Food for thought

I've been pretty busy with moving to our new apartment. The ridiculous situation is that the week we moved, Chris was offered a job in Berlin, so we'll be going to Berlin in a few weeks! I'm really sad to be leaving all my good friends here in Leipzig but the sad reality is that jobs here are few and far between (unless you work as a translator or in an in demand sector like engineering and have fluent Deutsch) and I can only live off my small savings for a few more months. I'll hopefully also have more success in teaching workshops in Berlin and doing my other bits and pieces.

I've been quite busy with my Sprachschule and I'm looking forward to having a week off next week. We've been learning about each other families (in Deutsch natürlich) and it's always challenging talking about my family. We showed each other family photos and I shared photos of David and Mr Pablo, whilst yes, my twin and cat are deceased, I still feel them in my heart. A lot of people felt quite teary and homesick for their loved ones, it's the side of expat life that no one really sees that much.

I'm also planning my next little recipe ebooks and looking forward to working on them in more detail. 

p.s. I'm starting a newsletter to coincide with my new website. It'll be maybe once a month  at most with a few new recipes and bits of pieces. Nothing spammy. Maybe you'd like to sign up? There's a box on the right hand corner of my blog, can you find it ok? 

Things I am reading:

Friday night meatballs, how to change your life with pasta, Lucy Gray, Serious Eats

I love this story so much, to me it sums up so much about building community and friendship around food and the home. It's why I started the Apartment Supper Club here in Leipzig, something I definitely want to continue in Berlin, albeit in a different format. 

The privileged are taking other the arts; without the grit, pop culture is doomed, Stuart Maconie, New Statesman

I quit my job to set up a commune, Dylan Evans, The Guardian

What a (food) blog costs per month and why the reader show know, Mel, Gourmet Guerilla (translated from German). 

This encapsulates nicely why I have ads on my blog. As I don't have a full time job, anything and everything helps to represent my time and the money I spend buying ingredients, hosting my website (coming) etc. I'm not a big entrepreneurial blogger, just a small fish trying to offset a few costs whilst being able to do something I like. 

How one stupid Tweet blew up Justine Sacco's Life, Jon Ronson, The New York Time Magazine. This is definitely one to read if you are a user of social media, it gives another side the story we so often hear...

How do you grieve when you lose an internet friend, Nicky Woolf, The Guardian

The US is the only country in the world that locks up kids for life, could that finally change? Bryan Schatz, Mother Jones

Why are creative women dismissed as 'quirky'? Eva Wiseman, The Guardian

Blurred sidelines, meet the musicians who are doctors, gardeners and authors, Paul Lester, The Guardian

Things I am liking

Great art by Irana Douer via Design is Mine 

                       

I know Cath Kidston wares are rather chintzy, expensive and probably all made in China (I actually saw loads of Cath Kidston rip off bags in Beijing) but I love this collaboration with Gola, who made my favourite sports shoes until I realised my new pair have slippery soles. What's with that? 

How I love the creative work done on this room! 

Red beans, quinoa and jerk spice soup

In Melbourne we had dinner a few times at a Jamaican restaurant. One of the many dishes we enjoyed was 'red peas and rice', a traditional Jamaican dish of white rice and kidney beans cooked in coconut milk. This dish inspired this soup which was made extra flavoursome with homemade jerk spices. It's also really easy to make your own spice mixes and substantially cheaper than buying them already mixed. This soup is a great winter staple and goes well with some fresh bread and vegetables and a dessert of pineapple soaked in rum.

Ingredients

• Coconut or olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 onion diced
• 2 tspn jerk spice
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 tbsp ginger, finely diced
• 1/2 large red capsicum
• 2 sticks celery
• 1/2 cup quinoa ( I also added 1/4 cup of pearl barley as it was going spare)
• 1 tin kidney beans
• 1 tin peas (or 1 cup fresh or frozen peas) 
• 2 teaspoons jerk spice mix
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 tin coconut milk

Instructions

1. Fry onions and garlic in oil until translucent
2. Add spice mix, carrots and ginger and cook for 2 minutes
3. Add capsicum, celery, quinoa, beans, peas, stock and coconut milk and simmer under the vegetables are tender and the barley is cooked (about 30 mins)

                        

Jerk spice mix:

• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

1. Toast the whole spices in a small pan until they are aromatic and have turned a shade or two darker. Don’t be tempted to skip this stage, as it really enhances the flavours.
2. Crush with a mortar and pestle if you have one then store in a dry jar. 

