TheFirstSixMonths: Cannoli und Spinat in Deutschland

They seem to love Italian food here. A lot of fancy eating out places are Italian. Both the vegetarian girls are compulsive cookers (I wish I could stake claim to this word!). Cooking is much funner, and also satisfying thus, providing both Italian and vegetarian options to play with.







Spinach-cheese filled Cannoli 

Filling for Cannoli: Fry onions and a little garlic for flavour and add frozen Spinach (or the leaves post being boiled and mashed a little). Cook on a slow flame for 8-10 minutes. Take off from the stove and now add Quark to the Spinach. Mix well. Add grated Feta cheese (as much as you'd like, but it goes well with Spinach). Add salt, pepper, if needed, according to taste.

Sauce for Cannoli: Tomato puree cooked on a low flame with salt and pepper for taste. Can add other spices as per taste. We added basil and oregano.

Fill the Cannoli (we bought Cannoli btw) with the Spinach-cheese filling with a spoon and finger on the other end. Lay the Cannoli next to each other on a baking tray. On top add tomato sauce covering the Cannoli well. Pre-heat the oven. Add grated Parmesan cheese on top of the tomato sauce. Put in the oven for 20 minutes at 250C. Check once with a fork to see if the sauce has seeped in and the Cannoli is sufficiently soft after 20 minutes. Serve hot !

Really easy and tastes most yum! Most tempting to try again with different fillings!

The First Six Months: of Essen

I just feel very food today. Have been for a winter while.

Since we're never too high on getting the waistlines too thick, Turkey is lean meat. Besides when served with Couscous makes it a good evening option. You could manage the day with rice even, if you so like. I like red capsicum embellishments. Just adds juice to it. I tried potatoes too, but prefer the peppers more.

How I made it: Marinated meat in yoghurt, spices (red chillies, coriander powder, turmeric) and olive oil,  kept away for a couple hours. Preparation was simply just the usual fry cumin, ginger, garlic (I had none, but adds flavour), onions, tomatoes, and add the meat. Add the capsicum in the end, to not lose the crunchiness (I like it so). Add salt and more spices if you'd like it hot-ter. Garam masala in the end once near ready. Let it steam itself to done before serving. I fancied myself by shaping the couscous/ rice so!

Makes for a good warm winter meal.

And, here's the recipe I worked backwards from. (Though I like the idea of Spinach too, maybe sometime else!)

The First Six Months: Kochen

I know we started all Yellow, but it was too bright for the weather, I felt. Anyway, so today's post was split in my head. Could potentially be about mediocrity (I'm saving it), or something nicer, warmer in this weather from the Kueche!

In India cooking isn't top of my agenda. Living in Hotel Mama, office Cafetaria, and the outsides with really cheap (und lecker) food can do that I guess. However, it was also on my list with the neues Land and the change that came with it, that I'd like to be far more in control of what I eat. And thus, cook.

Essen in Deutschland: On besser days
1. Cabbage mit Tofu;  2. Potato mit yellow-ed rice,
3. good old potato-mutter; 4. Semmell Knoedel mit Brocolli,
5. Rice mit sausages

I've realised the *only* way I can cook edible food is when noone's watching. If I know someone's out there waiting, watching, I generally put far too much effort which goes awry (failed experiments). By myself, I find myself dreaming of what to make and what new things to try every week.

This could be driven by mother and grandmother, asking, what did you make everyday. Or, a brother in law who loves recipes. Or me, trying hard to taste everything new. I live with two vegetarian Deutsch girls (I really thought it was impossible, anyhow). They cook out of compulsion sometimes, what they make is more interesting than the vegetarisch options out there on the streets. The only place in my Wohngemeinschaft (such a fancy single word for a shared apartment), where I can really talk with people is the Kueche. That's motivational. As well.

Now, if you let me, door closed and pretend noone's out there, next I want to try Mangold (Chard leaves) with Moong Daal (Lentils/Linsen). And then Turkey curry in the Indian way. Anyone tried these before? Hopefully, they'll be picture-worthy :P

//(I don't quite know how to do umlauts on my [der] Computer). Sorry, it's the Deutsch pruefung spaeter (I have these tests!) which is only making me denke of a Woerterbuch of words that I can't type.//