Tyranny of tiny plums

So we are still fairly flooded with cheap and tiny plums (the "mirabellen" variety, to be exact) here in good old Berlin. They sell for almost nothing at markets, come in our weekly CSA basket, and sometimes, you even find them on the streets. So I have been trying to come up with new uses for them other than the ubiquitous plum cake. Well, actually, we made a plum cake too. (A beautiful one!)

I used the fancy cake recipe from the Urban Vegan cookbook (I really urge you to go out and grab that cookbook if you can, its jam-packed with greatness) and put a layer of golden mirabellen jam in between layers, with more plums on top. Boy, was this sweet. (Maybe a little too sweet?) But then again, we served it on Rosh Hoshanah, so too sweet is good. My friend SY was there and had a professional touch that made a simple cake just stunning- she knows all the tricks for making food gorgeous. Unfortch, I didn't get a pic of the finished product, but then, that's how it always is on holidays. (It was a nice celebration though, as seen below.)

In other plum related news, I made a salad with some gorgeous fennel we also got in our basket and some arugula: it was basically caramelized fennel, chopped plums, arugula and homemade balsamic vinegar dressing. Very rich and delicious.

And finally, I made some plum and ginger muffins to hand out in language school. In my opinion, these were a little bitter or something with a strange aftertaste, so I will withhold the recipe until I can perfect them. But they were pretty and good, just not absolutely perfect. (Next time they will be!)

I am pleased that I now have a variety of options for getting rid of the tiny little plums everywhere, but I must say that now I'm ready for the next challenge... maybe pumpkins?


song of the day: Belle and Sebastian- Sookie in the Graveyard

Vegan Pierogi Power

Yes! I finally got around to making the pierogi from Vegan Brunch! Thanks Madame Moskowitz, another winner!

I felt desperate to make them this week because I am currently in a German language class down the street with many different nationalities, including an Australian man, a Korean woman, a Japanese man, and two lovely Polish women. No one, except for me and the Australian, speak a common language, so in order to communicate we have to cling to our tiny bit of German, along with our national stereotypes. For the Japanese man, for instance, this means that teacher constantly asks him about sushi. (I can only imagine how much he loves that.) For the Polish women, this means that they speak German with a charming, rolling accent ("Trrrotsdem, ich will nach Park gehen") and that we end up talking about Pierogi a lot.

Actually, language school in general is rather charming. No one really knows how to say anything complex enough to be snarky or sexual, so we end up talking like kindergardeners all the time, babbling on about whether we prefer swimming to playing soccer, or what our favorite color is, or what we eat in our home country. Of course, this is all conducted in the sort of German that no actual Berliner would even come close to comprehending, but its fun all the same and I feel like I'm making some progress.

At any rate, after discussing pierogi for the 5th time in class, I thought I'd better break out Vegan Brunch and see what all the fuss was about. And, honestly, these are just lovely. If you've been waiting to make them because they seem like a lot of work, well, that's true. But they are so tasty, especially dressed up with some caramelized onions, salt and pepper, and apples (in lieu of apple sauce.) S. and I gobbled them all up and I assured him I would make more soon. (Maybe next time with the sauerkraut and mushroom variation!)


Luckily for you, the recipe is already online! However, you should still get Vegan Brunch, because the pancake and sausage recipes are absolutely iconic.

In the meantime, if you decide to try this at home, I would recommend doing it the first time with a partner, because while it is not difficult, like bagels it can be a bit stressful to master at first, particularly in a tiny kitchen. That way, you won't have to throw out a third of the dough because you knock it over into the compost... like some people I know.

Song of the Day: Best Coast- Boyfriend

A Day at the Mauerpark Flea Market

With the startling re-emergence of good weather in Berlin (but not for long, I fear), we decided to take a trip to the giant flea market at Mauerpark in Prenzlauerberg."Mauerpark" is named after the Berlin wall, which used to run through the area and designate it a large strip of no-go zone, but now it's a large park that holds a weekly flea market full of everything your little heart could desire. We love to go to browse through records, Donald Duck comics, and tons of vintage clothes, as well as to gobble bruschetta and arepas while watching the public kareoke, which always includes a rapturous version of "I did it my way" by an old man with a great voice and self-made German lyrics. All in all, its a great example of something that used to be quite horrible that has altered completely in the new Berlin. Definitely worth a visit.

