One truly unique guide to the spice, tips and tricks and recipes by Austria's talented and inspirational chefs like Christoph Brunnhuber, Thomas Dorfer, Christian Petz, Thorston Probost and Heinz Reitbauer - in alphabetical order. Don't go where the pepper grows, you find them all at Van Den Berg Spices.
Above the skies is heaven, everything underneath vanishes into thin air,
the mind is freed from all temptation and the eyes fixed on the unseen.
Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein
I remember clearly each end of June when school was done and the overwhelming feeling
of freedom rose to my conscience and I would burst into pieces if I just could.
The summer ahead, 8 weeks of no duties - no deadlines - no tests - no school! That just felt so unbelievable.
There was energy in the sky and it felt like NOW I can be me!
I took extended walks and everything looked promising the time expanded and stretched to the horizon
and I made plans for my life and for my future. I still remember how that felt!
The farm to table cuisine movement has been around for a while now, but there always seems to be room for another entry and Cafe Clover is no exception. I've eaten here for brunch and dinner and was impressed by the level of flavor in every dish, not to mention the attention to detail, especially when it comes to interior design. During the weekend you might even struggle with getting a table, as seemingly all of New York's foodies congregate here. My personal favorites include the avocado toast, granola and hemp biscuits (I can never say no to a good biscuit with butter and jam) on the brunch menu and the risotto and the burrata on the dinner menu.
Find them here:
Another week, another reading list of the best of the internet this week:
I've been back from Seattle for almost two weeks now, but I still have one last post from that lovely city in the upper left corner of the USA. It's taken me quite a while to compile this post, maybe because I loved it a fair amount more than I thought I would and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye. Here's my Seattle shortlist on where to eat, what to do and what to most definitely avoid.
First things first, the most important bit (to me at least):
Where to eat...
Oddfellows Cafe in Capitol Hill for a solid lunch and a whole lot of atmosphere. Make sure you get an order of fries while you're at it.
Afterwards you can pop by Molly Moon's for a serious ice cream feast (I'm still obsessed with their Lavender Honey Flavor).
For coffee, I highly recommend Storyville (they have several locations, but I loved the one at Pike Market) or Stumptown, as always.
For dinner, I'd suggest heading back to Occidental Square to Bar Sajor, a lovely space with an open kitchen.
And my absolute favorite: The London Plane (you can read the full post here) for incredibly delcious, flavorful food and a beautiful concept store space near Occidental Square.
What to Do...
Personally, I think you should start your visit to Seattle off with a hike instead of exploring the city. Chances are you're coming from a city and have spent the last day in a car or at the airport so fresh air is exactly what the doctor ordered. Luckily, there are some great short hikes and sights just outside of Seattle, like Rattlesnake Ridge and Snowqualmie Falls.
You can easily do both of those in half a day. Now, you're ready to experience Downtown Seattle. Start out at Pike Market and walk your way through Downtown to the Public Library and Capitol Hill.
One of my highlights was taking the ferry from Downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island, giving you stunning views of Downtown and Mt Rainier in the distance. You don't really need to explore the island, but it's definitely worth the 8 dollar ferry ride.
While you should avoid going up the Space Needle itself, you should definitely head to Kerry Park for sunset and watch the lights turn on in the city below you, it'll give you a much better view and you'll be able to make some friends up there while you're at it!
Today has been rainy in all Austria. I am in Salzburg right now, known for its endless summer rain we call "Schnürlregen", which can only be translated as rain-like beads on a string, quite a good picture. I look outside and the only difference between now and Christmas is that the hope we have deep inside is not, that there will be snow in time for Christmas but honestly we all hope for much warmer days! So I tried to kind of magically put the Mediterranean lifestyle on our dinner table.
I spent all day yesterday on the best post ever. Something that still needs a little more work to be done. A big surprise and quite a huge task to be honest! I cannot wait to publish it as you can see it is .... TORTURE!
Well, we will have to wait … ∂ƒª†ºª®Ωº‚€®¢€Ω©ƒ∂√ç ... You and I!
In the meantime we are lucky to be able to see what Sophie has in store for us, I just had a quick peak and again she did a wonderful job, her fotos are outstanding!
My husbands favorite dish at Nenis restaurant is the Jerusalem plate: Chicken humus, herbs and peppers. Tonight I made a replica of that dish without any recipe and he loved it really, so I tried to write it down for you to be able to make it one night for your own family or friends.
What I like about it is that you can make quite a large quantity without compromising on the quality! That in mind you might make it even for a larger crowd along with other vegetables and salads. The turkey can marinate ahead of time and the rest can be done in just a few minutes. Don't be scared of the Oriental spices, it just takes a leap of faith in the recipe and it really tastes like comfort food. Promise!
Preparation Time: 4 hrs to marinate + 20 min cooking time
Recipe for 6
1/2 organic turkey breast
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp piment
1/2 tsp cumin ( Kreuzkümmel)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
salt, crushed black pepper
ghee or clarified butter
400 gr hummus
olive oil
2 bunches of spring onions, the green cut in small rings, the white in half rings
3 long red bell peppers, deseeded and in stripes
20 sugar peas cut in 4 junks
1 bunch of each cilantro and parsley, chopped
1 tsp harissa spice
Tahini Sauce:
3 tbsp tahini
6 tbsp full fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
The turkey breast should be dried with a paper towel and cut in small stripes one finger thick and 4 cm long. Mix all the spices in a separate bowl with one tbsp of olive oil and marinate the turkey meat for at least 4 hours. Mix the meat and the spices well so the turkey marinates evenly and you get the most of the flavors.
