For the Mustard Lovers: Mustard Soup, Simple

Dutch mustard soup

The Dutch are a special nation. They live, at least partly, below sea level, their geographic location is fairly free from disease carrying insects and therefore well placed for growing seeds, seed potatoes, grain seed, grass seed. They have conquered the tulip bulb market and much of the flower market. They sell tulips in bunches of 25 and roses in bunches of a dozen and they are cheap. I mention this because in Switzerland bouquets often come with 3-4 flowers and a lot of green stuff like leaves, branches, meadow grass and are overpriced for that. In Holland it was not unusual that I had 50 tulips or 20 roses at home and just for pocket money.

They’ve enriched the language with several phrases related to drinking and eating behaviour like "Dutch courage" or "Going Dutch". The only two nations I know of  that drink a lot of milk and butter milk -I mean grown-ups not just children - are the Dutch and the Estonians.

The Dutch have lovely deep fried croquettes that may be eaten between a sandwich, they eat sandwiches with a fork and knife (Is that why their bread is so soft?), they have top class herring, plenty of smoked eel and small prawns…

They make soup out of mustard. I haven’t found another nation who makes a soup out of a favourite condiment. Anyone know of popular soy sauce or ketchup soup? I managed to get addicted to Dutch mustard soup when I lived in Amsterdam. The company canteen served mustard soup on a weekly basis and the milk and butter milk was free and still is.Variations to the classic recipe exist. My other favourite is mustard soup with spinach.

The mustard soup is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

70g smoked bacon or smoked meat, cut into thin stripes

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

3 tbsp rape seed oil or 25g butter

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tbsp smooth mustard

3 level tbsp all purpose flour

1 l chicken bouillon

100g crème fraîche or fresh cream

Chopped parsley or green leek to garnish

In a hot pan fry the bacon for a couple of minutes. Add the oil or butter, the mustard seeds and the onion. Cook until the onion is slightly softer. Add the flour and mix it with the onion and fat. Then add the mustards. Slowly mix in the hot bouillon stirring constantly in the beginning to smooth the flour. Simmer for 10 minutes until the soup thickens.

Eet smakelijk!

The mustard seeds in the soup give a little crunchiness to the bite

“Vastlad” in Estonia with traditional pig’s trotters and beans and hills of whipped cream

Fastewaie or Fastewähe, original with cumin, traditional at Swiss Basler Fasnacht

In many countries the coming week brings various forms of pre-fasting festivities like Fasnacht in Switzerland, Carnival... The Tuesday, 21st is "Vastlapäev" in Estonia, a day in the Estonian national calendar and dates back centuries. It is a moving national day and falls on the Tuesday 7 weeks before the Easter. In England this day is called the Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day if I rightly remember from my 5^th grade English textbook.

Swiss Fasnacht treat: Fasnachtchüechli or Merveilles

Now the origin of this day in Estonia is somewhat controversial. Some sources reference the old religious influence and there is significant evidence to it for sure. However, a Christian website refers to this day as a pagan tradition and there is a lot of truth to that too considering the typical activities, superstitious to an extent, that people used to do on that day to ensure they got all sorts of happiness coming their way that year. Here is a selection of such:

-         Children, young people and grown-ups all competed for the longest ride on a sledge down a hill – the winner would grow the longest flax which used to be a popular fabric material in the old days. The ride is popular now too whilst the length of the flax has as little meaning to anyone now as Facebook would have been to people centuries ago.

-         You were supposed to comb your hair for 7 times to make sure your hair grew well and nice.

-         This was a women’s holiday. Some typical women’s work was prohibited. Women went to the pub and men stayed home to do the housework.

-         In some sea side areas people sang special songs to invite fish into their waters on that day.

Special traditional food was eaten on Vastlapäev. The pig’s feet or pig’s head and beans and / or peas were a must, served as soup or cooked together in other ways. The pig’s tail is said to have been a special treat for the head of the family. Typical barley bread belonged to the menu and in more recent times up until now  “ vastlakuklid”, fresh buns made from wheat flour and topped or filled (I prefer these!) with whipped cream (lots, please!) are the most popular item. One can see Moms and everyone else too standing in the queues of the best bakeries on that day, especially in the morning as you want make sure you get some ( I mean enough!) , and walking around in the streets with boxes in their hands. Be sure they are full of these buns with whipped cream. My view is that one can be generous on that special day and it is allowed to whip some extra cream and add on the bun during the eating process.