Gemüsekiste Central

Look at all my purple CSA babies...

So I've still been adjusting to the awesomeness of having a CSA basket delivered (auf Deutsch, gemüsekiste) and how to use up the relatively large bounty between two people. So far, though, its been pretty easy going and my bf is pretty game to try out new things. Last week we had a huge bag of tiny plums, and I recalled from last year's plum cake experiments that Mihl of Seitan is My Motor is the resident tiny-plum expert. Luckily, she has just posted a recipe for slivovice plum compote that fit the ticket perfectly, and I had a bottle of dusty Mirabellen brandy in the cabinet that handily replaced the slivovivovice (or however you spell it.)

Guys, it was so good I wish we got nothing but plums from now on out. I kept on poking my finger in it and spreading it on anything we had around (like a simit, weirdly) but we eventually spooned it over milk-rice (a German kind of rice pudding, with soymilk, natch) and everyone was very happy. Thanks Mihl! You win at life, and plums.

We also had a little issue of disposing of the two(!) huge kohlrabi we got in the basket. Here's a sample conversation:

Me: So, are ever going to eat all that kohrabi?
S: Was?
Me: You know, that weird green vegetable that smells like broccoli?
S: Ach, ja, kohl-raaaah-bee.... hmmmm.... yeah we really should eat those...
Me: Maybe you could like, make some kind of German soup or something?
S: Or you could make some kind of American kohrabi stir-fry oder so?

....BOTH: Or maybe we could just have spaghetti again.

So eventually I won and S. made some soup! I was really impressed, it tasted a bit like broccoli and potato soup, a creamy and perfectly acceptable way to get rid of the bizarre looking vegetable.

If you're looking to get rid of some kohrabi of your own, its basically this: 2 diced kohlrabi and one potato, 1/2 onion, 4 garlic, and plenty of veg broth. Cook until everything is soft, then blend with some soy creamer and salt and pepper to taste. Dunno the exact measurements unfortunately, as it comes from an old German cookbook and I'm not quite there yet with my German. (Soon!)

And so now we've got the box for the next week and I'm looking forward to introducing S. to the joy of beets... And since its already getting cold in Berlin, I imagine we have many more soups in our future.


Song of the day: Interpol- Barricade

Dissertation Days and CSA Food

I've been absent not just from the blogosphere but also from real life the last weeks because I've been working on my Master's Thesis, an exciting exploration of public international law and its impact on....on.....*BANG* Oh sorry, just dozed off on the keyboard. Well let's forget about all that awfulness and focus on the food.

Interestingly, my S. really stepped up to plate as I languished in front of the keyboard for interminable hours, plying me with Club Mate and the occasional beer as well as breaks to watch True Blood and Mad Men. But most importantly, he cooked! Like this nice peanut butter curry with TVP that we found at a local Asian market.

He also fixed up the rice with the remaining nuts and dried fruits in the cupboard, plus some cumin. It was the perfect meal to shovel in my mouth as I worked on the Geneva Convention Chapter.

In addition, we recently signed up for a CSA basket to be delivered weekly, which has so far offered such delights as mirabellen (tiny little yellow plums), rainbow chard, and organic sauerkraut. Who knew this last would be such a delight?


We made a souped-up version of the Dutch hutspot I featured last year (you know, the carrot and potato mash that is cheap and crowd-pleasing). This time, we used potatoes, Sauerkraut, apples and garlic. It may not look like much above, but it was so good- sour, sweet, salty and creamy, and perfect with a crisp salad. Since the winter weather is already kicking into Berlin, this one is a keeper for a filling cold-weather meal.

Best of all, between the sauerkraut, potatoes, and apple, its hard to spend more than 1€ on this meal.

