Bavarian Semmeknoedel (Bread Dumplings) on Halloween (no clever connection, though)

It's Halloween morning and I'm feeling the start of a sore throat. Great. It's sunny outside, but Fall is beginning to turn the morning temps to be a little crisp. Still, we are predicted to be in the low 70's.  I'm going to hunker down, at home, and do some serious baking. I haven't blogged a dessert in ages, and I want you to know that I love to bake!

 Bavarian "Rohr Knudeln" (Yeast) Bread

 
I'm trying to find time to organize a multitude of food photos that I have uploaded from my camera-- but work wears me out and then I'm too tired to blog about. I so admire those of you who blog on a daily basis. How do you do it?? This weekend, that is about to change-- I hope.  Please forgive me, as I rewind time two weeks ago to my Oktoberfest party. I wanted to share with you my Mutti's (mother's) very traditional Semmel Knoedel (trying saying that one... KA-NEW-DEL)... well, it's a tough one, but that's as close I can get.  To make life easier, I'll refer to them as bread dumplings. They are a childhood favorite, and they go perfectly with  Austrian Goulash that is also one of the most requested meals from my two brothers.

This is recipe is similar to making stuffing. The real difference is that you use milk, instead of chicken stock.You want to use a hard roll (French bread will do, in a pinch). Stale works well, too.  The ingredients are very simple:  sliced bread, eggs, milk, fresh parsley and salt. I don't measure, but I'll do my best for those of you who rely on that.

I figure a little over one roll per person, which is sliced about 1/4" inch thick-- I sliced 8 hard rolls. Beat two eggs and add this to the bread. Add 1 tsp. of kosher salt and add some fresh chopped parsley. Scald one cup of whole milk (I use the microwave for this), pour over the sliced bread and cover the bowl so that the hot milk absorbs into the bread mixture for a few minutes.

It's time to play with your food. When the milk has cooled a bit, begin to mix together with wet hands. You want all of the bread to be wet, but don't over mix!

This yielded six dumplings. These will hold together, better, if you chill these for about 30 minutes...

Cook these in a pot of salted boiling water for about 15-20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.

This is childhood comfort food... Austrian Goulash and Semmel Knoedel.

The "art" of eating these--  cut in half...

Cut a bite-sized piece, dunk in gravy, close your eyes and imagine that you are in Bavaria or Austria.
Sometimes, with leftover knoedel, I slice them like cooked potatoes and fry them in bacon and onion, and pour over whisked egg.  It's fantastic as a breakfast. But, there are rarely leftovers.

These are very different, and I hope that you would try this very traditional German dish. I recently heard someone say that they don't like German food. I was disappointed to hear that. I wonder... what comes to mind when someone things of German food? Sausages? Potatoes? There are so many different regions of German food, so I hope to share more of my family heirloom recipes with you.  I hope to change someone's mindset. At least, I'll give it a try!

I didn't do anything special for Halloween, because I've been feeling run-down.  I would like to invite you to visit my special friend, "Monica" at "Lick the Bowl Good". She made the cutest decorated cupcakes for Halloween, and I love her tutorial on how to decorate them. Aren't they cute?

Photo by Monica, Lick the Bowl Good

Thanks, Monica, for giving me something to post with a Halloween theme!

Off to make chicken soup and to rest so that I defeat this cold that's trying to ruin my weekend.

Have a safe Halloween!

Wasabi & Honey Glazed Salmon with Coconut Rice

I just love it when I spot a recipe, read the ingredients and realize I have everything to make it! I especially appreciate when an ingredient is something that has been sitting, neglected, in my cupboard (wasabi paste)-- and I finally have an incentive to use. That was the case when Mary posted this recipe on her blog "One Perfect Bite".   The only thing I had to do was to stop at Whole Foods, which is conveniently on my route home, to buy fresh salmon.

Fresh Coho Salmon-- two six-ounces pieces cost about $11.00... not bad, for Whole Foods!

On a whim, I also decided to make coconut rice as a side dish-- and if I had snow peas, I would served them as a perfect accompaniment. Alas, I didn't, but I served wilted spinach and the last of Brussel sprouts (which my husband loves, and I like).

The rice is pretty easy to make, and I started it, first. It takes about 30 minutes to make. I used 1 3/4 cups water, 1/2 cup Lite Coconut Milk (I always keep this on hand), and 3 Tbsp. of Sweet Chili Sauce. Sweet Chili Sauce is pretty easy to find-- usually it's in the international section at your local grocery store. I've spotted it at Trader Joe's, too.

I pour the coconut milk into simmering water, add the chili sauce (you can add less if you don't want much of a "kick"- though chili sauce isn't super hot, anyway.  Bring the liquids to a boil, add the rice, cover the pot and cook on low for about 20 minutes.  After that, let it sit for about 10 minutes...

