Fresh tomato soup

I have said quite a lot about soups already and I have to admit I simply love home made soups . During our camping days I tried to use soup in a package. I thought it would save work and time. To my chagrin I found out that package soup took me longer to make than soup I would quickly produce myself . 

How, you say, is this possible ? Well most package soups need to be stirred for 10 minutes. In that time I have fresh vegetables cut and in the pot. Point in time the tomato soup.

Ingredients

Ripe Tomatoes about 1 kg sliced and diced

A bunch of Fresh Herbs ( Basil, Oregano, Parsley)and one medium diced onion

1 chicken stock cube

1 glass of good dry white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

Some oil for sweating/ sautéing the onions

Method

After sweating the onions put all other ingredients into the pot, simmer for approx 20 min.

Purée the soup and adjust the seasoning. If the wine was very dry use a Teaspoon of sugar to balance the acidity.

Add some more fresh herbs

Serve with fresh crusty bread

 

Note 

The tomatoes will produce enough liquid so there should not be any need to add extra liquid.

Note 2

This soup is equally delicious served cold!

Delicious!

Nudelsalat ( pasta salad )

Just like with the potato salad , every German family have their own Nudel Salat/Pasta Salad. The one big difference  between the potato salad and the pasta salad is that the pasta salad has so many different taste directions . I would like to share the more traditional German version with you.

Ingredients

250 g uncooked Pasta ( of your choice)

2 hard boiled eggs

2 -3 slices of cooked ham/ or one cooked frankfurter

1 diced sweet red pepper

2-3 diced pickled cucumber/gherkins

Some crushed hazelnuts

2-3 Tbsp mix of chives and parsley

Salad sauce

In a bowl mix I portion of the normal vinaigrette with 2 tbsp mayonnaise of your choice, some fresh cream or Greek yoghurt until you have a smooth sauce.

I use a little whisk for best results .

  

Method

1 cook the pasta until just ready. Rinse with cold water and shake well to dry.

2 add all ingredients in a large bowl, add the pasta and the salat sauce and mix well.

Garnish with egg quarters and gherkins . 

For best results leave it stand in the fridge for at least an hour!

Note

For a vegetarian pasta salad omit the ham or the sausage and add a diced crunchy apply instead.

Note 2

For a more Mediterranean  twist add some diced tomatoes, some fresh basil and fresh oregano and use slivers of Italian salami or Parma ham

It is fun to add and change different ingredients and find the one you like best

        Guten Appetit / Buon Appetito

Kartoffelsalat (Potato Salad) the Queen of salads!

Thanks to the wonderful warm, sunny weather, it is time to part with the old time favourite, the Queen of Salads,
Kartoffelsalat.
There isn't a family in Germany which does not have their own recipe of Potato Salad.
One of the most  common snacks in a German Pub used to be, and still is in the more traditional Pubs, "Würstchen mit Kartoffelsalat" a hot dog with potato salad.
The type of Salad changes depending in what part of Germany you are in. In the North, West and East it is mainly made with Mayonnaise, whereas the further South you go, it is without Mayonnaise.  Depending whether you are in the Southwest of Germany or in Bavaria, croutons of crisp bacon are added.
There is a common consensus in our family that the Potato salad tastes best with home made Mayonnaise,
but if you could not be bothered or you are pregnant ( raw eggs in the home made mayonnaise) use the commercial mayonnaise you like best

The traditional Potato Salad.

   

Ingredients

1 kg of salad potatoes or hard boiling potatoes

2 portions of the normal vinegar dressing ( see salad dressings)

Salt  and pepper to taste

1 large onion

Mayonnaise, the amount depends on the potatoes and your taste (start with 2 Tbsp)

Some fresh cream ( optional for a less "mayonnaisy" taste)

Bundle of fresh chives

Some parsley for decoration

Hard boil eggs for decoration

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in their jackets, let cool and peel

2. Cut into slices

3. Add the vinaigrette, the onion and chives, mix well

4. Add mayonnaise and cream and mix

Note: For best result let the salad stand for a few hours before serving

Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients

1 free range egg

approx. 1/4 l rapeseed/or sunflower oil

fresh lemon juice to taste

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 tsp (unbleached) sugar

1/2 to 1 tsp mustard ( depends how much you like mustard)

Method

1. Put the whole egg (egg white and egg yolk in a food processor.

2. Whisk for 2-3 minutes

3. Start adding the oil drop by drop ( while the egg mixture is whisking around) and then in a slow steady stream. The mixture should be thickening quite quickly

