Archive | October 2016

Oberschlesisches Pork Cutlet with Apple Rotkraut

Yes, it’s that time of the year again – my birthday will be tomorrow! Happy Birthday to me.

So I used this occasion to treat myself to yet another dish my ‘Mutti’used to make so well.

My late mother was born in a small town in Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia) which after the Second World War in 1945 became part of the Republic of Poland.

Sadly I do not have as many recipes from her old country as I would like, but, although today’s recipe is one I do remember well from my time growing up in Bonn, it is not easy to make this one here now, simply because it is very very difficult indeed to get those large succulent and tender Pork chops. (In fact because of this difficulty I have in the past used veal or chicken frequently instead of pork).

Ingredients for 2

2 x pork chops (or tenderloin slices)
Some garlic, finely chopped, or garlic powder
Some dried marjoram
Some breadcrumbs
Some plain flour
1 x egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 x Tbsp each of butter and oil

Place your chosen meat between 2 layers of cling film or parchment paper and bash this for a few minutes until the meat has become considerably thinner.

Line up 3 x plates, dip your meat into the beaten egg, then into the flour to which I had previously added the spices, then once again into the egg and now into the breadcrumbs, to which I had added some finely chopped parsley (optional).

Cover a plate with some cling film, then add the prepared meat and uncovered! Keep in your fridge for maybe 30 minutes or so (the coating on the meat should now stay on).

Heat pan on medium heat, add a knob of butter and a Tbsp of oil and when hot enough, carefully add the meat straight from your fridge. Gently turn this a couple of times when cooking.

When ready – keep warm.

APPLE RED CABBAGE
½ X Kg of red cabbage, very finely shredded
2 x slightly tart apples, peeled, quartered and cut into small pieces
1 x large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 x cloves
2 x bay leafs
Some vegetable broth (from a stock cube)
Little vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Some red wine vinegar
And finally either some cranberries or red currant jelly (very little, must not become too sweet)

Method to cook:
Heat oil in large pan on medium heat, add onions, cabbage, apples, cloves and bay leafs, stir and bring to a light boil just for a few minutes. Add vegetable stock, salt and pepper, stir, and cover with a tight lid.

Reduce heat if needed and cook for some time – check after 30 minutes or so. When you are happy with the cooked cabbage add red wine vinegar and the jelly. Keep tasting – remember, the cabbage should not be too sweet – but should have just the right amount of “sweet tartness”.

PS This red cabbage freezes well.

Serve with either just boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes or with my favourite: Kluskis = potato dumplings (this recipe will be posted another time soon)

That’s it – Guten Appetit

Namaskaram, Carina

Indian Spinach and Pork

Oct20

As you well know by now I do have a pretty good relationship with my WOK.

For only 1 or 2 people producing a delicious meal in no time and with no fuss and most of all without lots of washing-up, a wok is the perfect tool for somebody who is always on the go and often running short of time.

So, therefore I share with you today my recipe for yesterday’s lunch.

I remembered I had bought a bunch of “Palak” the South Indian equivalent of our Spinach and it needed to be used fairly quickly. I also had some pork left over from a Pork Vindaloo dish. Some nice fresh peanuts I had just bought winking at me from their jar – and so very quickly I had assembled everything I needed and just 30 minutes later (that included the time to take some pictures for you to see) I was able to sit at the table and enjoy my “Spinach and Pork Stir Fry”.

So, for 1 slightly hungry person you will need:

3 x spring onions, I used only the white, cut into rings
1 x small piece of fresh ginger, very finely chopped
2-3 x garlic cloves, very finely chopped
Some pork (appr. 100 gr), cut into small mouth sized pieces
1 x Tbsp Soya sauce
1 x tsp Honey (or less if you don’t like it too sweet)
2 x tsp lemon juice
1 x bunch of fresh Palak or appr. 150-200 gr fresh spinach, well washed, keep aside in a colander to lose some of the water
1 x tsp Oil
1 x small handful of fresh Peanuts
Salt and Pepper to your taste

To cook:

Heat Wok with the oil on medium heat. After 2 minutes add your Peanuts, Garlic and Ginger, keep stirring, add Pork and continue stirring for app. 2 minutes or so.

Add the prepared Palak/Spinach and all the Spring onion rings; stir and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Mix honey, lemon juice and Soya sauce together and add to the wok. Finally check, and if needed, add salt and pepper.

Since I like my Palak/Spinach slightly crisp I continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes.

And that’s it! Ready. Serve with rice.

Guten Appetit!

Namaskaram, Carina

SEMI TROPICAL , SLIGHTLY BOOZY FRUIT MEDLEY …….

Oct13

or, Fond Memories of Summer’s Past …….

Even living here in the Tropics I am fully aware that the “…hazy days of summer…” are over for most of you. And during my now 2 weeks absence from the Computer desk I had intended to cook and photograph some delicious body-and-soul warming soups from my home country in general and from my late Mutti’s kitchen in particular. But, as it so often happens in life, I got a bit side tracked with visitors and our girls coming home as well, and somehow I ended up trying – with some modest success I like to say so myself – to bake some cakes for future postings!!!!

Even though I thought not to post any of them since they are not 100% perfect, but …..why not, I asked myself. After all I am so proud that I even managed those (since I really really cannot bake) – what do you think? I leave you for now with a famous quote by W.C. Fields “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it”. Please do let me know.

So now for today I like to show you one of my long-time favourite (warm) fruit puddings – inspired of course by living for 3 years in “Rum-and-Steelband Country” – beautiful Trinidad & Tobago/W.I. There is only one little snag concerning my recipe – I was not able to find a single mango anywhere – season is over now, but I lived under the illusion of at least finding one in the big Hypermarket, but ……….no such luck, I used an apple instead!

For 2 happy people:
½ x pineapple, peeled and sliced and cut into cubes
1 x ripe juicy mango, peeled, stoned and cut into cubes
(or use an apple instead, which makes it ‘semi tropical’)
½ x papaya, peeled, sliced, seeded and cut into cubes
1 x large banana, peeled and thickly sliced
1 x generous Tbsp of clear honey
1 x tsp of ground cinnamon
3 x Tbsp dark rum
1 x plus Tbsp of unsalted butter, room temperature

Serve with either vanilla-, yoghurt- or lemon-ice cream or a generous dollop of thick yoghurt.

This should be served if possible right at the end of the meal. So, assemble all your prepared fruit since it will only take a few minutes from start to finish.

Use a heavy based frying pan, melt butter, add pineapple and cook on medium to low heat for a couple of minutes. Keep turning the fruit and when it starts to change colour slightly add all of the remaining previously prepared fruit to the pan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes (not more!!), turning occasionally.

Now stir in honey, cinnamon and rum, cook for a further 2 minutes until sauce thickens. Serve immediately if possible.

PS: I often play around adding this and that – including some golden raisins and other sweet dried berries. But on the whole the above recipe works just fine – my guests always asked me for the recipe, since it is so delicious, fruity and quick to make.