Potato Salad - Holiday Version

When we were young, Christmas Eve was the big day (it's a German thing). The tree went up the night before, all the Christmas decoration, Mary, Josef and Baby Jesus were on display in the living room - which was off limits until late afternoon when it was time for presents.
As this was quite a bit of work to squeeze into one day, dinner on Christmas Eve was always quick and simple: Potato Salad and Sausages. Became something of a tradition.

So in order to honour the tradition, an extremly rich, festive version of Potato Salad.

You will need

• Mayonnaise
  I prefer to use home made mayonnaise, and for this occasion it can be a little richer than usual. So take
  • 2 raw egg yolks
  • 2 hard boiled egg yolks (leave these out if it gets too rich for you)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • juice of half a lemon
  • salt, white pepper
  • 250ml good neutral oil. Do not use olive oil, it is usually too strong for mayonnaise and it does not emulsify as easily as other oils do. (if I want the olive oil taste for Mediterranean dishes I use 2/3 neutral oil and 1/3 olive oil) On this occasion I used 225ml plain grape seed oil and 25ml cold pressed grape seed oil
  Put the 4 (really, four) yolks into a bowl, add the mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper and start whisking. (I use a standard whisk and just give it a good work-out. I think I had a higher success rate that way. If you want to use an electric mixer, fine.) Start dripping in the oil and keep whisking. Keep dripping in the oil until you get an emulsion; after that, you can be a little (but really just a little) more generous with the dahses of oil you add. Keep whisking and adding oil until you used all 250ml.
  
• Yoghurt
  We always have a little argument about the use of yoghurt in mayonnaise. I think it is not necessary, my girlfriend thinks you ought to use 250ml. So we compromise and use 250ml.
  
• herbs - lots of
  Today I used flat leave parsley, chives, dill, tarragon, some small baby gherkins (diced), 1 teaspoon of capers, the whites of the two hard boiled eggs. Whatever you like - the only thing: you really need plenty.
  
• salad potatoes - as much as you want to eat. The sauce is enough for about 1.5 kg

1. chop all the herbs &c.
2. boil the potatoes for about 11 min.
3. while the potatoes are boiling, prepare the mayonnaise
4. mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt and herbs
5. drain and peel the potatoes, leave to cool for a bit and slice
6. mix everything together and leave to stand for about 45min or longer

As I said, served with Bockwurst (or any other sausage you like). These days I have a beer with that.

Potato Salad

Improvised - after seeing something similar on TV. Slight Asian (Thai to be specific) influence.

• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 bunch spring onions
• 1 bunch coriander
• 2 chillies (red and green
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 (generous) dash of Thai fish sauce
• 100 ml chicken stock
• pepper

1. boil the potatoes
2. in the meantime finely chop the chillies and mix with the lime juice, chicken stock, sugar, fish sauce and pepper
3. chop the spring onions and coriander
4. drain, peel and slice the potatoes
5. mix everything while the potatoes are still warm
6. leave for about 45 minutes

Frikadellen

• 500g good quality minced beef
• 1 slice of stale white bread
• 1 egg
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbl spoons Thai fish sauce
• pepper, paprika
• no salt

1. soak the bread in lukewarm water
2. finely dice the onion and garlic and sauté in a little butter over low heat for about 10 minutes (prepare potatoes and veggies while the onions are cooking
3. squeeze the bread to remove excess water and mix all ingredients thoroughly
4. form 8 meat patties, about 5cm in diameter and 1.5cm thick
5. fry in a little (or no) fat over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally

Dibbekuche - Savoury Potato Cake

Pretty hard to translate - this is a regional dish from the Hunsrück area (which you might know if you have seen the Heimat TV series) and there is not even a standard German name for this dish. Dibbe is a dialect word for pot, Kuche (standard German: Kuchen) means cake - so potcake. Well, it is mainly potatoes.

• 1.2 kg potatoes
• 1 egg
• 8 slices of smoked streaky bacon
• salt, pepper, nutmeg

1. pre-heat the oven to 225 degrees C
2. finely grate the raw potatoes
3. mix in the egg
4. season with salt, pepper and nutmeg
5. line a pie dish with the bacon slices and pour in the potatoes
6. put in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until you get a nice, brown, crunchy crust on the outside
7. serve with green salad and a crisp dry white wine

Glühwein - Mulled Wine

This recipe is based on one I found at the Frater Aloisius says HELL-O blog. Translated into English and slightly modified.

• 1 bottle of reasonably good, dry red wine
• 2 pc. star anise
• 3 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• lemon zest
• juice of 1 orange
• orange zest
• 1 vanilla pod
• Demerara sugar

1. Put the wine in a pot, heat but do not bring to boil
2. Add the spices, the orange juice and the zest and leave to steep for approx. 10 minutes, keeping the heat just under the boiling point
3. Remove all spices &c.
4. Add sugar to taste
5. Serve in warmed cups or glasses

Ox Tail Stew with Spätzle

Ox Tail Stew

• 1 ox tail, chopped into segments
• 1 bunch of carrots
• 2 celery hearts
• 3 red onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 tblsp of Ghee
• 500 ml beef stock
• 500 - 1000 ml dark beer (e.g. Guinness)
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
• 150 ml single cream
• 2 tblpsp of corn flour

1. pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees C
2. clean and roughly chop the vegetables
3. heat 2 tblsp of Ghee in an oven prove braising pot
4. gently cook the vegetable for about 10 minutes
5. turn up the heat and cook another 5 minutes until the vegetable start to get caramelized, set aside
6. heat the remaining Ghee (in the same, now empty pan) and quickly brown the meat, season with salt and pepper
7. add the vegetables, the beef stock, 500 ml of beer, the roughly chopped parsley, the bay leaves and the cloves 
8. put in the oven and simmer for 3.5 hours, checking regularly and adding more beer should the stew get to dry
9. when the meat is tender, remove from oven. Take out the meat and pick off the bone
10. Strain sauce through a sieve (press as much of the soft vegies through the sieve as possible) and remove the fat (at least some of it - I use a special can for that)
11. add the cream and bring the sauce to a boil and reduce slightly
12. use corn flour dissolved in a little water to thicken
13. season to taste  (I used blueberry jam, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper)

 Spätzle

• 250g plan flour
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 120ml water
• butter

1. put the flour and salt in a bowl
2. put in eggs and water and beat until smooth, the dough should be slightly runny
3. heat a pot of salted water
4. press spätzle dough into the water and simmer for 2 minutes (I have a spätzle press for this but I've been told you can use a colander. Work in batches)
5. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside
6. 5 minutes before serving reheat spätzle in butter

Brussels Sprouts (we had some left from last time and had them for starters. This recipe actually works better than the last one) 

1. clean the sprouts
2. steam for 8 minutes
3. season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil

Pheasant, Brussels Sprouts, Truffled Mash

Pheasant

• 1 pheasant (between 800g and 900g)
• 4 thin slices of bacon
• 3 tblsp olive oil
• 1 dash Sherry
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 200 ml single cream
• salt, pepper

1. pre-heat oven to 220 degrees
2. heat the oil in an oven save pan
3. brown the bird from all sides for a total of 3 minutes (I did not add any salt or pepper at this stage)
4. wrap the breast of the pheasant in bacon
5. put in oven, breast side up
6. roast for approx. 20 minutes
7. discard the bacon, add the sherry and chicken stock to the pan
8. put back in oven (again breast side up) and roast for another 20 to 30 minutes
9. pour the stock into a small sauce pan, bring to the boil, add the cream and reduce for a couple of minutes
10. season to taste with salt, pepper and sherry

Brussels Sprouts

• 400g Brussel sprouts
• juice of 1 lemon
• butter
• creme fraiche
• lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

1. remove the outer leqaves and stems of the sprouts
2. heat enough salted water in a medium sized pot, add the lemon juice and bring to the boil
3. boil the sprouts for 10 to 12 minutes - until just tender but still firm to the bite
4. drain and coarsly chop the sprouts
5. heat some butter (I use the same pot), add the sprouts and the creme fraiche
6. cook for another 5 minutes
7. season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and (maybe) some additional lemon juice

Truffled Mash

Well, actually just mash with truffle oil - still yummy

Green Chicken Curry

Green Chicken Curry

• 2 tbls spoons of coconut cream
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 1 green chilli
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbl spoons of Thai Green Curry Paste
• 300g chicken (breast or de-boned thighs)
• 250 ml of coconut milk
• 250 ml of chicken stock
• 300g mushrooms
• 1 Aubergine
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves

1. finely chop the ginger, chilli and garlic
2. heat the coconut cream in a medium sized pot, add the ginger etc amd the Curry Paste
3. put in the chicken and stir, cook for 2 minutes
4. add the coconut milk and chicken stock
5. add the roughly chopped mushrooms and aubergine
6. bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 20 minutes (until the chicken is done)
7. garnish with coriander leaves

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese

• 2 red onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 tbl spoons of olive oil
• 400g minced beef
• 200g tinned tomatoes
• 125 ml beef stock
• 1 clove, 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbl spoons balsamic vinegar
• salt, pepper, nutemg, cayenne pepper

1. Finely chop the onions, celery, garlic and bacon
2. Heat the oil, put in the onions etc. and gently fry on low heat until soft (might take 10 minutes)
3. Turn up the heat, put in the minced beef and fry until brown
4. Put in the tomatoes, beef stock, clove and bay leave
5. Gently simmer for 0.51 to 1 hours (however long you like - some people simmer it for half a day)
6. Season with balsamic vinegar, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
7. Serve with pasta and freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Breaded Pork Chops, Green Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes

Breaded Pork Chops

• 2 pork chops, fatty part left on
• flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 slice of stale white bread (fresh will do as well)
• salt, pepper, smoked paprika
• 2 tbl spoons ghee

1. remove the bones from the chops, put them between cling film (or inidvidually into a plastic bag) and bash them slightly
2. lightly dust the chops with the flour and cover with egg
3. put the bread in a blender and shred to produce bread crumbs
4. mix the crumbs with salt, pepper and paprika and put on a plate
5. coat chops with crumbs
6. put ghee into a medium pan and place on high heat
7. fry chops for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, then turn to medium heat
8. fry another 10 minutes, again turning occasionally

Green Cabbage

• 1 Green Cabbage, medium sized
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbl spoons butter
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed
• 100 ml single cream
• mustard
• salt, pepper

1. fill a medium sized pan with water, salt and bring to the boil
2. put in the cabbage, set on high heat an boil for 8 minutes
3. drain through a collander, squeezing out as much if the water as possible
4. heat butter (using the same pan)
5. put in drained cabbage, caraway seeds and cream
6. set on low to medium heat and slowly cook for 20 minutes
7. season to taste with mustard, salt and pepper