Jason Santos is restauranteur who owns Buttermilk & Bourbon, a Louisiana-centric restaurant in Boston as well as Citrus & Salt, a coastal Mexican restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay as well as his new B & B Fish in Marblehead, featuring coastal New England summertime favorites with Jason’s signature twists.
Santos also is a recurring guest on the Today Show, the CBS Early Show, the CBS television show The Talk, and subsequent seasons of Hell’s Kitchen and appears regularly on the popular Paramount TV hit show, Bar Rescue – where he rehabilitates failing restaurants and bars as a restaurant consultant alongside Jon Taffer. Also look for him on season 19 of Fox’s hit show Hell’s Kitchen along with Chef Gordon Ramsay as his sous chef for the Blue Team.
1 cup meat scraps, diced (bacon, andouille, pork belly, ham, etc.)
½ cup diced celery
¾ cup diced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half & half
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded fontina
½ cup shredded yellow cheddar
½ cup shredded gouda
½ pound campanelle pasta, cooked (can substitute fusilli, penne, rigatoni, macaroni, or rotini
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup spicy cheese puffs (I like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos), slightly crushed
¼ cup minced chives
½ cup spicy cheese puffs, whole
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and sauté the meat scraps until lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the meat, reserving the fat. Then add the celery, shallots and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 3 minutes to incorporate.
Deglaze with the wine and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, cream cheese, heavy cream, and half & half. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the Parmesan, fontina, cheddar and gouda and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves and puree the entire mixture with a stick blender (or in batches using a regular blender/food processor). Add the meat scraps back to the pot.
Combine the sauce with pasta and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture into 4 casserole dishes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and combine with the crushed Cheetos, and scatter on top of the pasta mixture. Bake for about 7 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish with chives and the whole Cheetos
Photograph by Penny De Los Santos-Diabetic cookbook, Author Amgela Medearis
“People are eating African American food every day, but they don’t know it,” Angela Shelf Medearis says to me when we chat on the phone. In part, she’s talking about James Hemings who, in the complicated way of slavery, trained in the culinary arts in Paris and became a noted chef de cuisine and yet lived most of his life enslaved. Hemings either created or introduced a variety of the foods we eat now such as macaroni and cheese, ice cream, French fries, meringues, crème brulée, and French-style whipped cream. Another dish he created that we don’t eat regularly if at all is his handwritten recipe for snow eggs–soft, poached meringue, set in puddles of crème anglaise.
Hemings was the son of Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman and John Wayles, the man who “owned” her. The two had six children together. Wayles also had a more traditional family and his daughter Martha married a plantation owner named Thomas Jefferson. Thus, James was the half-brother of Martha Jefferson who “inherited” James (that’s so creepy I even hate writing it) when Wayles died. James was eight when they all came to live at Monticello. His youngest sister, Sally was just an infant. To make matters even more complex, after Martha died and Sally reached some type of maturity—she was probably in her mid-teens, she became Jefferson’s mistress and had six children by him, four of whom lived to adulthood.
So, Sally Hemmings was Martha Jefferson’s half-sister, and her children were half-siblings to Martha and Thomas’s children. I mention all this not only to show how helpless enslaved people were as to what happened to their bodies but also to show how intertwined Black and White families were and how the foodways of both merged.
But while Hemings introduced the Frenchified cookery to America,
Medearis, the founder of Diva Productions, Inc., the organization that produces her multicultural children’s books, cookbooks, videos, and audiocassettes, points out that people weren’t eating black-eyed peas before Africans arrive in this country.
“Back then they even thought tomatoes were poisonous,” she says. “But when they shipped slaves, they also shipped the foods they ate with them because that was a cheap way to feed them,” she says. “The recipes for those foods traveled from one place to the other. If they stopped in the Caribbean or South America before coming here, then the recipes changed with the foods and spices available and the types of cooking techniques.”
“I only cooked enough that social services wouldn’t come and take away my children,” she says with a laugh. But her mother, after she retired, decided she wanted to market her raisin pie for some extra income.
While her mother and sister did the cooking, Medearis who often wears feather boas during her TV appearances and on her PBS cooking show and isn’t shy about being in the limelight, did the marketing.
But when her mother and sister decided to quit, Medearis knew she had to learn to cook if she wanted to keep her food business going.
Now she’s so full force that celebrity chef and restauranteur Bobby Flay arrived for a Jerk Chicken Throwdown while she was marinating jerk chicken for a family get. It was for his Food Network show Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Who won I ask?
Medearis’s Jerk Chicken
“My chicken had been marinating for hours,” Medearis replies. “He just arrived from Manhattan and threw some spices on his chicken. It burned. I beat Bobby.”
Though she originally didn’t cook Medearis had written several loved historic research. Did I know that George Washington Carver drove a food wagon around to introduce people to healthy foods?
No. I knew that Carver, who famously said, “There is probably no subject more important than the study of food,” was born a slave and became a botanist, author, educator and agriculturalist. He also collaborated with auto magnate Henry Ford on growing peanuts and soybeans.
And don’t even get her started on Carver and black-eyed peas.
“Black-eyed peas, okra, peanuts and sesame seeds, and the oil they produce, are documented contributions from Africa via the slave trade to our American cuisine,” she writes in her syndicated column. “I prepared black-eyed peas any number of ways while doing research for my first cookbook.”
That would be The African-American Kitchen: Cooking from Our Heritage, a best seller that even now 30 years later is considered a standard on the foodways African Americans bought to this country. The problem though was getting it published. Her award winning children’s books were published by Dutton and when she brought the idea for her cookbook, she found an editor there who loved the book. But the editor at the next level turned it down, saying he’d published an African American cookbook almost 30 years earlier and no one bought it. He didn’t think the country was ready for another.
What’s a Kitchen Diva to do? Make a peach pie, of course, as it’s representative of both Black and Southern food history.
“You could hardly get a peach pie anywhere back then in Manhattan,” says Medearis. Wrapping up both the peach pie and the manuscript, separately we presume, she sent both off to the publishing company.
She got the contract.
“That book sold so many copies it was crazy,”
Overall, she’s written 107 books seven of which seven are cookbooks. Published in seven languages, she’s sold a total of 14 million books. But despite that, she’s not ready to stop.
“People ask me when I’m going to retire,” says Medearis who lives in Austin, Texas. “Why should I? I’m having a lot of fun with it. I’m doing what I want to do.”
Creole Chicken Stew
Makes 8 Servings
“This is a quick and healthy version of New Orleans-style gumbo,” writes Medearis about this recipe, which was published in her book, the . “Using frozen vegetables is a real time-saver when making this tasty stew; it’s also the perfect way to use kohlrabi when in season. Select small, tender okra pods for this recipe, and don’t slice them until right before you add them to the stew.”
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
¼ cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons diced seeded jalapeño chile
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 cup peeled cubed Yukon Gold potatoes or kohlrabi, or a combination
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup halved okra or frozen cut okra
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 green onions, chopped, including green parts
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, jalapeño, salt, pepper, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a plate, leaving as much oil in the pot as possible. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the broth and cook for another 5 minutes, whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken, potatoes or kohlrabi, and zucchini. Return the sautéed vegetables to the pan. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.
Add the okra and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over ½ cup of rice per person and sprinkle with the green onions.
