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Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

Last post 01-23-2008 9:02 PM by TexasroseII. 118 replies.
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  • 01-18-2008 11:46 AM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Erna,I think I will come and play cards with you ladies. My girl friends are all working. I think I am starting to get cabin fever,which I never had before. I am not used to be here in January and I miss sitting in the sun in Colorado. On the other end I have lots of stuff to do and I also have to get my sewing mashine out.

    Lydia,you are to funny.Did I laugh. I wished we would have some snow to shuffle . I will be only 11F tomorrow.

    Renate 

  • 01-18-2008 11:57 AM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Twinkle, I can smell your rolls also. At your young age you do lots of delicious cooking. My DD is your age and she never liked to cook,but she is starting to cook now. She even made some stuffed peppers from the Dr.Oetker cookbook,the English version. I think they were great.

    I will get my Dr.Oetker "Backen macht Freude "out und decide which cake I should make. As I mentioned before,I have some old books,one from my Mother and one from my MIL.Each book has some the same recipes in it, but besides those,each has lots of different ones in them. I also have a new one in English.

    Renate 

  • 01-18-2008 2:28 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Hello all

    just quickly checking in  - i will read all the posts tomorrow but i have found a fantastic recipe in germany that i want to share with you

    BTW the salad you see on the side is the german "Feldsalat" or "Rapunzel" one of my favorit lettuce kinds...

    Speak tomorrow and have a lovely day Twinkle 

     

    Tortellini Bundt Cake with spinach and cheese


     

     


    150 Gramm cooked spinach
    250 Gramm fresh tortellini with your favourite filling
    200 Gramm grated cheese

    ==========================Topping==========================
    100 ml milk
    2 eggs
    1 1/2 tbs. flour
    salt
    pepper
    grated nutmeg



    Mix the spinach with the tortellini and the grated cheese. You can fill this mixture in a big buttered bundt cake form or in a few small "mini" bundt cake forms which is even more pretty. So you can serve each of your guests one bundt cake on a plate.

    Put together all the ingredients for the topping and spread it over the tortellinis. Bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes on the lowest level(200 degrees Celsius or 390 Fahrenheit). Enjoy!
     

     

  • 01-18-2008 7:01 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Raji's Acorn Squash Veloute with Ginger And Mustard Seeds

    3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
    2 1/2 cups chopped onions
    8 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 3 1/4 pounds)
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
    4 1/2 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
    2 tablespoons tomato purée
    Pinch of cayenne pepper
    1 tablespoon cumin seeds
    1 tablespoon mustard seeds

    Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add squash and ginger; sauté 5 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups broth. Simmer until squash is very tender, about 35 minutes.

    Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return to same pot. Add tomato purée and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors; add more broth if soup is too thick. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Warm soup over medium heat before serving.)

    Heat one teaspoon of oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with seed mixture and serve.

    Serves 6.

  • 01-18-2008 7:03 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Seventeen Bean Soup

    3 1/2 cups beef stock or pork stock
    1 lb mixed dried beans; (see note)
    2 tablespoon olive oil
    1  onion; chopped
    2 tablespoon dry sherry
    3 cloves garlic; minced
    1  red bell pepper; diced
    1  carrot; diced
    1  celery; diced
    1 1/2 teaspoon cumin; ground
    1 teaspoon coriander seeds; ground
    1 teaspoon orange peel, grated; (see note)
    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; optional
      sour cream or plain yogurt
      cilantro; fresh, chopped
    1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped; optional

    In the dried bean section of your grocery store, look for pre-mixed dried beans. My favorite is the 16 bean blend from "Ham 'n Beans". I usually double this recipe and use 1 pound of the pre-mixed and 1 pound of Great White Northern beans. You can also make your own dried bean mix, including black beans, navy beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans and some pearl barley.

    The recipe calls for grated orange peel, which is fine, but if I have it I add one or two tablespoons bitter Seville orange juice instead.

    Rinse beans well. Place beans in large pot; add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain beans and return to pot. Add 3-1/2 cups stock.  (The quality of the soup depends on the stock.  The best batch I've made used a stock made out of leftover roasted fresh ham.) Bring to boil. Adjust heat so liquid barely simmers. Cover and cook until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1-1/2 hours.

    Heat oil in heavy skillet over low heat. Add onion, sherry and garlic. Cover and cook until onion is soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add dried tomatoes (optional), bell pepper, carrot, celery, cumin and coriander. Cover and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add vegetable mixture to beans. Stir in orange peel (or bitter orange juice), pepper and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes if desired.  Top each with dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.  Diners may want to add salt and/or hot pepper sauce.

