Spanish Eggs in Casserole, Huevos a la Cazuela

Rezept auf Deutsch - Spanische Eier in Kasserolle
中文食譜 - 西班牙砂鍋焗蛋

Spanish Eggs in Casserole 
Huevos a la Cazuela
Ingredients for 4 Servings

• 1 onion
• 3 spicy sausages
• 1 bell pepper
• 600g tomatoes
• 120g peas
• 3 eggs
• 3 table spoon tomato paste
• 1 table spoon cooking oil
• seasonings: 1 teaspoon spanish paprika, pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation

• Preheat oven 200°C (gas mark 6).
• Cut the onion and sausages into crunches, remove the seeds of bell pepper and slice to pieces, skin and chop the tomatoes.
• Heat oil in the Casserole, add onion and sauté until transparent and soft. Add sausages, bell pepper, tomato and peas, mix well all the ingredients and simmer gently for 30 minutes, and follow with the seasoning.
• After the mixture become soft and thick, turn off the heat and level the surface with a spatula.
• Break 1 egg into a bowl, by using the back of a serving spoon, make a hollow in the mixture and pour in the egg. Repeat this step to place all the eggs into the mixture.
• Place the casserole in oven uncovered for 10 minutes, or until the eggs are "just" set. The wonderful combination of this thick spicy sausage tomato sauce with the egg white and egg yolk sauces. I love to serve with crusty french bread or pasta, delicioso!!!

Dancing with Myself - Nouvelle Vague

Ingredient checklist: onion, spicy sausages, bell pepper, tomatoes, peas, eggs, cooking oil, salt, black pepper and spanish paprika.

Sauté all the ingredients.

When the mixture become soft and thick, add seasonings and gently beat in the eggs.

Mini Tips:

A healthy fresh tomato's meat and skin should join together tightly. Just follow these simple steps to peel the tomato's skin easily.

• Prepare a pot of boiling water, off from heat and add the tomatoes. Cover the lid and wait for 1 minute. Take the tomato and cool down under running tap water and then the tomatoes are ready to be skinned.

Place the tomato into hot water first, and cold water afterward

Now, you should able to remove the skin easily

Pimentón - Spanish Paprika

Thanks for Christopher Columbus brought red peppers to Spain in his second voyage in 1493. This biting sharp little red fruit shocked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The Monks cultivated this plants from the New World and transform to a aroma dust for Monastery cooking. Until 17th century, this secret ingredient was unfolded and became the red gold in Spanish cuisine. 

The quality paprika are produced in  La Vera and Murcia, these Denomination of Origin (Denominación de Origen - DO) have perfect climate for growing peppers.

Pimentón de La Vera

The hand-harvested capsicum peppers can only roasted with oakwood and drying for 15 days. This traditional way of preserving can permeates them with flavor. There are three types of Pimentón de La Vera for different type of tastes.

'Pimentón Dulce' is sweet and mild and good for flavoring potatoes, rice and fish dishes.   

'Pimentón Agridulce' is bittersweet and medium hot and used for meat stews and for curing sausages.   

'Pimentón Picante' is made from long red peppers offer spicy hot and direct heat. Can be used for grilled meat or soups.

Pimentón de Murcia

The peppers, once ripe, are harvested by hand then spread and dried under the sun for several days, or in hot air dryers and finally milled. These intense bright red precious powder giving a great stability of color and aroma.

Reference

Pimentón de la Vera

Pimentón de Murcia

Spanish Gourmet.com

Spaghetti Carbonara 白汁煙肉意大利粉

Spaghetti Carbonara - Rezept auf Deutsch
白汁煙肉意大利粉 - 中文食譜


Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Ingredients for 4 servings

• 400g Spaghetti
• 350g La Pancetta
• 50g Pecorimo Romano Cheese
• 50g Parmesan Cheese
• 3 egg yolks
• few stalks fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and black pepper for seasoning

Preparation

• Cut the Pancetta into small pieces, chop the parsley and grate the cheese finely. Set the ingredients aside.
• In a deep pot, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente according to the packing instruction.
• Heat olive oil in another frying pan, fry the Pancetta until crispy and golden brown, turn off the heat and set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks into a bowl, gradually add grated cheese and mix well to form a egg sauce, add some egg white if the sauce is too thick.
• Turn off the heat when the spaghetti is done, pour out excess water and leave about ¼ of the spaghetti portion. Add the cheese sauce and Pancetta … don't forget the frying oil!!! Finally sprinkle with parsley, salt and black pepper to finish. The mouth watering Spaghetti alla Carbonara flowing with creamy cheese sauce and savory Pancetta. It is an unquestioned perfect comfort food.

Carlo Buti - Facetta Nera

This classic Italian dish just can be done by few simple ingredients, if you don't have Pecorimo Romano Cheese, use Parmesan alone also fine.

