Taking Some Time Off

This week I've been trying to finalize a lot of things, but above all, saying farewell to the dear friends that I have made here. Slowly, reality is kicking in that I won't be living in Regensburg any longer. I have already booked my oneway ticket to Hamburg for June 23rd ... to the new life I'm going to have.

Sometimes I'm not sure whether or not to be excited by the whole ordeal. At least I can say that I'm not stressed out. Just tired. Things are coming along as planned and my husband has been taking care of everything. God bless him. I honestly don't think I would have been able to do it on my own with the pregnancy and the care of my one year old (I admire those who have accomplished it). I just would have timed things differently. I wouldn't have planned a pregnancy AND a move at the same time.

In the past couple months, I haven't been posting too many recipes or commenting on other blogs as much as I would like to. And things are going to get busier over the next month or so, that I have decided to take some time off, and start up again once we are settled into the new house and I have a working kitchen again.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all my readers for checking in from time to time and seeing what's new. I hope to see you again soon.

Have a wonderful summer!

Rosa

Barefoot Bloggers ... Curried Couscous

The first Barefoot Bloggers recipe for this month is Curried Couscous, which was chosen by the lovely Ellyn over at Recipe Collector and Tester. I was initially excited about this recipe because of its the simplicity, but as I was making it I became very skeptical. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it.

I really liked the fact of just pouring boiling water over the couscous and letting it stand for 5 minutes. No boiling required like some grains. I personally think that the butter could have been omitted and it wouldn't have changed the taste of the salad so much.

At this point, I was still excited about the recipe as I was making the dressing. I did, however, make one modification ... I didn't have any curry so I just added extra turmeric. Then I mixed the dressing with the couscous and the extra turmeric gave the couscous a beautiful yellow golden colour. Things were still looking good.

When I got to the third part of the recipe, that's when I started becoming skeptical. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the combination of raisins, almonds, carrots and onions. I would have never picked these ingredients for the same dish. But the reason for joining Barefoot Bloggers is to try different recipes that you would not normally make. So I proceeded with the recipe as written.

When I finally tasted the dish, I was dissappointed because it lacked flavour, but I kept putting one forkful after another into my mouth trying to figure out what I did like about it. I realized that it was texture that I liked. I really enjoyed the crunch of the almond, the chewiness of the raisin, and above all, the nuttiness of the couscous. But it was still missing something. I squirted some concentrated lemon juice on a biteful of couscous and it made a world of a difference. It really brought it all together.

I was curious to see if other Barefoot Bloggers found the couscous bland, so I read up on the blogs that already had their posts up, and to my surprise, quite a few of the blogs that I read found the salad to be a bit bland. The lemon juice really took it over the top for me.

Well, that's the story behind this dish. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this dish and would probably make it again sometime this summer for a picnic or a barbeque. Here is the recipe in its entirety:

Curried Couscous

(adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten)

1 1/2 cups couscous

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup small-diced carrots

1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup dried currants or raisins

1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds

2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Happy eating!

Rosa

Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

Lately, I've been cooking a lot of my mom's signature dishes and I came to the realization that I miss her a lot. I wish I had the luxury of seeing her every day again, but unfortunately that's not the case, so I find it comforting to make something that reminds me of her.

The recipe I'm posting today is another of my favourites. It's green beans smothered in a luscious tomato sauce. It's a simple vegetarian side dish that is surprisingly low in fat and is healthy for you. The only thing I do different from my mom is that I add BOTH onion and garlic to the sauce. You're probably thinking what is so strange about that ... let me explain.

Whenever my mom used to make her tomato sauces, she would NEVER mix onion and garlic together. That was a huge no-no. My nonna taught her that it was either one or the other, but never together. I honestly don't know why, but I like the flavour the sauce has when you cook them together. :-)

Here is the recipe as I cooked it the other day. I used frozen green beans to speed up the process, but if you decide to use fresh green beans, just keep in mind that they might take a bit longer to cook.

Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

(adapted from mom's recipes)

2-3 turns EVOO

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced (or chopped)

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 cups crushed tomato sauce or pomodoro passato

2 cups frozen cut green beans

salt and pepper to taste

1 garlic clove, minced (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a medium size fry pan (24 cm) over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until slightly browned but not burned.

2. Slowly add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Rinse frozen beans under hot water to defrost them a bit and add them to the sauce. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the beans are tender.

4. Remove from heat and add minced garlic (optional, but I like the extra kick). Cover and let rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve as a side dish with steak or chicken.

Makes 4 servings.

I photographed the beans as a main dish but you can serve it up any way you like.

Buon appetito!

Rosa

Polenta all' Antica

Polenta has always been a staple in my mom's cooking. If you grew up Italian, then you know that polenta is definitely a classic comfort food. For those who don't know what the meaning of polenta is, it means cornmeal in Italian.

In the olden days when my grandparents were growing up, polenta was prepared on a huge wooden board, topped with a delicious tomato meat sauce (from pork or vension), and the whole family (they had big families back then) would sit around the table and eat the polenta off the board. No dishes were used. I also remember eating polenta this way from my childhood. My dad would say in Calabrese, "Mangiamu comu l'antichi" ... which meant that we were eating like the older generation.

To this day, I still love to eat my polenta topped with a delicious thick ragu and grated cheese, but nowadays, I serve it in individual portions, or I prepare it in a casserole and heat it in the oven till the cheese is melted. I even got my husband hooked on it and he requests it from time to time. And yes, my one year old boy loves to eat this, too. :-)

Here is my mom's version of polenta. It has few ingredients so it might taste bland when eaten alone. The reason for this is so that it doesn't overpower the taste of the sauce and it creates a nice balance between the two.

Polenta con Ragu

(adapted from mom's recipes)

Ragu:

2-3 turns of extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced (or chopped, if you like)

500 g ground meat (half pork, half beef)

4 cups pomodoro passato or crushed tomato

salt and pepper

1-2 tbsp freshly chopped basil

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1. In a large saucepan, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until browned but not burnt. Add ground meat and cook thoroughly through.

2. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped basil. Cook until sauce is thickened, about 20-30 minutes. Don't forget to occasionally stir the sauce.

3. Remove sauce from burner and add minced garlic. Cover and let stand while preparing the polenta. The garlic will infuse itself into the sauce.

Polenta:

6 cups water

2 cups polenta

salt to taste

dab of butter or to taste

1. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until the polenta thickens, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Add butter and season with salt to taste.

Assembly:

Option 1: Spread a serving of polenta onto a plate and generously top it with a laddle of sauce and a sprinkling of Italian hard cheese. Serve immediately. This can be served as a first course or as a main dish with a green salad and garlic bread.

Option 2: Spread all the polenta into a casserole and then cover it generously with sauce. You can add mozzarella and grated hard Italian cheese on top, if you like. Bake at 350 deg F (180 deg C) until the cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

Makes 6 servings

Buon appetito!

Rosa

My Kitchen, My World ... Pakistan

Over at My Kitchen My World, we travelled all the way over to Pakistan for the second half of May. With it's ever growing tourism in recent years, the land has always been rich in agriculture with plenty of fruits, cotton, rice and wheat. I was in the mood for a dessert and I found this wonderful recipe here which calls for apricots. I ended up substituting peaches instead because I couldn't find any apricots at the local grocery store ... and besides, I was craving peaches as well.

I wasn't sure what to expect of the final result ... I had just fallen in love with the list of ingredients and the simplicity of the recipe. However, I became skeptical as I was making it as to whether or not it would work out, but I decided to continue with it. What a wonderful surprise it turned out to be! Probably the best way to describe this is that it resembled a peach puree. It was devine.

I made it the day before we left for Insel Rügen for a family reunion, so I ended up freezing it for when we came back. I was planning to defrost the entire thing but decided to try it as a sherbet. Another delightful surprise for a hot summer day! I just left it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, and for a slushier effect I just left it out a bit longer. I highly recommend this recipe and I don't think you will be disappointed. You can serve it cooled with whipped cream and chopped almonds on top (as suggested in the recipe) or you can freeze it and slightly defrost it before serving (as I did).

