My Mom's "Erbsoße" (pea gulash)

 

 

This is one of my childhood favorites and still is. The dark and meaty flavor is just unbeatable.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp margerine
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 200g gulash (half beef/half pork)
  • 1 small onion - diced
  • 2-3 cups water
  • 2 cans peas (or 1 big can)
  • 2 Tbsp dark "Soßenbinder" (or corn starch)
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste

 

Preparation: 

Heat up the margerine and oil in a big pot. Dice the gulash in big chunks and add to the hot oil. Brown the meat from all sides for a few minutes. This is the important step as it will give the dish its deep flavor. Add the onions and fry for a few minutes. Don't let the onions turn brown. 

Fill up the pot with water, so that the meat is covered. Let it simmer for about 1 hour till the meat is soft. 

Add the peas and bring to a quick boil. Slowly add the "Soßenbinder" bit by bit, let boil for a minute and stir well. Don't add too much, it takes some time till the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, add some more water. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve over mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some cayenne pepper. 







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My Mom's "Kartoffelbrei" (mashed potatoes)

 

 

My Mom's mashed potatoes are light and creamy, not too heavy and not too creamy. And it tastes absolutely amazing, you can really taste the potatoes. 

 

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium large potatoes
  • 2 liter water
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp butter (or margarine) 
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk (warm)
  • possibly more salt 

 

Preparation

Prepare a normal mashed potatoes, but make the mash not too soft. If you use it for the "Erbsoße" or "Kohlsauce", you will pure the sauce on top of it and therefore, it's better if the mash is not too soft. Salt is only added to the salt water, but if you still need more salt in your mashed potatoes, add it to the warm milk or at the end and stir with a spoon.

Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water for about 20 minutes till they are soft. Drain. First, mash the potatoes with a hand masher. Then, when the potatoes are already pretty smooth, use an electric mixer and keep mixing further. Now, add the butter and mix. Add bit by bit the warm milk and keep mixing. Stop adding milk, when the mash is smooth and has the consitency you prefer. 




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Pasta, Chickpea, Leek & Beef Pot

 

This is another one of my favorite comfort foods. 

You can include any veggies you want, but the important ones are the chickpeas and leek mixed in with the ground beef! 


Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 onion - diced
  • 1 chili pepper - sliced
  • 400g ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp Italien herb mix
  • 1 carrot - sliced
  • 1 zucchini - sliced or in stripes
  • 1 leek - big chunks/ slices
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cu water
  • 1 1/2 cups pasta (Fusilli, uncooked)
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup corn

 

Preparation:

Heat up the oil in a big pot. Add the onions and chili peppers, fry them till the onions are translucent. Then add the ground beef. Break it down and let it brown. Add some tomato paste, Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well. 

Add the sliced carrots and cook for about 5 minutes before you add the softer vegetables. 

Now, add zucchini, the big leek chunks and the vegetable broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Mix in the uncooked pasta and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the corn and chickpeas and cook for another 3-5 minutes (depending on how long the normal cooking time for the pasta is). 

Serve, maybe spinkle with fresh parsley.





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Indian Potato & Pasta Pot

 


I know this sounds strange and overkill - putting potatoes AND pasta in the same dish... too much starch. 

However, this dish was created by my friend Janah during college times, mixing two different recipes from our Indian cookbooks. And I just love it!

Janah and I shared our passion for Indian food and had several Indian cookbooks :) 


Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tps cumin,  1 tps coriander
  • 2 small onions - diced
  • 3 tomatoes - diced
  • 1 clove garlic - minced
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp oil 
  • 1 chili pepper - sliced
  • 3-4 potatoes - big cubes
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 carrot - sliced
  • 1 zucchini - sliced
  • 1 bell pepper - diced
  • 4 muschrooms - sliced
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 2 cups pre-cooked pasta (Fusilli)
  • salt, pepper to taste
     

Preparation:

Precook the Pasta

Precook pasta according to package instructions. Try al dente, maybe even a minute less, as it will be mixed in with the other ingredients and heated up again. Drain and set aside.

Prepare Indian spiced Onion-Tomatoe Base

Heat up the oil in a frying pan. Add the Indian spices (cumin, coriander) and seeds (mustard, fennel, cumin), heat up for a minute, keep stirring so that the spices down burn. Heated up they will develop their aroma. Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes till translucent. Then add the tomatoes, garlic, chili powder and salt. Stir and let cook for a few minutes till the spices have infused the tomato mix. 

