Florentine Facsimile - Nettle Quiche

It's time for another recipe with Stinging Nettles.  Woo Hoo!   I adore Nettles.  They are one of my favorite "Flavors of Spring", along with Asparagus and Rhubarb.  Normally I just steam 'em up and eat them or chop them into Nettle-Walnut Pesto, but I thought that I would do something special with them today.  Mainly because the season is ending and they are beginning to go "to seed".  Once that happens, they are no longer fit for human consumption. Well, I suppose you could still eat them, but the leaves get tough and sort of stringy.  So, yeah, no.... not tasty.

I had already decided to make breakfast for dinner, cause I am a rebel that way, but I was disconcerted about the lack of a vegetable to accompany my Hash Browns and Bacon.  Steamed nettles would have worked, but that doesn't sound very breakfasty.  Then I got to thinking about frittatas and omelets, which while very much a breakfast food, usually do not contain that much veggie.  Then it hit me.  Nettles are like spinach and spinach is a key ingredient in Quiche Florentine.   AH HA!  Breakfast conundrum solved!

So, I set out to make a Florentine-esque quiche with Stinging Nettles and Bergkase cheese (though Havarti or Grasskaas would have been nice too) instead of the proverbial Spinach and Swiss.
 

Nettle Quiche

1 10-inch parbaked Pastry Crust
12 oz (340g) fresh Nettles
6 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups (350ml) Crème Fraîche
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Dash of Nutmeg
1/2 Shallot, minced
Olive Oil
4 oz Bergkase (Havarti or Grasskaas)

Once you have partially baked your pastry crust at 400 for 15 minutes,

Reduce the oven temperature to 325F degrees and rinse your nettles well.

After rinsing them, blanch them for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drain them in a colander and let them cool enough for handling.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended.

Add the Creme Fraiche along with the Salt, White Pepper and Nutmeg, then whisk well until smooth.

Once the Nettles are cool enough, squeeze all the water out,

and give them a rough chop.

In a small skillet, heat olive oil and saute the shallot until soft.

Add the chopped nettles and heat through.

Spread the warm Nettle/Shallot mixture over the bottom of the Quiche crust.

Sprinkle with 2 oz of the Bergkase.

Gently pour the custard over the Nettles.

Sprinkle with the remaining Cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center is just beginning to set.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

A delicious, if rebellious, dinner.  :)

Mangia!!
~~

Little Sparrows in Butter - Spaetzle

It's been a long time in coming.  I figured since I was going to all the trouble of making Sauerbraten, that the perfect side dish would be Spaetzle.  Since my braten is still sauer-ing in the refrigerator, this is the perfect opportunity to blog about these delectable little German sparrows.  For that is what Spaetzle means.... Little Sparrows.  Personally, I don't think they look anything like birds, but who am I to judge?

Spaeztle is a form of egg noodle flavored with nutmeg; at least in it's basic form.  So the ingredient list is fairly short - eggs, milk, flour, salt and nutmeg.  Now as far as how to form noodles?  Well, opinions abound as to how it should be done.

• You can smear the dough across a board and cut spaetzle into a pot of boiling water with a knife.  
• You can use a press (that looks like a potato ricer).  
• You can even go to a kitchen gadget store and purchase a "spaetzle grater" contraption.  

Honestly, though I am all for cool kitchen gadgets and stuff, I prefer to use what I already have lying around.  A rubber spatula and my steamer insert from one of my pots.  The holes in the bottom are JUST the right. (which happens to be 1/2 cm or about 1/4 inch in width) You can also make use of a colander as long as there are enough holes in the bottom and they are a little on the larger side. 

I simply hold the steamer insert over the boiling water and press the batter/dough through the holes with my spatula in a sweeping motion.  Simple, easy and no special gadgets need apply.

Afterwards, I like to saute them briefly in butter and sprinkle with a little German cheese such as Bergkase.  Noodle Nirvana!

Spaetzle

(with Bergkase)

2 large Eggs
59 ml (2 oz) (1/4 cup) Whole Milk
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper, ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, grated
127g (4.5oz) (1 cup) AP Flour
3 quarts Salted Boiling Water
2 TB Unsalted Butter
Bergkase, grated

First, combine the Eggs, Milk, Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Whisk everything together until well combined.

Add the Flour and stir (with a spatula, not a whisk - I forgot to remove it) until......

you have a soft, somewhat sticky, dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the gluten in the flour to relax a little.

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and salt liberally (make it like the ocean)

Grab your steamer insert or a colander.....

