Author: Twin Cities Herbs

French Onion Soup (soupe à l’oignon)

There is a little more to the soup than just throwing all the ingredients together … follow this recipe and you can make a perfect onion soup. Oh and when you serve it, play some nice French music. Last time I ate French onion soup, we were at the restaurant called Naniboujou by Grand Marais, Minnesota. We stopped there after canoeing at the Boundary Waters and they happened to play the Cd from the movie Amelia… ah total bliss…

I love French onion soup.

Today, we often see this soup in fancy restaurants; however, it traditionally started out as a peasant food made with the simple ingredients: onions, beef broth and cheese. It is the perfect soup for the winter. The secret is in the preparation. Of course, it is made with lots of onions … and these caramelized onions give the soup its rich color and flavor. It takes a long time to slowly caramelize those onions but it is so worth it! You get this wonderfully savory flavor with a little hint of sweetness.

Oh and of course the ingredients. Your soup will be as good as the ingredients used. I prefer making the beef stock at home and let’s not forget the cheese! Try to get the best cheese you can buy! I like using Gruyere cheese, but you can try other rich flavored cheese as well.

RECIPE

8 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 larger onions (1 kg) onions, sliced
  • 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 3 Tbsp brandy or cognac
  • 10 cups beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • few fresh thyme springs or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • toasted sliced French bread (about 2 slices per serving)
  • cheese (1/4 cup per serving)

Method

Peel the onions, cut them in halves. (Make sure you remove the first 2 tougher layers of the onions). Cut them into very thin slices.

In a large pot melt the butter. Add the onions and the sugar, stir. Cook on medium high heat for about 15 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir occasionally.

Turn heat down a notch and continue cooking the onions for 40 – 45 more minutes or until they are nice and brown but not burnt. Stir occasionally. Do not cover the pot.

Stir in the flour and mix. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add the wine and the brandy if using alcohol. Mix. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme springs and cook for 25 – 30 minutes partially covered.

When done, add salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve the soup in individual oven proof bowls if you wish. Add the toasted bread and 1/4 cup of cheese per bowl on top. Broil on high for 5 minutes. Or you can serve the soup in a big pot and just let people serve themselves.

Serve hot with some French wine if you wish. I used Famille Bogrier Vouvre Chenin Blanc white wine, a very lovely wine from France.

enjoy!

Text and photo by Twincitiesherbs.

Recipe is from Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart’s Cooking School

Russian sauerkraut mushroom soup (Щи) – vegan

Sauerkraut mushroom soup is a popular winter dish in Russia that will nourish your body and soul. It is special for the Russian Orthodox Christians because this is what they serve during the long fast lasting from the end of November until January 7th. During this time period, the strict rules dictate that no meat, bacon, animal fat, butter, eggs or milk may be eaten. This tradition was particularly hard for the farmers who had to work outside and needed heavier foods to survive. The cooks had to be creative and came up with this delicious, hearty soup … that today would fit the vegan definition.

This is a lovely soup that has three simple main ingredients: sauerkraut, mushrooms and barley. Mushrooms are a nice substitution for meat so use as much as you desire. The sauerkraut of course gives it the pleasant sour flavor and has immense health benefits. The crunchy barley adds the robust aspect to the soup.

The soup will need a good home-made stock. Both a meat based or a vegetable based stock would work great. For the vegetarian stock, I used onions, garlic, and 2 bay leaves. I also included 1 heaping Tbsp of black peppercorn, a handful of mushrooms, 2 large celery roots, a couple of carrots, and a parsley root. Honestly, we could not taste much difference. Don’t forget to put celery root in the vegetarian stock, it surely adds something special to the flavor.

