Brrrrr it's cold in Munich! Soup's on!

Hofgarten

Munich, or all of Europe for that matter, is a quite a cold place at the moment!!  The season started out very mild but now it's definitely in full swing with temperature staying much below the average lows. It's been hovering around -10 C (about 14 F), but often getting colder than that as low as -20 C at night!  Here is a video a friend recommended from BBC, it's Hamburg where literally all of the water is frozen!

Heidi, Sara and I decided to brave the cold for a bit today and take a long walk through the English Gardens.  It was covered in snow and pretty cold but it was a really nice walk.

















In light of this cold weather, soups have definitely been in order!  Soups are definitely one of my favorite things to make; they are comforting, versatile and easy to do well, or rather hard to mess up.  The base is pretty standard and you can adjust the flavor until you get it to where you want it to be.  This past week I made Potato Soup, Carrot Curry Soup and Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter.

When making a savory soup, I stick to a pretty standard base.  First, have pretty much everything ready to go.  I've definitely made the mistake of being lazy and prepping veggies one at a time and having little problems pop up.  Burnt onions, missing spices, whatever; definitely avoid it.  For a 4-6 serving soup start by dicing two yellow onions and mincing three cloves of garlic.  Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot and add the onions and garlic with a  bit of salt to bring out their juices.  Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Next add the veggies, cover with broth and simmer.

Before this year, I had never really had much of any curry.  I been recently learning to cook with it and experimenting with it in recipes and I'm really liking it!  I was a little nervous about making Carrot Curry Soup, carrot soup is pretty different from soups I usually make but a friend of mine told me it was her favorite so I decided to give it a try.  We looked at a few recipes online to get a general idea of how to make a successful carrot soup and then took added our own ideas.  I really, really liked this soup.  It definitely has a kick from the curry and mustard seeds but it's pretty well balanced with the sweetness of the carrots and the creaminess of the yogurt.  This soup was definitely a hit!

Carrot Curry Soup 

source: original recipe

Ingredients: 

Olive oil 

2 onions 

3 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp curry powder, more or less to your taste.  

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

500 g (about 1.25 lb) carrots, cut into about 1/2" rounds (+a tsp or two of brown sugar if your carrots aren't sweet- probably the case in winter) 

low sodium vegetable/chicken broth (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup plain yogurt/sour cream or 1/3 c heavy cream 

Salt and Pepper 

Prepare the soup base as described above, sautéing the onions and garlic together until tender.  

Stir the curry powder and mustard seeds into the onions and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  

Add the carrots and cover with enough broth to submerge them.  

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 25-35 minutes.  

Remove from the heat source and blend the carrots with an immersion blender until smooth.  

Stir in the yogurt/sour cream/cream and add salt & pepper to taste.  

It's definitely not the most photogenic soup, but it's delish!

Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter 

 source: 101 Cookbooks 

For this recipe, I'll just give the link to the original post at 101 Cookbooks.  I followed the recipe exactly and it's great.  This soup is also pretty spicy but as my friend and top food tester, Heidi, put it, it's "spicy in a really pleasant way."  The heat is balanced with coconut milk and it's really not too overpowering.  I really like this recipe, I'll certainly make it again, maybe with split peas.  

Also not particularly aesthetically pleasing...  

Guten Appetit! 

Frohe Weihnachten!! God Jul!! Christmas celebration in Munich and Norwegian Christmas Bread Recipe.

Ich wünsche Euch alle frohe Weihnachten!!
I couldn't ask for a better German Christmas experience.  After much delay and drama with the flights, my family arrived in Munich on Friday morning; just in time to enjoy the last leg of the wonderful Munich Christmas Markets.  Everyone is loving it, especially Dad!! They all love the hearty bavarian food and the Christmas specialities like Glühwein and Gebrannte Mandeln.
We had dinner in my tiny apartment last night; they all got to try the famous Käsespätzle and I made a Norwegian Christmas Bread, Julebrød.  It was quite cozy in my room but a success!

