Kidneys and Spätzle

 

Attention, the kidneys must first be soaked for 2 hours before cooking!

I've only done this once so far, and will certainly change a few things, also the photos don't quite fit.

Preparation You'll need: A large pan A medium or large pot with lid
Ingredients kidneys (for 2 people) approx. 500-600 g pork kidneys - it is best to have them prepared by the butcher, as the skins have to be removed and especially the tubes. Then he can also cut them into small pieces. If you can't have them cleaned (or not properly cleaned) then have a look at this page. 4 shallots 1 large carot 1 large leek 1 large piece of celery and/or (if you happen to have it and want to get rid of it) parsnip / parsley root 1 Tbsp tomato puree 1 Tbsp flour 150 mL red wine 150 mL cream 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 3 French cornichons or 1 large gherkin
Ingredients Spätzle (for 2 people) (Complete recipe) 3 eggs (L or M) Approx. 180 g flour (also depends on the eggs) just under 1 tsp salt
First of all 2 hours before you want to start cooking, you need to soak the kidneys. You will need a large bowl and a large sieve (so that the kidneys fit comfortably and the sieve fits into the bowl). Place the kidneys in the sieve and rinse briefly. Place in the bowl with the sieve and fill up with cold water. Put to one side. 1/2 hour later: briefly remove the sieve from the bowl and stir the kidneys briefly by hand so that there is no more water in the sieve. Tip out the water in the bowl. -> Now repeat everything three more times, then you can start cooking; the typical unpleasant odour of fresh kidneys should have disappeared. In the meantime, you can continue with the other preparations, see below.
Further steps Bring a pot of water to the boil, add 2 tsp salt, switch off again, this is for the spaetzle. If you have a good cooker, you can save yourself the trouble. Roughly chop 4 shallots, 2 large carrots, 1 large leek and a suitable amount of celery/parsnip/parsley root. Prepare 150 ml red wine. Cut 3 cornichons into slices and set aside separately.
Preparation Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add the kidneys and fry over a slightly higher heat until they are no longer raw. As the kidneys release a lot of water, tip them into the sieve used and then put them to one side in a bowl. Season generously with pepper, lightly salt and stir briefly. Now bring the pot of water for the spaetzle to the boil (again). Roast the vegetables in the pan over a high heat until the first dark spots appear. Sprinkle over 1 Tbsp of flour and stir. Deglaze with red wine, add 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar. Boil down the sauce considerably, it reduces relatively quickly. In the meantime, prepare the spaetzle. As soon as the sauce has reduced considerably, pass through the sieve (press the vegetables against the sieve with a spoon, get all the flavour out of the sauce ツ). Park the spaetzle in a bowl in the oven at 50°C together with the plates. Briefly fry 1 Tbsp of tomato purée in the pan, then add the gravy, gherkins and 150 ml of cream and bring to the boil. Pour in the kidneys and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then place the spaetzle in the bowl on the table for self-service, divide the kidneys between the plates and serve. A red wine or non-alcoholic beer goes well with this.

Parisian Cutlet (Updated - v2)

Pariser Schnitzel (parisian cutlet) was one of my very first dishes. Why it's called like that I do not really know. For years I've been thinking it must come from Paris. Until I met Carinne and I found out that in French they call *all* mushrooms champignons, and that specific mushroom that we call in German "Champignon" (field mushroom) is actually called Champignon de Paris. I can guess now where it comes from. On the 'Pariser Schnitzel' are Champignons, ahm, Champignons de Paris.
This goes very well with the Spätzle!

ChezTeddy Tip:

If you plan doing this with the Spätzle the best sequence would be to first do the dough of the Spätzle, put the dough on the side, then prepare the Schnitzel and the sauce and put the casserole in the oven. By that time, the Spätzle dough had enough time to sit, and you can cook the Spätzle. Having done that, the Schnitzel will be just fine to take out and eat ☺

