Not Challenging Chicken Chili

4 cups chopped yellow onions
1/8 cup good olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
2 red bell peppers, seeded and large-diced
2 yellow (or green) bell peppers, seeded and large-diced
1 cup of corn
1 can of black beans (optional)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
red pepper flakes to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
2 tsp salt
2 28 oz cans tomatoes, undrained
1/4 basil leaves
4 split chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 35-40 min until just cooked. Separate the meat from the bones, when cool enough and cut into chunks.

While chicken is roasting, cook the onions in oil over medium-low heat for 10-15 min. Add garlic and cook 1 min longer. Add bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper, cayenne pepper, corn, beans and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush tomatoes and add with the basil. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and simmer for another 20 minutes. Add seasoning to taste.

Serve with corn chips, grated cheese, sour cream.

Chicken Orzo with Salsa Mediterranee

This one is certainly a family favorite.

3-4 tomatoes, chopped
12 olives (green or black - kalamata are best)
2 TBs capers, rinsed and drained
2 TBs Balsamico wine vinegar
2 TBs olive oil (extra-virgin)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup cooked black beans (optional)
dried basil
salt, pepper
2-3 ounces of blue (or feta) cheese
1/2 lb or more diced chicken meat (I used cooked leftover chicken ;)
1 package of orzo
2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Mix all ingredients up to the meat and set aside. Heat skillet on medium-high and cook chicken meat in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add orzo and broth to the skillet. Lower heat, cover and let simmer for 12 - 15 minutes until the orzo is soft. Check a couple of times to make sure the orzo doesn't stick and add water if needed. Serve orzo with salsa mediterranee on top and sprinkle with blue cheese. A green salad with oranges and carrots is great as a side.

Gazpacho - Grande

Here is a yummy, easy, cool summer lunch. You need
for the soup:
1 cucumber,
2 lbs tomatoes,
1 bell pepper
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1-2 slices of bread
5 TBs olive oil
2 TBs wine vinegar
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Peel cucumber, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop into pieces. Peel tomatoes (pouring hot water over them first helps!) and chop them. Remove bell pepper seeds and cut into pieces. Peel and chop onion and garlic. Place all vegetables in a big bowl or pot and puree using a food processor or a handheld blender. Remove bread crust and crumble into the soup. Slowly add olive oil, vinegar and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve well chilled with croutons, diced onions, bell pepper, white from boiled eggs...

Sourdough Bread in a Dutch Oven

This sourdough bread really turned out nice. I used the same recipe as in my other post, but preheated a cast iron dutch oven and its lid in the oven at 4oo degrees. When ready, I dusted my risen dough with flour, dropped into the hot pot and covered it with a lid. I baked it for 30 minutes. Then the lid was removed, I lowered the temperature to 375 degrees and baked it 15 minutes longer.

Pizza - Preliminary Perfect

We are on the quest for the perfect, chewy, homemade pizza. We are trying some slight variations of the theme every Saturday. Last week we thought we were very close to perfect. Here how we did it:

1 cup bread flour
1 cup spelt or white wheat flour
1/2 cup semolina flour or stone ground corn meal
5 1/2 TBs sourdough starter
1 TB salt
1 ts yeast
2 cups filtered water
Olive oil
2 - 3 garlic cloves
1 can tuna
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
basil leaves
Using a Kitchenaid I mixed all ingredients. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Let rise for 2 hours or until dough has tripled. Preheat pizza stone in an oven at 450 degrees. Pat dough into pizza shape on parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Slice garlic into fine pieces and distributed on dough. Top with tomato, tuna, onion. Carefully place the pizza on the hot pizza stone. That's the tricky part! Bake for 10 min. or until pizza is lightly brown. Top with mozzarella cheese and basil and bake until cheese has melted and the pizza looks done - about 15 min.

Update:
Placing the dough on the hot pizza stone is probably better, but too tricky. I now just drop the dough on the cold pizza stone (sprinkled with corn flour) and pat it into shape. Tastes pretty much the same!

Berry Breakfast Pizza

Dough for 1 pizza (or ready-made pizza crust)
2 cups plain whole natural yogurt
Zest and juice from one lemon
2 ts honey
2 TBs butter, melted
fresh or frozen berries such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries
cinnamon and
2TBs Rapadura

On the evening before, drain the yogurt (place a white plate towel over a strainer and drain the whey into a bowl).
The next morning brush pizza dough with melted butter and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool a bit and sprinkle with cinnamon and Rapadura. Mix yogurt with lemon zest, 2 TBs of lemon juice and honey. (Add more honey if you like it sweeter). Spread yogurt on the pizza. Top with berries. Sprinkle a little more Rapadura on top. Enjoy.

