Oops.

My poor, abandoned blog. I left it for a Tumblr account, which I've also deserted. I've been too busy skimming other blogs [mostly food blogs] to even bother with this one. After reading a few past entries, I've decided to give it more attention.

My travels since my last post include Utrecht, Rome, and Tübingen [again]. I still vote that Germany is so far my favorite country.

When I returned to Tübingen, I brought Evelien with me. We explored Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg while Sam studied [something I should be doing now], mostly spending our time wandering Christmas markets with a mug of warm glühwein in our hands. We were lucky enough to catch the chocolate art fair in Tübingen as well.

My favorite part of my trip back was a small gypsy residence outside of French Quarter. Every Tuesday night, they host a quiet dinner in a small tavern lit only by candles. Vintage nude pictures were tacked up tastefully against one of the far walls. Sam and his friends ordered vegetarian plates, while I ordered the chicken. For €3, I received a marinated chicken leg with bulgur and a small salad. Delicious. The vegetarian meal consisted of thick slices of roasted eggplant, smothered in peanut sauce and topped with pine nuts. So much for thinking the veggie plate would be a scarce meal. The specialty that night was homemade feuersangenbowle, which is glühwein with rum-caramelized sugar melted into it.

Delicious. After our meal, we washed our dishes [after a harsh reminder from the owner] in warm water and soap. I couldn't get over how much I loved the idea of a cheap, homemade meal in a cozy [as the Dutch say, gezellig] tavern.

Unfortunately I had to leave the next morning, but not before loading up on fresh German bread. I need to find a bakery that sells something similar when I return to San Francisco.

Due to the freezing temperatures and snow, the trains were somewhat inconvenient. However, Die Bahn knows what they're doing [unlike most transportation agencies in SF, ahem] and if they required the passengers to change trains due to technical issues, a new train was waiting for us across the platform. Again, I love Germany. They've got everything: good transportation, delicious food and beer, and Christmas markets.

Gourmet Cooking for the College Student (Abroad)

This Christmas, all the students (‘orphans’) who couldn’t return home for the holidays gathered in our lounge for a potluck. I found a recipe for a cassoulet in my trusty Cooking Light magazine, but saw it called for 3 types of different meat sausages (pork, lamb, and duck), 4 links each! It also called for cognac or brandy, and for 3 types of herbs to be wrapped in a cheesecloth bag and soaked in the mixture for a while. After I woke up from a faint, I decided to modify the recipe to fit my budget and a vegetarian diet.

It was a hit. Despite some difficulties in attempting to figure out how the hell to work a cheap blender from Blokker, it was an easy and delicious dish.

Here’s my modified version:

2 tablespoons canola oil
4 Italian sausages (or veggie Italian sausage)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup chicken broth (or veggie)
2 or 3 (15-oz) cans cannillini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) piece French bread baguette
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 cloves (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausages (sliced or crumbled); cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove sausages from pan. Add more oil to pan, add onion and next 5 ingredients (through salt). Cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, bring to a boil. Add in thyme; cook 10 minutes (until liquid almost evaporates).
3. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes to vegetable mixture. Return sausages to pan; stir. Bring mixture to a boil, and remove from heat.
Note: If you want to get fancy, I added the bay leaf in after and let it soak into the mixture for a few minutes. I also smashed the cloves with the side of my knife and carefully chopped it up, scraping the bits into the stew. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!
4. Place bread in a food processor (or a blender), blend until fine crumbs measure 2 cups. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add crumbs to pan, sauté 5 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.
Note: If you’re like me and dealing with an oven the size of a large turkey, I transferred the stew into a baking dish. Also, if you don’t have a Dutch oven, the baking dish is an alternative.
5. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over mixture. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes (watch out where you place it in the oven so the breadcrumbs don’t burn!).

Eet smakelijk!