Roll kuchen
A traditional Mennonite summer favourite is deep fried roll kuchen, or fried bread, served with slices of cold refreshing watermelon. It is a wonderful hot summer day family meal and is also delicious served with soup on a cold day. My friend, Carla Heinrichs, of Herschel, Sask., shared her recipe.
- 2 c sour cream 500 mL
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. oil 30 mL
- 2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
- 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
- 2 1/2 c. flour 625 mL
- oil for deep frying
Combine sour cream, egg and oil and mix well.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a second bowl and mix well.
Read Also
Restaurant blends zero waste, ancient farming
A Mexico City restaurant has become a draw for its zero-waste kitchen, which means that every scrap of food and leftovers is reused for other purposes.
Add sour cream mixture to dry ingredients, mix well and then knead together until a soft dough forms, adding more flour if needed.
Chill for one to hours for easier handling.
Flour counter well and roll out to about a 1/4 inch thick for a soft roll kuchen or about 1/8 inch thick for a crisper roll kuchen. Cut into strips approximately one inch long by three inches wide. Cut a slit lengthwise in the middle about one inch long. Insert one end of the dough through the slit to create a knot.
Heat about two inches of oil in a large pot. Let it come to the desired temperature on a medium heat setting. This will take a few minutes.
Do a test roll kuchen. The dough should bubble at the sides and be browned in a matter of seconds. Turn the roll kuchen, fry until puffed up, golden brown and crisp. Do not leave the pan unattended at any time.
Carefully deep fry the rest of the roll kuchen in batches. Drain on paper towel and then serve with slices of cold watermelon.
Extras freeze well. Some people make a double batch just so there are extras to freeze for a quick meal or snack.
Adapted from a recipe from Carla Heinrichs.
Optional: Salt lightly after frying or serve with jam; it’s also delicious with soup.
Watermelon and feta cheese salad
This is a salad that my sister-in-law, Diane MacDonald, introduced me to. The sweet taste of the watermelon and honey combined with the salty feta and tart lime are a wonderful taste combination. The cucumber or snow peas add a little crisp crunch. Serve with any barbecue meal for a refreshing summer taste.
Serves four.
- 3 c seedless watermelon, cubed 750 mL
- 1/2 c feta cheese, small cubes and crumbles 125 mL
- 2 tbsp. red onion, thinly sliced 30 mL
- 1 c. long English cucumber, chunked 250 mL
- 1/2 c. snow peas, cut in half (optional)125 mL
- 2 tbsp. fresh mint, roughly chopped 30 mL
- 1/4 c. fresh lime juice 60 mL
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 15 mL
- 1 tsp. honey, melted 5 mL
- salt and pepper to taste
- sunflower or pumpkin seeds
To cube the watermelon, cut the watermelon into quarters lengthwise and then run a long knife along the line between the red and white flesh. Cut flesh into one-inch slices and place them on cutting board and cut into cubes.
Combine watermelon, feta cheese, red onion, cucumber and mint in a large bowl.
Combine lime juice and olive oil and add honey. If honey solidifies, warm mixture to melt honey. Stir well and pour over watermelon mixture and toss gently to coat. Lightly salt and pepper. Garnish with sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for two to three hours to chill; then serve.
Fresh raspberry pie
When fresh raspberries are in season, this is a family favourite. This version of fresh raspberry pie uses no Jello, just natural raspberry flavour.
Serves six to eight.
- 1 9-inch graham wafer pie crust, see recipe below *
- 4 c. raspberries, fresh picked 1L **
- 1/2 c. water 125 mL
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch 30 mL
- 1/4 c. water 60 mL
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar 125 mL
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice 15 mL
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 375 mL
- 1/3 cup icing sugar 75 mL
- 1/2 cup sour cream 125 mL
- 1 tsp. lemon zest 5 mL
*Optional: Use a baked pastry crust.
