Im Emmental geboren und aufgewachsen, via Bern nach Zürich umgesiedelt. Zwischendurch haben mein Mann und ich während einem Jahr in Los Angeles wertvolle kulinarische Erfahrungen gesammelt. Mein Herz schlägt für regionale und saisonale Produkte. Wo ihr mich finden könnt? Auf Wochenmärkten, im Kino, in tollen Kafis, auf dem Spielplatz (mit meinem Sohn), beim Joggen.
Ich lebe und liebe die Stadt Zürich. Die Faszination fürs Kochen hab ich (so glaube ich) von meinen Omas geerbt (Danke!) & vom Betty Bossi Kinderkochbuch (anno dazumal). In Sydney kam meine unendliche Liebe zu Speciality Coffee dazu.
Seit 2014 schreibe ich leidenschaftlich meinen Blog: www.minzipieskitchen.com :)
At barbecues I often get asked: “Don’t you miss the meat on the grill at all?” My answer is quite simple: “No. If I’d miss it, I could just start eating it again.” Vegetables are so versatile and salads come in millions of variations.
In the following recipe I have given the traditional “baked potato” a Mexican flair, which can be prepared outside on an open fire, or at home on the balcony. It tastes delicious as a main course or as a side dish to meat! And while the potato is cooking on the fire, there is time to enjoy a glass of rosé!
Wash the sweet potatoes and prick the surface 4-5 times with a fork.
Once the grill is warm, you can put the fireproof dish with the sweet potatoes on top. If you don't have a suitable tray, simply wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil and place them on the charcoal or grill. (Grill time approx. 30 minutes) Later, put the corn on the grill.
Finely mash the avocado with a fork. Cut tomatoes and chilli pepper to taste. When the corn cob is cooked, remove it from the grill. Mix with the other ingredients.
As soon as the sweet potatoes are soft, you can cut them open on top. Put the salsa with the corn kernels, chilli pepper and tomatoes on top. Arrange with the mashed avocado and possibly coriander. Enjoy!
Actually I don’t even have to ask my husband what he would like to eat for dinner — 99% of the time, his answer is either pizza or pasta. And I’m like: “Nooooo, not again!”
Admittedly, there are so many variations of pizza and pasta, and I wouldn’t get bored with these dishes in the kitchen. However, my own expectations of healthy and varied food for my family are somewhat higher. Moreover, I personally would like to have a more varied diet. Conjure up two different dinners on the table? Sure, but not in this life!
“The way to the heart is through the stomach”, I care about what I serve at home. Usually the menus are prepared rather haphazardly. During our year abroad in Los Angeles I got to know and love the Buddha Bowls, also called Macro Bowls.
These bowls ensure a perfect balance of different ingredients:
Grains, vegetables, legumes or fish, fermented foods.
More concrete: A healthy and balanced way to absorb the main nutrients: carbohydrates (30-50%), proteins (25-35%) and fat (25-35%). Moreover, these bowls are great to put on the table as a dish to share. In the morning, especially during the summer months, we love to start the day with a smoothie bowl (see recipe below), which is also a great way to hide the greens (they become invisible when they’re pureed)!
In my opinion, colourful dishes are more fun. We often have a selection of different delicacies on the table (just like the bowls). My motto: healthy, regional and additive-free. 95% of the things on the table are healthy, 5% are more of a treat (such as sweet potato fries, fish sticks or tortilla chips). On Sunday we serve Nutella rolls or homemade nut butter / chocolate spread without any refined sugar.
Variety makes the difference! If it’s mainly healthy and nutritious, I can live with an unhealthy side dish. Personally, I am inspired by “intuitive eating”, children are my role models. With my son I often observe that he only eats when he is really hungry. For example, one day he loves berries, the next day he throws them all to the ground. Sometimes he devours huge portions, and other days, not even three peas. I trust that he will get what he needs. Adults often tend to be overeaters and eat non-stop. This is probably due to the increased supply, boredom, frustration or other feelings.
Children imitate what the grown-ups do. This also applies to eating. I recently asked my husband to stop saying “that’s really gross” if he doesn’t like something. If children see that behaviour, they’ll pick up on it too.
I like the “joker” aspect
Each member of the family may refuse a certain amount of food. If it is on the menu, it doesn’t have to be eaten, but everything else should at least be tried. While we live in the city, I grew up in the country and know how an apple grows. It is important to me that our children also know where the vegetables on the table come from. I think trips to the berry field or to the weekly market are great ways to show the little ones that a carrot doesn’t come out of the ground directly in supermarket.
But I still have to serve broccoli in a rather liquid form… ? This works great in the form of pesto (e.g. with cashews instead of parmesan) or as hummus. Dips are also a great addition to a macro bowl, salad dressing or vegetable sticks! Since healthy food isn’t always tasty per se, a little imagination is required. Be brave and try new combinations. Try combining fruits with vegetables, for example: mango, courgette and corn or tomato mozzarella with raspberries (as a light dressing).
Tastes deliciously fresh!
Cauliflower Smoothie Bowl
(2 portions)
half of a smaller head of cauliflower
150g frozen blueberries
1 small courgette (I used a yellow one)
250 ml milk (or a vegan alternative)
4 tbsp natural yoghurt (or a vegan alternative)
40g cashews
4 tbsp oat flakes
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
seeds, nuts, berries, fruits as decoration
Puree all ingredients (using a blender or food processor) until you have a creamy consistency.
Decorate the bowls with any toppings. You can also freeze the smoothie bowls to enjoy later!
Spring has sprung! And so has the rhubarb in our community garden. FINALLY! This year I don’t want to miss the relatively short harvest time. With good care and suitable conditions, the season can start as early as the end of April. Traditionally it ends on the day of St. John, June 24th.
