Potato Bread
Lets talk about Bread. I know there is a lot hype about that no-knead bread. I tried it, it didn't
convince me. I am baking bread now for 4 years. I tried all kinds of recipe. It never worked for me.
I want my bread with a nice crust, a fluffy but juicy inside and tasteful. Not to salty, not to bold.
You might have your favorite recipe already. The no-knead bread might work for you. It also
depends where you are living. How the humidity is, how high about sea level you are for the
yeast to rise. Living at the Space Coast in Central Florida, I had to figure out again what works
best for me. Funny thing is though that this recipe here is working in most parts of the world. I have
friends in Germany, Oklahoma baking it regulary and it works every time.
First of all, you have to find the right Flour. Since I am into Organic, I am buying Organic Flour. I like my bread more white so I am using white Flour. In this recipe I am mixing it with this two here:
Then its about the amount. I measure my teaspoons with this one here. The small one (I found them at Ikea). Just to compare with an average american size teaspoon. See the difference? Yes, the small one it is for me. Also, it really helps when you have a kitchen aid or any other kitchen gadget what is doing the kneading part for you. 5 min on the timer and i am doing something else in the meantime.
ok, lets get started. Update: I corrected the amount of yeast and salt above in the recipe. I measured one of those spoons into the regular american measuring spoon. If you are in germany or have, like me, egg spoons, thats the size I was using here. So it would be 3 of the egg spoon yeast, 2 egg spoon salt and 1 egg spoon sugar. If you use the american measure spoons, stay with the recipe above
This is what you need:
- 300 gr white organic unbleached Flour (or Bread Flour)
- 50 gr Organic whole wheat Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Yeast
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 150 ml warm water
- 350 gr cooked and mashed Potatoes (I use Russet. weight them after you cooked them)
- 1 TBSP Oil
This is how you do it:
Mix the Flour with the salt in a bowl. Cook the Potatoes with their skin til their soft, peel and mash them. Let them cool a bit before you add them to the rest. Measure your 150 ml warm water (not to hot or you kill the yeast) and add the 3 teaspoons yeast with the 1 teaspoon sugar (thats to activate the yeast). Let it sit for a couple of min til you see a nice foam.
Once the Potatoes are cooled (they should be really almost cold) and the Yeast is foaming, add everything to the Flour mix and start on the lowest speed to combine it. Now it depends where you live. You might have to add a tiny bit more water or flour. The dough should be sticky but it should form a little ball.
Now speed up to 3-4 and set your timer for 5 min.. That kneading process is necessary to active the Gluten. After the 5 min, turn it off, remove the dough from the hook and form it to a little ball. I add flour around the bottom and the walls of the bowl now so it doesn't stick later to bad. Cover and let it rest for an hrs at a warm spot.
After the hrs it should have doubled its volume. Flour your working surface and remove the dough from the bowl. Add a bit flour on top of the bread but don't work it in!!!! just form it slightly into the shape you want it. Let it rest another 30 min.. In the meantime, heat up your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a Dutch oven inside. The Dutch oven should be really hot when you put the bread in. So heating it up 30 min while the bread is resting a second time is just perfect.
(I got a smaller dutch oven in the meantime and the Bread is turning out even better). After the 30 min, remove the Dutch oven from the stove and throw the Bread inside. Be careful to not burn yourself. Cover it and put it back in the oven for 35 min.. After the 35 min, it might be done just like mine. But if its not, leave it in another 5- 10 min covered
When the Bread is done, remove it from the hot Dutch oven and cool it (best on a cookie cooling rack).
Enjoy your bread. We love it
Guten Appetit
Eggplant Mouse
This Mouse has many names. In arabic countries its called baba ghanoush, in Romania it's called Salade de Vinete (Vinete=Eggplant). I love, love, love this mouse. You can use it as a dip for vegetables or just eat it plain on bread. I need to make it regulary for myself. No one else in my family likes it (yet). So it's all for me me me ;-)
First I am starting with the eggplants. I heat the oven to 500 degrees, put a cookie sheet underneath so its not dripping on the bottom and poke many holes in the Eggplant with a fork. You really want to do this. I forgot it once and what happens is that the Eggplants explode in your oven. That mess you really don't want, trust me lol.
Once the oven is heated up, put them in and turn them around every once in a while. Leave them in til their soft. You will feel it. They also start to drip juice through the poked holes. Then their done. It's taking a while so you have time to prepare the Mayonnaise. And trust me on this one too, you want to make your own. It does make a difference.
Mayonnaise is pretty simple to make. You just need a hand blender and a glass where the hand blender just fits in. It should be narrow enough.
