I have been seriously into stuffed breads lately. I made bierock last night and they were very popular. Jan asked for something with chicken for tonight.
Category Archives: California Fusion
Karl’s Bierock
Bierock are Volga German stuffed breads. The Volga Germans were brought into Russia by Catharine the Great for their “modern” technical skills. However, their cooking was not one of those skills. Many would consider both German and Russian traditional cuisines a wasteland—there is only so much you can do with cabbage, flour, potatoes and a little beef when you do not have access to, or can afford, fancy spices.
Filed under Beef, California Fusion, German, Main Dishes, Vegetables
Karl’s Lamb Stew with Leeks
Jan is off on her yearly stitching retreat with her friends for four days. While she will tolerate barbecued lamb, she will not eat it any other way. Her absence allows me to make dishes that Jan will not eat.
Filed under California Fusion, Lamb, Main Dishes
Karl’s Lamb Bone Soup with Cabbage and Green Beans
With Jan out of town, I made a lamb stew for Sunday night’s dinner. I also made this lamb soup. Son-in-law, Chris, asked why I did not simply throw everything into one pot. In my mind I had an image of the thick, rich lamb stew and a second vegetable soup with lamb bone broth. While it may all end up in the same place, it would not be the same dining experience to mix the two dishes.
Filed under California Fusion, Lamb, Side Dishes, Soups, Vegetables
Karl’s California Fusion Peanut Sauce
I needed a sauce to go with my chicken satay. While I made a peanut sauce for my Vietnamese Summer Rolls, I wanted this one to be more Indonesian. Out went the hoisin sauce and the fish sauce. Palm sugar is a common Indonesian sweetener—and is lower on the glycemic index than white sugar. I also had that fresh pineapple I was planning to grill, so in it went.
Filed under California Fusion, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Japanese Style Carrot Soup
Adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe and a Just Bento recipe
Once again, Eilene is having friends over. I decided I would make chicken teriyaki and rice. I wanted to make a side dish, but it was too late to make pickles. I have been making blended soups lately, so I thought I would make a carrot soup with an Asian twist.
Filed under California Fusion, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Karl’s South of the Border Salmon Patties
Jan wanted something light for dinner. I went on-line for ideas and was surprised what some people—especially the diet cooking magazines—considered “light.” In my mind, anything with pasta is not “light” by definition, but easily a third of the recipes were some form of pasta and sauce.
Filed under California Fusion, Fish, Main Dishes, Salads, Seafood
Karl’s Grilled Plum Guacamole
Jan requested a “light” dinner, by which she meant low carbohydrates. I decided to do “South of the Border” salmon patties. This, of course, called for guacamole. Having already mixed Mexican and Northwest cuisines, I decided to take it a step further and mix grilled plums with my avocado.
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s French Onion Soup Crackers
I had some French onion soup left over from the other night. It had turned into an onion jam and—although the flavor was not bad—was a bit too “oniony” for most of Eilene’s friends. I was getting few takers for the leftovers. I decided that one way to buffer the flavors—and use up the leftovers— was to turn some of it into savory crackers. I will freeze the rest, in portions, to use as “soup starters.”
Filed under bread, California Fusion, Side Dishes









