Aug 14 2008: Inspired by this wonderful recipe for Garlic Soup, I decided to experiment and see if I could adapt the recipe to create a creamy garlic pasta sauce. Great success!

To make my pasta sauce, I followed the recipe for the soup, added some chopped mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, and thickened the sauce to my liking. It turned out great, and I can’t wait to make it again soon!

Creamy Mushroom & Garlic Pasta with Red and Yellow Peppers
Serves: 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1/4 cup sifted flour
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish (optional, I didn’t use this)
125 grams chestnut (or regular) mushrooms, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped

Directions
Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat until melted, then add the garlic. Sauté lightly for 5 - 10 minutes until it is softened, but not browned. Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste. Add the milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Then whisk in the chicken stock. Allow the soup to bubble and thicken, and add more stock if needed.

Add the mushrooms, red and yellow pepper and simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes, depending on how tender you want the chunks of pepper to be. (You can probably also pan-fry the mushrooms beforehand, but I decided not to.)

At this point, the sauce would have probably been OK to serve, but I wanted a thicker sauce on my noodles, so I whisked 1 - 2 tablespoons of flour into about 2 tablespoons of milk, added that to the sauce and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so to thicken.

Ploes and I are hungry eaters, so I usually make 80 grams of pasta per person. This recipe should make enough sauce for 4 people, so figure on 240 grams of pasta to feed 4 people — go on and round that up to 250 grams, I mean.. who doesn’t love pasta?

It looks really fancy on the bed of green noodles, eh? I wish everything I cooked was so photogenic!

* Don’t let the 10 cloves of garlic scare you, this is a really mild and creamy sauce! I prefer white pasta sauces to red anyway, but I love the fact that I don’t need to run out and buy crème fraîche anymore if I get a craving for a delicious creamy pasta meal!

Eiernockerl - Egg Dumplings (Gnocchi)
Serves: 2 - 3 as a main dish, or 4 - 6 as a side.

Ingredients for the Nockerl
2 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup (240 ml) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 teaspoons nutmeg
1/3 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon

Directions for the Nockerl
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Seperately whisk the eggs and add eggs with water and oil to the flour. Combine well by stiring as little as possible just so the dough is smooth, thick and well mixed, using your hands if preferred!

The dough should very soft, but not runny. If you took a spoonful of dough and turned it upside down, the dough should only very slowly fall off the spoon. If you think the dough is too soft, just use some more flour. On the other hand if you think it too hard, use some more water.

Drop spoonfuls of dough into the boiling water, letting them simmer until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside to cool, repeating the entire process until all the dough has been used.

Ingredients for the Eiernockerl
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
the nockerl dumplings you just made

Directions for the Eiernockerl
Heat the butter in a large frying pan, add the nockerl and the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally. When the eggs are cooked, garnish with sweet paprka powder, and serve alongside a salad.

Liptauer Cheese Spread

Ingredients
1 cup Topfen, Quark, or unaged Farmers’ cheese
3 ounces butter
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 - 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons pickled cucumber or gherkins, chopped
1 tablespoons capers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard
salt
pepper

Directions
Using a mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl until it is soft and fluffy, and has almost doubled in volume. Add the Topfen, sour cream, paprika, mustard, salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the onion, cucumber or gherkin, and capers, mixing well. Allow to stand in the fridge for a few hours.

Spread this on top of bread for a great snack. For something different, you can also add some freshly chopped chives, and add an extra sprinkle of paprika on top.

Reisfleisch – Rice Meat (Pork Goulash With Rice)
Serves: 4 as a main dish

Ingredients
1 lb pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can also use chicken, beef or lamb)
2 onions, chopped.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspons paprika
3 cups water or stock
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash of sugar
1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)

Directions
In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the onions until lighly browned. Remove from heat, add paprika powder and stir. Pour in the water or stock, bring to the boil and cook for 1/2 an hour.

Add the seasonings and meat and let boil for another 30 minutes. When the meat is cooked, add the uncooked rice, and bring to the boil again. Add the peas, (or small carrot cubes, or whatever vegetables you like best!). Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it sit for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Afterwards, the rice should be cooked and most of the liquid should have been absorbed, giving this dish the consistency of a risotto. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. This dish goes well with a green salad or a cucumber salad.

Schweinekotelett - German Pork Chops
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 pork chops
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cup stock, broth or water
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Rub pork chops with garlic, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Sift the flour into a large, deep plate, and coat each pork chop with flour. In a large frying pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry chops until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add butter and 2 tablespoons of the flour to the hot frying pan, stirring on medium heat until the mixture starts to foam. Add stock, and bring to the boil. Add pork chops and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Serve with fried or boiled potatoes, or white rice.

