Eggplant - Scamorza Heaven

Ok I promised some vegan recipes. Pardon me, but I´ll start witch something veggie but not vegan as I use also Scamorza (kind of a smoked Mozarella). But it is a very easy recipe and so tasty that I had to share it with you. Or you eat it as a samll dish wirh some fresh Ciabatta or you serve is as a side dish together with some fisch or meat or....



What you need is (for 2 - 3 persons):
1 Eggplant
1 good Scamorza (about 200 g)
2 big Tomato
Olive oil
Fresh Basil
Some salt and pepper, parchment paper
To prepare:
1. First preheat your oven to 180 C.
2. Take the parchment paper (long enough to form later a sort of a little package) and fold it so that you have it double layered. Place on each paper a good dash of olive oil.
3. Cut Eggplant, Tomatoes and Scamorza in about 5 mm thick rounds
4. Make directly on the prepared parchment paper sort of little "towers" starting with Eggplant, than Tomato (season with a little salt and pepper), 1 basil leave and to finisch the Scamorza and one more basil leave.

Adjust with some oilve oil and close the Paper in a more or less air tight way - means that you form a little package. (Make one or two towers per package but not much more as it would be difficult ot handle the package..)
5. Place those packages on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes

Serve the packages right from the oven and let open every person his package (attention it´s really hot!)... and a mouthwatering odour ....

Sweet curd cheese balls

In fact I should work on my project thesis for my postgraduate study instead of blogging.. but it honestly does´nt attract me at all... I did all this morning to have an excuse for not starting to seriously work on this thesis. I even started doing housekeeping, boring  things like ironing, washing clothes.... Sun is shining outside.. I already did my jogging round and was sitting in the sun after jogging... So now let´s talk about some delicious sweet things like those curd cheese balls and then, then I´ll start with my work.. for sure....
You need:
250 g curd cheese (=Topfen)
250 g self raising flour (or normal flour and 16g baking powder = 1pack)
4 tbsp. sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla sugar

1 liter sunflower oil for frying
Some icing sugar (about 100 g) and ground cinnamon (1 tsp. or more or less, adjust to your aste)
To prepare:
1. Stir all the ingredients together until well combined Let rest for about 10 minutes
2. Meanwhile heat up in a big pan the sunflower oil
3. With two tablespoons form out of the dough small balls and bake in the hot oil until golden brown and well raised.

4. Mix icing sugar and cinnamon. With a scoop drain the balls and roll in the sugarmix until evenly covered

Savour fresh and warm...

Onion-Bacon-Cake

Ok I confess I have also started to bake my christmas biscuits. Did´nt you? This year I swear, I will do less different sorts than the years before... Let´s see... At the moment on any occasion one offers you some biscuits to taste. I love biscuits, especially those that you only get during christmas time. But eating all the time so much sweet things I feel the strong need for something salted. So this Onion-Bacon-Cake was the right treat to balance my "oversugared" stomach.

You need:

-  1 roll  puff pastry (275 g)

- 3 medium - big onions

- 200 g bacon

- 200 g sour cream

- 100 ml liquid cream

- 200 g grated cheese (I used a Pizzamix)

Salt and pepper to season

To prepare:

1. Roll the puff pastry on a oven tray armed with parchment paper

2. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven (preheated to 210 C). Do´nt be afraid the puff pastry will rise...

3. Meanwhile cut the onions and the bacon in fine slices

4. Put onion and bacon in a pan and fry them until transparent

5. Mix together sour cream, cream and cheese. Season with salt an pepper (be aware: onion and bacon might be spicy enough)

6. Put on the prebaked puff pastry the onion-bacon and cover with the cream-cheese mix. Bake for 20 min. at 225 C and then for further 15 min. at 180 C until golden brown and crispy.

