Obatzda
Obatzda is a common thing in the south region of Germany. Mostly Bavaria. It's a Brie cheese
mix we serve with fresh bread or Pretzles.
This is what you need:
- 1 pack of your favorite Brie cheese. Room temperature
- 40 gr soften Butter
- 1 small onion (sweet onion)
- 1 TSP Paprika
This is how you do it:
You will need a food processor for this. That would be the easiest way. You basically just throw
all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse it till its nice and smooth.
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Bavarian Sausage
Making your own sausage is a challenge itself. First, I had to find the casings. I did, at Bass Pro Shop. Then, I had to have a sausage attachment for the Kitchen Aid. I did, at Amazon.
Then I had to have the guts to actually do it. Well, I skyped with my Mom in Germany and she
told me, that she made her own sausage. I was like, no way. She never did that before and it
can't be that she did it before me. So, challenge accepted.
This is what you need:
- ground pork (it depends on how much you want to make. I used 1/2 lbs)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Marjoram
- maybe a little bit of paprika
This is how you do it:
Combine the meat with the spices well.
Wash and water the casings very good.
Put the casings on the sausage attachment and slowly let the meat get into the casings. I did
it sausage by sausage. I kept the meat tray so I could freeze some of the sausage.
Then just fry it like regular Brats. Once you figured out how to make your own sausage, you
probably won't by the store ones no more. You can spice them with whatever you want. Garlic, rice
and paprika are a very common mix.
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Chili con carne
In Germany, Chili con carne is a bit different made then here. We like to add corn, but you
don't have to put it in. You can also put little pieces of tomatoes in it if you like. We also have
and Instant product named Maggie Fix for Chili con carne. I personally like that a lot because
it is not to spicy and its made quick. Now I found that online page where someone is experimenting
so long till they found the same taste as the fix product. I really do love this page. Now I am
basically just converting it into english and understandable for non-german speakers.
This is what you need:
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 2 cans of Kidney beans, drained and washed
- 1 can corn, drained and washed
- 1 onion (or 1/2 if its a big one)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 4 TBSP (or one small can) Tomato Paste
- 800 ml ( a little bit more then 1 can) crushed Tomatoes
- 200 ml strong veggie broth
- Salt, Pepper
Spice mix (you can prepare ahead):
- 1 TSP (or more if you like it more spicy) Chili powder
- 4 big TBSP mild Paprika (hungarian one is the best)
- 1/2 TSP smoked Paprika
- 1 TSP Thyme
- 2 TSP Oregano
- 1 TSP Careway Seeds
1 TSP ground ginger
- 2 TSP sugar
This is how you do it:
First, dice the onion and fry it in a bit oil til its softened (not to high heat, you don't wanna burn it). Then add the ground beef and fry it crumbly. Then add the minced garlic and Tomato paste and let
it fry for a min or 2.
Then you add the crushed Tomatoes and the veggie broth. Stir and combine everything thoroughly. Next you add the drained Kidney beans and the corn. At the very last you add the spice mix and salt
and pepper to taste.
You can eat it right away or, like every good tomato sauce, cook it a bit longer. I like to serve it with
either french bread or garlic bread. Garnish with a spoon of sour cream. You can also put the Chili powder on the table for the ones who want it a little bit more spicy then you ;-)
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Dry Rub for ribs Sony's Style
My daughter and I love, love, love the Sony's Dry rub smoked Ribs. I found this dry rub mix and modified it a bit so I think its getting to the original pretty close. Try it out and let me know what you
think. I usually make a lot more of the mix, put them in cute little glasses and hand them out to friends or strangers as a little gift.
This is what you need:
- 1/4 cup smoked Paprika
- 1 TBSP Onion Powder
- 2 TSP Oregano
- 2 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1/2 TSP Cumin
- 1/4 TSP Cayenne
- Salt (or smoked Viking Salt) and Pepper
This is how you do it:
Oil the meat good. Rub the mix into the ribs. Let sit for around 15-30 min.. Then put it in the preheated oven, covered with aluminium foil at 400 degrees for around 40-45 min..