Cut the Pancetta in small pieces, and grate the cheese finely.

Combine the cheese end egg yolk to form a rich cheese sauce.

Cut the spaghetti in the middle and put it under the light, check the middle uncooked part is thin like silk. Oh! this is what we call "Al Dente".

... Sorry! When I mixed all the ingredients, because the Carbonara was too tempting, I forgot to take picture for you. 

Mini Tips:

La Pancetta, which is translated to Italian bacon. In fact, the real Pancetta are not smoke processed. The Italian use pork belly, with natural sea salt, nutmeg, pepper, fennel, chili pepper and garlic, to dry-cure the meat for 3 months. The process is difference from the US smoked bacon.

There are many stories about the origin of Spaghetti alla Carbonara. According to legend, the coal miners using the only ingredients they had "eggs and Pancetta", and prepared with the simplest method. It was said that "Carbonara" came from italian word "Carbone", meaning coal. The story went on until the second world war. At that time italian only received rations of bacon and egg from the american troops, so Carbonara became their main dish. For sure, after the american soldiers tried the tasty Carbonara, they brought the recipe to their hometown, added cream and other ingredients. But I believe, the most basic is the best to experience the simplicity of Carbonara. 

Music: Facetta Nera

Blanquette of Lamb in French traditional Style - Blanquette d'agneau à L'ancienne

Lammfrikassee nach alter Französische Art - Rezept auf Deutsch

傳統法式白汁燴羊肉 - 中文食譜

Blanquette of lamb in French traditional Style

Ingredients for 4 servings 

• 500g lamb
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• half onion
• 1 carrot
• 20~40 pearl onions
• 300g button mushroom
• 2 bouquet garni containing few pieces of leeks and bay leaves, and few stalk of celery and thyme
• few cloves
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoon crème fraiche
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 egg yolk
• salts for seasoning
• Kitchen string

Preparation

• Rinse the lamb and cut into chunks
• Peel the carrot and cut into chunks
• Sprinkle the lemon juice over the mushrooms and set aside
• Stud the cloves into the onion and prepare bouquet garni
• Place the lamb in a stew pot and cover with cold water, simmer for 15 mins, Pour the water and lamb into a strainer and rinse off the scums.
• Return the lamb into a cleaned stew pot, pour in vegetable stock and cook in medium heat, skim all the remaining scums. Once all the scums are removed and form a clear soup, add carrots, onions and 1 bouquet garni. Cover the pot and simmer for 1~1.5 hours.
• While the lamb is cooking, peel and remove the roots of the pearl onions. In another small pot, place onions with 1 tablespoon butter, 1 bouquet garni and ¼ cup of the stock from the cooking lamb. Cover the pot and simmer for half hour.
• After the lamb become tender, remove the bouquet garni and onion, and pour the stock into a bowl.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan and whisk in the flour. Turn off the heat and pour in the lamb stock and the remaining stock from pearl onions. Return to heat and whisk frequently to avoid the lumps.
• Bring the stock to boil, add mushroom and simmer for 10 minutes, seasoning if desired.
• Pour the mushrooms and stock into the lamb, add 1 tablespoon crème fraiche and mix well. Hmm... the Veal Blanquette is nearly done.
• Before serving- In a small bowl, whisk the egg york with 2 tablespoons crème fraiche and ¼ lamb stock, then pour the mixture back into the pot. Reheat the Blanquette of Lamb in medium heat but do not bring to boil. Serve with pearl onions, white rice, noodles or potatoes and sprinkle with parsley. Oh! My "Blanquette d'agneau à L'ancienne" is done! Bon Appetit!!

Nouvelle Vague - Dance with me

Ingredient checklist: lamb, vegetable stock, onion, carrot, pearl onions, mushrooms, herbs, cloves, butter, flour, Crème fraiche, lemon juice, egg yolk 
Utensils checklist: kitchen string, a whisk, a stew pot, a small soup pot, a frying pan

Stud the cloves into the onion and prepare bouquet garni

Remove all the scums

When it become a clear soup, then place the vegetables into the stock.... Sorry, my Emile Henry is too small

Cook the pearl onions in another soup pot

Then prepare the mushroom

Before serving, prepare the egg yolk sauce

Mini Tips:

Bouquet Garni is very common in French cuisine, usually found in making soup, stock and stews. During cooking the herbs will not fall off into the soup, and it will be removed after the cooking is complete. Apart from using string, the herbs can be enclosed by cheesecloth or teabags. There is no fixed recipe for the selection of herbs, the following Bouquet Garni is one of the common combinations.

First, remove the parsley leaves and cut the leek into small pieces. Place the parsley stems and thyme in the middle, then warp with the bay leaves and leek. And use a string to tie them together.

