Schaschlik --- Kebab
Schaschlik is like a Kebab here in the states. You can basically put on that stick what you want.
The cooking part is a bit different though then to the Kebab here in the states.
This is what you need:
- Pork loin
- same thickness beef meat (stew meat works pretty good)
- chicken (optional)
- Liver (optional)
- Thick cut Bacon
- Onions
- Bell Pepper
- Salt, Pepper, Curry, Paprika, Garlic powder, Onion powder
- Beef Broth
- 1/2 cup oil
- Ketchup
This is how you do it:
Cut all ingredients in same size cubes. Use Sticks what would fit in an oven safe pan or regular pan. I still have little issues with this lol. (I found the medium size wooden sticks to be perfect now)
Place the vegetables and the meat on the sticks how you want. I usually place vegetables after every other piece of meat.
Sear them in a pan first before placing them in the sauce. Once their seared, place the Schaschlik sticks in a deep oven pan or a big sauce pan. Season it with salt, pepper, Paprika and Curry. Mix Beef Broth and Ketchup to a 1:1 ratio, enough to slightly cover the meat. Add the oil and cover it with aluminium foil or with the lid.
Cook it in preheated oven 350 Degrees for 60 min or until the meat is soft. In the pan it took me around 90 min..
Remove the sticks but keep the liquid. Adjust the flavor of the sauce with more salt and curry if needed. You want a nice kind of sour taste, not to spicy.
Serve the Schaschlik with the sauce on top and some french fries or just plain bread.
Guten Appetit
Croquettes -- Kroketten
Croquettes are a nice side dish. You might want to compare them with thick Tater Tots, but
with a softer inside. More like Mashed Potatoes with a crust.
They are very delicious and a perfect side dish to sunday roasts or to just Mushrooms with
sauce.
I usually make them ahead of time. when I am bored and I have nothing else to do. I finish
them up, freeze them on the baking sheet and once they are frozen I transfer them into
a freezer bowl or bag. When you need them, just take out the amount you need, spray them
with some cooking oil and place them in the oven. I give them a couple of min at the end with
the Broiler so they get a nice color
This is what you need:
- 500 gr Potatoes (for mashing) pre-cooked in salt water
- 2 Egg yolk
- 20 gr Potato Starch or Corn Starch
- 20 gr. melted unsalted Butter
- salt, Pepper, Nutmeg to taste
This is how you do it:
Best thing is to pre-cook the peeled Potatoes in salt water the night before. Or if you have left over from another dish. They should be cooled.
Mash the Potatoes really fine (through a Potato masher). You can even mash them a second time to get them really nice and smooth.
Seperate the Egg yolk and the Egg white in different bowls. Add the Egg yolks to the Potatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Stir thoroughly to get a smooth dough.
Add a bit of water to the Egg whites and stir good. In a seperate bowl add some plain Breadcrumbs.
Now take some of the dough and form it to a ball. Then roll them between your hands to get little sausages. Lay them on a non stick paper on a baking tray. Finish the dough with forming the Croquettes.
When you are done forming, take one by one and put them in the egg wash first and then roll them in the Breadcrumbs. Use one hand for the wet and one hand for the dry so you don't get messy fingers.
Once you are done, put the baking tray with the Croquettes into the freezer. Once their frozen, you can pack them up or use them right away.
If you use them, just spray a bit cooking oil on them on the baking sheet and bake them in 350 degree oven for around 10-15 min.. If the color is still a bit pale, just turn on the broiler until you get a nice golden color.
Guten Appetit
Bienenstich Kuchen
Bee Sting cake
One of the most popular cakes for germans here in the states. It's traditionally with yeast dough
but for some reason I don't like it that way. There are recipes with regular dough I prefer.
I am sharing with you now the fastest, most delicious and still impressive cake you can do to
impress people.
This is what you need:
- 4 Eggs
- 150 gr Sugar
- 100 gr Flour
- 1 pack to cook vanilla pudding (you can substitude with corn starch and Vanilla aroma)
- 1 Teaspoon backing powder
- 400 ml heavy whip cream
- sliced Almonds
- your favorite honey
- 1 pack of instant Vanilla pudding (preferable the german kind)
You can find this one at Big logs, sometimes Walmart, Commissaries...... Usually when I see it I buy a bulk lol.
