Pasta e Fagioli Soup - An Olive Garden copycat

I have to admit I am a bit ambiguous about those American chain restaurants. Especially while living there, I tried to avoid them at the beginning... Later on, I discovered that I really do like some of them. They are not quite as low as the fast food chains but also not quite as fancy as the high end restaurants. They serve comfort food and sometimes really good food :)

One of those chain restaurants I like is Olive Garden. They are famous for their option of unlimited soup and salad. I have tried all the soups and the pasta e fagioli is by far my favorite. The salad is pretty good too though ;)

Pasta e fagioli means pasta and bean soup. I am using three kinds of beans, the red kidney beans and then also small and big white beans (navy and great nothern beans).

This is my spin on the Olive Garden version and I made a few changes. I used ground beef and not Italian sausage, and I added a little bit of zuchhini and bell pepper.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 300g ground beef 
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 onion (ca. 1.5 cups) - diced
• 2 carrots (ca. 1 cup) - diced
• 2 stalks celery (ca. 1 cup) - diced
• 1/2 zucchini (ca. 1/2 cup) - diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper (ca. 1/2 cup) - diced

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 0.5 l vegetable broth
• 1-2 cups water

• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried majoram
• 1/2 tsp savory
• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 can red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 can navy beans - drained and rinsed
• 1/2 can Great Nothern beans - drained and rinsed

Serve with:

• fresh parsley
• fresh grated parmesan
• crusty bread
• red wine

Preparation:

Prepare the pasta

In a large pot, bring water with some salt to a boil and add the uncooked ditalini pasta. Cook a little less than package instructions, keep them really al dente, as they will still cook a bit in the soup. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the soup

Heat the oil in a large pot, add the ground beef and cook till browned, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, bell pepper). Cook and stir occasionally for another 5 minutes till vegetables are a bit tender, but not too soft. 

Fill up with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and water. Stir. Season with the dried herbs and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes till vegetables are soft.

Note: If you do not have each of the dried herbs, you can substitute with 4-5 tsp dried Italien herb mix. 

Finish the soup

Add the cooked pasta and the drained beans. Stir and heat up for about 2 minutes. Adjust the seasioning and the thickness of the soup. If you like it a bit thinner, add some more water. If it is not thick enough, add some sauce thickener (e.g., flour and water or tomato paste).

Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with fresh parmesan and along crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

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My Mom's "Kohlsoße" (cabbage sauce with sausages over mashed potatoes)

This is one of my Mom's dishes that I didn't really appreciate as a child, but started to really enjoy later on. It's a good hearty but also light dish.

I prefer the dryed sausages ("Bauernbratwurst") that are quite hard. My Mom prefers the soft Cabanossi sausage. It does not matter which one you use, just add the harder sausages at the beginning and the soft sausages rather to the end. You can also use both, as we did here :)

Another highlight here is My Mom's mashed potatoes - always super smooth and creamy.

Ingredients:

Cabbage Sauce:

• 150g margarine
• 1-1.5 cups flour
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 nappa cabbage ("Chinakohl")
• 2 l water (or half water/ half vegetable broth)
• 2 dryed sausages ("Bauernbratwurst")
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• vegeta to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 cabanossi sausage - sliced
• 3-4 Tbsp dark sauce thickener ("Mondamin Soßenbinder", cornstarch possible)

Mashed Potatoes:

• 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 the Base ("Mehlschwitze")

Let the margarine melt on low heat, add the flour, stir occasionally. Let it simmer till it thickens and you see bubbles. This process is called "schwitzen" (sweating) in German. Then add the minced garlic. Now, keep stirring and let the roux cook till it turns lightly brown. Don't burn the garlic or the sauce as it can turn bitter.

Let the Cabbage cook

When the roux is ready, add the sliced cabbage and fill up with water. Instead of water, you can also use vegetable broth or a mix of water and broth, but then add less vegeta and salt later on. Add the "Bauernbratwürste". These are hard smoked saussages that I especially like and will add some flavor. Alternatively, the Cabanossi sausage that we will add later would also be enough. Season with some salt and pepper and a bit of careway seeds. Let the cabbage simmer for 20-30 minutes till it's soft.

Mashed Potatoes

Prepare a normal mashed potatoes, but make the mash not too soft as you will pure the cabbage sauce on top of it. Salt is only adding to the salt water, but if you still need more salt at 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.

