My Mom's "Erbsoße" (pea gulash)

 

 

This is one of my childhood favorites and still is. The dark and meaty flavor is just unbeatable.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp margerine
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 200g gulash (half beef/half pork)
  • 1 small onion - diced
  • 2-3 cups water
  • 2 cans peas (or 1 big can)
  • 2 Tbsp dark "Soßenbinder" (or corn starch)
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste

 

Preparation: 

Heat up the margerine and oil in a big pot. Dice the gulash in big chunks and add to the hot oil. Brown the meat from all sides for a few minutes. This is the important step as it will give the dish its deep flavor. Add the onions and fry for a few minutes. Don't let the onions turn brown. 

Fill up the pot with water, so that the meat is covered. Let it simmer for about 1 hour till the meat is soft. 

Add the peas and bring to a quick boil. Slowly add the "Soßenbinder" bit by bit, let boil for a minute and stir well. Don't add too much, it takes some time till the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, add some more water. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve over mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some cayenne pepper. 







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My Mom's "Kartoffelbrei" (mashed potatoes)

 

 

My Mom's mashed potatoes are light and creamy, not too heavy and not too creamy. And it tastes absolutely amazing, you can really taste the potatoes. 

 

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium large potatoes
  • 2 liter water
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp butter (or margarine) 
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk (warm)
  • possibly more salt 

 

Preparation

Prepare a normal mashed potatoes, but make the mash not too soft. If you use it for the "Erbsoße" or "Kohlsauce", you will pure the sauce on top of it and therefore, it's better if the mash is not too soft. Salt is only added to the salt water, but if you still need more salt in your mashed potatoes, add it to the warm milk or at the end and stir with a spoon.

Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water for about 20 minutes till they are soft. Drain. First, mash the potatoes with a hand masher. Then, when the potatoes are already pretty smooth, use an electric mixer and keep mixing further. Now, add the butter and mix. Add bit by bit the warm milk and keep mixing. Stop adding milk, when the mash is smooth and has the consitency you prefer. 




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Pasta, Chickpea, Leek & Beef Pot

 

This is another one of my favorite comfort foods. 

You can include any veggies you want, but the important ones are the chickpeas and leek mixed in with the ground beef! 


Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 onion - diced
  • 1 chili pepper - sliced
  • 400g ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp Italien herb mix
  • 1 carrot - sliced
  • 1 zucchini - sliced or in stripes
  • 1 leek - big chunks/ slices
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cu water
  • 1 1/2 cups pasta (Fusilli, uncooked)
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup corn

 

Preparation:

Heat up the oil in a big pot. Add the onions and chili peppers, fry them till the onions are translucent. Then add the ground beef. Break it down and let it brown. Add some tomato paste, Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well. 

Add the sliced carrots and cook for about 5 minutes before you add the softer vegetables. 

Now, add zucchini, the big leek chunks and the vegetable broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Mix in the uncooked pasta and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the corn and chickpeas and cook for another 3-5 minutes (depending on how long the normal cooking time for the pasta is). 

Serve, maybe spinkle with fresh parsley.





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Indian Potato & Pasta Pot

 


I know this sounds strange and overkill - putting potatoes AND pasta in the same dish... too much starch. 

However, this dish was created by my friend Janah during college times, mixing two different recipes from our Indian cookbooks. And I just love it!

Janah and I shared our passion for Indian food and had several Indian cookbooks :) 


Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tps cumin,  1 tps coriander
  • 2 small onions - diced
  • 3 tomatoes - diced
  • 1 clove garlic - minced
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp oil 
  • 1 chili pepper - sliced
  • 3-4 potatoes - big cubes
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 carrot - sliced
  • 1 zucchini - sliced
  • 1 bell pepper - diced
  • 4 muschrooms - sliced
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 2 cups pre-cooked pasta (Fusilli)
  • salt, pepper to taste
     

Preparation:

Precook the Pasta

Precook pasta according to package instructions. Try al dente, maybe even a minute less, as it will be mixed in with the other ingredients and heated up again. Drain and set aside.

Prepare Indian spiced Onion-Tomatoe Base

Heat up the oil in a frying pan. Add the Indian spices (cumin, coriander) and seeds (mustard, fennel, cumin), heat up for a minute, keep stirring so that the spices down burn. Heated up they will develop their aroma. Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes till translucent. Then add the tomatoes, garlic, chili powder and salt. Stir and let cook for a few minutes till the spices have infused the tomato mix. 

Cook the Potato-Veggie Mix

At the same time, heat up oil in a big pot. Add the sliced chili pepper, the potato cubes and the mustard seeds. Stir and let the potatoes brown a bit on the edges for about 3-5 minutes, but don't let them stick to the bottom. Add salt and tomato paste. Mix everything. Add maybe a few tablespoon water, so that the tomato paste is dissolved. Add the carrots and let everything cook for about 5 minutes. Potatoes and carrots are the hardest vegetables and need the longest. 
 
Now, add in the Indian spices onion-tomato base. If the tomato-onion base have already soaked up some of the juices, then add some more water. Mix everything well. Then, add the last veggies (bell pepper, mushrooms, corn). Cook another 5 minutes till all the veggies are fork soft. 
  

Mix everything

Lastly, add the pasta. Mix everything and add salt and pepper to taste. You may need to add a bit of water and tomato paste if you like (makes it a bit saucier). Heat up for a couple of minutes. Serve.
 


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