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So, yeah, I decided to come up with my own yummy, vegetarian version. Today was the first test run with garlic (always good) and sundried tomatoes (also always good and one of Hubby’s faves; also, they kinda look like bacon). It went over really well! I don’t envy my colleagues, though, because I had no parsley to fight the garlic-stench…

The recipe is pretty easy. The only “hard” part about this dish is the technique – and for some, it might be hard to leave out the bacon. I hear it’s tasty and much-loved. Well, if you want, you can make it with bacon any day of the week. Just chuck it into a little less oil than this recipe says instead of the garlic and tomatoes, and you’re good to go. Heck, you could even simply ADD some bacon to the garlic and tomatoes. Go crazy, by all means! But if you want to do this the vegetarian way, just trust me and go with garlic and sundried tomatoes solo. It’s gooooood! And less caloric! And more yummy! If you’re me, that is. Because… I’ll just go ahead and say it: I’ve never liked bacon.

…

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Right. Moving on: the recipe. It’s reeeeeeally yummy, if I say so myself. Just as yummy as I remember it from my meat-eating days. Not as salty, though, which is also a good thing.

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What you’ll need:

1 pound of long pasta, such as spaghetti or fettucine

6 eggs

3/4 cup of parmiggiano reggiano, grated

4 cloves of garlic

8 sundried tomatoes

1 tbsp butter

2tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

chopped parsley

And here’s what you do:

In a large pot, bring pasta water to a boil. Add plenty of salt – it should be “as salty as the mediterranean sea”.
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook it until very al dente, about a minute less than it says on the package. Stir every once in a while to keep the pasta from sticking together and to the bottom of the pot.
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While the pasta is cooking, coarsely chop the garlic and sundried tomatoes. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy pot or pan over medium low heat (a dutch oven works well because it keeps in the heat, which will help with cooking the eggs).

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Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until combined. Add the parmesan cheese and stir it into the eggs. Season with pepper and just a little bit of salt (not too much – remember, the cheese is salty).
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About four minutes before the pasta is done, crank up the heat under the pot with the butter and olive oil in it and add the garlic and sundried tomatoes. You want them to impart all of their flavor into the hot oil and the garlic to get cooked. You’ll want the oil to be very hot when the pasta is cooked.
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And now you need to work fast:
Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the hot oil, garlic and tomatos. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta with the hot oil. Immediately after that, take the pot off the heat, add the egg mixture and stir even more vigorously, so the eggs get cooked by the hot pasta and oil but don’t become scrambled.
If you’ve worked fast enough, the eggs and cheese will turn into a creamy sauce and evenly cover the pasta. You can cover the pot with a lid and let it stand for a couple of minutes if you want to make sure, that the eggs are thoroughly cooked. But don’t put the pot back onto the heat or the lovely sauce will stick to the bottom and you’ll have made a frittata.

Enjoy with a sprinkle of chopped parsley (trust me on this – it will keep you from totally stinking up the place after this garlic-fest) and a little more salt, pepper and parmesan to taste.

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Actually, wait – there’s more!

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You may have noticed that I specifically indicated the lack of milk in the above list of things that I could see. That’s because, usually, I like to scramble my eggs with a pinch of salt, a nice helping of freshly crushed black peppper, and a splash of milk before I fry them in a speck of butter. But not that day, oh no. That day, I fried in that usual speck of butter some eggs I had scrambled with the very usual pinch of salt, good helping of pepper, a couple of diced tomatoes and – sparkling wine which was actually left over from when I needed a cup or so for a risotto which was originally supposed to be prepared with a cup or so of white wine which I didn’t have and therefore substituted the sparkling stuff. Was also tasty.

But the EGGS! Oh. my. sweet – no – savoury. breakfast!

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Those eggs tasted just the tiniest, but nicely noticeable, bit of the sparkling wine, they were fluffy and silky, the tomatoes were floating in their luxuriously warm embrace just right… I was in heaven.

You know when you go to a fancy restaurant for a brunch of scrambled eggs, melon wrapped in prosciutto (which you leave for your meat-eating company to eat), cute little rolls, the most excuisite little jars of exotic jams, and everything accompanied by a glass of champagne? These scrambled eggs were all of that, folded into one – and stuffed into a toasted pita pocket. Glorious.

