German Meal

Growing up my Dad used to visit Germany for work a lot. I remember my Dad had learnt a baked potato casserole from a friend in whose house he had spent the weekend. He would make it at home in our little oven. We also had a lot of visitors from Germany in our house invited over for dinner. In fact, a bar of Kinder and Staedtler brand products make me nostalgic even today.

A mushroom and creme topped pizza like bread called Flammkutchen was the basis around which I built the meal. Flamkutchen were supposed to have been used to test the temperatures of the oven before the precious breads were baked. We could have had it for a meal by itself. Spaetzle dumpling is made in Germany as well as Austria. My initial plan was to make it for my Austrian noodle and dumpling meal. But it was just too much food so I shelved the idea. So I made it a point to include it when I planned this menu. The apple and potato casserole or auflauf as it is called in German added a lovely flavor. Eis und Heiss or cold and hot is a simple fruit based dessert. Red berries like raspberry and strawberry are cooked in their own juice and combined with cold ice cream. It is a real treat on a hot day.

I did not use any new ingredients for this meal. However, I had never used creme as a topping for any kind of flat bread before. I was not happy with the picture background but let it go as I did not want to cook the whole meal again.

As they say in Germany, Guten Appetit!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Flammkuchen (German Pizza) 
• Spaetzle Dumpling (Noodles) 
• Kartoffel Apfel Auflauf (Potato Apple Casserole)

And for dessert

• Eis und Heiss (Cold and Hot)

Flammkuchen (German Pizza)

There is a very interesting story associated with this pizza like flat bread. It was once used to gauge the temperature of the oven before the precious breads were baked. The crust on this bread is very thin and cooks up quickly. It is best eaten hot out of the oven. The hot cream with the mushrooms and thin crunchy crust make a divine combination.

The morning I made this meal I bought fresh creme fraiche but then forgot all about it when it was time to cook. Instead I used a combination of sour cream and fresh cream on the flammkutchen. Not being preoccupied is something I am constantly working on without much success. :)

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
For the dough
125 gm flour
75 gm whole wheat flour
10 gm active dry yeast
125 ml warm water
a pinch sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. oil

For the topping
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp. cream
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
20 shitake mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the dry ingredients for the dough. Mix in the wet ingredients and form a soft dough. Knead well until elastic, cover and keep aside for 30 minutes. In the meantime, combine the cream, sour cream and salt. Mince the garlic, slice the onion, clean and slice the mushroom.

Preheat oven to 475 F. Heat a baking pan in the oven. Divide the dough into four portions. Roll out each portion on a floured board until very thin.

On it spread the cream mixture, the garlic and then the onion and mushrooms. Repeat for the other portion. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Enjoy it hot out of the oven.

Kartoffel Apfel Auflauf (Potato Apple Casserole)

Auflauf is German for casserole. This potato and apple auflauf is very tasty having a lot of different flavors blended together. In addition to the potato and apple the casserole has cream, cheese and cilantro adding to the flavors.

My daughter loves potatoes. Baked, boiled, mashed any potatoes and she is happy. These were very different from any potato dish I have made before. The apples and potatoes go very well together.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
2 medium white potatoes
1 apple
1/4 cup cream
1 clove garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
cilantro
1/4 cup cheese
salt to taste

Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker or in a pan until tender. Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and slice the potatoes. Layer them on the bottom of a buttered dish. Sprinkle some salt over them. Core and slice the unpeeled apple. Layer the apple over the potatoes. Pour the cream over the top. Mince cilantro, ginger and garlic. Sprinkle over the apples.

Shred the cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.

Spaetzle Dumpling

Spaetzle are noodles that are popular in Germany and Austria. They are handmade using a noodle maker, a tool with holes that allows the cook to drop tiny bits of batter into boiling water. The spaetzle cook quickly and are great for a quick meal or as a side to an elaborate meal.