What you need for the Mayonnaise:
- 250 ml (1 cup) good vegetable Oil. I like for this the Mazzola Oil
- 1 whole Egg
- 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard (or german Mustard)
- salt
- Juice from half a Lemon (use the fresh one. It is sooooo much better)
How its made:
It is really super simple. Throw all the ingredients in that narrow Glass and go in with the hand blender. Start at the bottom and move it up to the surface and you will see in a second that the liquid mix is turning into mayonnaise. You may do it one more time, or, like me, try if it had enough salt and Lemon juice and when added, go through with the blender again. DONE. That's it. Told you it was easy. ;-)
Now you look for your Eggplant. Take it out when its done and peel the skin immediately. Use a little knife to cut through the skin and peel it down. Once the skin is removed, cut off the stem. Let it sit in the sink for a bit to cool down and squeeze it so excessive water can release.
Once it's cooled down a bit, put the eggplant along with a shallot in a big blender and blend it well together. It should be really nice smooth (but if you like junks, go for it).
Remove the mouse from the blender in a bowl where you want to keep it. Now add a bit fresh pressed Lemon juice and your home made Mayonnaise.
For 2 Eggplants I use like 3-4 TBSP Mayo. Mix it well. Now try it and add salt if needed. Let it cool in the fridge. The texture will get a bit more dense. It will not stay that liquid. It will be perfect on a slice of bread.
Guten Appetit
Sauerbraten
This is a german dish. Every region does it a bit different. Since I am from Bavaria (Frankonia), I am doing it the Bavarian way. Optional we add Sauce Ginger bread to it. I don't. I am not a big fan of it. The least of the restaurants do it anyway.
First you need to use your 5 P's again. Right, Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance lol.
It this case it means, you need to brine the Beef Roast for at least 3 days ahead.
Buy a nice piece of Beef Roast. Not to fatty but not to lean. I am going after looks for this, not specific for a special piece of cut.
For the Brine you need:
- 1 Liter (4 cups) of water
- 250 ml (1 cup) Vinegar ( I like the apple cider vinegar)
- 2-3 Onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 Carrot, coarsely chopped (or a handful of baby carrots)
- 1/3 Celery root, coarsely chopped (or 2 stalks of Celery if you can't find the root)
- 2 Parsnip, coarsely chopped
- little bit of salt
- 20 black Pepper corns
- 6 cloves
- 2 big Bay leave
- 8 Juniper Berries
- 2 TSP mustard Seed
(You can just half the whole amounts, including the water, if you just have a small beef Roast)
This is how you do:
Bring the whole mixture (without the veggies) up to a short boil. Let it slightly simmer for 1-2 min.. Put the beef roast and the veggies in a big bowl where you can store it in the fridge for 3 days. Now add the HOT liquid over the Roast. It immediately will turn grey. That's fine. That's how you want it. Make sure everything transferred from the cooking pan to the bowl.
Now let it sit outside till its cold enough that you can put it in the fridge. You don't want it to cool to fast. Now with the heat, the whole flavors of the herbs are going into the depth of the meat.
This what you do after the brine:
After the minimum of 3 days, remove the Meat from the brine and dry it good. In a big pot melt some butter. Now sear the roast from all sides hot and fast. It should be nicely medium to dark brown on each side. It smells fantastic already. That's when the pores of the meat close and it prevents of drying out.
The amount of Sauce is now your personal choice. We love a lot sauce. So I am adding at least 3 packs of brown gravy and the requested Liquid. If the recipe says 1 cup of water per Gravy mix and you use 3 packs, use 3 cups of Brine. Just use a strainer to get just the liquid without the bits. I also like to add the carrots to the sauce and cook it with the meat. Let it simmer for around about 90 min. to 2 hrs..
After that time I like to take it out and cut it into slices. It falls apart? Good, that's how you want it. It doesn't? Let it cooked a bit longer cut (around 30 min.)
I know that for this recipe I am actually using some help with the brown gravy. You can make it completely without the help of instant packs. There it requires Tomato Paste, red wine, the veggies from the brine and you blend that all together after cooking to a creamy sauce. But why not use a little bit of help with the brown gravy mix? I mean, come on lol..... ;-)
Traditionally we serve the Sauerbraten with bread dumblings (recipe is already in my blog) and blue Cabbage. (This one I am also buying in the store. Big lots has the german brand I like. The one from Aldi is also not bad. One day I will make my own fresh blue cabbage.)
Guten Appetit
Lasagne
So here is the Lasagne recipe I mentioned at the Sauce Bolognese recipe. Please make sure that at this point you have seen the Sauce Bolognese post and prepared it. I will not repeat the recipe in here.
