Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) My blogging buddy, Cecilia, from the Kitchengarden blog has asked me to share a story from my family farm in Germany, as well as a recipe for German potato pancakes. I have to make a confession though: I have never made potato pancakes before. Oh, I have eaten them a hundred times—at my mother’s, at friends’ houses, and at those little outdoor stands in Germany that you find in every town or carnival. The problem is, I can't stop eating them once I start. These crunchy, crispy pancakes are downright addictive. My favorites are the ones that my mom used to make with her homemade applesauce. She would feed crowds with them. I would ask her for the recipe, and she would say, “Well you grate the potatoes, put onions in them if you have them, and add some flour, eggs, and salt and pepper.” "How much mom?” I would ask. “Well, until it looks right,” she would say. My mom seldom used measurements to cook. Some of my German friends use potato starch as a thickener and some use flour. Some drain the potatoes and use the leftover potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Like I said before, I like to eat them with applesauce but have also eaten them with sauce made from quark (a German fresh cheese made from buttermilk), lox and creme fraîche or as a side with different dishes. I use Yukon potatoes, because they remind me of potatoes that are grown in Germany.  What else is happening in my kitchen? Blood oranges are in season at our farmer's market right now and I love my homemade orange marmalade. The other day, I made a double batch and used half the sugar that my recipe calls for. The consistency of it was much softer, especially the orange peel, and it has a tart, almost bitter flavor. I like both versions and plan on making a third batch experimenting with the amount of sugar.  These potato pancakes make a tasty treat for any meal.
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 You probably are wondering, "Why is she posting about turkey in January?) I just couldn't wait until the next holiday to write about these great enchiladas I made after I got back from my mom's funeral in Germany. They were real comfort food that I needed badly. On December 23, the day before I left for Germany, I roasted my organic turkey and it turned out juicy and very tasty. I put a butter herb mixture under the skin, massaged the outside of bird with more melted butter and put some herbs, a lemon, and an onion inside the cavity. I used the convection roast setting on the oven and basted the turkey with chicken broth and melted butter. I usually dry rub my turkey, but had no time to do so. My husband and I had an early Christmas dinner and I left him the next day with a lot of turkey. After feeding friends and family, he froze the leftover meat and now we are back to my enchiladas. Most of you will have finished whatever turkey leftovers you had a while ago. Since chicken and turkey are close relatives, you can easily substitute chicken for the turkey. I have used tofu instead of chicken for my vegetarian friends. If you want this to be an easy and fast dinner, use canned sauce , although my sauce is easy to make and adds great flavor to the enchiladas. Use a rotisserie chicken instead of the turkey. The almonds add a nice crunch to the enchiladas and the salsa and sauce add flavor and taste. These enchiladas make great leftovers. For the cheese, I used an organic shredded “Three Cheese Mexican Blend” from Clover with Monterey jack, cheddar, and pepper jack cheese. You can grate your own cheddar or gruyere cheese or any other blend. For the salsa, I used a generic brand. Any old salsa will do. Costco has a nice organic salsa. I make these enchiladas the year and usually use leftover rotisserie chicken. For my vegetarian friends I use cubed tofu for protein.
A heavenly recipe for duck lovers     Tucked away on a hillside, this unique restaurant with its gorgeous setting and lush tropical landscaping has been a Capitola icon for decades. A funicular railway transports you into a different world. The restaurant itself is a mishmash of rooms on different levels with a grand entrance to a stunning bar with an indoor waterfall. There are rooms with high and low ceilings, connected by staircases. Some rooms have fireplaces, some rooms have great views and one has a redwood tree growing next to a table. Just the setting alone is worth it, but the food is delicious. Their signature dish is the miso salmon.  But let's return to my quesadillas. They are a real treat—a delightful mixture of flavors. I used gruyere cheese for years, but lately I've substituted goat cheese or feta cheese. The addition of different salsas and chipotle sauce supplement the quesadillas beautifully, adding richness and flavor.  These quesadillas are a real treat for your taste buds. The flavors explode in your mouth. I like to use Mi Rancho soft flour tortillas but you can any tortilla you like. I have used whole wheat sprouted tortillas. The same goes for the cheese, it is a matter of taste. I love the soft goat cheese, my hubby likes feta better, as is the amount of cheese. Which salsa you use is entirely up to you. For store-bought, I like the corn salsa from Trader's Joe's. I have always made my mango avocado salsa with this dish. The zucchini salsa adds a refreshing and crunchy layer to the dish. This is not as complicated as it looks, everything should be ready to go once you are ready to assemble the tortillas to cook them. These quesadillas are very filling but you can't stop eating them, and they are great the next day. One tortilla per person is plenty.