7. Cut in slices with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and savour hot (wait some minutes because right out of the oven it is very hot!) or cooled down

Panko-Parmeggiano - Crispy, fried Vegetables

 It has started to be very cold.. Looking the weather show it seems that winter really comes. This morning I had to scrape for the first time this season the windows of my car! Think I should start to wear my warmer coat... So the envy for warm, reconforting dishes raises... On sunday we will do a little Advent Brunch together with my sister, with some good smelling winter Tea and .... lets see.. I already started to decorate the flat with some christmas time things, means of course our Advent wreath (this year in silver and white), some red and green tablerunner... As a little "compliment" from gone summer and to reconcile me with the cold weather and before I start with all those winter and festive dishes (I am thinking about some beked apples since some days..perhaps I should do them on sunday?) I made  those fried vegetables coated with panko (japanese bread crumbs that makes the fried things much more crispy than with normal bread crumbs..). Why this dish reminds me summer..now because I used zucchinis and eggplants...

You need (depending on the size of the vegetables and the people you have to feed you will need more vegtables than indicated ... of course :) ):

- 1 Eggplant

- 2 green squash (alias Zucchini)

- 1 Egg stired together with a dash milk and seasones with some salt and pepper

- 200 g Panko (or more) blended with 3 Tbsp. grated Parmeggiano

- 200 g flour

Sunfloweroil to fry the vegetables (feel fry to use any other oil adapted to get heated up at rather high temperature that you need for frying..)

How to prepare:

1. Cut the vegetables in about 5 mm thick rounds .

2. In 3 different bowls put respectively the flour, the eggmixture and the panko-parmeggiano mix

3. First cover the vegetables with flour all over, then put them in the eggmixture and also cover all over and at least cover with panko-parmeggiano mix

4. Meanwhile heat up some sunflower oil in a deep frying pan

5. Put the Panko coated Vegetables in the oil and fry on each side until crispy and golden brown (the right temperature of the oil is reached if some water drops that you let fall in the hot oil makes some bubbles in the oil.. but really only few drops!!)

6. Serve the vegetables hot and with some ketchup, some mayo or some sour cream dip

Summer Abundance - fresh fruits, vegetables, salad....

On saturday I went to the farmer´s market- First I was a little bit depressed because it had started to rain when I was on the way to the market. But who cares. Umbrella in one hand, shopping basket in the other and here we go..

During summer I especially love to go there. It is a feast for eyes and nose. I have bought a lot more things then we needed... Flowers, apples, raspberries, blackberries, bread, chanterelles.. oh chanterelles..for me on of the first signs that summer is soon over and fall is knocking on the door... But no later on rain stopped and the day become very sunny and warm... And I had to store alle my conquest and think about their use... I started with a quick Mozarella - Blackberrie - Summer salad. Not everyones taste.. my daughter refused the addition of blackberries with the words: "thats too weird Mom!". Ok more berries for us others :) .

You need (for 4 persons):

- Mix of different Salads

- 100 g blackberries

- 3 Tbsp. mapple sirup

- 250 g cocktail tomatoes (if possible in different colours)

- 250 g Mozarella

- Cucumber

- 50 g cashew nuts

- Lemonjuice (from 2 lemons)

- fruity olive oil (for ex. italian oil. You need the same Quantity then lemon juice)

- 1 Tbsp. mustard

- salt and pepper

To prepare:

1. Cut the tomatoes in halves, the mozarella in about 5 mm slices and the cucumber in thin slices

2. Put all together in a bowl

3. In a pan roast the cashews

4. In another pan heat up the mapple sirup and add the blackberries. Cover them all over with sirup and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes

5. Mix in a glass with a lid lemonjuice, oil, mustard, salt an pepper and shake

6. Pour the dressing (reserve 2 Tbsp.) over your salad  and toss together.

7. Arrange the salad on a plate, then the Mozarella slices. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the cheese, scatter the nuts all over and now add the hot blackberries and their juice.

Weird ? Perhaps. But yummm, together with some fresh baguette....

..and yet not finished with dumplings: Curd cheese Dumplings

There are some days I am craving for something sweet..but also not too sweet or too sticky... You know those days? Even if it´s a real great summerday today and the temperature went really high up, I was in the mood for some sweet treats for lunchtime... Dumplings are somewhat of characterisitic for my country.. sweet or salty.. as main course, as side dish, as dessert.... We call them KNÖDEL. Curd cheese dumplings are one of those traditional dumplings. Either you do them only with curd cheese or you fill them with some fruit, like strawberries or apricots... I prefer them only made with curd cheese and accompained with some fruit compote. Normally they are coated with roasted breadcrumbs. I prefer a variation by covering them with some ground and roasted nuts. I took almonds this time...