Deer Steak with Butter Zucchini Tomato Sauce

1/2 Lb deer (thanks to the Food Bank) or beef steak
4 TBs butter
1 zucchini, peeled and chopped in bite size pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 big tomato, chopped
Salt and pepper
Oregano
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (ideally from raw milk)
1 bag good cheese ravioli (ok, I know that's not from scratch ;))

Bring ravioli or noodle water to a boil. In a heavy cast-iron pan fry steak very briefly in grape-seed oil (only about 1 min. on each side). Place meat on a plate and keep warm. Using the same pan sautee onions in butter on medium-low heat until soft. Add garlic and zucchini, fry a couple of minutes. Add tomato. Season with salt and pepper and oregano. Cut steak into fine slices. Prepare the ravioli (or noodles) according to package directions. To serve arrange pasta on a plate, top with steak and zucchini/tomato sauces. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I served it with Arugula leaves.

Carlotta's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

For all you cookie lovers out there, this recipe is bound to please your taste buds!
Amount: about five dozen
Ingredients:1 stick soft butter
2/3 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoons nutmeg1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups Quick Oats, uncooked
1/2 raisins (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut, shredded (optional)
1. Beat the egg until smooth, adding butter and honey. Set aside until later.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Then add the oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, and coconut, mixing with a wooden spoon until well blended.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until everything is evenly mixed.
5. With a tablespoon, drop onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, closely together. If the dough doesn't hold, dampen your hands, and press together.
6. Place the cookies sheet(s) into oven, and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.
Enjoy!! --Posted By pastor's girl to Pastor's Girl's Ponderings

Special Spelt Gnocchis - with Chicken

2 LBs russet/Yukon gold potatoes
2 cups spelt flour
salt
2 large eggs
pepper
nutmeg
cooked chicken pieces (or other meat)
4 TBs butter
Sage

Cook potatoes - unpeeled - until very soft (about 25 minutes). Drain and let them cool a bit. Peel and mash them. Add flour and eggs, salt, pepper and a little bit of nutmeg. Mix with a fork until well combined. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Knead dough on floured surface until soft and smooth. Divide dough into smaller pieces (5 - 6-). Roll each piece into a long rope about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 1-inch gnocchis. Press fork on top of gnocchis to leave ridges. Bring water and salt to a boil in a big pot. Add half the gnocchis and simmer gently until they rise to the top. Give them about 30 seconds longer and remove them with a slotted spoon. Add the other half of gnocchis.
Melt butter in a sauce pan until slightly browned. Add sage and fry until crispy. Add chicken. Pour sage butter and meat over the gnocchis. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with a green salad.
Either tomato or gorgonzola sauce with spinach are also great with these gnocchis.

Black Bean Tacos

Soak 1 cup of organic black beans with 2 TBs of whey and 1 ts salt overnight.
The next morning drain the beans, cover with water and boil. Skim off the foam and season with 1-2 smashed garlic cloves. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. Add water when necessary.
Mix chopped tomatoes, 1 small chopped onion, cilantro, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, chopped jalapeno peppers, pepper, salt and keep in the refridgerator for at least one hour.
When ready to server fry corn tortillas in oil, fold and keep warm in oven. Fill with beans, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, avocado slices. We found that plain yogurt also works well, in case you're out of sour cream :)

Good for you Soup

Left-over meat, cut in bite-size pieces (kind people gave us some deer steak)
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 bell-pepper, chopped
1/2 cup or more corn
2 cups beef broth (ideally home-made)
1/2 LB rice noodles any shape
1 clove garlic
2 1/2 TBs tomato paste
salt, pepper
parsley

Sautee onion in butter or olive oil until soft. Add carrots, celery, meat and broth. Simmer of 1 1/2 hours or longer until meat and vegetables are soft (chopped potatoes would work well too). Add bell-pepper and corn as well as tomato paste, garlic, noodles, salt, pepper and 1 cup more water. Cook until noodles are done and add more water until desired consistency.
Serve with sour cream and/or cheese.