4. When you have the right consistency, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until they are well mixed.

Bavarian or southern German Potato Salad

For the people who do not like mayonnaise  in their Potato salad 

 Ingredients

Basically the same ingredients as for the traditional potato salad except for

1/4 l hot chicken stock ( amounts can slightly vary depending on your potatoes)

Method

The same as above, except that you add the chicken stock while the potatoes are still warm.

the finished result

Guten Appetit

More and more salads

It looks as if we are getting a summer this year. So before it is coming to an end here some more salad recipes. With regards to salads, as I have said already, you can make a salad out of anything that takes your fancy. If you don't know which salad dressing to use, a normal vinaigrette will always "do the job".  Do experiment with different vinegars and oils. I found in France, on a recent visit, a Spanish vinegar, which according to the label, has been created and aged in the old traditional Andalusian way.

It's taste is perfect for  salads gourmands. It taste is not like any other vinegar I have used before, kind of like a Sherry vinegar. Apropos Sherry, both Sherry and Port wine,  even the Martini range can substitute vinegar, if you are using a lot of fruit in a salad
Special oils are another way of "jazzing" up an old reliable. But be careful as vinegars have a long shelve life, oils are inclined to go off within a few months

Greek salad with a difference

For a long time I  had to enjoy a decent Greek salad by myself as my dear Husband is allergic to cucumbers, so I decided that I needed to use a different ingredient to the cucumber, but retain the  same authentic Greek taste if possible. I hit on the humble radish as a replacement. And we both liked it. Needless to say for people who like cucumber, use it or use a mixture of radish and cucumber.
With regard to the vegetables only use ripe tomatoes, really crisp fresh lettuce etc.
With regard to Feta cheese, in a recent tasting test (German TV) the chefs chose the 200g Feta cheese from Lidl, as having the most authentic taste. Their advise:  the more expensive cheeses are not necessarily the better ones. I used for this recipe the Lidl Feta.
The best Feta I have ever eaten, was in my mother's grocery shop, when the Feta came in the big brown canisters, full of big blocks of Feta cheese in  salt brine. The block was about a kilo heavy. I used to cut of a big slice and ate it there and then on a fresh bread roll with tomatoes and olives. Simply delicious. I can still remember that Taste. So if you can buy it freshly cut at a market stall or  in a delicatessen, try it.

Ingredients

ready for assembly

(All vegetable ingredients are washed before using)

1 head of Iceberg lettuce ( or normal lettuce if you prefer) cut

1 tomato per person sliced

1 red pepper, cut into small pieces

1 bunch of spring onions, cut into small pieces

a bunch of radishes cut into slices

a handful of black Greek olives cut (more if you like them)

200 g feta cheese

Salad sauce

ready to use

6 Tbsp olive oil, preferably Greek

the juice of one large fresh lemon

the grated rind of same lemon

salt and pepper to taste

1 clove of garlic (optional)

Mix all the above ingredients

Topping

Use a cup of pine nuts mixed with pumpkin and sunflower seeds and roast them until golden.

(careful it happens very quickly) You can mix the nuts and seeds anyway you like.

Method

Assemble the vegetables on a plate, put the Feta on top, sprinkle the topping over and then add the dressing. It is nicer to make individual plates as everybody gets the same amount of the ingredients. A little more work, but worth it

The Greek salad with a difference
Αυτό είναι νόστιμα ( this is delicious)

Now to Italy

One of the most basic salads the Italian have as their Antipasti is the Tomato and Mozzarella Salad.

You even get it in all restaurants in the South of France or Spain.  

For a more substantial salad ripe Avocado is added and then they call it Tricolor, the colours of their national flag. In Restaurants they mostly serve it just drizzled with olive oil.

In our Family Recipe I use a vinaigrette with a good Balsamic vinegar. I think it brings out the different flavours best and adds flavour to the mainly plain tasting Mozzarella cheese.

Tricolor

Ingredients for 4 persons

3-4 Ripe tomatoes ( for best result take Plum Tomatoes)

1 Buffalo Mozzarella cheese ( Take the one you like best)

1 large avocado (or two if small)

some fresh Basil leaves (optional)

Method

Cut the tomatoes, Mozzarella and avocados into slices and arrange on a big plate.

Drizzle all over with the vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette 

3 Tbsp good extra Virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp  mature Balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 clove of garlic (optional)

Note:  A good Balsamic vinegar does not taste "vinegary". It has a smooth, slightly sweet taste

Note 2: Extra Virgin Oil should taste nutty and fresh, if it has a rancid note ( an "olive oil" Taste) Then do not use it.

Not the best arranged salad ( I was in a bit of hurry) but it tasted delicious all the same

                                                               Buon Appetito!