Now, for the glaze sauce:

Honey, wasabi paste, rice vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce (I always buy Tamari), fresh ginger root and Mirin. If you don't have Mirin, then vermouth can work, or a dry white wine...or none of those.   Mix all of this in a sauce pan, but add the wasabi paste a little at a time. I found that a scant teaspoon was enough for us. I doubled the honey, after tasting it. That's why I renamed this recipe as Wasabi & Honey Glaze, to adapt to my fondness for honey.  Bring all of this to a boil, reduce to medium and let it thicken. Mine took about 10 minutes to thicken.

Here's where I adapted Mary's recipe to be my fool-proof way of cooking salmon.  In an oven-proof skillet, I use a light coating of olive oil and heat it on medium-high, until the oil is shimmering...

I seared the salmon for about 4 minutes, undisturbed...then turned it over skin-side down and I decided to brush some of the glaze over each piece.  The the whole skillet goes into a pre-heated oven at 425F...

...and it's roasted for about 4 more minutes.  Perfect!

I spooned the glaze over the salmon, but I think you could also brush it on. Mine got pretty thick, because I added extra honey.

The next time I make this easy glaze, I will double the amount. It's that good!

I have a delicious Roasted Brussel Sprout recipe that I will post, soon. Tonight, I steam these since Craig likes them roasted or steamed. Me?

I'm so glad you asked! I wilted fresh spinach in a garlic-infused olive oil-- I love spinach!

Printable recipes for both of these dishes can be found at the bottom of this post. If you are receiving my blog via Feedburner, you will need to JUMP to my blog to view them.

Mary, thanks for posting this recipe.  It was excellent, and definitely plan to use this glaze sauce recipe again. In fact, I think it would delicious without wasabi, if someone doesn't have it on hand. I have no idea why I had an unopened tube of wasabi, but I'm glad that I did.  This is for you!  If you haven't discovered "One Perfect Bite", please pop in and you will see that there are a lot of scrumptious recipes and beautiful photos.

Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup with Creme Fraiche & Crispy Shallots

 Last week,  I impulsively bought large Portobello mushrooms,(which became a delicious Mushroom Bourguignon), and a package of pre-sliced cremini mushrooms.

Did you know that pre-sliced mushrooms cost the same as whole mushrooms? For the longest time, I  never noticed that. Now, I'll gladly skip doing the work, if I can! The only challenge with pre-sliced mushrooms is that you need to use them pretty quickly-- or they'll start to go south.

I created this soup by foraging through the vegetable pantry, and realizing I'd better make use of these creminis (which are baby portobellos) before they expired.  Dinner was ready in less than 45 minutes, and I had to write down how I created this soup right away. If I do say so, myself-- this was an excellent soup!  Let's begin, shall we?

Ah, shallots! I love them. Shallots aren't as overpowering as onion. I just think they're a pretty color.
So I sliced three smallish shallots. 1/3 of the shallots I cooked in a little olive oil until crispy, and then set them on a paper towel. Easy enough?

In a pot, I added a little olive oil and a small pat of unsalted butter and cooked the cremini mushrooms for a few minutes-- until slightly golden brown. I removed the cooked mushrooms into a bowl, and set it aside.

In the same pot, I added a little more olive oil (just enough to coat the pan) and cooked the shallots until just tender. I added the garlic and cooked it for about a minute-- just until fragrant. Next,  I added some dried thyme (my thyme plant is looking very pitiful right now), a little kosher salt & pepper and then about 2 tablespoons of flour-- that I cooked for about a minute.

I added some tomato paste (about 1 Tbsp.), some Golden Sherry (you could use white wine...or no booze at all), and a splash of the chicken stock and stirred it. Yes, it was looking nice a thick and it smelled so promising. I added the last of the chicken stock (32 oz total). You could use a mushroom or vegetable stock, if you want to go completely vegetarian.

I tasted the soup for seasoning, and it was pretty spot on! I let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes.

I am so thankful for my immersion blender that I bought many years ago for practically nothing. I think it's so much easier to puree soups in the pot-- but, you can puree this in batches in a blender. Knock yourself out! If you don't own an immersion blender, and you like making soups as much as I do... it's a great investment.
I pureed the mushrooms to leave small chunks. If you want it super creamy, that's okay too.
Now, add some heavy cream. I didn't measure, but I'd guess I added 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of half and half.   Dinner' ready!  Soup, salad & bread...

For a nice touch, garnish this with some creme fraiche and the crispy shallots.

My personal touch is that I add a squeeze of fresh lemon to all my creamy soups. It's so good!

My husband is not a huge fan of mushrooms. Me? I love them.

