Beef-Sauerkraut-Gulasch

Gulasch is a one-pot dish which I will normally cook during the cold months of the year.  This dish can be prepared in various ways using different kinds of meat and vegetables.  Our family's favourite is the one with Sauerkraut (sour cabbage) which is the healthiest option.  The following recipe does not involve much work and tastes great when served with a baguette!

Ingredients (serves 4):
600 g beef (lean), to be cut into 4 cm cubes
3 medium-size onions, to be peeled & coarsely diced
2 tbsp (level) plain flour
500 ml water
350 g potatoes, to be peeled & coarsely diced
250 g fresh or canned Sauerkraut (sour cabbage)
500 ml tomato juice or pureed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
4 dried juniper berries (Wacholderbeeren), to be lightly crushed just before adding to pot
3 tsp sugar or to taste
salt & ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp oil

Method:
Prepare all ingredients and put them aside.

In a pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add beef cubes in two portions and brown on all sides.  Remove to a side plate and repeat procedure.

Return all beef portions to pot and add onions.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes and then, add salt and pepper.

Add plain flour and mix thoroughly.  Then, add water and stir well.  Bring to a light boil.  Cover pot and simmer over low/medium heat for about 50 minutes.

Then, add potato cubes and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.

Then, add Sauerkraut, bay leaves, lightly crushed juniper berries (Wacholderbeeren) and tomato juice.  Bring to a light boil.  Cover pot and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.  Lastly, season with sugar, salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Serve hot!  This dish tastes great with any kind of bread!

Bon Appetit!

Baeckeoffa

A hearty stew for dinner on a cold Saturday evening.  This dish is very popular in Alsace, France and it is usually cooked with pork meat.  This time, I added goose meat along with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, marjoram, parsley, thyme & bay leaf.  I used a traditional Baeckeoffa casserole which can be served directly on the dining table.   Otherwise, one can use a normal casserole with a lid. Tastes great when eaten with a crusty baguette.

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 goose legs (about 950 g)
40 g ghee or Butterschmalz
650 g potatoes, to be peeled and soaked in cold water
a bunch of flat parsley, to be washed, dried & plucked
a bunch of marjoram, to be washed, dried & plucked
200 ml chicken or poultry fond
300 ml Alsatian Silvaner or any non-alcoholic cooking white wine
300 g big onions, to be peeled & cut into wedges
500 g big carrots, to be peeled, halved & cut into 5 cm pieces
800 g cabbage, to be cut into strips (trunk removed), washed & drip dry
1/2 bunch of thyme, to be washed & dried
1 tiny bay leaf

250 g plain flour
2 tbsp cooking oil
125 ml water

Method:
Wash and dry goose legs.  Remove fat and skin - these are to be cooked in a saucepan over medium heat in order to extract the goose fat.  Remove meat from bones and cut into about 5 cm cubes. Leave aside.

Prepare onions, carrots and cabbage as shown.

Grease the base of casserole with 10 g ghee.  Thinly slice potatoes and arrange on the base of casserole in two layers:  sprinkle salt, pepper, parsley and marjoram on each layer.  Then, add poultry fond.

Heat 2 tbsp of goose fat in a big pan over medium heat and add goose meat.  Brown on all sides and season with salt & pepper, followed by 100 ml Silvaner.  Let it simmer lightly before adding to the casserole.

Wipe pan clean with kitchen paper.  Heat 10 g ghee over medium heat and add onion wedges. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.  Then, season with salt and a good pinch of sugar, followed with 50 ml of Silvaner.  Let it simmer lightly before adding to the casserole.

Wipe pan clean with kitchen paper.  Heat 10 g ghee over medium heat and add carrots.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.  Then, season with salt and a good pinch of sugar, followed with 150 ml of Silvaner. Let it simmer lightly before adding to the casserole.

Wipe pan clean with kitchen paper.  Heat 10 g ghee over medium heat and add cabbage.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.  Then, season with salt and a pinch of sugar. Then, add to casserole and place the bunch of thyme with the bay leaf attached.

In a mixing bowl, knead flour, cooking oil and water together to form a pliable dough. Roll dough into a long roll, enough to line the lid of the casserole.  Position dough between the casserole and its lid as shown.  Press dough lightly.

