Hot German Potato Salad

Ingredients

8 potatoes

8 slices of bacon

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 tablespoons white sugar

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup white wine vinegar 

1 cup chopped green onions

salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve bacon fat.
3. Add the flour, sugar, water and vinegar to skillet and cook in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until dressing is thick.
4. Add bacon, potatoes and green onions to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Pickled Beets Recipe INGREDIENTS 1 bunch (4 or 5) beets 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 Tbsp sugar 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard Salt and pepper METHOD 1 Remove greens from beets, save for future use (see beet greens recipe). Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, you can roast them by wrapping them whole in foil and cooking them in a 350°F oven for about an hour.) A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not. 2 Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Slice the beets. 3 Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature. Serves four.

Tabouli (Tabouleh)

6-8 servings

Ingredients

You should begin to soak the bulgar at least 3 hours before serving time so that it can marinate and chill.

1 C. (cup) of dry bulghar
1 1/2 C. boiling water
1 1/2 t (teaspoons) salt
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 t of crushed garlic
1/2 C. chopped scallions
1/2 t dried mint
1/4 C. olive oil
Fresh black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 packed C. of freshly chopped parsley

Method

1. Combine bulghar, boiling water and salt in a bowl.  cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes, or until the bulghar is chewable.

2. Add lemon juice, garlic, oil and mint, and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours.

3. Just before serving add vegetables and mix gently.

4. Taste and correct seasonings.

Lemons, watermelon and ...

It's my turn to say that I haven't checked the site in a while. Mary Jane has posted an interesting recipe with watermelon and cucumber. I must admit that I don't have many watermelon leftovers. Watermelons are not as plentiful in the UK as they are in Canada or the United States but I will keep it in mind.

She says that she likes the lemon recipes. I have a lemon obsession. One of my favorite drinks at the moment is boiling water, juice of a half or whole lemon and mint leaves to taste. It's wonderfully refreshing.

Naomi wants to know where to find madeleine tins. I bought mine in France but surely they are available somewhere in the UK. I will start looking. Unfortunately, I still haven't made the madeleines. I am moving shortly and will have a more reliable oven so I will definitely try that recipe.

I am weeding my cook books in advance of moving. I really should curb my habit of buying so many. For the most part, I get them from the Oxfam charity shop in Egham, a nearby town. At least they aren't that expensive. I have made a vow to only have things in my new house which are either useful or beautiful. That should eliminate a lot of things, including certain items in my kitchen!

Easy Salad for Hot Summer Days

I've made this salad twice this week. Don't have the exact recipe in from of me but don't think exact amounts matter much. It's refreshing and, as mentioned, it's easy. Good way to use up a leftover bit of watermelon.

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

Gently toss the following together.

About one or two slices of watermelon, chopped into approx 1 inch squares
About 1/3 of an English cucumber, chopped into about same size pieces as watermelon
one clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/3 or so cup of fresh mint, chopped
about 2 T red wine vinegar
about 1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
about 1/3 cup of chopped Feta cheese--add gently after tossing to avoid breaking Feta up too much

Serve at room temperature.