German Cooking Today Read online

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  salt, pepper

  2 teaspoons chopped parsley

  Per serving:

  P: 6 g, F: 13 g, C: 2 g, kJ: 576, kcal: 137

  1. Cut the stalks off the ceps and remove any bad parts, wipe clean with kitchen paper, rinse if necessary, pat dry and cut into slices lengthways. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut out the stalks from the tomatoes, peel and dice.

  2. Heat half the oil in a pan. Cook half the sliced ceps over medium heat for 5–7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove, put on preheated plates and keep in a warm place. Cook the remaining sliced ceps in the same way.

  3. Sweat the garlic in the remaining cooking oil. Add the diced tomato and heat through. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the ceps.

  VEGETABLES

  111 | Mushroom in cream sauce

  Classic

  Preparation time: about 35 minutes

  800 g/13⁄4 lb mushrooms or oyster mushrooms

  2 onions

  1 bunch spring onions

  30 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter, salt, pepper

  100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) vegetable stock

  150 g/5 oz crème fraîche

  1 pinch cayenne pepper

  Worcestershire sauce

  about 1 teaspoon lemon juice, some sugar

  4 teaspoons chopped flat-leaved parsley

  Per serving:

  P: 9 g, F: 18 g, C: 8 g, kJ: 937, kcal: 226

  1. Cut the stalks off the mushrooms and remove any bad parts, wipe clean with kitchen paper, rinse if necessary and pat dry. Cut the mushrooms into slices or the oyster mushrooms into strips. Peel and chop the onion. Cut off the root ends from the spring onions, remove the dark green parts, wash the spring onions, leave to drain and cut into rings.

  2. Heat the butter in a wide pan. Gently cook the chopped onion while stirring. Add the mushrooms and cook them gently as well. Add the vegetable stock and the mushrooms. Cook covered over low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Add the spring onion rings and cook for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche and heat through. Season to taste with cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and sugar and sprinkle with parsley.

  Tip: Serve mushrooms in cream-sauce with steaks, escalopes or breadcrumb dumplings. White wine may be used instead of vegetable stock.

  VEGETABLES

  112 | Mixed vegetables with sesame seeds

  Vegetarian

  Preparation time: about 40 minutes

  50 g/2 oz hulled sesame seeds

  400 g/14 oz carrots

  700 g/11⁄2 lb broccoli

  300 g/10 oz leeks

  4 sticks celery

  salt

  2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. olive oil

  freshly ground pepper

  Per serving:

  P: 9 g, F: 14 g, C: 12 g, kJ: 885, kcal: 211

  1. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan without fat over low heat until golden brown, shaking it to turn them occasionally.

  2. Peel the carrots and cut off the green leaves and tips. Wash the carrots, leave to drain and cut into batons. Remove the leaves from the broccoli, cut into rosettes, peel the stems and cut into pieces. Wash the broccoli and leave to drain.

  3. Remove the outer leaves of the leeks, cut off the root ends and dark green leaves. Cut in half lengthways, wash thoroughly and leave to drain. Remove the root ends and withered leaves from the sticks of celery, pull off the outside threads, wash the sticks, leave to drain and cut into thin slices.

  4. Bring water to the boil in a saucepan, add salt at the rate of 1 teaspoon salt to 1 litre/13⁄4 pints (41⁄2 cups) of water. Blanch the carrot batons, celery slices and broccoli in the boiling salted water for about 3 minutes. Empty them into a colander, dip into cold water and leave to drain well.

  5. Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. Add all the vegetables and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

  Tip: Serve the mixed vegetables as a vegetarian entree with whole grain rice and tomato sauce or mushroom sauce. They may also be served with fried meat or fish.

  VEGETABLES

  113 | Savoy cabbage

  Good value

  Preparation time: about 55 minutes

  1 kg/21⁄4 lb Savoy cabbage

  1 onion

  40 g/11⁄2 oz butter or margarine

  125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) vegetable stock

  salt, pepper

  1 pinch sugar

  1 pinch grated lemon peel (untreated)

  3–4 teaspoons lemon juice or white wine

  Per serving:

  P: 5 g, F: 9 g, C: 6 g, kJ: 536, kcal: 128

  1. Remove the outer wilted leaves from the Savoy cabbage, cut the cabbage into eight segments, rinse and leave to drain. Cut off the stalks and chop the Savoy cabbage into fine strips. Peel and chop the onion.