I am taking an introductory Norwegian course this semester and love it!! We had a Scandinavian Christmas Celebration with the University a few weeks ago where we saw the Swedish Lucia tradition, sang Norwegian Christmas songs, and had a potluck meal of Scandinavian food.  I made Julebrød and really liked it, so much that I made it again for my family!  It's a very slightly spiced sweet yeast bread, the perfect compliment to a warm glass of Glühwein (or gløgg!).  Julebrød literally translates to "Christmas Bread," and I find it to be absolutely perfect for Christmas!
I found the recipe on Trines Matblogg, a Norwegian food blog.  The recipe was very easy to follow and turned out just as promised.  Her recipe makes 3 julebrød, so I divided it and just made one.  I ended up tweaking the recipe very slightly last night; going with the gløgg/julebrød combination, I decided to soak the raisins in Glühwein instead of water.  I really like it!  It wasn't too overpowering, but instead just the right compliment to the spice of the bread and really taking it to the next level of Christmas baking :-)

Julebrød

Translated and very slightly adapted from Trines Matblogg  

Ingredients:

330-350 g all purpose flour (about 2 2/3 c) 

2 dl Milk (a little less than one cup), warmed to about 30 C/85 F 

15 g fresh yeast (10g dry active yeast/ 5g instant yeast) 

50g sugar (1/4c) 

1 tsp cardamon 

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

about 1 Tbsp Butter, cubed 

about 100 g rasins, soaked in gløgg, Glühwein, sweet red wine, or water (at least 30 minutes, better if overnight) 

egg, for brushing

Combine all ingredients except for butter and raisins in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix at a low speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth.  If the dough seems too sticky, add a bit of flour.  

Cube the butter and mix into the dough, increasing the speed of the mixer slightly.  Add the raisins and mix to just combine.  The dough should be ready to rise.  

Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour.  The dough should now be easy to work with.  Shape the dough into a circular loaf or if you'd like, a few smaller rolls.  Allow the shaped bread to rest about 20 minutes longer.  Place the dough on a parchment paper lined tray and let them rise a bit longer until they double in size.  Brush with a lightly beaten egg and score the top of the loaf.  

Bake at 200 C/390F on the bottom rack for 25 to 30 minutes (less if you are doing smaller loaves).  

Enjoy with butter, goat cheese (very Norwegian!) and tea, coffee, gløgg or Glühwein!  

Although I love to cook, the space is a little too limited in my room to make Christmas brunch.  The restaurant Ratskeller has been recommended to me over and over again so I thought it would be the perfect place to take the fam for brunch, it was great!! We got there at 10.30 and were served food and drinks until after 2pm!  The food was all very good and presented very nicely.  It was definitely a good choice for a nice Christmas meal! 

Guten Appetit!

Munich at Christmastime and Chili and Cornbread

Winter has finally made it to Munich. The Christmas spirit has taken over the city. Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) are all over. They are great, I don't want the season to end! Munich itself has quite a few, Marienplatz being the most popular (and definitely my favorite) and a few of us visited Germany's most famous market in Nürnberg. Personally, I prefer the one in Munich, it just feels like home! The Christmas markets have a huge selection of handmade goods like nutcrackers and Rauchermännchen and of course a variety of amazing German street food. Riesenbratwürste served in an entire baguette, Bratwurst- and Leberkäsesemmeln, Rahmbrot (flatbread with a cream sauce and toppings), etc. The warm gebrannte Mandeln (sugar roasted almonds) are definitely our favorite sweet snack. There is nothing quite like being at the Christmas market in the snow with a glass of Glühwein: a sweet, warm, spiced wine. The first time I tried it I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, but now I'm dreading the end of the Christmas and Glühwein seasons! Glühwein comes in several varieties, the normal red wine, normal with a shot of either amaretto or rum, or white Glühwein. There are also special Weihnachtsbiers, Feuerzangenbowle and Eierpunsch. Of those, I've only tried the Eierpunsch and was honestly not impressed! I was expecting a sort of eggnog like drink but it was some kind of egg liqueur with whipped cream, I'll stick to the Glühwein!  

