What's your best place to think? For me, I'd say, it's always the places where you have the greatest thoughts but are unable to keep them in your mind long enough until you find something to write. The bathtub, for example, if you're too lazy to take (waterproof) pen and (waterproof, like laminated) paper. Which I actually always am because I'm not abusing a hot bath to work. Hot baths are about relaxing. Otherwise it would be work related and immediately the pressure would start and you'd be blocked again. Worse even, the bath is wasted because you can't enjoy it.
Or how about dreams. I'm such a genius when dreaming. I think I solved all the mathematical, physical and world problems in one single dream but I can just remember that I did, but not how.
Well, If only I remembered why I started this blog like that, I might tell you an incredible story, but I don't. Instead I'll go for burgers.
My friend Alessio invited a bunch of people over to this restaurant called Iroquis, which was supposed to have good and tasty burgers. Being all sporty now that spring is in full bloom, I cycled all around the lake to get there. Quite a treat, after months of tram riding. Although I have to say, probably much to my friend's disappointment, it definitely didn't match the best burgers I've had so far. ( FYI: The burger quest is an eternal game to me, its aim being to find the best burger in town.) There's still no burger like the ones I used to have in Regenbogenbar. Need to try them again sometime soon.
(You might say: sure, of course she'll call the burger of her favorite bar the best one, because it's her favorite bar. Well, if you ever wanted to know why it became my favorite bar in the first place, try the burgers. :).)
This rather short entry is just to remind you that I'm still alive and just very... (sorry: VERY) uncreative concerning subjects to write about because - hey people, I have NO idea whether you prefer vast variety of subjects or rather something special. Well, I guess that's my thing to decide because you'll hopefully still read it.
Btw: I got that banana cinnamon hot choco..choko...chocko...cacao stick from Austria on easter. It's gross. Don't buy it. Even if the package looks nice. It's no comparison to a swiss hot cho...thing. And sorry for the lack of pictures in this entry. And to conclude this story: I tried to make another chutney, I failed. It's gross, too.
Showing posts with label Chutney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chutney. Show all posts
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Pear and Ginger, Rimini and Asparagus P
About a week ago I bought 10 pears because I wanted to try another chutney, one that I didn't have a recipe to. My plan was to create a chutney that contains the same spices and therefore tastes a bit like my fabulous "Upside-Down Pear and Ginger Cake". (The recipe is somewhat secret but then it isn't because it's from a cook book. But a secret cook book.)
And I found out: Chutneys are fun. I just threw in what I thought could match the taste and let it simmer for a few hours... And now i got (only) two twist off glasses full of something that seems to be pretty close to what I expected. I just have no Idea what to eat it with. I guess when opening one of the glasses I'll also scatter some walnuts over the served amount because that's part of the cake and it would go well with it.
Rimini Bar
Completely different subject now. Last night I went to the season start of Rimini Bar with some friends. For those who are new to Zurich, or haven't heard of it yet, it's a bar that opens only in summer because it's all outside. And of course only when it's nice. Usually it's being announced on their website as well as their facebook page, so if you're not sure whether the weather will allow it to be open, just check one of those pages.
(Disclaimer: The following text is meant as a purely scientific matter and therefore I refrain from any accusation of being disgusting.)
What is it about asparagus?
... And how on earth did we end up discussing asparagus pee? Well, it's asparagus season. So it must have something to do with that. And I found out that I was fundamentally wrong about something. First of all, there's about half the population on this planet that doesn't know this issue, and it is because they are MISSING a gene that produces an enzyme that splits the chemicals so they stink. This makes me wonder. If they are missing a gene, I assume that there has to be a replacement gene for that. And I think they can make themselves invisible. I've rarely ever met a person who doesn't know the issue, and if half the population belongs to this group, WHERE THE HELL are they??
(Come on, it's Friday!)
Rimini Bar
Completely different subject now. Last night I went to the season start of Rimini Bar with some friends. For those who are new to Zurich, or haven't heard of it yet, it's a bar that opens only in summer because it's all outside. And of course only when it's nice. Usually it's being announced on their website as well as their facebook page, so if you're not sure whether the weather will allow it to be open, just check one of those pages.