Turkey With Hot Mushroom Sauce

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 8-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 17-20 minutes
Calories Per Portion: 241
Fat Per Portion: 10.2g

Ingredients
4 turkey escalopes, each about 100g/4oz in weight
2 tablespoons seasoned flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 - 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
175 grams (6 oz) chestnut mushrooms, wiped and sliced
300 ml (1/2 pint) turkey or chicken stock
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon medium dry sherry
3 tablespoons half fat crème fraîche
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley to garnish
Freshly cooked tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta noodles to serve

Directions
Coat the turkey escalopes in the seasoned flour and reserve the remaining flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan then brown the escalopes on all sides. Remove from the pan.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and gently sauté the garlic, chillies and onion for 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté for 3 more minutes or until the onion and mushrooms have softened but not browned. Sprinkle in the remaining flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Slowly stir the stock and soy sauce into the pan and bring to the boil, stirring throughout. Reduce the heat and return the turkey escalopes to the pan. Cover with a lid or a large sheet of tin foil and simmer gently for 4-6 minutes or until the turkey is thoroughly cooked.

Add the sherry and creme fraîche, then cook for 2 more minutes. Serve sprinkled with the chopped herbs and freshly cooked tagliatelle or pasta noodles.

* We used Shaoxing rice wine instead of sherry, and prepared about 125 grams of pasta noodles for the both of us.

Kürbissuppe - German Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
8 cups pumpkin, diced (Usually a small pumpkin will do)
8 cups carrots, diced (about 3)
4 cups potato, diced (about 4)
1 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 dash of vinegar
vegetable oil

Directions
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil and fry the pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat. Add the vegetable broth and milk, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste.

Using a blender or food processor, purée the soup in batches until smooth, then return to pot and simmer again, thinning with milk if needed. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds, or garlic croutons.

Fleischstrudel - German Meat Strudel

Ingredients for the dough
2 cups wheat flour, all purpose
1 whole egg
1/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water (*)
Salt
Flour to work with

Ingredients for the filling
1 lb ground, cooked meat (leftover roast, boiled beef, etc.)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or lovage
1 tablespook oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 carrots (optional)
salt
pepper

Directions for the dough
(*)Only prepare 1 cup water, do not use all of it first, but only if needed.

Mix flour, egg, oil, vinegar, water and salt, and knead for at least 5 minutes until the dough is smooth, and not too soft. Place the dough on an oiled plate and coat with a little oil. Cover with foil or a plate and put in a warm place (100F / 38C) to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Directions for the filling
Blend meat and carrots in a blender or food processor until they form a chunky paste, and place into a mixing bowl. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until golden. Add this to the carrot and meat minced mixture, and add the parsley, salt and pepper, mixing well.

Placing the lukewarm dough ball on a clean, floured tea towel, roll and stretch it into a thin sheet. Brush with melted butter, leaving a 3 inch border uncovered. Spread the filling over the dough. Using the towel, roll the strudel, place on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter.

Bake at 370F/188C/Gas Mark 5 for about an hour. Remove from oven, brush with milk, and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Serve with clear beef broth, or brown gravy and a side salad.

Leberknödelsuppe - German Liver Dumpling Soup

Ingredients
1 lb (approx. 500g) beef or pork liver, ground
3 eggs
2 cups (approx 120 grams) white bread, cut and dried into cubes (like you would use for bread dumplings)
1 cup (approx 80 grams) breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parsley, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon majoram
salt
pepper

In a large bowl, combine the ground liver, eggs, marjoram, salt and pepper. Add stale bread cubes and breadcrumbs, and mix well. Leave to stand for 20 minutes so that the bread soaks up all the liquid, binding the dough together.

Form dumplings about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, and cook in a pot of boiling, salted water for about 20 minutes.

Serve in a clear beef (or vegetable) broth, garnished with freshly chopped chives.

Apfelkuchen - German Apple Cake (Pie)

Ingredients
1 lbs apples
3 eggs
2 cups flour, combined with 1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
vanilla extract (to taste — about 1 teaspoon)
cinnamon
icing sugar
salt

Directions
Peel and core apples, and shop into large bite-sized pieces. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, and almost double in volume. Add salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.

Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each one, to create a light, foamy dough. Sift the flour and baking powder, and fold into the egg mixture, mixing well.

Pour about 1/3 of the dough into a pregreased cake pan. Add the apple pieces to the remining 2/3 of dough, mix well, and pour into the cake pan. Make sure the surface of the cake dough is flat and level, and bake in an oven preheated to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4 for 50 - 60 minutes.

When done, remove from oven and leave in the cake tin to cool, sprinkling with icing sugar while still warm.