PLEASE READ !!! I usually use cep mushrooms but if you don’t know how to find edible mushrooms in the wild, definitely go to the stores and purchase them there. Mushrooms are valuable but if you don’t know how to prepare them, get them in a store. Stores sell some fine mushrooms that are dried and are worth using. Just soak them in water and then they are ready to be used. Last time I used shiitake mushrooms and I thought they worked well.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb sauerkraut
  • 100 gr (3 oz) dried mushrooms or 8- 10 oz fresh mushrooms (Please see above for more info on safety). (Use hardier mushrooms like shiitake).
  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • 6-8 cups vegetable or beef stock (please see above)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • few springs of thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
  • vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup shallots or small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • salt and black peppercorn, to taste
METHOD
  1. If using dried mushrooms, soak in water for a couple hours or maybe even overnight if needed.
  2. Make the stock. Please see above for more info. (Omit if using ready-made stock).
  3. Make the barley. In a small pot, boil 3 cups of water and put 1 cup barley in the boiling water. Turn the heat down and cook for 1 hour without cover.
  4. In a medium saucepan, sauté the shallots in a little oil for a few minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and mix.
  6. Add the drained sauerkraut, thyme spring, caraway seeds and bay leaves. Cover with stock. Cook for 1 hour covered.
  7. For the last 10 minutes, add the mushrooms slices.
  8. Take out the larger thyme pieces and bay leaf.
  9. Salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Serve with the barley and hardier bread like rye.

enjoy!

Text and photo by twincitiesherbs.

A Story of Santa (gift giving)

Often when you ask children what their favorite holiday is they say … Christmas! And then you ask why … because they get presents. I’m sure that is how I would have answered those questions back when I was a little girl. This is a very magical holiday for sure … but as we get older, we start thinking about giving too.

Many people enjoy giving treats at Christmas time. But where did the idea of Christmas gift giving come from? … and what about Santa and his rein deer?

Let’s go back in time. It is believed that it came from an old Pagan tradition. Giving gifts can strengthen the ‘family and well-being of others’, an important theme during this time of the year. This custom was part of the tradition of exchanging mushrooms as a gift at the time in the Northern part of Siberia. Mushrooms were special because of their connection to longevity. People delivered the wrapped carefully prepared dried mushrooms to people’s houses for celebrating the winter solstice. There was so much snow that they could not open the doors. The packages had to be dropped off through the holes on top of the yurts, where the smoke could escape. Also, these people used rein deer for transportation in the snow. And there is even more check this out … I need to mention that their traditional clothing is red and white … hence comes the story of Santa dressed in red and white, delivering presents through the chimney down the fire place with the help of some rein deer…


After so many years, we are still exchanging gifts. Giving home-made foods can be meaningful for both the giver and the receiver. If you are not sure what to give this year, maybe consider giving cookies. I’m presenting two different cookie recipes that can be gifted during the holidays. They are ‘Christmas’-y and mouth watering.

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!

COOKIE RECIPES

Please check out the following links for the recipes.

For the coffee lover: Chocolate espresso crinkle

For the gluten free or the nut lover person: Pecan meringue cookies

Source

https://www.shamanicevolution.org/writings/shaman-claus-the-shamanic-origins-of-christmas

Art, photos, text by twincitiesherbs.

Chocolate espresso crinkle cookies

You can surely impress your guests with these rich chocolate cookies or maybe you can just use this recipe for a last minute gift for your neighbors… The crunchy outside is coupled with the melt-in-your-mouth soft inside and is elevated to another level with the espresso flavor. Enjoy!

Recipe

Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
  • 4 tsp instant espresso powder 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • pinch of salt 
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar 
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten 
  • 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate
  • 1 Tbsp milk 
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for coating

Preparations

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Start melting the chocolate. I used a double boiler.

In a larger bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Make sure you use some kind of a sifter, tea strainer as the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder need to be without knots. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.

Mix in the melted chocolate and the milk.

Add the flour mixture from earlier until you get a ball shaped dough. Put in a plastic bag and place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Butter a cookie sheet. Form 2 inch balls.

Pour 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. In batches, roll the balls in the sugar and let the balls sit for a minute in the sugar. Repeat one more time.

Place the balls about 1 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. They should be soft but not fall apart. Let the cookies stay on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool.

Transfer them on a wire rack for 15 minutes. They will harden.

enjoy!

