Polish Sauerkraut

This year my mom came up for Easter and I promised her an old-fashioned Polish Easter.  I made homemade Zur soup (fermented sour-rye based soup), cheese and sauerkraut/mushroom pierogi, and rye bread.  Over the course of the next few days, I will be posting many of the recipes used for the meal.

Sauerkraut is roughly translated to "sour herb" in German and basically is a pickled/fermented shredded cabbage.  The shredded cabbage is pickled in a process called lacto-fermentation.  Lactic acid is added to the shredded cabbage and over the course of the fermentation process the acid breaks down the sugars in the cabbage and "cures" it.  Once cured, the cabbage can be stored for months.

Polish Sauerkraut

2 pounds sauerkraut (in bag)

1/2 cup bacon; chopped and cooked

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon caraway seed

1/4 cup carrots; shredded

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup lard

1/4 cup flour

1.  Rinse sauerkraut with cold water for several seconds and drain well.  Taste and test for sourness.  Rinse again if necessary. 

2.  In a large pot, combine pepper salt, caraway seeds, shredded carrots, and water.  Add browned bacon to the pot.  Bring to boil.  Cook uncovered over medium heat for 30-45 minutes.

3.  In a skillet, melt butter and lard, while stirring add flour.  Keep stirring until mixture (rue) turns light brown.

4.  Slowly add mixture to the sauerkraut stirring constantly to prevent clumping.  Cook 10-20 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste

Broccoli Casserole

This simple to assemble and quick to bake casserole has a great creamy sauce with just a hint of lemon.  You can assemble this in the morning and bake it when you get home from work.  While you are preparing your protein for the meal this can be baking. We served this casserole with barbecued pork chops and stuffing.


I used fresh broccoli and steamed it partially in the microwave until crisp tender.  The 45 minute baking time was perfect.

Broccoli Casserole

3        tablespoons butter

1        onion, chopped

2        10 ounce packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed

1        10.75 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1        cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1        cup mayonnaise

2        eggs, beaten

½       teaspoon garlic salt

¼       teaspoon ground black pepper

½       teaspoon seasoned salt

1 ½    teaspoons lemon juice

12      buttery round crackers, crushed fine

2        tablespoons butter

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion until golden.

3.  In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix together onion, broccoli, soup, cheese, mayonnaise, eggs, garlic salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and lemon juice. Sprinkle crushed crackers over top and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

4. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.

Copper Penny Carrots

This is the second time I made these carrots and both times have really liked the end result.  If you enjoy a three-bean salad or a tangy coleslaw, you will like these sweet-sour carrots.  They can be served hot or cold and make a great potluck side dish.

Copper Penny Carrots

2        pounds carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch discs

1        medium green pepper, seeded and cut into thin sliver-thin rings

1        medium red onion, cut into sliver-thin rings

1        can tomato soup

½       cup vegetable oil

2/3     cup sugar

¾       cup cider vinegar

1        teaspoon dry mustard

1        teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1        teaspoon salt

½       teaspoon pepper

1.  Boil carrots until cooked but still firm, about 12 minutes.  Drain.  Combine cooked carrots with sliced pepper and onion in a bowl.

2.  Combine all remaining ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to simmer over medium heat.  Remove from heat and pour over carrots, onions, and peppers.  Stir well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Serve cold.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Kevin happens to be a huge lover of Brussels sprouts and though he loves when I make them roasted with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a light dusting of powdered sugar (yes, I said powdered sugar!) I thought I would try something new this year.  

I found this recipe in the Thanksgiving issue of Food Network Magazine.  I made and tested the recipe as printed.  While it was very good, we all agreed that the addition of some fresh horseradish would have been a great enhancement.

2  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the dish

    Kosher salt
1  pound Brussels sprouts,outer leaves and stems removed
    Pinch of red pepper flakes
    Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and butter a 2-quart baking 
dish. 

2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
3.  Drain the Brussels sprouts and coarsely chop. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and toss with the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, then spread out evenly. 