Bake in a preheated slow fan oven at a temperature of 140° C for about two and three quarter hours.

Remove thyme and bay leaf before serving it hot with a crusty baguette.

Bon Appetit!

One-Pot Chicken Chasseur

A great family dish which shows how tasty a simple casserole of chicken thighs can be - succulent mushrooms and melt-in-the-mouth chicken - all served in a fragrant and delicious gravy.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 chicken legs, to be washed and pat dry
salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
20 g butter

300 g small button mushrooms or brown mushrooms, to be cleaned and left whole or cut into 4
1 medium-sized onion, to be peeled and cut into fine wedges
3 pips of garlic, to be peeled and crushed
150 ml red wine (optional - I omitted this)
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp of dried thyme
500 ml chicken stock

Method:
Season chicken legs with salt and ground black pepper to taste.  In a large pan, heat olive oil and half of butter over medium heat.  Add chicken legs and fry for about 5 minutes each side or until golden brown.  Remove to a tray and set aside.

Melt rest of butter in pan and add onion wedges.  Fry until soft before adding the crushed garlic.  Fry for about 1 minute before adding the mushrooms.  Cook for a further 2 minutes and then, add wine.

Add tomato puree and let gravy simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes.  Then, add in thyme and chicken stock.  Return the chicken legs to pan and put on lid.  Simmer over low/medium heat for about an hour.

Remove chicken from pan and keep warm by covering with aluminium foil.  Boil gravy for about 10 minutes or until the flavour is concentrated.  You may add a mixture of cornflour/water mixture to thicken the gravy a bit, if you wish.

Return the chicken legs to pan and heat through.  Serve with baguette or potato dumplings.

Bon Appetit!

Turkey Goulash (Putengulasch) served with Spätzle

Spätzle is a Swabian noodle delicacy in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.  The dough is made of flour, eggs, a pinch of salt and water.  Traditionally, Spätzle is prepared by scraping dough off a "Spätzlebrett" (a wooden board) directly into boiling salt water.  One can either use a potato presser instead.  There are various kinds of Spätzle i.e. Käsespätzle (cheese), Kräuterspätzle (herbs), Leberspätzle (liver), etc.  This time, I am serving Spätzle with a simple Turkey Goulash.

Ingredients for Spätzle (serves 4 persons):
500 g plain flour
5 eggs
a pinch of salt
1/8 to 1/4 litre water (the amount of water needed depends on the size of the eggs)

Method:
Mix all ingredients together either by using your hand or a wooden spoon.  The dough consistency should be soft and elastic.  Beat the dough until bubbles start to appear on the surface.  This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.  Leave dough to rest for about 15 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to a light boil.  Add a little cooking oil and salt.  Place a bowl containing ice cold water on the side.  Get your potato presser ready.  (Note:  I am using my Spätzleria from Tupperware.  Various Spätzlebrett can be found on this link.)

Fill your potato presser with dough and lightly press the dough out into the boiling water.  Let it boil slightly before removing the Spätzle into the ice cold water.  Then, remove Spätzle to a colander over a bowl to drain the water away.

Serve Spätzle with Turkey Goulash or any other gravy.


Simple Turkey Goulash (Putengulasch)

Ingredients:
600 g turkey meat, to be cut into bite pieces
200 g big onions, to be peeled cut into cubes
1 tbsp (heaped) plain flour
1/2 litre chicken stock or white wine (optional)
400 g brown champignons, to be cleaned and quartered
ghee (Butterschmalz) or oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Heat ghee in a pot over medium heat and add turkey meat.  Brown lightly on all sides and then, add in cubed onions.  Stir-fry until the onions changed colour.  Sprinkle flour and stir well.  Then, add in stock and cook until meat is tender.  This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add in the quartered champignons and season to taste.  Cook for a further 10 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

One Pot Chicken Chasseur

This dish is easy to prepare and excellent in taste! I substituted button mushrooms with carrots and red wine with chicken stock! It can either be served with Mashed Potatoes or French Baguette!  The recipe can be found on the following link:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9100/onepot-chicken-chasseur