, is this particular one huge. It's supposed to be the size of the plate, pretty much. One of my favorite things growing up and once again, part of the sweet lunch category that the Austrians depend on. I watched a documentary on a German Alpine village last night (because that's the type of TV that really gets my ball rolling) and at the top of the damn mountain, there was a café or restaurant or hole in the wall place selling, what else? Beer, of course (it was a German mountain after all) and on the menu I saw this yeast dumpling being offered.
When I moved to NYC and had their steamed dumplings in Chinatown, they reminded me of this Austrian one, except the Chinese ones were much smaller and usually savory. This Germknoedel (and it's not pronounced like germs) is boiled then steamed or baked I believe, kind of like bagels are made, so you get a chewy inside and firmer outer layer. The center is filled with plum butter, which is to say plum jam that has been cooked down to a viscous almost cloying consistency. The dough itself is bland in flavor, which explains the central plum butter, but wait. The dumpling is served with warm vanilla sauce and topped with ground poppy seeds. Who the heck invented this behemoth of a thing I should probably research but I'm convinced was a genius.
So, to spare you any more descriptions, I'll just show you pictures instead.

Served in the mountains, just as I saw on TV.

 

 

 

A better angle of the whole meal - note the dumpling drowning in vanilla sauce. There can never be too much.

 

 

The plum butter filling

 

 

Why have one when you can have two? Just kidding, did you see the size of these darn things?

Sweet Noodles

I've been indulging in some sort of creamy parmesan sauce topped with noodles. Yes, I said topped with noodles, since I tend to go a little sauce heavy to the point of declaring it a soup. However, someone brought up sweet noodles in conversation the other day and I thought it would be an appropriate topic to cover here. If you have never heard of sweet noodle dishes, they exist. The Italians even do sweet ravioli, those crazy bastards. However, the Germans are not to be outdone and top their noodles with sugar, fruit compotes and even sweet curd cheese. They invented an entire sweet noodle category and you can have a different dessert noodle every day of the week.
I remember eating them back home but have not made them here yet. Not sure how spaghetti covered with sweet cheese sauce would go over with my husband. Although he has adapted to the role of culinary guinea pig pretty well at this point.
To get your imagination flowing, here are a few pictures of various dessert noodle dishes. Keep in mind that these are not actually eaten for dessert as they are the main attraction, so they would replace your nice big juicy porterhouse steak. Yeah right.

If it looks like sweet lasagna, guess what, it is

 

 

 

This is akin to rice pudding, but made with macaroni

 

 

Both of these pictures are milch nudeln, which means milk noodles - noodles dunked in sweetened milk - the first is topped with vanilla and stewed plums and the second is topped with cinnamon 

 

 

Sausage Rolls

I've been watching a British show called The Inbetweeners, which I highly recommend, but that is besides the point. One of the characters was wolfing down sausage rolls at a high school party, which reminded me of the same ones I devoured after a shopping spree at the Shakespeare Corner Shop (SCS) in San Diego. It is located right next to the aptly named Shakespeare Pub & Grill, which by the way serves awesome shepherd's pie, which is also besides the point. Goodness, I'm getting sidetracked today.
So these darn sausage rolls are akin to pigs in a blanket, except there are no Vienna sausages wrapped up, you know the kind that come in a dingy little can. This is good old real mashed up sausage, baked in puff pastry. I had them fresh out the oven at the SCS and I should have probably assumed that eating half a dozen was enough, but no, I finished the whole damn bag of dozens of salty, oily rolls. I regretted it, for about an hour. After my stomach settled, I dreamily remembered the savory flavor of puffy goodness and salty pork. Or at least I'm assuming it's pork. I know it wasn't chicken. And am pretty sure it wasn't beef. The sensible thing would be to look up recipes on the damn internet and be done with the guessing, but I'd rather go on with my uncertainty.
Pigs in a blanket are easy to make, so I'm assuming these British sausage rolls will also be a cinch. Eventually I'll have to look up the said recipe I guess, just to make sure I don't veer South and create some Mediterranean morsel instead. No doubt I'd feel inclined to sprinkle in some oregano or something like that just for the hell of it.
Since they are small bites, party food really, or an afternoon snack, or hell, even a midnight snack, I wouldn't go through the trouble of thinking of something to serve alongside them. Why ruin a perfectly good thing? To get your imagination and mouth watering, here are pictures of decent looking ones that will put my creations to shame, I'm sure.

