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Celeriac and Apple Soup with Dungeons  Crab

1/30/2020

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It’s the end of January 2020—a new year and a new decade. I never thought I would make it this far. But here I am, thankful for being able to walk again and living in this beautiful area called Monterey Bay. There are so many wonderful things to do and to see, the endless Pacific Ocean, the mountains with their valleys and so much more. I have lived here for over 30 years and I haven’t seen everything—even though I have tried. I always look for new inspiration and new things to do and eat. A free magazine called edible Monterey helps me find new ventures in food. That’s where I found a new soup recipe using celeriac root, one of  my favorite winter vegetable.
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​This soup is very similar to my creamy vegetable soup, called Krabbensuppe from the city of Hamburg, Germany. While my German version has different vegetables in the soup to complement the tiny shrimp from that part of the world. The celeriac soup in edible Monterey has apples, onions and celeriac root, seasoned with a hint of masala.
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The soup by itself is delicious. I had some leftover for breakfast. But to bring it to the next level, add fresh Dungeness crab meat sautéed in browned butter. It makes it an elegant and special dish for any occasion. When I made it, I served it with crab cakes on a salad with citrus dressing. It was one of the first meals I cooked for my husband after I recovered. To all my friends who don’t have Dungeness crab available, I think lobster or shrimp would be great, maybe even scallops. It would make a special Valentine’s Day dinner. ​
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Here are some other celeriac root recipes. ​
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​This  ginger shrimp celeriac root salad makes makes a great lunch or light dinner


​A creamy vegetable soup made with carrots, celeriac root, leeks and potatoes and topped with bay shrimp. In Germany this soup is called Krabbensuppe . Krabben are tiny shrimp from the Nordsee.  I make this soup all the time and everybody loves it.
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review the recipe for crab cakes
review the recipe for ginger shrimp salad with celeriac
recipe for creamy vegetable soup with bay shrimp
I would not omit the marsala , it adds a great flavor. I bought a small box at Whole Foods called Tandoori Marsala. The original recipe used garam masala. I don’t know the difference. I used different variety of apples that I bought at the Farmer’s Market . The original recipe called for granny smith apples. Peeling the celeriac root can be tricky. I use a pairing knife and try not to cut myself. As soon as you peel and cut the celeriac into slices put them in cold water with a splash of lemon juice to prevent them from discoloring
Print Recipe
Ingredients:
serves 4 

2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 
5 + cups chicken broth
1 large celeriac root , peeled and sliced
​3 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced 
1 tsp. salt
¼  tsp. graham masala 
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper


Crab Topping:
4 TBS butter 
½-1 cup crab meat
2 tsp. chives, chopped
Directions:

Heat the oil and the butter over medium heat in a large pot, add the onions and sauté them for about 5 minutes until they get soft. Add the garlic and masala and sauté for an additional minute. Add the chicken broth, the celery and the apples and the rest of the spices. 
Bring to a boil  over high heat , then reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac root is soft. Put the pot in your kitchen sink and puree with an immersion stick until has a smooth and silky consistency . You can also puree in a blender if you don’t have an immersion stick.
Keep the soup warm while you heat the butter in a frying pan over medium stirring it frequently until the butter turns into a warm brown, do not burn it. This process takes about 4-6 minutes. Add the crab to the butter to warm. 
Pour the hot soup into into serving bowls, spoon the crab and butter over the soup. Sprinkle with chives.

Guten Appetit !
Recipe by Caroline Chambers in the winter addition of “edible Monterey”
​adapted by ©Sunnycovechef.com
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Monika's Kartoffelklösse-German Potato Dumplings

