Black Rice

Have you ever heard of black rice? We ate at a friend's place and they made this dish. I kept wanting to remake it but black rice isn't the easiest thing to find. I did find it at Whole Foods. I think black rice tends to be more chewier and nuttier than white rice. This recipe is served as a dessert. It is sweet with a coconut flavor. I really think it is a perfect dish to serve at Halloween since it is so different.

Black Rice aka Emperor's Rice
2 cups black rice
1 (14 oz.) can of coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Directions:

1. Rinse the rice to clean.
2. In a medium bowl, soak the rice in water overnight.
3. Drain the rice and cook according to the package.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk, sugar, and salt over medium heat.
5. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the coconut mixture simmer. 
6. When the rice is ready, place the rice in a bowl.
7. Gently mix the coconut mixture into the rice. 
8. Allow the rice to rest for 15 minutes before serving. 
9. Serve the rice in mounds with sprinkled coconut on top.

Recipe adapted from Temple of Thai. 

Two years ago..................................I made Meringue Ghost.
Three years ago................................I made Vanilla Dream Cupcakes.
Four years ago..................................I made Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. 

Did you already know................
-Black rice was historically known as the forbidden rice.
-During the Ming Dynasty, black rice was grown only for the emperor's consumption.
-Rice can be found in a variety of color including white, yellow, brown, purple, red, and black.

Sauerkraut

Sometimes I have crazy thoughts like I should try making some sauerkraut. Why did I ever think to make sauerkraut? I have no idea. The kids thought it was strange. My husband just humored me and avoided the bag. To have a large plastic bag of cabbage sitting on your counter does seem a little strange. I guess it is perfect to make in time for Halloween. We did compare my sauerkraut with a can of store bought. My sauerkraut was a little sweeter. Plus my sauerkraut was chopped and not shredded. Will I make sauerkraut again? Who knows?

Sauerkraut aka shark teeth
5 lbs, green cabbage, shredded
3 Tbsp pickling salt
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp caraway seeds

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, salt, bay leaves, and caraway seeds.
2. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Pack the cabbage mixture into a large plastic storage bag. 
4. Place a lid on top of the cabbage mixture. 
5. Place a clean, heavy sealed container on top of the lid to weigh down the cabbage.
6. Allow to rest overnight.
7. The cabbage should have released some water to emerge the cabbage. 
8. Continue to allow the cabbage to rest at room temperature for a couple of weeks but check on it every day. If any scum appears, then skim the scum away. (I never saw any scum on mine.)
9. Continue to allow the cabbage to rest at room temperature for a month before transferring to the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.

One year ago...........................I made Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits.
Two years ago.........................I made Asparagus Soup.
Three years ago.......................I made Sauerbraten Roast.
Four years ago.........................I made Hamburger.

Did you already know..............
-In German, sauerkraut means sour cabbage.
-Sauerkraut is salted cabbage that is allowed to ferment.
-German immigrants would bring barrels of sauerkraut on their ships to America.

Pretzels

I haven't made pretzels from scratch for a long time. I made the dough. Then the kids and I made our own. The kids did a pretty good job. It was a lot of fun to watch them shape their pretzels. My son made tiny ones. My daughter made her pretzel bigger than her head. Of course, she dipped her pretzel into sugar cinnamon for her liking. I brought mine to work for my lunch. My children had to bring theirs into school for snack.The pretzels are soft and filling. I didn't make a dip since my daughter wanted her pretzel to be sweet.

Pretzels
8 cup all purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1 (.25 0z.) package of dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm milk
5 Tbps butter, melted
2 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp baking soda
1 egg white
1 Tbsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. Combine 1 cup of flour with the water, yeast, and sugar. Cover loosely and set aside for 5 hours.
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining flour, yeast mixture, milk, butter, and salt. 
4. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. 
5. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick baking spray. 
6. Set aside to rise for 1 hour or until double in size. 
7. Punch down the dough. 
8. Shape the pretzels into the desired shape. 
9. Set the shaped pretzels onto the cookie sheet. 
10. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minute. 
11. Bring a large pot of water to boil. 
12. Add the baking soda to the boiling water.
13. Gently, add one pretzel to the boiling water at a time. 
14. Allow the pretzel to boil until they float to the top about 30 seconds. 
15. Remove the pretzel with a slotted spoon. 
16. Place onto the cookie sheet. 
17. Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with the sea salt.
18. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 
19. Bake the pretzels for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 
20. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Foods.