Uncover and let sit for another 5-10 min.. If you have a smoker, you can smoke them now. They will be even more authentic Sony's
We love it with Garlic bread and a fresh Tomato Salad
For the Chicken drums just put them in the oven for around 30 min or until done. Use your
favorite BBQ Sauce, heat it up in a pan and add the chicken wings to it.
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European Style Cole Slaw
The european Cole Slaw (Krautsalat) is different then to the american version. I am not a big
fan of the heavy american Cole slaw. I like the fresher and lighter version better. Plus, it
can get stored in the fridge for months.
This is what you need:
- 1 green cabbage, cut with the cucumber slicer so you get thin slices
- 1 cup Water
- 6-10 TBSP Vinegar (depends on which one you are using. Apple cider is stronger then white wine)
- Vegetable Bullion
- 4 TBSP Oil
- Salt, Pepper, Sugar
This is how you do it:
Put all the ingredients in a pot and heat it up til cooking. Pour it over the shredded cabbage
and let it sit for a sec.. Then, best with gloves so you don't burn yourself, kneed the cabbage
so it's getting nice and soft.
Now just put a lid on and let it sit and rest.
This cabbage tastes fantastic with Greek dishes, in the Doener Kebab sandwich or with
certain german dishes. (Mostly used cold with a mix of Lettuce greens)
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Lo Mein
We like the fried noodles. Also a great possibility to eat fresh vegetables. And a great use of left
over chicken. Since we don't eat spicy at all, this one is great for us.
This is what you need:
- Chicken breast (cooked in salt water) or left over Rotasserie chicken.
- for 2 people: good 2 handful Philippine Noodles (Asia Stores have them)
- Sesame Oil
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- handful of spring onions
- handful of length sliced carrots
- half a leek, sliced as the carrots
- Soy Sauce
- handful of Soy beans
This is how you do it:
If you use the chicken breasts, you cook them in salt water for at least 10 min.. Then slice them in
mouth size pieces.
Soak the Philippine noodles in hot water in a Bowl for app. 10 min. Drain.
In a wok, heat 1 TBSP of Sesame Oil and fry the 2 beaten eggs. Then add the green onions,
Carrots and Leeks and let it fry for a couple of min.. Add the chicken and the noodles and stir
well. Now you add the Soy beans and soy sauce to taste. Round this up with a TBSP of Sesame Oil
and stir well.
We even tried it with sweet and sour chicken once instead of the chicken in the Lo Mein. You can
supstitude the chicken with fish or even completely without any meat.
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Romanian Apple cake
Prajitura cu mere
This is an apple cake I had in Romania. I loved that you can basically take it in your hand
without a mess and eat as you go. Also, it is not super sweet, juice even though you squeeze
out most of the juice. Something small for in between.
This is what you need:
- 500 gr. Flour (around 4 cups)
- 250 gr soften Butter (around 2 sticks)
- 3 Eggs
- 5 TBSP Sugar
- pinch of salt
- 14 gr Vanilla sugar (or 1 TBSP Vanilla extract)
- 1 pack (14 gr) Baking powder (around 1/2 TSP)
- 6-7 big apples
- sugar and cinnamon
This is how you do it:
Put in a big bowl together the Flour, eggs, butter, sugar, salt, Vanilla and baking powder and kneed
with your hands (I used disposable gloves so it doesn't stick to the fingers) till you have a smooth dough. Let it rest in the fridge.
Peel the apples and remove the seeds. Then shredder them over a cheese cloth and a big bowl.
Wring them out good in the cheese cloth. (The apple juice you can drink and its very delicious).
Add some sugar and cinnamon to the shredded and dry apple and mix it good.
On a baking sheet place some non stick cover. Take half of the dough and a cling wrap to roll it
thin the size of the baking sheet. Then apply the apples over the whole dough.
Take the 2nd piece of dough, place it on the same size baking sheet and lay it on a piece of cling wrap. Then take another piece of cling wrap to roll the dough thinly the size of the sheet again.
You will see that it's nearly impossible to roll the dough without the cling wrap and how easy it is
with it.
Now just lay the layer of dough over the apples as a top. Sprinkle some sugar over it and bake it
in a preheated 305 degrees oven for around 40 min till its golden brown.
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Pofta buna
