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This is a recipe my friend Kathryn gave me because she knows how much I like dishes with sauerkraut. As ever, it’s not fussy to make. I like to serve it with spaetzle, but it tastes good without accompaniment. I made this stew the same day that I baked Pumpernickel Bread, so that’s what I served it with.
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions; cook 10 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 5 minutes more or until onions are very tender.
Stir in garlic; cook 5 minutes more or until onions are very tender. Stir in paprika; cook 1 minute.
Add pork, sauerkraut, tomatoes with their juice, broth, salt and pepper; heat to boiling over high heat. Cover and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for one and a half hours or until meat is fork-tender.
Remove from oven; stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles or spaetzle.
Hungarian Pork Goulash
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup paprika (yes, this much!)
2 lb. boneless pork roast, cut into 1-1/2” chunks
16 oz sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
1-3/4 cups beef broth
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
8 oz. sour cream
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions; cook 10 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 5 minutes more or until onions are very tender.
Stir in paprika; cook 1 minute. Add pork, sauerkraut, tomatoes with their juice, broth, salt and pepper; heat to boiling over high heat. Cover and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for one and a half hours or until meat is fork-tender.
Remove from oven; stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles or spaetzle.
Serves 6
Steve Cowper was the Governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. Sometime during his tenure the chef working at the Governor’s Mansion was interviewed about foods the governor liked. She gave this buttermilk pie recipe as being a favorite.
Buttermilk Pie
½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 rounded tablespoons flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash nutmeg
1 9” unbaked pie crust
Let butter soften. Add sugar to butter and cream together well. Add flour and eggs. Beat well. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake 45-50 minutes on lowest oven rack at 350 degrees. Cool completely before serving.
Our church’s annual Soup and Pie Supper is great fun. This year I baked a pecan pie and a buttermilk pie. First, I’ll give you the pecan pie recipe. I use the one given on the Karo bottle.
There are a couple things to note about this recipe. Karo Light Corn Syrup is called light because it is the opposite of dark, not because it is low in calories. Let’s be clear. Dark corn syrup looks like molasses and I’ve made pecan pie before using molasses, but it was not well received. I like to bake a pecan pie using pecan halves, not chopped pecans. It makes a prettier presentation. Cutting the pie is more difficult through such big pieces, though, so make your own decision.
Pecan Pie
1 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups pecans
1 unbaked 9” pie crust
Stir first 5 ingredients thoroughly using a spoon. Mix in pecans.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake on lowest rack of oven 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 2 hours. Store in refrigerator.
Here it is, in the oven beside the buttermilk pie.
This recipe is from Sunset Breads, Step by Step Techniques (Lane Publishing, 1984). It is my bread making Bible. Most of my favorite bread recipes are found here. I’ve made this Molasses Pumpernickel Bread many times throughout the years. One lasting memory is when I pulled these loaves from the oven and then a couple friends stopped by. They started picking at one of the loaves and by the time they left, nearly a whole loaf was gone! I like to serve this bread with soup or German-style foods.
Molasses Pumpernickel Bread
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups milk
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
2 pkgs (4-1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups whole bran cereal (All-Bran)
3 cups rye flour
About 4-1/2 cups bread flour
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
Warm milk with butter until butter just melts. Stir in walk and molasses. Set aside.
In a large bowl (or mixing bowl with dough hook) combine water, yeast, and brown sugar. Stir until dissolved. Let stand until bubbly (about 15 minutes). Then add milk mixture, bran cereal, rye flour, and 2 cups bread flour. Beat until well-blended. Using mixer, let it go about 5-8 minutes medium speed. Stir in about 1-1/2 cups more bread flour. Continue kneading or mixing until smooth and satiny, adding flour to prevent sticking.
Place dough in a greased bowl; turn over to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1-1/2 hours).
Punch dough down, divide into two equal portions, and knead each portion briefly to release air. Then shape each into a smooth ball; flatten slightly.
Place each loaf on a baking sheet at least 10 x 15″, which has been greased and sprinkled with corn meal to prevent sticking. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled (about 40 minutes).