Photos and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Pecan meringue cookie recipe

Meringue cookies have been one of my favorite Holiday desserts since my childhood … maybe because I don’t care much for the heavier desserts but still enjoy a bit of sweetness during Christmas time. These simple cookies are delicious and airy. They have just the right amount of texture with the nuts and the almond essence. They would be a great gift for those friends and family members who like something sweet with a little bit of crunchiness or eat gluten free foods. Of course, this is a great recipe to have on hand so you can use up all those left over egg whites. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients

(makes about 2-3 dozens)

  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar (regular sugar pulsed for about 10 seconds in a food processor)
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 cup of finally chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tatar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Line a baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a larger sized bowl, on medium high speed quickly beat (few minutes) the egg whites until they are frothy but not hard. Do not over beat.

Add the sugar gradually on high speed. It is important to add the sugar 1 Tbsp at a time to make sure they get incorporated nicely. I had a family member who did this. On a low setting beat in the vanilla, cream of tartar, almond extract and salt. Gently fold in the nuts with a spatula.

Drop a tablespoon-full of the egg white mixture onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. I used a piping bag with a large nozzle to get a more uniform shapes.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Cookies should not be damp. Leave them in the oven for another hour while the oven is cooling.

Repeat with the rest of the egg white mixture.

enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Winter / Christmas dishes

December brings forth Winter Wonderland and the Holidays. When I think of Christmas dishes, warming and festive winter foods come to my mind. For me Christmas is a lot about cooking and baking … and of course music. I’m already looking forward to all the baking and cooking I will be doing and singing along my favorite Christmas music…

Happy Holidays!

Christmas dishes

Vegetarian festive strudel with cabbage and mushrooms

Marinated pork with prunes

Traditional Hungarian stuffed cabbage

Christmas Desserts

Flodni

Hungarian poppyseed roll

Poached pears

enjoy!

Kale salad with warm cranberry vinaigrette

As many of you know, I post recipes with the seasons so I normally would post salad type dishes during the warmer months. However, this salad would fit my ‘Eating with the season’ motto so I thought it would be a great time to share it now. Kale actually thrives in cold weather garden. Here the kale is topped with the warm zesty cranberry vinaigrette dressing and is a lovely addition during the holidays. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 larger shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries, sliced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
juice and zest of half a lemon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 – 1 bunch kale, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese (optional)

Directions

  • Slice the shallots.
  • In a medium sized pan, saute the shallots in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for minute, stir. Turn off the heat.
  • Add the wine vinegar, cranberries, honey and the lemon juice and zest, mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  • Wash and take large veins off of the kale so you are left with the delicate leaves only. Discard the veins.
  • In a large bowl, drizzle a little olive oil and salt on the kale leaves. Mix with two large spoons. Massage the leaves until tender. This just means to take a leaf in your hand and rub it in-between your thumb and index finger to soften the leaves and to get the oil onto the leaves.
  • Add the shallot/cranberry mixture from earlier and the sliced almond slievers. Toss to combine.
  • Serve with crumbled cheese if you wish.

enjoy!

Photos by twincitiesherbs.com

Poppy seed cake with chocolate ganache

This is my husband’s favorite cake that his mom made for his birthday every year. The recipe comes from the New York Times Cookbook, even his grandmother made it. When I talked to my husband’s cousins, they all raved about this cake, the Poppy seed cake … No surprise they all think it is the best cake on Earth … it is moist, crunchy and delicious …

This cake takes some time and patience to make but is not too difficult. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, it should be around 65-70 F.

The recipe has three parts: the dough, the vanilla creme (creme patisserie) and the chocolate ganache. Please read the following notes on how to make the cake.

The dough requires sifted flour. Sifting flour is an easy process, cooks generally use a flour sifter. If you don’t have one no worries, you can use a strainer or a wire whisk. The idea is to get air into the flour. Then once sifted, measure out the 2 cups, using a knife to level the top. Return the extra flour into the flour bin.

You need two 9″ round cake forms. For a long time I only had one cake form and I was fine. I just had to wait until the form cooled off after baking the first batch. I ended up buying a second one a few years ago. It is nice to have two but you can get by with only one.

The vanilla creme is pretty straight forward. I used a double boiler to cook the ingredients. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a metal bowl that fits on the top of the bottom pot securely but does not touch the bottom of the pot.