You need:
250 g of curd cheese (so called "Topfen")
1 middle sized egg

70 g wheat flour (+ some more to dust your hands)

70 g semolina
2 dashes of vanilla paste (or 2 tsp. vanillated sugar)
60 g of ground almonds
3 Tbsp. butter
Plenty of icing sugar :)
Some fruit compote if desired...
To prepare (serves 4 persons) :

1. Mix together curd cheese, egg, flour, semolina and vanilla until well combined. Let rest for about 30 minutes

2. Bring to boil enough water so that the dumpling may "swim" in it

3. Meanwhile make the dumplings by dusting your hands with some flour and rolling the dough in your palms until you get cute, round, little dumplings (repeat the dusting of your palms..)

4. Put the dumplings in the hot water and let simmer until the dumplings come up to the surface of your water (this takes about 8 minutes)

5. Take the dumplings out of the water and drain

6. Meanwhile the dumplings cook, heat up the butter in a non sticking pan, add the almonds, 1 tbsp. icing sugar and roast this mixture

7. Put the dumpling in the pan with the nuts and cover them all over with the almonds

 Serve them dusted with a lot of icing sugar.... I served them with a compote made out of different berries. I just put them in a pan, added a little bit of water and sugar and cooked for some minutes.....

Potatoe - Parmeggiano Dumplings with sage butter

Of course I had not used the whole Parmeggiano... and whenever I looked into my fridge he said "Hi".... :). Of course there is no hurry to use him... but it´s tempting.. I remembered having done once dumplings with Parmeggiano.... and I found again the recipe in one of my recipe maps... And family at the moment is "thrilled" about Parmeggiano; quite no dish without this cheese... But after having eaten Spaghetthi with Parmeggiano more or less every day :) you are looking about something else....
You need (serves  4 as a main dish)
750 g potatoes
150 g grated Parmeggiano (+ some more to disperse over the dumplings when served)
2 medium sized eggs

 All purpose flour (about 5 - 6 Tbsp.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 good knobs of butter

1 small bundle fresh sage

(You can eat the dumplings as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish with some steak.....)

To prepare:

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into quarter and cook until soft (one can also cook the potatoes the day before or in the morning for a later use on the same day...)

2. Press the cooled potatoes in a bowl with a potatoe ricer

3. Mix together pressed potatoes, parmeggiano, eggs and add gradually flour until you have obtained a soft but moldable consistency

4. Put some flour in your hands and form small dumplings by rolling the dough in your palms . For every new dumpling dust once again your hands with flour

5. Put the dumplings in some nearly boiling water and wait until the dumplings are coming up (this takes about 4 minutes). Remove them out of the water and drain (Those dumplings can also be easily freezen for a later use....)

6. Heat up oil and butter in a pan, add the sliced sage and the dumplings until getting a little bit browned.

Serve together with some fresh, coarsely grated Parmeggiano (dispersed over the dumplings) and some salad for example.

Parmeggiano-basil Cracker

Once again I should learn... next week I have my next exam: Controlling... not really fascinating... During learning I need something to crunch... Chips are already gone.. So I went to the kitchen and made my own crackers. This time with parmeggiano and basil. Easily done, so I could soon start again to look into the papers... But first I wanna share the recipe with you and then I promise I´ll look into those books :) !

You need (makes about 30 cracker, amount depending on the size of your cookie cutter)

100 g fresh grated Parmeggiano

100g melted butter

100g all purpose flour

a small bunch of basil

To prepare:

1. Knead together butter, parmeggiano, flour and the chopped basil leaves

2. Roll out the dough on a parchement paper dusted with some flour until the dough is about 3 mm thick

3. With as cookie cutter you cut out the crackers and place them on a oven tray armed with parchement paper

4. Preheat the oven to 200 C and place meanwhile the oven tray with the crackers in your fridge for 10 minutes
5. Bake the Parmeggiano-basil crackers for 10 minutes until slightly golden brown

Mmmhh who cares about controlling :) ?