Crock Pot Baked Ziti

A while back I stumbled over Crock Pots on Pinterest. In Germany they are not as common as they seem to be in America.
I really wanted to try it out. As it happens a few months later I received a Mulitcooker as a gift. Of course it's not the same (it's better) as a Crock Pot. But it has temperature regulation. The hardest part was to find the actual temperature for HIGH and LOW.

So this is my first attempt. All in all I am satisfied. It's a ridiculously simple recipe and needs no time at all. Especially if you use already grated parmesan and mozzarella.
I always prefer to grate the parmesan myself, it just tastes better. But it's a possibility. That way the preparation time amounts to 5 minutes.

In the original recipe it only says pasta sauce. But there are so many varieties. I couldn't decide which to take. So I took three different ones, Arrabiata, Tomato-Basil and Tomato-Bolognese. One for each layer. The Arrabiata made it a littel hot. So I'm glad I didn't use just that, I'm not a big fan of hot food.
I think next time, if there's going to be a next time, I only use the Bolognese. I liked that best.

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Crock Pot Baked Ziti 

500 g Penne Rigate or Ziti, wholewheat
450 g ricotta
2 egg whites
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup parmesan
1/2 cup + 1/2 cup mozzarella, light
ca. 1200 ml pasta sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Coat the Crock Pot with cooking spray.
2. Put the pasta in a colander and rinse them. Put them aside for later.
3. Grate the parmesan.
4. Cut the mozzarella roughly into small cubes.
5. Separate the egg whites from the yolk.
6. Put the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, the egg whites, salt and pepper in a bowl and with a fork mix everything together.
7. Evenly spread half of the pasta at the bottom of the pot.
8. Carefully pour 500 ml of the pasta sauce over the noodles.
9. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the sauce. Use a fork to put small quantities on the sauce and carefully spread them.
10. Repeat the pasta, sauce and ricotta layers.
11. Pour the rest of the pasta sauce on top.
12. Cook the pasta for 5-6 hours on low.
13. At the end sprinkle roughly 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella on top and leave it for 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Bon appétit!!

Tomato-Zucchini-Casserole

One of my older recipes. I wanted to make it again for some time now.

Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables. There are so many recipes and so many ways to use them.
I put in more of them than of the tomatoes. Because tomatoes always taste a little sour when you cook them in an oven.

The preparation is really simple and quickly done. It's suited quite well as a side dish to meat.
But you should really only use light products. Otherwise it's just to heavy. 

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Tomato-Zucchini-Casserole

2 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
2 zucchini
4 tomatoes
400-500 g gnocchi, refrigerated
200 g crème fraîche, light
300 ml whipping cream, light
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
thyme
Parmesan

1. Wash the zucchinis and tomatoes.
2. Cut the zucchinis into 5 mm thick slices. Put them into a bowl and douse them with the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Skin the onions and garlic cloves.
4. Mince the garlic cloves and dice the onions. Alternatly you can dice the onions in a food processor.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/430°F.
6. Spread the onions and garlic on the bottom of a big casserole dish. Scatter the gnocchi evenly over it.
7. Cut the tomatoes into 5 mm thick slices. Don't cut them all at once, wait till you start layering. That way there will be no left over slices.
8. Layer the zucchini and tomates alternatly like roofing shingles. Layer them either in rows or in circles inwards.
9. Mix the crème fraîche with the whipping cream. Season it heavily with salt and pepper.
10. Pour the mixture over the casserole.
11. Bake the casserole for 40 minutes.
12. Grate the parmesan.
13. Scatter the parmesan over the casserole, 5 minutes before it is finished.

Bon appétit!!

Salmon terrine

This is really only something for fish fans. Cause they do taste rather strongly of salmon.
All in all it's ok but not exactly my favorite fish recipe.

On the plus side the preparation time is rather short. It has to stay for a few hours in the fridge. So it's something you can make a day before. Less stress.

And don't worry if there is some zucchini left. You can just eat it as it is. Tastes great.

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Salmon terrine

Zucchini Cover

2 zucchini, ca. à 200 g
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Wash and dry both zucchinis.
2. Slice one zucchinis into fine round slices and the second zucchini lenghtwise into fine slices.
3. Put all the zucchini slices into a bowl. Douse them with the oil and season them with salt and pepper.
4. Put the bowl in the fridge and let the zucchinis marinate for at least one hour or up to one day.