Black Bean Bruschetta

Slices of Ciabatta or other rustic bread
1 cup of cooked black beans (or 1 can)
1 clove of garlic
1/3 cup of Tahini
2 TBs olive oil
parsley

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add oil to reach desired consistency - should be of peanut butter consistency. Add salt, pepper and parsley.
Toast bread slices in the oven or toaster.
Rub with an extra clove of garlic, sprinkle with some olive oil. Top with black bean mousse and tomatoes.

Perfect Popcorn

Tonight - it is Sunday evening movie night - J.J., our popcorn master, tried this recipe from Simply Recipes: Perfect Popcorn Recipe and it resulted in the best popcorn he has made so far and J.J. has made a lot of popcorn!
3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grapeseed oil (high smoke point oil)
1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
1 3-quart covered saucepan
2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
Salt to taste
1 Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.
2 Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.
3 When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.)
4 Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.
With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.
5 If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.
6 Salt to taste.
Makes 2 quarts, a nice amount for two people, or for one hungry one.
Additional tips: From the comments section
a If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.
b If you leave a little crack open in when you cover the pan, the steam can escape and the popcorn will be drier and crisper.
c Fun toppings for the popcorn - Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.

Pasta Spinach Alfredo - Creamy

Carlotta made this last night - it's one of her favorites

1 cup heavy cream, not homogenized
¼- ½ cup butter, ideally from pastured cow milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (ideally made from raw milk)
1 ts salt
¼ ts ground black pepper
1/4 ts nutmeg
1 package frozen organic spinach
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic

You will need to:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes (or as pasta package directs) or until al dente; drain.
Sautee onion and 1 clove of garlic for about 10 min. Add spinach and cook on low-medium heat until defrosted. Season with salt, nutmeg, pepper a little bit of rapadura.
Combine heavy cream and butter in a Dutch oven or large, heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally; be careful not bring mixture to a boil. Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and 1 crushed clove of garlic. Toss with cooked pasta and serve immediately on plates and top with spinach and additional grated cheese.

Greek Style Grass-fed Beef Burger with Zaziki

1 lb grass-fed beef hamburger
1 small onion, minced
1 clove of garlic
3 oz Feta cheese, diced or crumbled
4 TB cooked spinach
1 egg
salt, pepper, 1/2 ts cumin
Mix hamburger with onion, crushed garlic, egg, spices, spinach and feta cheese. Add seasoning and form hamburger patties as you like them.
Fry in cast-iron pan until brown on both sides. Don't overcook these burgers - they should be at least medium! Serve with Zaziki and tomatoes, lettuce and your favorite hamburger buns.

German Pancakes - Mit Dinkel

2 cups of spelt flour
4 eggs (omega 3 rich, free range)
Salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup of (sparkling - optional) water
butter for frying

Mix flour well with salt. Add eggs and slowly pour in milk and water. Stir well.
Let the dough rest for at least 30 min. I soak the spelt flour in a mix of 1 cup yogurt and 1 cup water overnight.
Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Fry pancakes in butter on both sides until golden brown.
These pancakes are very filling and great with soups. They are also a great lunch/dinner all by themselves especially when you add fruit (apples or blueberries) or bacon and pears before you turn them.

Zaziki - Greek Sauce

1 cup of good, plain whole yogurt with live cultures
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 big or 1 small cucumber, seeded, peeled and grated or diced
salt, pepper
1/4 ts cumin
1 TB olive oil
1 ts dill (optional)

Mix yogurt with garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, olive oil and dill. Add cucumber and chill. Tastes even better the next day. Great with pita bread.

Very Berry French Toast

2 free-range, omega 3 rich eggs
1 1/4 cups of (raw) milk
1/2 ts of vanilla
1 shake of cinnamon
Slices of sourdough bread
Berries of the month
-
Stir first four ingredients in a bowl. Dunk the sourdough bread slices into the batter one at a time. Fry in a buttered cast iron skillet on both sides until golden brown. Serve with berries and maple syrup.

Daily bread - sourdough that is

2 cups spelt flour or white whole wheat
1 cup rye flour (make it whole wheat if you are out of rye)
3 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
3 TBLs salt
4 TBLs olive oil
2 1/2 cups sourdough starter
about 2 cups of filtered water

Mix flours, salt, olive oil, sourdough starter and water in a big bowl. Work with a wooden spoon until it's getting too difficult and knead the dough with your hands for at least 10 minutes. This gives you a good arm workout. You might add a little flour if the dough is just too sticky (but don't let it get too dry - then you need to add more water).