    Yield: 6 servings

  • 01-18-2008 7:06 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Veal Chops with Apples & Calvados

    4 veal loin chops                   
    6 Tbsp sage, fresh, chopped
    6 Tbsp rosemary leaves, fresh, chopped
    salt and pepper                   
    2 Tbsp butter                            
    2 Tbsp olive oil                          
    2 apples 
    4 Tbsp calvados or applejack             
    1 1/2  cup chicken or veal broth                     
    4 Tbsp heavy cream        
                        
     1. Sprinkle the chops on both sides with the sage, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
    2. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet large enough  to hold the chops in one layer. Add the chops and brown chops on each side, then cook very gently until done.
    3. Core and pare the apples and cut into thick rings or sections and coat with lemon juice.     
    4. Remove the chops to a warmed serving platter and keep hot.
    5. Add the apple rings to the skillet and cook until golden brown on both        
     sides and only just tender. Do not overcook.
    6. Add the Calvados and broth to the skillet and bring to a boil, deglazing the pan.  Cook down until reduced by half.
    7. Stir in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chops and reheat them.

  • 01-18-2008 7:07 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Wild Rice Salad with Figs and Nuts

    4 cups water
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 cup wild rice (about 6 ounces)
    1/2 cup figs, dried; finely chopped
    1/4 cup almonds, slivered; toasted, chopped
    1/4 cup pine nuts; toasted, chopped
    1/4 cup pecans; toasted, chopped
    1/4 cup scallion tops; minced
    2 tablespoon celery; minced
    2 tablespoon red onions; minced
    2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    1 teaspoon sugar
    1/4 cup olive oil

    If possible, use several different kinds of dried figs.  You can also use any kind of nuts that you like as long as they are unsalted, toasted and broken into bits.  Toast each different kind of nut separately by putting them in a dry sauce pan over medium heat, stirring continuously until the nuts start to turn tan.  To not let them darken.  If the nuts burn, throw them out and start over because they will ruin the salad.

    Place water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add rice. Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer (covered) until rice is tender, anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on how dry the rice as and how chewy you like it. Drain well and let cool. In a large bowl, combine cooled rice, figs, toasted nuts, green onion tops, celery and red onion. In a bowl, combine vineger, lemon juice, mustard and sugar. Add olive oil and mix well. Drizzle over rice mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine.  Taste and add more oil or lemon juice as needed.

    This recipe increases very well.  We usually use unsalted chicken stock made with lots of ginger, garlic, coriander as well as regular stock vegetables in place of water for cooking the rice.

     

    Here are the amounts for the quantity-cooking version from the 2004 Winter Solstice Party!  This makes a lot of salad!

    8 cups wild rice

    2 gallons chicken stock

    scant 1/4 cup salt

    3 quarts mixed dried fruit, chopped

    2 quarts mixed toasted nuts, chopped

    2 big bunches scallion tops, chopped

    2 cups celery, minced

    3 cups red onions, minced

    1/2 cup lemon juice

    1/2 cup olive oil

    1/4 cup dijon mustard or to taste

    1 cup balsamic vinegar or to taste

     

  • 01-18-2008 7:09 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Hot And Sour Mushroom Soup with Nam Prik Pao

    3 cups fish stock
    1 teaspoon nam prik pao sauce (see recipe below)
    1  inch lemon grass; minced
    3  kaffir lime leaves; roughly torn
    2 teaspoon sugar
    2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh)
    1/3 lb shitake mushrooms, fresh; cubed
    1 inch ginger; grated, squeezed
    2 small fresh red or green chiles; crushed
      ***TO GARNISH***
      coriander leaves
      fish sauce
      lime wedges

    In a large pan, bring the fish stock to the boil and stir in the Nam Prik Pow sauce. Grate the ginger and squeeze the juice into the pan, discarding the remaining fiberous part. Mince the bottom 2 inches of lemon grass. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring well until the mushrooms are just cooked but still al dente. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with fish sauce and limes on the side.

    Yield: 3 servings

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Nam Prik Pao (KTK's Thai Chilis In Oil)

    4 tablespoon olive oil
    3 tablespoon garlic; minced
    5 tablespoon shallots; minced
    3 large dry red chilis; deseeded - coarsely chopp
    2 tablespoon sugar
    1 teaspoon salt
    3  chipotle chilies; deseeded, chopped

    Heat the oil, fry the garlic until golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same oil fry the shallots until crispy, remove and set aside. Fry the chilis until they darken, THIS GOES FAST!  Be careful not to burn the chilies! Remove and place in a cuisinart with the shallot and garlic and process until very fine. (Or use a mortar and pound together).

