Celtic Moment

ALEX:

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose or pastry flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat butter until soft. Add sugar and extract. Beat until smooth. Stir salt into flour and mix well, then add flour and salt mixture to first mixture.
Press dough evenly into a round cake pan. Score into wedges (or petticoat tails) with a fork. Do not cut straight through the dough – score only 3/4 way through. Decorate lightly with patterns and frills if desired.

Bake in 375-degree oven 25 minutes. Cut along markings while still hot. Cool in pan, then turn out and sprinkle with a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar if serving right away, or store in an airtight tin.

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

3 slices bacon
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
5 cups cooked potatoes, sliced
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Sauté bacon until crisp. Sauté onion in bacon drippings until translucent. Add flour, stir until smooth and add water. Stir until thick. Add remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.
Serves 8.

SCOTTISH MILK SCONES

2 oz. butter
1 egg
1/2 pt. buttermilk
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. self-rising flour

Melt butter, beat egg, add both to buttermilk. Mix well together. Add dry ingredients. Mix to soft dough. Turn out on floured surface. Knead lightly. Cut off pieces of dough and flatten by hand. Prick with fork. Bake at 400 degrees 10 to 15 minutes.
NOTE: Knead dough as little as possible

GERMAN CHEESE CAKE

1 16 oz small curd cottage cheese
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
12 oz. sour cream
graham cracker crumbs (for crust)

Butter a 10-inch springform pan well. Dust bottoms and side with graham cracker crumbs liberally. In a food processor or in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, mix cottage cheese and cream cheese on slow speed until smooth. Beat in sour cream.
On high speed, gradually add sugar and eggs for just a few seconds. Turn speed to low. Add cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract and melted butter.

Pour into prepared spingform pan.

Bake at 325°F until firm around the edges, about 60-70 minutes.

Turn oven off. Allow cheesecake to remain in oven with door closed for 2 hours.

Cool on wire rack. Remove from pan and store in refrigerator. Can be frozen

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Polish Princess:

Scottish Cooking, Bacon and Egg Pie

14 oz packet of puff or flaky pastry
4 to 6 rashers of bacon
6 eggs
½ cup of frozen peas
½ cup of frozen corn kernels
2 large tomatoes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F or gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry to fit the bottom of a pie or flan dish and put aside enough to cover the dish. Remove the rind and any excess fat from the bacon. Lay the bacon on top of the pastry in the dish. Break each egg into a cup and pour over the bacon. Pierce each yolk with a fork, spreading the egg around to cover the whole pie base. Sprinkle the frozen vegetables over the egg and slice the tomatoes and arrange neatly. Season and cover securely with the pastry lid, crimping the edges. Pierce the pastry lid with a fork or knife to let any steam escape while the pie is cooking. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Seves 4 to 6.
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Dutch Spinach and soldiers
Spinazie met soldaatjes

2 kilograms fresh spinach
2 eggs
3 slices white bread
40 grams butter or margarine
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes. Thoroughly wash and rinse the spinach and let it drain. Cut the crusts off the bread and then cut 2 slices in four strips each. Bring the spinach to a boil, let it shrink and boil again for 5 minutes. Put 15 grams of butter into a frying pan and fry the eight bread strips – soldiers – till browned. Drain the spinach through a strainer, and collect one cup of the liquid. Chop the vegetables. Put the remaining slice of bread in the pan, add some of the liquid, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mash it when softened. Add the rest of the butter and the spinach and mix it well. Slice the egg. Put the spinach on a pre-heated dish, put the soldiers on their ends in the spinach and the sliced eggs in between the soldaatjes.
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GERMAN JAEGERSCHNITZEL

4 slices of Pork Loin, cut no thicker than 1/4″
1/2 cup flour, blended with salt and pepper on a dinner plate for breading
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 Cup finely chopped onion or Shallot
3 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tsp. paprika
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 Cup Sour cream or heavy whipping cream
1 Cup of chicken stock
1 lbs fresh mushrooms, sliced, any variety of mushroom works well.

1. Cut and pound the pork loin slices and pound very thin.

2. Press the slices into the flour mixture on both sides, and place on another plate or cutting board until time to cook.

3.In a heavy frying pan over medium heat, brown meat on both sides and, at the same time.

4. Remove the slices and put on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.

5. Add the onions or shallots, garlic and paprika and cook until tender. (about 2 minutes)

6. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender ( 1 minute )

7. Turn down the heat and sprinkle 2 tblsp of the flour mixture left from the plate in the pan to soak up the oil.

8. Add the wine, mix and cook 30 seconds just to evaporate alcohol.

9. Add the Stock and bring to a simmer whisking it until smooth.

10. Turn down the heat and wait 30 seconds. Add the sour cream or cream. Heat it back up a little if needed. (DON’T BOIL you will curdle the sour cream)

11. When serving , pour the sauce over the schnitzel, garnish with a dab of sour cream, and chopped sparsely.Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes, spaetzels or dumplings.
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Mick St James:

Here are a bunch of German recipes with simple instructions. The recipes include a lot of common and famous recipes from the region – http://www.gourmet-living.com/category.html?category=german

Enjoy

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