Regensblog

Gabe’s grampa smuggled this recipe into the U.S. from Syria via Cuba back in the day.

1 19oz can of chick peas, or two of the smaller European-sized cans of chick peas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans, a.k.a. ceci beans, a.k.a. Kichererbsen
One Teaspoon of salt
Three tablespoons of Sesame Tahini (Ground Sesame Seeds in Olive Oil)
Four or five cloves of peeled garlic (you can use fresh garlic or minced in a jar)
Five tablespoons of Lemon Juice

1. Drain the chick peas and save the juice.
2. Dump everything else into the blender
3. Start blending and slowly add chick pea juice until you get the viscosity you like (we used about half of the juice we drained).

Note: we used 3 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic in our batch and it was strong enough for us.

The recipe is very easy and it’s mild because it has apples and potatoes in it. You can make it on the stove if you keep the temperature very low and check it to add water if it needs it.

2 Lbs. polish sausage (kielbasa)
If you use fresh sausage, brown it first. Then drain the grease. If you use smoked sausage, just cut it into serving sizes.
2 small potatoes
2 small cooking apples (Do not peel the apples or potatoes.)
6-8 cups sauerkraut ( 2 Vlasic jars, or 2-3 large cans), rinsed well
1/2 cup water

Mix these ingredients together

3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon flour

Mix these ingredients together until you have a paste and drop them on the sausage mixture by spoonfuls.
Cook on stove on very low heat for at least one hour. Stir occasionally.
Add a little water if needed. In the crockpot, cook on low 7-9 hours, (high 3-4). You could do this in the oven, too, at 300- 325 degrees for 2 hours. (Nice for a cold day when you don’t mind the oven on!)
recipe_source: Cliff’s mom

It’s a lot of work and requires a lot of dishwork afterward, but man is it ever worth it!

6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
450g bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
1 pkg Pasta Käse (=pasta cheese, because cheddar is damn near impossible to find in Germany)
salt and pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Place the potatoes in a large pot with water to cover over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, drain, then combine with the milk and 6 tablespoons of butter, mash and set aside.
3. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the bacon, onion and garlic in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon is fully cooked.
4. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions and cool under running water.
5. Place 1/2 of the mashed potatoes into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top this with 1/3; of the cheese, followed by a layer of lasagna noodles. Repeat this with the remaining potatoes, another 1/2 of the cheese and a layer of noodles. Then arrange the bacon, onion and garlic over the noodles, then another layer of noodles, and finally top all with the remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh chives.