Kitchen Diva: Tap Your Inner Chef With DIY Recipes
Angea Medearis, the Kitchen Diva, wrote one of her syndicated columns on creating Do-It-Yourself recipes.
“Basically, a DIY dinner recipe is about finding a way to retain the flavors of the recipes you love while using the ingredients that you have on hand,” Medearis writes. “If you have always wanted to free yourself from the restraints of a recipe, now is the time to do it! Think of the current lack of ingredients as permission to tap into your inner chef.”
To ease into creating your own DIY dinner recipes, Medearis suggests starting by making a pot of chowder.
“No one really knows the origin of the term chowder,” she writes, “but whether it came from French, Caribbean, Portuguese or Brazilian cooks, the basic meaning is connected to the large pot that the meal is cooked in.”
Medearis is a history buff paritcularly when it comes to food.
“Chowders were introduced to North America by immigrants from France and England more than 250 years ago. Native Americans called the dish ‘chawder’.” she says noting the word interpreted as “chowder” by early settlers and fishermen in New England.
“The original versions of the dish consisted of a pot filled with a mixture of fresh fish, salt pork, leftover hardened biscuits (which were used as a thickener), onions, water and whatever spices were available, writes Medearis. “A chowder is a delicious way to use the ingredients you have on hand to create a meal that does not require extensive prep or simmering for hours. My recipe for Seafood and Sweet Corn Chowder uses the basic techniques.”
My recipe for Seafood and Sweet Corn Chowder uses the basic techniques for making a chowder, but is designed to accommodate the need to vary ingredients based upon what you have on hand or what you can purchase at the store.
Whether you decide to make a seafood or vegetarian chowder, feel free to create your own version of this DIY dinner.
SEAFOOD AND SWEET CORN CHOWDER
If you don’t have all the vegetables, seafood or spices on hand, omit or substitute the ingredient with what you do have. This chowder will still be delicious without it!
3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1/2 cup (about l large stalk) chopped celery
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried dill or tarragon, or 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth, seafood stock, clam juice, bouillon fish base or water
1 to 2 large Russet potatoes, or 3 red skin or Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 2-inch cubes, about 2 to 3 cups
2 large carrots, chopped
2 cups frozen corn, thawed, or 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel or cream-style corn, or 6 ears sweet corn, husk and silk removed, or frozen corn on the cob, thawed with kernels cut from the cobb
2 cups heavy cream, half and half
Whole milk or 2 (14-ounce) cans evaporated milk
1 3/4 to 2 cups fully cooked, skinless salmon chunks, or 1 can (14 3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, flaked, bones and skin removed, or 1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, or cooked crab meat (checked for pieces of shell) or a combination of the seafood equaling 1 3/4 to 2 cups.
1. Place the butter or oil into a large saucepan or Dutch oven placed over medium heat. Add in the celery, onion, green bell pepper, garlic or garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper, dill, tarragon or dill pickle juice, and the cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Saute, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth, stock, juice or water, potatoes, carrots and the remaining teaspoon of he salt and pepper. Cover and bring the chowder to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low; stir the mixture, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in the corn, cream or milk, and the salmon, shrimp or cooked crab meat (or a combination of seafood). Simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
4. Garnish with lemon wedges, chopped parsley or green onions. Serve with toasted French bread or crackers. Serves 6
Here’s the Jerk Chicken recipe that won the Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Combine the oil and vinegar in a medium glass bowl. Stir in the orange and lime juice, molasses, soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, garlic, chili, bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, sage,thyme, allspice, pepper, and nutmeg.
Place the chicken pieces in a large baking pan and pour the spice mixture over them, coating each piece well. Cover with plastic wrap and place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate 12 hours or overnight, turning once.
Allow the chicken pieces to come to room temperature before grilling. Heat the grill until the coals are somewhat white with ash; the flame should be low. Place the chicken on the grill and cover with the lid. Grill for 30 to 35 minutes, turning pieces to cook evenly. Baste pieces with remaining marinade.
Though right now I can’t even travel to Chicago to do some holiday shopping because of the pandemic, I did manage a trip to Southwest German to visit several of their beautiful Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Markets) and take a holiday cookie making class.
Well, kind of. The trip was a virtual cooking class and I’ve been doing a lot of those lately. It is, of course, nowhere close to being there but still when you get to the point where going to the grocery store becomes a big adventure, it’s really a great way to explore—and plan for the time when we might be able to journey again.
And even though the holiday is long past, making the cookies and thinking of the beauty of the Christkindlesmarkts is a fine thing to do in gloomy February when all the excitement leading up to Christmas is long past and winter seems forever.
Southwest Germany is comprised for the most part of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and is bordered on the west by France, Switzerland to the south, Bavaria to the east and Hesse to the north. It encompasses the Black Forest, large cities like Heidelberg, Baden-Baden and Stuttgart and a plethora of towns and villages that are so neatly kept and so very beautiful like Schwetzingen where there’s the Schwetzingen Palace & Gardens and Wiblingen, the home to an 11th century abbey. One thing you quickly realize about Germany is that almost every village no matter how small has a castle. And abbeys and monasteries dating back a millennium are common. New to them is anything built less than 400 years ago.
Before COVID-19, late November and December is the time for the fantastic Christmas markets that have been part of the German holiday season since the 1300s. But of course, this is the age of COVID-19, so not only is my cooking class virtual but so are my visits to the Christmas markets. One plus, I save a lot of money by not being able to actually shop.
Wendy Jo Peterson who, between military moves and following her husband’s career around the world, racked up a lot of miles working with children and adults across the spectrum from populations with special needs to elite athletes. Culinary nutrition and reaching optimal wellness through the foods we eat is one of her main drivers and she’s clocked in a lot of hours teaching, at hospital, working a computer and presenting the latest in nutritional science. When she lived in Stuttgart, Peterson immersed herself in cooking traditions and techniques and is bringing all that to our virtual classroom.
We can either cook along with Peterson or just watch and I’ve decided I want to cook along with.
To save time, Peterson has prepared her dough ahead of the class and so did those of us who are going to be cooking with her. Our first cookie is a yeast dough shaped into the form of the little tan man, known In North Baden and the Electoral Palatinate, as Dambedei, in South Baden as Grätti or Baselmann and in other regions as Weck or Klausenmann. I hope I’m not going to be quizzed on the names of the cookies because I just won’t be able to do it.
But no matter the name, Dambedei’s instantly recognizable to children—and adults—because of his characteristic appearances. All little tan men have a pointed head, raisin eyes, almond mouth and a button jacket made of nuts.
Dambedei’s origins go back to when people were excluded for whatever reason from worshipping in the church on Bishop Nikolaus von Myra’s remembrance day. Instead the blessed bread is served to them in the shape of a man.
“The other cookies we’ll be making are Spitzbuben, also known as Hildabrötchen which are named after the Grand Duchess Hilda von Nassau, the last Grand Duchess of Baden,” says Peterson. “Supposedly, the popular Grand Duchess enjoyed eating Hilda rolls and often baked them herself. She was buried at the side of her husband, Grand Duke Friedrich II in the grand ducal grave chapel in Karlsruhe. Her ornate coffin can be viewed there.”