Let the dough rise in an oiled covered bowl for 4-12 hours. It takes longer for the dough to rise when it's cold. On warm days I set the bowl outside. When everything's going well the dough rises nicely. Divide it then into several loaves or keep it as one big one and place it on a baking stone sprinkled with cornmeal.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce to 370 degrees and bake for 35 minutes. Knock on the finished loaf - if it sounds hollow, it's done.

Tasty Turkey Meatballs

1 Lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 clove garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 slices of sourdough bread soaked in warm water
1/2 ts each: oregano, thyme, sage, pepper, chile powder
1 ts salt

Mix turkey, egg, minced garlic and onions. Press water out of bread and mix with the meat. Season and form little meat balls. (Wet hands help). Fry on medium heat until done. Serve with Tabouleh, Zaziki, Peanut sauce.

Cantaloupe & Prosciutto

Slice one cantaloupe (or other melon). Decorate with slices of nitrate free, air-cured ham (Prosciutto or German Westphalian ham)

Buttered Buttermilk Biscuits

3 1/2 cups ground spelt flour
1 cup buttermilk
4 TBs melted butter
1 1/2 ts sea salt
2 ts baking soda
unbleached white flour
-
Mix flour and buttermilk to form a thick dough. Cover and leave in a warm place for 12-24 hours. Knead and add remaining ingredients. Roll dough on the floured surface and cut biscuits. Bake at 350 - 370 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with butter, cheese, jams, meats, soup.

Quick Potato Carrot Soup

4 big organic potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
2-3 organic carrots peeled and cut into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups of stock (beef or chicken)
water to thin the soup as necessary
butter
thyme
salt and pepper

Saute onions in butter until soft on low-medium heat. Add all other vegetable. Add stock, raise temperature and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook the vegetables until soft (about 20 minutes). Puree soup with a handheld blender or process in a regular blender. Add water to reach desired consistency. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Serve with croutons, shredded cheese and sour cream.

Schwarzwaelder Berry Yogurt

2 cups of whole milk plain yogurt (bought or home-made) with live active cultures
2 ts honey (or to taste)
1/2 ts of vanilla
Cherries or raspberries or blueberries...
Dark chocolate shavings

Mix the yogurt, honey and vanilla. Top with berries and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Hm.

Bountiful Burritos

Sometimes you have leftovers: rice, meat, vegetables. You want to use them for the second meal but make it look like a brand new one. Make burritos!
~
Soften spelt-flour tortillas by moistening them and warming them over low heat. Take each one and fill with chopped meat, prepared brown rice, black beans, your left-over vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, onions), salsa, cheddar cheese, sour cream. Roll them up and place in a oven-proof, oiled/buttered dish. Top with sour cream, cheese and a little salsa. Heat in the oven at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese has melted. Serve with a nice green salad.

Pecan Banana Oatmeal - has bite

2 cups old-fashioned organic rolled oats
1/2 cup steel cut organic oats
2 1/2 cups of filtered water
2 TBS whey
2 TBS raisins
1/4 ts cinnamon
Maple syrup or honey to taste
1-2 TBS butter
Pecan pieces
Bananas

On the night before breakfast mix the rolled and steel cut oats in 2 1/2 cups of filtered water mixed with whey in a pot and soak at room temperature. In the morning pour some boiling water on the oats and cook it on medium 5 - 10 minutes. Add raisins, cinnamon, maple syrup and butter. Serve with pecan pieces, sliced bananas, raw milk/cream.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

In the morning mix
2 cups spelt flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 ts salt

Using a food processor or a knife cut in 8 TBs butter and slowly add
1 1/4-1/2 cup of water with 5 TBs of whey.

Let dough rest at room temperature several hours.
When you are ready to roll :), enlist your children and make 30 little balls. Roll the tortillas out on a floured surface. Heat ungreased skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot. Cook tortillas until they are dry around the edges and blisters appear on top. Turn and cook other side until done. Stack tortillas, cover with a damp towel and keep warm.

Prompt Peanut Sauce

Mix in a food processor

3 TBs Organic Peanut Butter
2 TBs Organic Ketchup
1 TB Soy Sauce
1 clove garlic

Taste and add the ingredient that you would like more of :)

Balsamic Salad Vinaigrette

3 TBs extra-virgin olive oil
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 ts Dijon mustard
1 ts maple syrup, honey, or rapadura (otional)
1 clove garlic or little bit of onion (optional too if you don't have it on hand)
salt
pepper
herbs

Just stir it all together and pur it over the lettuce/vegetable when you are ready to serve.