I do not own a spaetzle maker so I made it using a hand held grater. It worked out great and the noodles look just like they are supposed to. These noodles can be combined with cheese to make European macaroni and cheese.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1/2 cup flour
a pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
a pinch white pepper
1 egg
3 tbsp. milk

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Sift the flour and add the nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Beat the egg and add to the milk. Add the mixture to the flour and form a wet thick batter. Hold the tool of choice over the water and pour some of the batter over it. Push it through the holes into the simmering water. Let it cook for 5-8 minutes and remove. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Drain the prepared noodles. Heat butter in a pan and add the noodles. Heat through and remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

French Meal

This is a French meal that I made on a cool rainy day. I built it around one of the most popular French soups. I have already cooked this entire meal two times because of popular demand from family. I am sure winter will see us making this meal over and over again.

French cuisine is so well known it was hard to pick the dishes. French onion soup is one of our very favorites and so I decided to build the meal around it. Pain de Campagne was the perfect rustic loaf for this soup. It does not fall apart when it is floated over the soup and baked. This bread is made of strong white flour with a hint of whole wheat. I leavened it with my homemade wild yeast. For the cheese - I used Gruyere to top the soup bowl and served the delicious freshly baked bread with some Brie. The side dish of roasted tomatoes has a layer of spiced fresh made breadcrumbs on the top. French desserts like sweet crepes and tarts are very popular but I wanted to try something different so I went with Apple Confit. My menu was onion soup au gratin, tomatoes provencal and Pain de campagne with Brie followed by apple confit as dessert.

I did not use any new ingredients in this meal but the use of heirloom tomatoes is a must if you want to try tomatoes provencal. Even someone like me who usually stays away from whole tomatoes enjoyed this dish a lot. Making everything including the bread was the most enjoyable experience. This meal is a fun one.

As they in France, Bon Appetit!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Pain de Campagne 
• Onion Soup au Gratin 
• Tomates Provencal or Roasted Tomatoes 

And for dessert

• Apple Confit

Onion Soup au Gratin

French onion soup is known all over the world and is available in most restaurants serving a continental menu. It is one of the favorite soups in our house. I have a tried and tested recipe used for years.

I was first introduced to this soup as a child. I did not care for it then as I preferred soup with thick broth. When I was older I began to appreciate the subtle flavor profiles of broths in soups. When I made it for the first time at home my husband came over to look at what the lovely aroma was. He was none too impressed with the look of the brown mess in the pan. Brought up in an 'Indian food only' household he had never had a chance to try this soup. One sip changed all that.

Unlike most recipes I do not add dry white wine to the soup. Instead I use fresh vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. In the past I used to struggle with the bread to make this soup au gratin. Either the bread was to tough or it fell apart. This was the first time I topped the soup with homemade bread. It was perfectly moist but not soggy and mushy. From now on I will always top it with homemade pain de campagne. My husband prefers this soup without the bread and cheese topping. My daughter and I prefer au gratin. Either way it is loved.

You will need
2 large white onions
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups vegetable stock (I made it fresh for the soup)
1 cup dry white wine (I used additional stock)

For the topping (to make 4 bowls)
4 slices of French bread (I used Pain de Campagne)
4 thin slices Gruyere

You will need vegetable stock for the soup. I recommend making it fresh or at least use homemade stock. It makes such a huge difference to the flavor of the dish. I have provided a link to my recipe for  vegetable stock.

Cut the onion into thin slices and keep aside. In a thick bottomed pan heat butter until the butter melts. Add the onions, cream and salt. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until onions are translucent.

Increase heat and let the onions brown without stirring. When the edges and bottom start to brown add a ladle of stock and deglaze the pan.

Spread the partially browned onions on the bottom of the pan and let them brown some more. Repeat the deglazing and browning 3 more times until the onions are a darker caramel color. Add the remaining stock. Adjust seasoning and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the four slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 2-3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile ladle the soup into oven safe soup bowls almost to the top. Place the toasted bread on the top. Place the slice of cheese over the bread to cover it completely. This bowl is for my daughter and loves it with lots of cheese. You can cut the slices thinner. :)

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt. You can switch the oven to broil to brown the melting cheese. Ensure you do not overcook the cheese. It should melt but the solids should never separate from the liquid.