We’re also will make Hutzelbrot. If we were in Germany, we’d use dried Hutzel pears but alas I’ll be using the dried pears sold in the grocery store. The term hutzelig in Swabia translates into wrinkled and that also describes the fruit. As for Swabia, it’s a historic region in southwest Germany. Someone a long time ago told me a Swabian joke. It isn’t very funny but it’s the only one I’ve ever heard. I tell it to the class, but they don’t think it’s funny at all.
Baden-Baden
We also have recipes for Springerle and Lebkuchen so if I do all the cooking, I’ll have a great assortment of German cookies.
Spitzbuben or Hildabrötchen
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup of cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/3 cups of flour
½ cup of raspberry jam for the center
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Cream together sugar and butter. Add vanilla extract and egg until combined. Add flour to form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap or cover well and put in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
Roll out the dough very thinly and cut into circles. Then cut out the shape you like in every other cookie. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Cool. Heat the jam, spread over the cookies without cutouts, then place the cutout half on top of the cookie with the jam. Dust with powdered sugar.
Springerle
4 eggs
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
2 ¼ cup white wheat flour
1 tablespoon of whole anise seed or, if you want, substitute with gingerbread, cardamom, or ginger
Lightly toast the anise beforehand in a pan and then mix it into the batter. This treatment dissolves the essential oils and unfolds its full taste.
All ingredients are placed in a warm room for several hours before starting.
Beat the eggs until frothy, then add the sifted powdered sugar and the tablespoon of anise seed.
Stir this mixture in the food processor for at least 10 minutes.
Then stir in the sifted flour, one tablespoon at a time.
The dough is now a bit soft and needs to rest to have time to shape.
Put the dough in a bowl with a tightly fitting lid and covered with cling wrap, leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 12-24 hours.
When you are ready to make the cookies, you cut off a small portion of the dough and immediately cover the rest of the dough again, otherwise it will dry out.
Roll out the dough on the floured baking board 8-10 mm thick. Press the Springerle mold into the lightly powdered dough and cut out the springerle with a dough scraper, pastry wheel or a cookie cutter.
Place the springerle on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and leave to dry for 24 hours in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 285 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the Springerle for approx. 15-18 minutes.
After baking, let the springerle cool, remove from the aluminum foil and store in a cardboard box in a damp place.
Hutzelbrot
2/3 cup each of dried pears plums and figs
¼ cup dried apricots
½ cup raisins
1 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts or chopped almonds
1 tablespoons anise seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups rye flour
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 to 4 teaspoons of vanilla
Soak the dried plums, pears, and figs in water overnight or 8 to12 hours. Drain the fruit and roughly chop it. Finely dice the dried apricots. Put all the fruit with raisins, hazelnuts and almonds in a bowl, season with aniseed, cinnamon and cloves, drizzle with lemon juice and mix well.
Mix the flours with baking powder. Beat the eggs with the sugar until frothy. Add the vanilla extract and the fruit and nut mixture. Finally, gradually knead in the flour mixture and knead the mixture well.
Shape the dough into two loaves of bread. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 70-80 minutes. After baking, let cool on a wire rack.
Dambedei
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Ground lemon peel
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp canola oil
1 egg yolk
Raisins
Mix wheat flour with lemon zest in a bowl. Warm the milk slightly, add honey and fresh yeast and stir. Add vanilla to the milk and add, along with the canola oil to the flour and mix to form a soft dough, about 5 minutes. Let the dough rise to double its volume in a warm place, knead again by hand and roll out to1/3 of an inch thick.
Cut out 4 Dambedeis each eight inches long, place on two baking sheets lined with baking paper and brush with the egg yolk. Press the golden raisins into the dough as eyes and jacket buttons. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes at 395° Fahrenheit.
Lebkuchen
If I get the chance I want to follow the Lebkuchen trail that runs through the Black Forest. Until then, I’ll have to settle for making them at home.
¾ cup honey
2 cups cane sugar
1 cup orange candied peel
¾ cup lemon candied peel
2/3 cup raisins
1 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
5 cups whole meal rye flour
2 ½ cups whole meal spelt flour (can substitute whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
4 to 5 teaspoons gingerbread spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves (ground)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon butter
Juice and zest of an organic lemon
For painting: 2 egg yolks, 3 tbsp milk
For decorating and cutting: whole peeled almonds and cookie cutters
The day before, heat the honey and cane sugar in a saucepan while stirring. Finely chop the orange peel, lemon peel, raisins, and hazelnuts.
Mix rye and whole meal spelt flour, baking soda, gingerbread spice, cinnamon, ground cloves, cocoa powder and the finely chopped orange peel, lemon peel, raisins, and finely chopped hazelnuts in a bowl. Knead the heated honey with cane sugar, softened butter, lemon zest, juice, and eggs with the flour mixture until it is a very firm, brown dough.
Shape the dough into an elongated roll and let rest in a cold room overnight, in an airtight container.
Preheat the oven to 320° F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Knead the dough well, roll it out on a floured work surface to approximately ¼-inch thick, cut out the gingerbread and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Mix the egg yolk and milk, brush the gingerbread cookies with the egg yolk and milk mixture, decorate with an almond and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Place the baked gingerbread cookies on a wire rack to cool, then store in a tin or container. The longer they are stored, for approximately one to two weeks, the better they are.
This February is the celebration of Purim, the Jewish holiday honoring Queen Esther of Persia who in 5th century BCE stopped the massacre of the Hebrew population by acknowledging to her husband, King Xerxes that she was Jewish and asking him to save her people.
Luckily she had beauty and youth on her side and the King still liked her because she’s credited with stopping the planned entire massacre of Jews.
Thus Purim is a happy holiday and part of the celebration is eating such traditional foods as hamantaschen, a triangular shaped pastry typically filled with fruit, large rounds of braided challah bread said to be a reminder of the rope used to hang Haman, the King’s grand vizier or as we would say these days, advisor, who came up with the idea of the executions.
Jewish cookbook author Leah Koenig shares recipes commonly eaten during Purim as well as other desserts in “Little Book of Jewish Sweets.” But Koenig isn’t afraid to jazz up old recipes, a type of reinvention of Jewish foods. The author of six cookbooks including “Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today’s Kitchen” and her Little Book series, her recipe for challah (which by the way is available at Bit of Swiss Bakery on certain days of the week), becomes a bread pudding with raspberries and chocolate
“From breadcrumbs and grilled cheese sandwiches to French toast, there are many ways to transform leftover challah into something new—a luscious bread pudding studded with chocolate and juicy raspberries is a particularly delicious one,” she writes in her introduction to the recipe. “Challah has a soft and tender crust, which means there is no need to remove it before tossing the bread into the custard.”
With baklava, the classis Middle Eastern and Greek dessert of phyllo dough layered with walnuts and honey, she goes beyond the typical by adding figs, making, in her words, a confection that is at once familiar and new.
Koenig does the same for hamantaschens by adding a touch of lemon zest and cinnamon to an apricot and walnut base.
Over the years as she’s researched her cookbooks, Koenig says she came to realize how global Jewish cuisine is.
‘Jews have lived and cooked pretty much everywhere in the world, maybe barring Antarctica,” she says. “So really the inspiration behind the book was to try to capture how Jews eat today across the world and capture a little bit of the history of how Jews used to eat.”
