Black Forest Ham Sandwich

This is an open face sandwich. Here in Germany it is called Strammer Max. I have no idea how a tight Max has anything to do with a piece of bread and ham.

Here in the Black Forest the ham is smoked and cured and very salty. It is a specialty you can buy all over the place at Tourist shops or at local butchers and supermarkets. Very thin slices are the best.

Many food products have a certificate of origin or a special protection for a regional food. The Black Forest ham does not have this. The pigs for this ham can come from everywhere. It makes sense to buy locally, when you know the producer.

Last night the ham was used on two pieces of bread with to eggs sunny side up on top. That is one of the ways to prepare Strammer Max.

Black Forest sweet Treats

Finally out and about and sitting in Cafes in the South West of Germany. Known as the region of the Black Forest.

The area is not only well known for the coocoo clocks, but for the tasty smoked or cured ham and last but not least for the Black Forest cake.

On this short three days trip we packed in a lot of mayor sightseeing spots and the cravings for regional foods.

In Sankt Blasien we went to Cafe Ell just across the river of the huge cathedral. This cathedral had the second largest coupola after the Vatican cathedral. The Cafe Ell is more than 100 years old and started 1905. It is still family owned. They roast coffee as well and sell it in the cafe too.

Sitting outside is the only way in the moment, but only if you have been vaccinated twice or show a 24 hrs actuell covid-19 test with negative results. Since we started our trip early in the morning with a visit at a test centre, we could show it to the server and were allowed to sit outside. Most people bought cake and other sweets to go and sat somewhere or stood somewhere along the river.

Now was the time for a Black Forest Cake.

One thing important about this cake is the filling with cherries soaked in cherry schnaps mixed in cherry jam. The balance between the chocolate cream filling, the dark sponge cake and the shortcrust bottom and the huge amount of whipped cream shows how good the pastry chef is.

With a good cup of coffee, we had a winner.

Our second trip ended at the beautiful lake Tittisee. It is very touristy and it was a bit difficult to keep the distance requirements.

But Treschers Hotels with lakeside cafe was open again to people with negative testing and we had the chance to get a table inside. The spot outside overlooking the lake was a famous movie location in the 50s and 60s. 

I had a Black Forest Ice Cream Bowl. Delicious with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, lots of alcohol soaked cherries and a fluffy topping of whipped cream.

Skewers with mixed Meat - Schaschlik

Schaschlik is the German word for skewered meat. The origin is from the Kaukasus and means meat on a sword.

We have a lot of meat and skewert it with a little bell pepper and red onion. Since the weather is too cold, windy and too wet to put the skewers outside on the BBQ. 

We made a sauce and after a short stop in the frying pan it went in a pot with a lid in the oven at 150 C fan for 2 hhours

Ingredients for 18 skewers:

700 g pork loin, 300 g pork neck, 300 g beef , 300 g bacon, 300 g pork liver

3 red onions, 2 yellow bell pepper

Oil, salt. Pepper. Garlic. Low sodium broth.

Skewer the cut up meat with peppers and onion pieces. Season them with salt and pepper.

In a cast iron pot in some oil brown them in batches. Take out what had taken color and when all are done, add more bacon pieces, onion and garlic to the pot and then deglaze the pan with some low sodium broth. The broth should cover the skewers.

Cook in the oven 150C fan for 2 hours.

Serve with some reheated curry ketchup.

The broth should not be thrown away. Reduce it for 45 min on high heat and later put it through a fine sieve and let it cool. Put small amounts into ice cubes and put it in the freezer for sauces for short cooked meats. It would be a waste to pour it in the bin.

Black Forest Dessert

This is a very fast and tasty chance to get rid of Easter chocolates or other uneaten pieces of chocolates. The Black Forest part of this recipe is the amount of Kirsch or cherry schnaps that is used to macerate the cherries.

We are on the way south to the Black Forest for the first trip this year. The Hotel just opened this week and with a negative Covid 19 test we were able to book  rooms there.

Recipe for 2:

5 tbsp cherries from a jar, 100 ml Kirsch

250 g chocolate, 100 ml whole milk, 200 ml double cream,

Milk and cream together in a pot, heat up but do not boil. Pour over the broken pieces of chocolate and let it melt a bit, then stir.Divide on two dessert pots. If you like you can season the chocolate with ginger or chili.