Whey - why do we want it?

According to Webster whey is the watery part of milk that is separated from the coagulable part or curd especially in the process of making cheese and that is rich in lactose, minerals, and vitamins and contains lactalbumin and traces of fat . It is very nutritious and - when used to soak grains - helps to make our food more digestible.
How do you get it?
Drain whole plain yogurt (homemade or bought) in a strainer covered with cheese cloth or a dish towel into a bowl. Leave on the counter for a couple of hours until the yogurt stops dripping. Now you have cream cheese (in the dish towel) and whey in the bowl. You can store the whey in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a long time.
For more information visit the Weston A. Price Foundation

Sourdough Starter - gets things going

But how do you make the sourdough?" Mrs. Boast asked. "You start it," said Ma, "by putting some flour and warm water in a jar and letting it stand till it sours." "Then when you use it, always leave a little," said Laura, "and put in the scraps of biscuit dough, like this, and more warm water," Laura put in the warm water, "and cover it," she put the clean cloth and the plate on the jar, "and just set it in a warm place," she set it in its place on the shelf by the stove. "And it's always ready to use, whenever you want it." Laura Ingalls Wilder: By the Shores of Silver Lake
~

Making your own sourdough starter is really easy and cheap. You will never have to buy yeast again! Plan ahead though - initially it takes a couple of days before the starter is ready to leaven your bread. After that your "sourdough pet" just needs a little care every day - feeding and changing. Start with 2 cups of rye flour (works best). Mix it with 2 cups of filtered, cold water in a glass or ceramic bowl. Cover the bowl with a bandanna or cotton napkin and leave the bowl in a warm area. The next day transfer the dough to another bowl and add 1 cup of rye flour and more water to get it to the same pancake batter consistency as before. Cover and let it rest again. Follow the same procedure for the next couple of days. You should notice that the sourdough (we call ours 'Jim') will go through a bubbly stage and then calm down. If this doesn't happen you might have to start again from scratch. After a week you can use the sourdough starter for making bread. Add another cup of flour and a little water every day until you are ready to make another bread. If you would like a break, store the sourdough in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just take it out a day before you want to use it. More questions? This site has some good recommendations and recipes: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.html

Update: Maybe I got tired of feeding and changing my sourdough starter every day and in summer it got also a little too sour, so here's what I'm doing now. I feed the starter after making bread with flour and water and let it sit on the counter overnight to get nice and bubbly again. Then I store it in the refrigerator. Feed it again once or twice during the week depending on the amount of starter I need. The evening before I bake pizza or bread I take the starter out and let it warm up at room temperature. The dough still rises wonderfully, the bread is a little less sour and the kitchen smells better!

Lula’s Erbsensuppe

(Split Pea Soup)
This is a truly nourishing soup - high in protein, fiber and flavor.
1 package of dried green peas (375 gr)
Water
2 yellow onions
1 stalk of celery
Butter (2 TBs)
Salt
Pepper
1.5 Lbs potatoes
1 ½ Lbs nitrate free sausage of your choice
nitrate free bacon or ham, ham bones/hock
1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Wash peas the night before and soak them in the water overnight. The next day add some of the meat (cut) and or ham hocks. Bring to a boil and let cook on low heat for 2-21/2 hours.
In a separate big pot sauté the minced onions until lightly brown, add diced potatoes, celery, bacon and other cut sausage. Add the cooked peas from the other pot, salt and pepper and other spices as desired (e.g. a little vinegar and instant veggie soup). Cook about 30 minutes longer. If you want a fine consistency you can mash potatoes, soup or puree in a blender or use a stick blender Then add canned or frozen or fresh peas. You can also add more sausage or ham pieces later and heat it in the soup.
Serves: 4-6

Spaetzle - spelty German noodles

3 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk or water
1/2 ts salt
1/4 ts nutmeg

Sift flour and salt into bowl. Add egg and mix. Add water gradually until batter is stiff but smooth. Press dough flat on a plate or floured board. With a sharp knife, scrape small pieces of dough off and drop into boiling salted water. Boil gently 5 to 8 minutes, or until you try a few and find them done. Remove from water with perforated spoon and drain.