Apricot-Walnut Hamantaschen
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Dough
21/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter or nonhydrogenated margarine, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Water, as needed (optional)
Filling
3/4 cup apricot jam
11/2 cups walnut halves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Make the dough: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
In a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to fully combine. Add the flour mixture in three additions, beating on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a firm but pliable dough comes together. If the dough looks too dry, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If the dough looks too wet, add additional flour, 1 Tbsp at a time. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl to bring it together, then form into a flat disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
Make the filling: Place the jam, walnuts, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt in a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a chunky paste forms. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove half of the dough from the fridge (keep the other half wrapped and chilled). On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s 1/4 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter or glass, cut out as many circles as possible and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Gather the dough scraps, reroll the dough, and cut out additional circles.
Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of apricot-walnut filling into the center of each dough circle. Fold the left side over on an angle, followed by the right side. Fold the bottom flap up, tucking one end under the side flap to make a pocket (the filling should still be visible in the center); pinch the corners firmly to seal. Repeat the rolling and filling process with the remaining dough.
Bake the cookies until lightly golden and browned at the corners, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven. Set the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Challah Bread Pudding with Raspberries and Chocolate
Serves 8 to 10
8 oz challah, cut into 1-in cubes
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
11/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-qquart baking dish. Spread the cubed challah in a single layer on a large-rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, until toasted and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Layer half of the bread into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with half of the raspberries and half of the chocolate chips. Top with the remaining bread, raspberries, and chocolate chips. Pour the cream mixture over the top, gently pressing down the bread to encourage soaking. Cover the dish with a kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes to allow the custard to soak into the bread. Check that the oven is still set to 350°F.
Bake until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely drape a piece of aluminum foil over the dish partway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature, dusted lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Fig Baklava
Serves 8
Baklava
1 pound walnut halves
1 1/2 cups dried mission figs, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-lb package frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, or coconut oil or vegetable oil
Syrup
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp rose water
Make the baklava: Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9-by-13-in baking dish. Place the walnuts, figs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor, and mix until the walnuts and figs are finely ground.
If necessary, trim the phyllo to fit the baking dish, then place on a flat cutting board and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Fit one sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the baking dish and generously brush with melted butter. Repeat seven times, brushing with butter after each layer to make a stack of 8 phyllo sheets. Spoon half of the nut and fig mixture over the phyllo and spread evenly. Repeat the process with 4 more phyllo sheets, brushing with butter between each layer. Spread the remaining nut and fig mixture over the top and repeat the process with 8 more phyllo sheets.
Bake until the top is lightly golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into squares or diamonds in the pan.
Meanwhile, make the syrup: Stir together the granulated sugar, water, honey, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the syrup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and rose water. Let cool slightly. Discard the cinnamon stick.
Carefully spoon the warm syrup over the slightly cooled and cut baklava, taking care to pour syrup along the cut lines. Let the baklava sit for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the syrup to soften the filling. Serve at room temperature. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The above recipes are reprinted from Little Book of Jewish Sweets by Leah Koenig with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019.
The idea came about, she says, after being cooped up way too long in her one-bedroom apartment in New York City.
“I had a lot of extra time on my hands,” she says. “So I decided to transform some of my favorite dishes into soup versions of themselves while still making sure the essence of the original dishes stayed intact.”
As an added plus, Di Pietro makes these recipes even more user friendly by including ideas on substitutions, reheating, storing, and product information. For example, if you’re unable to find chipotle powder for her Mexican Street Corn Soup try smoked paprika instead and for a different taste or low-calorie switch when making her Lasagna Soup, Italian pork sausage without the casing or ground turkey are good alternatives.
Mexican Street Corn Soup
The following recipes are from SOUPified.
Twice Baked Potato Soup with Bacon
2 ounces bacon cut into ½-inch strips while raw
2 cups diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 cup chopped green onions (about 4 onions)
¼ cup chopped garlic (9 to 10 cloves)
¼ cup all-purpose four
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced (peels reserved for Crispy Potato Skins), held in cold water to prevent browning
3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup sour cream
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or cut into very small pieces
½ cup finely chopped chives
1 recipe Crispy Potato Skins (recipe below)
Peel potatoes, then prepare Crispy Potato Skins and set aside.
Place bacon in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch over medium heat. Slowly cook it until it becomes crispy and most of the fat has been rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside to drain on paper towels.
Remove all but about 3 tablespoons of rendered fat from the pot and use for other purpose or discard. Leave enough fat to cover bottom of pot.
Add onions and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, or until onions have softened a bit, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle four on top of onion mixture; stir to coat and continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes while four cooks. Gradually pour in 2 cups broth and whisk mixture quickly to fully incorporate four into liquid until smooth.
Then stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.
Add remaining broth, potatoes (drain first if being held in water), milk, salt, paprika, and black and cayenne peppers. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, stirring frequently. This could take 20 to 30 minutes. Do not boil soup once milk is added to prevent curdling.
Reduce heat to low. Then partially purée mixture using an immersion blender. Be sure to leave some bigger chunks as this results in a great, chunky texture. Gradually stir in sour cream, then cheese, 1 cup at a time, ensuring each cup has melted before adding the next. Finish by stirring in chives and about ¾ of reserved crispy bacon. Then turn off heat.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with Crispy Potato Skins and remaining bacon.
Crispy Potato Skins
¼ to ½ cup olive oil or as needed
Potato peels from all peeled potatoes in main soup recipe
Pinch salt
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil starts to spread out and glisten, add potato peels and fry them until crispy. Use tongs to turn over peels while frying. When peels are brown and crispy, remove them immediately with a slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain.
Sprinkle them with salt immediately.
Set aside, uncovered, at room temperature. You can make these potato skins 3 to 4 hours in advance and hold them, uncovered, at room temperature.
Lasagna Soup
Serves 6 to 8
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound lean ground beef (90/10 is perfect)
2 cups diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 cup lightly packed, chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
¼ cup chopped garlic (9 to 10 cloves)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup tomato paste
6 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes crushed into small pieces by hand
2 teaspoons dried basil
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
8 lasagna sheets, broken into 1-2” random pieces (9 ounces)
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, ½ cup basil, garlic, and spices. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until all the beef has browned. Break it up into bite-sized pieces while stirring.
Move beef mixture to one side of pot. Then add tomato paste and cook it for about 30 seconds. Add 2 cups broth and stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.
Add remaining broth, tomatoes, and dried herbs and stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer, partially covered, for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until vegetables have mostly softened. Add pasta and remaining 1 tablespoon oil and stir well.
Simmer, uncovered, until pasta is al dente, using instructions on pasta package as a guideline, stirring continuously so that pasta doesn’t stick or get clumpy. Taste pasta along the way to monitor its doneness.
Once pasta is al dente, reduce heat to low. Then whisk in cream and spinach and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring. Add additional liquid if you want a brothier soup. Stir in remaining ½ cup basil, then turn off heat.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with a generous scoop of Cheese Topping. The cheese will melt once you stir it into the hot soup.
Cheese Topping
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Mix all topping ingredients together until well combined.
You can make this 2 to 3 days in advance and hold it in the refrigerator. Bring this mixture to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving the soup.