With a razor blad or sharp floured knife, make 1/2″ deep slashed on tops of loaves, forming a ticktacktoe design. Brush tops and sides with egg yolk mixture.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until bread is richly browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to racks and let cool. Makes 2 round loaves.
This is super simple and makes an excellent snack or dinner component when you want to have something already prepared and sitting in the refrigerator. The recipe is based upon one found in The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors (William Morrow 1990) by Jeff Smith. Smith says it is a Welsh dish. I’ve made this many times and I like the idea of eating it by hand on-the-go. Today I really didn’t pay much attention to measurements, just threw the ingredients in. I forgot to cover the dish for the first part of baking and it did come out a bit dry in the end. My ground pork was quite lean and I did not have but a tablespoon of accumulated fat to pour off.
Mix together 1-1/2 pounds lean ground pork, 1 chopped onion, 2 eggs, ¼ tsp. cayenne, ¼ tsp. sage, 2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce, Salt and pepper.
Place mixture into a greased 8” pie pan. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for thirty minutes.
Remove from oven and drain off accumulated fat.
Cut slits in pie crust and place atop pork mixture, pinching along the top to seal.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until crust is brown and flaky. Let cool completely before serving.
Cold Pork Pie Recipe
1-1/2 pounds lean ground pork
chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
¼ tsp. cayenne
¼ tsp. sage
2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1 pie crust
Mix everything, except crust, together and place into a greased 8” pie pan. Bake, covered, in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and drain off accumulated fat. Cover with crust and return to oven for 45 minutes or until the crust is brown and flaky. Allow to cool completely before serving.
My husband and I were traveling by car through Germany’s black forest back in the late 1980s when we stopped to eat dinner at a restaurant. Neither of us speak German, although I did learn two phrases before leaving that stood us in good stead for the entire trip. “Two beers, please!” and “Do you have a double room available, with a shower?” Anyway, being in a small town where English was not spoken often and in our own desire to be adventurous, we pointed at two menu items and ordered. The place was packed with people, it had a very homey atmosphere with a lot of noise. The waitress brought my food and then had to return with my husband’s because it was a platter of pork ribs piled about a foot high. I kid you not. A man entering the restaurant at that moment said a few words to my husband in a very loud voice and then patted him on the back. We have no idea what he said, but the meaning was clear. Man up! My husband did eat the whole thing. It was that good.
This may well be my favorite dish. I think it’s the bread crumbs sprinkled on the ribs that adds that perfect texture. The recipe comes from Sunset Magazine’s November 1990 issue. I often make my own sauerkraut and the flavors are sublime. If you don’t have homemade sauerkraut, then the next best is the kind found in plastic bags in the deli section of the grocery. Next best is the chilled kind found in the cooler. As a last resort go ahead and use the canned found on the shelf. Sauerkraut is cabbage cured with salt. That’s it.
I usually serve this dish with spaetzle and a dark pumpernickel bread. Since there are only two of us, I didn’t include any sides. I’ll demonstrate spaetzle in another post one day.
Home made sauerkraut. Yummy. The amount called for in the recipe does not have to be exact, anything close will do. Pour 1 large can (27 oz) sauerkraut, drained, into a colander and rinse with cool running water; let drain.
In a roasting pan about 10×14”, mix together:
4 cups shredded red cabbage
1Tbsp. hot or sweet Hungarian paprika, or regular (domestic) paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (14-½ oz.) stewed tomatoes
sauerkraut
Mix together and spread in an even layer.
Lay 3 pounds baby back pork ribs on sauerkraut mixture, curved side up;
sprinkle meat evenly with pepper and about 2 teaspoons paprika. Tightly cover pan with foil. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1½ hours.
Mix together 2 teaspoons paprika and bread crumbs.
Remove foil from ribs.
Turn the ribs over.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs/paprika.
Bake, uncovered, until meat is very tender when pierced and crumbs are brown, about 20 minutes longer.
Transfer baby back ribs to a platter and spoon sauerkraut mixture into a bowl. Cut ribs apart and serve with sauerkraut. Makes 4 servings.