  2. Melt the butter or margarine in a pan. Gently cook the chopped onion. Add the cabbage strips and gently cook. Add the vegetable stock and salt and pepper. Cook the cabbage strips covered over low heat for 20–30 minutes.

  3. Season the Savoy cabbage to taste with salt, pepper, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice or wine.

  Tip: Serve the Savoy cabbage with meat dishes.

  Season the cabbage with pounded or ground caraway, anise or fennel seeds. This will make the cabbage easier to digest.

  Variation 1: Instead of Savoy cabbage, Chinese cabbage or pointed cabbage may also be used. Cooking time for both kinds of cabbage: 10–15 minutes.

  Variation 2: Savoy cabbage and carrots. Use only 800 g/13⁄4 lb Savoy cabbage prepared as described above. In addition, prepare 250 g/9 oz carrots, peel and wash, leave to drain and cut into strips. Peel 1–2 cloves garlic and cut in slices. Cook the carrots and garlic together with the Savoy cabbage as described above.

  VEGETABLES

  114 | Cheese courgettes

  Sophisticated

  Preparation time: about 30 minutes

  400 g/14 oz courgettes

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  1 egg

  2 tablespoons water

  100 g/31⁄2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  75 g/3 oz breadcrumbs

  75 g/3 oz (3⁄4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

  125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  Per serving:

  P: 12 g, F: 23 g, C: 20 g, kJ: 1401, kcal: 335

  1. Wash the courgettes, dry them and cut off the ends. Cut the courgettes diagonally into slices 5 mm/3⁄16 in thick and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  2. Using a fork, mix the egg with the water in a deep plate. Mix the Parmesan with the breadcrumbs. Dip the courgette slices first in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the Parmesan and breadcrumb mixture.

  3. Heat some of the oil in a pan. Fry the courgette slices a few at a time over medium heat for about 5 minutes until golden yellow, turning them occasionally. Leave them to drain on kitchen paper or a wire rack.

  Tip: Serve the cheese courgettes as a light meal or as a starter with herbal curd cheese or tomato sauce. As an entrée, the quantity is enough for 2 servings, perhaps served with a mixed green salad. Pumpkin or aubergine slices may be prepared in the same way.

  VEGETABLES

  115 | Red lentils with peppers

  Vegetarian

  Preparation time: about 30 minutes

  2 onions

  2 cloves garlic

  350 g/12 oz red or yellow peppers

  4 teaspoons olive oil

  250 g/9 oz dried red lentils

  1 teaspoon dried, chopped thyme

  400 ml/14 fl oz (13⁄4 cups) vegetable stock

  1 bunch spring onions

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  1 pinch cayenne pepper

  2–3 teaspoons lemon juice

  1 teaspoon honey or 1⁄2 teaspoon su
gar

  Per serving:

  P: 16 g, F: 6 g, C: 36 g, kJ: 1131, kcal: 270

  1. Peel and chop the onions. Peel the garlic and cut into slices. Cut the peppers in half. Remove the stalks and seeds as well as the white pith inside. Wash the peppers and cut into strips.

  2. Heat the oil in a pan. Gently cook the chopped onion and garlic slices while stirring. Add the lentils, strips of pepper and thyme together with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and cook covered over low heat for about 8 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, cut the root ends off the spring onions and remove the dark green parts. Wash the spring onions and cut into rings. Stir the spring onion rings into the lentils and cook covered for about 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and honey or sugar.

  Tip: Serve the red lentils with bread and roast chicken or turkey breasts or poached eggs.

