There are few things more quintessential to German cooking than a traditional potato salad. It’s the standard fare served along meats such as Wienerschnitzel or pork roast. Unlike it’s American cousin, German potato salad is dressed with broth instead of mayonnaise, making it a delicious choice that happens to be healthier, too. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “I Like my Potatoes Sliced, not Mushed”
Tag: Recipe
Do Weeknight Dinner Like a Chef!
The beauty of reviewing cookbooks with a group of fabulous and passionate home chefs is that I learn a lot about how others cook and I get to discover books that would otherwise not have been on my radar. One of these examples is a fabulous book called Chefs’ Easy Weeknight Dinners published by Food & Wine Magazine. Almost every recipe in the book is a must-do, and the one I would like to share with you this week is the Ginger-Braised Pork Meatballs in Coconut Broth. Yes, it’s just as delicious as it sounds. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Do Weeknight Dinner Like a Chef!”
A Fennel Marathon
Did you know that fennel is the Greek name for marathon? Not because eating fennel gives you stamina and endurance. Rather, the Greek beat the Persians in 490 B.C., in a fennel field that is exactly 26 miles and 385 yards from Athens. They sent a runner to bring the good news into town and ever since then, the length of a marathon race has remained the same as the distance between the fennel field and town. Luckily, you don’t have to go that far out of your way to get some fennel. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “A Fennel Marathon”
Chia Seed Muffins Worth Baking
Let’s just say that there are days when I crave these muffins. They are not just plain old muffins. They are special. When we lived back in New York city, a particularly hard stretch would be rewarded with one of these Chia Seed Muffins from Le Pain Quotidien. They have that dense, flavorful chocolatey and not too sweet taste that is just right for me. After some research – and testing – I finally found what I think are the most divine muffins that there are. Come and cook with us!
I have to preface this week’s recipe with the fact that these delicious muffins are not gluten free. They use whole wheat pastry flour that has less gluten than bread or regular flour, but are still not gluten free. For a GF variety, a ready-to-use GF flour mix such as King Arthur GF Flour or Cup 4 Cup GF flour are all great alternatives that still make this muffins a total success.
Let me know what you think of these Chia Seed Muffins. Finally, I don’t have to bribe my husband to bring me a few whenever he is visiting a city that has a Le Pain Quotidien. Instead, I can bake my own. And now you can, too! Come and cook with us!
Simple Beef Pot Roast à la Omi
Whenever I am fortunate enough to visit with my grandmother Omi, she is usually either in her store selling screws, nails and door-knobs or at the stove. Either way, the conversation will always steer towards her lunch plans and more often than not, she has a pot-roast braising in the kitchen. This isn’t necessarily a warm-weather-type of meal, unless you live in the Dolomites where it is generally always on the cooler side, but it is great, fast and delicious and I wanted to share it as my Omi’s quintessential meal. Come and cook with us!
We love any recipe that doesn’t take too much active involvement, so this simple pot roast is ideal when you want a real meal and have the time to prepare it a few hours in advance. You don’t have to stay there and nurse it the whole time, although checking on the liquid level is a good idea. Alternatively, you can transfer the whole affair into a slow-cooker and you’re golden. As with many meat dishes, browning the seasoned roast on all side is key to get that delicious umami flavor: it’s called the Maillard reaction. This doesn’t really “seal in the juices”, although that sounds like a great strategy. Instead, it creates those complex flavor compounds that make browned meat taste so delicious.
The type of cut that is used for this dish is not high end, so think chuck, round or brisket with lots of connective tissue that will tenderize the meat and make it succulent. If at all possible, buy the organic grass-fed variety, thereby opting for quality vs. quantity, which is always a good strategy when it comes to food.
A pot-roast is a beautiful thing and I hope you will find the opportunity to give this dish a try. Come and cook with us!
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