Mexican Street Corn Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off cob
and silk removed (about 4 cups kernels),
stripped corncobs reserved for broth
2 cups diced yellow onions (about
1 medium onion)
1 cup diced celery (about 3 to 4 ribs)
1 poblano pepper, seeded, stemmed, and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped garlic (9 to 10 cloves)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
3 cups whole milk
1 pound Yukon gold or other waxy potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces, held in cold water to prevent browning
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons dried Mexican or regular
oregano
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
½ cup fresh lime juice (zest limes first)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime zest
Brown corn: Heat oil and butter in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. When butter has melted, add corn kernels and cook until they start to brown (about 5 to 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Do this in batches if necessary. Then remove about ²/³ of corn with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add onions, celery, poblano pepper, and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally. Add broth and stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.
Add milk, potatoes (drain first if being held in water), bay leaves, salt, oregano, chili powders, black pepper, and reserved corncobs.
Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Then partially cover and lightly simmer soup until potatoes are tender, stirring frequently (about 20 to 30 minutes).
Remove and discard cobs and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low. Then carefully purée mixture until smooth using an immersion blender. Only partially purée soup if you prefer a chunkier version.
Add cheese, crema or sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, lime zest, and most of reserved sautéed corn kernels, reserving some to use as topping. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Turn off heat. Do not boil soup once crema or sour cream is added to prevent curdling.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining cooked corn kernels.
Growing up in Tahoe City, a one stoplight town in California’s High Sierra Mountains, Lindsay Navama yearned for the big city life. Los Angeles offered just that, and she was happy there in her career as a recipe developer, personal chef, and owner of Cookie Culture, a boutique bakery.
Lake Life Cranberry Limeade Cosmo
But when she and her husband, David, moved to Chicago for work, Navama felt unmoored and wondered what to do next in her life.
Lured by articles about the wonders of Harbor Country, the swath of countryside starting at the state line and curving north along Lake Michigan to Sawyer, Michigan, the couple decided to check it out.
Unfortunately, upon arrival the two were totally underwhelmed.
“We heard people call it the ‘Hamptons of the Midwest but we thought is this it?” says Navama.
The two didn’t return for several years, but when they did—they both experienced what she describes as the region’s magic. It was more than just the beautiful beaches, the eight quaint small towns each unique in its own way, lush farmlands, orchards, rivers, and woods, there was also an appealing vibe. Each visit brought new discoveries– an estate winery, a fun delicatessen that became like a second home, a Swedish bakery that first opened for business in 1912–and new friends.
Wanting to spend more time there, the couple moved into a small place in New Buffalo and dubbed it “Camp Navama.” There Navama cooked and entertained, developing her own recipes and tweaking them when needed to feed friends on gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, keto, paleo, and other diets. She learned the rhythms of the land and seasons such as when deep blue Concord grapes were peaking at Dinges’ Farm in Three Oaks or when an order of fresh caught sturgeon arrived at Rachel Collins’ Flagship Specialty Foods and Fish Market in Lakeside.
Buffalo Cauliflower
In ways it was a convergence of Navama’s experiences growing up in the High Sierras and adulthood in the ever-so-hip L.A. food and cultural scene. Navama identified with many Harbor Country residents who moved to or had second homes in the area and brought that big city sensibility with them when it came to art, food, entertaining but appreciated a more rural way of living and a lot less concrete.
Navama no longer felt lost and instead saw the direction her life should take.
“I wanted to preserve those memories, great meals, and good times in Mason jars,” she says.
A great cookbook with 50 recipes and photos by Gabrielle Sukich of Benton Harbor, it’s also a travel guide with small maps, listings of restaurants, wineries, intriguing hideaways, and everything else the area has to offer.
“I never saw myself as living any other place than California and here I am in a tiny town in the Midwest,” she says. “And I’m beyond grateful it happened.”
Whistle Stop Asian Noodle Salad
4–6 servings
Contributed by Whistle Stop Grocery and Chef Eva Frahm
1 pound angel hair or capellini pasta
5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
¼ cup plus ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
¾ cup hoisin sauce, divided
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
Sriracha, to taste (optional)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the pasta water, if desired. Add the angel hair and cook 7 to 8 minutes until just al dente, so the noodles are still slightly firm and not overcooked. Drain into a colander, rinse gently with cold water, let drain again, then place in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the mushrooms in ¼ cup of the olive oil for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Season with ⅛ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce. Stir to coat and set aside.
Julienne the bell peppers by cutting them into ⅛-inch-thick strips. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 10 tablespoons hoisin sauce, the remaining ⅓ cup olive oil, the rice vinegar, the garlic chili sauce, and the Sriracha (if using). Set aside.
Add the mushrooms, peppers, scallions, cilantro, and sauce mixture to the noodles. Toss gently to incorporate. Season to taste with the remaining salt and the remaining pepper and transfer to a serving bowl or store covered in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Lake Life Cranberry Limeade Cosmo
1 serving
3 ounces favorite vodka
1 ounce triple sec
2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
3 tablespoons limeade concentrate, thawed
a cocktail shaker and martini glass in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Add the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and limeade concentrate to the chilled cocktail shaker. Shake your booty while you shake your Cosmo for about 10 seconds, because why not?!
“The global pandemic caught the world off guard, at the same time forcing people to seek out things that represent familiarity and security,” says Lukas Pereckas, Blue Oceans P.R . “That is why some are even proclaiming that 2020 is the Renaissance of comfort food because of its ability to soothe the nerves and provide psychological comfort.”
Cooking at home is a great outlet to release pent up energy, indulge our creativity, and bring new flavors and tastes ot our meals, but after awhile experiencing with the culinary options from other countries can help tamper our hanking for travel while helping us explore the world outside our door.
The interior of Šiauliai Cathedral looking east in Šiauliai, Lithuania. Photo courtesy of DAVID ILIFF. Wikimedia Commons.
“There has never been a better time to see what other nations bring to the table as comfort food,” he says, noting that one of the least known cuisines of Eastern Europe, Lithuanian foods are just now gaining popularity as more and more travelers experience the flavors of this old world cookery. “What better way to see where your travels will take you in the future then by enjoying the tastes of Lithuanian at home.”
Seven Lithuanian Feel-Good Dishes Worth Trying
“For tourists, asking where the Lithuanian food comes from, I always say that the majority of the ingredients come from the province, yet Lithuanian culinary heritage is multicultural, as all nations that once resided in Lithuania contributed something of their own to the Lithuanian gastronomic peculiarities,” says Ieva Pikžirnytė, Lithuanian food guide, coffee and taste training expert.
Nerijus Paluckas_Zagarelia
Lithuanian foods are also heavily influenced by other ethnic cuisines such as Jewish, Polish, Ukrainian, Tartar, Russian, and Karaite which over the centuries have been adapted with tradition Lithuanian ingredients , cooking techniques, and flavors.
“Tourists are usually most fascinated by our hash browns and stuffed cabbage. A lot depends on the season as well. For example, in cold weather they prefer mushroom soup and potato dumplings (cepelinai),” says Pikžirnytė who shares shares a list of Lithuanian comfort dishes most liked by by locals and visitors alike.
Potato Pie @ Beatos Virtuve
Filling Potato Pie (Kugelis)
Potatoes have ruled the Lithuanian cuisine for 150 years and most families have a favorite potato dish recipe passed down through generations.