                     
                        

Review: Vleischerei, Leipzig

On friday night it was a bit cold here in Leipzig. It had been snowing a little during the day and the streets were quiet. It was a good night to stay at home and watching telly and drink something hot. But I'd be busy all week which included lots of cooking and recipe testing, so we decided to pop out to Vleisicherei for dinner. 

Vlesicherei is an old vegan fast food cafe with a generous selection of drinks (even cider) and a menu where fake meats are prominent. The name is a pun on Fleischerei which means butcher in English. Gyros, sausages, burgers, seitan steaks, fries and a choice of sauces including mayo, hommus and garlic sauce. I'd read reviews that the service was slow and surly but it must have been a good night as our food was fast and fresh and the staff member I spoke to was friendly. As well as the hot food, there's also a small range of deli items to buy like vegan cheese and seitan sausages and homemade cakes. This is not everyday food unless you have an amazing metabolism and immune system but is delicious every now and again. 

We paid around 6,50€ ($9.20AUD) for heaving plates of food: fresh salad, tasty chips and our choice of sauces. I had garlic sauce and mayo, both of which were blissfully free of the nasty soy aftertaste of a lot of sauces I have tried. I'm not sure if the gyros meat I had comes from Vöner in Berlin originally or a company that makes mock meat products, but it was delicious if a little too salty. I can't eat a lot of seitan products, but now and again they really hit the spot. 

                                         

Chris had salad, chips and Thuringer sausages with hommus and plenty of salad. He declared them excellent. 

                                        

The cafe is small with big steps at it's entrance and a strange layout which fails to make adequate use of the space. There's also stairs to the counter where you choose food and order. Square tables would work better than round and would mean more people could sit. We were happy to share a table with others but it's a place that seats about 15 max.

My pictures aren't great as it was so dark and gloomy with the weather, but you can see more pictures on Happy Cow. 

Vleischerei
Zschochersche Street 23
04229 Leipzig

Food for thought

January is always a bit of a nothing month in some respects. But I must confess to loving the cooler weather, it makes it better for sleeping, that's for sure! I have Timehop on my phone and I look back at the hot weather with dread this time in previous years.

Sadly our sweet Mr Pablo was put to sleep last Friday. He had been unwell for some time with old age and was starting to suffer. We went to a wonderful vet clinic here who assessed him and concluded that the end was near. He wasn't eating or drinking so we made the decision together to put him to sleep. He had a wonderful 18 years, four is which he shared with us. We both miss him terribly. I keep expecting to see his little face peeking around the corner of the apartment or hear his meow. When we get settled somewhere permanently, we'll certainly get another kitty but not for a while yet.

I released my first ebook this week, Australian Classics Veganised. It's a small recipe book of 11 recipes. I initially planned to do a blog post consolidating a series of Australian vegan friendly recipes from different bloggers but I did not get many entries. So I decided to put that project on hold and work on my first recipe book. Keeping busy is a good way to work through grief. Writing recipes is more work than it looks, I know this from teaching recipes! Hopefully people will buy a few copies, I'd love to spend the money on some new glasses. I'm also donating 50 cents from each copy to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne, Australia. I'm also doing a little guide to ingredients included in in the book on the blog here. It was originally intended for the book but the formatting of the publishing program posted each ingredient on a separate page, annoying.

You might have seen Leipzig in the news regard the Lediga and Anti-Lediga protests? Its interesting to observe as an expat. We went along to the first big protest against Lediga Monday last week with over 30,000 Leipzigers. Those numbers are amazing considering that Leipzig only has 550,000 people. The Lediga people (including many from outside Leipzig that are bused in) pledge to protest each week. There has been bomb threats and assault upon police and journalists. I actually wonder what their final aim is?

Thing that interest me this week:

The science behind your sriracha obsession, Sarah Jacoby, Refiney 29. Yes I love the stuff.

This is such a cute idea for a party.

How to cook the perfect Vegetarian Haggis, Felicity Cloake, The Guardian. I had Haggis for the first time last year when i went to a Burns day party.

We need to remember Anita Cobby, Clementine Ford, Daily Life. I read a book about her life and death in high school and it's haunted me ever since.

I've read a couple of new Chick lit books this week (as... ahem... research). I was especially disappointed with Sophie Kinsella's latest, Shopaholic to the Stars. Painfully littered with American stereotypes (in the worst way), it lacked the wit and humour of some of her other works. Saving Grace was interesting in that the story was superficially compelling but really had so many red herrings that were never developed and a 'baddie' that never got their comeuppance. Of course, my mood over the last week has not been all that cheerful with Mr Pablo's death so it possible I would find any books inadequate.