The chocolate ganache is what brings all the ingredients, the cake together. It should be made a little softer than generally made for cakes … should stick to the surface but not become hard. Also, the sweetness of the chocolate is a personal preference. I like the semi sweet chocolate personally but you can use whatever you prefer, of course.

RECIPE

Makes about 8 slices

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2/3 cup whole poppy seed
  • 1 cup milk
  • 11 Tbsp (5.4 oz) butter, soft
  • 1/2 -1 1/2 cups of sugar (to taste)
  • 2 cup unbleached wheat flour, CUT/SIFTED
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 egg whites (save 3 yolks for creme)

Vanilla cream

  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 egg yolks (saved from earlier step)
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate ganache

  • 12 oz baking chocolate, bitter sweet
  • 1.5 cups heavy cream
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 -3 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

Please check notes above for more info on how to make this cake.

Making the dough

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • While still cold, separate the eggs. Set aside 1 egg yolk so you get 4 egg whites and 3 egg yolks in separate bowls.
  • Have all ingredients at room temperature (70 F).
  • Soak the poppy seed in 1 cup milk overnight but at least for 2 hours.
  • Cream butter with sugar and add the vanilla extract. Set aside.
  • Cut and sift flour. Please note the amount of flour used is for cut and sifted amount. So measure out 2 cups of flour and sift. Take the measuring cup again and measure out 2 cups of the sifted flour and using a knife level the top. Return remaining four to its bin.
  • Sift in baking powder and salt.
  • Mix the butter/sugar mixture with the flour. Cut and mix the butter mixture until you have small clums of butter coated in the flour. Make sure to scrape from the bottom of the bowl to catch any hidden pockets of flour. Do not over-mix. I do the mixing by hand but you can used a food processor on a low setting.
  • Add the poppy seed mixture (from earlier), mix gently.
  • Beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until stiff.
  • Gently fold egg whites into the dough.
  • Grease and lightly flour cake forms or just simply use parchment paper.
  • Separate dough between two cake forms.
  • Try to make sure the top stays flat.
  • Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
  • Let the cake forms cool completely before removing the cakes.

Making the vanilla cream

  • In a double boiler, bring milk to a gentle boil over medium heat.
  • Meanwhile, whisk the three egg yolks, sugar together. Add flour, mix. Add warm milk gradually and mix.
  • Pour mixture back into the double boiler pot and cook on high medium heat. Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
  • Take off heat and add vanilla.
  • Let it cool.

Making the chocolate ganache

You can use a clean double boiler here again. Melt the chocolate and add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Mix.

Assembling the cake

  • Place the vanilla creme in-between the two cake layers. (Use the ‘prettier’ cake for your top layer. You can also flip one of the cakes over and use the bottom for the top so you get a more even appearance). Spread chocolate ganache on the top. This ganache will be slightly liquidy when placed on the cake but will harden in the refrigerator.
  • Decorate the top to your liking.
  • Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 1 hour before serving.
  • Store in the refrigerator.

enjoy!

Photos and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Source: Joy of Cooking, 1978 edition

Whole wheat sweet potato muffins

These sweet potato muffins are lovely autumn muffins! They are packed with nutritious ingredients of the season and get their special flavor from the spices: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves. enjoy!

RECIPE

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cup / 240 gr of whole wheat flour (white flour is fine too)
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( China cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves)
  • 1 stick (8 Tbsp) of butter (115 g) at room temperature
  • 1 cup of sweet potato, mashed (1 medium sized sweet potato)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
  • 3/4 cup of nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
PREPERATION

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Take butter out of fridge.

Bake the sweet potatoes for about 1 hour. When done, mash them with a potato masher.

Sift flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a mixing bowl. Add the nuts, raisins or cranberries. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the lightly beaten eggs, vanilla, butter milk and the sweet potatoes. Mix.

Quickly mix everything together. Do not over-beat. You can sprinkle sugar and nuts on the top if you wish.

Lightly oil a muffin tin. Evenly distribute the dough between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The muffins are ready when a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool before serving.

enjoy!