To make the sauce put the tahini, yogurt, lemon juice and salt in a bowl and stir until fully combined. Keep in the fridge until later.
Take out your largest pan and heat the butter before you add the marinated turkey at room temperature (never cook meat directly from the fridge, it only becomes hard and chewy). Stir well until the turkey is half way done, and you can still see some raw parts, apr. 5-6 minutes on medium high. Add the white onions and the red bell peppers and stir until all is cooked another 5-6 minutes. Keep the green parts of the onions in a separate bowl on the table for everyone to add as desired.
Taste and finalize with your preferred amount of salt.
To serve spread a heaped tablespoon of humus in a circle on each plate and place the meat in the middle. First drizzle some olive il over urge humus then sprinkle with lots of fresh herbs and spoon some tahini sauce over it. Finally add some Harissa.
Best side is a fresh pita bread !
I had heard from multiple people what a magical place La Push was. It kept popping up in my instagram feed, followed by in the inevitable "it-took-us-5-hours-to-get-here-caption", so I put it on my secret wish list, assuming I'd never make it there. But, as always, Vincent was the one person that is always willing to go the extra mile for an adventure (you can read the first instalment of our adventures here) and suggested going there before I could even muster the courage to suggest the long trip to the coast, especially given the harsh sunlight would make taking great pictures virtually impossible.
Armed with coffee and an array of wildly random snacks we started driving up the coast in the morning, stopping at Lake Crescent and other random spots along the way. Essentially, it took as much longer than the advertised 5 hours to finally get to La Push, because we're photographers and we waste way too much time stopping to take pictures everywhere. We hiked through the woods for about 15 minutes until we reached second beach. I grew up on an island, so I have a sentimental attachment to the ocean, but nothing could have prepared me for the beauty of La Push. It was one of those surreal moments where you couldn't even believe that you were going to get to the beach, after hours of driving and walking through the thickest forest. We stayed for hours waiting for sunset, but were surprised by fog just as the light turned golden. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day and better encouragement to always go the extra mile.
Shop the Post below:
I took the picture for this post on my last trip, but, as always, my mind is already on the next trip ahead. Here are my picks for this week's installment of the reading list focusing on summer travel:
The days here in Vienna were really hot over the weekend, 33°C and no breeze, and the only way to survive seemed to be in the shade with lots of water to keep us happy. Having friends over for a swim if you are fortunate to have a pool is the best of fun. Julian did that and everyone was having a great time.
Watermelon is the essence of summer for me. There is something about it that brings fun memories, just to look at this giant cannonball with stripes makes you think of childhood days.
I prepared a jug of water with a long and perfect stick of melon and a sprig of basil. I can imagine, that mint works well as usual with fruit but I thought why not give this one a different look.
Don't worry if your watermelon has too many seeds, they sink to the bottom and won't bother you. I just happen to have a really big and oval watermelon and used the centre for my infused water.I love the ones with the dark seed much better, they seem to have way more taste. plus what is a fruit without seeds? Genetically manipulated. The farmer is forced to buy new seeds each year because the ones he grows will not provide for the next year's crop.
I have been impatiently waiting for my lemons to preserve and I used the ones from the Steirereck to make this salad for a bigger gathering. This is my kind of salad I could dig in and finish the whole bowl! Oh so yummy and healthy. what is there to know about quinoa:
Quinoa is a rich source of the B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and is a rich source of the dietary minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Quinoa is also a good source of the B vitamins niacin and pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and the dietary mineral potassium. The pseudo cereal contains a modest amount of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. It is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.
All those reasons to eat quinoa ! And stay healthy ! That is the best part !
reparation time: 40 min
Cooking time: 25 min
200 g quinoa
1 large eggplant cut in dices
1 elephant garlic, cut in small pieces
olive oil
4 green asparagus | or 1 cucumber
1 yellow bell pepper
2 sprigs with approx. 12 leaves of Thai basil
- alternatively use ½ cup cilantro or parsley
½ cup organic olive oil
½ preserved lemon from the jar + a bit from the salty juice
chili
Cook the quinoas as directed on the package, make sure they are not to hard, just right, which is different for everyone. Let cool. You can easily cook the quinoa a day a head; it keeps well in the fridge.
The eggplant will be fried in plenty of olive oil over medium to high heat in a pan, add the garlic when halfway done and stir frequently, the eggplants should turn light brown and become quite soft. Let them cool.
In the meantime chop the asparagus for decoration, leave the pretty heads aside, and cut the bell pepper as desired. Chop the herbs and mix them together with the eggplant under the cooled quinoa. In a bowl make the dressing with olive oil, lemon and chili and stir well.
Pour the fragrant dressing over the quinoa, mix well so the juices can combine with the grains and decorate with the bell pepper and asparagus.