They may also be sautéed in butter until a bright golden color. Toasted bread crumbs, fried onions or grated cheese may also be sprinkled over them. Serve with a green salad for a full meal.

Sauerbraten auf Rheinische Art

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup of red wine
• 2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 large carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 12 juniper berries
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) tri-top or bottom round
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 100g Spekulatius (or not very sweet gingerbread or a cornstarch slush)
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins, optional

Directions

In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, 1 onion, 1 carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.

After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 Celcius)

Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add one fresh chopped carrot, onion, celery each, and brown.

Strain 'old' vegetables from the marinade. Pour marinade over meat. Add tomato paste to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven, and cook until tender, approximately 3 hours. Remove the meat from the vessel - keep warm or let cool for the next day. Remove fat from the sauce and reduce over high heat by about half. Blend solids with an emergent blender. Whisk in the crumbled spekulatius (or cornstarch slush) and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in raisins. Serve with Spaetzle and Red Cabbage. Or Sauerkraut.

Red Cabbage

1 Lb red cabbage
3 oz Goose drippings (or lard)
1/2 TBs Rapadura (or brown sugar)
1 onion
1 apple
3 ts red wine vinegar
pepper, salt
1/2 cup water
red currant jelly

Cut the red cabbage in half. Slice the cabbage in very fine slices. In a stew pot heat goose fat (or lard or butter it no goose fat is available). Add rapadura and let caramelize. Reduce heat. Dice the onions; add to the rapadura. Peel, core and quarter the apples, then cut in small slices. Fry the apple slices in the goose fat. Add the red cabbage, stir and immediately cast on the red wine vinegar so as the red cabbage keeps it's red/violet color. Season with pepper and salt. Add water, cover and let braise on low heat for 45 minutes. Add red currant jelly to taste. Great with Sauerbraten.

Reibekuchen - the potato kind

(Potato Pancakes)
3 lbs potatoes grated
1 raw medium onion grated (optional)
3 Eggs
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
1 TBs flour
2 TBs oatmeal
1 ts parsley (optional)
2 TBs oil
Peel and grate the potatoes. Drain the liquid. Mix the potatoes with eggs, grated onion, flour, oatmeal,, salt, parsley, and pepper.Heat the oil in a skillet and then put the dough in, 3 tablespoons at a time. Spread the dough out evenly. Bake on both sides until golden brown.
Serves: 4 – Great with apple sauce or sour cream and salmon

Rapadura

Rapadura along with a traditional Indian medicine called Jaggery, are the only sweeteners made from sugar cane that are not refined. They are squeezed, dried, and ground, that’s it. The juice is not separated, dried and then reunited with its more nutritious counterpart (molasses) in artificial proportions as are raw, brown and black sugar, demerara and sucanat.
Rapadura delivers vitamins, minerals and other trace elements as well as the sweet taste that all humans desire, and need. We have sweet taste buds for good reason. Sweet foods in nature provide us with high quality vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium. As long as we balance the sweet taste with the other four (sour, bitter, salty and pungent), according to Chinese medicine, we will maintain good health.
s. NourishedMagazine

Zwiebelkuchen

(Onion cake)
Dough:
4 cups spelt flour
3 egg yolks
¼ cup butter
Pinch of salt
A bit of honey
½ cup lukewarm water
1 oz. Fresh yeast (or 1 pack of dried yeast)

Filling:
4 Slices of bacon (nitrate free), diced
2 lb. diced onion
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt
Caraway seeds to taste
To prepare the dough: leave all ingredients out, letting them reach room temperature. Put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the yeast with a pinch of sugar and the water and a bit of the flour. Pour into the well and lightly cover with the flour. Cover and leave to rise. Beat the yolks with a pinch of sugar until thick. Beat into the shortening, add a pinch of salt and pour into the flour. Work to a dough and knead until bubbles form. Roll it out finger-thick and line a baking pan. Press the dough edges up to a height of about ¾ inches. Let the dough rise again.
For the filling: Fry the bacon until crisp, take out 2 tablespoons and put aside. Fry the onions in the bacon fat, let them soften but not brown. Cool slightly then spread them over the dough. Beat the eggs with the sour cream, add a pinch of salt and pour the mixture over the onions, sprinkle with remaining fried bacon and caraway seeds. Bake in a hot oven until the filling is set and the pastry a golden brown, about 30 minutes.