(the holes should be at least 1/2 cm or a little less than 1/4 inch in diameter)

Place it over the boiling water and load it up with the  chilled dough.

Rub your spatula back and forth to force the batter through the holes.

Boil the spaetzle for about 4 minutes (or until they float)

Meanwhile, begin heating 2 TB Butter in a large skillet set over medium flame.

Remove the spaetzle from the water with a skimmer.

Add to the hot skillet and toss with the melted butter.

Remove from the heat when all glossy with buttery goodness.

Finish off with some grated Bergkase if you like.

MMMMMMM  and now for a totally gratuitous extreme close-up.....
 

Fütterung der Raubtiere!!

~~

Big Bowl of Bavarian Brew - Bavarian Beer Cheese Soup

I have a love affair with all things Alpine in origin.  By Alpine, I mean anything and everything that comes from the Alps in Europe.  Especially the food. Whether it's the French Alps and a tartiflette, the Swiss Alps and a classic Fondue, the Italian Alps and Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinesi, the Austrian Alps and kaspressknödel or the Bavarian Alps and Kasesuppe...  I love them all.  And why should I not?  For every single one of the afore mentioned dishes contains my favorite culinary ingredient..... Cheese.  Not just any cheeses mind you, but the most flavorful group of cheeses known to man.  Alpine cheeses.

Yes, I will concede that Parmigiano-Reggiano is still the undisputed king of cheeses and that Brie is the beloved queen, but all the grand dukes of cheese-dom are located in the alpine region of Europe.  Bitto, Raclette, Gruyere, Emmental, Bergkase, Cambazola, Beaufort, Fontina val d'Aosta, Comte, Reblochon, Graukase, Weissbier, Castelmagno, Butterkase, Gorgonzola, Tilsiter, Appenzeller, Bundnerkase, Tomme de Savoie, and so many others that it boggles the mind.  To heck with the moon, it's the Alps that are made of cheese.  And I love them all.

Man may not be able to live on bread alone, but add a slab of cheese and he's good to go.

Cheese simply makes everything better, from apple pie to soups.  And soup is what I am going to talk about today; Kasesuppe or Bavarian Cheese Soup.  Now don't think this is a thick and heavy soup, like some sort of Campbell's Broccoli Cheese concoction in a can.  Oh no my friends. This soup has just enough cheese in it to make it unbelievably savory, yet still brothy and soup-like.  Utter deliciousness in a bowl.  Cheese Nirvana, if you will. 

Traditionally, Kasesuppe is thickened with soaked day-old bread, but I am cheating today and simply using flour and butter to thicken it.  What is truly important with this soup is the choice of cheeses.  You can use cheddar, but you have to be more careful with the heat, because cheddar has a tendency to clump up very easily when overheated.  Smooth melting cheeses such as Emmental and Gruyere are the traditional choices, but I have found that a mixture of Tilsiter and Bergkase or Bergkase and Weissbier are just as tasty. 

In my opinion the best beer choice is a dark (dunkel) Munich lager but there are several wheat beers, both dark and light, that would be fairly tasty as well.  Ayinger comes in a 500ml bottle, meaning there will be just over 4 oz left for the cook to enjoy while making the soup.  :)

If you are having an issue finding a good Bavarian style beer, go ahead and try a Sam Adams Boston Lager.  Your looking for a rich malty beer that has not been over-hopped, (as is SO popular now days) so IPA's are definitely out.

Bavarian Beer Cheese Soup

(Kasesuppe)

4 oz Unsalted Butter
3 cups (12 oz) Celery, diced
3 cups (12 oz) Onion, diced
1 Carrot, grated
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
8 TB (1/2 cup) AP Flour
6 cups Chicken Stock
12 oz Munich Dunkel Lager (Bavarian Dark Lager)
1 tsp White Pepper
Pinch of Kosher Salt
4 oz (1 cup) Bergkase or Tilsiter or Emmental, grated
4 oz (1 cup) Sharp Cheddar or Weissbier or Gruyere, grated

Melt butter in a large stock pot.

Add the vegetables and saute until tender.

Add the garlic and saute 1 minute longer.

Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour, stirring to prevent clumping.

Cook the flour until it begins to smell nutty before adding the Chicken Stock, stirring to prevent lumps.

Add the Dark Lager.

Season with Kosher Salt and White Pepper, then bring everything to a simmer.

Hold at a simmer for 10 -15 minutes. (until the soup begins to thicken)

Remove the pot from the flame and add the cheese.

Stir until the cheese has melted completely.

Serve. (with croutons or crusty bread if desired)

Mangia!!
~~