You need to do a little bit of reading and preparing work lol. Or like they said in the military: the 5 P's: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance lol.
Addens: Ever since I found the Miraculi recipe, I am just pan frying the meat, add a bit salt and Oregano and then a glass of my Miraculi sauce. It doesn't has to cook that long and tastes just as awesome. See my Miraculi recipe for that. I usually make a big can of Tomatoes and with this the double portion and freeze the half in a big glass jar. When I want to make something with the Miraculi Sauce, I just take it out of the Freezer. Even added this Bolognese sauce to straight Spaghetti is Heaven on Earth!!!!
I also started to make for everyone their own portion. So you can add stuff to yours your children don't like for example. Plus no mess on the plate ;-)
OK, thats what you need:
- Sauce Bolognese - see my post for this OR THE MIRACULI recipe
- Sauce Bechamel or white sauce
- oven ready Pasta Lasagne
- shredded Mozzarella (and I added some Pecorino. You can use Parmesan as well)
Sauce Bechamel what you need:
- 1/4 stick of Butter
- 1 1/2 - 2 TBSP Flour
- Milk
- Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg
First you make a Roux. Means, melt the butter and add the Flour and let it simmer for a couple of minutes so the floury taste disappears. Stir constantly.
Then add the milk. You may add as much as needed so its getting a creamy but still liquidey consistence. Let it simmer so the Roux can thicken with the milk. Season it with salt, pepper and fresh nutmeg. At the very end you add a handful of cheese.
Now its time to assemble the Lasagne. I like this oven ready Pasta Lasagne from Barilla. Its thinner, cooks faster and is more tasteful and original then the wavy Lasagne.
In an oven dish, you start with a layer of your Sauce Bolognese, then a little bit of the Bechamel and then Lasagne. Next layer is again Bolognese, Bechamel and now you add a bit of Mozzarella and end it again with Lasagne. Make as much layers as you oven dish lets you but finish with a bit of Bolognese, Bechamel and a good amount of Mozzarella. There I added a bit Pecorino to it.
Now cover the Lasagne with Aluminium foil and put it in the 375 degree preheated oven for 25 min.. After that time, remove the foil and put it in another 5 min. or til the cheese is melted and slightly brown.
Turn the oven off and let the Lasagne rest for 15 min inside the oven.
Guten Appetit
Bolognese Sauce
The secret to the best Bolognese Sauce is: TIME. Yes, it needs to cook 2 1/2 - 3 hrs.. But if you want to make the best Lasagne ever, you need to have the original Sauce Bolognese. And trust me, once you tried it, you will never make it any other way. Its actually pretty easy. It simmers for itself once you have all ingredients combined.
First you start with a "Sofrito". That's the base to basically every Sauce. Its vegetables fried til their soft. You don't want to miss that. That's giving so much flavor.
That's what you need:
- 1 lbs ground meat ( I used 1/3 of ground veal, beef and pork)
- some pork sausage (optional)
- 1 pack of diced Pancetta (You can find that at Target supercenters or Publix)
- 1 cup of red wine ( I used Chianti)
- 1 Onion, diced (or if its a big one, just a half)
- 2-3 Carrots, diced
- 1 stalk Celery, diced
- 1-2 Parsnip, diced
- 2-3 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
- 2 cans whole Tomatoes, broke apart with your hands
- Salt, Pepper
That's how its made:
First, you take the diced onion, carrot, parsnip and celery and put it in a high frying pan with a little bit of Olive oil and fry it til its soft. Doesn't has to be on the highest heat. Go medium so you don't burn them.
Then add the diced Pancetta. Let it fry a bit. Then you add the Garlic. Garlic burns fast so be careful.
Then you add the pork sausage and the ground meat. Now it is important that you fry it good til its nice small crumbly. Let it fry a little bit longer after its brown to get a nice dark brown color.
The red wine is going in now and is bringing down the heat. With this you are releasing all the flavor in the frying pan. Let it simmer til you can't smell the Alcohol no more.
Add a bit salt and pepper. You can season it later more, so be careful. Because its cooking so long, its cooking down a lot of the liquid and the flavors are getting more intense. Now you also add the whole Tomatoes you have broken down with your hands a bit. You want some nice chunks in your sauce.
Now that whole thing is simmering for 2 1/2 - 3 hrs., stirring occasionally.
You can eat the Sauce Bolognese to just Pasta or, like me, as the base for your Lasagne. I will post the recipe to the Lasagne later.
Guten Appetit