Khomani Ka Metha

(adapted from Recipes4us)

450 grams (1 lb) fresh apricots, stoned and quartered (I used 4 large peaches instead)

900 mL (30 oz) water

225 grams (8 oz) sugar

50 grams (2 oz) blanched chopped almonds

Whipped Cream for garnish

1. Place the apricots in a saucepan together with enough water to cover them.

2. Place pan over low heat and cook the apricots (or peaches) until they become very soft, about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, dissolve sugar in the remaining water and bring to a rapid boil to reduce to 2/3 of the original quantity.

4. Transfer the apricots (or peaches) to a food processor (or use a hand mixer) to puree to a pulp.

5. Add the apricot (or peach) puree to the sugar syrup, mix well and then transfer mixture to serving dish(es). Decorate with chopped almonds and chill thoroughly before serving. Garnish with whipped cream.

Alternative:

Place puree in a freezer proof tupperware container with a lid and freeze until solid. Leave at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving, or longer for a slushier effect.

Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Rosa

PS: May was a busy month so I wasn't able to post this until today... sorry for delay.

Husbands Say The Darndest Things ...

Here is the conversation that we had last weekend:

"You should call my mom and ask her for some recipes on how to cook vegetables."

Silence.

"You really haven't been cooking healthy these days and you need to add more vegetables into our diet."

More silence.

"Well, I just thought ..."

"Dear, husbands should not say such things to their wives."

I know he had good intentions (and he misses his mom's cooking) but I do have my own style of cooking, too. I have learnt some awesome dishes from Mumsy but my husband has yet to complain about my cooking ... well, accept for my overcooked zucchini risotto earlier this year and my potato goulash three years ago. Those stories are for a rainy day but not bad for one bad dish every two years, eh?

Based on that conversation, I decided to make my husband a healthy dinner last night, which included a green salad with a balsamic vinegrette. My husband is not a big fan of salads and vinegar dressings but he will eat this version that I'm posting today.

I initially tried this dressing here but found that the balsamic vinegar was too overpowering and I didn't like the texture of the dried oregano. I modified it to the following version and it was a big hit with my husband! I mellowed it out with sugar and mustard and used fresh oregano instead. It was the perfect concoction! Store it in a glass jar and just give it a swirl or a good shake before pouring.

Balsamic-Mustard Vinagrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

3 tsp sugar

2 tsp mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Add ingredients in a bowl or jar with lid and mix until well blended. If mixture separates, then just give is a good swirl or shake before pouring over green salad. Refrigerate remaining dressing.

Makes 1 cup.

Enjoy!

Rosa

Golden Mayo Biscuits

Looking for a way to use up some leftover mayonnaise? Why not try making these easy, tangy biscuits this morning?

When I was in Canada this past January, I bought two large squeeze bottles of Hellman's Mayonnaise and brought them back to Germany with me. However, their expiry date is fast approaching and I'm trying to find ways to use up the mayo other than on my hamburgers and sandwiches.

I found this fabulous recipe here and thought I would give it a whirl. It wasn't much effort and they tasted light and fluffy. I didn't have any self-rising flour so I used a substitute that was recommended by another viewer and it worked like a charm. I would only recommend using less salt in the substitute. I have also made these substituting the mayo for sour cream for a milder taste.

Mayonnaise Biscuits

(adapted from allrecipes.com - click here for original recipe)

2 cups self-rising flour (or see substitute below)

1 cup milk

6 tbsp mayonnaise

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg F (200 deg C).

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, milk, and mayonnaise until just blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets (I used baking paper instead).

3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

4. Let slightly cool before serving.

Substitute:

a) If you don't have self-rising flour, then using the following instead ... sift together 2 cups less 4 tsp all-purpose flour, 3 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (according to your taste).

b) I also made these again with sour cream, which gave them a milder taste.

Have a wonderful day!

Rosa