  Variation: Green lentils. Put 250 g/9 oz dried green lentils into a sieve and rinse. Add to 600 ml/21 oz (21⁄2 cups) vegetable stock and 1 bay leaf in a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook covered over medium heat for 20–25 minutes. In the meantime, prepare 200 g/7 oz celeriac and 200 g/7 oz carrots, peel, wash and cut into small dice. Clean 200 g/7 oz leeks cut in half lengthways, wash and cut into strips. Melt 40 g/11⁄2 oz butter or margarine and gently cook the vegetables in it for about 2 minutes while stirring. Add the vegetables and 125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) vegetable stock to the lentils. Cook covered for about 10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, sugar and about 2 tablespoons of vinegar, e.g. balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Serve as an accompaniment to fried meat loaf, cured rib of pork, Kassel style or Viennese sausages and spätzle.

  ADVICE

  Salads

  In recent years salad has developed from being considered exclusively as a side dish to being an important ingredient in main dishes, often combined with cheese, ham, seafood or eggs. Green salads contain important vitamins, minerals and trace elements, but no fat. This is why salads are ideal for healthy low-calorie nutrition.

  Buying and storage

  • Always use fresh, crisp green salads and vegetables when making any kind of salad.

  • Vegetables grown outdoors and available at markets are preferable to those sold in supermarkets because the leaves are firmer and also contain more nutrients and fewer nitrates.

  • Do not crush lettuces when transporting them.

  • Fresh lettuce leaves should be wrapped in a damp cloth or in a large plastic bag into which a little air has been blown, then close the bag carefully and store in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. In this way the salad will not get crushed and the air in the bag will ensure that it remains fresh for longer.

  • Green salads should not be stored for a long time but consumed as soon as possible after they have been purchased.

  • Only some varieties, such as iceberg lettuce, can be stored for several days in the refrigerator if wrapped in clingfilm.

  Preparation

  • Remove the outer, unsightly leaves.

  • Separate the leaves and remove any bad parts. Wash the leaves thoroughly but gently in cold water (this process should be repeated several times if the lettuce is very dirty). Do not crush the leaves or let them soak too long in the water because this makes the leaves wilt and valuable nutrients may be lost in the water.

  • Drain the leaves thoroughly in a colander or sieve, or spin dry in a salad spinner.

  • Thick stems and hard central ribs should be removed and the leaves torn onto pieces of the required size (varieties with tougher leaves can be cut up with a knife if necessary).

  • For vegetable salads, grate the prepared vegetables finely or coarsely as required, or cut into wavy or smooth slices or strips with a non-ferrous knife.

  • Put all the salad ingredients in a large enough bowl so that the salad dressing can be stirred in easily.

  • Only stir in the salad dressing just before serving.

  Salad dressings

  A salad dressing should enhance and complement the taste of the salad ingredients and not dominate them. A basic recipe on which many others are based is the oil and vinegar dressing (vinaigrette). It is made with 1 part vinegar and 1–2 parts vegetable oil, seasoned with pepper, salt, sugar and further enhanced with the addition of fresh herbs, chopped onions and a little mustard if desired. First add the seasoning to the vinegar and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved, then stir in the mustard and whisk in the oil. Finally, add the herbs and chopped onion.

  Creamy dressings

  To make creamy dressings, lemon juice or vinegar is added to sour or whipping cream. The mixture is then seasoned to taste and flavoured with herbs.

  Mayonnaise

  When making mayonnaise, only use very fresh eggs (check the sell-by date). Store the ready-prepared salad in the fridge and consume within 24 hours. The calorie content of mayonnaise can be reduced by replacing part of it with curd cheese, fromage blanc or yogurt.

  Oil and vinegar

  The choice of oil and vinegar can strongly influence the taste of a salad. Wine and herb vinegars are very versatile and can be used in many dressings, while a dark balsamic vinegar would not suit every salad. Sunflower oil, cornflower oil and rapeseed oil have a relatively neutral taste. Olive oil and walnut oil, on the other hand, have a much stronger taste. Only use high quality oil for salad dressings.

  Garlic

  Garlic adds a special aroma to salads. Those who only like a hint of garlic should rub the bowl with a clove a garlic cut in half. Those who prefer a stronger taste can crush the garlic in a garlic press or cut the cloves into slices and add directly to the salad.

