German Onion Cake

I have been delaying posting this recipe because I stole it from a friend, and didn't receive a reply when I asked if I could put it on here.  But he's had plenty of time to say no, so I assume he means yes.  :-)  Logic, I likes it.

Despite its name, it's not really cake.  It's a pie.  And its delicious.  Really delicious.  Instead of using pastry for the base, however, you use a bread dough.  This makes it a whole lot less greasy than it could be (greasiness is what puts me off quiche).  Put aside quite a bit of time to let the dough rise properly, but if it doesn't, it's not a huge problem - I have had to give up when it had only increased in size by about 50% rather than 100%, and it is still delicious.

Onion Cake

Dough

250g flour

10g yeast

125g milk

40g butter

pinch salt

Mix all ingredients and place in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.  Meanwhile, make the filling.

Filling

750g onion, sliced into rings

40g butter

20g cooking oil

60g bacon, diced (optional)

250g sour cream

50g flour

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of caraway (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter with oil in a large frying pan or pot, and add onions (and bacon).  Cook until transparent.  Allow to cool slightly, then mix in sour cream, eggs, spices, and flour.

Roll out the dough to cover the bottom and sides of a 28-35cm spring form tin, pour in the filling, and bake in a preheated oven for ~ an hour at 200°C.

Cooking Red Kidney Beans

When I made the chicken burritos, they were delicious, but I had a killer headache the next day.  In my household, the first thing we think of when we wake up with a headache is "what did I eat last night?".  Other than the kidney beans, all of the ingredients in the burritos were normal, every-day things like corn, tomatoes, and chicken.  So, I decided to try avoiding tinned kidney beans next time I needed them, and to instead use dried.

Dried kidney beans take much more effort than their tinned brothers.  They must be soaked, either for a few hours or overnight (but no more than 12 hours, I believe), and then rinsed, and cooked on the stove for 1-1½ hours (first bring to the boil, boil for 15 minutes, then simmer) until the beans are soft and will squish between your fingers (mind you don't burn yourself!).  They also stick, so it's not like a lot of things that take a long time on a low heat that you can go back to check every 15 mins; no you need to stir them at least every 5 mins.

So what's my verdict?  Well, I didn't have a headache after eating the muffins (but comparing muffins to burritos is not all that useful), and we have some dried beans left, which I'll cook up, eventually.  But I'm going to try the tinned variety again, rinsing them very very well.  If I get a headache again, I'll settle on dried.  They keep well in the fridge, and I wonder if you can freeze them.  If so, I'll cook up a large batch to freeze.

 I felt like I was stirring a couldron for a spell...