(Disclaimer: The following text is meant as a purely scientific matter and therefore I refrain from any accusation of being disgusting.)
What is it about asparagus?
... And how on earth did we end up discussing asparagus pee? Well, it's asparagus season. So it must have something to do with that. And I found out that I was fundamentally wrong about something. First of all, there's about half the population on this planet that doesn't know this issue, and it is because they are MISSING a gene that produces an enzyme that splits the chemicals so they stink. This makes me wonder. If they are missing a gene, I assume that there has to be a replacement gene for that. And I think they can make themselves invisible. I've rarely ever met a person who doesn't know the issue, and if half the population belongs to this group, WHERE THE HELL are they??
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Sugar explosion
Whoa. Okay. Breathe..
Note to self: if warming up sugar, don't put water in the same pan. The crystal figure looked impressive, though. Damn, should have taken a pic. I might just do it again and... maybe not.
So I'm trying this mango passion fruit chutney, which sounds amazing but first of all the recipe is FULL of traps. Apart from that mean sugar deathtrap, there are the mangoes. It says: "Peel the mangoes and pit them."
Right.
Seriously, who invented those mango pits? They are like stuck axes in wet wood. And I guess I know how the guys felt who tried to get King Arthur's sword out of the rock. I somehow managed to scrap some of the edible away, carefully focusing on not cutting my fingers, because mangoes tend to become extremely slippery when being attacked by a knife.
After that, I enjoyed a ginger bear. But had to kill it soon...
...in order to create this: (there are A LOT of chilies in there. I just hope I'm not going to scratch my eyes in the next like... 24 hours.)
Note to self: if warming up sugar, don't put water in the same pan. The crystal figure looked impressive, though. Damn, should have taken a pic. I might just do it again and... maybe not.
So I'm trying this mango passion fruit chutney, which sounds amazing but first of all the recipe is FULL of traps. Apart from that mean sugar deathtrap, there are the mangoes. It says: "Peel the mangoes and pit them."
Right.
Seriously, who invented those mango pits? They are like stuck axes in wet wood. And I guess I know how the guys felt who tried to get King Arthur's sword out of the rock. I somehow managed to scrap some of the edible away, carefully focusing on not cutting my fingers, because mangoes tend to become extremely slippery when being attacked by a knife.
After that, I enjoyed a ginger bear. But had to kill it soon...
...in order to create this: (there are A LOT of chilies in there. I just hope I'm not going to scratch my eyes in the next like... 24 hours.)
So, 20-30 minutes later...
Success! It's pretty spicy but oh this is goood!
Darn. just scratched my eye.
(Now if anybody wants to try the recipe, you can find it here, although it's in German. And if you try it, remember the traps.)
Chutneys, Bitters and Mystical Fruits Part 2
After the successful fabrication of my first chutney, i felt as if I was becoming a witch.
Actually, there's nothing magical about the feeling but if I think about it, I guess if I would continue making chutney, I'd get a hump on my back from beding over the pot and savouring the complementing scents. And there's the stirring. When making chutney, at a certain point it's all about stirring, or you will burn it. Guilty of killing your own chutney by neglect.
You don't want that to happen. Really.
Anyway. So leaving the chutney part aside for a moment, as I mentioned previously, there are other people getting involved in kitchen magic in spring. (What is it about magic here? No magic involved!)
Almost simultaneously to my newly discovered hobbyhorse, my better half Christian suddenly discovered his 2012 exploring area. Being a cocktail fanatic, there is always the issue of cocktail bitters. Don't frown, they are important for good cocktails. I mean, there has to be a reason to those recipes that ask for sarsaparilla, horehound or grains of paradise. Being non-native english speaking, I had of course to look them up.
Here's what I found:
sarsaparilla - Sarsaparille
horehound - Andorn
grains of paradise - Paradieskorn
aha.
Well, but I take pride in my abilities to find things. So after some more things I had a rough idea about how those things are also called in german, which didn't make it any easier for me to figure out where to get them. Some of them are (or were) even used as drugs. Thus, I guess it can't do any harm if I ask in a drug-store ...