**Optional: use a mixture of fresh blueberries, raspberries and/or blackberries
Heat one cup raspberries and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until raspberries soften, about five minutes. Thoroughly mash raspberries, drain through a sieve into a bowl, discard seeds and scrape pulp off bottom of sieve into juice. Return juice and pulp to saucepan, about one cup (250 mL).
Stir cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water in a bowl until dissolved and then stir into berry pulp and juice. Add sugar.
Heat raspberry juice mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling, about five minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Allow raspberry sauce to cool to room temperature.
Line prepared pie crust with remaining three cups raspberries. Pour raspberry sauce over berries and chill until set, at least one hour. Serve garnished with whipped cream and lemon zest.
Topping
Beat whipping cream and icing sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about three minutes. Add sour cream and beat until stiff again, about two more minutes. Mound whipped cream on top of the pie and use back of a spoon to make swoops and peaks. Slice and serve or refrigerate for up to one day.
Adapted from allrecipes.com.
Graham cracker crust
Yields one (9-inch) crust.
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs 375 mL
- 1/3 cup white sugar 75 mL
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 90 mL
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional) 2 mL
Buy graham cracker crumbs or use a zip-top bag to hold whole graham crackers and then crush into crumbs using a rolling pin.
Place crumbs, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, mix to combine, add melted butter and stir together.
Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate or springform pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 F (180 C) oven, until lightly browned, eight to 10 minutes. Cool.
Adapted from: allrecipes.com.
Spinach salad with raspberry dressing
Serves: six to eight.
- 3/4 c. mayonnaise 175 mL
- 3 tbsp. raspberry vinegar 45 mL
- 2 tbsp. sugar 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 15 mL
- 1 tsp. dry mustard 5 mL
- 1/4 tsp. salt 1 mL
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper 1 mL
- 8 c. spinach, torn 2 L
- 3/4 c. cooked bacon, crumbled 175 mL
- 2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced 500 mL
- 1 c. fresh raspberries 250 mL
Wisk together mayonnaise, raspberry vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, dry mustard, salt and pepper.
In a large salad bowl combine spinach, bacon and mushrooms. Toss with enough dressing to coat.
Garnish with fresh raspberries.
Serve immediately.
Remaining dressing may be refrigerated for up to two days.
Adapted from 100 Favourites Celebrating a Century of Cooking in Alberta, from Atco Blue Flame Kitchen.
Tomato cucumber salad
This recipe is adapted from a favourite at my friend Ruth Cressman’s home. It is light, delicious and easy to prepare.
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 tbsp. white, red wine or balsamic vinegar 15 mL
- 2 tbsp. canola oil 30 mL
- 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 mL
- 1/2 tsp. fresh chopped basil 1 mL
- 1/2 medium cucumber sliced or diced
- 1 tsp. finely chopped green onion or chives 5 mL
- 2 tbsp. green pepper, diced, optional 30 mL
- 2 large tomatoes, chilled or cherry tomatoes
Combine salt, vinegar, canola oil, pepper and basil in a jar and shake to mix dressing. In a medium size salad bowl, combine cucumber, onion and tomatoes pour dressing over vegetables, chill and serve.
Delicious.
Cucumbers With cream
This is a traditional way of serving slicing cucumbers that are peeled. An update to the recipe uses unpeeled long English cucumbers.
This recipe is one that my mother-in-law, Maria Deobald, often served.
Serves eight to 10 as a side dish or a burger topping.
- 3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced or 2 large long English cucumber not peeled
- 1 tbsp. salt 15 mL
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- or 3 green onions, finely chopped or chopped chives
- 1 c. thick cream, sour or sweet 250 mL
- 1 tbsp. vinegar 15 mL
- 2 tbsp. sugar 30 mL
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Place sliced cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set a weight on top of the cucumbers. Refrigerate for several hours and then pour off the juice. Rinse with water a couple of times to reduce the saltiness. Mix onions, cream, vinegar, sugar and pepper. Pour over the cucumbers. Garnish with chives or green onion and serve.
Adapted from Come ‘N’ Get It Roundup Recipes from Ranch Country by Beulah Barss.