    Reheat the oil, add the hot sesame oil,  add the paste and warm through. Add the sugar and salt and mix well to give a thick black/red sauce.  Use what you need and store the rest in a jar and refrigerate.

    Shrimp paste,  tiny dried shrimp and/or fish sauce can also be added to the paste, but I'd rather add that as needed if the recipe the Nam Prik Pao will be used in needs it.  Some recipes call for wrapping the shrimp paste in foil & frying it until it darkens a bit, then pounding it with the rest of the ingredients.
     

  • 01-18-2008 8:59 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Jeanette, nice to see you on the board. great recipes you posted.

    I made steaks tonight and used for the first time the broiler in my new toaster/convection oven. I think I will like that oven. It comes in handy when I cook just short meals. I pre-cooked my baked potatos in the microwave and finished them off in the toaster oven too. They were sooo good.

    One of my german friend, which played cards with me today, gave me her breadmachine. She lost her DH a few years ago and does not cook for herself anymore. Now I have 2 and I will see if hers breadmachine does a better job then mine. The bread cookbook has lots of different breads in it and next week I will start making some bread.

    Bis spaeter

    Erna

  • 01-18-2008 11:20 PM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Jeanette, I was just thinking that we hadn't seen you for quite a while.

     

    It was so cold today and is supposed to be for the next 5 days.  I loaded up on groceries on my way home from work today and I don't plan on leaving my house until I go back to work on Monday morning.  My DH is away for about a week and I am going to just enjoy not having to cook much and having one less person in the house to clean up behind...

     

    Better go to bed.  See you tomorrow...

  • 01-19-2008 1:42 AM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Hi Erna  and Berny. Have missed you but I'm so tired all the time that I rarely spend any time on the computer these days. Fell asleep after supper and just woke up now. Have been through the wringer lately but at least I'm home. Be it ever so so humble there's no place like home. Have lots of fun appointments coming up next week. Maybe someone can give me a booster shot of energy. I would love that.

     

    Hope everyone else is well. Have enjoyed reading all the interesting recipes. This really was a good topic Twinkle came up with up with a good one. I have a topic for next time when we are looking for a new one if no one minds. Well, going to crawl off to bed. Nite all.

  • 01-19-2008 7:44 AM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Hello All

    Texas i am happy to see you again!! Thanks for the reicpes and i hope you get lots of rest!

    i typed a long message now it dissapeared arg..

    Renate - that is nice that DD is starting to get interested in cooking - i didn't do an aweful lot in the kitchen until i became pregnant either i only did when i felt like cooking... i guess the vibe comes either if you have to or later in life.... always depending with oyur upbringing and i assume with such a wonderful cook as a mom  - she was probably always looking forward to your food!

    erna i hope you have a nice weekend - you do so much and care so well for your auntie and many other people!!

    berny enjoy your weekend and free time with one less mouth to feed and clean up behind - have fun!! hoe is oyur arm doing? any better?

    lydia don't let goeroge tease you like this  - lol if he says something nasty like this i would offer him rice wafers as a snack next time he feels like having a treat -lol

    melanie how is it down south - we have lots of wind and a bit milder weather but it is still raining - i might change my car into a boat -lol

     ok got to go and clean up a bit - just came back from the supermarket and farmers market (thank god they were in a hall this time..). i am going to make falafel tonight with salads and tomorrow we are having homemade chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and beans (guess who picked this meal -lol)

    speak later and i hope you have a lovely weekend -twinkle

     

     

     

  • 01-19-2008 9:47 AM In reply to

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      Here you go Texas one booster shot of energy coming up!  (If this works...)

     

    Twinkle my arm is not any better.  This time the acupuncture treatment wasn't as good - I think I might have to try someone else....

  • 01-19-2008 11:25 AM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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    Hope your arm gets better!

     

    Hello everyone! Just running by before we leave......going to meet dh's aunt and uncle and go eat at a steak house! Yum!!

    Have a good weekend!

    Jet

    I think I can, I think I can, I think I can do it!!!! :)

  • 01-19-2008 11:34 AM In reply to

    Re: Fusion Cooking at its Best - Lets have fun! Please share your ideas

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     Berny,I love your energy shot. That what I nead sometimes too. I need a shot to get going and do things,besides hugging the computer. It is only 13 F = -10 C today and I am staying inside and I will watch some of the cooking shows on National telvision,which I have not done for a long time. I used to tape some. Our VCR isbroken and it is on DH list to look at. He is slow like molasses. If I would be that way,we would starve to death. He is always doing something,but it takes him forever.

    I am sorry,that the accupunture does not help.

    Waving to all you ladies and I will be back later. 

    Renate 
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