Red Cabbage with Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil or butter
• 1 apple, sliced
• 1 medium or large onion, sliced
• 1 medium head red cabbage, sliced
• ⅓ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oil or butter.  Fry onion and apple until tender.  Add all other ingredients, mix, and simmer covered for 1 hour.

Soup Dumplings

• 1/2 Cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 Cup milk

Mix dry ingredients.  Add milk and stir just until mixture comes together in a smooth dough.  Drop by spoonfuls into simmering soup, and cook 10-15 minutes depending on size of dumpling.  Makes ~8 golf ball sized dumplings.

Corn & Zucchini

This is a great side dish when you're having Mexican food!

Makes: 4 servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): ~€0,96

Calories per serving: ~97

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large zucchini (yield about 2 cups when chopped), cubed
• 1 small can (140g dry weight) corn, or fresh corn if you can get it!
• 1 jalapeño, fresh or pickled, seeded or not seeded depending on how spicy you want it, finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• salt
• pepper

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for one minute.  Add zucchini and cook covered for 5 minutes.  Add corn and jalapeño, stir while cooking for 3 minutes.  Add tomato.  Cover and cook until zucchini is tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Horchata

• 1 cup rice
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tblsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar

Crush rice a little with a mortar and pestle. Poor water over rice and let soak overnight. The next day, filter the rice water, and add the other ingredients. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve cold or over ice.

If I were to make this again, I would probably soak the rice a little in just enough hot water to cover first, then crush the rice, then add the rest of the warm water and let soak overnight. The original recipe contains 2/3 cups sugar, but this would have been far too much for me.

Adapted from: Lola's Horchata at Food.com.

Salsa

• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 medium onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno
• ~1/4 cup water
• 1 Tblsp. olive oil
• juice from 1/2 lime
• salt and sugar to taste

Peel and chop tomatoes. Peeling can be made easier by placing tomatoes for ~5s in boiling water and then shocking cold water. Finely chop onion and jalapeno. Mince garlic. Heat oil in medium sauce pan. When hot, add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes. After about 1 minute, add enough water to achieve desired consistency. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The mixture should change colors from a orangey-red to a deeper red color. Add lime juice and salt and sugar to taste. Pour into a clean jar and let cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator. Makes ~1 pint.

Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots (Escabeche)

• 150-200g jalapenos
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 medium onion
• 5-7 cloves garlic
• cauliflower florets (optional)
• apple cider vinegar (or diluted white vinegar)
• 1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Slice jalapenos into rings (alternatively, if whole peppers are preferred, cut a deep cross into the tip of the pepper to let the vinegar enter, or use a mix of sliced and whole peppers). Peel and slice carrot into rings. Peel garlic cloves, but leave them whole. Cut the half onion into quarters. Mix everything in a small sauce pan and add salt and enough vinegar to cover. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for ~2-3 minutes--until the peppers are done (they will begin to take on a translucent quality). Divide vegetables between two one-pint (0.5 liter) jars that have been washed with hot water and add enough of the cooked vinegar mixture to cover. Let the mixture come back down to room temperature and then move to refrigerator. Alternatively, process hot jars for 10-15 minutes in a hot water bath.
Source: adapted from Simply Recipes.

Rheinisches Schwarzbrot (Rhineland Black Bread)

Really more of a very dark brown, a "black" bread in German is one that is made with 100% (or nearly 100%) rye. I saw this bread in a local bakery, and because the loaf was pretty, searched for a recipe. I found one that looked very good on Bäcker Süpke's blog. Besides being pretty, the bread also turned out delicious--very rye-y, sour, and slightly sweet. Bäcker Süpke's recipe makes two free-standing 1kg loafs. I cut the recipe in half and made a single 1kg pan loaf 1. because that's what I saw in the local bakery and 2. because I didn't know what to do with two 1 kg loaves.

Sourdough

• 250g coarsely ground rye meal (or chopped rye--Roggenschrot)
• 250g water
• 25g sourdough starter

Sourdough should (optimally) have a temperature of 28C. Mine started at 28C and cooled to room temp overnight. Let stand 20 hours.
Old bread soaker

• 50g old bread, toasted and ground
• 100g hot water (80C)

Pour water over bread and let stand at least 1 hour. I let mine stand overnight. Because I also couldn't find a good way to grind the bread, I smashed it with a fork after soaking. The soaker serves to make the bread moister. A whole-grain bread (preferably rye) is recommended. If this isn't available, bread crumbs serve as another alternative.
Dough

• Sourdough and old-bread soaker
• 250 g moderately or finely ground rye meal
• 25g sugar beet syrup
• 10g fresh yeast
• 10g salt
• 6g sugar
• millet or rolled oats or rye for decoration (optional)
  

Dissolve the yeast in a bit (~50g) of warm water and add to other ingredients. Add enough water to make a smooth, sticky dough with the consistency of very dense mashed potatoes. The dough should be very warm--about 30C. Then, knead for 12 minutes slowly and a further 6 minutes quickly (because I don't have a mixer and only limited arm strength, I just folded the dough for ~5-6 minutes). Do this a total of four times with 20 minute breaks between kneads. This process apparently gives the bread its characteristic consistency.