Let it get  solid again and put the cherries on top.

Whip up some double cream and put it on top.

Prawn Rice

Leftover rice is good for many things. A drawer full of different veggies is great too. The only other thing needed is some protein, if you don't want to go vegetarian.

I pulled all things out of the fridge together with a box of garlic prawns. In a stir fry the rice is the king. But in my pan the other ingredients were the king.

Making a glossy fried rice is not so easy. Since I was hungry, I did not take the time and the wok to prep it. I just used a cast iron pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup cold cooked basmati rice, 1 egg

Sesame oil, rapeseed oil

1 courgette, 1 red bell pepper, 2 spring onions, 100 g garlic prawns

Fresh herbs, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame seeds

Start with the veggies. When they are done, scrape them to one side in the pan and add the prawns. They just need 3 min. Get all of that out of the pan.

Use a bit more oil mix and toss the cold rice in. Try to chop it apart. On one side crack in the egg, season it and stir it a bit on its own. Now mix it with the rice. 

Add the other ingredients, season with soy sauce and oyster sauce and add herbs.

Finish with sesame seeds.

Guacamole Dip

I bought a bag full of very small Hass avocados. There were 6 of them in the bag. All but one to hard to eat. Now I am checking daily to get some which are ripe but not black on the inside.

I have not eaten a creamy guac in a long time. But since we are out of water for a couple of hours today due to construction I needed something without hassle. And not too much dirty dishes.

I kept the seasoning pretty simple. Only salt, pepper and lemon juice. I used a couple of fresh herbs to pimp it.

Ingredients:

3 small avos, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 red chili, 1 tomato, 2 stalks onion greens, chives and wasabi greens and pimpinelle.

2 tbsp of cream cheese for extra richness , fleur de sel.

Nduja Asparagus Lasagne

Sometimes I have the best ideas in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.

This is one of them.

A good amount of white asparagus was sitting in the veggie drawer of my fridge. And I still have a roll of pasta dough.  What is the best method to bring them together? A lasagne!

But you need a tasty Bechamel sauce, when you don't have cream at home. Cheese was not a problem. But only white sauce, cheese and asparagus - that sounded boring. We have a holiday today and all shops are closed. I had to come up with an idea.  In the middle of the night it hit me. In my freezer is a small piece of Nduja. Spicy and creamy sausage paste from Calabria. 

I peeled the white asparagus and put the offcuts and peel in a pot with salt, sugar and butter and cooked them for 25 min. I fished out the solid stuff and let the broth cool down. That was part of the sauce for later.

Recipe:

500 g white asparagus,  35 g Nduja , 25 g butter, 25 g flour

200 ml milk, 600 ml asparagus stock, nutmeg, salt, pepper, Herbes de Provence

30 g hard Cheese,  3 slices strong mountain cheese 

In a pot melt the butter and add flour, cook it into a paste. Just add 50 ml milk to loosen the paste and then 50 ml more and then the rest. That way you prevent lumps. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add chopped or ripped apart Nduja and let it melt. Season with nutmeg, pepper, salt and herbes. Add grated cheese to melt in the sauce too.

Cut up the pasta into the right size for the pan. Put some sauce on the bottom and put the first pasta sheet in. A few stalks of asparagus and some sauce. Repeat until you reach the top. Final sheet of pasta, some slices of mountain cheese, a bit more sauce on top

Bake at 170 C fan for 30 min. Let it cool down about 10 min, then serve

Asparagus Cordon Bleu

Cordon Bleu sounds like fine dining. But this dish has just some components from the original recipe. Only cheese, ham and the crust on the outside. The main part is the white asparagus.

I am getting lots of ideas to prepare asparagus and the season still has a month to go.

The problem with this dish is the right thickness and size of the ham and the cheese. The asparagus stalks need to get a wrap around them that does not fall off during baking. 

The cheese slices were Bavarian mountain cheese, a bit too thick for wrapping. But sooo tasty. A processed cheese would be easier, but less tasty. I used some leafy green herbs from the balcony to have a bit more texture.

Ingredients for 2 cordon bleus:

4-6 white asparagus, precooked, but still firm

1 egg, 3 tbsp flour, 5 tbsp breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, oil

4 slices cooked ham, 4 slices good cheese, fresh herbs

Cook or steam the asparagus and let them cool down.