Salmon Filling 

500 g salmon filet, fresh or frozen
200 g whipping cream
3 egg whites
2 tbsp creamed horseradish
5 tbsp chives
salt
pepper

! All ingredients should be cold
1. Wash and dry the chives. And cut them into small pieces.
2. Rinse and blot dry the salmon. It would be best if the salmon is a little bit frozen.
3. Cut the salmon into rough cubes.
4. Pulse the salmon, 100 g of the whipping cream, the egg whites, the creamed horseradish, salt and pepper in a food processor until it is a fine puree.
5. Whisk the remaining 100 g whipping cream until it's stiff.
6. Fold the whipped cream and the chives into the fish mixture. Taste for salt and pepper and season some more if necessary.

To Assemble

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
2. Cover the bottom of a muffin pan with the round zucchini slices. Use the lenghtwise slices for the sides. If holes arise cover those with the round slices.
3. Pour the finished fish mixture into the prepeared hollows. Smoothe the mass.
4. Bake the terrine in a water bath for 35 minutes.
5. Let the muffin pan cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Afterwards topple the terrines on a big cutting board.
5. Put the terrines in a closed container. And let them cool in the fridge over night.

Bon appétit!!

Salmon Skewer with Mojito Salad

I love these dressing. It's so fresh and fruity. Ideal for the summer.

The original recipe asked for tequila. I actually planed to buy some, but then I stumbled over a ready made mojito cocktail. It was cheaper, so I bought that instead. But it was better this way. Cause I also needed limes. But I couldn't find them anywhere. It seems they are to expensive at the moment, so the dealer don't buy them. But there is already lime juice in the mojito, lucky me! The mint adds a nice note too.

The fish goes rather well with the salad. But really the skewers are more work than they are worth.

The photos did't work out at all this time. I try to take them while the sun is still out. But this time it was already dark and I had to use the flash light. It doesn't look as appetizing as it actually was. I'm disappointed with myself.

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Salmon Skewer with Mojito Salad

Mojito Dressing

2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp mojito cocktail
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 bund of parsley

1. Put lemon juice, honey and mojito cocktail into a food processor and blend it together.
2. Rip the parsley leaves of. Put them in the processor and blend them as fine as possible.
3. Add the oil. Blend everything together

Salad 

red and green lettuce
cherry tomatoes
scallion

1. Wash and dry all ingredients.
2. Rip the lettuce in rough pieces.
3. Cut the tomatoes into halves.
4. Cut the scallion into slices.
5. Put everything into a salad bowl.

Salmon Skewer

ca. 16 wood skewer
500 g salmon filet
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp sesame
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper flakes
2 lemons
1 tsp salt
olive oil

1.Wash the salmon and dab it dry.
2. Let the skewer soak in water.
3. Cut the salmon into cubes, about 2 cm big.
4. Cut the lemon into thin slices.
5. Heat the grill and brush it with some oil.
6. Mix the oregano, the sesame, the cumin and the pepper together.
7. Use two skewer and spit a salmon piece on them, then a fold a lemon slice and spit it on too. Then
repeat with two more salmon pieces and a lemon slice. Each skewer should always start and finish with the salmon.
8. Coat the finished skewer with a little oil.
9. Sprinkle them with some salt.
10. Sprinkle them with the seasoning.
11. Grill the skewer from both sides for about 8-10 minutes.

Bon appétit!!

Paprika Meat Pie

Looks delicious and tastes delicious.

I used a tart pan here. It looks better this way. But you can just use a normal cake pan. 

The taste reminds me a little of stuffed peppers.  

So that's it, there really is nothing more to say. It is a rather simple recipe. 

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Paprika Meat Pie

Dough

170 g potatoes, floury
150 g flour
80 g butter, soft
1/4 tsp salt

1. Peel and wash the potatoes. Cube them roughly.
2. Cook the potatoes in salt water for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Drain the water. Let the potatoes cool down and afterwards mash them.
4. With a dough hook mix the flour, the butter and salt together.
5. Add the mashed potatoes and mix everything to a solid dough. Knead the dough with your hands until it's smooth.
6. Butter a 28 cm sized tart pan.
7. Press the dough evenly into the tart pan. At the edges press the dough as high as you can.
8. Put the tart pan in the fridge to cool.

Filling

2 onions
1 red pepper bell
1 yellow pepper bell
1 green pepper bell
400 g ground meat, pork
3 eggs
150 g crème fraîche
150 ml milk
2 tbsp bell pepper paste or tomato paste
bell pepper powder, sweet
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Skin the onions. Cut the onions into fine cubes or alternately use a food processor.
2. Wash the bell peppers. Cut them roughly into 1 cm big cubes.
3. Heat the oil in a big sauce pan. And braise the onions and peppers in the pan for about 5 minutes. Afterwards take the vegetables out of the pan.
4. Add a little oil into the pan. Fry the meat crumbly in it.
5. Season strongly with salt, pepper and the bell pepper powder.
6. Mix the meat and bell peppers together.
7. Blend the eggs, the crème fraîche and the bell pepper paste. Add the milk and season with salt and pepper.