Baby Back Ribs with Sauerkraut
1 large can (27 oz) sauerkraut, drained
4 cups shredded red cabbage
About 3 Tbsp. hot or sweet Hungarian paprika, or regular (domestic) paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (14-½ oz.) stewed tomatoes
3# pork baby back ribs
½ tsp. pepper
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
Pour sauerkraut into a colander and rinse with cool running water; let drain. In a roasting pan about 10×14”, mix together sauerkraut, cabbage, 1 Tbsp. paprika, garlic, and tomatoes; spread in an even layer. Lay ribs on sauerkraut mixture, curved side up; sprinkle meat evenly with pepper and about 2 teaspoons paprika. Tightly cover pan with foil. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1½ hours.
Mix together 2 teaspoons paprika and bread crumbs. Remove foil, turn ribs over, and sprinkle with paprika mixture.
Bake, uncovered, until meat is very tender when pierced and crumbs are brown, about 20 minutes longer.
Transfer baby back ribs to a platter and spoon sauerkraut mixture into a bowl. Cut ribs apart and serve with sauerkraut. Makes 4 servings.
I love twice-baked potatoes. They can be made using many different ingredients, whatever flips your switch. This recipe calls for sour cream and shallot, but you could use cream cheese and onion instead. You’re only limited by your imagination. This dish doesn’t take a lot of hands-on time. You can bake the potatoes ahead of time and then the rest of the preparation goes quickly.
Start by washing russet “baker” potatoes and running a knife lengthwise along one side of each, just piercing the skin. Then give one deep jab along the score. One time I didn’t do this and had the potatoes explode in the oven and make a mess, so do it. Just sayin’. The russets I use are quite large and I bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. They should be soft when squeezed. Remove from the oven and let cool awhile, until you can pick them up. It’s much easier to scoop out the insides if they are still warm. This is what they look like when cooked.
In a small skillet saute a chopped shallot and a chopped garlic clove in butter until tender.
Scoop out the white part of the potatoes with a spoon into a large bowl, being careful not to pierce the skin.
Mash the potato as well as possible (my bowl was too small).
Here are the potato skins, ready to be stuffed.
Add the shallot, garlic, butter mixture to the potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of bacon bits. Stir together with dollops of sour cream, enough to bind it all together.
Stir in sharp cheddar cheese.
Mix together well.
Stuff the mixture into the potato skins.
Sprinkle with grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and potatoes are heated throughout, 15-20 minutes.
Ingredient List
Russet “Baker” potatoes
Shallot
Garlic
Butter
Salt and pepper
Bacon bits
Sour Cream
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Cajun Pot Roast
This is another recipe from Justin Wilson. It’s prepared in a Reynolds oven bag. You can buy any size chuck roast that you like. My husband and I are still empty-nesting so the pictures illustrate a very small 2-lb roast, with a couple potatoes, handful of carrots and mushrooms. For such a small dinner you may use a large oven bag, but if your roast and all the fixins added up to 8 or more pounds, then you’d want to use a turkey-size bag. Justin Wilson’s recipes often call for wine. I used red wine (Beaujolais) today because it was what I had on hand. I’ve made this recipe for many years and it’s the first time I used red wine instead of white. Turned out just fine, very tasty.
According to the oven bag directions, add 2 Tbsp. flour to the bag and shake it around.
Cut slits in each side of the roast
and stuff the slits with pieces of green onion and sliced garlic.
Lightly sprinkle the roast with cayenne (red pepper).
Place roast into the bag.
Inside the bag, beside and atop the roast, add potatoes, carrots, and whole mushrooms (enough for the number of people you will serve).
Stir 2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce into 1 cup white wine and pour it into the bag. Seal the bag with the enclosed tie. Cut about a dozen small slits in the top of the bag to let off steam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours.
Remove the roast
and vegetables from the bag to a platter.
Make gravy by pouring the juice out of the bag into a saucepan. Add beef broth until the amount seems enough and salt to taste. Stir cornstarch into cold broth or water and stir until dissolved. Bring gravy juices to a boil in the saucepan and then stir in the cornstarch-broth mixture until gravy is thickened.
