Germany and Spaetzle

Rheinfels Castle Sankt Goar

We had 3 days in Germany as a short layover trip before heading to South Africa.  Breaking up the flights was wonderful, and we were able to explore some new parts of Germany.  We landed in Frankfurt and took the train to Bacharach, in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.  After the quick 1.5 hour train ride, we found our pension and set out to explore.  The first day we walked up to the Berg Staleck, which is perched above town, took a quick train ride to Oberwessel and meandered around the sleepy town of Bacharach.  Our second day was spent taking a train ride and short hike to the Berg Eltz. The third day we spent the day riding the Rhine on a boat, exploring the Rheinfels Castle ruins and the Marksberg Castle.  (See photos below recipe).

Germany has many foods that I do not appreciate.  One thing I do love is Spaetzle, an eggy noodle meets dumpling made by dropping bits of dough/batter into a pot of boiling water.  The process is messy, but the end result is delightful.  I described 2 methods for boiling the spaetzle.  I preferred the tablespoon/teaspoon method, but if you have a colander with larger holes than mine you might like that way.

Enjoy!

Herb Sauteed Spaetzle
Adapted from the comments on this post: on Smitten Kitchen.  I made the recipe in this post and found it to be much too soft and eggy (think scrambled eggs).

100 grams all purpose flour (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
100 grams whole wheat pastry flour (3/4 cup)
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
6 tablespoons lukewarm water
3 tablespoons butter
3 shallots, cut into small dice
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 cup chopped herbs, I used parsley and dill, but others would work well also
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and salt and whisk together.

The Tablespoon and Teaspoon Method

2. Add eggs stir with a wooden spoon until combined.  Add water and beat with the wooden spoon until smooth dough forms (1-2 minutes). Allow to set 30 minutes.
3. Heat a large pot of water to boil.
4. Prepare a cold water bath for the finished spaetzle.
Option 1: Tablespoon and Teaspoon
5. Fill the tablespoon with dough, dip the teaspoon into the boiling water, and scrape small pieces into the water.  As they float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and place into cold water.
Option 2: Colander

Spaetzle served with roasted broccoli and salad

5. Hold a colander over the pot and spoon 1/4 of the mixture into the colander. Use a rubber spatula to push the dough through the holes into the boiling water.  As the spaetzle float to the top, remove with slotted spoon and place into cold water.
7. Strain the cooled spaetzle and set aside.
8. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter in it.
9. Add the shallots and reduce heat to medium-low, cook for 10-15 minutes until beginning to brown.
10. Push shallots into one side of the pan, add the grapeseed oil to the other side of the pan and allow to heat.
11. Pour the spaetzle into the grapeseed oil and allow to brown slightly before stirring and browning on all sides.
12. Remove from heat and sprinkle with remaining nutmeg and stir in herbs.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy immediately.

Altes House, Bacharach

City Wall, Bacharach

Path to the Berg Eltz

Berg Eltz

Rheinfels Castle Ruins

Tunnels in the Rheinfels walls

German Wine Country

Marksberg Castle

Comic Relief

Cruising

Simple Basil Pesto

It is so good to be home. Wednesday morning I awoke with a sense of peace that I have missed for the past month. I returned to some beautiful basil that was just a few inches tall when we left.  Next week I will write more about our adventures, and share some food inspiration.  For now, I am reveling in home. Today's recipe is for simple basil pesto, fresh from the garden.  I used almonds because pine nuts are expensive.  For more flavor, you could add a clove of garlic.

My Little Sanctuary of a Kitchen

Big Basil Plants

Simple Pesto

Makes ½ cup

• ¼ cup raw almonds
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Tomato and Eggplant Gratin with Basil Pesto

1. Place almonds in food processor and pulse a few times to break into small pieces 
2. Add basil, salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil and continue to pulse
3. Drizzle remaining olive oil until consistency meets your fancy
4. To duplicate the dish pictured: follow the recipe for Tomato and Eggplant Gratin, but omit the thyme.  After removing from oven, drizzle or spoon pesto over the top and serve

Back From the Southern Hemisphere

 After 48 hours of travel, we made it home to Aspen last night from our last stop in South Africa: Cape Town. This post doesn't have any recipes, or really any focus on food.  Just a few pictures from our travels, and a hello to all.  Later this week I will get back to the culinary focus.  

Bacharach, Germany (3 day layover on the way to S.A.)

Drakensberg Mountains

Cape Vidal, St. Lucia

Snorkeling with Dolphins, Sodwana Bay

Rondavels in Swaziland (we decided to upgrade from camping)

Elephants in Kruger National Park

Hiking the Wild Coast

Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch and Franshhoek

V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Top of Table Mountain, Cape Town

Friday Links: German Inspiration

Hello from Germany. We are staying in the beautiful town of Bacharach, which is on the Rhine River. We have been riding ferries, walking, biking, and relaxing. Tomorrow we catch our flight to Johannesburg and the next adventure begins.

Today's links are about German food and drink. Most German food I find to be too meat-centric, but they have a few gems. Happy Weekend.

To Start: Cucumber Salad with mustard dressing.
Main Course: Spaetzle: dumpling meets noodle.
Dessert: Windbeutel, German cream puffs.
Rieslings and more: all about German wines.
The famous brews: German beer.

Time to Travel and Vegetarian Curry

Next week we will be leaving for a month long trip to Germany (4 days) and South Africa (3 1/2 weeks).  On Monday I take my national board examination, and on Tuesday we fly.  We love to travel, and are thrilled to be embarking on our fifth international trip together.  In addition, this is our third (annual) trip with our dear friends Matt and Mackenzie.  We have successfully stayed true to our goal of going out of the country at least one time per year for the past four years, and hope to continue this tradition for many years to come.

