Smoked Salmon Penne

100g. Smoked Salmon, 2-3 onions diced, 2-3 leaves of endive, 1 Thai chile finely chopped, 1/2 shot of vodka, 1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream or creme fraiche, salt, pepper and parmasean to taste.

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium high.

2. Add onions, salmon and chiles and sautee about 5 minutes.

3. Add vodka and endive. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

4. Add creme, and possibly water, until it is a thin consistency, like milk.

5. In the meanwhile, boil the penne in salted water until al dente.

6. Drain penne and put immediately back into the pot. Add the sauce and over medium high heat cook the sauce with the pasta until the sauce is creamy and the liquid absorbed.

7. Serve with freshly grated pepper and cheese on top.

8. Voila!

Caldo Tlalpeño (with or without chicken)

One of the best soups EVER! You can leave the chicken out and double the chickpeas to make this light and delicious soup.

broth: 1/2  chicken, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, oregano, strip of celery, 1 carrot, 1 chile chipotle.

1. Fry the onion, garlic and chile in a tbs. of oil. Add all other ingredients, then cover with water. Boil 1-3 hours, or 1 hour in a pressure cooker.

2. Remove chicken and cool. Strain broth and pick chicken pieces off of bone.

3. Recombine chicken with strained broth.

Soup: 3 carrots diced, 2 stalks celery diced, 1-2 cans of garbanzo beans, 1 chile chipotle, handful of cilantro chopped. (garnish of sliced avocado, chopped tomato, onion cilantro and lime juice)

1. In a large pot fry the vegetables in 1 tbs of oil. Add garbanzo beans, then add the chicken broth (see above).

2. Simmer about 30minutes. Add cilantro. Serve.

3. For the vegetarian version, you could add some soaked bulgar or cooked rice for consistency. Place a spoon of rice or bulgar in each bowl, then slice some avocado and top with the soup. Set garnishes on the table for each to serve themselves.

Serve with homemade quesadillas. ¡Buen Provecho!

Plätzchen, Glühwein and Feuerwurst = Christmas in Ulm

So, as I have found throughout Europe, food is one of the major differences between the different countries. Basically every celebration relates to the Christian traditions of celebrating Jesus’ birth, but with a local twist that allows each culture to shine during this festive season. In Ulm I have discovered that Christmas isn’t Christmas without certain goodies.

1. Plätzchen

These are basically Christmas cookies, just like the ones you may have made with M & P on Christmas Eve in order to lure a fat, white bearded man down your chimney. The difference is that they are usually only one mouthful each, and are decorated individually with painstaking care, in a meticulous way that only the German people can.

The cookies are often baked one day in early December. There are always a wide assortment, and it is a group activity, so friends and/or family will get together to help out. After baking, the cookies are placed in decorative boxes that will become gifts for neighbors, teachers, colleagues or anyone looking like they need a cookie. Some people will even mail the cookies to friends and relatives too far to visit.

I personally have acquired three boxes this year, and it seems that there are specific recipes included in every mix. The Zimmtstern (Cinnamon stars) and Spritz cookies are by far the best, but they also include sugar cookies with anise icing, oatmeal cookies with dried or candies fruits and mini biscotti. I ate them before I decided to write the blog, so no picture this year :/

2. Glühwein (Happy Wine)

You cannot visit a Christmas Market in Germany without a steaming mug of Glühwein, the German mulled wine that is synonymous with Christmas shopping.  It comes prepared with red or white wine, dried fruits and spices such as cloves, almonds, cinnamon stick, and anise. If you want an extra kick, you can order one with a shot of rum. This year there was an Orange-Chili variety, which was less sweet and by far the most delicious warm drink ever! (Aside from Glögg, another version of Glühwein that I believe originated in Sweden). Its basically the same, but it has twice as much sugar and spice.

