German Potato Salad

When I went to college in Germany I was working part-time at a nursing home . I met some very nice old folks there . One day a lady and I started to talk about cooking and she shared with me her potato salad recipe. I wish I remembered her name but I don't. She was from Kiel, the capital of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.  
Some of you may say it's not authentic anymore since I slightly changed a few things but I don't think they are significant. The changes are: I don't put the egg-whites because I dislike them, but if you don't mind them you can add them to the salad. I also don't use canned Dill Pickles, I prefer fermented dill pickles and their juice which I make myself and it's rich in probiotics.  I make my mayonnaise too which slightly differs from the store-bought. I put a can of anchovies which is approx. 2 oz but you can add more. Other than that I didn't change anything and I still consider it to be an authentic German potato salad. 

Ingredients :

3 medium russet potatoes 
3 eggs
1 celery stalk
1/4 cup dill/fermented  pickles, chopped finely  
1/4 cup leeks chopped finely
1/2 onion chopped finely
2 oz flat anchovies
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 
1-2 Tbsp. parsley chopped finely
Some pickle juice 
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel and cut potatoes in small cubes and either boil or steam. Boil eggs. When they are done, remove yolks and here you can either chop up the whites and put them in the salad or opt out. You will need the yolks later for the dressing. Cut celery and anchovies into small pieces.  In a bowl combine steamed/boiled potatoes with celery, pickles, leeks, onions and anchovies and mix well. 
In a separate bowl mash egg yolks. Add mustard and approx. 1/4 cup of  pickle juice. Mix well and pour over salad. Add mayonnaise, parsley and black pepper. Stir well. Add more pickle juice if necessary.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
 


   

Liutenitsa - Bulgarian traditional vegetable spread (vegan)

I wasn't going to post this recipe here because it's a specialty for one particular country. A few people asked me to post it in this blog though, and who knows, maybe one of you will find it interesting . It is a vegetable spread very common in Bulgaria. It is served for breakfast on a slice of bread and if desired it can be sprinkled with some crumbled feta cheese. It is also used as a condiment for Bulgarian meatballs. I ate it with crackers too and it tasted great.
Here in Denver we have a store for Bulgarian specialties and I can get me a jar of Liutenitsa. All brands use mostly tomatoes and wheat flower or modified corn starch as a thickener though, not to mention the preservatives . Besides, the original recipe is pepper based not tomato based and I just love this chunky consistency.
Bulgarians use  Sunflower oil in general, but I made it with Olive oil and I didn't detect any difference in the flavor, so you can choose whichever oil you like.
I went to the farmer's market to buy pickles for canning but I saw these long red peppers which were called ancient red bell peppers. I thought I could give it a try and see if they would work for Liutenitsa. And surprise !!! It worked.
This spread can be canned. Thats what Bulgarians actually do. To can, just fill jars with Liutenitsa. Tighten the lid and boil the jars for 15 min. Start the timer after there is an active rolling of the water . For high altitude you need to increase the time by 10 min because water starts to boil at a lower temperature.

Ingredients :

6 lbs (3 kg) red ancient bell peppers
2 lbs (1kg ) tomatoes
2 lbs (1 kg) carrots
1 cup Olive oil
2 Tsp. Ground all spice
2 Tsp. Garlic powder
Sea salt to taste


Roast peppers. Peel skin and remove stems and seeds. Chop up finely in such a way that it looks almost like a puree. Set aside . Boil carrots until soft like for mashed carrots. While boiling carrots in a bowl, grate tomatoes. Set aside. When carrots are done, mash them with a potato masher.
In a big pot combine oil with peppers, tomato puree and mashed carrots. Start to cook on medium and later change to low heat. Stir every 5 minutes until liquid evaporates and the constancy is paste like . Add seasoning .