This is how you do it:
Add the eggs with the sugar in a bowl (eg Kitchen aid) and whip it on medium to high speed until its light colored and thick-ish. Now add the flour, pudding powder (or the cornstarch with around 1 TBS Vanilla) and 1 TSP Backing powder. Whip until its all combined.
Cover the walls of your round baking form generously with butter so nothing sticks. Preheat your oven to 325 degree and put in the cake for around 15-20 min.. After the 15-20 min remove it and cover the top with sliced almonds and drizzle honey on it generously (also so they stick to the cake). I do that now because I figured that the Almonds with honey are to heavy for the cake dough and sank into the cake. You don't want that to happen. Now put the cake back into the oven for another 10 - 14 min. (a total of 30 min). Make the test with a stick to see if the center is done.
Let the cake completely cool off before you remove it from the form.
I make the filling the day I have my guests coming over so its super fresh. For the filling you simple take the 400 ml heavy whip with the instant vanilla pudding and whip it until stiff peaks form (I usually just carefully turn that dish over and if nothing is moving or floating out, its good )
Now half the cake in the middle and apply all of the cream and put the lid back on (with Almonds up) and decorate it with a bit icing sugar.
Now enjoy your cake with your family and/or guests
Sarmale
Romanian sour Cabbage rolls
Sarmale, or Sarma, or Krautwickel, are a dish you can find everywhere in Europe. There are
some differences in between the Krautwickel (german version) and the Romanian Sarmale.
For example, for Krautwickel you don't "sour" your cabbage. In Romania, in fall, they "pickle" the whole Cabbage heads to make them last longer. That is giving them the typical sour taste. Also, german Krautwickel don't have rice in the filling and are pan fried first and then cooked in a dark gravy. Sarmale aren't pan fried and are cooking in a Tomato sauce, usually with some smoked meat. If you can't find smoked meat, you can use bacon too. But I prefer more like smoked pork hocks or other cuts.
Since this is a popular and traditional dish, I am sure, every family has it a bit different. And, of course, you will have to work with what you can get. Unfortunately I do not have pickled Cabbage heads or can purchase them somewhere. So I do a lil trick to kind off sour them a bit. Not the same, but getting close.
This dish is traditionally eaten at christmas, new years and eastern. But you can eat it in between as well. It is also great to freeze for later use.
What you need:
- 1 head of green cabbage
- 1 lbs of mixed ground meat (pork, beef)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup (100ml) oil for sauteing
- Thyme dry
- Dill and Thyme stacks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 TBSP black pepper corns
- handful 5 min rice
- 2-3 TBSP Tomato Paste
- smoked meat, Bacon for example. Cut in pieces (use the thick cut)
- Sauerkraut (or rest of cooked cabbage)
- Tomato sauce 1 liter or 4 cups
- 1 small can V8 Vegetable juice (yes, thats a little twist right here with "american" products)
- Salt and pepper
This is how you do it:
Boil in a big pot water with salt and Vinegar. Put the cabbage head in it and wait till the first leave is peeling off basically by itself. Once it is peeled off and soft, remove it to a dish. Continue until most leaves of the head are off.
While the cabbage is cooling off, prepare the meat. Saute the onions until their soft, add the garlic to it. Remove from heat. In a big bowl add the ground pork and beef, Rice, cooled sauteed onions, salt, pepper and Dill. Mix well.
Remove the hard stem from the cabbage leaves but make sure not to cut through the whole leave. Depending on the size of your preferred rolls, half the leaves or cut in thirds.
The rest of the cabbage, chop finely into thin sauerkraut like slices.
In a Casserole dish or dutch oven, prepare with a layer of Thyme and Dill stacks (when you don't have, just use some dry version) and some of the cut sauerkraut (or Sauerkraut from a can). On top of this layer start laying out the cabbage rolls. When you have finished one layer, add more Thyme and Dill stacks, cut bacon and more chopped cabbage, 1 Bay leave and the half of the pepper corns. You may add here the rest of the oil you have left after sauteing the onions. This step is not necessary but gives a great flavor.
Add as many layers as you need to finish the meat mixture, continuing that "pattern". Don't forget to put in the "middle layer" the second Bay leave and the rest of the Pepper corns. If you use a big Casserole, it might be just 2 layers. I had a dutch oven, so I had several layers.