Cook the Potato-Veggie Mix

At the same time, heat up oil in a big pot. Add the sliced chili pepper, the potato cubes and the mustard seeds. Stir and let the potatoes brown a bit on the edges for about 3-5 minutes, but don't let them stick to the bottom. Add salt and tomato paste. Mix everything. Add maybe a few tablespoon water, so that the tomato paste is dissolved. Add the carrots and let everything cook for about 5 minutes. Potatoes and carrots are the hardest vegetables and need the longest. 
 
Now, add in the Indian spices onion-tomato base. If the tomato-onion base have already soaked up some of the juices, then add some more water. Mix everything well. Then, add the last veggies (bell pepper, mushrooms, corn). Cook another 5 minutes till all the veggies are fork soft. 
  

Mix everything

Lastly, add the pasta. Mix everything and add salt and pepper to taste. You may need to add a bit of water and tomato paste if you like (makes it a bit saucier). Heat up for a couple of minutes. Serve.
 


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Taco Soup

 

I love Mexican food, especially a good hearty taco soup. The first time I had one, a friend of mine prepared it quickly for her kids in a slow cooker. She only added the absolut necessary ingredients (beef, taco seasioning, cans of beans, corn, tomatoes). Despite it being such a "quick" and simple dish, it just tasted delishes. 

Here is my recipe. As always, I went a tiny bit fancier than necessary (adding carrots, jalapenos, and some more spices).

** And don't forget the Toppings **

They are the fun part of this dish :) Here, I defenitely recommend the crispy taco chips, but also the buttery/ creamy avacado, light sour cream and the tangy cilantro and lime juice.


** Copycat Taco Seasoning **

(in case you do not have a fancy Mc Cormick package ready at hand)

Mix of 2 tsp chili powder, 3 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp pepper flakes, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 onion - roughly chopped 
  • 300g ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 chili - sliced
  • 2 Tbsp jalapenos - diced
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup bell pepper - diced
  • 1/2 cup carrots - diced
  • 2-3 Tbsp of Taco Seasoning (mix of chili, paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, oinion, garlic, etc.)
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 can tomatoes (diced)
  • 2 tomatoes - choped
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1/2 can corn
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Toppings:

  • taco chips
  • sour cream
  • avocado
  • fresh cilantro or parsley 
  • lime wedges
  • spring onion
  • jalapenos
  • shredded cheese

 

Preparation: 

Brown the Beef

Heat up the oil, add the onions and let fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the beef and break it down. Give it a good stir, then add the garlic, chili and jalapenos. Let fry for about 5 minutes till the beef has browned.
Now, add the tomatoe paste and mix good. Add the small pieces of carrots and bell pepper, the taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir and fry for a another 5 minutes.

Cook the Soup

Fill up the pot with water, canned and fresh tomatoes. Stir. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the beans and corn. Let simmer for about 10 minutes till the carrots and bell pepper are soft. The beans only need to be heated through. 
 
To finish up, squeeze in some fresh pressed lime juice and season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.

Serve with the toppings

Add a dollop of sour cream in the middle of your soup bowl, add a few avocado cubes, sprinkle with fresh cilantro (or parsley). For some crunch add some spring onion and crumble up some taco chips.
 






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My Mom's "Eierkuchen" (German style pancake/ crepes)

 


German "Eierkuchen" are very thin pancakes, similar to the French crepes. They are often also called "Palatschinken". My Mom uses a special non-stick crepe skillet and the pancakes come out amazingly. 

 My favorite fillint its blueberry and plum jam. If you want to go more "French crepes" style, I like nutella with fresh strawberries or banana slices. My Mom likes to keep it simple by dusting the "Eierkuchen" with powdered sugar. 

Ingredients (ca. 7)

  • 330 ml milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup club soda (sparkling water)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • pinch of salt 
  • 200 g flour
  • 1-2 Tbsp oil

Filling:

  • jams (blueberry, plum, strawberry, apricot)
  • nutella
  • apple sauce
  • powdered sugar

 

Preparation:

The Batter

In order to avoid clumps in the batter, my mother adds the flour last.