Potato pie or pudding (kugelis), with its crispy exterior and soft consistency inside, is an easy-to-make favorite.
Like the majority of Lithuanian dishes, hash browns or potato pancakes (bulviniai blynai) contain lots of carbs, fat, and salt – all essential ingredients for satisfying our emotions and food cravings. Go ahead and indulge.It’s been a tough year. The recipe can be found here.
Famous Potato Dumplings (Cepelinai)
When it comes to potato dishes, probably the most well-known are potato dumplings (cepelinai) that are filled with a variety of ingredients, some typical such as meat or cheese and some more unique apples, herring or sauerkraut.
Fast Fried Bread@Beatos Virtuve
Fast Fried Bread with Cheese (Kepta duona su sūriu)
One of the most popular snacks in Lithuanian, fried bread quickly becomes a favorite of visitors as well. The treat goes well with a pint of beer and takes little effort to make. All you need is a loaf of rye, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, cooking oil, a pinch of salt and cheese
Cut the bread in strips, fry in oil until crispy, then rub the garlic onto the hot bread, sprinkle with salt and top with grated cheese. Voila! The perfect hot, filling, cheesy and garlicky –what could be better?
Savoury Pastry Pies (Kibinai)
Crescent-shaped pies of butter pastry stuffed with meat, mushrooms, or vegetables are one of the dishes brought to Lithuania by another nation – Karaites. Around 400 Karaite families were invited to Lithuania by Vytautas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, from the shores of Black Sea at the end of the 14th century, and those who have made Lithuania their home, added their national dishes to the Lithuanian cuisine, hence – the savory pastry pies. The dish is best devoured in the historical capital of Lithuania – Trakai – where the variety of both savory pastry pies and restaurants serving them is astounding. This recipe is a great way to pass time while planning a trip to try a Lithuanian spin on savory pastry pies the following year.
A national treat, this uncooked cocoa cookie bar, called “lazy cake” by the locals since the recipe requires little effort. calls for minimal to none cooking skills. Just crush a pack of tea biscuits, melt 100 g of butter on medium heat, add a can of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder. Mix the ingredients, wrap the mixture in a cling film, shape it as a sausage, chill it in the fridge for several hours and voilà!
Deep-Fried Pastry Strips (Žagarėliai)
These twig-shaped and deep-fried pastry strips made with curd or sour milk provide the same type of feeling of satisfaction that we get biting into a freshly made donut. Quick and easy to make, they’re surely will lighten anyone’s mood. Even better, the recipe is easy to make.
Familiar and comforting flavors with some unusual twists represent a side of Lithuania that is sure to be explored by foodies in years to come. Meanwhile, all eager to experience Lithuanian gastronomic peculiarities can take a look at the Map of Authentic Lithuanian Flavors and make a list for their future explorations of Lithuania.
Pažaislis Monastery, Kaunas, Lithuania.
About Lithuania Travel
Lithuania Travel is a national tourism development agency responsible for Lithuania’s tourism marketing and promotion, acting under the Ministry of Economy and Innovation. Its strategic goal—to raise awareness of Lithuania as an attractive tourism destination and to encourage inbound and domestic travel. The agency closely collaborates with tourism businesses and organizations, presents Lithuanian tourism products, services and experiences on social and digital media, press trips, in international travel exhibitions and B2B events.
The Christmas markets in SouthWest Germany are particularly charming as they are often nestled in small towns with cobblestone streets and half-timbered buildings, palace courtyards while former cloisters also provide romantic backdrops. Each Christmas market is different than the next with gifts and goods varying from town to town and neighborhood to neighborhood. On Lake Constance, the many Christmas markets lure visitors lakeside and to tour the islands between the snowy mountain peaks of Switzerland and Germany’s baroque castles.
The lake that carries the sugary scents of waffles and cinnamon is the same on which ferries sail back and forth connecting visitors to different Christmas markets around the Bodensee. Schupfnudeln (finger-shaped potato dumplings), Dinnele (thin-crust flatbreads with different savory toppings) and Winzerglühwein (hot mulled wine) make the perfect outing also delicious. From Baden-Baden to the Black Forest Highlands, Christmas markets offer unending satisfaction – browse, buy and marvel!
Lakeside and Island Christmas Markets Offer Special Experiences Around the BodenSee
In the town of Constance, the Christmas ship with its 360° panoramic bar, a two-story Christmas tavern, the breathtaking lake and alpine panorama characterize the Constance Christmas Market. Take a stroll along the Advent village of 170 stalls set up between the medieval city center to the harbor.
Almost 100,000 twinkling lights reflect off the lake and the fragrant scents of hot mulled wine and gingerbread bring the holidays to life for the whole family. You can also enjoy the wintry landscape of the island of Mainau on a leisurely stroll through the sleeping gardens. After exploring the island, two warm places invite you to linger: the Butterfly House and the Palm House. In addition to the winter exhibition, come and explore the new boutique winter market in the Baroque castle courtyard. Many of the regional hotels around the lake offer Christmas specials.
Chocol’ART in Tuebingen in December Lures Chocolatiers and Chocolate Lovers around the World
Tübingen famous for its university, the River Neckar and its old town is particularly fun during the Advent season. Tübingen’s particular flair can be experienced in the small, owner-managed shops that offer exceptional goods and personal advice. From the 3rd to the 8th of December 2019, the city of Tübingen once again turns into a city filled with chocolate.
Throughout the city’s main squares, vendors offer some of the most extraordinary chocolate experiences. Chocol’ART is one of Germany biggest chocolate festivals and offers a unique chocolate odyssey in a magnificent historic town. All different shapes, sizes, and flavors are on offer with handmade chocolate bars, chocolate figurines, chocolate cream, chocolate tools, chocolate drinks, chocolate beers, pralines, truffles, nougat, and even dragees. From sweet and bitter to mild and spicy, exotic and bio-chocolate to fair trade, vegan to sugar free chocolate are on the stands. The cheerful window shopping and the white chocolate tents in the city square and the magical lighting across the historical city square turn this experience into a fairy tale adventure.
Stuttgart’s Special City Illuminations Create a One of a Kind Holiday Experience
With some 290 stalls and a tradition of more than 300 years, Stuttgart’s Christmas market is one of the loveliest in Germany and one of the oldest and largest of its kind in Europe. It was first documented in 1692, though its roots go back much further. From November 27 to December 23, the stalls of the Christmas Market will stretch from the New Palace and the Königsbau across Schiller Square, the Old Palace and the Collegiate Church to the Marketplace.
Special to Stuttgart is the incredible light display highlighting Stuttgart’s top destinations. For example, a Porsche, a Mercedes or the TV tower bring the city center together with an atmospheric illumination that runs from the Schlossplatz, the heart of the city, down the 1.2 km long pedestrian shopping street. Only 20 minutes outside of Stuttgart is the exciting medieval Christmas market of Esslingen where felters, dyers, jugglers and musicians take visitors back in time. The elegant baroque Christmas market at Ludwigsburg is also close to Stuttgart and offers beautiful handicrafts and delicious foods next to the palace.
Surrounded by the mountains of the Black Forest, visitors to Baden-Baden’s traditional Christmas market will experience the feeling of strolling through a scene from a winter fairy tale. The enchanting atmosphere begins at the start of the world-famous Lichtentaler Allee: flickering candles and lights in front of the Kurhaus and festively decorated stands next to the exclusive boutiques in the Kurhaus Colonnade while in the air the aroma of mulled wine and gingerbread follow you around as you amble past the wooden yuletide cabins.