This should be served with a green salad

Preparation For the Schnitzel, you'll need: a pan a small bowl for the sauce a casserole dish
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 2 large turkey cutlets salt 200-250 g sour cream 1½ tsp sweet paprika seasoning 60-70 g butter 150-200 g of cheese (a cheese good for melting it in the oven, I like to use German or Danish Höhlenkäse (cave cheese). one glass of small field mushrooms (around 200 g) [aka: button mushrooms, Champignons, Champignon de Paris] Everything you need for the spätzle (quantity: 2 eggs, around 80 g flour). and some green salad (e. g. Romaine lettuce)
The sauce For the sauce, melt 60-70 g butter in a pan (not too hot, otherwise it will brown), then fry the schnitzels quickly until they take on a nice brown colour, then remove from the pan and 'park' in the oven dish. Now add 200-250 g of sour cream to the remains of the butter sauce (note: as sour cream consists mainly of water, it will splatter a lot when you add the cream. It is best to cover the pan with a lid for a minute or two). Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then add 2 tsp paprika spice and a little salt. Stir again until everything is well combined, then pour the sauce into a bowl and set aside. - Just before eating, carefully reheat the sauce in the microwave.
Preparing the cutlets for the oven Don't clean the pan out too much, use the rest for the next step: Fry the champignons (not too hot) for a few minutes (they shouldn't get brown). Put the field mushrooms and then the cheese on top of the cutlets. Cover it with a bit of paprika seasoning.
Doing the cutlets in the oven Preheat the oven at 180℃ and put the casserole in. Bake the cutlets until the cheese gets brown (around 15 minutes the normal way, and then 1 or 2 minutes on 'grill', if necessary). Get the cutlets with the topping onto plates and pour the remainders(the souce and whatever mushrooms are in the casserole) into the bowl with the sauce and heat that up again. This is supposed to be poured over the Spätzle after serving. Bon appetit!

Escalope Chasseur with Spätzle

The Jägerschnitzel (escalope chasseur) goes best with Spätzle
Instead of pork, you could also use veal, why not as Cordon Bleu?

Preparation time approx. 75 minutes

Preparation You'll need: A large pan for the cutlets A large or medium pan for the mushrooms/sauce Three plates for breading the cutlets Two slightly larger ceramic bowls for sauce and Spätzle
Ingredients (for 2 people) For the Spätzle, look at the corresponding recipe! Sizing: I would take 2 eggs (M) and approx. 80-110 g flour. Cutlets: 4 pork loin steaks, for approx. 300 to 350 g 2 eggs (M) 75-110 g bread crumbs (depending on the size of the Schnitzel) Some standard flour 50-60 g butter Salt, ground pepper, sunflower oil 1 lemon (to squeeze over the cutlets at the table, if you like) Sauce: 250 g brown button mushrooms 300 mL sweet cream 1 Tbsp butter 1 medium onion 2 cloves of garlic 100 ml white wine, dry 5 bis 6 stems of parsley Salt, ground pepper, sunflower oil
First steps (this will take approx. 45 minutes) The first thing to do is to make the spaetzle dough. To be able to bread the cutlets, you need three large plates for 3 Tbsp flour, 2 whole eggs/M (salt and pepper lightly and whisk with a fork) and 75-100 g breadcrumbs. See also my recipe for Wiener Schnitzel. Provide 50-60 g butter. It is best to have the cutlets knocked at the butcher's. If you bought them at some dorky supermarket (as sometimes happens in these parts) where they are not pounded, you should do it yourself at home - for this you should have a proper meat tenderiser (a heavy pan or a small but heavy pot is possible, but a makeshift solution). Now salt and pepper the cutlets well and place them briefly on the side again. Clean 250 g brown mushrooms briefly with a mushroom brush, then quarter or halve them (depending on size). On the side. Finely chop 1 medium onion. On the side. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and place on the side. Measure out 100 ml of white wine and (you guessed it) set aside. Pluck leaves from 5 or 6 stalks of Parsley and chop coarsely. On the side. For the Spätzle, bring a large pot full of water to the boil, covered, and then turn it off again - so that it goes faster afterwards. Preheat the dinner plates and two somewhat larger bowls for the Spätzle and the sauce in the oven at 80℃.
Frying the mushrooms and the cutlets (this will take approx. 30 minutes) Heat a certain amount of oil in a medium/large frying pan (the mushrooms absorb it well) and melt 1 Tbsp. butter in it. Fry the mushrooms in it over a fairly high heat (8-8.5) until browned. Once they have the desired browning, turn the pan with the mushrooms aside to cool for 1 minute. -> In that time you can start with the cutlets, see next paragraph! Add the onion and fry over a good medium heat (6-6.5) for another 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and fry for another 1 minute. Deglaze with white wine (now measure out 300 ml cream) and cook until the wine has completely reduced. Add the cream, season with salt and coarsely ground pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the parsley to the sauce. Turn the cutlets in flour, egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs on well. Heat a good amount of oil in a large frying pan and fry the breaded cutlets until they are browned (approx. 2-3 minutes per side). Remove from the pan and place on some kitchen paper on the side. Once all the cutlets have been made, add 50-60 g of butter to the used pan and fry over a high heat until foamy. Then fry the cutlets in it again for 1 minute per side. Drain again on fresh kitchen paper (you can also do this at 80℃ in the oven ;-). When the cutlets and sauce are almost ready, bring the pot of water back to the boil, don't forget the salt and prepare the Spätzle according to the recipe.

