What to do with cabbage

Spring is about to start, but the organic stores still have only the winter vegetables. I asked some veg*ans what to do with cabbage, and was told that it is perfect in african peanut stew. I love african food since I went the first time to the Africa in Tübingen, so I had to try this!

This stew is very tasty, but a bit frustrating concerning the freshly made peanut butter because it uses a lot at once. Peanut peeling time again! This is the recipe I used. I changed some things, and as it is in german, I'll translate it here. Serves 4, together with your favorite grains. I froze the leftovers, and will try to make Injera when I thaw it again.

Preparation time: about 45 minutes
Suggested music: I do not have any african music, but I listened to Irfan during cooking

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 small (!) cabbage (mine was small and it was still a lot... consider using half a cabbage)
• (the original recipe uses 1 red bell pepper in addition)
• oil for sauteing
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• chili flakes (amount depending on your flakes and your taste buds)
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 can tomatoes
• 250 mL vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can corn
• juice from two oranges (original recipe uses mango juice, to taste)
• salt & pepper

What to do:

1. Dice the onions. Peel the carrots and cut into smaller pieces. Peel the cabbage or wash the outer parts and cut into stripes.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil. Saute the onions and carrots (and bell pepper, if using) until the onions soften. Add chili, cumin and mustard and stir for a minute. Add the cabbage.
3. After a few minutes, and before the cabbage gets burned, add the tomatoes and vegetable stock, plus the thyme, paprika and peanut butter. Let simmer for 10 minutes (until the cabbage is soft).
4. Wash the kidney beans and remove the liquid from the corn. Add to the stew and heat through.
5. Add orange juice and salt & pepper to taste.

True Norwegian Black Chili

Ein unglaublich gutes Rezept von den weltbesten Norwegern, die wir in Paris kennengelernt haben. Jedes Mal, wenn wir es machen, denken wir an sie und sind glücklich. Für 3-4 Personen.

This is an incredibly good recipe from the most wonderful norwegians that we met in Paris. Each time we make it, we think of them and are happy. Serves 3-4.

Zubereitungszeit: 1 Stunde

Preparation time: 1 hour
Suggested Music: Watch the documentary "True norwegian black metal" by VBS.tv

Zutaten:

Man muss sich hier nicht exakt an die Mengenangaben halten, und es ist nicht tragisch, wenn das ein oder andere Gewürz fehlt. 

• 1 EL Olivenöl
• 3 Zwiebeln, fein gewürfelt
• 2 Dosen gestückelte Tomaten
• 150 mL Rotwein
• Saft einer halben Zitrone
• 1 EL frischer Dill, gehackt 
• 1 EL frische Petersilie, gehackt
• 1 Dose rote Kidneybohnen
• 1 Dose kleine weiße Bohnen (oder sonstige Bohnen)
• 150 g Cashews, gesalzen oder nicht ist egal
• 100 g Sojagranulat
• 1/2 EL gemahlener schwarzer Pfeffer
• 175 g Tomatenmark
• 2 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
• 2 TL gemahlener Kreuzkümmel
• 1 TL Chili (das ist abhängig vom verwendeten Chili!!)
• 1 EL Senf
• Salz nach Geschmack
• 1/2 EL getrockneter Basilikum
• 1/2 EL getrockneter Oregano
• 1 kleines Glas/Dose schwarze Oliven (am besten ohne Stein)
• 20 g dunkle oder Zartbitter-Schokolade
• 1 TL Zimt

Ingredients:

Feel free to mix the ingredients freehand, and don't worry if you're missing any of the herbs or only have dried ones, etc. It will work out fine.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 150 mL red wine
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 can small white beans (or mix any other beans in that you like)
• 150 g cashews, salted or not
• 100 g granulated soy (Sojagranulat)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 175 g tomato purée
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes (depending on your chili!)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 small can black olives
• 20 g dark or semi-dark chocolate
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Zubereitung:
What to do:

In einem großen Topf (notfalls zwei nehmen) das Olivenöl erhitzen. Die Zwiebeln darin dünsten, bis sie weich und leicht durchsichtig sind.

In a very large saucepan or pot (use two, if in doubt), heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions until tender and transparent.

Tomaten, Rotwein, Zitronensaft, Dill, Petersilie und Bohnen dazugeben. Durchrühren und fünf Minuten köcheln lassen.

Add tomatoes, red wine, lemon juice, dill, parsley, and beans. Stir well and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Cashews und Sojagranulat hinzugeben, außerdem Pfeffer, Tomatenmark, Knoblauch, Kreuzkümmel, Chili, Senf, Salz, Basilikum und Oregano.

Add cashews and granulated soy, followed by pepper, tomato purée, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, salt, basil, and oregano.

Schließlich Oliven, Schokolade und Zimt hinzugeben. 20-30 Minuten köcheln lassen.

Add the olives, chocolate and cinnamon. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Kann so serviert werden, mit etwas Brot. Wenn vorhanden, sind gewürfelte oder mit der Gabel zerdrückte Avocados extrem lecker.

You can serve it as it is, with a little bread. If available, diced or mashed avocados are very delicious.

Gnocchi with tomato sauce

This is my favorite gnocchi recipe. It is based on a recipe from "Das große Buch der vegetarischen Küche", but I changed a few things.

For three to four normally hungry persons, or two ravenous vegans.
Preparation time: about 1 hour.
Suggested music: Giacomo Puccini - Tosca (or some other random italian opera)

For the gnocchi:

• 500 g cooked and peeled potatoes (can be fresh or from the day before, but let them cool a bit)
• 250 g flour
• 30 g vegan margarine
• salt & pepper
• nutmeg

For the sauce:

• 1 kg tomatoes, peeled and diced (canned tomatoes work just as fine, use 1-2 cans)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 125 mL red wine
• salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, coarsely minced

What to do:

1. In order to obtain a dough, the potatoes must be mashed. This can be achieved easily by passing them through a metallic sieve or through a noodle press (Spätzlespresse). There are also extra tools for mashing potatoes. Mix mashed potatoes with flour and margarine, until an elastic dough formes. I usually use a food processor with a dough hook (Knethaken). Do not process the dough for too long, otherwise the gnocchi will become to hard. Add a pinch of nutmeg (freshly ground is best!) and salt and pepper to taste. 
2. Bring pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce: Combine tomatoes, garlic, and red whine in a pot and heat on the stove. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced, then add salt and pepper to taste. Add the basil leaves just before serving.
3. Form the gnocchi: Take a bit of dough and roll to form a log 2-3 cm in diameter. Cut off slices, about 1 cm thick. If you are not too hungry, shape the pieces into really nice gnocchi by making them oval round and pressing in one side with a fork. If you are hungry and/or lazy, you can leave out that step (the gnocchi in the picture above are in fact such "lazy" gnocchi). Add the gnocchi carefully to the boiling water. Prepare the next batch while they cook. The gnocchi are ready to be fished out of the pot when they swim on the surface. (Sometimes they stick a bit to the bottom of the pot, so stir from time to time.)
4. When all gnocchi are done, serve with the tomato sauce. You can add some vegan parmesan - there is an excellent recipe in "Käse veganese".