 The zucchini salsa
Juicy ginger-flavored pork chops   These pork chops are absolutely delicious. The ginger and orange juice add a fusion twist, and my addition of apples adds an another layer of flavor and taste. The recipe was sent to me by my friend, Linda, who is one of the best cooks I have ever known. She and her husband inspired my interest in cooking years ago, and we have had a lot of fun cooking together. My husband had his first gourmet meal when I took him to their house to prepare "Caneton à l'Orange," the classic duck recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Now back to the pork chops: Linda got the recipe from the Northern Exposure Cookbook, from the old TV show. The pork chops are named after Ruth Ann, a character in the show. Over the years, I have tweaked the recipe quite a bit. When buying pork, I'm extremely picky. These days I get pork loin center cuts with bones from Whole Foods. Most of the time, I use 2 pork chops, enough for my husband and myself. The recipe calls for 4 chops—one pork chop per person.
Kohlrabi is a vegetable that you find in German-speaking regions. It is a crunchy bulb that comes in white and purple, and can be eaten raw or cooked. I love eating it raw, peeled and sliced, and it is great with dips. It has a juicy, crunchy flavor that tastes like cabbage and radishes combined. It looses it's sharp bite once you cook it. I buy it in the USA whenever I see it, because it is so hard to find. Kohlrabi is also used in Indian cuisine. Kohlrabi with meatballs is a German comfort food (and there are many variations of this recipe). My mom loves this dish. She likes the meatballs cooked in salted water, but I think you get more flavor if you fry them. Some of my friends here in Germany add some tomato paste and/or paprika for additional flavor to the meatballs.
 I love these crêpes and have made them many times. This is a recipe from Lou Seibert Pappas "Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook." They are wonderful by themselves or with salmon steaks. This recipe makes between 8 and 12 crêpes ( 7 inch diameter )
Savory Crêpes: 2 large eggs 1 cup ( 220 ml) low fat milk ( 2% is all I have in my house, but whole milk will produce a richer crêpe) 1/3 cup water 1 cup organic (135g) all - purpose flour A pinch of salt 2 TBS melted butter , plus more for coating the pan. In a food processor , blend the egg, milk, water, flour, salt and melted butter for 5 seconds or until smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight ( 2 hours minimum if you can't do it longer). I have a 7-inch crepe pan I bought in France, but my nephew informed me that a regular coated frying pan will do just fine. I like making small crêpes, however any size will do Stir the batter before using and add some more milk if it is too thick. Heat the pan over a medium low heat until hot, coat the pan with butter and add about 1/4 cup or less for one crêpe, tilting and rotating the pan to coat the surface. Cook for about a minute or until the edges are lightly browned. Loosen the edge with a metal spatula, then cook the other side for about 15 seconds. The first crêpe almost never works. It becomes my snack. Stack the crêpes on a plate covered with a kitchen towel. I put saran wrap between them when I store them for a longer time or when I freeze them. The crêpes keep in the fridge for several days. Double the recipe if you want more. If you cook the crêpes in advance, stack them between saran wrap. Store them in a ziplock in the fridge or freeze them. The Filling: 10 ounces of soft goat cheese 1 pound of mixed mushrooms, shiitakes, button mushroom , portobello , chanterelles are wonderful, morels, or whatever mushrooms are available 3 to 4 green onions with some of the green tops. 1 large garlic clove, minced 2 ounces of shredded Gruyere cheese 1 egg 2 tsp of minced fresh tarragon 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper 2 TBS olive oil 1 TBS butter 4 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil and butter in large frying pan and sauté the mushrooms and the garlic for one to two minutes. Put the mixture into a sieve over a bowl to cool and drain. Stir together the goat cheese, gruyère cheese, eggs, tarragon, green onions, salt and pepper. Add cooled mushrooms and mix well. Spoon several tablespoons of filling down the center of each crêpe, roll the crêpe and put them in a well-greased baking dish with the fold of the crêpe on the button. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan, bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The crêpes can be made ahead of time and baked before being served. Recipe by Sweet and Savory Recipes For the Homecook posted by Sunnycovechef.com  Whenever I am cooking and children are around I like to involve them, even if they only get to lick the bowl. I find that children are curious and love to be involved in preparing food. It takes time and patience but it is worth it. At this stage in my life I have to borrow children from my friends. Last week my friend Britt visited, bringing her daughter and her four grandchildren. I decided to make crêpes with them. The day before I prepared two different batters, one savory, and one sweet crepe batter. I put out different fillers for them to choose and make their own. For the savory crêpes I used cooked turkey ham, cheddar cheese, avocados, and cherry tomatoes. For the sweet crêpes I bought an organic hazelnut spread ( a little healthier than Nutella, but still yummy ), different homemade jams, soft, spreadable cream cheese, fresh strawberries , blueberries, chocolate sauce, bananas , nuts, and chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. We cooked the crêpes together, and Ruby, the oldest, was able to make perfect crêpes at the end. The savory ones were their favorite, they loved cutting the cheese on their individual cutting boards. We had a lot of fun together and I was happy to be around |
WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEFThank 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. Categories
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