My dear Ingrid, many thanks for the German Name!

Sweet and Sour Pork in Chinkiang Style 鎮江糖醋排骨

Schweinefleisch süß-sauer auf Chinkiang Art - Rezept auf Deutsch
鎮江糖醋排骨 - 中文食譜


Sweet and Sour Pork in Chinkiang Style
Ingredients for 4 servings

• 500g pork ribs, for stewing
• Seasoning: 1teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon ketchup, 2 teaspoon rice wine, 2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Sweet and sour sauce: 1/2 piece (50g) slab cane sugar, 2 tablespoon Chinkiang dark vinegar, 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water.

Preparation

• Rinse and pat dry the ribs, then cut into chunks and marinade with seasoning ingredients for 30 min.
• Break the slab cane sugar into small pieces, mix with the entire sweet and sour sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Preheat a small pot with oil and pan fry the ribs briefly, when the ribs surfaces turn golden brown. Then pour in the sweet and sour sauce, after the sauce is boiled, cover the pot and reduce to low heat. Stew for half hour, rotate the ribs occasionally.
• Once the sauce becoming thick and the ribs absorbed the flavor. Turn off the heat and serve with fresh rice.

Boys Noize - Jeffer

Sweet and Sour Pork in Chinkiang Style - I was able to make this dish since I was a kid. But the ingredients and preparations were slightly different. 


One day, I chatted with a staff of the neighborhood food store. She told me that since she always deliver goods to restaurants, thus she knows their recipe.  She was very generous and told me all the details. After I tried this at home, I found it gave more sweetie aroma compare to my home recipe. So I decided to post in my blog and share with others.

Bavarian Goulash 巴伐利亞式燴牛肉

Bayrischer Gulasch - Rezept auf Deutsch
巴伐利亞式燴牛肉 - 中文食譜


Bavarian Goulash
Ingredients for 4 servings

• 600g Beef
• 2 onions
• 120g sour cream or quark
• 1/2 cup water or beef stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 piece untreated lemon peel
• 1 cayenne pepper
• 1 stalk fresh parsley
• Salt for seasoning

Preparation

• Rinse and pat dry the meat, cut into chunks and set aside.
• Peel the onions and chop finely.
• Rinse and dry the parsley, remove the hard stalks, chop finely and set aside.
• Heat oil in a soup pot, fry the beef until golden brown. Add onions and fry until transparent. Then add the tomato puree, flour, paprika powder and butter. Mix well all the ingredients and pour in water or stock. Add lemon peel and season with salt. Bring the goulash to boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for 1~1.5 hour. Add water if necessary.
• When the meat is tender, add sour cream or quark, increase to medium heat and cook for few more minutes. Then sprinkle with parsley and serve with noodles, bread or potato dumplings. 

Bartók, Béla - Roumanian Folk Dances, Sz.56: Stick Dance (By Zoltán Kocsis)

If I search Goulash in Google and Yahoo Chinese dictionary, I will get the only explanation - "Hungarian" stew meat, which is not totally correct. Of course, the name Goulash originates from Hungary, but after time to time, different countries developed their own recipes. 

I tasted the very rough Goulashes on the flight and Berlin, and homemade creamy goulash in Bavarian. The Slovenian style offer some sweetie taste. And the Prague meaty style goulash was the tastiest and most unforgettable : )


Reference: Goulash ,  Potato Dumplings - Kartoffelknödel

The Slovenian Goulash

Yeung Chau Fried Rice 楊州炒飯

Yeung Chau Gebratener Reis - Rezept auf Deutsch

楊州炒飯 - 中文食譜

Yeung Chau Fried Rice 

Ingredients for 2 Servings

• 3 bowls (600g) cooked cold rice
• 100g Chinese barbecued porks
• 300g fresh sea shrimps, or 130g ready peeled shrimps
• 60g green peas
• 2 eggs
• 1 stalk (20g) spring onions, few stalks (20g) coriander
• Shrimp seasonings: 1/4 teaspoon rice wine, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder, a pinch of salt
• Rice seasonings: 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

• Peel the shells and devein the sea shrimps, wash the dirts and pat dry, then marinade with seasonings and set aside. (If using peeled shrimps, then  marinade with seasonings directly.)
• Boil water in a small pot, pour in green peas and cook for few minutes. Drain excess water and set aside.
• Wash spring onions and coriander and slice into small pieces, dice barbecue porks into small cubes.
• Beat eggs and season with salts.
• Heat oil in a wok and pour in the eggs, use a wok spatula to scramble and to cut the eggs into small pieces. Remove the eggs and set aside.
• Add oil into the wok, add shrimps and stir fry. Remove the shrimps after cooked and set aside.
• Add oil again and pour in the rice, use a wok spatula to stir fry and press the rice gently , repeat this step until rice are loosen. Then add barbecued porks, green peas, eggs, shrimps and seasonings. Stir fry and mix well all the ingredients then turn off the heat. Add spring onions and coriander at last, stir fry briefly and it is ready to serve.

