The humblest of soups

I cook more often than the average person, most likely. I love food, looking at it and playing with it and eating it, alone or with friends. But this does not mean I always have the time, energy or motivation to slug away for hours in the kitchen. And that’s ok! Sometimes the humblest of ingredients, prepared quickly and simply, yield a most satisfying meal. „The humblest of soups“ weiterlesen

Braving the vegan Kozunak

Bulgaria celebrated Orthodox Easter last weekend, with painted eggs and „kozunak“, a sweet yeast-raised bread somewhat reminiscent of challah or panettone. When done right, kozunak has a light fluffy texture thanks to at least six eggs per kilogram of flour. A formidable challenge to veganize, I nonetheless boldly ventured forth with a first attempt last Saturday. „Braving the vegan Kozunak“ weiterlesen

Vegan, soy-free, seasonal… is there anything you can eat?!

Apparently it’s been a while since my last post, because it definitely isn’t summer any longer. But here we are, right in the middle of possibly my favourite season of the year, food-wise. The rich autumn harvest of pumpkins, grapes, chestnuts, mushrooms and apples, to mention a few, make the farewell to summer bearable, and usher in a new, colder, yet cozy and comfy time of the year.

Celebrating each season’s offerings, discovering creative ways to put them to use, can actually enrich your cooking repertoire, rather than limit it. And just when you start getting tired of pumpkin everything, the winter’s leafy greens and earthy roots bring something fresh to play with. So, go at it with abandon, dare to bring home some weird-looking vegetable you’ve never worked with before, and let it inspire you into discovering new textures and flavours. „Vegan, soy-free, seasonal… is there anything you can eat?!“ weiterlesen

Finally, summer

It’s hot, sunny, and the line outside the Gelateria di Berna is (rightfully) around the corner — their vegan sorbets are pretty fantastic. After a nice, sweaty run the other day, I decided that an ice cream reward was just the thing to put those calories right back on. I chose cucumber-lime, watermelon and grapefruit-black pepper (my personal favourite), and the combination hit the spot perfectly on a sultry summer evening. It got me thinking about a light, cold summer salad, the kind of starter or light lunch that you can throw together on a hot day when the thought of turning on the oven is less than appealing. It’s a work in progress, but I’m imagining a kind of carpaccio, with thinly sliced watermelon, cucumber and grapefruit, drizzled with a simple lime-olive oil-maple dressing, topped generously with freshly ground black pepper and a few torn mint leaves.

Happy summer everyone, enjoy the sunshine!

– Krem, Habakuk chef/food obssessor and resident foreigner (hence the English, sorry. I’m learning German, but it’s nowhere near blog post level yet.)