To Assemble

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
2. Take the tart pan out of the fridge. Spread the pepper-meat mixture on the dough.
3. Pour the milk mixture carefully over the tart. Don't fill the tart to the brim. Leave out at least 1/2 cm at the top. During the baking the filling will rise some and drop after it's out of the oven.
4. Bake the tart for about 50 minutes.
5. Put the tart on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Carefully release the pie out of the tart pan.

Bon appétit!!

Easter Egg Mini-Cakes

I found this the week before easter. I just had to try it out. It is a lot of work but so worth it. 

And it was actually easier to make the hole than I thought.
I used a roulade skewer to drill the hole into the egg. And it was easy to make it bigger with a corkscrew bottle opener.
But I thought for next year I try out a hand drill to make a cleaner hole.

Another good thing about the eggs is that the cake stays moist for a while. At least I think it would stay that way for a few days. All the ones I made were gone the first day, so it's all just speculation.

When you color them you should use Eater Egg Colors which don't require to dunk them into water or something similar.
The shell should be really clean or the color won't hold and you will get an uneven result.

We tried to pull a little prank on my uncle with them. Just laid one of the eggs on his plate and tried to encourage him to eat it without telling him that it's not really an egg. Of cause he noticed that something wasn't right with our behavior and he refused to eat it. Well it ended with him sulking and not even trying one of them.
But it was a big hit with my cousin. He ate three in succession. And considering that he doesn't eat all that many sweets I see it as a big compliment.

My brother took the last five eggs with him to some friends. In the evening they came over to the house. They too liked the eggs. One liked them so much she ate it with the shell. She didn't realise it was a real egg and not some kind of sweet. At first I thought she was joking. But nope she really meant it.
I had a good laugh.

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Easter Egg Mini-Cakes 

Cake Batter

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 cup sugar
113 g butter, soft
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
lemon essence

1. Sift the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda and salt together.
2. Blend the sugar and eggs with a hand mixer till the mass is pale and creamy.
3. Add the butter and lemon essence to the batter and blend it well.
4. Add the flour mixture and blend everything together.
5. Add the sour cream to the batter and blend it.
 

Cream Cheese Batter 

1 egg
240 g cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
yellow food coloring

1. Blend the egg, the cream cheese and the sugar with a hand mixer together.
2. Add the food coloring until the batter resembles egg yolk.
 

To Assemble

24 eggs, hollowed
24 strips kitchen foil, ca. 10 cm wide

1. Carefully drill a small hole into the bottom of the eggs. Preferably use some kind of sharp metal skewer. Widen the hole with a corkscrew bottle opener or something similar. In the end the hole should have a diameter of about 2 cm.
2. Scoop out the eggs. A wooden skewer is rather helpful with that. You should save three of the eggs separately. Two for the cake batter and one for the cream cheese batter. The rest of the eggs can be put together and used for something else.
3. Wash the egg shells out with warm water.
4. Keep the egg shells for 30 minutes in salt water.
5. Rinse the egg shells with cold water.
6. Leave the shells, with the opening downwards, on some paper towels to dry.
7. Tear 24 strips of kitchen foil. They should be roughly 10 cm wide.
8. Crumple up the foil and put one each in the hollow of the muffin pan. It should be formed in such a way that the eggs can stand on their heads without falling.
9. Place the egg shells in the muffin pan with the hole facing upwards.
10. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/360°F.
11. Put the cake batter into a piping bag.
12. Fill each egg to 1/4 with the cake batter.
13. Fill each egg to 1/2 with the cream cheese batter. The batter should be to fluid for a piping bag, so just carefully pour it from the bowl or use a spoon.
14. Fill each egg to 3/4 with the cake batter.
15. Bake the eggs for about 20 minutes. During the baking some of the batter will flow out of the eggs. When the batter has a gold brown coloring it should be ready.
16. Let the muffin pan on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Afterwards take the eggs out of the pan and let them to cool down on a cooling rack.
17. With a small knife carefully scrape the overflowed batter from the eggs. Don't cut all the batter at the hole of. Delicately wipe down the shells with a wet paper towel.
18. Color the eggs with some kind of easter egg coloring which doesn't require for the eggs to be dipped in water or something similar.
19. When the color is dry cut of the cake batter which is needless or has some color on it.

The egg shells and the batter are enough for two muffin pans.

Bon appétit!!