Idiot proof recipes.

[Andy in Germany]

Sounds very similar to a dumpling.
I’ve never actually had a savoury Knödel, pm me a good recipe please, but I used to ski in Austria most years and GermKnödel is the greatest thing ever invented, so a good recipe for that would be appreciated too!

@Skanker The recipe I used is based on the one from the package of Knödel bread I bought:

250g dry bread bits (we can get packs of this but dried out toast would work just as well)
1/4 l Lukewarm milk
1 onion
30g Butter
3 eggs
Parsley
Salt
Pepper

Pour bread into mixing bowl.
Remember to heat milk.
Pour milk over bread
Leave for ten minutes
Slice onions and drop into mix and stir in, realise the onions should be heated with the butter. Heat butter and pour that in anyway.
Add three eggs
Mix in well
Add salt and pepper and mix that in too.
Leave for another ten minutes
Form Knödel with wet hands by making it into balls.
Drop into boiling salty water.
Boil for fifteen minutes
Remember the parsley.
Hope this doesn't matter too much.
Retrieve from water, note with astonishment the knödel aren't all mush
Serve with tomato sauce.

It says six Knödel, but I got nearer fifteen out of it. The onions were fine but the parsley would probably have improved matters.

 

[Reynard]

Ah, I need to try this. Although having said that, the mix is very similar to a basic sage and onion stuffing mix, so this is effectively poached stuffing balls. A good way of using up stale bread or rolls though.

FWIW, my copy of "Kuchnia Polska" has a dozen different recipes for knedle, some using stale bread, some using potato. A real varied bunch of sweet and savoury ones, both stuffed and plain.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Ah, I need to try this. Although having said that, the mix is very similar to a basic sage and onion stuffing mix, so this is effectively poached stuffing balls. A good way of using up stale bread or rolls though.

FWIW, my copy of "Kuchnia Polska" has a dozen different recipes for knedle, some using stale bread, some using potato. A real varied bunch of sweet and savoury ones, both stuffed and plain.

Funny how that works. I wonder if the nationalistic types who go on about "foriners" realise how similar we really are.

It's "Swedish meatballs" all over again...

 

[annedonnelly]

Have you seen Jack Monroe's Cooking on a Bootstrap stuff? It's all intended to be very cheap though there's nothing to stop you using better quality ingredients if you want. Lots of veggie & vegan recipes. There's a lentil bolognaise that I like & have used as the basis for a cottage pie type thing by sticking mashed sweet potato on the top - good comfort food!

 

[PeteXXX]

What's wrong with simply ordering some stuff at local takeaway?

It fails the 'relatively cheap' test, I fear.

And, quite likely, the 'healthy' test.

 

[Poacher]

I know I've been warned off, but couldn't resist coming back with some general advice.

Steer clear of recipes advertised as "3 ingredient" - they're probably adapted from a better recipe by leaving out things which made a tastier dish, just to meet the self-imposed constraint.

Small things such as herbs and spices make a huge difference; without them, a dish will be edible but lack the flavour it could have had. Usually they're undetectable in the finished product to all but a trained palate. In particular, and already mentioned, anchovies and smoked paprika, individually or combined, improve many recipes, even when they're not specified. My personal favourite is ground coriander, which features in most of what I cook - preferably freshly ground from whole seeds - it's certainly not just a "curry" spice.

To satisfy the cheap, simple and veggie requirement, use what's currently in season.
It may be a bit late in the year, but a glut of courgettes/zucchini always makes me want to cook Madhur Jaffrey's courgette 'meat'ball recipe, in large quantities because the cooked balls freeze very successfully. There's a whole shedload of variants online, but this one sticks closely to the original recipe in her classic book Eastern Vegetarian Cooking. It may look daunting, but it's quite straightforward in practice. A Magimix or similar food processor makes preparation a whole lot easier.

 

[Reynard]

Funny how that works. I wonder if the nationalistic types who go on about "foriners" realise how similar we really are.

It's "Swedish meatballs" all over again...

^^^ this in spades. Mum is Belgian, and granny used to make kneukels, which are essentially the same thing still LOL. Except there, they were always sweet and served with brown sugar.

To quote Ambassador G'kar: "It's an Earth food. They are called Swedish meatballs. It's a strange thing, but every sentient race has its own version of these Swedish meatballs! I suspect it's one of those great universal mysteries which will either never be explained, or which would drive you mad if you ever learned the truth."

 

[Andy in Germany]

^^^ this in spades. Mum is Belgian, and granny used to make kneukels, which are essentially the same thing still LOL. Except there, they were always sweet and served with brown sugar.

To quote Ambassador G'kar: "It's an Earth food. They are called Swedish meatballs. It's a strange thing, but every sentient race has its own version of these Swedish meatballs! I suspect it's one of those great universal mysteries which will either never be explained, or which would drive you mad if you ever learned the truth."