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End of story.

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No, really.

You see, Germany has never really gotten the hang of pies. We make cakes and tortes, we build cars and highraise buildings, we don’t bake pies. So yeah, I got it online, eventually. It’s deep dish, light green on the outside, cream colored on the inside, and has this lovely rippled border (yes, I could just take a picture and show it to you, like I did with the hasselback potatoes, but seriously: where’s the fun in that?).

So it’s just delicious in itself. My mouth waters whenever I look at it. Or think of it, for that matter. Right now, for example, I’m practically drooling all over my keyboard, which is mildly upsetting because it’s not even actually mine.

On my last trip to the US I bought another pie dish, a glass one from the big W Mart. I haven’t even used it yet, because the other one’s just so much more… flashy.

Anywho, this pie dish I have, the lovely green frilly one, needs to be used from time to time to justify my going on the internet and using highly dangerous methods of payment (yes, I mean credit card). So I make pies. The other weekend I made a yummy if not completely set strawberry pie. And yesterday I whipped up this baby:

Look, it’s a spinach pie.

I made it because I happened upon low-fat puff pastry at the store, because I had cheese and yogurt and eggs in the fridge, because I had some creamed spinach in the freezer, and because I could. Because I have this pie dish, you know. By the by: You can see some of the cream colored wavy edges that make me salivate so much in the picture. Do you see them? Are you all drooly and googly-eyed yet? I know I am!

Anywho, now you know why I call this the “Because Pie”. I make it because. Because of all the wonderful things I find at the store, because of all the wonderful things I have at home, because Hubby was staying over, and because I can.

I also make this pie because it is just so versatile. I used yogurt, eggs, corn, kidney beans, cheese and creamed spinach as a filling to pour into the puff pastry lining, and mozzarella slices to top everything off. (Also, as I would like you to ignore in the photo because (there it goes again!) they don’t look very becoming, I have used some leftover puff pastry strips to “decorate” the top of the pie. Please don’t notice the pasty looking little bow in the middle.) I have also prepared this pie (not in this pie dish, though, but in a springform that has by now paid its debt to nature) with yogurt, eggs, corn, cheese, and tomato slices on top. Also very, very yummy. I can also imagine this pie without any corn or spinach at all and some broccoli instead. Or caramelized onions and leeks. Heck, even strawberries. Although I’d suggest going easy on the cheese when using strawberries. Also, the seasoning should probably differ. But seriously, you could make a sweet version of this pie any day. Or substitute the yogurt with cream cheese, which would basically make a cheesecake… oh, well.

In case you’re interested, here’s a list of ingredients and directions for this particular Because Pie:

Get…

1 package of (low-fat) puff pastry

1 cup of yogurt (I used low-fat as well)

1 cup of shredded cheese (I bought it shredded, because I’m lazy, but I’m sure this could be much more gourmet if you shredded a good cheese yourself)

1 small can of corn, drained (adds a lovely crunch)

1 can of kidney beans, drained and washed (adds protein and color)

3-4 large eggs (they add stability)

1 box of frozen (creamed) spinach (yes, frozen. Because (!) I’m lazy. My suggestion is: thaw/cook it according to instructions on the package before chucking it into the pie filling)

spices (I used cajun seasoning salt, pepper, nutmeg, nutmeg, garlic, and nutmeg)

1 ball of mozzarella, sliced (adds garnish and yum)

… and proceed to…

preheat your oven (or your neighbor’s, if they’re fine with that sort of thing) to the temperature indicated on the puff pastry package. (Peel peas permanently, preferably peering at people passing.) Line the loveliest pie dish you have with the puff pastry. Next, whisk the eggs and mix in all the remaining ingredients, except the mozzarella. Please do not go easy on the nutmeg! Potatoes and spinach need nutmeg. Period. Pour the filling into the prepared puff pastry pie pan (peruse the peeled peas if you please), and place the dish in the oven for about an hour. Take it out, place the mozzarella slices on top and put it back in the oven for another half hour.