 

Wafers

I have been obsessed with wafers since I was little. They are not to be confused with waffles, which I didn’t try until I was in the US. Totally different things.
Wafers are thin sheets of…well, wafers, that are packed tightly together and held in place by all sorts of goodness, such as chocolate, hazelnut spreads, fruity cream fillings and whatever else the marketing and development people think of.
My favorite has to be Knoppers, which is the product name of a little square morsel that I indulge in once in a blue moon when I can find it for sale at the German imports store or when my family brings some during visits. There is also Manner, which is the brand name of a wafer company stemming from my favorite place, Vienna, of course. Their hazelnut flavored wafers are the traditional and most popular, but I also like the lemon and a new favorite, the apricot wafers. How in heaven’s name they were able to create that magic is beyond me. Delicious!
Other brands also produce wafer products, most notably covered in chocolate, which is what most people like, I’m assuming. Most people do enjoy chocolate…. I’ll eat them any way they come my way. I don’t discriminate. All wafers are good wafers.

Yes, it's the best - not too sweet and hits the spot between meals

The new magical flavor, although apricot is good for anything

 

 

 

Chocolate and hazelnut, always a deadly combination

It's the plain old wafer, before it was reinvented

Point Loma Seafood

Took my German family to Point Loma Seafood yesterday, a water-side restaurant in San Diego that serves delicious seafood sandwiches, salads, cocktails and plates. You order at the counter and take your food to eat outside, overlooking the fishing boats. It’s probably my favorite place in San Diego and I find myself gravitating towards it even when I’m not hungry, just when I want to enjoy the atmosphere.
We enjoyed crab and fish sandwiches, served on sourdough bread with tartar sauce. It’s so simple and yet so freaking good. Even the Germans were impressed. I’ve also had their smoked marinaded mussels there, their shrimp sandwich, sushi and clam chowder. They have an extensive menu and sometimes I want to try it all, but end up still going with the old favorite, the crab sandwich. The pictures don’t do it justice but if you are ever in the area, try it out. Even Rachel Ray went there during one of her travel shows. The weekends are packed so I recommend the middle of the week if possible and lunchtime is even better. Enjoy the food, the views and the seals and seagulls awaiting you for an after-meal stroll.

Front view of the restaurant

 

Ordering inside 

 

Enjoying the food outdoors 

 

My favorite spot to sit, eat and even read 

 

Crab sandwich 

 

The smoked fish selection 

 

Followed by the fresh fish selection 

Leberkaese

This is a German word for, well, the translation sounds a bit stupid. Literally translated, it means liver and cheese. But what it actually is, is a sort of meatloaf not in the traditional sense that comes from Austria and is usually sandwiched in a Kaiser roll and always served with mustard. It’s a must. I have been toying with the idea of trying to make this damn meatloaf but it is complicated and requires about three different types of meat. I have the recipe in one of my German cookbooks and have yet to gather the time and courage to attempt it. Since my family has been visiting, my fingers have been itching to try it, given that they have been making food from that region. Maybe I’ll brave it and give it a go in the next couple of weeks, when I have spare time for failed kitchen experiments. In the meantime, here’s what it’s supposed to look like.

Traditional Leberkaese

 

 

Served with the usual roll and mustard - salads typically not included

 

 

If you are real lucky and buy it in Austria, you might find the version with actual cheese pieces embedded in it, which melts when warmed - heavenly!