Hutspot Revisited
-5-6 peeled medium potatoes, quarted
-About 1 and 1/2 cups sauerkraut (more or less won't hurt) drained
-1 medium onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, diced
-1 apple, peeled and diced into small cubes
-soy creamer and vegan margarine to taste

1.) Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add in potatoes and drain excess water until just barely covered. Add in sauerkraut on top so it is spread out and covering potatoes. Cover and simmer for 23-30 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
2.) Meanwhile, in a saute pan dollop some olive oil and margarine and put on medium low. Saute garlic and onions until soft and translucent, then raise heat to medium and add in apple. Cook 3-5 more minutes until apples and onions start to brown then remove from heat.
3.) When potato mixture is done, drain excess water then salt and pepper to taste. Mash with small amounts of cream and margarine until fairly creamy. Then add in onion-garlic-apple mixture and stir until just mixed. Serve with a big salad and some crusty German bread. Lekker!

Now if I could just figure out what to do with all of this kohlrabi, then the CSA would really be a thrill...

Song of the day: Beach House- Walk in the Park

My blueberry days

Above: half-eaten rooftop brunch featuring blueberry-banana pancakes, brunch potatoes, pretzels, mustard, beer, coffee, apfel shorle, and lots of strange and German non-vegan things... (weisse wurst not pictured, shudder)

Below: another blueberry pie, devoured withing mere minutes of this photo being taken by a pack of hungry houseguests.



Ahh, summer.

Summer Pie Madness

Why, when it is hot enough to melt off my make-up, do I suddenly have the urge to make pies? It is not to please my boyfriend, who is completely indifferent to most sweet things I try to force on him. Its not to get rid of all the extra fruit I have growing in my non-existent orchard. I guess its just because when I look at a peach or carton of blueberries, I instantly envision bubbling fruit surrounded by a sweet flaky crust and topped with some ice cream. Let's just say I have a one-track mind.

However, I do not have the skills to match it. Check out this disaster of a blueberry pie.

Well, it wasn't so bad. The blueberries were lekker. But the crust was not much to see, mainly because I could not master keeping it flaky in such warm weather. I kept re-rolling it, only to find it harder and harder to put it into the pan without it breaking. And then when I did, of course, it was overrun by out-of-control blueberries, so that it was more like some kind of neglected pandowdy or something.

But for the lovely, and tiny, peach pie you see framing either side of the page, I took the great advice of the lovely Urban Vegan and just basically did not mix the dough AT ALL. Just the tiniest bit. And it turned out so lovely! (Her cookbook is just full of such tips, btw.)

I topped it with some quick cashew cream and the whole thing was just marvelous for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Didn't last much longer than that.) I'm also lusting for some cherry pie, but I really need to find someone who likes sweets more than my boyfriend, because I cannot continue to eat these things all by my lonesome. (Not a good reason to break up with him, but I'll be sure to bring it up in some upcoming fight. "You never eat my pies!" I'll scream...)



Song of the Day: My Bloody Valentine- Strawberry Wine

Sweet Corn Risotto and More

Fresh fig and Peanut-butter toast in the backyard... Ah, America!

I tried to eat absolutely everything I can't get my hands on easily in Europe while staying in DC, and I think I nearly succeeded. Most important was sweet corn and vidalia onions, which were so delicious I could have cried. (Is it weird to like onions as much as I do? What happens to you if you eat too many?) I saw a recipe in the Washington Post for sweet corn risotto, so I decided to give it a whirl for an evening when my friend James came over to cram for the bar exam. (Majorly flashback inducing.)

Basically, you do your typical risotto recipe (which I have published on here so many times its crazy) and then at the very end add in 3 ears worth of corn kernels. Stir until corn kernels are plump, then serve, with green onions on top.

I thought it was good, although with such a light addition to the risotto the broth really shines through, so be sure to use a good quality one. In addition, I thought it might benefit from some heirloom tomatoes added in at the last minute. I served them on the side drenched in balsamic and it went together perfectly.

Another great dinner was my standard fare: rice and beans, cinnamon-baked plantains, and avocados. This time I kicked up the rice by adding some orange juice, but other than that it was the same old rice and beans, and they were delicious as ever.

For the plantains, its the same technique as I made for the chipotle plantain enchiladas, except I tossed them in maple syrup along with the cinnamon, salt and pepper, and paprika. These babies cooked up great in about 45 minutes at 375.

I'm sure my parents won't miss me destroying the kitchen for dinner every night, but it was so fun to eat all my favorites. And now its back to Berlin...