After the last knead, form the dough into a ball (easiest with wet hands), and roll out into a bread pan shaped log in a 1:1 mixture of cornstarch and medium rye flour. Lay into a baking-paper-lined bread pan and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place (ideally ~30C). (If you double the recipe and make two free-standing loaves, make two rolls, place them next to one another so that they're touching, and boarder them with cutting boards so that they rise up rather than out.) Before baking, spray the loaf with plenty of water and rub the surface of the loaf with your hand. Through this process, the cornstarch mixture will seal the cracks that opened up during the second rise. It will also create a pretty surface on the loaf. Sprinkle with millet or rolled grains.

The baking instruction given were pretty cryptic, but this is what I did: bake in an oven with lots of steam (I stand a bowl of water in the bottom of my oven). Bake for 10 minutes at 240C, then reduce heat to 190C for a further 60 minutes. As instructed, I released the steam in the oven after 1-2 minutes at 240C, but with the bowl of water in the bottom, the steam was replenished quickly. After baking, spray the loaf once more with water, remove from the pan (I did this right away and sprayed the sides of the loaf, too), and let cool on a wire rack.
Makes: 1 x 1kg loaf

Schinkenbrot

Unfortunately, there's no ham in it, but it does go great with smoked schwarzwaelder Schinken. Perhaps a ham beer to complement?

Source: Ye Olde Bread Blogge

Soaker:

• 150g coarse rye meal or chopped rye
• 150g boiling water

Pour water over rye meal, cover, and let stand over night at room temp.

Sourdough starter:

• 125g whole rye flour
• 125g water
• 10g rye sourdough starter (hydration 100%)

Mix flour, water, and sourdough and let stand 18-24 hours.

Dough:

• 100g dark rye flour (type 1150)
• 150g whole rye flour
• 100g strong white flour
• sourdough starter
• rye meal soaker
• ~350g water
  
• 6g yeast
• 10g salt

Proof yeast in ~75g of the water and mix with other ingredients. Fold for 5-10 minutes by hand. Desired dough temperature: 28C. First rise: ~1 hour

Pour dough into a lined baking tin, and let rise ~1 hour or until almost doubled in bulk.

Bake at 250C for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 190C and bake for a further 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes in tin. Then, remove bread from tin and baking paper. Let rest 12-24 hours before cutting in order to allow the crumb to stabilize.

Bread turned out well--dark, mildly sweet, and somewhat sour. Next time, I would reduce the hydration a bit to firm up the crumb.

Mujadarrah

I found this recipe online one day while searching for something I could make with things I already had on hand.  It's become a huge favorite.  It normally calls for green lentils, but I use brown or red if that's what I have around.

Makes: 4 servings

Cost per serving: ~€0,35 excluding yogurt, ~€0,50 including yogurt

Calories per serving:  ~480 excluding yogurt

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion sliced into thin rings
• 1⅓ cup uncooked lentils
• ¾ cup uncooked rice
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• yogurt 

Put lentils in a large pot with enough lightly salted water to cover them.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil.  Since this recipe uses a large amount of oil, you may feel tempted to skimp on it, but I highly recommend using the full amount.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and fry until browned - about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

After the lentils have simmered 15 minutes, add rice and enough water to cover well.  Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.  I recommend tons of pepper.  Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until rice and lentils are tender.

Mix half the onions into the lentils.  Use the rest of the onions as garnish.  Top with plain yogurt, or serve cucumber salad alongside it.

Frankenlaib

Saw this at my favorite stand at the local (bi)weekly market. Then, I saw this recipe online--I took it as a sign. The bread turned out fantastic--very sour and flavorful, but not super dense. The recipe is a little large, so I cut it in half. The only change I'll make next time is to rub the water on the loaf before putting it in the oven (as suggested by the author) instead of just spritzing thoroughly with water.