Put a piece of cheese on top of a piece of ham, put some greens on and lay 2 or 3 asparagus stalks on top. Season with some pepper and roll. Use a toothpick to close it.

Dip it in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs- all seasoned and fry it in some oil until golden. Drain on some kitchen paper.

Asparagus with Tomatoes and Garlic

This is an easy oven baked side dish.

You can have it as a starter for a dinner, a side dish with fish or meat or just a a snack.

Medium size thick green asparagus- as fresh as you can get it- works best.

I bought a bundle this morning at one of our many asparagus and strawberry shacks. They are dotting parking lots, main streets and the outside of gas stations and grocery stores since the beginning of April. Since this month is nearly as cold as the last month, thw prices are high. But not only the cold weather, the covid 19 restrictions and hygiene measures are making the veggies and fruits pricy.

Ingredients:

500 g green asparagus

2 tomatoes, 1 large clove of garlic

Salt, pepper. Olive oil

Break off the bottom parts of the asparagus. If you want to make it more posh, take a speed peeler and get some skin off at the ends. Set them in a baking dish and season them. Quarter the tomatoes and cut the garlic into slithers.

Bake at 170 C fan for 25 min.

Pasta with Beef Mince, Aubergine and Peppers

Cooking with a friend, finally!

After such a long time without these kinds of contacts we had a great fun time. Beeing in an other kitchen then my own is such a great experiance.

We did a mean pasta sauce. But started with a spread of green and brown tapenade. Both from a jar, but decent quality.

Pasta sauce:

500 g beef mince, 2 shallots, 2 cloves of garlic

2 eggplants, 1 red bellpepper, 400 g cherry tomatoes, olive oil

500 ml tomato sauce, 100 ml red wine, 50 ml balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, chili flakes, 1 tsp sugar

500 g short pasta, grana padano, basil

Start with onions, garlic and beef. Add chopped veggies. When they are soft, add tomato sauce, wine and vinegar and season.

Cook for 15 min or longer. Start the pasta.

We finished our lunch with Red Cameroon chocolate pudding and grapes and some Madeleines.

The best way into a food coma.

Chicken Kashmir

From my last Saturday trip to a supermarkt I had a spice package with organic ingredients for Chicken Kashmir. 

I have never heard of the producer and was curious.  The cooking advice on the backside only said chicken, onion, cream and water. That sounded so bland to me. I started checking Pinterest and found some pictures. But I decided to give it my own flavours.

The two spice pouches contained a lot of finely ground organic spices. One went in with the oil for a base flavour, the other one with the liquids to make the sauce. It also contained starch as a thickener.

Ingredients for 2:

400 g chicken inner filets, oil, 1 onion, 1 small courgette, 1 red bell pepper, Chat Masala

100 ml veg stock, 150 ml double cream, 150 g precooked beluga lentils, salt and pepper

Seasoning package for Kashmir chicken

Cut the filets in 3-4 pieces, leaving them rather chunky. Season. Cut the onion into strips, bell pepper and courgette into cubes.

Fry the onion in oil first. Add the other veggies and season them with salt and pepper and a little Chat Masala.

When they are done, take them out of the pan. Heat up more oil and put in the first seasoning pack and the chicken. Let it get color all around.

Add the veggies, stock and cream and the second seasoning package

 Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the chicken is done. Add the lentils and let them heat up again.

Serve with Basmati rice or Naan.

 

Madeleines

Finally! The new baking mould worked.

I used the same batter from the Cupcake Jemma recipe. Last time I prepared emergancy donuts with it. They are here on the blog too.

Preparing the batter is so easy, just use a whisk and a bowl. Make sure to rest the batter in the fridge for 45 min. This is the time the butter needs to get firm again.

I used Cake spray to grease the moulds. It worked perfect. After they came out of the oven, I tapped the backside of the tin and the madeleines just fell out.

Recipe:

115 g flour, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 heaped tsp baking powder

100 g sugar, 1 1/2 tsp honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 115 g melted cold butter, 2 eggs

Beat eggs and sugar together.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract and then the dry ingredients. Last the liquid but cold butter. When everything is combined, put it in the fridge for 45 min.

Grease the mould and use two teaspoons and put batter in.

Bake at 190C fan for 7 min.

Use juice of 1/2 lemon, 3 tbsp icing sugar and some drops of water. Spoon a bit over the hot madeleines.