Recipe, photos and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Festive strudel with cabbage, mushrooms and lentils (Vegetarian)

I like challenges … well ok sometimes it is a bit uncomfortable … but then I end up with something delicious like the dish I’m presenting here today.

The savory stuffing made with cabbage, mushrooms and lentils is wrapped in a flaky strudel dough and is seasoned with the warming spices of the season. To make it even more festive, serve it with port sauce and brussel sprouts with chestnuts.

I was looking for a vegetarian Christmas dish… seriously, traditionally would there be such a thing? I have seen mushroom strudel served in the winter before but did not find it filling enough as a main dish. Then came the idea … maybe because I was craving cabbage strudel the whole fall … to make the strudel with half mushrooms and half cabbage … then added the lentils and the cheese in place of the meat, a few spices and … this festive dish was born. Cabbage is a staple vegetable for the winter and has been traditionally paired with mushrooms. My non-vegetarian guests really enjoyed a slice with their meat dish. Of course, the vegetarians were asking for seconds.

RECIPE

Ingredients

  • oil
  • 5-7 sheets of filo dough
  • 1/4 cup chopped shallots
  • 4-8 oz mushrooms (crimini) (chopped into small pieces)
  • Quarter sliver of a medium sized savoy cabbage. ( Discard the lager veins of the cabbage so you are left with the tender leaves only).
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 cold stock (vegetarian or chicken) or water
  • 1/4 cup uncooked lentils (1/2 cup of cooked lentils)
  • handful of chopped walnuts
  • handful of lightly chopped hazelnuts
  • 1 egg + 1 egg for egg wash
  • 8 oz (220 gr) of feta cheese
  • 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
  • few thyme springs
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • freshly graded nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt + more for the top
  • ground pepper to taste

Port sauce Ingredients

  • 1 cup of port or white wine
  • 1/2 cup stock (meat or vegetable)
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots
  • 1 Tbsp butter or oil
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • 2 springs of thyme
  • 1 spring rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup heavy creme
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 garlic clove

Directions for the strudel

Preheat oven to 380 F.

Take filo dough out of the freezer. Let it thaw slowly.

Clean and soak the lentils for a few hours. Cook lentils.

Chop up the shallots and the celery and sauté them in some oil for 5- 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing for 5 more minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Add paprika and the garlic to activate for 1 minute, stir and add the cold stock (1/4 cup). Add the cabbage. Add chopped thyme leaves, nutmeg and chopped rosemary leaves. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes on low heat. Set aside.

Chop up the nuts. I leave the hazelnuts chunkier. The walnuts are coarsely chopped. A small food processor can be used. Add to previous onion mixture.

In a medium sized bowl, add 1 lightly beaten egg, mustard, the nuts, the cooked lentils, mushroom/ cabbage mixture from above, feta cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Let the stuffing cool, refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Take 7 sheets of filo dough and lay it on a wooden board. I like to put a piece of parchment paper below the filo dough, it is helpful for rolling. Drizzle some oil and grade some nutmeg. Spread the filling evenly on the sheet leaving 1 inch on each side empty. Roll it up. Placed it in an oiled baking dish.

Lightly beat 1 egg, add some freshly graded nutmeg and salt. Spread it on top of the rolled strudel. Wait for 5-10 minutes until egg wash is absorbed. Apply the egg-wash again. The 1 egg should cover the strudel both times. You can sprinkle additional salt and nutmeg on the top. This will make the crust really tasty.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until top is nice and brown.

Put left-over filo dough if there is any left in the fridge gently wrapped up in plastic bags so the leaves don’t dry out.

Serve hot with the port sauce (see below) and brussel sprouts with chestnuts. I also like to add cranberry sauce (recipe).

Directions for the port sauce

In a small pot, saute the shallots in some oil or butter. Add the flour for 1 min, stir. Add the garlic, stir for 30 seconds.

Add the wine and stock. Stir.

Add the thyme and rosemary springs. Cover the pot.

Cook for about 20 minutes.

Take out the bay leaves, thyme and rosemary springs.

Take off the heat, add the cream, salt and pepper.

Serve right away. Can be stored in the fridge for many days.

enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Recipe, photos and text by twincitiesherbs.