Grünkohl

Feb. 25th, 2014 11:50 am
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Grünkohl

Another recipe that I have made twice in the last week is Grünkohl. When Tobin first got to Germany, he raved about this dish. It has taken me two years to finally seek out a recipe. I never even tasted it in Germany for it was "out of season."  (In February)
Frankly, it is really more of a "Bacon Soup," hence it is truly delicious. You can vary the amounts of all the fatty things to your preference. For those of you who have already tried kale, this recipe brings none of the bitterness that kale can deliver. It is simply good and hearty.

From Seriouseats.com: When cooked properly, grünkohl has a rather delicate and savory taste excellently complemented by the fatty and heavy mettwurst (pork sausage). Often found at Christmas markets and served with various kinds of sausages and pork cuts, it should always be accompanied by a healthy dose of alcoholic beverages. (my emphasis!)

Original recipe makes 4 servings (They say. There were 3 of us eating this and we polished it off and still wanted more.
My adaptations follow in parentheses. Basically I doubled it in many respects:

Total prep time takes about an hour. I have read that the longer you cook it, the better.

1 pound kale, stemmed and chopped (Use 2 lbs kale)
3 slices bacon, chopped  (Use 6)
1/2 onion, chopped  (Use one whole)
2 cups water, or as needed to cover  (Just barely cover. Use the minimal amount of water so you get more of a stew and less of a soup.)
2 teaspoons or 2 cubes of bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (Try doubling)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (Used brown mustard)  (Try doubling)
1/2 pound thickly sliced cooked ham, or to taste (omitted because I didn't have any)
4 links kielbasa sausage (I used enough so each person got about 5 inches of kielbasa)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

In the following directions I wonder if blanching the kale helps rid the mixture of its bitter flavor. I juggled a few pots so that I could cook the onions and bacon in the same pot which I used for cooking the entire dish. The blanching I did using separate pots that were easy to rinse out when done.

Directions


  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and stir in the chopped kale; boil for 1 minute, and remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Set the blanched kale aside.

  2. Place bacon into a large skillet over medium heat, and cook until browned, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. My note: Be sure to cook until the bacon has thoroughly rendered all its fat. Then discard fat. Stir in the blanched kale, and cook until kale is bright green and starting to turn tender, about 4 minutes. Pour in enough water to cover, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir in the beef bouillon granules and nutmeg. Simmer the kale until tender, about 30 minutes.

  3. Stir the mustard into the kale, and lay the ham slices and sausage links on top. Simmer the kale, ham, and sausages until the sausages are cooked through, about 35 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper before serving.

fruzicle: (Default)
There is a new place in town that is serving empanadas. They are delicious and cost just $1.99. Just as tasty, they also serve a pomegranite/lemonade with no sugar. I have been looking in all the local grocery stores for this product, to no avail. I may resort to squeezing my own pomegranites and lemons and adding the necessary amount of artificial sweetener.

I hope this empanada place does well. The last tenant for this spot was Chronic Taco. If they can't make it, I don't know who else can. I'll have to buy my share of empanadas. Making them is a bit of a chore. But here is the recipe anyways, courtesy of allrecipes.com:

Get empanada dough from grocery store.
1/2 cup shortening
2 onions, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef (some recommendations to use 80% lean)
2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
3/4 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I will leave these out.)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted green onions (I will leave these out for certain family member preferences. ..maybe add to some, not all)
2 hard-cooked eggs (I will probably leave out also)

Saute onions in oil until translucent.
Add in meat and cook until nearly done. Pour off excess fat.
Stir in paprikas, red papper falkes and salt to taste.
Add cumin and vinegar.
If using, add raisin and olives. Mix.
Pour out meat mixture into flat dish and allow to cool and harden.
Cut dough into circles about 6 inches in diameter.
Put meat mixture to one side of center and fold over, allowing 1/2 inch area along the edge without filling, so pastry will seal.
Seal by pinching, then twisting between thumb and index finger. Sealing by flatening fork along edges will still allow empanadas to leak.
Prick with fork to allow steam to vent. Glaze with egg wash for shine.

Bake in 350 degree oven about 20 to 30 minutes until golden.
fruzicle: (Default)
Turkish Recipes:
From Asli and her dad. This is Asli:


 1- Eggplant (Aubergine) Salad Serves 4
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer
This classic dish is famous – charring adds a smoky flavor. In Arabic versions - tahini - sesame paste, is used.
3 large eggplants, unpeeled
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups plain yogurt
Pierce the eggplants with a fork. Place them in a dry iron skillet over a high burner or under the broiler. If you can cook over charcoal, even better. Turn them and continue cooking for half an hour until the skin is charred on all sides and the eggplant is soft. Place on a plate to cool. Cut the eggplant lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp, avoiding the skin. Squeeze out the excess moisture, and mash with a fork. In a large bowl or processor, place the eggplant, and other spices with yogurt. Blend until it is a puree. Place on a bowl and garnish with olive or tomato slices. Chill for ½ hour before serving. This will keep for several days.***


2- Recipe: Lamb Casserole
½ lb. green beans, trimmed, cut into 3″ lengths
• 3 large tomatoes, skinned and cut into wedges
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled, and slices crosswise
• ¼ lb. okra - (optional)
• 2 medium zucchini, slices
• 3 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into eighths
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 spoons butter
• 2 lb. lamb, cut into 25mm cubes
• ½ Cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 medium potatoes sliced into 1/2″ thick rings
• salt and pepper
• 1 butterPreheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Sauté onions and garlic in butter in a large pot. Add meat, sauté for 15 minutes. Add water and bay leaves. cover, simmer until the meat is tender. Transfer the meat mix into a casserole. Arrange potatoes in a layer on top of the meat then, place remaining vegetables in layers over the potatoes. Add salt and pepper, dot with butter, cover and bake in a medium 350° F (180° C) oven until vegetables are tender. Add hot water if necessary. Serve hot as a man course with pilaf and salad.


3-Water Borek (Su Boregi)
5 eggs
2 Tbsp yogurt
1 Tbsp salt to taste
4 Tbsp waterFlour
For boiling:1 Tbsp salt to taste¼ cup olive oil
1 pot cold water
1 pot boiling water
For filling and top:
½ lb ricotta/ feta cheese
1 egg
150 gr butter, melted
1 Tbsp yogurt
1 Tbsp olive oi
lMix all the dough ingredients, adding flour slowly. Knead until the dough becomes as soft as your ear lobes. Leave the dough for a rest for about 30 minutes. Then knead again and divide into 10 equal pieces. With the help of a rolling pin flatten each piece as thin as you can go.

Fill up the 2/3 of a big pot and add 1 Tbsp salt and ¼ cup olive oil. Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile prepare a big pot of cold water.
Place each piece of flattened dough into boiling water and boil for 10-15 seconds. Immediately place the boiled flattened dough inside the cold water pot. Rinse and squeeze gently in your hands. If the cold water gets warm change it with cold water regularly.
Grease a big Pyrex dish and place the cold flattened dough and spread it evenly over the Pyrex. Brush all over it with melted butter and place the other piece on top and do the same procedure for 4 pieces. After brushing the fourth piece, spread half of the cheese evenly and continue doing the previous procedure until the seventh piece. Brush the seventh piece with butter and spread the remaining cheese all over. Place the remaining 3 dough pieces and brush them with butter as well.
Mix the egg, yogurt and olive oil. Spread this mixture all over the top of the water borek.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and bake for until the top gets light brown (for about 30-40 minutes). When it’s baked take it out and let it cool for a few hours.Serve it either warm or cool.
ENJOY

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Julie R Fricke

March 2022

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