I've been watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix and Season Two of Broadchurch.

Lots of bits and pieces to be getting on with, write again soon...

Lentil and green vegetable soup

                   

I've been getting into soups a lot for lunch this winter. Basically I cook up a a big batch and freeze it in smaller zip lock bags and tubs for lunch, served with bread and spread ( 'butter' or avocado). Feel free to vary the ingredients and spices, it's a tasty soup which lends itself to big flavours or something milder.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 long green chilli, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup lentils
• 2 teaspoons miso paste
• 1 1/2 litres vegetable stock
• 1 kilo broccoli
• big handful of rocket

Directions:

1. Brown onion, garlic, chilli and zucchini.
2. Add miso paste, half of the stock and lentil and cook until lentils and carrots are tender
3. Add broccoli, rocket and other half of the stock.
4. Cook until broccoli is tender (probably 5 minutes or so).
5. Blend with a stick blender.
6. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice or topped with soy sour cream or cashew cream and parsley. 

I featured my soup on No Croutons required , as supported by Lisa's Kitchen.

Vegetable, quinoa and chilli soup

Colder weather always makes me crave soup and after a week in England of festive excess I needed to eat something really nutritious. I am a huge soup fan; Mushroom, Minestrone, Potato and leek, Tomato Moroccan, Thai curry whatever! If it's flavoursome and piping hot and preferably served with some lovely baked bread, I'm happy.

This soup was very much predicated by what veg I could find at Netto (German cheapie supermarket) this morning and bits of pieces that needed to be used up. I went to buy a load of vegetables to make picalilli (recipe to follow) and onion jam so the issue was also how much I could carry on my bicycle!

In an ideal world I would have used fresh corn but I have never seen it in Leipzig. Or fresh peas. Much of the produce here is very much seasonal and this time of year focused on root vegetables. I bought a kilo of carrots for 60c (88c AUD), some tins, parsley and bits and pieces.

                          

I bought the abode chilli flakes along with some allspice (pimento) in the UK as I have not been able to find either here. This does not mean that they do not exist here, more I haven't seen them.

Ingredients

• 1 leek
• 1/2 onion 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 carrots
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 can of peas (drained)
• 1 can of corn (drained)
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• Big handful of fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon abode chilli flakes (or to taste) 

                                         
Instructions

1. Chop vegetables into chunks (if you like your soup chunky rather than pureed, you can of course dice the pieces smaller and dice the parsley)
2. Fry onion, garlic and leeks in a heavy based soup pot until lightly cooked
3. Add root vegetables and parsley and stir until lightly browned
4. Add peas, corn, quinoa, vegetable stock and cook until vegetable are soft. If you want a thinner soup, add more stock by all means.
5. Ad parsley and chilli and cook another 2 mins
6. Allow to cool a little and puree
7. Serve with a sprinkling of chilli flakes and sea salt.

I have included this recipe in No Croutons required's monthly challenge, hosted for January by Food and Spice and Lisa's Kitchen.

Festive salutations

                            

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable (or at the very least tolerable) Christmas. 

Christmas in Leipzig has been a lot of fun. Unfortunately snow has been pretty much non-existent besides the odd flurry but there's been much to enjoy. Weihnachten Market, gluhwein, eating stollen and pfeffer nuse, I've really been enjoying Christmas in a cold climate. 

Germany has some lovely Christmas traditions with old fashioned religious undertones.  First there's St Nicholas Day on December 6th, Many children put a boot called Nikolaus-Stiefel (Nikolaus boot)outside the front door on the night of 5 December. 'St. Nicholas' fills the boot with gifts and sweets overnight, and at the same time checks up on the children to see if they were good, polite and helpful the last year. If they were not, they will have coal in their shoes instead courtesy of a goat like beast called Krampus. 

                          

pic courtesy of Wikipedia

Pretty weird! That said, Eastern Germany in general is not very religious at all. According to friends of mine who lived through DDR times, to be religious was to be viewed with suspicion by the Government and thus subject to increased surveillance. Churches in Leipzig (specifically Nikolai kirsche) were involved in peaceful resistance against the totalitarian state which of course resulted in the Peaceful Revolution of October 1989. But I digress, my point is that many more people are atheist like myself than I've met previously so Christmas is more about celebrating friends and family than a religious occasion per se. 

