It’s cold and there is nothing heartier than a simple soup. This was actually the first time that I have made a soup with barley in it, but it is indeed a great grain to cook with. Nice and hearty, very flavorful.
meat
I love Chicken Marsala. It’s been one of my “go to” meals for a while and I always have a bottle of marsala wine in the pantry in case the mood hits me. That said, over time, the recipe has changed and evolved to increase the flavor. I typically ramp up the flavor with some dried porcini, and other umami-intense ingredients such as tomato paste and garlic. This feeds a lot (at least 4 people) and freezes well.
Evidently, today is National Pretzel Day (in the US), so while I am feeling a bit homesick for Southern Germany this week — this is usually one of the weeks that I am home — I put together this platter of snacks: Brezn (of course), Obatzda (a Bavarian “pub cheese” that one often eats with pretzels), some salami and smoked ham, emmenthaller cheese, gherkins and olives. Bought forgot to add to the platter for the photo: radishes.
As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of “wild game” whether it be venison, boar, elk, etc. This recipe takes my Vension Ragout, adds a whole lot more mushrooms to make it very thick, and then fill into delicious, buttery puff pastry. totally decadent. Very earthy, savory, comfort food.
Hand pies freeze well! Wrap in foil, then pop each one in a ziplock baggie. To reheat bake in the tin foil for 12-12 minutes, then unwrap and bake an additional 5 minutes without the foil to crisp up. Great for a lunch or dinner with a salad.
I am a huge fan of “wild game”, even if most of the stuff that is available is farm raised around here. I pound a few pounds of venison mince the other day and made two recipes (this and the next one). They are delicious. And I am guessing that they are pretty healthy because venison is very lean. Amazingly flavorful for something that is that lean too. While this recipe is a bit time consuming, it is one of the best “cooked” (vs “baked”) things that I have made in recent memory.