European Recipes
Ajvar (Croatia)
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Vegetarian
2 lg Eggplants
6 lg Red or green sweet peppers
Salt
Pepper
1 Garlic clove -- minced
1 Lemon -- juiced
1/2 c Oil, preferably olive oil
Parsley -- minced
Bake eggplants and sweet peppers at 350 F until tender
when pierced with a fork. Peel skin from hot
vegetables and chop or mince the vegetables. Season to
taste with salt and pepper and stir in the garlic and
lemon juice. Gradually stir in as much of the oil as
the vegetables will absorb. Mix well. Pile into a
glass dish and sprinkle with parsley.
Belgian Beef Stew
(Belgium)
3 lb Lean stewing beef
- cut into 1 1/2-in cubes
Flour for dredging
5 tb Vegetable oil
2 lg Onions
- peeled and thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves
- peeled and minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 oz Beer
2 lb Sauerkraut
- rinsed and squeezed dry
2 tb Marjoram
2 tb Dark brown sugar
1 t Celery seed
1 Bay leaf
3/4 c Pitted green olives, sliced
1 c Cream (optional)
1/2 c Minced flat-leaf parsley
- for garnish
PREHEAT OVEN TO 325F. Dredge the meat in flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil
in a Dutch oven. Add only enough meat to cover the bottom of the pan
without crowding and brown on all sides, scraping and turning the cubes so
that they don't burn. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and
continue until all the meat is browned, adding fresh oil as needed. If the
oil has burned or more oil is needed, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of
oil to the pot. When it is hot, add the onions and cook for 6-to-7 minutes
more, stirring frequently until they are light brown and soft. Stir in the
garlic. Add the meat, salt, pepper, beer, sauerkraut, marjoram, brown
sugar, celery seed, bay leaf and olives and stir to mix well. Cover and
transfer the casserole to the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
After the meat is tender, remove the bay leaf, skim off any excess fat and
stir in the cream, if desired. Add the parsley.
Tarte Aux Pommes
a la Solognote (France)
4 md Apples, peeled, cored,
-- chopped
3/4 c Butter
1 tb Oil
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 ts Zest, lemon
1/2 ts Zest, orange
1 x Pate Brisee ** OR
1 ea Pastry, puff, round, 9"
Heat 1/2 cup of the butter and the oil in a skillet until quite
hot. Add the apples and sugar, shaking to coat the apples.
Add the zests and cook to caramelize the sugar.
In another pan, heat the reserved 1/4 cup of butter until almost
smoking and pour in the apples. Take the pan off the heat and fit the
pate brisee pastry over the apples.
Bake in a 350 F oven for 7 minutes and turn the heat to 500 F to
brown.
When golden, put the pan on the stove to glaze the bottom and
invert tarte onto a plate to serve.
Soup: French Onion
Soup
2 tb (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c Vegetable oil
3 1/2 lb Onions, thinly sliced
2 c Dry wine
6 c Chicken stock or canned
Low-salt broth
12 1/2-inch thick French Bread
Baguette slices, toasted
1 c Gruye're Cheese (about 4 oz)
Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, cover
and cook until lightly colored, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook 5 minutes.
Add browned bits. Cook 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to simmer. Simmer
uncovered 1-1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be
prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before
continuing.)
Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into boilerproof bowls. Top with slices of
toasted French bread. Sprinkle with grated Gruyere cheese. Broil until
cheese melts. Serve immediately.
Spring Nicoise Salad (France)
12 oz New red potatoes; quartered
2 c Green beans; trimmed
1/2 c Yogurt, plain
1/4 c Basil, fresh; chopped
4 lg Romaine lettuce leaves
1 sm Onion, red; thinly sliced
6 oz White tuna; drained
1 Egg; hard-cooked, sliced
4 Ripe olives
Bring 1 quart water to boiling in a 10-inch skillet.
Add the potatoes and cook, covered, for 8 minutes or
until almost tender. Add green beans and cook an
additional 5 minutes. Place yogurt and basil in bowl
of blender and whirl for process for 30 seconds. Set
aside.
Line four plates with lettuce; top evenly with
potatoes, green beans, onion slices, tuna, and egg
slices. Garnish with olives. Drizzle each salad with
2 tablespoons yogurt dressing.
Old World Sauerkraut Supper(Germany)
3 Strips bacon, in small
-pieces
2 sm Potatoes, cubed
2 sm Apples, cored, cubed
2 lb Polish sausage, in pieces
3 t Brown sugar
1 1/2 t Flour
1 1/2 t Caraway seeds
2 27-ounce cans sauerkraut
1/2 c Water
Fry bacon and Polish sausage until crisp; drain. Add flour to
drippings and blend well. Stir in sauerkraut; mix well. Place
sauerkraut mixture, bacon and sausage pieces i n CROCK-POT.
Add all other ingredients; stir together thoroughly. Cover and cook
on Low 7 to 9 hours. (High: 3 to 4 hours).
Pasta and Chick Pea
Soup (Italy)
2 ts Olive oil
1/2 c Chopped onion
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c Drained canned Italian
-tomatoes, chopped
8 oz Drained canned chick-peas,
-reserve 1/2 c liquid
1/2 c Cooked macaroni (shells,
-elbows, ditalini)
1 1/2 ts Shredded fresh basil (1/2
-tsp dried)
1 ds Each salt and pepper
Garnish: basil sprigs
In 1-quart saucepan heat oil over medium heat; add
onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent.
Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let
simmer for 5 minutes. Add chick-peas with reserved
liquid and remaining ingredients; cook until heated.
Serve garnished with basil sprigs.
Makes 2 servings.