The soup au gratin tastes best when hot.

Tomates Provencal or Roasted Tomatoes

If you like to plant heirloom tomatoes in your garden or like cooking with these flavorful tomatoes then you must try this dish. Halved tomatoes are sprinkled with salt and spiced breadcrumbs then roasted in a hot oven. Though this dish would taste great with any tomato, heirlooms take it to a whole new level.

Tomatoes of all varieties are a favorite in my house so I use them a lot in my kitchen. In summer I really like to use these heirloom tomatoes. They are so flavorful. In this dish the breadcrumbs are spiced using herbes de provence, a special spice blend made up of thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram and rosemary. I went to my spice rack to ensure I had all the spices needed to make this blend and was pleasantly surprised to find this spice blend among the jars. A few months back I was visiting my sister and she gave me her almost unused spice rack. She thought I would put it to better use with all the new dishes I keep cooking. Finding the spice blend in the rack saved me the trouble of making my own herbes de provence. Now I have to figure out how to use up the rest of it.

You will need
2 heirloom tomatoes
salt to taste
olive oil to sprinkle over the top

For the breadcrumb topping
2 slices French country bread like Pain de campagne
1 tbsp. herbes de provence
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Use organic heirloom tomatoes for this dish if you can find them or if you grow them. The flavors of the heirlooms takes this dish to a different level.

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them for 5-7 minutes. Keep aside. Wash and cut the tomatoes in half through the stem. Place them cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some olive oil and salt over the top. Roast them for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile break up the toasted pieces of bread in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients to prepare the breadcrumb mixture.

Take the toasted tomatoes out of the oven and generously top with the breadcrumb mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes.

The tomatoes are ready to eat.

Best eaten when they are hot.

Egyptian Meal

Mediterranean restaurants have popularized food from this region. You probably know and have had most of the dishes from the menu today. But these versions have something in them that made us appreciate the meal a lot.

Falafel, pita bread and hummus are some of the most well known dishes from the Mediterranean. I knew pita bread was easy to make but I had never tried it before. So I decided to build the meal around the pita bread. Salatet Zabadee is a variation of the cucumber salad. This one has mint in it. The recipe called for garlic too, but I simply could not bring myself to add garlic to a cucumber dip, I left it out. I had never heard of Mahalabia, the dessert. It is a very popular Arabic dessert. It is thickened with corn starch and tastes better on day two after spending a day in the refrigerator.

The new ingredient I used for this meal is the fava bean. I have made falafel before using garbanzo beans or chickpeas but for this meal I made the Egyptian version ta'amiya using fava beans. I wanted to use my homemade wild yeast starter to leaven the pita bread but I did not feed it in time so it was not ready. I will try pita bread again with the starter.

As they in Egypt, bil hana wa shifa!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Pita Bread 
• Ta'amiya (Fava Bean Falafel) 
• Hummus 
• Salatet Zabadee 

And for dessert

• Mahalabia

Hummus

Homemade hummus has such a refreshingly fresh taste! All it takes is chickpeas that are soaked overnight and ground to a paste with spices. Hummus is high in protein and flavor. It makes a great snack with baked pita chips (chips made with pita bread). That is my daughter's favorite snack when she gets back from school. In fact I had to bake chips with my fresh made pita bread so she could have pita chips and hummus.



Hummus spread in a pita with vegetables and or falafel is a favorite in my house. If you have never tried it you really should as you are missing out.

You will need
1 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt to taste

Soak the bean overnight in water. Pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes. When depressurized remove the beans and let them cool. Meanwhile roast the sesame seeds, cool and grind to a powder. Peel the garlic pods and roughly chop them. In a food processor combine the cooked beans, garlic, lime juice, sesame seeds and olive oil. Grind to a fine paste. Roast the cumin seeds and pound to a powder. Mix in the cumin powder, paprika and salt to taste.