Note that ovens are nasty little things that sometimes vary the temperature to burn our food. Just make sure to check from time to time if the filling is still jiggly. Once it stops jiggling it should be just about done. To keep it from getting too dark on top you can simply cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.

Anywho, I finally made Hasselback Potatoes last week, and since they were a success and are bound to be made again by me, I thought I’d share. Because sharing is nice. And being nice is important. Like nutmeg.

In case you are wondering: Hasselback Potatoes are basically baked potatoes with a posh twist. Kind of like a hybrid between baked potatoes and potato gratin (minus the cream. So, actually, not at all like potato gratin. Except the’re posh and sliced). I don’t know what “hasselback” means, but I suppose it’s a Swedish word since Hasselback Potatoes, to the best of my knowledge, are a Swedish dish. If I had to guess what the literal translation of hasselback potato is I’d say it means something along the lines of “potatoes, baked with a lot of hassle – but totally worth it”. The hassle is rather limited, anyway. You just have to slice the potatoes carefully, making sure that you don’t slice them all the way so the potatoes stay in one piece – but sliced.

You know what, I always thought I had a way with language, but now I find I can’t actually describe how Hasselback Potatoes are sliced. You’ll just have to deduct from the pictures, I’m afraid. Meanwhile, I’ll give you a new translation for hasselback potato: Baked potato cut in a way that is a real hassle to describe.

The following is probably not the very original recipe for hasselback potatoes. I found some basic recipes online and decided I would make them with everything I think is important in potato dishes. That is garlic and nutmeg. Also, I like chives and parmesan, so I chucked those right in as well. And here we go.

Get…

7 medium sized potatoes (I didn’t use the waxy kind, although many would recommend it) – not pictured – too obvious

4,5 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt (I used Cajun seasoning, which is very salty)

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp chopped chives (I used dried, but fresh might also work) – not pictured because the decision to use them was made tardily

½ cup grated parmesan – well, at least I managed to get that cup in the picture

Garlic cloves to taste – i.e. as many as you’ve got

4 tsp butter

… and proceed to…

Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F.

Thoroughly wash the potatoes. You can peel them if you feel like it. I didn’t, since I like peel and don’t like peeling. Next, place them one by one in a wooden spoon so you can more comfortably cut them into slices without breaking on through to the other side. You know? Oh well, see above…

Now prepare the rub for the potatoes. Just place the remaining ingredients, bar the garlic slices and the butter, in a bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. I guess you could also prepare the rub without the parmesan and just sprinkle that on separately. Whatever floats your boat and makes your hasselback taters crispy. Rub the potatoes with the mix (I started out applying the mix with a brush, but it was too much hassle, so I ended up just using my hands) and place them in a large ovensafe dish or on a baking sheet, whole side down, cut side up (duh!). Try to get some of the rub in between the slices, too. I didn’t (too much hassle, you see), and my hasselbacks were a little boring on the inside. Now for the garlic. You’ll want to slice the cloves very thinly because you’re going to slip them in between some (or all, depending on how badass you are, really) of the potato slices. And finally, sprinkle the taters with small flakes of butter and place them in the oven. I had some garlic cloves left, so I just peeled them and chucked them into the dish with my potatoes. I love roast garlic. And it’s no hassle to make at all.

The potatoes should take about an hour to bake in the oven. You want them to be tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. And you want them to be YUM. Which they are.

Toodles!

Very spontaneously, I went to a spice exhibition with Hubby and a couple of friends. Yes, spices. Exhibited. When my friend first mentioned it I didn’t really know what to expect, because… spices!? I mean, you could just go to the supermarket and have a good look without paying 10,-€. She was a bit offended when I told her this, I’m afraid. Well, she’ll forgive me. And I have to admit it was a worthwhile experience (okay, “experience” is a bit of an exaggeration but you know what I mean).