Two years ago..........................I made Tomato Salad.
Three years ago.........................I made German Pancakes.
Four years ago...........................I made Apple Strudel.

Did you already know........................
-In the 6th century, Italian monks created pretzels to reward children for their prayers.
-Pretzels may have been on the Mayflower.
-It is believed the hard pretzel was created when a baker fell asleep and his pretzels were cooked crispy.

Whose pretzels did you like the best? My daughters? My sons? Or the first ones which were mine?

Brotchen Bread

Since I am making German foods, I had to make some bread. I will admit this is one of my favorite German foods I've made this year. I love bread so of course it is one of my favorite dishes. I will probably make these again at Thanksgiving. They taste like a roll that is served at a nice restaurant. Also, I wanted to give you a list of other German foods I have made:

Black Forest Cherry Torte

German Apple Pancakes

Pretzel buns with Bratwurst

Sauerbraten

Apple Strudel

German Red Cabbage
German Honey Cookies
German Potato Salad 
Jaegerschnitzel
Rindsouladen
Spaetzle

Brotchen Bread (German Bread)

1 ( .25 oz.) package of active dry yeast package
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

1 egg white
1 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a cup, combine the yeast with the water and sugar. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes. 
3. In a large mixer, add 2 1/2 cups of flour, salt and oil.
4. Add the yeast mixture with the flour. 
5. Knead for 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
6. Cover with plastic wrap which had been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
7. Allow to rest for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. 
8. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 sections.
9. Shape the dough into oval shapes. 
10. Place the dough onto the lined cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. 
11. Allow the rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
12. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
13. Gently make a horizontal cut on the top of each roll.
14. Gently brush with the egg white and sprinkle with some sea salt.
15. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Recipe adapted from Food.com.

One year ago....................................I made Pork Chops in a mushroom sauce. 
Two years ago..................................I made German Potato Salad.
Three years ago................................I made Plum Cake.
Four years ago.................................I made German Red Cabbage.

Did you already know.............................
-Brotchen translates to bun.
-German breads tend to be dense like pumpernickel and Volkornbort.
-Many German breads are made from rye, spelt, millet, and wheat.

Rindsouladen Beef and Pickle Steak

Recently, I was discussing German dishes with my Uncle and Aunt. My Uncle told me I should make this dish. He really likes it when my Aunt makes the dish. I had seen it but never had it before. They told me how they made it. They used ham instead of bacon. The majority of the recipes used bacon. Of course, I used Black Forest ham. I really didn't know what to think. It really isn't an attractive looking dish. Since the dish cooks awhile, I could hardly taste the pickle. I did use the pickles from the refrigerator aisle since those are the ones we eat. Also, I couldn't taste the mustard at all. If you like beef, then you should try the dish. If I had to pick, I like Sauerbraten better but this is an easier to dish to make.

Rindsouladen
4 (4 oz.) top round steaks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp Spicy mustard
4 thin slices of deli ham
2 dill pickles, chopped
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups beef/chicken broth

Directions:

1. Trim any excess fat from the outside of the steak. Beat the steaks thin. 
2. Salt and pepper the steaks.
3. Spread some mustard on top of the steaks.
4. Spread a piece of the ham on top of the mustard.
5. Spread an even layer of chopped pickle on top of the ham.
6. From one side, tightly roll the steak up and secure with a toothpick. 
7. On a plate, evenly spread the flour over it. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
8. Roll the steak into the flour to coat evenly. 
9. In a large skillet, melt the butter. 
10. Add the onion and saute the onion until brown. 
11. Brown the rolled up steak on each side. 
12. Add the broth and cover.  
13. Allow to simmer for one hour. 
14. Remove the beef rolls from the broth.
15. Whisk a little flour into the pan to thicken the sauce. 
16. Serve the beef rolls with the gravy. 

Recipe adapted from Through the Garden Gate.

Two years ago......................................I made German Honey Cookies.
Three years ago.....................................I made Chocolate PB Cupcakes.

Did you already know................................
-In 1820, Oktoberfest was from Oct. 12th to Oct. 17th to celebrate the Bavarian Prince wedding.
-Oktoberfest was moved into September for the warmer weather but always ends in October.
-In Munich, the locals call Oktoberfest Die Wiesn since the fairgrounds are named after the Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildurghausen who Prince Ludwig married.