I like to mash my serving of potato and cover with gravy. Horseradish sauce is a great condiment for the pot roast . . . or more gravy. It’s all good!
What you’ll need for Cajun Pot Roast
Reynolds oven bag, either large or turkey size
2 Tbsp. flour
Beef chuck roast
2 green onions (scallions)
1 garlic clove, sliced
Cayenne (red) pepper
Pototoes
Carrots
Whole mushrooms
1 cup white wine (Sauterne)
2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
Beef broth (for gravy)
Cornstarch mixed with a little beef broth or water (to thicken gravy)
Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes
It’s getting to be sweet potato season, I guess. Here is another recipe that calls for sweet potatoes in a savory, not sweet, dish.
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a deep skillet. Brown 6 pork chops on both sides (this time I used four boneless pork chops, but loin or rib chops are fine and the amounts are easily adjusted). Season with salt and pepper.
Place about a teaspoon of ketchup on each chop. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Peel and halve 6 medium sweet potatoes (I used 3 fairly large ones and I cut them into large chunks). Remove chops from skillet; add ¾ cup water. Place potatoes in skillet. Turn to coat with liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Pour about ½ cup ketchup over potatoes.
Top potatoes with chops.
Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft and chops are tender.
To serve, spoon sauce over potatoes and chops. Yield 6 servings.
Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes Recipe
2 Tbsp. butter
6 pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup ketchup
6 medium sweet potatoes
¾ cup water
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a deep skillet. Brown 6 pork chops on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place about a teaspoon of ketchup on each chop. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Peel and halve 6 medium sweet potatoes. Remove chops from skillet; add ¾ cup water. Place potatoes in skillet. Turn to coat with liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour about ½ cup ketchup over potatoes. Top potatoes with chops. Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft and chops are tender. To serve, spoon sauce over potatoes and chops. Yield 6 servings.
Eggplant Parmesan
I know, I know, it’s another Parmesan recipe. And mine are all pretty much the same. I’m including this one because of the eggplant. It’s an easy dish. There is no salting and draining. You can reduce the ingredient amounts and use a smaller baking dish in order to serve fewer people. It’s simple to make adjustments.
Beat three eggs with 3-4 Tbsp. of water in a flat-bottomed pan, like the pie plate pictured here.
Scoop flour (about a cup) into a flat-bottomed pan like the pie plate pictured here.
Slice two medium eggplants lengthwise into apx. 1/4″ slices. (I used one large eggplant.)
Coat a griddle or large skillet with olive oil and heat on medium high.
Dredge a slice of eggplant through the flour, coating each side of eggplant.
Immerse eggplant slice in egg mixture.
Make sure each side of eggplant is covered with egg mixture.
Move the eggplant slice to the hot griddle.
Turn over once browned. Continue browning eggplant slices, adding olive oil as needed.
Once browned and softened, remove the eggplant slices to a paper-towel-lined plate. Stack the slices in layers on paper towels (to absorb extra oil). Let cool.
I use the whole eggplant, even with the peel on it. It doesn’t matter. As you can see, my slices are not uniform either. It really doesn’t matter.
In the meantime, while the eggplant slices are cooking, fry about a pound of Italian sausage. If you’re serving vegetarians you may skip this step.
Once the sausage is browned, add a jar of pasta sauce (about 24 ounces). I rinse the jar with red wine. Simmer until it is very thick.
Slice about a pound of mozzarella cheese. I like to use fresh mozzarella and this was only 12 ounces, but it was quite enough. I’ve also used shredded Mozzarella, it all works.
In a 9 x 13″ greased baking dish, layer 1/2 of the eggplant slices to cover the bottom of the dish. Like I said earlier, if you want to use a smaller eggplant and less of the other ingredients you could use a 9 x 9″ pan or smaller. This is really not fussy.
Layer 1/2 of the pasta sauce and 1/2 of the Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a bit of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.
Layer the remaining eggplant slices on top.
Finish up with the remaining sauce and Mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with about 1/2 cup of grated or shredded Parmesan.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Serves about 6 people.
I served this with shrimp salad and garlic bread. Delicious!
Foods Passion 