It wasn’t just spices, of course. It was the history of spices and spice trade seasoned with six or so spice “stations” where you could touch and smell samples of different spices. There was a fun diorama on the upper floor telling the story of Columbus’ and Magellan’s travels, there were exhibits comparing the average German dinner table before and after America was discovered (no potatoes in the bleak times before 1492, no corn, no tomatoes… oh! woe was us), there were models of Chinese and English and Portuguese ships, and metal cut-outs of people who had something or other to do with the distribution of spices. There was a plague mask on display whose long beak was filled with herbs and spices in order to prevent infection (fat load of good that must have done them), and a bunch of nifty silver vessels for different spice-related purposes (perfume containers, small jars with several compartments for different, expensive spices, …).

I learned that merchants who got rich trading spices were often called moneybags (says the online-dictionary of my choice, while the literal translation from German would be pepperbags - but there you go) and that Hildegard of Bingen (German benedictine abbess and medicinal pioneer) thought that cinnamon could cure headaches (which I will have to try at my earliest convenience (or rather inconvenience which headaches usually are)).

Also, at the aforementioned spice stations, there were recipe cards utilizing the respective spices on display. Those were my favorite for so many reasons, the best of which is this:
On the front of the card, the spice of interest is embedded in a pun! The cards say things like carda mom & dad, chill i out, and curr i? curr you? (not the wittiest puns in the world, maybe, but the fact that someone thought to give out recipe cards and spice them up with puns! I believe I’m in dire need of smelling salts!) The puns have nothing whatsoever to do with the recipe on the back, but that makes them all the more charming to me.

I collected all the cards, even though most of them call for meat of some sort, and I’m planning on trying out the vegetarian parts of the recipes in a one-and-a-half-week-long cooking marathon. I’m also planning on documenting this marathon in the munchies section of this blog. And by one-and-a-half-week-long cooking marathon I mean, of course, that I will be cooking something from those cards whenever I feel like it, and since there are exactly nine recipe cards, this will take, all in all, one and a half weeks, not necessarily on consecutive days. There.

Anyway, look forward to

• • Nutmeg Truffles
  • Coriander Carrots
  • Bean and Herb Pesto
  • Lukewarm (does that sound gross to anyone else?) Fried Potato Salad with Porcini
  • Cinnamon Tomato Soup
  • Nettle Vanilla Spinach
  • Tomato Salsa (without the capers the recipe calls for because they’re one of the few things that neither Hubby nor I would touch with a ten foot vanilla bean pole)
  • Chili Sour Cream with Elder Blossom Jelly and Strawberries
  • Spicy Red Wine Gugelhupf

*yum, i guess*

Well, the other day we just happened to be in possession of six fine grapefruits. It had to do with some liver cleaning thingy we ended up not doing because the internet wasn’t sure whether or not it’s a good idea. Anywho, there were these grapefruits (I always feel like the plural of “fruit” couldn’t be “fruits”. It’d have to be something more complicated, like “freet”… but I think it actually is “fruits”. Aaand I digress.) and they wanted to be eaten. So we did. End of story. It’s as easy as that.

Actually, we didn’t  j u s t  eat them. We turned them into a relatively easily preparable and relatively delicious, yet still relatively healthy little dish that could actually count as breakfast. This is how we did it, the Cowboy way (not really. More like Hubby’s-Mom’s-when-he-was-younger-way):

Grab…

1 whole Grapefruit
2 Tablespoons Honey Or Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Butter

… and proceed to…

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Give the grapefruit a good scrubbing. Cut it in half and place the halves in little baskets you formed with aluminum foil. (Later, yummy grapefruit-honey-brown sugar sauce that you’re not gonna wanna miss out on will boil over and collect in this foil basket. This, my friends, is why you’re gonna wanna have given the skin a really good scrubbing and why you want the aluminum foil boats around the fruit).

Separate the wedges from the skins and the shell with a sharp knife but leave the pulp in the shell. Drizzle each half with one Tablespoon of honey and 1/2 a teaspoon of brown sugar. Cut the butter into very small pieces and sprinkle the pieces onto the grapefruit halves.

Place the halves in the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes. The wedges will start to pop out of the shells a little. To caramelize, turn on the broiler for the last couple of minutes of cooking time, but keep an eye on the grapefruits so they don’t burn.

Make sure to eat them hot and scoop up that sauce from the basket.

And make sure to feel good about this first morning of the rest of your life because it’s always better that way.