First, mix the liquid ingredients (milk, eggs, club soda) in a large bowl. Then, add sugar and salt and give it a stir. Lastly, add bit by bit the flour while whisking. Beat till its smooth. Doing this slowly prevents clumps.

Cook the "Eierkuchen" one by one

Heat oil at medium heat in a non-stick skillet of the size of the prefered "Eierkuchen" (thin pancake). Pour one small ladle (about 1/4 cup) into the middle of the pan. Swirl the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter and so that the surface is lightly but evenly covered. The pancake is supposed to be very thin. Let bake for 1-2 minutes till you see that the edges crisp up. Losen it with a spatula. When the bottom is slightly browned, flip the pancake around and fry for another 0.5-1 minute. Repeat for the next pancakes.

Serving the "Eierkuchen"

Serve the pancake immediately. Top with jams, nutella, apple sauce, etc. Spread it evently on it and then roll the pancake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.









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My Mom's "Schaschlik" (Shashlik/ shish kebab)

 

My Mom grills her shashlik skewers in the oven and uses this special shashlik seasoning. I like a mix of meat and veggie shish kebabs the best. 

As meat, I prefer lean pork meat ("Schinkenbraten/-gulasch", shoulder pot roast/steak), here you have to be careful not to overgrill it as it gets dry fast. Fattiger meats might be juicer and easier to grill. Mix up your meats and add other kinds such as pork sausage/ bologna (in German called Fleischwurst) or chicken.

The shashlik sauce is the best about the dish :) It's perfect with the meat and veggies, but don't forget a traditional side of freshly fried french fries. These also taste delicious dipped into the shashlik sauce!

If you don't use all the shashlik sauce, I highly recommend to bottle it up!

Note: Shashlik seasoning is a mix of several other seasonings such as salt, pepper, paprika, ginger, onion and garlic seasining, some herbs such as oregano, basel, thyme and rosemary, and liquid smoke

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 skewers (metal or wood)
  • 200-300g pork (e.g., boneless shoulder pot roast/steak, "Schinkenbraten/-gulasch")
  • 100g pork sausage/ bologna (or other meat or sausages such as chicken, etc.)
  • 2 bell peppers (preferably different colors)
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 red onion
  • 5-10 cocktail tomatoes
  • 2-3 Tbsp oil
  • salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, shashlik seasoning to taste
  • side of fries

For the shashlik sauce:

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup shashlik ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp siracha
  • cayenne pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius/ 400 degree Fahrenheit (grill, or possibly fan with/without grill).

Prepare the skewers:

Cut the meat (pork, pork sausage, etc.) into two inch cubes. Cut the bell pepper in 1-2 inch squares and the onions into wedges. Prepare the meat skewers by repeating putting on a piece of meat, bell pepper and onion. Keep a few pieces of bell pepper and onion for the sauce.

I always like to add a few veggie skewers. Prepare a few tomato skewers, red onion skewers,  and skewers with a mix of tomatoes, bell pepper and onions. 

Season the skewers with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and shashlik seasoning.

Grill the shish kebab:

Pour oil in a baking tray so that it covers the the entire tray. Place the pork skewers on the tray and put the tray in the middle rack of the oven. Add the lose pieces of bell pepper and onion to the baking tray. Grill for 30 minutes. Check the skewers a few times, turning them around and base them with the pan oil. 

If you also use other meat (e.g., pork sausage, bologna, chicken, etc.) and veggie skewers, you might want to add them about 15 minutes after the pork skewer to the oven. They do not need as long.

Don't grill the pork too long, as it could get try. If you have especially lean meat, grill a bit shorter, you can always try the meat with a fork.

Prepare the shashlik sauce:

Take the shish kebabs out of the oven, keep the baking tray with the oil and pan trippings and the lose pieces of bell pepper and onions.

In a separate bowl, add the ketchup, shashlik ketchup, the siracha sauce and cayenne pepper to taste. Mix everything. Pour the sauce in the baking tray that still has the oil/ pan trippings and some pieces of veggies. This will add some flavor and give it the special kick. Add a bit of water (if sauce gets too thin, add more ketchup). Mix everything again in the baking tray and heat up in the oven for a few minutes. 

In the end, put the skewers back in the sauce and heat up again for a few minutes.

Serving:

Remove the meat and veggies from the skewers and place on a plate. Add a side of fries. Top with the shashlik sauce and add a bit in a separate bowl for dipping.









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