Finishing/ Seasoning

When the cabbage is soft, add some vegeta and cayenne pepper to the sauce, to taste. Thicken the sauce a bit with a dark sauce thickener (e.g., Mondamin) or similar (e.g. flour and water works fine as well). Let it simmer for a few minutes. It takes a bit to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the sliced Cabanossi and bring to a quick boil and it's done. The Cabanossi is a sausage that was already cooked, so it only needs to be heated up.

Serve the cabbage sauce over the mashed potatoes.

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Rhubarb-Raspberry Crumble

During my time in the US, my friend Jamie prepared this delicious rhubarb raspberry crumble for one of our weekend get togethers. I am usually not a big fan of those crumbles as the fruit is too overpowering for me. However, she converted me because she used a very crispy crumble topping and lots of it.

While I do not really have her recipe, I used the memory as an inspiration :)


Note - Topping: I like very crispy and crunchy toppings. So I added the oats and nuts. Also, I put the crumble in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Note - Filling: Do not use cornstarch! Some suggest this would prevent the filling to be too watery. I tried it, it just adds a slimey taste that sticks to your tooth. Instead, use flour.

Ingredients:

Topping

• 1 cup (ca. 140g) flour
• 3/4 cup (ca. 110g) brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tspn salt
• 6 Tbsp (ca. 90g) butter
• 3/4 cup (ca. 60g) oats
• 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)
• 2 Tbsp almonds slices

Filling

• 400g rhubarb (about 2-3 stalks, peeled if necessary, sliced)
• 150g raspberries
• 2 cups water with 1 tsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanille sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
• 2 Tbsp orange juice (fresh)
• 2 Tbsp flour

 

Preparation:

Start with preparing the Topping

Mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar and salt. Dice the butter into little cubes and add to the flour-sugar mixture. Knead everthing with your fingertips by squeezing the butter cubes. Add the oats, roughly chopped walnuts and almonds. Mix, till you have a crumbly dough with little chunks in it.

Now, put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This helps to keep the crumble crsip.

Prepare the Filling

Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius (Ober- und Unterhitze).

If the rhubarb stalks are too stringy, peel them. Then, put the rhubarb lices in a bowl, cover them with water and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then drain. This is supposed to reduce the bitterness of the rhubarb.

Now, gerase the baking dish. Add the rhubarb slices and raspberries. Sprinkle with the sugar, vanille sugar, lemon and orange juice. This will balance the tartiness of the raspberries and rhubarb. Add 2 tablespoons of flours and combine everything. The flour shall help with thickening the fruit juices when it bakes.

Bake the Crumble

Sprinkle the chilled crumble on the fruit mixture. I like a lot of crumble, so I used almost everything. Don't worry if the baking dish gets a little full. During baking, the fruit will get soft and sink. You can easily freeze leftover toppings for another time.

Bake the crumble for about 35-40 minutes till the top is golden brown and crispy. Take it out and let cool for about 10 minutes. Then, serve warm with some ice-cream.

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My Mom's "Grüner Bohnen Salat" (green bean salad)

This is a very quick and simple green bean salad. As always, my Mom pours the vinegar and oils directly over the salad and mixes everthing well instead of preparing a separate vinaigrette.

Special ingredient here is my Mom's favorite oil - the pumpkin seed oil, with its slightly nutty flavor. It gives it a darker, more intense taste.

Best to use either the whole length beans (e.g., princess beans) or the completely shredded ones (french style or "Schnittbohnen"). I do not really fancy the cut beans ("Brechbohnen").

My Mom serves this green bean salad as a side dish to her farmer's breakfast ("My Mom's Bauernfrühstück") which is despite its name a wholeheartedly lunch.

Ingredients:

• big can (800g/ 24oz) of green beans (geschnitten/french style or long) - keep the liquid
• 1 small onion - diced
• 1 tbsp apple cider
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
• 1 tbsp salt (more to taste)
• 1 tbsp pepper (more to taste)

Preparation:

1. Drain the beans but keep the liquid. Add the beans and the cut onion to the bowl.
2. Pour the vinegar and oils over the beans. Also, pour 2-3 tablespoons of the canned bean liquid over it.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Adjust seasoning. Let stand for about 30 minutes to allow to infuse.