There are two main reasons for this:
Summer-picked stems have a higher concentration of toxic oxalic acid.
The growth spurt at the end of June is used exclusively to regenerate a rhubarb plant
So let’s enjoy these wonderful vegetables as often and in as many different ways as possible. Here is a recipe that reminds me of my childhood: French Toast. This is definitely a healthier version than I used to eat (due to the absence of refined sugar)
La période romantique de Noël est terminée et bientôt 2020 prendra enfin fin. La période entre Noël et le Nouvel An, si proche de la fin de l’année, me rend toujours un peu nostalgique. Plus je vieillis, plus j’aimerais pouvoir prolonger un peu l’année.
Comme ce n’est pas possible, célébrons ce qui touche à sa fin et ce qui pourrait arriver. Cette année, nous avons un cocktail de gin pétillant (recette ci-dessous). Mais avant d’en arriver au gin, jetons un coup d’œil aux traditions suisses de la veille du Nouvel An. Il y en a quelques-unes que je voudrais vous présenter.
Klosters (Grisons)
La grande fête du Nouvel An a traditionnellement lieu au centre du village dans l’après-midi du 1er janvier. Les habitants du village et les invités se mêlent et trinquent ensemble au Nouvel An. Le point culminant est la course de Hotsch, où dix porcs de la région s’affrontent. On dit que le gagnant est le porte-bonheur de la nouvelle année.
Interlaken (Oberland bernois)
L’endroit est hanté par le Hardermannli, son “Wyb” et son entourage, les “Potschen“. Ils portent des masques et des costumes en bois sculpté artistiquement, qui sont drapés de barbes et de fourrures. Après le défilé traditionnel, les gens se retrouvent dans les pubs pour une rencontre chaleureuse.
Dans l’Oberland bernois également, notamment à Meiringen et dans d’autres villages, les “Trychler” (sonneurs de cloches) parcourent les villages pendant une semaine entière jusqu’aux petites heures du matin. Cette ancienne coutume commence à minuit le 26 décembre et dure jusqu’à la veille du Nouvel An. Chaque soir, les trychler, habillés de façon traditionnelle, chassent les mauvais esprits au son de cloches rythmées et bruyantes.
Laupen (Lucerne)
Achetringele est la coutume de la veille du Nouvel An sur le lac des Quatre-Cantons. Trois personnages différents parcourent bruyamment le lieu (avec des cloches de vache) et chassent le mal depuis des siècles. Ils s’arrêtent sur les places des villages, disent au revoir à l’ancienne année en rimes et accueillent la nouvelle.
Appenzell
Il a fallu beaucoup de temps pour que l’arrière-pays appenzellois accepte le calendrier grégorien, si bien qu’il célèbre deux fois le tournant de l’année : une fois le 31 décembre et une autre fois le 13 janvier. Les Silvesterkläuse sont au cœur des festivités. Ils s’annoncent à grands coups de cloche, jodlent à plusieurs voix et souhaitent ainsi bonne chance pour la nouvelle année. Pour les remercier, ils reçoivent des boissons (la plupart du temps très concentrées).
Bâle
A Bâle, à partir de minuit et demie, on peut admirer des feux d’artifice grandioses, et du vin chaud est servi gratuitement sur la rive du Rhin.
Zurich
Chaque année, à partir de minuit vingt, Zurich organise un feu d’artifice de 15 minutes. Un brillant feu d’artifice est tiré depuis trois bateaux sur le lac pour marquer le nouvel an zurichois.
The romantic Christmas season is over and soon 2020 will finally come to an end. The time between Christmas and New Year, so close to the end of the year, always makes me feel a tad nostalgic. The older I get, the more I wish I could somehow extend the year a little bit.
As that’s not a possibility, let’s celebrate what is coming to an end and what may come. This year, we have a sparkling Gin Cocktail (recipe below). But before we get to the gin, let’s take a look at Swiss New Year’s Eve traditions. There are a few that I would like to introduce you to.
Klosters (Grisons)
The large New Year’s celebration traditionally takes place in the village centre in the afternoon of January 1st. Locals and guests mingle and toast the New Year together. The highlight is the Hotsch race, where ten pigs from the region compete against one another. The winner is said to be the lucky charm for the new year.
Interlaken (Bernese Oberland)
The place is haunted by the Hardermannli, his “Wyb” and his entourage, the so-called Potschen. They wear artistically carved wooden masks and costumes, which are draped with beards and furs. After the traditional parade, people meet in the pubs for a cosy get-together.
Also in the Bernese Oberland, namely in Meiringen and other villages, the “Trychler” (bell-ringers) roam the villages for a whole week until the early morning hours. This ancient custom begins at midnight on December 26th and lasts until New Year’s Eve. With loud, rhythmic bell sounds, the traditionally dressed trychlers drive away the evil spirits every evening.
Laupen (Lucerne)
Achetringele is the New Year’s Eve custom on Lake Lucerne. Three different characters roam noisily through the place (with cowbells) and have been chasing away evil for centuries. They stop in the village squares, say goodbye to the old year in rhymes and welcome the new one.
Appenzell
It took a long time for the Appenzeller hinterlanders to accept the Gregorian calendar, so they celebrate the turn of the year twice; once on December 31st and again on January 13th. Central to the festivities are the Silvesterkläuse. They announce themselves with loud bells, yodel in multiple voices and in this way wishing good luck for the New Year. As a thank you, they receive (mostly highly concentrated) drinks.
Basel
In Basel, from half past twelve onwards, there are grandiose fireworks to be admired, and free mulled wine is served along the bank of the Rhine.
Zurich
Starting at twenty-past twelve, Zurich has a 15-minute firework display every year. A brilliant firework display is fired from three ships on the lake signalling Zurich’s New Year.
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