Ingredients:

• 360g whole-rye sourdough (100% hydration)
• 250g medium rye flour, type 1150 (recipe calls for light rye flour, but I haven't seen it in any local supermarkets)
• 100g whole-wheat flour
• 7g (~1 1/2 tsp.) salt
• 1 tablespoon ground caraway (optional--I didn't add it)
• ~175g warm water

Mix together all ingredients except the salt to form a soft dough (the recipe recommends ~5 minutes with a mixer, but we don't have one, so I did this by hand). Proof for 30 minutes in a warm place--during this period, to make up for my lack of a mixer, I folded the dough two more times at 10 minute intervals. Knead in the salt (and bread spice if you like such things). Dump the dough out on a table and shape into a round. Place the shaped dough into a well floured proofing basket seam-side up and let rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours--until the dough shows ~2mm cracks. Carefully flip the bread onto a well floured pallet or baking sheet (alternatively, use baking paper). Rub water all over the surface and place bread in oven that has been pre-warmed to 240C on a hot baking stone. Bake with steam. For the first 15 minutes, spray the dough several times with a water sprayer. Then, turn the temperature down to 200C and bake for a further 35-45 minutes. Spray the bread once more immediately after removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a rack for several hours before cutting (I let mine cool over night).

Mushroom Curry

Makes: 2 side servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): coming soon

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ large onion, chopped finely
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• about 8oz/225g mushrooms, sliced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

 Saute onion in oil until softened.  Add garlic and saute one more minute.  Add spices and cook 4-5 more minutes.  If the mixture becomes dry, add water by the tablespoon.

Add mushrooms, tomato paste, and salt.  Add more water if desired.  I add about a quarter cup, maybe slightly less.  Lower the heat to a simmer, then cover and cook 10 minutes.

Serve with rice or some other starch of your choice.

Roasted Broccoli

My sister threw me a recipe shower when I got married.  Dru sent this recipe, which has become one of my favorites!

Makes: 2 servings as a lunch, 4 as a side

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): ~€0,75

Ingredients:

• 1 large (or two small) head(s) broccoli, cut up
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Heat oven to 450F/230C.  Toss broccoli with other ingredients.  Spread on a foil- or Backpapier-lined baking sheet and roast in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes.  It will be turning brown in spots.

Enjoy!

Einkornbrot

Einkorn is an ancestor of modern wheat and is one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat (which is, in turn, one of the oldest domesticated crops). I tend to be fascinated by such things, so when I found recipe for Einkornbrot (Einkorn bread) in one of my newest cookbooks, Brot: Bread Notes from a Floury German Kitchen by Nils Schoener, I had to try it out. The bread is definitely worth trying, and as noted by Mr. Schoener, the crust is something fantastic.

An aside about the book: at $9.95, it was a bit expensive for a Kindle ebook (it is only available as such), but I had a gift certificate, so I bought it anyways. It was worth every penny (however, I think it'd sell a lot better if it only cost $5). I have made several breads from this book, and about 80% of them have turned out fantastic. The other 20% were still good, and I can only assume that the reason they weren't better was due to errors made on my part.

Einkorn soaker:

• 100g coarse einkorn meal
• 100g warm water

let stand for 3-16 hours. I noticed that after almost 20 hours in my kitchen, the surface has turned a brownish-green color. I assume this is due to the oxidation of organic compounds in the grain, similar to what happens with ripe avocados when exposed to air.

Einkorn sourdough:

• 100g whole einkorn flour
• 100g warm water
• 1 Tblsp. rye sourdough starter (hydration 100%)

Mix and let stand for 12-16 hours at room temperature (~21C).

Dough:

• 50g rye flour
• 100g strong white flour (I used German type 550, which is equivalent to American unbleached all-purpose flour.)
• 50-100g of water (enough to get a loose dough)
• 1/4 tsp. dry activated yeast
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• Einkorn soaker
• Einkorn sourdough

Preheat oven to 250C. Mix dough and proof for 45-60 minutes at room temperature. During this period gently fold the dough 3-4 times every 15 minutes. Shape dough and work (whole) rye flour into seam. Let rest in a round Brotform, seam-side down, for 5-10 minutes (I used a small floured plastic mixing bowl, but I can't recommend this since the flour doesn't cling to the sides of the bowl as it should and the dough ends up sticking). Invert onto a floured bread paddle (I just used a wooden cutting board) and bake seam-side up for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 200C at bake for a further 30-40 minutes.

Corn Tortillas

Only one store in Heidelberg used to sell corn tortillas. That store has now closed. Thus, we've had to learn how to make our own. They're really easy to make (especially with a tortilla press), and they taste better anyways.

Source.

