winter ride

Ottolenghi's hot and sour mushroom soup

Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty More and the filters of VSCOcam : two things I enjoyed spending time with during the Christmas holidays . The hot and sour mushroom soup, photographed with the VSCOcam app in F3 filter, is a little taster for you. My family loved both of it!

Hot and sour mushroom soup (slightly adapted)

(serves six) 

1 tbs sunflower oil

3 small onions (roughly chopped)

3 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)

6 celery staks (sliced)

6 garlic cloves, peel and left whole

a chunk of fresh ginger root /peeled and sliced)

3 lemongrass staks, roughly chopped

6 prunes

1 red chili

(6 star anise; in brackets, because I didn't use any)

2 tbs tamari soy sauce

6 lime leaves

1tbs coriander, pestled

2 tbs red Tandoori paste ( instead of Tamarind paste, which I had not in my pantry)

toasted sesame oil to finish

a choice of mushrooms ( I used brown champignons, dried and soaked cèpes, chanterelles, shitaake and and chinese tungkow), sliced

juice of about 2 limes

coriander leaves

basil leaves

some peas ( green beans in the original recipe)

I also added a tbs of vegetable stock and I didn't discard the vegetables as Ottolenhi suggested. As we wanted a more filling meal I added some rice noodles to the soup. Perfect for a warming lunch. 

Begin by heating oil in a sauce pan and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger. Cook on a high heat for about 5 minutes until the edges begin to colour. Pour in 2 2.5 liters of water and add the lemongrass, prunes, chilli, soy , lime leaves and coriander. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

Add the Red Tandoori paste , followed by the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.Then add the remaining ingredients apart from the sesame oil, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt - and some instant  vegetable stock, if necessary. Allow to heat for a further minute.

Ladle into bowls and finish with a little drizzle of sesame oil in each bowl.

big snow, 3 boars and a simple beetroot salad

I had a flu. Runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever.
So instead of throwing myself into the planned spring detox and sports  in the (supposed) sunshine I'm spending my days lazily on the sofa, recovering, drinking hot English tea and trying to motivate myself to breathe the snowy air outside my warm cocoon not only for shovelling snow.

Snowboots and ski pants on, camera hidden under the parka I bravely headed  into the forest.  At least it was not cold (-2°C only).

On my way back from the lakes, just when  in a sudden euphoria I considered buying a new pair of cross country skis as soon as possible, three enormous wild boars jogged by my side. I stopped walking, breathing, all terrified, trying to make myself invisible...  Approximately 20 meters in front of me they crossed my path and disappeared in the forest again. I was not cool enough to take a photo. I'm sorry.

The question is, would it have been dangerous if I was closer?  What would have happened if, for example, I went with an off-leash dog? Do boars find enough food after weeks of snow covered fields? Do they also run around when the sun is shining? I shall have to ask the Head of the game reserve...

I don't cook a lot these days: simple things, vegetables with oil and vinegar, pasta, fish and rice.

I just thought it would be nice to share my today's beetroot salad with you. Firstly because it really was delicious, secondly because all this snow series needed a hint of colour.

Beetroot salad with apple and laurel

3 beetroots
1 apple
2 leaves of laurel
olive oil,  vinegar, salt and pepper

Wash the beetroots, cover them with water and cook them about 20 minutes until soft. Peel and slice them. Peel and slice the apple and mix with the beetroot slices in a bowl. Dress with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the leaves of laurel. Let the salad rest at room temperature for at least one hour to allow the flavours to mingle.

Would  be nice to accompany a boar roast as well, wouldn' it?
But not for me, not now,  I definitely don't want to enrage the Big Boar Spirit....

wintersun

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed a full day of bright sunshine in this fridge. Sun changes  it all: suddenly it becomes so easy to stick to my winter's resolution.

on the path from Moritzburg to Dippeldorfer Teich

snow spook

December 16th

December 2nd

my resolution for this winter: the outdoor hour

 the outdoor hour (n.) to spend one hour daily outside

It's easy when the weather is nice and sunny like yesterday, but the deal I made with myself is one outdoor hour, no matter how ugly the weather will be.

Hm, and here we are, first doubts on my overhasty winter resolution are lurking...  Today's sky has been hanging grey and wet giving a foretaste of the never ending frozen Saxonian winters.

last day of crazy October

Never before summer and winter met so closely at the end of October!

winter, finally!

The kitchen in progress is constantly on my mind: walls down- done, new window - done, walls - painted. The next step on the list is the wooden floor.
To balance out my excitement and stress of being the construction supervisor  I went on a stroll today capturing the wintery vibes.

Insider: Professor Remus Lupin's transformation....

my booklist for reading pleasure (as it should be always)

Photography by Fuchi Pucho

Debt: The First 5.000 Years
David Graeber


Geld und Magie
Eine ökonomische Deutung von Goethes Faust
Hans Christoph Binswanger


Der taumelnde Kontinent
Europa 1900-1914
Philipp Blom


Heilkräuter und Zauberpflanzen: zwischen Haustür und Gartentor
Wolf-Dieter Storl


Bekannte und vergessene Gemüse: Geschichte, Rezepte, Heilkunde
Wolf-Dieter Storl


Winter in Maine
Gerard Donovan


Magdalena Sünderin
Lilian Faschinger