A taste from far away and long ago
I love to cook, it is practically the only creative activity of mine, and not so very creative at that, because I usually prepare meals I've already cooked before. There are a couple of favorites and I'm going to share a real classic with you, my own (vegetarian) variation of a recipe my great grandmother used to cook for me when I was her little "Schieter" ( a common nickname for little kids, which comes from the Low-German language that was my greatgranny's mother tongue. It is pronounced "sheeter" translates poorly to something like "little pooper").
I'll say this in advance: Sorry for the unspecific measurements, I tend to just cook without measuring ANYTHING. It usually ends up quite tasty^^
Aaften und Wöddeln (Peas and Roots)
for 4 big servings, you'll need approximately:
2-2,5 pounds of waxy potatoes
1 pound of carrots (I like to mix regular carrots with rainbow and purple carrots)
OR 1 pound of parsnips
OR 1/2 pound each
1 pound of green peas (I use frozen peas)
1 onion
(fresh) parsley
salt (I prefer rock salt but I also use sea salt)
pepper
flour
water
cooking oil (I use sunflower oil)
1. Peel the potatoes as well as the carrots and/or. Cut the carrots and/or parsnips into slices of not more than 4 millimeters thickness. Slice the onion into small cubes.
2. Cook the potatoes in salt water (1/2-1 teaspoon of salt should do it) until they're edible xD just poke 'em with a small kitchen knife in order to check if they're done. (Cooking them should take about 20 mins. If the knife slides in without difficulty, the potatoes are done. I included this extra info because I'm unsure if potatoes are as common in the American cuisine as they are in the German cuisine. If you didn't need this info, good for you \(-µ-)/ )
3. Fry the onions in some vegetable oil in a big pan at low to medium heat for 1 or 2 mins. Add the sliced carrots and/or parsnips and fry them for a couple of minutes at medium heat. I like to fry them until some slices are a little roasted - it adds to the taste.
4. Add about 1-2 cups of water and the frozen peas (Just add one cup and if you think it's not enough, slowly add more until you're comfortable). Heat the pan at great heat until the water boils, then turn it to low heat again and let it simmer. If you use freeze-dried parsley, add it now and don't be to shy, given you like parsley (although you should keep in mind that freeze dried parsley commensurates with about ten times the amount of fresh parsley).
5. Let it simmer while stirring from time to time for about 5 mins. To make this water with veggies into a sauce, simply thicken it up with a mix of water, flour and cooking oil (I'm no fan of sauce binder since it makes sauces too starchy for my taste, I mean they end up tasting kind of dry). Just mix about 1/4 cup of water and about 1 teaspoon of cooking oil with about 1/4 cup of flour until it is as smooth as possible (or until you or your arm get(s) tired
). Slowly add half the mixture to the simmering water with veggies while constantly stirring in order to get a smooth sauce. Keep stirring while the sauce thickens. Slowly add gulps of the mixture and stir until the sauce reaches that kind of smoothness you want to achieve.
6. Salt and pepper it to your taste. If you use frozen parsley, add it now.
7. Serve it up - potatoes and sauce. If you use fresh parsley, add it now.
8. Guten Appetit!
I hope you can find all the ingredients and enjoy it. If you've got any questions, let me know.