September 20, 2013

Hungarian mushroom soup


I always get excited when soup season arrives. To me, soup is such a comforting dish to have on a cool day. Plus, there are so many different possibilities when it comes to soup. I think it's impossible to ever run out of ideas and recipes! This Hungarian mushroom soup is inspired by this recipe at All Recipes, the container of Hungarian paprika I had in my pantry, and my huge tarragon plant. I've made roasted cream of mushroom soup before, but I wanted to incorporate the spicier paprika into a soup along with some fresh tarragon. This soup is really delicious. It's also very rich from the milk and sour cream. I think it's best served as a cup of soup with a larger meal or as a lunch with some bread and a salad. I could have eaten the whole pot though. This recipe will make four servings and is a lovely way to warm up after being outside on a crisp autumn day!

September 13, 2013

Stewed Indian-spiced eggplant, cauliflower, and chickpeas

Pot of Stewed Indian-spiced eggplant, cauliflower, and chickpeas.

It's the time of year when the produce harvest is really coming to its peak. That means I've been doing a lot of canning and coming up with creative ways to work as many vegetables as possible into our meals. 

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I loved this dish because it used up a lot of stuff from my fridge - 1/2 head cauliflower, three little eggplants, a chile, onion.... plus some diced tomatoes I had in the fridge (I ran out of sterilized jars when doing my tomato canning over the weekend). On top of that, this dish is simple and really delicious. 

I've said before that I have a very well-stocked supply of spices. This is essential if you want to try to cook Indian food. I slowly built up my spices, often purchasing them in bulk, at the farmers' market, or at an Indian market near us, to get lower prices (they are much pricier in the regular grocery store). 

Once you have the spices, however, dishes like this are a cinch to put together and very healthy! They are very forgiving, too -- you don't have to use exact measurements of the vegetables and you can use different ones depending in what you have on hand.

Give this dish a try while all these veggies are in season. It makes a lot - so you'll be able to feed about six people. It makes great leftovers for lunch and would also be good to freeze for later. 

Serve with Basmati or other rice and top with plain yogurt that you've stirred a little fresh lemon juice into for a complete meal.

Finished bowl of Stewed Indian-spiced eggplant, cauliflower, and chickpeas.

September 9, 2013

Hasenpfeffer with dill dumplings

Serving plate with Hasenpfeffer and dill dumplings.

This recipe is a German classic and it comes from the fabulous The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking

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I have been really loving this cookbook and all the recipes I have tried from it so far. I also really like rabbit and bought one earlier this summer with the intention of using it to make Hasenpfeffer as soon as the weather cooled down a bit. So this past weekend, I gave it a try. It is a very interesting dish where the rabbit is marinated in a pickling liquid and then pan-fried and and simmered in a sauce. The English name of the recipe in the cookbook is "jugged hare" which I imagine refers to the pickling marinade. And while the color is a little bland, the sauce is tangy and rich. It pairs nicely with the dill dumplings to sop up any remaining sauce. We also had some cucumber salad to round out the meal.

I have never seen a rabbit for sale in a grocery store. If you have trouble finding a rabbit, visit some farmers' markets in the area. We have found two farmers so far that sell rabbits. Rabbits are very lean and taste like a gamier version of a chicken, in my opinion. They can be a little tough because they are so lean, so they are best slow-stewed or braised. I'm still learning to cook them, but enjoy them every time I do. As we continue to move toward more sustainable and local foods, I think game meat and hunting will have more of a resurgence. This meal will serve about three people.

Serving plate with pieces of Hasenpfeffer and dill dumplings.

September 4, 2013

Tomato, bacon, and jalapeño skillet pie

Baked tomato, bacon, and jalapeno skillet pie.

Cornbread, cheese, bacon, fresh tomatoes, and jalapeños come together in this delicious and flavorful skillet pie.