 

Deie (Updated - v2)

 

One could say this is the "Flammkuchen" [Tarte Flambée] of Württemberg ☺
In Esslingen they are called "Deie", but they've got many names.

Attention! Preparation time one and a half hours! The first thing to do is to put the pizza stone in the oven (300℃, middle level).

One Deie per person. Since we love variety, we always do two different ones and share them. One could do both at once and bake them together, but we do one, eat it and then do the other one, so that it isn't cold by the time we want to eat it.

Preparation You'll need: A large bowl A medium-sized bowl A Chamotte stone
Ingredients for the dough (for 2 Deie) 300 g flour, traditionally it should be a dark wheat flour, like Type 1050 or 812. Certainly one can take just standard white wheat flour. ca. 140 to 160 mL water 12 g yeast Some icing sugar -> around ½ tsp. Some baking powder -> almost 1 tsp. 1 heaped tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. oil (one can also use 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. lard) 180 - 200 mL water
Ingredients for the cream (for 2 Deie) 150 to 200 g Sour Cream 1 egg 25 g flour Some Salt
Additional ingredients for 1 Deie "Traditional" 1/2 smaller onion 1/4 bunch chives 50 g Black Forest ham, thin slices One can certainly take bacon, Parma ham or Serrano ham instead.
Additional ingredients for 1 Deie "Fisher" 1/4 bunch chives 70 g smoked salmon, thin slices 1 lime (to squeeze on the Deie when it's ready to eat, if wanted)
Additional ingredients for 1 Deie "Hunter" 1/2 smaller onion 2 king oyster mushrooms 2 cloves of garlic 50 g bacon, thin slices One can certainly take Parma ham or Serrano ham instead.
Preparing the dough Put 300 g flour in a large bowl, make a dent in the middle, and sprinkle 12 g yeast into it, plus almost a tsp. of icing sugar. Add some of 180-200 mL water and mix well. Set the sponge on the side at a warm place for 10 minutes. Then add 1 heaped tsp salt, just under 1 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp oil and the remaining water in several stages (sometimes a little less is enough, sometimes not). Knead into a smooth dough for 5-7 minutes until the desired firm consistency is achieved. Put the dough again for at least half an hour to rest, covered with a wet cloth. In the meantime you can prepare the other ingredients for the topping.
Preparing the cream Mix in a medium-sized bowl 150 to 200 g sour cream, some salt (2 to 4 pinches), 1 egg and 25 g flour. Set aside.
Preparation of the Deie "Traditional" Dice the onion, fry in some oil until golden brown. Set aside to cool down. Cut the chives into small rolls. The rest can be done half an hour to an hour later, depending on how long you let the pizza stone heat up. When the stone is really heated up: Take half of the dough and roll it out in flour in oval shape. Some like the dough to be half a centimetre thick, some prefer it really thin, like with a Tarte Flambée, which will certainly result in larger pieces. Pierce the dough piece with a fork several times and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Spread the sauteed onion and the chives over the dough. Then spread half of the cream over it (should be around 135 g), finally put the ham, torn into no too small pieces on top of it. Put into the oven. Switch off the oven and let the Deie bake until the crust is golden brown. If you plan to do another one, remember to turn the heat back up to 300℃.
Preparation of the Deie "Fisher" You can start start half an hour or one hour later, depending on how long you want the chamotte stone to heat up. Cut the chives into small rolls. When the stone is really heated up: Take half of the dough and roll it out in flour in oval shape. Some like the dough to be half a centimetre thick, some prefer it really thin, like with a Tarte Flambée, which will certainly result in larger pieces. Pierce the dough piece with a fork several times and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Spread the chives over the dough. Then spread half of the cream over it (should be around 135 g), finally put the salmon, torn into no too small pieces on top of it. Put into the oven. Switch off the oven and let the Deie bake until the crust is golden brown. If you plan to do another one, remember to turn the heat back up to 300℃.
Preparation of the Deie "Hunter" Finely dice the onion, cut the king oyster mushrooms into not too small pieces, chop the garlic. Sauté in a little oil until golden yellow. Put aside to cool. Tear the bacon into not too small pieces. The rest can be done half an hour to an hour later, depending on how long you let the pizza stone heat up. When the stone is really heated up: Take half of the dough and roll it out in flour in oval shape. Some like the dough to be half a centimetre thick, some prefer it really thin, like with a Tarte Flambée, which will certainly result in larger pieces. Pierce the dough piece with a fork several times and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Spread the cream generously on the dough (about 130 g) and add the mushroom mixture. Finally spread the bacon on top. Put into the oven. Switch off the oven and let the Deie bake until the crust is golden brown. If you plan to do another one, remember to turn the heat back up to 300℃.

