Monday, September 30, 2013

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.


Sunday, September 29, 2013

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.



 

 



Tuesday, September 24, 2013

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 


Sunday, September 15, 2013

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.




Friday, September 13, 2013

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.




Wednesday, September 11, 2013

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.




Friday, September 6, 2013

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



Monday, September 2, 2013

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?

Sunday, September 1, 2013

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