German Apple Pancake

This was really good and really easy. Definitely a winter favorite.

German Apple Pancake

From the Crumbly Cookie blog

Serves 2

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used regular butter)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added more)
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (see note)
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk (I used skim milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
½ cup (2½ ounces) flour
powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 400C.

2. Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt; stir. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated in the butter, add the apples and spread them into a single later. Cook without stirring until the apples begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are completely soft and maybe even a little caramelized.

3. Meanwhile, place all remaining ingredients except flour in blender and process until mixed, about 15 seconds, wiping down sides if necessary. Add flour and continue processing until it’s incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

4. Pour the batter evenly over the apples. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until pancake is firm and puffed, about 10 minutes. Invert onto plate, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.

Pork and Chinese Cabbage Simmered Udon Soup

This soup was surprisingly good. It had a very mild flavor and was exactly what I needed tonight.

Pork and Chinese Cabbage Simmered Udon Soup
豚肉と白菜の煮込みうどん
オレンジページCooking　冬レシピ２００９　(Orange Page Cooking - Winter Recipes 2009)

2 packs of precooked udon noodles
150g shaved pork (しょうが焼き用肉)
4 Chinese Cabbage leaves
2/3 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cooking sake
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
dash of black pepper
4 cups water

Cut the chinese cabbage leaves into 3-4cm squares. Add chinese cabbage, pork, water and sake to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming of any scum that forms on top. Add the udon noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add sesame oil, salt and pepper. Serve.

Sesame Miso Chicken Patty

This was really good. My first instinct was to make sandwich sized patties but I decided to follow the recipe as is. I think I will make this for sandwiches next time. It's actually supposed to be perfectly round but who has the patience for that?

Sesame Miso Chicken Patty
Recipe from オレンジページCooking　冬レシピ　２００９　(Orange Page Cooking - Winter Recipes 2009). Published in Japanese.

200g ground chicken (I used 300g)
1/4 onion, diced finely (I used three inches of a leek for color)
1 teaspoon each black and white sesame seeds (I used garlic flavored sesame seeds)
1 tablespoon miso
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cooking sake
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 egg


Mix all ingredients but sesame seeds together in a bowl. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan and then put the chicken mix in making a large patty. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and press down. Cover and fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip, cover and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit covered for 8 minutes before serving. Cut into slices like pizza. Serve warm.

Double Mushroom Soup (non-dairy)

Masa and I loved this soup. It was really creamy and flavorful.

Double Mushroom Soup

(Makes 4 servings, recipe adapted by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen from Anthony Bourdain's Mushroom Soup recipe on Serious Eats.) Click here for her post.

1 cup dried mushrooms (I used dried shitakes)
2 cup boiling water
3 T olive oil (more or less, depending on your pan and whether you're using the butter)
2 tsp. butter (I used half butter and half olive oil)
1 large onion, cut into thin half-slices
12 oz. fresh mushroom, thickly sliced (I used enoki mushrooms)
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. dried parsley (I skipped this)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T good quality balsamic vinegar, for drizzling over soup when you serve it

Bring 2 cups water to a boil, then put dried mushrooms into a plastic bowl and pour boiling water over. Let mushrooms soak 30 minutes, while you prep other ingredients.

Peel onion and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thin slices. Wash mushrooms, drain in colander, and then cut into thick slices. Heat 2 T olive oil (plus 1 tsp. butter if you're using it) in the bottom of a heavy soup pot big enough to hold all the soup. Saute onions about about five minutes, until they're well softened but not browned. Add 1 more T olive oil if you think you need it (plus 1 tsp. more butter if you're using it). Add sliced fresh mushrooms and saute about 8 minutes, until mushrooms have released all their liquid and it has mostly been evaporated.

Add dried mushrooms, mushrooms soaking water (strained through cheesecloth or a coffee filter if it needs it), chicken stock, and dried or fresh parsley. Bring soup to a very gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about one hour. After an hour (when soup should have reduced by at least 1/4) taste for flavor, and add salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed. If the soup doesn't seem flavorful enough, cook a bit longer to reduce a little more. When soup has a good mushroom flavor, puree either by using an immersion blender to puree soup in the pot, or by carefully removing hot soup to a food processor or regular blender to puree. (Be very careful if using food processor or blender. Puree in batches, and don't overfill the container.)

Serve hot (reheat if needed after pureeing in food processor or blender). Drizzle a little good quality balsamic vinegar over each bowl of soup as you serve it.

Simmered Stuffed Cabbage Wedges

I had wanted to try this recipe for the last three weeks and I finally made it this week. The meat inside was incredibly soft and the flavor was great. I accidentally doubled the meat as I mixed up the price per 100g and the weight of the meat inside. Both were clearly marked...

Simmered Stuffed Cabbage Wedges

オレンジページCooking – 冬レシピ２００９

(Orange Page Cooking – Winter Recipes 2009

Ingredients

1/4 Cabbage, stalk in tact – try to get one that is loose inside, not super tight

1/2 Carrot

180g ground pork (I used 300g)

3-4 bacon strips

Dash dried parsley (optional, I didn’t use it)

1/2 cube bullion cube of your choice (I used a whole vegetable cube)

1/4 onion, diced finely

1/2 beaten egg (I used a whole one)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the cabbage and place in a bowl with one of the cut sides down, cover and microwave for 1min 30sec. Flip over so the other cut side is down, recover and microwave for a further minute.

Peel the carrot and cut into 3-4cm long, thick wedges. Cut the bacon strips in half.

Mix the ground pork, onion, egg and bread crumbs and mix well.

Layer some of the pork mix and bacon between the leaves of the cabbage. Try to have three leaves between each layer.

Place the cabbage, cut side down, in a pot and arrange the carrots around it. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the bullion cube and a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Flip over to the other cut side and simmer for a further ten minutes.

Cut in half and serve with carrots and simmering liquid.

Apple Strudel Muffins

Apple Strudel Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (I used oil)

1 cup white sugar (I used 2/3 cup)

2 eggs

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped apples

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.

Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.