I knew you'd get the reference.

Beautiful Wife was interviewed at an intercultural church service yesterday about Japanese food, and pointed out that one speciality that people are very proud of locally called "Maultaschen" is almost identical to a "Typically Japanese" dish known as "Gyoza"

I have to admit though, that the Japanese are better at presentation.

 

[Reynard]

I definitely agree with you @Poacher

A kitchen well stocked with what I'd call "cupboard staples" makes cooking tasty food so much easier. Off the top of my head, this is what I've always got knocking around:

Herbs: oregano, tarragon, thyme, dill, mint, sage, lemongrass ( all dried) plus bay, rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives and mint (in the garden)

Spices (whole / ground): cloves. cinnamon, cassia bark, nutmeg, cardamom, chilli flakes, star anise, mixed peppercorns, ginger, hot paprika, smoked paprika

Miscellaneous: medium curry powder, chinese 5 spice, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, assorted stock cubes, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil, worcestershire sauce, dried mushrooms, dried rose petals, tahini, smooth peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, creamed horseradish, pesto, golden syrup, honey

Canned goods: passata, chickpeas, kidney beans, baked beans, peas, sweetcorn, pineapple, anchovies

Dried goods: rice, pasta spirals, spaghetti, bulgur wheat, egg noodles, rice noodles, spazele, polenta, pearl barley, haricot beans, green lentils, cornflour, flour (plain, self-raising, strong, atta & rye), porridge oats

 

[Reynard]

I knew you'd get the reference.

Beautiful Wife was interviewed at an intercultural church service yesterday about Japanese food, and pointed out that one speciality that people are very proud of locally called "Maultaschen" is almost identical to a "Typically Japanese" dish known as "Gyoza"

I have to admit though, that the Japanese are better at presentation.

Steamed filled dumplings... Like Polish pierogi then. I like the ones filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms.

 

[Poacher]

I definitely agree with you @Poacher

A kitchen well stocked with what I'd call "cupboard staples" makes cooking tasty food so much easier. Off the top of my head, this is what I've always got knocking around:

Herbs: oregano, tarragon, thyme, dill, mint, sage, lemongrass ( all dried) plus bay, rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives and mint (in the garden)

Spices (whole / ground): cloves. cinnamon, cassia bark, nutmeg, cardamom, chilli flakes, star anise, mixed peppercorns, ginger, hot paprika, smoked paprika

Miscellaneous: medium curry powder, chinese 5 spice, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, assorted stock cubes, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil, worcestershire sauce, dried mushrooms, dried rose petals, tahini, smooth peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, creamed horseradish, pesto, golden syrup, honey

Canned goods: passata, chickpeas, kidney beans, baked beans, peas, sweetcorn, pineapple, anchovies

Dried goods: rice, pasta spirals, spaghetti, bulgur wheat, egg noodles, rice noodles, spazele, polenta, pearl barley, haricot beans, green lentils, cornflour, flour (plain, self-raising, strong, atta & rye), porridge oats

Pretty much the same as my kitchen standard ingredients; I'd add basil (fresh at the moment, but dried is OK) and tins of mushy peas for my confusion cooking take on bifes de atum em cebolada. Pomegranate molasses is a wonderful addition to an otherwise ordinary vinaigrette.

 

[Reynard]

Pretty much the same as my kitchen standard ingredients; I'd add basil (fresh at the moment, but dried is OK) and tins of mushy peas for my confusion cooking take on bifes de atum em cebolada. Pomegranate molasses is a wonderful addition to an otherwise ordinary vinaigrette.

I prefer a jar of pesto as fresh basil is something I don't use over much, and the pesto keeps better. Forgot the balsamic vinegar as well.

Never had an affinity for mushy peas, but I also forgot yellow split peas - a must during the winter for pea & ham soup.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'm experimenting wht these recipes. So far dumplings have been a success, and sliced baked tatties went down a storm.

As it looks like I'll finally have a job again soon, thoughts return to energy foods. I'd really like to make may own flapjack/Energy bars. I could buy some but packaging overkill seems to be taken to extreme on these things. When I was a child my mum made them with treacle which isn't easy to get here except in very expensive Boutique "English shops". I can however get Zuckerrübensirup (Sugar Syrup) which would work as a substitute despite looking like Marmite, and is available in 5Kg buckets, apparently.

I'm after a recipe that lets me make something oats based, with some dried fruits, and not too dry or like eating a haystack. Any suggestions welcome.

 

[Reynard]

I'll have a look in some of my dedicated biscuit cookbooks for you if you want.

BTW, you want to look for Kunsthonig - that's pretty well much interchangeable with golden syrup.

 

[winjim]

Celeriac and butternut squash lasagne. You can make all the bits ahead of time and just assemble it as required. Don't spare the nutmeg.

https://www.everynookandcranny.net/roasted-squash-celeriac-caramelised-onion-lasagne/