Riesenbratwürste

Gebrannte Mandeln

German winter days can be pretty tough. It is starting to get very cold and the sun starts to go down before 4pm Aka comfort food weather!! I decided to make a totally American (particularly southern) dinner after a day of shopping in the christmas markets. Turkey and Black Bean Chili with homemade cornbread; it really hit the spot! The chili itself is very healthy; it's made with lean ground turkey instead of beef and vitamin rich black beans. I can't say the same about the cornbread, however. It's made with sour cream and a bit of buttermilk and best served with fresh honey butter. Neither chili nor cornbread is very well known in Germany.  I couldn't find chili powder so I just made it with paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper.  It seemed to work well!  This was definitely the perfect meal for a cold evening.

  

Turkey and Black Bean Chili 

1Tbsp Olive Oil

2 c finely chopped red pepper

1 c chopped onion

½ c finely chopped carrots

2 lg garlic cloves minced

4 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 lb ground turkey breast

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

3 c canned no salt chicken broth

1 small can of tomato paste (or to taste) 

Heat oil in large saucepan over med heat.

Add pepper, onion, carrots and garlic; sauté until

tender about 12 mins.  Add chili powder and cumin.

Stir to blend.  Increase heat to med high and add turkey.

Break up the meat and sauté until no longer pink. 

Add beans, broth & tomato paste.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until liquid thickens.

Season with salt and pepper.

Top with sour cream and shredded cheese.  

Sour Cream Cornbread 

Marcus Samuelsson

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (145g) yellow cornmeal 

2 Tablespoon (25 g) sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

dash of cayenne or hot paprika (to your taste, about 1/2tsp) 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup sour cream 

1/3 cup buttermilk 

2 T olive oil 

Preheat the oven to 400 F (about 210 C).  Generously butter a 9x5 loaf pan. 

Combine the dry ingredients in one (larger) bowl, whisk to ensure everything is well mixed.  

In a smaller bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.  

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones, mixing until just combined.  (Over mixing at this step will make for denser bread).  

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes.  




Guten Appetit! 

Käsespätzle

There are few things more comforting than Käsespätzle.
It's like a German take on mac&cheese only BETTER.  Spätzle literally translates to little sparrows.  It is a traditional German dish, typical to the South and into Austria.  Miller Family, you know Spätzle as dumplings.


In the StudentenStadt, Käsespätzle pretty much forms it's own food group.  It's easy, cheap, fast and really filling.  We have been on the quest for the very best Käsespätzle for quite sometime and I think we are just about there.  It's very common to buy pre-made Spätzle in the grocery store but once you've made them homemade, there is really no turning back.  It's so easy and so much better.
Two very important things to remember with Käsespätzle: yes, add ALL that cheese, don't skimp on the butter!

Käsespätzle 

Ingredients

• 400 g all purpose flour (about 3 1/4 c) 
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 50-75 ml water (1/4-1/3 c)
• butter to your taste ( I usually do about 2-3 T)
• 250 g (pretty much the whole bag) grated cheese, Emmenthaler/Swiss, Gruyère, Mountain Cheese... 
• optional 
• an onion cut into rings 
• butter and evoo for the pan 
• salt      

Mix the flour and the salt in a large bowl and create a well in the middle of the bowl.  Add the eggs to the well and beat them, gradually pulling in flour from the sides.  Add enough water to make the dough workable but not too runny.  

The dough should rest for at least 20 minutes.  I usually turn the pot of water on once I have finished preparing the dough and it is boiling at just the right time.  

If you are making the onions, go ahead and start them. Melt the butter and evoo in a frying pans and cook the onions over a low heat until they turn golden brown.  Set aside. 

You will need a Spätzlepresse to make the Spätzle, a colindar might work too.  Add a good pinch of salt to the water and turn the heat down to allow it to simmer but not boil too heavily.  Now comes the messy part.  It's a good idea to plan for at least two runs to avoid a Spätzle-disaster.  Allow the Spätzle to cook for about 2-3 minutes, until they float to the top.  

You can either prepare the Spätzle to the end in the same pot or, if you'd like, you can cook them further in a baking dish in the oven. (I normally just cook them in the pot) 

Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked Spätzle from the pot into another dish.  Once all the Spätzle have been cooked, empty the leftover water and return the Spätzle to the pot with the butter and cheese.  Mix until melted.  Add a good amount of salt.  It is really good with a small pinch of nutmeg and topped with a few leaves of fresh basil and the caramelized onions if you are using them.  

   

Guten Appetit!