• 2 C masa harina corn flour (e.g. Maseca Corn Masa mix)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/8 C water

Mix ingredients very well so that they form a thick paste that isn't crumbly. It will probably be necessary to add extra water, one tablespoon at a time, to get the right consistency. Divide the dough into 16 equal sized balls, and cover them with a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out. Either (1) roll the balls out between two sheets of durable plastic (e.g. plastic baggies) or waxed paper or (2) press the balls between two sheets of plastic (or waxed paper) using a tortilla press. In the mean time heat a skillet over medium heat. If using an uncoated pan, using a napkin or paper towel that has been dabbed in oil to spread a very thin sheen of oil over the surface of the pan. Fry tortilla briefly on both sides (about 40-60s per side). Prepare tortillas according to recipe

Makes 16 corn tortillas

Cauliflower with Panch Phoron

Panch phoron can also be labeled panch puren, panch puran, panch puram, and other similar variations, and you can find it at some Asian groceries.  It's composed of equal parts fenugreek, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and radhuni or celery seeds or mustard seeds.

Makes: 2 servings

Cost per serving: ~0,90€ (excludes rice)

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/3 cup oil
• ½ teaspoon panch phoron
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1" or 2cm ginger root, grated
• 3 Thai chilis, split lengthwise

Cut the cauliflower into small florets.  If you've just washed it, try to dry it as much as possible.

Use a pot with high sides.  Heat the oil and add the panch phoron.  It will pop and splutter.  After it has finished spluttering, add the cauliflower and salt.  Cauliflower is full of moisture and will cause a lot of spattering when added to hot oil - hence the high sides of the pot and trying to dry it off a bit - so stand back and cover or move anything near by that you don't want possibly spattered.

Stir for 3-4 minutes, then cover over medium heat and let the cauliflower lose its moisture and soften.  When it has, uncover and add sugar, ginger, and chilis.  Stir continuously until the moisture is gone and the cauliflower is coated in a sheen of oil.

Serve with rice.

Lemon Rice

Makes: 2 servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): coming soon

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 4-5 curry leaves (try the Asian market)
• 2 Thai chilis, split lengthwise
• 1" or 2 cm ginger root, grated
• ½ cup unsalted peanuts
• handful raisins
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 servings cooked white rice

Toast the coriander seeds in a pan until fragrant and starting to brown, then crush/powder them.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan.  When hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chilis.  Fry until the mustard seeds stop spluttering.

Add ginger, peanuts, and raisins.  Fry one minute, then add turmeric and remove from heat.

Add lemon juice and mix well.  Then add rice, crushed coriander, and salt to taste.  Mix well & enjoy!

66% rye bread

from: Brot: Bread Notes From A Floury German Kitchen

Sourdough build:
-175g whole rye flour
-140g water
-10g mature rye sourdough starter (hydration 100%)

Mix ingredients and let stand covered for 18-24 hours at room temperature.

Dough:
-120g rye flour
-150g strong white flour (German types 550 or 1050 or American unbleached all-purpose flour)
-200g water
-9g salt
~1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (recipe calls for 4.5g fresh yeast)
-Sourdough build

Bulk fermentation: 30 minutes at room temperture (or a little warmer)
Final fermentation: 1 hour
Bake at 230C for 15 minutes with steam, then reduce heat to 200C and bake for a further 40 minutes.

Makes: 1 free standing loaf

German-Style Sourdough Bread

from: Brot: Bread Notes From a Floury German Kitchen

Sourdough build:
-220g coarse rye meal
-300ml boiling water
-1 Tblsp. mature rye sourdough starter

Pour the boiling water over the rye meal. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let stand until lukewarm (about 20 minutes). Mix in the sourdough starter, cover, and let rest overnight at room temperature.

Seed soaker:
-30g linseeds
-30g sunflower seeds
-100g warm water

Mix, cover, and let stand for at least 3 hours. Can be made at the same time as the sourdough build.

Dough:
-330g whole wheat flour
-11g sea salt
-enough water to make a soft and sticky dough
-Sourdough build
-Seed soaker

Bulk fermentation: 45-60 minutes at room temperature.
Shape into a log and place into an bread tin greased with sunflower oil.
Final fermentation: 30-45 minutes.
Bake at 230C for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 210C for a further 40-50 minutes. Let cool completely, and let stand for 12-24 hours to allow for the rye dough to set.

Makes: 1 loaf

Carrot Curry

Makes: 3 servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): ~0,37€ (excludes rice)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin
• 1 teaspoon urid dal (from South Indian or Asian grocery)
• 1 Thai chili, chopped (if unavailable, substitute with ¼ - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper)
• 8-10 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 8-10 curry leaves (from South Indian or Asian grocery)
• 2 tablespoons dessicated coconut (in Heidelberg, available in freezer at Butt grocery)
• salt

 Use a pot with tall sides.  Heat the oil, then add cumin and urid dal.  When the dal browns, add the chili and saute to cook it a bit.  Add the carrots, followed by ¼ cup water.  Cook for 10 minutes, then add salt.  Continue to cook until all the water has evaporated.  Add coconut and curry leaves, then cook a few more minutes.

Eat with rice.