 La Roux - In for the Kill (Life Like Remix)

Wrapping the fried rice with iceberg lettuce to serve... Another refreshing idea!!!

Mini Tips:

• Preparing shrimp meats from fresh shrimps: After purchased fresh shrimps, rest the shrimps on ice or chill in refrigerator for half hour. It makes the shells easier to peel off. After the meats are taken out, Slightly cut the back of the shrimp from head to tail with a small knife. Then you can devein the shrimp easily. Also, this cut can make the shrimps more curly and looks better after cooked.
• Preparing the rice:  Fresh rice are too moist for frying. Some people use rice last from the night before. Or you may cook the rice few hours in advance. Then rest it in a large blow to chill it cold and dry. 
• If you don't have a wok, then use a large frying pan : )

Reference:

Chinese barbecued pork - 叉燒
Yeung Chau Fried Rice: 楊州炒飯

Sweet and Sour Pork 生炒排骨

Schweinefleisch in süß-sauer Soße - Rezept auf Deutsch

生炒排骨 - 中文食譜

Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients for 2 Servings

• 200g Pork ribs
• Seasonings: 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon rice wine, a pinch of salt
• 1/2 red, yellow and green bell peppers
• 1/2 onion
• sweet and sour sauce: 1/4 slab cane sugar, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons white vinegar , 1 tablespoon warm water
• Finishing: 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water
• For deep fry: 1 cup vegetable oil
• For batter: 4 tablespoons corn starch

Preparation

• Wash the pork ribs and cut into cubes. Marinade with seasoning ingredients for 30 min.
• Remove bell peppers's ribs and seeds, then cut into cubes. Peel onions and slice into strips.
• Break cane sugars into small pieces and dissolve with warm water.
• Preheat oil in a saucepan.
• Sprinkle corn starch on a small plate. Roll on the porks until coated evenly. Then deep fry the pork in hot oil until golden brown. Set it on kitchen papers to absorb excess oil.
• Heat oil in another frying pan, add bell peppers and onions, stir fry for few minutes and set on a plate.
• Pour in sweet and sour sauce ingredients in to the pan, taste and adjust the source if desired, then add finishing to thicken the sauce.
• All ingredients return to pan, stir fry and mix well. The delicious sweet and Sour Pork is done, better serve with white rice. Enjoy!

Uffie - Make it Hott (Crystal Castles Remix)

Onions have a variety of medicinal effects. Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to coughs, bacterial infections, and breathing problems.


Mini Tips: 
The purpose of "Finishing" is thicken and smoothen the sauce. Infact, the corn starch would not dissolve in water naturally. I use my fingers to stir away the lumps in the corn starch water, stirring and pouring it into the pan at the same time. Then the finished sauce will be silky smooth.

Pork Chops in Strawberry Sauce 士多啤梨肉排

Schweinerippen mit Erdbeeren Soße - Rezept auf Deutsch

士多啤梨肉排 - 中文食譜

Pork Chops in Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings 

• 200g pork chops, cut into small pieces
• Seasoning, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, a pinch of salt
• 150g strawberries, cut into small pieces 
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 1 teaspoon sugar  

Preparation 

• Prepare a small bowl, marinade the pork with soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and salt, then leave around 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the pork chops, stir fry until golden brown and done.
• In another small pan, add 2/3 strawberries and water, cook until the strawberries are soft and melt.
• Add sugar and the remaining strawberries, mix well and turn off the heat.
• For serving, pour the strawberry sauce all over the pork chops. The fruity sweet and sour sauce matches freshly fried pork chops beautifully.

Stereo Total - Hungry

Strawberries are high in vitamin C, fiber, Folic acid, potassium and antioxidant. They are all year around and very tasty!

Congee 粥

To Lu Yen 如燕

Congee - Rezept auf Deutsch

粥 - 中文食譜

Congee
Ingredient for 2 servings

• Rice seasoning
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• Meat seasoning
• 200g pork or chicken meat, cut into small pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• For cooking
• 6 cups of water

Preparation

• Mix the rice, water, salt and sunflower oil all together, put into a fridge and stay overnight.
• Season the meat with salt and rice wine, put into a fridge and stay overnight as well. 
• In a large pot, cook the water and rice until boil.
• Reduce the heat, cook the rice until it become soft and creamy, stir occasionally. (around 1.5 hrs)
• Add the meat and continue to cook. (around 15 mins)
• For serving, season with salt and white pepper. Adding sliced ginger and spring onions are both recommended.

Enjoy!