Arts and crafts, Christmas jewelry at the over 100 stalls are on offer and a nativity scene also greets visitors. Younger visitors can look forward to tasty Christmas treats, a children’s bakery, a merry-go-round and a varied program of Christmas entertainment performed on the open-air stage. The Christmas market is open November 28 to January 6 so you can actually experience this festive display into the new year.
Christmas Markets of the Black Forest Highlands are Charming and Unique
Christmas markets in the Black Forest Highlands offer a special experience and the little towns are so close together that it is easy to visit two and maybe three in one late afternoon and early evening. These romantic towns, including St. Blasien, Breitnau, St. Maergen, Todtmoos and many more, are sprinkled throughout the Black Forest Highlands and around the city of Freiburg so you can stay in Freiburg which has its own special Christmas market and a variety of hotels or you can overnight in one of these charming towns. Just above the Lake Titisee in Hinterzarten for example is a very special four star boutique hotel, the Alemannenhof which provides wonderful views of the lake, beautiful rooms, and delicious meals.
The Christmas markets in the Black Forest towns are charming and the cheery atmosphere is highlighted with the scent of hot mulled wine, baked goods and beautiful huts decorated for the season. Handicrafts and gifts and local products are for sale and each town has its unique offerings. In the Ravenna Gorge, there is a very popular Christmas market that is nestled underneath the 120 foot high train overpass. Guests can also stay overnight at the Hofgut Sternen which offers glass blowing and Black Forest cake demonstrations and great gifts. The Christmas markets offer a real escape and capture visitors with their atmosphere, delicious food and holiday spirit.
For interactive maps and more information on cultural events and destinations in SouthWest Germany and to start planning your trip, please go to SouthWest Germany
I had thought that dude ranches, the kind of places out west where you’d go to spend time galloping across the plains or desert with a background of mountain ranches, were out of the past. Popular around the time of Theodore Roosevelt who loved to ride and hunt, dude ranches first became big shortly after the Battle of Little Big Horn (though why a massacre of U.S. troops would be beguiling I don’t know) back in the 1880s, they attracted people not only from America but also Europe.
Dining Room at White Stallion Ranch
But unlike,western movies which had their heyday between the 1930s and 1960s and now are hardly ever made anymore, dude ranches have survived. Now called guest ranches, their numbers have fallen because the land they occupy is sold to developers for higher prices than owners can make offering lodging and horseback riding.
Indian Oven at White Stallion Ranch
And so, when my husband saw a deal for a long weekend at the White Stallion Ranch outside of Tucson, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I like to horseback ride,and I loved the idea that on Saturday nights they served a ranch-style dinner that had been cooked all day inside an adobe oven fueled by wood. Would we have to kick tumbleweeds aside to get into an old rickety cabin that smelled like horses? Would we sing along around a roaring campfire as the stars shone across the desert sky.
They’re running specials now because of Covid though as Russell True told me, social distancing is easy on a ranch. Russell is the son of the Allen and Cynthia True who bought the ranch in 1965, packing up their kids (Russell was five, his brother Michael was a baby) and moving from their very successful middle class life in Denver, Colorado. The whole place was rough and tumble to hear Russell describe it and much more isolated as the interstate some five miles away hadn’t been built yet and Tucson’s population was about 260,000—now it’s close to a million and rapidly growing.
White Stallion Trail Mix (recipe below)
When founded as a cattle ranch in the late 1800s, before Arizona became a state in 1912, about 5100 people lived in Tucson. Phoenix, about 100 miles north, had the same population back then but now they’re almost five times larger than Tucson.
The 3000 acres, located in the Sonoran Desert, backs up to the Tucson Mountains and is surrounded by the Saguaro National Forest and populated by ancient saguaros, those friendly looking cactus whose branches or limbs go up in the air like happy arms waiting to greet you. Movies are filmed here starting in in 1939 when William Holden and Jean Arthur starred in “Arizona.” In 1978, the James Garner film, “The New Maverick,” was filmed on the ranch and two years later Robert Conrad arrived for the making of “Wild, Wild West Once More.” Even better for George Clooney aficionados, the actor along with Sam Rockwell starred in “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” in 2002.
White Stallion at Night
It’s all much comfier than 55 years ago when the Trues arrived. The main building wasn’t the gleaming glass, stone, and wood mid-century modern style it is today. When the Trues bought the 200-acre ranch there were 17 rooms and the same number of horses. Now operated by second and third generation Trues, the ranch encompasses 3000 acres. The horse population around 175 and there are 43 rooms and as well as 5-bedroom hacienda. Many of the True family members live on property including Russell’s son Steven and his wife.
But despite all these changes, the old west feeling is reflected not only in the cookery, trail rides, weekly rodeos, the cattle who range freely (have no fear, their prime practice is lolling under a shady mesquite watching people ride by) and the landscape but also in the chance to sign up for cattle drives, archery, rock climbing, hiking, heading to the shooting range and real-life lessons on how to pen cattle.
Over the years, there were many offers but Al True always turned them down.
“Do you know how much money you’re saying no to?” one developer asked him, emphasizing the amount added up to a gasp-inspiring millions of dollars.
Potato Chip Cookies
But land was more important than cash to the Trues and Al replied that riches were a poor substitute for their life on the ranch. But the lure of money is one of the reasons that of the 30 ranches once in business here north of Tucson when the Trues moved to the neighborhood have dwindled to three. The food served is international but there’s definitely an overriding western/southwestern theme with taquitos, tacos, ribs, and steaks grilled outside. But the big paean to the past history is their signature Indian Oven Dinner on Saturdays. That’s a hard one to replicate at home, but just think of slowed braised pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Serve with flour or corn tortillas to add a little more western flair. They also offer food oriented guided trail rides including picnic luncheons, the Wine & Cheese ride, and a Beer & Cheetos ride.
The following recipes are courtesy of White Stallion Ranch and are among the favorite served there.
Prickly Pear Margaritas Note: this makes a very large batch, if you’re not that thirsty or having a small get together, you may want to reduce the quantities.
1.75-liter bottle of Margarita Mix (your choice) 3/4 of a liter of Pepe Lopez Tequila 3 cans of 7-Up 1/4 bottle of Triple Sec 18 ounces of Prickly Pear Syrup
Peanut Butter Bars
¾ cup shortening ¾ cup peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 c white sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ¼ cups flour 1 ¼ cup oatmeal ¾ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven 350° degrees or 300° convection oven. Cream the shortening, peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla well. Mix together the flour, oatmeal, soda, and salt. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Spread the dough by hand over sprayed and floured 9”x13” baking pan. Bake 25 minutes until still chewy. Immediately sprinkle on the chocolate chips and spread over the bars when melted.
Peanut Butter Bars
Topping 1 cup powdered sugar ½ cup peanut butter 1 cup chocolate chips 2-4 tablespoons milk, as needed Beat topping ingredients well, using enough milk to get a creamy consistency, then swirl over the chocolate. Cut and serve.