Guess what? Craig and two helpings of this soup and said it was excellent.  I was pleased to hear that, because Cream of Mushroom soup is one of my very favorites-- if it's homemade. That stuff that falls out of can in a glop... no, that I don't like at all.

A printable recipe is at the bottom of this post. I'm going to submit this soup to Deb's recipe roundup:

Every Sunday, Deb posts blogger recipes for soups, stews, salads and sandwiches on her blog-- Kahakai Kitchen. I hope to see one of your recipes on her website, too. For details, click here.

I promise that I'm out of mushrooms for now. I have more recipes to come, as soon as I slow down my busy life at the office!

(Portobello) Mushroom Bourguignon to break in my new All-Clad pan!

TAP, TAP, TAP... Hello? Is this thing on? I've been without Comcast internet and telephone for 24 hours! I survived it, but it's good to be back! Now, I'm even farther behind in posting about 1 week and a half's worth of cooking and baking! Did you miss me? I missed all of you! I'd better get started...

 This tasty recipe was inspired by my blogger friend, Muneeba who found it from "Two Spoons", who found it from "Smitten Kitten", so I figured this must be a winner.  For some reason, I bought large Portobello mushrooms at Trader Joe's.  I had thought I might stuff them, but when I saw this recipe I knew it would be perfect as a meatless dish.  I was thankful that I had all the ingredients to make this, including red wine (which Muneeba didn't use) and a bag of Parpardelle Pasta.  I also decided to include bacon with this recipe, since I've used this when making a classic Bourguignon.

I had just received my new All-Clad 12 " skillet with a lid that I had ordered online.  This little beauty retails for $180.00 but I found it on this website for $89.00, including tax and shipping!  I made this on a work night, and I can assure you that this was ready to eat in 45 minutes. Let me show you:

You need portobello's (they are a very "meaty" kind of mushroom), beef stock, bacon, garlic, chopped onion, chopped carrots and dried thyme.  Red wine is a plus, which I always have on hand! Sour cream and chives are optional, as a garnish.

Ever since I posted how I store my bacon in the freezer, and how easy it is to slice frozen bacon (lardons) for recipes, my husband has been a very happy camper. He loves bacon in anything! So, I began by browning some bacon to render the fat-- I figured this would give the veggies a little extra flavor and removed the bacon with a slotted spoon and set that aside.

I can finally appreciate what makes All-Clad pans so special. The pan does distribute heat quickly and evenly!  Slice the mushrooms at a little on the thick side, like about 1/4". I cooked this in a little olive oil and a pat of unsalted butter-- until browned and set mushroom onto a plate (or bowl).

Meanwhile, saute the carrots and onions with thyme, salt and pepper, until the onions are golden (finely minced in a food processor)  in the bacon fat in a Dutch Oven. . Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add about 1/2 cup of red wine, and then  3/4 cup of beef stock to the pan, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom. Turn the heat up and let the mixture reduce for 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste, the rest of the broth and the browned mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let the whole thing simmer for 10 minutes.

 NOTE: The next time I make this, I will only use one pan. This time, I ended up pouring the mushrooms and sauce into the Dutch Oven, where I had the sauteed vegetables.

Add remaining butter to the pan and sprinkle flour over the top of the vegetables, quickly stirring in. Add the mushrooms, bacon and sauce to the vegetables and simmer for another 3–4 minutes. Taste, and season further with salt & pepper if needed.

 
Serve this with a bowl of warm, buttery egg noodles, spoon the mushroom bourguignon over the top, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream (I used lite, so it melts very quickly) and a sprinkling of chives or parsley.

Craig and I really loved this dish!  The sauce was rich from the tomato paste and the red wine was not overpowering at all. I think that the sour cream and chives was the perfect garnish.  This almost reminds me of Beef Stroganoff, which I enjoy serving on occasion.

As always, a printable recipe (with my adaptions) is at the bottom of this post. You can visit Muneeba at "An Edible Symphony" and compare how she made her version.  Thanks, Muneeba, for the inspiration!

I have, yet, to organize Tyler Florence's recipes that he demoed at the Harvest Festival. I still want to post the rest of my menu from our Oktoberfest menu, too! Hopefully, Craig won't pull the wires to the internet while he's organizing boxes in our attic (whoops!)

It's 75 degrees today-- so much for making soup, as I originally planned. I'd better come up with a Plan B!

This "stew" was going to be submitted to Deb at Kahakai's Kitchen Sunday Round-up called:

Alas, I missed the noon (Hawaii time) deadline due to the internet being down. It will show up next Sunday. If you have a soup, stew, sandwich or salad that you would like to submit for Souper Sundays, please come visit Deb's website. She's got some great recipes!