3. Feuerwurst

If you can’t take the heat…. add some Tzaziki! This two-foot long (before grilled) sausage is the highlight of the Christmas Market and served on a bun half its size so that the sausage protrudes from either end. Spiciness is relative, though, as many German people are not accustomed to heat. I missed the stand this year with what I believe to be the spiciest feuerwurst sandwich. It claimed to be extra hot, with Jalapeños, tzaziki and hot sauce on top. I chose one from a less convincing vendor, and the feuer was almost exstinguished.  Nevertheless, I refuse to give up hope on this delicacy, and will hopefully be able to report next year that the feuerwurst truly set my mouth on fire.

Guacomole

This is my first recipe because it is basically the impetus for which I have revisited blog-writing. (Thanks, P):

“Hey it’s almost our birthday. P.S. I need your recipe for Guacamole. It’s delish. I’ve been trying to replicate it, and I’m just missing something!!!!”

You wish it, I dish it….

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe Hass avocadoes, 1/2 onion finely diced, juice from 1/2 lime, handful fresh cilantro chopped, 2 Roma tomatoes finely chopped, 2-3 pickled serrano or jalepeño peppers with a little juice (serranos en escabeche), salt to taste.

1. Prepare all vegetables by chopping them as finely as possible, or to your liking. I prefer the sauce to be a little thicker.

2. Cut avocadoes in half, peel and chop with a fork and knife until it is a thick paste. Add juicy vegetables (tomato, chiles, onions) and mix well.

3. Add lime juice, salt and vinegar from can of chiles to regulate the thickness to your liking.

Serve with fresh a bottle of Tapatío and tortilla chips (ones where there are a maximum of three ingredients: Corn, oil, and salt). Bon apetit!

Russian Snacks…

Who would have ever thought that in Russia dried calamari and anchovies compliment beer instead of peanuts? Freaking awesome! And that is only the tip of the iceburg…

My classmate came back from Christmas break and asked if everyone had already taken their Christmas trees down. This, unbeknownst to me, was a test of Russian-ness. Russians celebrate New Years, and then the Old New Year in the middle of January… and so the tree stays up until then.

The currently worldwide accepted calendar, along with the old Russian calendar are recognized.

http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/traditions/638/.

Zu Viel Schwein in 2009!

The day before I took this picture, the display said: "Zu viel Schwin in 2009"

I found this advertisement amusing after having made a New Year’s Resolution to no longer eat pork, which is almost impossible in Europe. I took the photo on Sunday, but had noticed it the day before, when the display window had “Zu viel Schwein in 2009″ written (too much swine in 2009). This, of course would have allowed me to have the perfect picture and caption to write my blog complaining about too much swine… oh well.

Anyway, I am no less tired of pork now than I was at Christmas. It is shocking to know how much pork is actually eaten in Europe! And actually, how much meat in general is eaten in Germany. People usually talk about how Americans eat a lot more meat than in other places, I beg to differ, because at least in my experience, people are accustomed to eating as much or more than most American households. And, altogether more than I am used to eating.

So, while this photo has little or nothing to do with eating swine, but rather saving money, I propose to combine the two ideas by eating no pork or beef this year. So …”Keine Schweinchen in 2010″

Anguilla e Natale (Eel and Christmas)

Hmm, what was your Christmas dinner like? In México, tamales are common, in the US, perhaps turkey or ham…

Well, something rather surprising is what Italians eat for Christmas dinner: EEL!

You know, that thing that is like a snake, lives in the sea, and some varieties which may give off an electrical charge…

They are bought alive, killed at home and cut into chunks which are then breaded, fried and served with a spritz of lemon… Yes, its cliché but true: They taste like chicken. Ok, more specifically, like a sea-chicken, if there were one… or like a piece of fried chicken from Hook Fish n’ Chips (Oh, I miss the RVA)…

For Italians, there is no natale senza anguilla…. While I did not get a picture of the experience this year, I have found an interesting article and recipe here: http://geniuscook.com/fried-eel/