Once you are done, finish that layering with chopped Cabbage and smoked meat or Bacon.. Now add 1 liter Tomato sauce and 1 small can of V8. It should cover the cabbage rolls. If not, add a bit water.
Cover with aluminium foil or the lid of the dutch oven and place it in a 400 degrees oven for around 2 hrs.. After the 2 hrs, remove the lid or foil and leave in another 30-35 min..
This dish is traditionally served with sour cream, the smoked meat it was cooked in, the chopped Cabbage and some "Mamaliga" (Polenta)
Pofta mare
Guten Appetit
Lamb
I want to add a quick recipe for all of you, whom are afraid to make Lamb. Lamb is a very strong
flavored meat and, if not cooked right, can get dry very quickly. Then it's almost impossible to eat because it tastes very...... ugh lol.
Here is a very easy and good recipe we like a lot and it works every time. Unless you have a whole
Lamb rack, what you can cook uncovered, this is how you should do. You can play of course with
the herbs.
This is what you need:
- Lamb meat
- salt, pepper, thyme
- Olive Oil
- Lemon juice
- Aluminium foil
This is how you do it:
Cut the Aluminium foil in nice sizes, enough to pack on piece of meat at a time. Salt, pepper and put thyme on each side of the lamb meat. Pour a tiny bit of olive oil and lemon juice onto the foil.
Tip the meat in the liquid and then turn it around and lay it in. Tuck the foil to nice little pouches.
Lay this pouches of meat into a dutch oven or casserole dish. Place that dish in a preheated 300 Fahrenheit oven for 1 1/2 - 3 hrs.. It's going slowly and low heat. If you have thin pieces of meat, check the meat after the 1 1/2 hrs.. It should be done but just had reached that status.
You can serve the meat with rice and Salad or with whatever you like.
Guten Appetit
Duck
Ente
This is what you need:
- 1 Duck
- 1 Apple
- 1 Orange
- 1 Onion
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt, pepper, Majoram
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Stacks of Celery
- 1 Onion
- 300 ml Red Wine
- 500 ml Chicken Broth
This is how you do it:
Clean the duck and tap dry it good. Cut the Apple, Orange, Onion into small dices. Add to a bowl. In this bowl add salt, Pepper, Majoram and fresh Parsley. Mix it well. Fill the Duck with this filling
and close it the Duck with sticks. Rub the skin of the Duck with salt, pepper and Majoram.
In the oven pan add the sliced carrots, Onion and Celery. You may also add the rest of the filling if
you have some left. Fill it up with the wine and the Broth. Place the Duck on a roast on top of the
vegetables.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place in the Duck uncovered and roast it for 1 hrs.. After the hrs
turn the heat down to 325 degrees and let it bake for another 1 1/2 hrs. or until the internal Temp is reached 160 degrees.
Remove the Duck and let it rest a bit. Use the liquid from the fat pan (through a strainer) and
remove some of the fat.
With this fat you may now start the Rue for your sauce. Add the fat in a separete sauce pan and add 2 TBSP of Flour. Now add the liquid and stir it well and simmer until its nice and creamy. Season
it with Salt to taste and maybe a bit Orange juice and wine.
Usually we serve Potato dumplings and Red Cabbage with it. Bread dumplings also work or Tater Tots or Croquettes.
Guten Appetit
Tocana de cartofi
Potato stew
This is a romanian dish. It's simple and good for cold days to fill you up.
This is what you need:
- 1 kg of soft boiling potatos (like you use for mashed potatos) diced
- 1 1/2 l of broth (chicken, beef, vegetable. Doesn't really matter and go after your taste)
- 1 Bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- fresh Parsley, diced
- smoked pork lion or smoked sausage or smoked pork belly
- 50 gr Tomato Paste
- salt, pepper, paprika, Thyme
This is how you do it:
Dice everything. In a big pot heat up some oil. Fry the Onions and the Bell pepper until their soft.
Add the diced Potatoes and fry them for a couple of min with them. Now add the Tomato Paste and
stir well. Fill it up with the broth and season it to your taste. Add the fresh Parsley too.
Let it simmer for 30 min..
Now add the diced meat and let it simmer for another 10 min.. If its not creamy enough from the
Potato's, you may add a slurry of milk and corn starch until its a nice creamy stew.
Serve it with a pickle or enjoy it just like that.
Guten Appetit
