Since I love making fleischnacka I really wanted to see if I could make a meatless version just to see if it worked and it does! This version gets its deep umami flavors from a combination of eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms that are slow roasted together with tomato paste and the ground really finely so they stick together in the roll. These don’t taste exactly like the meat version but they have their own delicious, deep flavor all its own.
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This is a Belgian boiled chicken stew that historically used to be a seafood stew. It uses cream and egg yolks to thicken it. All the recipes include breaking down your own chicken and making your own stock but I suggest that you either do that on a separate day from making the soup itself or simply skip that step, buy stock and proceed from there. Breaking down a chicken and making your own stock will turn this simple recipe into an all day project but if you have the time, that’s okay. This is a delicious soup which is thick and rich and perfect with some crusty bread to soak up all the broth. Traditionally you leave the meat on the bones but my husband really hates that so I simply took it off after boiling the chicken parts.
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This is a very popular kind of Ugandan street food which is called a rolex because it’s portmanteau of “rolled eggs”. These can basically have anything your heart desires as long as you have a chapati (which is made from plain flour in Uganda) or other flatbread as the base and then a thin omelette on top of that. Play around with the vegetables and even add cheese or sauces to your taste. This is a great lunch food because it’s quick and easy and can be made out of leftover odds and ends.
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These dumplings are traditionally filled with just spiced meat but of course you can fill them with anything your heart desires. The dough is made from water, flour, and egg which you probably have in your kitchen right now. If you simply seal them in half moons without any fancy folding these can be made relatively quickly but they can also be made ahead of time in bulk and frozen. They can be eaten plain or in broth or even fried after boiling so they’re very versatile!
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This recipe is a little bit of a strange duck. I had to read through the recipe more than three times to really understand how to make it and then I can’t locally get freekeh so I replaced it with barley. I imagine most very hearty, long cooking grains will probably be able to fill in like bulgur or brown rice even (with slightly adjusted cook times). This recipe is a flavor bomb so it’s really best served in small portions with something fresh and crisp on the side and maybe some bread sticks or grassini to round it out into a meal.
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This is a little fussy to make but it’s worth the fuss sometimes. If you want a show stopper vegetarian main you can do worse than this. This pie would pair nicely with a good creamy soup and a fancy salad. The type of cheese you use will basically be the main flavor so I suggest going for something local that has the flavors you personally like. I used a creamy, nutty almost sweet cheese and that pairs beautifully with the leeks and potatoes here. You can skip the nuts if you want but it helps with the texture.
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This is a great fancy weekend meal because it is a nice and extra special dish but also it isn’t too involved. The only ingredient you might have to go out of your way to get is cognac. You can substitute in a white wine (or use both cognac and white wine) but that flavor really makes the sauce special since it’s such a simple dish. This can be easily doubled, made ahead, or frozen meaning decadence can be available at almost any time.
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This is a big Greek pasta bake which is definitely a dish that will impress and fill up any guests you may have. It’s rich and creamy and meaty and carb-y all at the same time. While it takes a bit of effort to get everything together, since the meat sauce can be made ahead of time, with a little multi-tasking that could be a dish that gets into regular rotation. Classically this uses bucatini as the pasta but you can replace with ziti, penne, or rigatoni if you can’t find that in your local supermarket.
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This is one those recipes that is definitely worth the trouble. I’ve never had a panettone from a store but I can’t imagine it gets better than this. This is half bread / half dessert with a soft and tender crumb and amazing punches of sweet and boozy from the fruits. You can use whatever combination of dried fruit, nuts, and candies that you like but I used what was available to me. I suggest reading the recipe through several times before starting and making sure you correctly line your tin as those will both save you a lot of headaches.
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We had Bacalhau à Brás a few years ago when we were in Portugal and I was just kind of craving it lately (who doesn’t love a good salty fish and potato combination?). It uses salted cod which you can make yourself or you can usually find it in specialty stores since it stores very well. It’s a great treat for a weekend meal but it is important to plan ahead because the salted cod has to soak for a day to get some of that salt out before cooking but then it comes together pretty easily after that.
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