... to be continued ...
Actually, there's nothing magical about the feeling but if I think about it, I guess if I would continue making chutney, I'd get a hump on my back from beding over the pot and savouring the complementing scents. And there's the stirring. When making chutney, at a certain point it's all about stirring, or you will burn it. Guilty of killing your own chutney by neglect.
You don't want that to happen. Really.
Anyway. So leaving the chutney part aside for a moment, as I mentioned previously, there are other people getting involved in kitchen magic in spring. (What is it about magic here? No magic involved!)
Almost simultaneously to my newly discovered hobbyhorse, my better half Christian suddenly discovered his 2012 exploring area. Being a cocktail fanatic, there is always the issue of cocktail bitters. Don't frown, they are important for good cocktails. I mean, there has to be a reason to those recipes that ask for sarsaparilla, horehound or grains of paradise. Being non-native english speaking, I had of course to look them up.
Here's what I found:
sarsaparilla - Sarsaparille
horehound - Andorn
grains of paradise - Paradieskorn
aha.
Well, but I take pride in my abilities to find things. So after some more things I had a rough idea about how those things are also called in german, which didn't make it any easier for me to figure out where to get them. Some of them are (or were) even used as drugs. Thus, I guess it can't do any harm if I ask in a drug-store ...
... to be continued ...
Chutneys, Bitters and Mystical Fruits Part 1
I don't know what it is about spring, but apart from people falling in love, I also notice a rising enthusiasm in me and my surroundings to conquer the battlefields of the kitchen again.
This year, my exploring area was set when I went to get lunch in a vegetarian restaurant and indulged myself in a bite of mango chutney. Sweet, spicy, slightly warm, and a jam-like texture with mango chunks...yum!
Just like that, my aim was set. Chutney it is, then.
While looking for interesting chutneys to start with, I stumbled over all sorts of funny ingredients. Which meant for me that my quest of making chutney just became a treasure hunt. And it made me think of my gamer's past, when playing Zelda and having to decide whether to go for the side quests in order to complete the game to perfection or leave it and finish with whatever I got.
I take pride in my cooking skills. (much more so than in the game, I still haven't solved those riddles. Which makes me think of this ...)
And, well, the first chutney I was going to make, a strawberry-chili-chutney, included tasmanian pepper and honey vinegar. (Unwillingly, a picture of Taz and Winnie the Pooh dancing through a strawberry field flashes through my mind...) True story: the pepper was easier to find than the vinegar! (I found it in the food factory of Jelmoli, while apparently Coop has it in their fine food section, too.)
As for the honey vinegar, I'm still trying to find a practical solution, since it is part of many an interesting chutney. Meanwhile, I got a condiment from Coop (probs only available in bigger stores) and my better half found some of the precious (pricy) fluid in Globus downstairs. Hooray, and I made it!
This year, my exploring area was set when I went to get lunch in a vegetarian restaurant and indulged myself in a bite of mango chutney. Sweet, spicy, slightly warm, and a jam-like texture with mango chunks...yum!
Just like that, my aim was set. Chutney it is, then.
While looking for interesting chutneys to start with, I stumbled over all sorts of funny ingredients. Which meant for me that my quest of making chutney just became a treasure hunt. And it made me think of my gamer's past, when playing Zelda and having to decide whether to go for the side quests in order to complete the game to perfection or leave it and finish with whatever I got.
I take pride in my cooking skills. (much more so than in the game, I still haven't solved those riddles. Which makes me think of this ...)
And, well, the first chutney I was going to make, a strawberry-chili-chutney, included tasmanian pepper and honey vinegar. (Unwillingly, a picture of Taz and Winnie the Pooh dancing through a strawberry field flashes through my mind...) True story: the pepper was easier to find than the vinegar! (I found it in the food factory of Jelmoli, while apparently Coop has it in their fine food section, too.)
As for the honey vinegar, I'm still trying to find a practical solution, since it is part of many an interesting chutney. Meanwhile, I got a condiment from Coop (probs only available in bigger stores) and my better half found some of the precious (pricy) fluid in Globus downstairs. Hooray, and I made it!
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