4.  Pour the cream on top, sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumbs and dot with the butter pieces.

5.  Bake until gratin is golden and bubbly.

Corn Relish

On Sunday, we had blue cheese burgers (Bluecy's).  I thought the sweet/sour corn relish would be a nice compliment to the salty taste of the blue cheese.  I did have to add a bit more sugar to the recipe.  I have adjusted the amount below.

Corn Relish
1 cup vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon salt
2 cans corn; drained
1/4 cup red pepper; finely chopped
1/4 cup onion; finely chopped
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 1/2  tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon cold water


1.  Combine vinegar and sugar in saucepan over medium heat until simmer. Add the hot sauce, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, corn, red pepper, onion and mustard powder.


2.  In small bowl whisk corn starch into cold water.  Add to the corn relish mixture and bring to boil. Once the relish thickens, remove from heat.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Broccoli in Garlic and Hoisin Sauce

My good friend Jeanne typically can NOT cook.  She can, however, make THE best stir-fry rice.  This morning she dropped off a fresh batch for us.  So, tonight I made grilled chicken tenders marinated in hoisin, Jeanne's stir-fry rice and our favorite broccoli dish.

If Broccoli in Garlic and Hoisin was the only way to eat broccoli, I would be in heaven!  The broccoli is gently blanched and quickly stir-fried with oil, garlic, and hoisin until it has a slight crust.

Broccoli in Garlic and Hoisin Sauce
1 pound broccoli
3 garlic cloves; minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ tablespoons hoisin sauce
¼ teaspoon salt

1.  Fill a large stockpot with 8 cups water and bring to boil.  Cut broccoli into florets and cut stems into bite-sized pieces.  Blanch broccoli for one minute then drop into an ice bath immediately.  Drain and dry on a paper towel.
2. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the broccoli, garlic and ginger in oil for 2-3 minutes until broccoli is crisp tender. Add the water, hoisin sauce and salt. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened.

Garlic Broccoli Spears

Steamed vegetables can be so boring, most of the time overcooked and underflavored.  There are two ways we really like to prepare our broccoli for everyday meals.  The first is the Broccoli in Hoisin Sauce and the second is Garlic Broccoli Spears. 

We had Garlic Broccoli Spears on Sunday with our meatloaf and baked potato.  This is simple to make and use very few ingredients.  This broccoli dish is quick, easy, and inexpensive.  For most of you requesting a healthy alternative to some of my heavier recipes, here is the one!

Garlic Broccoli Spears
1 pound broccoli, fresh, cut into spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper

1. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with a small amount of water; cover and cook until crisp-tender.   Place in ice water bath to stop the cooking.  Drain when cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in saute pan over medium high heat.  Add broccoli to pan when oil is hot.  Quickly stir-fry broccoli just until heated through.

Eggplant Gratin

As with any good Italian, a love of eggplant is a must.  Growing up in an Italian family we had eggplant two different ways.  Dipped in egg, dredged in bread crumbs and fried or an eggplant relish called Caponata.  While both of these two dishes are great, I am always looking to serve it in different forms. 

I grow this great fruit, yes I said fruit, each season. Always searching for great recipes for this black beauty, recently I have turned to the internet.  I found this recipe on the Food Network site.  My love of eggplant and ricotta cheese was a big attraction.  I believe it came from Tyler Florence.  I made this as written and it was delicous!

Good olive oil for frying
¾ pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced ½-inch thick
¼ cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
¼ cup half and half
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
½ cup marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚.
2. Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat , and add more eggplant until all slices are cooked.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half and half, ¼ cup parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
5. In each of the 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan on top.
6. Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until custard sets and top is browned.

Scalloped Tomatoes

I saw this recipe on a recent episode of Barefoot Contessa.  Both Kevin and I are big fans of the Tomato, Basil, and Onion salads during the summer, so this seemed to be a natural.  This dish was fast and easy.  I made it with breaded and fried steaks with Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta.

This will be a definite keeper.  I halved the recipe for the two of us.  I think the sugar in this dish really reduces the acidity of the tomatoes.

Scalloped Tomatoes
Good olive oil
2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule, crusts removed
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

2.  Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

3.  Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.

4.  Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.