The Elegant Cook

I chopped some red onion, celery and carrots, and sautéed them in olive oil. I added the other usual ingredients: chicken bits and a lot of bouillon, then a few cups of homemade spätzle that I had stored in the freezer. I created more flavour with red peppercorns and dried parsley. Similar soups appear on the web. This is my own version of chicken soup with dumplings--tiny ones called spätzle that are nutritious and slightly al dente. My mother, Lorraine, introduced me to this nutritious pasta named after sparrows. It is traditional fare in Alsace-Lorraine, Switzerland and Bavaria. There are many delicious ways to serve this economical ingredient, including with haricots verts and bacon, with walnut pesto, and with cinnamon, nutmeg and butter. Click Here to Read M-J's Main Website, Elegant Survival

White or vanilla cake mix is prepared then poured over butter, brown sugar and pineapple rings in an oval Le Creuset baking-dish, and baked at 350° for forty-five minutes.  After fifteen minutes of cooling, an oval platter is placed on top of the pineapple upside-down cake, then turned over and the cake is elegantly inverted to reveal the delicious topping. The pineapple creates steam that makes the cake rise a little higher than usual, and imparts a lovely texture to this classic American dessert. ©M-J de Mesterton Click Here to Read M-J's Main Website, Elegant Survival

Pasta all'Uovo with Bolognese Meat Sauce

An elegant way to stretch your meat budget in these austere times is to make Swedish or Scandinavian-style meatballs. Each household cook has his or her recipe, but the basics are ground meat such as beef, veal and/or pork mixed with bread crumbs or bits of bread (I use bits of brioche pulled out from my brioche hamburger buns, which have been reserved in a freezer-bag), an egg and some cream or milk.  Finely-minced onion is optional. Spices include nutmeg and/or allspice, salt and optional white pepper. Onion powder can take the place of minced onion, or that flavour may be omitted altogether. Meat mixtures are shaped into small balls and rolled in flour, then fried in butter. A pan-gravy is made while the finished meatballs rest in a warm oven until serving time. I prefer to use ground beef, brioche bits, sour cream, minced onions or onion-powder, nutmeg, salt and white or green ground pepper. ©M-J de Mesterton 2011 Serve Swedish meatballs with new potatoes and perhaps a little lingonberry or cranberry sauce on the side. This Danish baking-dish has the traditional cream gravy at its bottom, topped with the meatballs (this type of meatball recipe is found in Swedish, Danish and Finnish cookbooks). Very small new potatoes are usually just boiled in salted water, and not cut into pieces. These Yukon Gold new potatoes have been cut and boiled, then sautéed in butter and smashed lightly. ©M-J de Mesterton 2011