 It's become more of a tradition in Australia and the UK to join friends for drinks on Christmas Eve, an occasion we enoyed with some Welsh friends here, although the streets were pretty quiet as the Deutsch traditionally have their gifts and festivities on Christmas Eve (the 24th December). We did our present opening on Christmas Even in Australia when we were young children, more so Mum could enjoy the stress of cooking on Christmas Day without the added bonus of sleep deprivation. 

Christmas Day here we enjoyed leftovers from the last Leipzig Apartment Supperclub, tofurkey and Veg Wellington (which we'd frozen) along with roast veggies, red wine gravy and broccoli. Dessert was Christmas Pudding although we were too full to eat it as usual. Quite different to a traditional Weihnachten meal here which usually involves goose, potato salad and cabbage. Far more effort is put into Christmas sweet treats here, we went to Chris' coworking space Christmas party a couple of weeks ago and despite the time of 6pm, everything was sweet! From chocolate to biscuits to gluhwein. Quite different to the dip, cheese and biscuits of Australian Christmas parties but great fun. 

                             

Christmas decorations were kept to a minimum. I used to have lots in Australia but of course these went when we got rid of everything except two suitcases, 5 boxes and two bicycles to move to Germany. And as we're moving in mid February, we don't really want any excess baggage. 

It's certainly cold here (-8 today) and I'm waiting/hoping for snow. We're off to the UK tomorrow for a week to visit friends and relatives. I'm looking forward to hits the cafes and pubs to enjoy fry up and roast dinners that I haven't had to cook myself! It will also be lovely to spend time with people, and enjoy the novelty of a fully English country (in the sense that I don't have to mentally translate things). I have to stress the absolute bliss of having central heating. It makes such a difference, especially as our Apartment has excellent insulation and double glazing. I can remember winters in Melbourne where I'd work in bed with gloves and a hat, constantly freezing cold. 

It's with sadness that I write that Mr Pablo is definitely feeling his age these days. As an 18 year old senior kitty he is of course, beyond much medical help and we are trying to make his remaining time with us as warm and comfortable as possible. We're having a lovely house sitter come and stay when we're away which certainly is a great relief. 

                         

As I finish this, it's just started snowing! 

Pear and vanilla bean jam

Vanilla bean jam is one of my favourite recipes for cool weather. I like to serve it with toast, crumpets or of course freshly baked scones! It's very easy to make and definitely would make a lovely Christmas gift. 

 Pear and Vanilla Bean Jam

Ingredients

• 6-8 large pears
• 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
• 1.5 cups sugar (add more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Sterillised jars and lids

Method

                  

1. Core pears and dice into pieces. If your pears are the thin skinned yellow or green ones they shouldn’t need to be peeled. 
2. In a large pot, combine the pears, sugar, lemon, cinnamon and vanilla beans pieces and scrapings. 
3. Cook over medium heat until the fruit is soft. Remove the solid vanilla beans and using a potato masher, break down the fruit. You can alternatively use a stick blender for more of a puree type preserve. 
4. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes to thicken. 
5. Pour in clean sterilised jars and water bath for ten minutes at a rolling boil. 

10 things to do in Leipzig: the Cheap and Free

If you look for things to do in Leipzig as a tourist or a newcomer you may initially find not all the much but shopping centres, churches and monuments to long dead men with women getting never a look in. But take some time to scratch beneath the surface and you'll find that there is much to see and enjoy in Leipzig. I'm writing this article to cater for those of us on a low budget that may be looking for fun things to do during the cooler months. 

People watch
If you've spent a bit of time in Deutschland you'll notice the Germans are notorious starers. Staring back is not a deterrent. I don't understand why they do it, but if you smile, they generally smile back. Pick somewhere public and you'll see what I mean. If you're lucky you'll enjoy a parade of cute puppy dogs also, I often see pugs, scottie dogs and french bulldogs strutting around Leipzig with their owners. 

                                             
Bike riding
Go bike riding in one of Leipzig's beautiful parks. Even in the cooler months, bike riding is a great way to get around with most of Leipzig's roads wonderfully flat with a separate cycle path.  There are various bicycle hire options around Leipzig such as Next Bike. It's worth knowing that you need to ride on the left, you don't need a helmet and you can't ride through the market square during the day, there's far too much foot traffic and usually some kind of event on, so plan your trip accordingly. 

