German Potato Salad

German potato salad most often features bacon instead of peppered salami, parsley or chives instead of dill, and uses dijon mustard instead of German mustard. But then most of the recipes you see for this dish come from the US, where preferences are slightly different. 

 The ingredients are: semi-peeled boiled potato; 2 finely chopped small onion, or shallots; 1 tbsp light olive oil;1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tsp German mustard; 4 diced gherkins; chopped fresh dill, or half a teaspoonful of dried dill; 8 slices of thin finely shredded pepper salami.

The potatoes were boiled for twenty minutes under glass in salted water. Then decanted to a bowl, and allowed to cool. The onions or shallots were finely diced, and soused in white vinegar. The gherkins were also finely sliced and added to the onions. Then the teaspoonful of German mustard was stirred through the onions and gherkins. Add the dill and stir through.Put in the fridge for a couple of hours.  

Once the potatoes are cool, the onion, gherkin and mustard salsa can be added to them, Dice the peppered salami and add to the dish when you are ready to serve. Stir through thoroughly. 

Bacon in a Neapolitan Sauce

 Lots of odds and ends of vegetables in the fridge, along with bacon, so this dish, based on a Neapolitan style sauce (chopped tomatoes with pepper, oregano and basil), consists of peas, green beans, green pepper strips, celery, chopped shallots, carrot, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, chopped bacon rashers, ham stock, and garlic. 

The shallots, carrots, pepper strips, peas, green beans, bacon, garlic, and celery were stir-fried for ten minutes at a medium heat in olive oil. If you prefer the bacon to be crispy, stir-fry it first and then add the vegetables. 

Add boiling water, turn down the heat to a simmer, add the chopped tomatoes and the herbs, and cover the pan with glass. Simmer for forty-five minutes to an hour. Served with basmati rice and a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Bacon in a Neapolitan Sauce

Penne Pasta, Chorizo and Blue Stilton

The gravy was made with one red onion, six shallots, half of a yellow pepper, cut into strips, a shredded salad or vine tomato, a dash of a Sauvignon Blanc, a teaspoonful of black pepper, parsley, some tomato puree, two spoonfuls of yoghurt, and ham stock,

The gravy was made by frying the red onion and the shallots, both chopped, until they were browned. I mixed some  cornflour with water, and added the ham stock. Then added this to the pot and allowed to thicken over ten minutes, stirring regularly. Then the rest of the vegetables, the tomato puree,The yoghurt, the parsley, and the pepper were added. The Blue Stilton cheese was grated in a rotary grater, and used as a topping. A delicious combination!

The penne pasta was Dove's farm brand, and is wheat free. Cooked in boiling salted water for 9 to 10 minutes under glass at a low heat.

Penne Pasta, Chorizo and Blue Stilton

Beef Burger in a Beer and Shallot Gravy

Commercially bought beef burgers (from Sainsbury's), so not a wheat free dish. The gravy was made with one red onion, six shallots, a dash of  Deuchars IPA beer, a teaspoonful of black pepper, parsley, some tomato puree, and beef stock, Served with half a head of brocolli.

The beef burgers had been fried the day before, so they were reheated in a steamer,  The head of brocolli (cut into four sections) was cooked in another level of the steamer. 

The gravy was made by frying the red onion and the shallots, both chopped, until they were browned. I mixed some browned cornflour with water, and added the beef stock. Then added this to the pot and allowed to thicken over ten minutes, stirring regularly. Then the tomato puree, the parsley, and the pepper was added.  

I learned the art of cooking with beer from Pamela Vandyke Price, who wrote a whole book about cooking with wine, spirits, beer, and cider. Well worth digging out if you can. 

Beef Burger in a Beer and Shallot Gravy