"Grünkohl"

It´s been a really busy week so far but at least I´ve managed - for the first time - to attend a gettogether of a small group of ladies from our school who meet once a month for a potluck-lunch. Everybody brings something they enjoy to prepare and I decided on a quite typical german dish (at least in the northern parts of Germany) for this time of the year, but in a much leaner version.

In North Germany it´s a tradition that people gather - when it´s really cold outside - for a Kohlfahrt - "cabbage walk".  They take long walks over the countryside warming themselves with "Korn" - a colorless spirit made from fermented rye and very popular in North Germany - on the way. The reward at the end of the walk - that usually takes you to a local pub - is this hearty plate of "Grünkohl" served traditionally with Kassler,  a variety of sausages, boiled or fried potatoes and lots of beer and  "Korn" . 

click here for a printable version

Here´s the "light" version of the Grünkohl:

500 g           fresh, cleaned and trimmed kale

  30 g           fresh ginger

    2             garlic cloves

    2             small onions

    2 tbsp      oil

400 g           kassler (salted smoked pork)

300 ml         broth

    1             lemon

    1             bunch  flat leaf parsley

Preparation:

Wash the kale thoroughly and tear into small pieces discarding the stems. Peel the ginger and cut into paper-thin slices. Cut the garlic into smallest dice and set half of it aside. Cut the onions into thin wedges.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add ginger, garlic and onions and sauté until translucent. Add the kale and stir well. Set the Kassler meat ontop, deglaze with the broth, cover and let simmer over low heat for 50 minutes.

Peel the lemon, cut the lemon peel into thin strips and then chop finely. Pluck the parsley leaves from the stems and cut finely. Mix together the lemon peel, parsley and the remaining garlic.

Cut the Kasseer in Slices and serve with the lemon-parsley Gremolata.

Good with mashed potatoes. In this case I just mash them roughly and add some olive oil, sea salt and a hint of freshly ground pepper.

Apple Pie

click HERE for a printable version

What is better on a gray and rainy day than a house filled with the tempting fragrance of freshly baked Apple pie - I thought and set work on realizing my idea. It worked out, lifted all the spirits. Therefore I gladly pass on the recipe for this comforter to help all of you who are facing a long and hard winter (por supuesto también se pueden disfrutar después de un asadito o en el hipico ;-) ).

German Apple Pie

150 g softened butter
150 g sugar
1     tablespoon vanillasugar
3     eggs
200 g flour
1     teaspoon baking powder
1     pinch of salt
       lemon peel from 1 lemon
2     tablespoons calvados or rum

800 g cleaned Apples, cut into small pieces
80   g hazelnuts, ground
80   g sugar
1/2  teaspoon cinnamon
80   g butter, melted

butter and a little flour to grease and dust the springform tin


All the ingredients should be at room temperature when preparing the dough.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Peel and core the apples. Cut them into small pieces. You should have app. 800 g after cleaning them. Mix with the juice of 1 lemon.

Mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar and beat until white. Then add the softened butter and continue stirring. Beat the egg whites. Sift the flour and mix with the baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Add the calvados and the lemon peel to the butter mixture and half of the egg whites and mix carefully. Then add the flour and the rest of the egg white and work in gently.

Grease and dust a springform tin of 26 cm. Fill in the dough and pour the apples ontop. Bake on the middle rack for app. 40 minutes.

Mix the ground hazelnuts with the sugar and the cinnamon.
Take the cake out of the oven and pour the hazelnut mixture and then the melted butter evenly onto the cake. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes and let cool on a rack.

Can be served with whipped cream.

Medaillon of pork with Chanterelle

Today my son Lenny wanted to help me cook - actually he completely took over. So I contented myself with giving instructions and just watching him and it´s really fun to see with what enthusiasm he is "at work". I´m a bit reliefed to know that my family might get something warm to eat the next 10 days, since I won´t be here. Unfortunately I won´t have any access to the internet either so I can´t post anything until the first days of September.

click HERE for a printable version

Today we prepared one of my husbands favorites, medaillon of pork with Chanterelle.

You will need for 4 servings

1                  pork tenderloin (700 g)

250 g           chanterelle

2                  shallots, in fine dice

40 g             bacon, in fine dice

20 g             dehydrated porcini, soaking in 200 ml hot water

2 twigs         fresh thyme

                   salt, pepper, concentrated chanterelle or porcini stock (if you have)

                   flour

                   oil and butter

250 ml        heavy cream

                  some fresh parsley, chopped 

250 g          fettucine

• Clean the chanterelle with a brush. If possible do not wash them with water. Heat a frying pan and add some oil and a little butter. Fry the shallots and the bacon for 2 minutes and then add the chanterelle and fry on high heat for 2-3 more minutes. Take out of the pan and keep warm in the oven at 100°C.

• Clean the tenderloin and cut it into 12 medaillons. Season with salt and pepper and cover slightly with flour. Fry in oil and a little butter until golden brown on both sides. Be careful not to leave them in the pan to long, they get dry too fast. 1-2 minutes on each side is enough. Set them on a plate and leave them in the oven as well.
• Add the finely cut porcini to the pan and after 1 minute add the soaking water from the porcini and the thyme twigs. Let the liquid reduce until there´s only a couple of tablespoons of liquid left. Add the liquid cream and let cook for a couple of minutes until the cream is a little thickened. Now season with salt, pepper and a little concentrated stock. Take out the thyme twigs and combine the sauce with the meat and the chanterelle. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Cook the fettucine as indicated on the package and serve.

©just-cook!

What do you think about

                                                                       my napkins??