  Salad leaf information

  Batavia lettuce

  This is considered a cross between the iceberg and head lettuce because of the appearance of the leaves. But the varieties do differ both in the colour and texture of the leaves. The taste varies from spicy to mildly sweet.

  Cabbage or head lettuce

  One of the most popular lettuce varieties with a more or less closed head with floppy leaves. The inner leaves are pale yellow.

  Chicory

  A sturdy, white herbaceous perennial with pale yellow pointed leaves and a slightly bitter taste. It must be stored in a dark place; otherwise the tips turn green and become very bitter.

  Chinese cabbage

  More a vegetable used in salads than a lettuce, this is an extremely popular salad ingredient. It has an oval cabbage head with pale green, slightly curly leaves and a mild cabbage taste.

  Cos (romaine)

  Firm green head with long, narrow crunchy leaves. Slightly bitter taste.

  Curly endive

  Curly-leaved endive variety with delicate, pinnate, pale green outer leaves and yellow inner leaves. Crunchy texture and slightly bitter taste.

  Dandelion

  A rediscovered variety in the range of green salads with narrow, toothed leaves. Cultivated dandelion has a milder flavour than that growing in the wild.

  Endive

  Firm head with green outer leaves and pale yellow inner leaves. Broad, smooth leaves with coarse serrations.

  Iceberg lettuce

  Crisp, pale green leaves with very little taste of their own. This very crunchy lettuce will keep for several days in the fridge if wrapped in clingfilm.

  Lamb’s lettuce

  Small florets of small, darkgreen leaves with a firm texture. Rich in vitamins and minerals (potassium and iron). Pleasant nutty aroma.

  Lollo Rossa, Lollo Bionda

  These are part of the endive family. Crunchy red or pale green leaves with a slightly bitter, nutty flavour.

  Oak-leaf lettuce

  Slightly lacerated leaves resembling oak leaves, they are green with red tips and a slightly nutty taste.

  Purslane

  This has delicate, smooth, long-stemmed fleshy leaves grouped in a floret. It is prepared like lamb’s lettuce but can also be cooked like spinach.

/>   Radicchio

  Fist-size, very firm heads with violet-red to pink-red leaves, marked with white veins. Slightly bitter taste.

  Rocket

  Narrow serrated leaves with a spicy-nutty, peppery flavour. Sold as a bunch or in a bag.

  SALADS

  116 | Rocket with Parmesan

  A little more expensive

  Preparation time: about 25 minutes, excluding cooling time

  30 g/1 oz pine kernels

  125 g/41⁄2 oz rocket

  200 g/7 oz cocktail tomatoes

  30 g/1 oz Parmesan

  For the sauce:

  1–2 tablespoons balsamic

  vinegar 1⁄2 teaspoon liquid honey

  salt, pepper

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  Per serving:

  P: 6 g, F: 19 g, C: 3 g, kJ: 852, kcal: 203

  1. Fry the pine nuts in a pan without fat until golden-brown and leave to cool.

  2. Sort the rocket and remove all the yellowing, wilted leaves. Cut off the thicker stems, wash the rocket, spin dry and cut the larger leaves in half. Wash the cocktail tomatoes, dry and cut in half or quarters. Grate the Parmesan.

  3. To make the sauce, mix together the vinegar and honey, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the oil. Arrange the rocket in a dish and garnish with cocktail tomatoes. Drizzle the dressing over it and sprinkle the pine nuts and Parmesan on top.

  Tip: This salad is ideal as a starter or with grilled dishes or fried meat. Instead of pine nuts you can use peeled, flaked almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts.

  SALADS

  117 | Chinese cabbage with fromage frais

  For children

  Preparation time: about 25 minutes

  600 g/11⁄4 lb Chinese cabbage

  1 can tangerines, drained weight 175 g/6 oz

  100 g/31⁄2 oz cooked ham

  For the sauce:

  100 g/31⁄2 oz fresh herb cheese

  3 tablespoons each whipping cream and tangerine juice, from the can