Along with leaving the country comes an obligation to clean out the fridge.  For me, this is fairly easy since my refrigerator is only 3 feet tall.  Last night I pulled out all the veggies that needed attention, some leftover chickpeas, and made a vegetarian curry.  You could easily make this vegan if you left out the butter at the beginning.  This recipe is perfect for whatever vegetables you have on hand.

Vegetarian Coconut Curry

• 2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder, salt free 
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen) 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 1 onion, diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 celery stalks, chopped 
• 1 carrot, halved lengthwise then cut into 1 inch long sections 
• 5 small red potatoes, cut into 8 pieces each 
• 1 cup canned or pre-soaked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 
• 1 block firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes 
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk 
• 1 cup vegetable stock (or water) 
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets 
• 1 green pepper, 1 inch dice 
• Salt to taste 

1. Heat butter and oil in large pot or dutch over over medium low. Add curry powder and stir to form an aromatic paste. Stir in curry paste, coriander and red pepper and heat for about 1 minute more. 
2. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and celery, cook 1 minute. 
3. Stir in potatoes, chickpeas and tofu and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cook entire mixture for 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend 
4. Add coconut milk and stock and allow to come to a simmer. 
5. Cover and cook 20 minutes until the potatoes begin to soften. 
6. Add the broccoli and pepper and recover for 5 more minutes, or until broccoli is softened. 
7. Salt to taste and serve over rice or flat bread.

Our past adventures in a few photos:

2009: Portugal

2009: Spain

2009: Greece

2010: Peru

2010: Bolivia (summit of 19,975 Huyana Potosi)

2010: Bolivia (view from summit)

2010: Costa Rica

2011: Turkey

Friday Links: Gardening in Small Spaces

Our freshly planted garden

Tuesday morning we donned hats and shovels and planted our seedlings in the vegetable garden. You might think it sounds late, but gardening at high altitude requires waiting for the frost to pass and then planting short season veggies. This is my first real garden of my own, besides the herbs I grow indoors. These links show some amazing ideas for small space gardening that I wish I would have tried in my apartment days. Get your hands dirty this weekend!

Perfect for a patio: wine Crates for a mobile and edible container garden.
Hang it on a door: vertical vegetable garden, in a shoe holder.
Stack a garden: urban veggie box.
If you have a small yard: make a raised bed.
On the balcony: create a potted vegetable garden.

Pepper shoots

Tomatoes, basil and peppers started inside

Experimenting in Raw: Vegan Tacos and Gazpacho

We just spent a rainy/cloudy week in Seattle where we celebrated graduates, spent time with family, and went backpacking (photos below). We were intending to climb Mt. Baker, but the new snow created a high avalanche danger and the weather forecast was poor. Instead we headed to Leavenworth and hiked 10 miles up the Chiwakum Creek Trail. We awoke to blue skies and a chilly morning. After a quick realization that climbing any of the nearby peaks was not an option, we hiked out and headed to fake Bavaria for lunch.

We returned on Sunday to a heat wave in Aspen (not nearly as bad as Denver, but still hot).  Yesterday at 5 pm our downstairs was 82 degrees (it was probably 10 degrees warmer upstairs).  I made a swift decision to not turn on the stove.  Instead I tried a raw menu from Roost, one of my favorite food blogs, that has been enticing me for a few weeks.  I find the raw food movement to be inspiring and interesting.  While I love cooking too much to take it on as a diet, I think experimenting with raw recipes provides a way to explore creativity, especially with vegan cooking.  The dinner was delicious.  The best part was the walnut taco filling, which tasted real.  I of course found myself dreaming about how great it would be with toasted walnuts, but that is the mind of a cook.  Here are the recipes I used.  All are from Roost except the pico de gallo which is my own.   I will make the walnut filling again and use it in vegan (cooked) tacos.

Raw Walnut Tacos

• 2 cups walnuts 
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon ground chili powder 
• 2 ½ tablespoons coconut aminos (or Nama Shoyu) 
• 1 head green cabbage 
• Pico de gallo (recipe below) 
• Mashed avocado (or prepared guacamole) 
• Cashew sour cream (recipe below) 
• 1 lime 
• Handful of cilantro roughly chopped 

1. Place walnuts, cumin, chili and coconut aminos in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles taco meat. 
2. Peal off several cabbage leaves, and cut them in half depending on their size 
3. Spoon walnut mixture, sour cream, avocado and pico de gallo onto leaf 
4. Top with squeeze of lime juice and cilantro

Pico de Gallo

(makes 2 cups)

• ½ jalapeno pepper 
• 1 clove garlic 
• Zest of 1 lime 
• Juice of 1 lime 
• 4 tomatoes 
• ½ onion 
• ½ cup cilantro leaves 

1. Remove seeds and ribs from ½ of a medium jalapeno pepper and coarsely chop. 
2. Combine jalapeno, garlic, lime juice and lime zest in food processor and process until finely chopped 
3. Coarsely chop tomatoes and onion and add to mixture along with cilantro leaves 
4. Pulse until tomatoes are approximately ¼ inch dice

Cashew Sour Cream

• 1 cup raw cashews 
• ½ cup water 
• ¼ cup lemon juice 
• ¼ teaspoon salt

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth

Spiced Melon Gazpacho

• 2 ½ cups fresh cantaloupe 
• ½ avocado 
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• Pinch of chili powder 
• Cashew sour cream to garnish (recipe above)

1. Combine all ingredients (except the cashew sour cream) in blender and blend until smooth
2. Serve in small dishes garnished with cashew sour cream

And a few shots from Washington backpacking:

Greta the dog and me

Dad, me, Steve (Nor)