Serranía Kitchen - recipes from around the world

Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) is a favourite side dish throughout Germany. The Meter Maid’s version is very popular among friends here in the Serranía de Ronda. Here’s how she makes it:

Rita’s Serranía Potato Salad – (serves 4)

Ingredients

1-2 kg potatoes
Approx. 300-500 ml meat stock
1 onion
Salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsp vinegar
Pickled gherkins
Dash of the gherkin water
3-4 tbsp sunflower oil

Method

• Boil potatoes in their skins. Allow to cool, then peel and cut into thin slices.
• Dice the onion and add to potatoes.
• Cut gherkins into small pieces and add.
• Pour stock over.
• Add salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar and gherkin water.
• Mix well and check taste.
• Allow to stand for 1-2 hours, then check taste again. If too dry add more stock. If too sweet add oil.
• Mix well and serve.

©  Rita Whitelock

About Rita Whitelock

German-born Rita is a retired intensive care nurse and medical administrator. Alongside her career she raised three children with her first husband. An accomplished cook, she famously catered on two occasions for the Sol Classic Car Club when they came on daytrips to Montejaque, where Rita has lived since 2005. Rita discovered Montejaque through Montejaque's twin-town Knittlingen in Germany, where she used to work.

Tags: gherkin, Kartoffelsalat, meter maid, potato salad,, rita whitelock, serrania de ronda, Montejaque, Knittlingen

Paul Whitelock’s step-son Jovan Le Knorz is a vegan and a great cook. He sent us this tasty mushroom soup recipe recently and Paul prepared it. His wife Rita had been under the weather so this seemed like a good idea. It was - she devoured it all, so it must have been alright!

Jovan’s Vegan Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

I medium red onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly, then chopped

1 tbsp of olive oil

4 large button mushrooms, sliced

1 can of small button mushrooms

½ litre of vegetable stock

½ litre of almond milk

Salt and ground black pepper

Diced spring onion stems or croutons

Crusty bread roll

Method

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until softened.

Add the sliced mushrooms, stir and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the can of mushrooms, including the liquid.

Add the stock and the almond milk and stir well.

Bring to the boil with the lid off the pan so that the soup thickens.

Boil vigorously for 10 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Serve with the garnish and the bread roll.

Recommended drink

Try a local craft beer with the soup. I chose a bottle of El Alcázar brewed in Jaén.

© Jovan Le Knorz

Tags: craft beer, El Alcázar, garlic, Jaén, mushroom, onion,  jovan le knorz, paul whitelock, recipe, soup, vegetarian, vegan

By Madita Schröder (aged 14)

This recipe is courtesy of Rita’s oldest grand-daughter who lives in the Swabian village of Talheim, near Heilbronn in South Germany. Madita cooks this regularly for her family and she sent her “Oma” the recipe via WhatsApp. Rita prepared it the other day and it was “lecker”! Here’s how to make it…

Madita’s Lentil and Spinach Curry – Swabian-style

Ingredients

ca. 150g fresh spinach

200g brown lentils

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsps sesame seeds

2 tbsps butter

1 can of coconut milk

350 ml water

1.5 teaspoons stock

1 piece of stem ginger (2-3 cm)

1 teaspoon turmeric

Salt

½ teaspoon hot curry powder

2 teaspoons cumin

Method

Peel and finely chop the ginger, onion and garlic

Add the butter and heat until melted (approx. 3 mins.)

Add the sesame seeds, cumin and continue cooking for approx. 1 min.)

Add the lentils, coconut milk, water, curry, turmeric and stock and continue cooking (approx. 15 mins.)

Add the spinach and cook for a further 10 mins., stirring from time to time.

Adjust seasoning and serve on a bed of basmati rice. Add poppadums or chapattis if desired.

Recommended drink

Cobra lager or similar

©  Madita Schröder 

Tags: coconut milk, cook, cumin, curry, germany, ginger, grqand-daughter, Heilbronn, lecker, lentil, Madita Schröder, recipe, rice, rita whitelock, spinach, Talheim,turmeric,whatsapp

In this first recipe on this brand-new blog, Paul Whitelock offers us a vegetarian/vegan thick soup which he tried for the first time yesterday, 29 October 2022. Paul had been working outside in the garden and it was a little chilly, so he fancied something warming. He had three jars of different coloured beans in the pantry and this is what he came up with.

Paul’s Vegetarian Spicy Three Bean Soup

(also suitable for vegans)

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Yield: 4 persons

Ingredients

Spices – 1/2 tsp. of each – cumin, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder; salt and pepper to taste.

1 can/jar black beans

1 can/jar pinto beans

1 can/jar white beans

1 can of water

1 sm can of sweetcorn

Method

1. Add the spices to a pan.
2. Pour the remaining ingredients into the pan
3. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Serve with rustic bread, wholegrain rice or a small green side salad.
5. A glass of vino tinto or a bottle of cerveza negra suits this dish well.

© Paul Whitelock

Tags: soup, three bean soup, pinto beans, white beans, black beans, recipe, vegetarian, vegan