Song of the Day: Squeeze- Tempted

Summertime in the USA

Now this is American summer to me: soy hot dogs, grocery store buns, vidalia onions and ketchup. Oh yeah, and 110 degree weather. I'm back in DC for a wedding, but I intend to squeeze a lot of enjoyment out of my visit, particularly since I missed July 4th. I want to ride bikes with my Dad, talk anarchism and art with my little brother, and see movies and cook with my Mom. And after a whole year of heady, strong, luscious German and Belgian beer... I'm ready for some weak-ass Miller Light and Yuengling. :P

I've also been missing having easy access to a grill in Berlin and decided to have an all-grilled dinner for my first night back.

We made grilled corn, generously bedecked with earth balance, salt and pepper. Also grilled slices of sweet potatoes, marinated in lime juice, maple syrup, and mustard (and a little olive oil) that was brushed on during the grilling. And finally kebabs with a line-up of cherry tomatoes, marinated tempeh, and vidalia onion chunks. It was a great and filling meal- and lord how I've missed sweet corn and vidalia onions! I had no idea.


I intend to do a lot more cooking for the brief time I'm home and catch up on all the southern specialties I've been missing, particularly fresh blueberries and (sigh!) kale. Ahhh. Its good to be back.

Song of the Day: Tom Petty- American Girl

We all scream...

Did anyone else read the NY Times article about mad-scientist ice cream maven Jake Godby today? I was just reading along, admiring some of the bizarro flavor combinations and absorbing a little of the science behind ice cream making. And then, BAM!

Godby’s willingness to be disliked — and to do so by creating such übertraif as Elvis (the Fat Years), which is banana ice cream with bacon peanut brittle — has indeed created conflict. It started with the vegan collective Vegansaurus, which defines itself as a “definitive/arbitrary” guide to “eating/living” vegan in the Bay Area. Vegansaurus did praise Godby’s sorbets. “Humphry Slocombe has some damn delicious vegan creations,” a reviewer posted on the Web site. “We tried the Carrot Mango. That was THE BEST. It was all super creamy and smooth and carrot and mango?! Who knew!?” But the liver and pork flavors set the vegans off. “This is the place with foie gras ice cream.. . . And that is super duper [expletive] disgusting. I mean, it’s the grossest. . . . Everyone should write Humphry Slocombe and ask nicely for it to be taken off the menu because again, THE GROSSEST. HOWEVER. I will say that dairy is also THE GROSSEST.”

Then, Godby started getting some (we don't learn if its one or many) phone calls, ostensibly from angry vegans, unhappy with his ill-conceived foie gras confection. (Despite the fact that Vegansaurus explicitly instructs to be nice, so its possible these are other disenchanted ice-cream fans). He then fights back in his own, super mature way;

Godby, quiet but not a pushover, responded in his medium of choice: symbolic food. He began leaving meat products around Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, a worker-owned vegetarian store.

So, because he gets a bad review on a much loved vegan website, then a phone call in the middle of the night, he fights back against people who have probably never heard of his fucking ice cream by leaving meat all over a store? Like its not enough to make and sell foie gras ice cream, you have to fight back against a minority culture that objects to it? And the Times author sees this as him exhibiting some kind of bravery, demonstrating that he is "not a pushover"?

The article goes on to mention that now he is being twitter stalked by someone mocking his products, who they once again assume to be Vegansaurus. The Times tracks down the twitter bomber, however, finding it be not a vegan (not even a vegetarian, oh my!) but a rather twisted individual who creates harassing fake accounts to "let off steam" and express his closet fan-dom.

The article ends with a discussion of foie gras vodka and an admiring and sympathetic view of this total creep who meat-bombs organic markets. I'm not surprised that this douchebag is threatened by vegans, like many a douche before him who cannot abide by someone objecting to his gourmet tastes (Bourdain, anyone?). What I don't appreciate is the Times profiling someone who hates his customers, hates animals, and hates anyone who criticizes him, and then come out on the other end admiring his gumption. I guess that foie gras ice cream must be really tasty.

I'll Take a Scoop of Prosciutto, Please."

UPDATE: Vegansaurus! responds! (awesomely)

Random Foodage

Its been a busy couple of weeks here in Berlin. Between writing my dissertation, working (or mostly watching work get done) on our new apartment, and watching Germany's AMAZING ascent in the World Cup, there hasn't been a lot of time for more than delicious vegan currywurst from Vegetarian Diner at Goerlitzer Park. However, I did manage to make my Chipotle Plantain Enchiladas once more, this time relying on 3 tbs. of chipotle powder (still delicious) and to pump out some much needed bagels.