Visit the lakes

If you like being by the water, regardless of the weather, take a trip to Markkleeberg See (Lake). Get Tram 11 to the end, and take a short walk to the water. If the weather is fine, you'll no doubt see people swimming without or without swimsuits. Quite unlike Australia where children or adults naked in public is seen as some sign of offence (with parents afraid the naked children might be victims of pedophiles). 

There is also the famous Cospudner See but I've not had an opportunity to visit there yet. 

Visit the Wild Park
If you are Australian like me, you'll definitely enjoy a trip to the Wild Park, to see wild and protected woodland animals in their natural habitat, including some which are endangered. Walk in the spacious woodlands, grab a glass of wine (and laugh at the Germans eating yet another bratwurst), stomp in the leaves. The downsides were the paid farm area (€5 ) which had too small enclosures, especially for the rabbits and that the whole time I visited I heard the sound of rifles shooting from the near by forest which was rather disturbing. Highlights includes friendly deer, owls and otters and these creatures that were like a cross between a huge guinea pig and a rat but I don't know the name! 
(Tram 9 goes to the wildlife stop or it's a nice walk from Connewitz.) 


Go to the Park
Leipzig is lovely and green, so why not take a bottle of wine and a rug to a nearby park. I particularly like Clara Zetkin Park which has a cafe with live music, buskers and a icecream van. It's a great place to do some writing or reading.


Enjoy a Cafe

              

                  

Pick up a table at an outdoor cafe (or stay inside if it's really cold and rainy) order a coffee or mug of glühwein and watch the people going by. You can opt for the cheap and cheerful bakery chains like Lucas or  but the coffee comes from a vending machine, not unlike what you'd see in a hospital waiting room. A couple of my favourite cafes so far in Leipzig are Fleischeri, Goodies, and  Marshalls Mum. There's also Corsoela, which is below my language school. The cakes are amazing but the coffee is the vending machine type I mentioned earlier. Also, in case you're wondering, Konditorei means pastry shop not air conditioning like I first thought when I arrived in the heat of July to discover Europe doesn't do aircon. 

Galleries and Museums

In Leipzig, galleries and museums have a free day each month. The City History Museum ( Old Town Hall , New and Schiller House ) and the museums in the Grassi ( Grassi Museum for Applied Arts , Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments and Grassi Museum of Ethnology ) offer every first Wednesday of the month free admission, the Museum of Fine Arts, every second Wednesday month.We went to the Agyptisch Museum on Sunday for 5€ each, most museums and galleries are low cost when not free. 

              

If you're an art lover I'd also encourage you to check out the work of  Michael Fischer. A football-pitch-sized mural by Leipzig artist Michael Fische to mark the 20th anniversary of Germany’s “peaceful revolution”. The eastern facade is at the Leipzig Marriott hotel, between Richard-Wagnerstraße and Brühl: 

                                   

You can also see a Fische's work in Karl-Liebknechtstraße, surrounded by trendy bars and cafes. If your timing is right, you might score a happy hour cockail.

                                   

                                 

Go to a flea market. 
Unlike Australia and England, second hand shops selling cheap second hand goods (usually for charities) are not so common. We have Oxfam but most of the non-clothing items items cost more than they do new even though they are not vintage. The real action is at flea markets. The AGRA antique and flea market,(last weekend of the month) Alte Messe Leipzig Flea Market (First weeekend of the month) and periodic markets at Cottagwegstraße are especially fun. 

Have a read 
I encourage everyone to buy a kindle for the sheer portability of a library of books in the langauge of your choice. You may not get the smell or tactility of the printed edition but the ease of carriage is a definite plus. Go to one of Leipzig's many bars or pubs and order some pommes frites and a beer or wine. Enjoy the heating and the ambiance, even if you have no idea what people are saying. If you've run out of books (a disaster for a keen reader like me) you can buy English books at Connewitzer Verlagsbuchhandlung in the city centre. 

Go to the movies

The cinema is cheap here (at least compared to Australia) and there are film festivals held regularly. As you are probably aware, most films screened in Deutschland are dubbed in Deutsch. If your Deutsch is not so flash you can see quite a few OV (original voice) films each month. You can even enjoy a glass of wine and some films serve the German version of nachos. 

Leipzig is a great place to live, there's always things to do and lots of free events on from festivals to concerts. I'm not so interested in sports and I find myself more drawn to the outdoors during the day and the indoors at night as the weather cools. I'll add more posts of this ilk to my blog as I discover more things to do and see! I'd love to hear about things others enjoy in their home town.