1/12/2020

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Its been a while since I posted and I do apologize. After breaking my ankle in Budapest, my spunk and motivation left me. During my recovery, I was entertained by your blogs and reading them helped me a great deal. Speaking of recovery, I am walking again and I am thankful for every tiny step I take. The last part of my recovery seems to be the hardest, as I am impatient by nature and eager to move on. But I can’t. I have to take it easy, because if I don’t, I am back in bed with my foot elevated, watching Netflix or YouTube. I also had some emotional issues to deal with, like a post-dramatic depression, upon realizing the danger I had been in and its possible consequences. ​
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Goose and dumplings, a lunch I had in Potsdam a couple of years ago
But it is a new year, a new decade, and with it comes new beginnings. I am ready to move on. I am starting to cook again and I am enjoying it. I had planned to make a goose for the holidays, but instead my dear friend and neighbor, Susanne, invited me for Christmas dinner. She made her famous Rouladen (stuffed rolled beef), a German tradition for the holidays. I was in culinary heaven.
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I have wanted to make homemade potato dumplings for years, but have always opted for the pre-made packaged ones. The one time I tried, when I prepared a goose years ago, it turned into an inedible potato soup. So this year, it was a project I wanted to tackle, so I started to watch German YouTube videos and tried one recipe. I didn’t like them—honestly the pre-packed ones made by Pfanni were better. But I didn’t give up. My girlfriend, Monika, from Germany makes them every year with her goose for Christmas. She uses a recipe from an old German cookbook from Schlesien (or Silesia) that is now in southwestern Poland. Both she and her husband came from this region. I love the quote in the cookbook saying that a Sunday dinner without dumplings is like a sky without stars. They were served with every roast, cooked cabbage or any other vegetable. In the cookbook, they are described as an easy-to-make recipe, but there are tricks to follow to avoid the dumplings falling apart or being hard as a rock.
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I made them twice now and both times they got the approval from my friend, Susanne. Each region in Europe has their own version of potato dumplings. The Bavarian ones are made with half-raw and half-cooked potatoes. Leftover dumplings are perfect sliced and then fried in butter, the ultimate German comfort food. When making the dumplings, you can stuff them with small croutons. I think they need some kind of sauce to be truly enjoyed—like a mushroom sauce or gravy from a roast. I don’t have any photos of our Christmas dinner, but a week later, I served my second batch of potato dumplings with some of my friend’s leftover beef brisket from Hanukkah.
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My friend Monika sent me this photo from her Christmas dinner
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Leftover dumplings, fried and sliced
recipe for Susannne's Rouladen
recipe for red cabbage
I recommend that you follow the recipe and make no modifications. Or you will end up with potato soup. I used two russets and two yellow fin potatoes. It is also important to make a test dumpling before cooking the rest. I made a small one and tasted it, and both times it was okay. To avoid bland-tasting dumplings, don’t reduce the salt. If the dough is sticky, add some more flour. Don’t over mix the potatoes. If you don’t have a potato press, you can use a potato masher. Don’t skimp on the salt because you are flavoring the water—first to boil the potatoes and then to cook the dumplings.
Print Recipe
Ingredients:

(makes approximately 10-12 dumplings , depending on the size)

1 lb. (2) russet potatoes 
1 lb. (2) yellow fin potatoes
2 scant cups of all purpose white flour (250g or a little less than 8 3/4 ounces) 
plus extra flour to roll in the dumplings before cooking
1 egg
1 tsp. salt to boil the potatoes 
1 3/4 tsp. salt for the dough
2  tsp. salt for the water to boil the dumplings.

Croutons: (optional) 

a cup of day-old bread cut into ½ inch pieces
2 TB olive oil 
garlic salt

Parsley butter sauce:
​

4 TB butter
3 TB of finely chopped parsley
Directions:

Peel the potatoes in halves or quarters (according to size). Cover them with cold water and add 1 tsp. salt, bring them to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes. They are done when you poke them with a small paring knife and they are soft. It is better to undercook them, so you don’t turn them into a potato mush by overcooking them. When the potatoes are done, pour off the water and return the pot to the stove, shake the potatoes in the pot over low heat until all the moisture has evaporated. Cool the potatoes.

While the potatoes are cooling, fill your largest pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add 1½ tsp. salt. When the potatoes are cool, press them through a potato press or use a potato masher. I used my potato press. Add the egg, 2 tsp. salt, and the flour. Mix with a fork and then with your hands, until you have a dough that isn’t sticky. According to the German recipe, you are supposed to add more flour when it is sticky. (I didn’t have to do it the two times I made the dumplings.) Do not over mix the dough. Form a small test dumpling and simmer it in the water for several minutes. If it doesn’t fall apart, you are in business. Otherwise, according to the book you are supposed to add more flour.  Mine came out perfect both times, I did increase the amount of salt in my second batch. Form the dough into a 2-inch thick logs and cut into 10-12 pieces. Roll the pieces into round balls. If you add croutons, put the dough in your hand, then put the crouton in the middle and form it into a dumpling.

Put a couple of tablespoons of flour onto a plate. Roll each dumplings in the flour and add them to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the dumplings for about 18 minutes, uncovered. Make sure your dumplings don’t stick to the pot and make sure the water stays at a low simmer. Eventually, the dumplings will float to the top. The dumplings are at their best right after they are cooked. I talked to my girlfriend and she told me that she reheats the dumplings the next day by putting them back in simmering water for 10 minutes. She also told me that she freezes them. The only thing I have done with leftover dumplings is to slice and sauté them in butter. It is a special treat.

Each time I made dumplings this year, I made a parsley butter sauce for them. I melted the butter in a frying pan and added the finely chopped parsley. Then I poured the sauce over the dumplings. 
​

Guten Appetit!
recipe © Sunnycovechef
​
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    WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEF

    Thank you for visiting my blog.  My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time.

    ​
    If you  have tried any of my recipes, snap a photo and tag me @sunnycovechef I'd love to see your creations!​


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