Although bagels are becoming more common at specialty stores in Berlin, I still love my Vegan Brunch recipe the most. This time I topped them with a mix of sesame and poppy seeds along with a little paprika. Perfect with avocados and tomatoes for a lunch at the library. :)

Another library lunch winner? Making a variety of leftover-producing little dishes that compliment eachother. I made a quickie beet salad- with chunks of roasted red beets and fresh grapefruit in a dressing made with grapefruit juice and agave nectar. Then, I made a broccoli salad with toasted sesame seeds, reduced orange juice, a little soy sauce, fresh ginger and sesame oil. (Toasted sesame seeds are so tasty! Like popcorn... except miniscule.) And then finally I made a huge batch of red lentils and rice with caramelized onions from V'Con. This was great, but I should have upped the onion content, because that's really where the magic comes from.


And now, back to work!

Song of the Day: The Mary Onettes- Lost

Salad Days and Latkes

Finally, its actually hot enough to be called summer in Berlin! Along with the rising temperature comes late nights and lazy days in the park, and that feeling of not wanting to eat anything too hot or substantial. My latest solution is to make big salads filled with the delicious cherries appearing in Kaiser's. My first try was to combine them with field greens and chopped kohlrabi. (If you don't know what it is, don't be worried: I thought it was fennel and got a strange surprise when it tasted more like a broccoli stalk mixed with jicama.) Yesterday I made an awesome huge salad for S. and I to eat in the park, this one featured cherries, avocado, carrots, field greens, and thin sliced onions tossed in a apple-cider vinegar based dressing. Who knew avocados and cherries went so naturally together? (Oder, "togesser" if you want to sound like a German.)

And even though hot food is a bit of annoyance in this weather, dinner requires something a bit more substantial. And although latkes (or "potato pancakes") are kind of associated with Hannukah season, I figured they are cheap to make and could be at home alongside a salad in the summertime as a light dinner. Not only that, but when you are on a budget its always handy to have a lot of recipes involving potatoes and carrots. Latkes are a little extra effort but scrumptious any time of year.



Here is my basic "recipe," without strict measurements. I want to point out that I omit any real binder here other than flour, but if you've never made them before you might find this a bit tricky. (The traditional recipe uses a few eggs.) I've seen other recipes using cornstarch or egg replacer and I imagine this might be easier for beginners, but if you don't have those ingredients on hand this always works for me!

Potato Carrot Latkes*
1.) Peel 2 carrots and a few potatoes (3-4). Grate them into a bowl using a hand-held grater. Now here comes my innovation: use a potato ricer to squeeze all of the excess liquid out of the grated veggies. This works because they aren't cooked and won't go totally through the ricer, but the pressure is perfect for squeezing out all the juice without using 50 paper towels to do it by hand.
2.) Add to the squeezed and grated veggies a small onion, diced tiny, and an equally tiny diced garlic clove. Toss with liberal salt and pepper.
3.) Sprinkle a good bit of flour and a few dashes cornstarch over the veggies, and mix with your hands. Add in more flour as necessary to coat the entire bowl, not so much that you can see the flour, but enough that you can form a small handful of the mixture into a ball that stays pretty well together.
4.) In a skillet, heat equal parts oil and margarine over medium heat, enough that margarine sizzles but not until oil is smoking. (You can also test a small clump to see if its ready, like you might with pancakes.)
5.) Drop in smallish balls of the veggie mix (about 3 at a time is good) and flatten into a thick disk using a spatula. Cook on first side for about 4 minutes, then flip to cook on other side another 2-3. Each pancake should be crispy and browned, and the time varies from batch to batch so keep an eye on them.
6.) After each set, the oil and margarine should be used up, so clean out any loose browned bits and replace oil and margarine for each new batch. Keep finished latkes in the oven on low heat until ready to serve.
7.) Serve with soy sour cream and applesauce, if ya got it!

*Potatoes and carrots are just the beginning- you can also use sweet potatoes, apples, beets, zuchinni... yum!

Song of the day: Cursive- Hymns for the Heathen