Serve with my Mom's "Bauernfrühstück" (Farmer's Breakfast)

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Wiener and Veggies with Egg Noodles

This is a simple quick dish that utilizes a lot of pantry items. I learned it during my college time. My dorm mates used to cook this in our kitchen. I might have adapted it a bit, but I just love it because it is fast, uses a bunch of veggies, wiener sausages and has a nice sauce with it.

By now, it has become a favorite dish :)

Ingrediens

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion - diced
• 1 chili pepper - sliced
• 1 red bell pepper - diced (1/2 inch)
• 1-2 carrots - sliced
• 4 wiener sausage (best pork, german style)
• 1 tomato - diced
• 1 can mushrooms
• 1/2 cup corn (about 1/2 of a can)
• 1/2 cup peas (about 1/2 of a can)

For the Sauce: 

• 1 - 1 1/2 cup of water
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese (best the ones with herbs or chives and onions in it)
• 3 tablespoon cream
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable or chicken bouillon (the seasoning, not the liquid)
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Served over:

• Egg noodles

Preparation

Prepare the Base

Heat up the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and sauté till translucent. Add the chili pepper, bell pepper and carrot and fry for 3 minutes. Add about 1 tablespoon of water. Cover the frying pan and let the veggies steam for about 5 minutes by medium heat.

Prepare the Sauce

Now, start preparing the sauce by adding salt and pepper to the veggies. Add 1/3 cup of water. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon spice. Add 3 tablespoons of cream cheese. Stir well, till everything is dissoved and let boil for 2-3 minutes.

Finish Up

Add the tomatoes. They will cook down almost completely but will counterbalance the sweetness of the veggies and the sauce. They will give it a bit of tartness. Add the wiener sausages and mushrooms and cook everything for another for 5 minutes, till you see the wiender sausage slices start to bulge a little. Now, add the corn and peas, they only need to be warmed up. Stir everything and keep cooking only till all the veggies (check the carrots as they are the hardest) are soft.

Finish the sauce off by adding another 1/2 - 1 cup of water, depending on how much has vaporated during cooking already. You do want to have enough sauce for your dish, it is the best part. Don't be stingy with the water, you can always add more flavor with the cream cheese and the spices. At this time, stir in 3 tablespoons of cream. You wait with the cream till the end as you do not want to boil the cream, it would separate. Season everything with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and more vegetable bouillon to taste.

Serve over egg noodles, best if they are wide noodles.

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Easter Lamb (sweet yeast dough)

It's Easter and I had plenty of time to try out another holiday themed recipe. This one is a cute little Easter Lamb made of yeast dough. It is basically the same dough that is used for burger buns. I have also used a yeast dough for my Homemade Dinner Rolls, the Challah Easter Nests, and My Mom's Hefeküchle.

Yeast dough is not the easiest dough to work with. I have a lot of respect for it. If treated wrong (e.g., overproofing, overkneading), it can result in very hard bread and may fail to rise.  On the other hand, if you are too scared and don't knead it enough, it may result in bread that also fails to rise and tastes too doughy...

Here are 2 things I have learned:

• Kneading and stretching the dough will result in very fluffy bread and helps the yeast to activate and rise. Do not cut down on that step, it does take several minutes to knead.
• Shaping the dough is also important. Do not be scared to handle and knead the dough after the first proofing while forming the little dough pieces for the lamb. In the end, the surface should be really smooth. Find more instructions on shaping in the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

• 200ml milk (warm, not hot)
• 30g yeast (fresh - or substitute with 1 package instant or active dry yeast)
• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 500g flour
• 50g sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon peel
• 1 egg (lighly beaten)
• 75g butter (melted, but not hot)

• 1 egg (beaten, as egg wash)
• 2 raisins
• 2 Tbsp pearl sugar (a.k.a. hail or nib sugar)

 

Preparation:

Use all ingredients at room temperature.
Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius (Ober- und Unterhitze) / 350 degree Fahrenheit (convection oven).

Activate the Yeast

Do not use metal for the milk and yeast as it will prevent/ slow down activation. Warm up the milk in a glas or plastic bowl to about 30 degree celsius. It should not be too hot for your own skin if you try to dip in your finger. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and crumble the fresh yeast in. Stir (with a wooden spoon) till it is dissolved and let stand for about 10 minutes. It will activate and you will see bubbles, the volume will increase.

