Fastnachts

When I was at home with my folks my Mom would make these every year on Shrove Tuesday. Fastnacht translates from German to "Night of Fast". The story is that you want to clear the lard and flour from the pantry before Lent. I began making them for my family when they were little. They keep pushing me to make them more often. My gang doesn't even wait for them to cool down. 

Fastnacht

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups   Milk

1/2 cup        Shortening

2 tsp            Salt

2 packets    Yeast

6                  Eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cup    Sugar

1/2 tsp       Nutmeg

9-10 cups  Flour, sifted

Powdered Sugar to dredge

Directions:

• Scald the milk, add shortening and salt.
• Cool milk until it is lukewarm; then add yeast. Stir.
• Gradually add 5 1/3 cups sifted flour, beating batter thoroughly.
• Put in warm place and allow to stand until full of bubbles.
• Mix sugar with nutmeg and combine with beaten eggs.
• Stir into first mixture and remaining 3 2/3 - 4 2/3 cup flour.
• Knead well, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. 
• Turn out lightly onto floured board and roll 3/4 inch thick.
• Cut with a doughnut cutter or biscuit cutter, shaping into ball or make into twists.
• Cover with a thin cloth and let rise on board until top is springy to touch of finger.
• Drop into hot fat (375) with the raised side down, so the top side will rise while under side cooks. 
• Drain on absorbent paper. 

Yields 6 dozen.

Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo

We wanted to celebrate Mardis Gras this year with a dish from New Orleans. After searching Pinterest I found this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats. There was just the right amount of kick to this Gumbo and everyone, including the fussy ones, loved it.

  

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon + 3 tablespoons Olive Oil

14 oz Andouille Sausage, sliced into half-moons

4 skin-in, bone-in chicken thighs

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning

6 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 small celery stalks, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

56 oz low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less according to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage then saute until browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate then set aside. Season both sides of chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning then place skin side down in Dutch oven. Sear on both sides until golden brown, 3-4 minutes a side (does not need to be cooked through,) then transfer to plate with sausage and set aside.
2. Remove Dutch oven from heat for a few minutes to cool slightly then place back over medium heat. Add remaining 3 Tablespoons oil then sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly until mixture is the color of caramel, 10-15 minutes (this is your roux.) Add bell pepper, celery, and shallot or onion then saute until vegetables are slightly tender, 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven often with a wooden spoon to make sure roux doesn't burn. Add garlic and tomato paste then saute for one more minute.
3. Add a couple big glugs of chicken broth at a time to the Dutch oven, using the wooden spoon to scrape up any bits on the bottom. Add remaining chicken broth, remaining 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, sauteed sausage and chicken thighs then turn heat up to bring gumbo to a boil. Turn heat down to medium then simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours, occasionally skimming off the fat that rises to the top.
4. Transfer chicken to a cutting board then remove and discard skin and bones. Shred chicken then add back into the gumbo. Remove bay leaves then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over cooked white rice.
5. Serves 6

Authentic Carnitas - cooked in lard

I know I have featured Carnitas before but I wanted to make sure that I include  this version from The Paupered Chef.  Carnitas are described as chunks of pork shoulder that have been slowly cooked until golden brown, slightly crispy, and very tender. Cooking them in lard is the secret in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 2 pounds lard 
• 2 dozen corn tortillas
• salt

Directions:

1. Slice the pork into 3 inch slabs.  It's important that they all end up roughly the same size, so they cook in the same amount of time.  
2. Toss the pork into a large bowl and then add the lime juice and salt.  Stir the pieces until well coated.  Cover the bowl and set aside for an hour.  Toss the pieces twice over the course of the hour. 
3. Meanwhile, melt the lard in a large pot over medium heat.  
4. When the hour is up, carefully add the pork to the pot.  The lard should cover the pieces.  After a few minutes, very large and lazy bubbles will pop to the surface.  This is good.  You don't want to have aggressive frying.  Let cook on medium, flipping the pieces occasionally for even cooking, for about 2 hours.  The meat should be very tender when pierced with a fork.  It took us an extra 15 minutes. 
5. Raise the temperature to medium-high.  The lard will start bubbling furiously and make a lot more noise.  Cook for 30 minutes. They should come out all nicely browned and golden. 
6. Set them on a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes or so. 
7. Meanwhile, fill the bottom of another pot with about a 1/2 inch of water and bring to a boil.  Wrap the tortillas in a towel and set in a steamer basket atop the boiling water.  Cover the pot.
8. Cook for 1 minute.  Then turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes or so. 
9. On to the pork.  There is no wrong way to go about this.  You can slice off a bit with a sharp knife. Or pull the meat apart with a fork. You can even use your hands if you're into it.
10. Roll up a little meat in a taco, sprinkle on some salt, and top with whatever salsa you like the most.  (Johannes prefers Pico de Gallo -recipe in the next blog.)  Keep it simple, though.     

Fastnachts

I had so many wonderful memories as a child with my folks.  They made certain I always remembered them with fondness.  One of my favourite memories was coming home from school on Shrove Tuesday to my Mom making these delicious donuts from her native Germany.  I don't think they lasted much past dinner, but then I don't think she made as many I do.  

I only brought this tradition back to my family in the last few years and they look forward to it every year now.  This time I was lucky to have my children home from school because of unused snow days so I could put them to work helping me knead, powder, deep-fry - wherever I needed the help in the hours long process.  

It was worth the time!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, proof the yeast by adding the warm water to the yeast. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl mix together the teaspoon of sugar and 3 cups of the flour. Stir in milk until smooth. Add proofed yeast and mix well. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
3. Stir in beaten eggs, melted butter or margarine, one cup of sugar, salt, and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and let rise for a second time until doubled.
4. Punch down dough and divide into 2 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut dough with a biscuit cutter. Make 2 slits with a sharp knife in the middle of each doughnut. Cover and let rise a third time until doubled in size.
5. Deep fat fry in oil or lard for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Rotate to ensure even cooking. Drain on brown paper bags. Toss in confectioners sugar while still warm.

Makes 60 donuts.

If using a bread maker:
Save yourself the hassle of trying to modify recipes by simply placing all of the ingredients into the machine, programming for manual or dough, then taking the dough out at the end of the cycle and proceeding with the recipe from the point where it tells you to “punch down the dough”. What the machine’s dough cycle gives you is a thorough knead and initial rise. From then on, you’re on your own. But, hey; the mixing and kneading is the only part that takes even a modicum of effort.