Salatet Zabadee (Egyptian Cucumber Salad)

Salatet Zabadee or cucumber salad made Egyptian style is flavored with mint and goes very well with any meal on a hot day. Cucumber and yogurt both feel cool to the touch and together make a great summer salad. It is little wonder that some form of this salad is made in every country with blazing summers.

The flavor of mint can be very strong, use sparingly. I thought it made the salad very fresh tasting but my daughter did not like it at all.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1 cucumber
1 cup yogurt
4-5 mint leaves, minced
salt to taste
olive oil to garnish
paprika to garnish

Shred the cucumber and leave aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile in a separate bowl whisk the yogurt until smooth. Squeeze the juice out of the cucumber and add it to the yogurt. Add the minced mint leaves. The recipe also called for minced garlic but I left it out. Add salt to taste. The dip is ready. Serve on a platter garnished with olive oil and paprika.

Ta'amiya / Fava Bean Falafel

An Egyptian variation of falafel made with fava beans. They are crunchy and taste great stuffed in a pita bread with hummus. I had never used fava beans before though I had made chickpea falafel several times. The fava bean adds a lovely flavor that is very different from the chickpeas. I am glad I tried it. Some of the falafel disappeared even before the rest of the meal was done.

The recipe called for fava bean dal but I could not find it so I used the whole dried bean instead. I soaked the beans overnight, pressure cooked them the next day and ground them in the food processor along with the other ingredients. As a healthier option I baked them instead of deep frying.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1 cup fava beans (dal or whole)
1/2 medium yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups cilantro
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. baking soda
salt to taste

Soak the fava bean overnight and pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes. When depressurized remove the beans from the cooker and allow to cool. Chop the onion and cilantro. Peel the garlic pods and chop roughly. In a food processor combine all the ingredients and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Form lime sized balls, flatten and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until brown. Turn over once after about 10-15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Serve hot.

Pita Bread

Pita bread is one of the most popular Mediterranean bread and it is very easy to make. It is leavened bread that requires a very hot oven to help the bread puff up.

I had always wanted to make pita bread as my family loves it. My initial plan was to use my sourdough starter to leaven the bread but changed my mind as I forgot to feed it. I plan on making a version with my starter soon. Homemade fresh pita bread tasted so good with all the other accompaniments. I have so many recipes for which I use pita bread. I usually used store bought bread but now I don't have to.

You will need for 8 pita
3 cups strong white flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, yeast, salt and oil. Add the water and form a dough. If needed add up to a fourth of a cup of water. Knead well until the dough is elastic and soft. Cover and keep aside for an hour and a half or until it doubles in size. Transfer to a floured work surface and divide into eight equal portions. Smooth out each portion into round ball. Cover and let them rest for another 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place an inverted baking sheet in the oven while it heats. If you have a baking stone you can use that instead. Flour the working surface lightly and roll out one portion to a disc using a rolling pin.

Place the rolled out pita on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 3 minutes. It should puff up. If you like them brown turn over and bake another couple of minutes. Take the pita bread out of the oven and cool on a rack for a minute. Place in an airtight container to keep it soft.

Repeat for all the other portions of dough.

Mahalabia

Rich milk based dessert garnished with nuts. The original recipe called for flavoring with rose water but I used mint extract that I had on hand.

Mahalabia is an Arabic dessert and is popular in all countries that have Arabic influence on their cuisine. It is a very basic dessert. I adapted the recipe from here one of the few that had proportions for the ingredients.

You will need
2 cups of half and half
4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. corn starch
1-2 drops rose water (I used mint extract)
5-6 pistachios for garnish

Dissolve the corn starch in the milk. In a thick bottomed pan combine the half and half and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and add the corn starch mixture. Whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thickened. Add rose water and take it off heat. Let it cool a little then pour into ramekins or serving glasses and refrigerate for a couple hours. Garnish with nuts. Serve chilled.