Old Place, New – carb-loaded! – Soul Food |
Okay, admittedly we have no artisan Italian cucina here, or all these crazy dishes that line through the previous recipes and cookbooks – although one is looming ahead where you'll think I've gone completely bonkers. (Thank God I have my next shrink rendezvous on the 8th.) Actually, it was a bit funny with these, ye know? I was watching the potatoes and bananas and some other fresh produce deteriorate in real time, – therefore this entry's title – getting more and more anxious to use them up, because you don't throw away perfectly fine food, right? As it happened, I was trying how strong I already am at releasing cookbooks (not very). I took one of each that might be able to "solve" my culinary "problems"... and opened it at a random page. I found the Main Dish in Swiss cook Moana Werschler's book – focusing on vegetarian / vegan family kitchen – Mama, ich will Brokkoli! (Mama, I want broccoli!) The Dessert I found in Cynthia Barcomi's Best of Baking. Curiously only available in German as she's from Seattle, lived long in NYC but emigrated to Germany in the mid-90s, and now obviously rather uses her new native tongue. I admit I tinkered a bit with ingredient ratios and substituted / added one or two, but basically it's the recipes from the books. And there were a few more yums to explore in each of them, so they may stay. These could also be dishes of someone who has never cooked before – like my novel series'/ stories' FMC, Laura Zimmermann before she became the self-taught, whacky chef / baker she's turned into and scares / teases MMC Vince with her "creations". They are for real people who really start cooking at one, because they're simple yet yummy... and GOOD-carbed with potatoes, peas, bananas. Ever heard of Meal Prep? I cooked / baked both dishes and had enough for three+ days! Everything's of course without chemical additives. And the amount of withering food has shrunk considerably! You're interested? Nice! Then off to the kitchen with a cool beer. After all you have a German in the kitchen with you. Serves: – 3 Main courses à 4 fritters + ample sour cream / portion – 4-6 desserts à 2-3 muffins / day Prep Time: – about 1 hr Main. – about 1 hr Dessert. Including cooling off. Degree of Difficulty: Easy Both WE NEED Potato-Pea-Fritters => (Adjusted quantities in brackets) 800 gr (567 gr) / 1.75 lb. (1,25 lb.) potatoes Recipe starchy; Me: waxy 120 gr (200 gr) / 4.25 oz. (7 oz.) peas Rest of => "11. Piselli alla Romana (Hi-Carb)" 1 small onion Red – my fave 1 egg 50 gr (40 gr) / 1.75 oz. (1.5 oz. savory cheese Used some of the Pecorino left from => "10. Nonno Aurelio's Gnocchi (Hi-Carb)" Salt Pepper Oil For frying: and here about 1 cup (240 ml / 8 US fl.oz. mix of Canola, Sunflower, Safflower flour For coherence of the mass; didn't do it => fritters soft to disintegrating but light as feathers Parsley & Chives Both fresh... as many as you like; of course you can also use frozen ones. EXTRA: 2 garlic cloves With that goes perfectly: handmade sour cream. See below Banana-Muffins 330 gr / 11.7 oz. flour MIX of 230 gr / 8 oz. flour + 100 gr / 3.5 oz. floured almonds => makes them not so flour-"heavy" 1. tsp creme of tartar Recipe => 50/50 baking powder + soda 1/8 tsp cloves Mortared by hand. 1/8 tsp nutmeg Pre-ground. 140 gr / 5 oz. softened butter 125 gr / 4.4 oz. sugar 2 large eggs OR 3 M-sized ones 250 gr / 8.8 oz. mashed bananas Just the 3 I'd left, sans peel 70 gr / 2.5 oz. walnuts Roughly chopped. I used the same amount of Greek Yoghurt as... well, no nuts. Makes 'em fluffier EXTRA: 40 gr / 1.5 oz. dark chocolate 70% cocoa WE DO Potato-Pea-Frittiers 1. Grate the cheese and finely chop the onion (/garlic) and the herbs. If fresh ones are used, like in my case. 2. Peel + cut the potatoes in small pieces and cook / steam them with LITTLE water for about 20 minutes, adding the peas in the last 5-10 minutes. Let cool briefly, then mash potatoes + peas and add the onion (garlic). Moron me overlooked the LITTLE fact. Hint: nightmare pouring out that water. I was so glad I'd cleaned the sink, because I had pluck most peas and some potato pieces out of it, getting my fingers burned. 3. Mix cheese, egg, spices + flour – Add it tbsp-wise, otherwise they get too tender/crumbly an hardly keep their shape! – with the mass until you have a dough. If too sticky, add another spoon flour, or whatever it needs. But always spoon-wise. 4. Shape 12 potato fritters and fry them golden-brown in the oil. Sour Cream – 500 gr / 1.1 lb 20% un-flavored/-processed cream cheese Or 50/50 with leftover mascarpone – 200 gr / 7 oz. natural sour cream UN-flavored/-processed – 1 onion – 2+ garlic cloves – 3 tbsp vinegar Like aceto balsamico – 1 tbsp sugar – 1 tsp salt – 1/2 tsp pepper – 50 gr / 1.75 oz.herbs Mixed, fresh / frozen Finely chop onion + garlic + herbs – if you use the latter fresh – and whisk together with the other ingredients. Banana-Muffins 1. Mash the bananas and chop the chocolate & walnuts. When you use them, of course. 2. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F and butter the muffin tin. 3. In a bowl, mix flour(/almonds), cream of tartar (/baking powder + soda) + spices. In another bowl – or your kitchen aid – beat butter, sugar + eggs until creamy. Mix in the banana puree. With a wooden spoon / rubber spatula, stir in the dry ingredients until the dough ALMOST comes together before adding the walnuts / yoghurt/chocolate. 4. Fill the dough into the tin and bake for 18+ minutes. Yeah, I know. But since every oven is an individual it takes longer / shorter until they're finished. Mine, for example, took 20 minutes. Enjoy & Guten Hunger! |