White Stallion Ranch Trail Mix 6 cups dry roasted peanuts 1 family sized box or 2 regular boxes of Wheat Thins 8 c small twisted pretzels 8 cups thin pretzel sticks 8 cups corn nuts
2 cups vegetable oil 2 cups melted butter 4 tablespoons chili powder ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 10 drops Tabasco sauce 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon Lawry’s seasoning salt (or make your own using the copycat recipe below) 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Mix peanuts, corn nuts and pretzels in large roasting pan. Mix oil and melted butter, chili powder, Worcestershire, Tabasco sauce, garlic salt, seasoned salt, and cumin; pour over pretzels, mixing well. If using a convection oven, cook at 300° F. for 15 minutes. If using a conventional oven, cook at 300° F. for about 45 minutes. Stir frequently to distribute the seasoning.
Remove from oven and let cool before serving, still serving frequently.
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt 2 tablespoons salt 2 teaspoons white sugar ¾ teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric ¼ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon cornstarch Whisk salt, sugar, paprika, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and cornstarch together in a bowl.
Lariat Twirling Demo
Potato Chip Cookies Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1 cup Crisco 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 6-ounce package white chocolate chips 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips
Cream Crisco and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and beat well. Add crushed potato chips and white chocolate chips. Sift flour and soda. Stir into creamed mixture. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Cook 10-12 minutes.
I once thought it would be fun to raise goats and make goat’s milk cheese. I even took a class in cheesemaking though I have to admit my cheeses didn’t turn out that well. And, of course, my condo association doesn’t even allow cats or dogs so I’m sure I couldn’t have a small herd of goats grazing on the grass in the common area though when the pool gets fixed, they’d have plenty of drinking water.
Now, when I’m in Sister Bay in Door County, I like to stop at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik –the latter word is the Swedish equivalent for boutique and the place features a wide assortment of Scandinavian items. Besides such fare as Swedish pancakes with lingonberry sauce, the big draw here are the live goats (yes, live) grazing on top of the restaurant’s grassy roof.
The restaurant opened in 1949 but the goats are relatively new, having first stepped foot on the roof in 1978 after someone gave owner Al Johnson one as a gift. They have a fairly pampered life—lots of attention, they come down at night and are transported to a comfy barn and they don’t go to work on the roof if the weather is inclement. Oh, and rooftop meals are supplemented after hours so they’re not—and you can tell this by looking at their photos—going hungry.
Even when I’m not in Door County, I can get my goat fix because the restaurant’s website has not one but two goat cams so you can log on and watch them munch grass in real time. But goats aren’t the only good thing about Al Johnson’s. Their Swedish cuisine, including those wafer thin pancakes, are great as well. I haven’t done this yet, but if I wanted the entire Al Johnson effect, I could cook up some of the restaurant’s recipes and watch the goat cam while I eat.
The following recipes are courtesy of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant.
Gingersnap Apple Crisp With Maple Syrup Whipped Cream Filling
6 medium Apples roughly pounds (preferably Granny Smith)
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
Topping
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 pack of Nyåkers ginger snaps crushed (if you can’t find Nyåkers, it’s okay to substitute another brand)
1/2 cup of melted butter
Preheat oven to 375˚. Peel and quarter apples, slice 1/4 thin. Mix with lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Crush cookie finely in a food processor, or Ziplock bag with rolling pin. Mix all topping ingredients well. Put apple mixture into 9×13 pan and top with crumble mixture. Bake 40-50 min or until apple is bubbly.
Whipped Cream
1 cup of cream 1/4 cup of Al Johnson’s Golden Goat syrup (substitute real maple syrup if you don’t have any goat syrup on hand). Mix and whip ingredients until stiff peaks form. Serve on top of Gingersnap Apple Crisp.
Al Johnson’s Lingonberry Vinaigrette
The lingonberry vinaigrette recipe, developed by Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant head chef Freddie Bexell, is offered as a dressing choice for a salad of mixed greens. It also works well in a raw red cabbage and apple salad.
Makes about ¾ cup
3 tablespoons sweetened lingonberries (can use lingonberry jam)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ cup canola oil
½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
⅛ teaspoon salt
Generous pinch of black pepper
In a mixing bowl, whisk together lingonberries, garlic, mustard and vinegar. Slowly whisk in canola oil. Add fresh oregano, salt and pepper. For a smoother dressing, pulse mixture briefly in a blender or food processor.
Al Johnson’s Red Cabbage Salad with Lingonberry Vinaigrette
Red cabbage, tart Granny Smith apples and thinly sliced red onion are tossed with lingonberry vinaigrette to create a raw salad. Finish the salad with dried sour cherries and coarsely chopped pistachios.
Makes 6 servings
8 cups thinly shredded red cabbage (1 medium head)
1 Granny Smith apple, washed, unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup coarsely chopped unsalted pistachios
⅓ cup dried sour cherries
⅔ cup lingonberry vinaigrette (see recipe above)
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except vinaigrette. Toss with enough lingonberry vinaigrette to just coat. Refrigerate any remaining vinaigrette or serve on the side.
Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Red Wine Lingonberry Sauce
This stuffed chicken recipe is from the former Inn at Kristofer’s restaurant, which was located just down the street from Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. The sauce also works well with pork tenderloin and salmon.
Makes 4 servings
Chicken:
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
Four (5-inch-long) picks to secure stuffed chicken
Lingonberry sauce:
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup red wine
½ cup sweetened lingonberries (substitute lingonberry jam if you can’t find canned lingonberries)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Prepare chicken: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a sauté pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic. Sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat.
In a mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, shallot mixture, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs and Italian parsley.
Place chicken breasts on a work surface. Make a deep slit or pocket in chicken along the longest part of the breast. Be careful not to slice thru entire breast.
Stuff evenly with cheese mixture. Use long wooden picks to secure stuffing.
Line a baking sheet pan with foil. Coat with vegetable oil spray.
In a bowl, combine eggs and milk. On a large plate, place remaining 2 cups breadcrumbs. Dip chicken completely into egg mixture. Roll in breadcrumbs. Set on prepared pan.
In a large skillet, heat unsalted butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When hot, add chicken breasts. Cook on one side. Using tongs, turn and continue browning chicken on all sides. Chicken may need to be browned in batches. Place on prepared pan.
Roast in preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce: In a saucepot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add shallot and garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Add red wine, lingonberries and balsamic vinegar. Use a small whisk to combine. Simmer over low heat until reduced by one-fourth, about 5 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water. With sauce on simmer, slowly drizzle in enough cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce. You may not need all of the mixture.
When chicken is done, let rest 10 minutes before removing wooden picks. Slice chicken into medallions. Serve with lingonberry sauce.
Al’s recipe for Swedish Pancakes.
3 large eggs
Makes 4 generous servings
2 cups whole milk
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Garnish options:
Unsalted butter
Sweetened lingonberries
Fresh berries or sweetened sour cherries
Maple syrup
Whipped cream
In a mixing bowl using a wire whisk, combine eggs and milk. Add flour, a little at a time, followed by sugar. Let batter rest 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator.
Heat a large sauté pan or flat griddle over medium-high heat. Coat with vegetable oil spray. Pour 2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto pan. Pancake will be thin. When slightly firm, carefully flip and cook on other side. Pancakes will take 1 to 2 minutes per side to cook. Serve with garnishes of your choice.