Prepare the Dough - First proofing

In a big bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt and lemon peel. Mix. Create a little well in the middle. Pour in the beaten egg and the melted butter. Now, also pour in the milk-yeast mix. Give it a stir with a fork by adding the flour from the sides, bit by bit. Either continue mixing with the fork or use the machine with a dough hook. Keep mixing for about 5 minutes, the dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl any more and be realtively smooth. Take it out of the bowl and keep kneading and stretching it by hand for another few minutes.

Now, form a smooth dough ball, place it in a bowl and cover it. Let it rest in a warm place till it doubles in size. This will take about 30-60 minutes. If you do not have a warm place, you can put warm water in a tray and place the bowl in it.

Shaping the Dough   ** VERY IMPORTANT**

When the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and quickly beat it down again. Now, divide the dough in about 22 pieces. I usually devide the dough in half, then each half again in halves, etc. Use a scale to weight the pieces. For me, each piece was about 45-50gram.

Shaping the dough is a very important step! I did not know how to do it at the beginning, and my first try of the Easter Lamb resulted in a lamb with lots of wrinkles and creases, looking like a very old lamb ;) I recommend maybe watching a Youtube video on homemade burger buns. They also use a yeast dough, the method is the same. I like the video from Joshua Weissman - "How to make the best burger buns of all time".

For each little dough ball/ piece: Grab a section of the dough and gently stretch and fold it to the center. Repeat it around the whole segment of the dough and then flip it over so that it's seam side down. Roll it with the seam side on your counter top a bit, to smooth out the bottom side. Now you should have a dough ball with a very smooth surface.

First try vs. Second try

Forming the Lamb - Second proofing 

Build the lamb directly on your baking tray, lined with a baking sheet. For the lamb, you will need:

• 16 little balls for the body of the lamb 
• 2 balls for the head, combined in a rectangle with round corners, maybe running a little tighter downwards
• 1 balls for the front legs, divided in 2 legs
• 1 ball for the hind legs, divided in 2 legs
• 1 ball for the ears, divided into 2 ears
• 1 ball for the tail and the hair of the lamb (3 tiny balls)

Form the lamb, but do not place the pieces too close to each other as they will rise again. Use the egg wash and brush the entire lamb with it. Add two raisins as eyes and cover the body of the lamb and the hair with pearl sugar, spare the head, the ears, the legs and the tail. Let sit for another 30-40 minutes (second proofing), it will rise a bit more. Do not cover it, as it would stick to the dough. It will not dry out as you have brushed it with the egg wash.

Bake the Lamb

Place the lamb in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes till it is golden brown on top. Exact time depends on your oven, so keep an eye on it.

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Pretty little Pancakes at Quchnia (Berlin, Germany)

A few years back, I really was not a big fan of pancakes. They seem to be just plain doughy cakes with very sweet syrup... However, while living in the US I did not get around trying pancakes for brunch. And I have to admit - pancakes are far from being boring :)

Sure, you can eat them plain and simple with some butter and maple syrup, but you can also add some interesting flavors to mix it up - some berries and fruits, nuts, other flavored syrups... Now, I am actually a big fan of those fluffy pancakes :)

Quchnia's Pancakes

While I have eaten some really great pancakes over the time, Quchnia had so far the most colorful and pretty ones. They serve a stack of little pancakes with a warm berry compote, fresh fruit, a dab of cream cheese, a sprinkle of bright green crushed pistachios, and a side of maple syrup.

Quchnia - Brunch with a View

Quchnia is a little quaint restaurant and brunch place in downtown Berlin, right at the Gendarmenmarkt square with view of the French Dom. Of course, for such a top location, the price of the dishes are a little steep, but still ok.

What's for Brunch?

As mentioned, Quchnia's pancakes were my favorite. However, they also serve a variety of other common brunch dishes such different egg dishes including poached eggs and scrambled eggs, avocado bread, bagels, granola, yoghurt, acai bowl, french toast, and also the Geman style meat and cheese platter.

I also tried the "Jakob's" which is a sourdough bread with avocado smear, scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. It tasted great as well :)

They do also serve lunch dishes (such as the German classic "Flammkuchen") and cakes.