Category Archives: tastes

Beilagen, pic, rec, savoury, vegetarians

green lentil dāl with spinach

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we had indian food tonight, consisting of green lentil dāl with spinach, bombay curry with tomatoes and coconut milk,  carrot raita, rice and naan bread.  bread, curry and raita were made with recipes from the grosses buch der asiatischen kueche (but i found similar versions on the internet 1,2,3). the bread started as a disaster, as i made only half the amount of the recipe, but added the full amount of liquid to the batter. with a lot more flour and two tablespoons i was able to shape bread-like things on the baking tray, and in the end they were not half bad.

the dāl was made like this: cook 130 g green lentils for about 30 minutes until they are done. in a large pan heat 1 tbsp clarified butter (or use ghee which i did not have), add 1tbsp grated ginger, 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes and 1.5 bay leaves and stir for a few seconds. add 200g spinach (i used frozen spinach) and 1/2 tsp coriander and cook for 5-10 minutes. add the lentils and 1tsp salt (optionally a bit water), cover the pot and let it simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. season with 2 tbsp lemon juice and black pepper. i also added 1 tbsp crème fraîche.

Brote, pic, rec, savoury, vegans

rosemary focaccia

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rosemary focaccia

if i only had known before how easy it is to make great italian bread! after the ciabatta a few weeks ago i tried focaccia today. the recipe was compiled after checking here and and once again at delicious days: dissolve 20g fresh yeast in 250ml lukewarm water, add a knife tip of sugar. mix 275g flour (type 550) with 1tbsp rosemary and 1tsp ground sea salt. add half of the flour-mix and 1tbsp olive oil to the yeast-water-mix and stir for 2 minutes. add the remaining flour and stir again for 4 minutes, it’s ok if it is quite sticky. about the rising: it is important to give the dough enough time, like up to 24 hours, preferably in the fridge. i let it rise on the counter for about an hour (that is: i forgot it there), by that time the dough had already almost doubled its volume. then i put it in the fridge for 6 hours. 2 hours before baking time i let it warm up in the living room (at 21°).  the finish: pour the dough on a baking tray lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. try not to destroy the bubbles. use oiled fingertips to bring the dough in shape, you may also want to punch a few holes in it to make for the authentic look. mix 1tsp of coarse sea salt with 1tsp of rosemary and sprinkle on top of the foccacia. bake at 210° (or higher, but my oven is very hot…) for 15-20 minutes.

yes, this is really delicious. but what was the first reaction from my fellow eater? “i thought you were going to make it with olives!” and after like five slices “hm. i’m thinking the whole time how it would taste with olives…”. well, you are welcome to give it a try. here is the recipe.

pic, rec, Salate, savoury, vegetarians

salad with celery, carrots and nuts

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this is another relatively elaborate – but oh so delicious – salad. and if you like a salad that represents a complete meal, this is definitely the way to go. cut 3 celery stacks in small pieces, grate 2 carrots, grate about 60g parmesan and mix together. add 3 tbsp toasted sun flower seeds, 3 tbsp raisins and 2 tbsp chopped cashews. prepare a dressing from 3 tbsp lemon juice, 5 tbsp sun flower oil, 1 tbsp runny honey, salt and black pepper. toss over the salad and let it stand for at least 30 minutes. meanwhile make croûtons from 2-3 slices bread, or buns – whatever you have at hand.  mix the croûtons and some fresh cress with the salad – ready to eat.

pic, rec, Süßspeisen, sweet, vegans, vegetarians

pineapple peppermint dessert

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i don’t remember where i first read about this idea – but it’s really a great one. those two flavours go together very well and make for a refreshing and light desert. plus it takes only minutes to prepare it: cut a pineapple in bite-sized pieces. chop the leafes of 4-5 twigs of peppermint and pestle with 1-2 tbsp sugar. this becomes peppermint pesto, and it’s used to marinate the pineapple in it. the marinated pineapple can be enjoyed as it is or served with plain yoghurt.

Hauptgerichte, pic, rec, savoury, vegetarians

sunday fridge clean up: vegetable lasagna

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for dinner on sunday evening i gathered all the vegetables remaining in the fridge and put them together into a vegetable lasagna. i found: 2 celery stalks, 3 carrots and one shallot in questionable state, about 100g baby peas, one tomato, half an onion, 150g mushrooms, one zucchini. slice, dice, cut all the vegetables, then sauté for a few minutes each, throwing them in the pan in the following order: onion & shallot > carrots > celery > peas > mushrooms > zucchini > tomato. some origano can go in there as well. add 500ml vegetable stock and let it simmer for another few minutes. add 2 cans (à 400 ml) crushed tomatoes, let it again simmer. finally add 100ml heavy cream and season with salt and black pepper. it is quite runny by now, but that’s ok. i don’t like the bechamél that goes usually into lasagna, so all the liquid needed for the pasta comes from the sauce. assemble the lasagna with about 250g lasagna sheets and lay 125g mozzarella slices on top. ( i also sprinkled a bit grated parmesan – another leftover – between three of the layers.)  bake at 175° for 25 minutes.

Kuchen und Plätzchen, pic, rec, sweet, vegetarians

mini scones

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i wanted to make rolls for breakfast, but did not manage to get up in time. so we had scones, which are really quick and easy to make. i followed this recipe with minor modifications – i replaced the 140ml 1.5%milk with a mixture of 2tbsp crème fraîche and 3.5% milk and baked them at a lower temerature (200°). and since my cookie cutter is only 4 cm in diameter we got not only 6 scones, but 16 mini-scones. they were delicious, and reminded me of holidays in Ireland back in … 1998.

pic, rec, savoury, vegans, Vorspeisen und Snacks

fried potatoes with cilantro

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and yet another meze dish: cut 500g potatoes in small cubes and fry in olive oil.  meanwhile pestle 2-3 cloves of garlic with 1/2 tsp sea salt thoroughly, until it becomes a thick paste. chop half a bundle of fresh coriander. when the potatoes are done, transfer them on a plate. put the garlic-salt paste and the coriander into the pan and heat for a few minutes. put the potatoes back into the pan, stir well and season, if needed, with some more salt and black pepper. can be served lukewarm or cold.

pic, rec, savoury, vegetarians, Vorspeisen und Snacks

zucchini fritters

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here comes the next meze dish: grate 500g zucchini and mix with 1/2 tsp salt, let it stand for about 15 minutes. meanwhile chop 1 bundle of italian parsley and cut two shallots finely. transfer the grated zucchini onto a sieve and press a bit to remove excessive liquid. mix zucchini with parsley and shallots, add 50g feta cheese crumbles, 2 eggs and 50g flour. stir well and season with salt and black pepper. fry the fritters in olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side (using ≈1 tbsp dough apiece).

carnivores, rec, savoury, Vorspeisen und Snacks

meat balls with feta cheese filling

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one item from our meze table: mix in a bowl 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 onion, finely diced, 2 tbsp chopped and toasted pine nuts, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 2 tbsp breadcrumbs, and one egg.  add 250g minced meat and knead well. cut about 150g feta cheese in little dices (1.5-2 cm edge length). form little meat balls around the cubes and fry in olive oil.

pic, savoury

meze

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tonight we had a selection of meze dishes, namely:

it took me quite a while to prepare all these – 3 hours to be exact.

i was secretly hoping for leftovers but all the plates were cleaned (we had three guests).

i will post recipes in the next days. and probably get the image sizes fixed.