Vastlakuklid in Estonia

Bean soup

1-2 pig´s trotters, smoked or fresh ribs or a pig’s tail

300g beans, soaked overnight, drained

1 whole carrot

1 onion, halved

Parsley

3 bay leaves

10 black pepper corns

150g barley, soaked and drained

1 carrot cut in small cubes

1-2 teaspoons salt

Pig´s tail and trotters

Rinse the meat pieces and place them into a big cooking pot with cold water. Heat up and remove the scum. Change the water after removing the scum and add the bay leaves, pepper corns, onion, one full carrot and parsley stems without the leaves. Bring to boil and simmer for 1.5 hours until the meat is soft. Remove the parsley, onion, carrot and pepper corns from the broth. Add the beans and the barley and simmer for 1 hour or until soft. Cut the other carrot into small cubes and when beans are almost soft, add the carrot to the soup.

Either cut the meat from the bones and place back into the soup or for more fun leave them in the soup for the eaters to manage the bones and the meat.

Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.

Bean and barley soup, traditional in Estonia

This soup supports the philosophy of if you kill, eat all from head to tail.

Farmers´ Market in winter, a very cold one too: Warm up with Salsify Cream Soup

Rustic luxury: black roots of salsify (German: Schwarzwurzel)

My walk-around last Saturday at the farmers market was brightened by long awaited snow or rather small flakes in the air that turned into wet drops on the street.  I was happy to see the winter finally arrive to the city. This week the cold from Siberia reached Switzerland and temperatures dived to the freezing -10°C in town and over -20°C in the mountains. Only a third of the usual stands were out trading in this cold, all wrapped into temporary plastic “walls”. Luckily for me snow has stayed in town and I am fully enjoying this until it lasts. You see, I am the exception to the general rule here and don’t go skiing or snowboarding in the mountains. In the Alps there is plenty of snow of course and much colder too, but for me winter is not winter if there is no snow or minimum a week of minus temperatures down in town.

Even though I like winter I don’t envy my friends in Estonia who are fighting -30s °Celsius this week. The cars won’t start, those living in houses with own wood heating have to heat and heat to keep the temperature at 13°C !!! Hang in there!!

My basic tips on how not to freeze completely in -30°C:

-wear a hat, gloves (sometimes two pairs) and plenty of layers

-wear lamb wool, cotton jumper is not warm

-breathe through the nose, occasionally rub your nose and cheeks

-go out only if really necessary and then walk fast

-when back inside and not really feeling your toes and fingers, warm up your fingers by keeping your hands under your arms, take off the socks and warm your feet against a family member’s warm body. Putting your feet against the heating will be painful! Luke warm water is another alternative to get life back in the limbs.

Soup will warm up the inside with added benefits. Cooking it will heat up the kitchen, you could use up some simple ingredients from the fridge (an onion or some bacon, a can of tomatoes), the freezer (peas maybe?) and the cupboard (lentils, a bay leaf), it has less calories and is easier to digest given the circumstances of being forced to inside activities and spending less calories.

Back to the winter market…

…Dreaming of a hot bowl of soup I was on the look-out for salsify, also known as winter asparagus or poor man’s asparagus because of the taste and their similar diuretic effects. In German it is called Scwarzwurzel and its name in Estonian is a similar translation meaning black root or mustjuur. In English it is to my surprise and puzzlement also known as oyster plant or vegetable oyster. Hmm, why do the German speakers associate salsify with asparagus and the English speaking world finds it similar to oysters? I taste rather asparagus than oysters. Not sure if it has anything to do with the fact that I live in Switzerland where oysters are rare to form strong taste memories about. Still one commonality exists, both cultures compare this from outside not quite appetising root to something rather luxurious.

You won’t find salsify in a supermarket in the Swiss capital...yet. It is a niche vegetable, quite popular amongst the fans of country food or occasionally on offer in top restaurants.

Keep raw salsify in vinegar water

How to easily peel salsify

Peeling the raw roots with a knife is tiresome and the peeled vegetables must be immediately put in water with some vinegar or lemon juice to avoid the browning. An easy way to peel the black root is to wash off the soil and cook it in boiling salt water for 10-15 minutes. Now it is as easy to peel as a cooked carrot or potato. Pull off the peel and cut out the eyes with a small  knife.

Cream of Salsify Recipe

500g salsify

0.5l chicken broth or water + 1 cube of bouillon

Bay leaf

10 cm white leek cut in 1 cm length

2 dl milk

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

2 leaves of green leek

Cooking oil

1 small chorizo picante (optional)

Bring the broth to boil, add the peeled salsify cut into smaller pieces, the bay leaf, white part of the leek and cook for 15-20 minutes till the roots are soft.

Purée with the hand mixer or blender and return into the pan. Add the milk to get the desired thickness of the soup. Stir in the crème fraîche and season to taste.

Garnish with leek julienne and spicy chorizo

Cut the leek greens into thin julienne. Heat the oil in the pan and throw in the leek. Sizzle the leeks for a few minutes until crisp but not burnt and scoop out onto kitchen paper.

If you prefer a heartier meal, cook some rings of chorizo picante or some sliced bacon in a separate pan and add on top.

Salsify cream soup with crispy leek and chorizo