 

Swabian Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Cake)

Preparation time approx. 3.5-4 hours
You should definitely serve a Federroter (red must) or Federweisser (white must) with this!

Preparation You'll need: A medium springform pan (approx. 21 x 7 cm) A medium pan A medium bowl
Ingredients Dough (for 2 persons) 20+50 g wholemeal flour 20+50 g spelt flour ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. sugar 10 g yeast 50+25 mL milk 25 g butter
Ingredients Topping (for 2 persons) 250 g chopped onions (2-3 pieces) 25 g butter 1 Tbsp. flour (you can use standard flour here, I usually use spelt or wholemeal, the package is already standing around ;-) 1 egg (L) 200 g sour cream A few pinches of salt 1 tsp. caraway seeds 50-60 g smoked bacon, diced
The Sponge Put 20 g each of wholemeal and spelt flour into the mixing bowl, add 10 g yeast (crumbled), 50 mL milk and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix everything well and place in the oven. Heat the oven to 30℃ and turn it off again immediately. Allow the pre-dough to work until the volume has doubled (approx. half an hour). Put out 2x 25 g butter so that it is not so cold.
Make the dough As soon as the volume of the pre-dough has doubled, add 50 g each of wholemeal and spelt flour, as well as 25 mL milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 25 g butter. (Let) knead for 7-10 minutes. Then place the bowl back in the oven, covered, and bring back up to 30℃ and turn off. The dough should rest for at least 2 hours! After 1 hour, you could take care of the topping....
The Topping Finely chop 2-3 onions (250 g are needed). Sauté with 25 g butter in a medium frying pan over a good medium heat until translucent (approx. 5-7 minutes), turn off. Then sprinkle with 1 Tbsp flour, mix well and leave to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk 200 g sour cream and 1 egg (L). Add a few pinches of salt, 50 g smoked bacon cubes and 1 tsp caraway seeds (whole). Mix well again and also put aside.
Make the cake After the dough has rested, roll it out so that it fits well in the small springform pan. Spread into the tin; the dough should reach almost all the way to the top. Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Now add the onion mass to the sour cream in the bowl and mix everything well. Pour into the cake tin and sprinkle with a little caraway and (if you like) a little diced bacon. Don't be surprised, the topping is only about half as high as the edge of the pastry (this rises significantly during baking). Bake the cake for about 40 minutes (until topping is getting light brown), then leave to cool for another 5 minutes and serve warm with new wine.

 

Swabian Hefezopf (Updated - v2)

 

 

For two small Hefezopfs (literally "yeast braid")

Attention! Preparation time is three hours (don't worry, most of the time is just waiting (ᵔᴥᵔ))

Ingredients for the dough 520 g flour 2 eggs 80 g sugar (do not use xylitol here, the yeast does not like it). 3 pinches of salt 160 mL tepid milk (60 and 100) 20 g yeast 80 g soft butter Ingredients for the Zopf 1 egg yolk Decorating sugar Flaked almonds or almond slivers
Preparation of the sponge Put 520 g flour into a large bowl, make a dent into the middle of the surface. Crumble 20 g yeast into the dell, add 60 mL tepid milk and dissolve the yeast. Add some icing sugar and stir the liquid, mixing in some of the flour, until you get a pulpy sponge. Place the bowl into the oven for 15 minutes at 30℃. Place 80 g butter in a small bowl in the oven as well.
Preparation of the dough Add the remaining ingredients (2 eggs, 100 mL milk, 3 pinches of salt, 80 g sugar, the 80 g soft butter from the oven) to the sponge, mix well and knead for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 40℃. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and turn off the oven. Leave to rise for at least one hour; the volume of the dough must approximately double. Then carefully divide the dough into 6 parts (for approx. 950-960 g dough, this should be 6x just under 160 g), do not work and especially do not knead. Then carefully work the pieces round and let them rest on a lightly floured surface for another 10 to 15 minutes.
The Zopf Grease baking tray. Roll out the dough pieces on a lightly floured work surface to approx. 30-35 cm long strands. Braid 3 strands into a plait as shown in the pictures. Repeat with the other three strands of dough. Place the two plaits on the baking tray and let them rise in the running oven at 30℃ for about 10 minutes. Remove the baking tray with the yeast plaits, preheat the oven to 150℃ and leave the plaits to rest for another 10 minutes. Now whisk the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl and brush it onto the plaits so that none of it collects in the grooves (i.e. more on the sides). Finally, generously sprinkle with almond pieces and sugar crystals. Push the baking tray into the oven (middle shelf) and bake at 180℃ (top and bottom heat) for about 20 to 30 minutes until the desired browning is achieved.