Fine Burgers and Cecilia Bartoli Sighting

Sept 15. U. suggests a spontaneous late Saturday morning jaunt down to Munich. hmm. I´m undecided. Haven´t been down to Munich in a long while, airport not counting. But the week was a particularly exhausting one for U., me and our almost 4 year old daughter who just finished her first week of kindergarten. A lazy autumn day in our village outside Regensburg in Bavaria is starting out well: no fog which is common in the fall and winter here, sun is shining, crisp air, groceries bought, pumpkin on the counter waiting to be cut, roasted, pureed and baked into the seasons first pumpkin pie. This feels like a day to stay close to the nest. Not even the proposal to visit a store on Munich´s Maximillianstrasse that sells it´s pretty little things in equally pretty robins egg blue boxes can (completely) convince me. Hmm… a quick check of the weather on-line: Munich overcast 18°C, Regensburg Sunny 21°C; I think we´ll stay home. The next quick taps at the keyboard reveal that Oktoberfest starts next weekend. Maybe we should seize the day and go to M. this weekend to avoid the crowds that will be making a pilgrimage to M. during the three week duration of Oktoberfest. One last on-line check. I recall www.deliciousdays.com suggesting where the best burgers in M. can be had, and at the moment I´m craving some meat. Click, there it is in the archive: “Cosmo Grill”. A fast glance at the opening hours and I jump in the shower. Okay family it´s off to Munich. Several hours of Autobahn traffic, rerouting, bathroom stops, a kick-off-coffee in the lobby of the Bayrischer Hof Hotel, a visit to the store with the little blue boxes, a bit of drooling at Daimers wool felt shop and then it is time for the burger I have been craving since I bumped into it on the delicious days blog. Cosmo Grill is a half flight down from street level. When you enter you have the feeling you are stepping into a cross between a tiny sushi bar and a sandwich shop. It takes just a couple minutes and then I get acclimated. Simple black white decor, maybe five tables, bar stools, high benches with thick wool mats, white on black menu board. My eyes don´t know where to look first. Words are popping out at me: balsamico, brie, Dijon, avocado, rosemary. Glands watering I order the avocado burger with perry (hard cider made from pears) that is chilling in an ice bucket on the counter. U. orders the barbecue burger. Not yet knowing the size of these gourmet burgers, we ask for an extra plate to share our burgers with kiddo. We make ourselves comfortable in the spartan, modern, small space and happily await our meal. The chef is prepping the teppan yaki grill. Through the glass double doors of the refrigerator, I see the over-sized Maille mustard jars and large clasp lid jars filled with homemade sauce. I believe this is going to be a treat. It has been a year since my last good burger during a visit in Chicago.
A hamburger can be a fine thing. Indeed. When mine arrives my eyes begin eating it in; layered high and teetering on a white square plate, there are no side dishes or garnish cluttering the plate or distracting from the main attraction. (NB: you can order sides but they are served separately). My expectations are high. I sink my teeth in. Juicy tender melt in your mouth ground meat patty, horseradish-sour cream, a flash of spicy Dijon, buttery ripe avocado, tomato, spinach. Mmmmm…eye roll…sigh… I chew slowly, my taste buds are loving this. This is a burger to be savored not wolfed down. This is a burger made with L O V E. Both U. and I order another: Cordon bleu with melting brie, also a delicious delight. Sigh, who knows how long it will be before we get back to Munich. If you live in or close to Munich or if you live far away and are a glutton for punishment you can have the Cosmo Grill burger of the week emailed to you. One helpful tidbit of info., the Cosmo Grill address is Maximillianstrasse 10 but the entrance is located around the corner on Falkenturmstrasse. www.cosmogrill.de

And where does Cecilia Bartoli enter into this burger encounter? Waiting for our second order, my gaze is directed out the window. Sitting a half flight below street level I watch with a beagles perspective as legs pass by without really noticing the torsos they are attached to. One pair of very high heals and small ankles, however, draws my eyes upward. Shapely calves, an elegant smoky gray just under knee length puffy chiffon skirt, my gaze continues to wander up higher, dark brown hair pulled back into a sleek pony tail, attractive face, decently made up. I have one of those “gosh she looks familiar moments, do I know her?” …1 sec…2 sec…3 sec.., it´s, it´s Ce…Ce… Cecilia Bartoli I say to my four year old daughter who delights as if I just told her I spotted our neighbor Rosi walking by. Our eyes meet for a moment as she walks past my table at the window of Cosmo Grill. Now, I don´t consider myself starstruck but in retrospect I do hope I had a pleasant look on my face one that says – Hello, welcome to Germany, nice to see you, your voice is beautiful, no I won´t bother you for an autograph – I don´t get what they mean anyway, take care, bye. I suppose, though, that my expression was more of an empty gaze as I try to figure out where I know this lady from i.e. former student, colleague etc.. Cecilia Bartoli walks down the street, stops and talks with someone at the back entrance of the Hotel Opera (ironic?) which is only about 500 meters as the crow flies from the National Opera House (ironic?).

End of story, Cecilia looked lovely, the burgers were great, the sun did end up coming out in Munich and a pleasant afternoon was had by all.

Curry Meatballs

Sometimes things don´t turn out as intended. When cooking, that can at times be more pleasing than others. Missing ingredients lead to resourceful inventiveness, a turn of absent-mindedness, a twist of distraction and low and behold the soup has never tasted as good… or bad. The recipe for curry meatballs came about in a similar way. So it begins: pick up one half kilo. fresh ground meat from the butcher, continue on to post office and wait in line, return empty water crate to grocery store wait there as well, bump into and chat with a friend from neighboring village, aimlessly wander store until you recall why you are there: ah yes to pick up a crate of water to replace the empty one, wait in line again, get home put meat in fridge, “where are the vegetables? Oh brother, you forgot to go to the farmers and thereby forgot half the things on the shopping list and where is the shopping list anyway?” Sharing a bed with a 4 year old that performs acrobatics in her sleep and takes up space enough for two full grown adults can show it´s signs. A strong cup of cappuccino later, with foam as smooth and thick as meringue, I feel alert and inspired and check the fridge to see what I can put together for the lunch table. The above mentioned ground meat, two organic bell peppers: one yellow and squat with a trace of green the other standard red, three green onions, yellow curry paste, one can of coconut milk. Over to the wood shelf for spices: cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cayenne, grab the panko. Curry meatballs it is. Bonus, there is still enough left over millet spinach pie from yesterday to warm in the oven and serve on the side. Pipping hot on the plates…mmmmm. I had never thought about making curry meatballs before. This turned out delicious. As an alternative to a grain, I would serve the meat balls on a steamed bed of cauliflower and wilted spinach. Side note: the left over millet spinach pie that I served with the meatballs is a recipe from Lorna Sass´s book Whole Grains, Every Day Every Way. I am a big fan of millet and can recommend Ms. Sass´s recipe.

Curry Meatballs

Serves 2.5 (2 adults and a 4 year old)

Time: 60 min.

Ingredients meatballs:

550gr. ground meat (I used pork and beef)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 small bell peppers, finely chopped (I used yellow and red)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne

2-3 tbsp oil

Ingredients sauce:

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp yellow curry paste

400ml coconut milk

2 eggs

1/2-3/4 cup panko (bread crumbs Japanese style)

fresh flat leaf parsley for garnish

Prepare meatballs:

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F

Finely chop onions and bell peppers (reserve one half cup of peppers for later), slowly sauté in a skillet with 2-3 tbsp oil until onions are transparent. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a small dish mix salt, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cayenne.

In a medium size bowl lightly beat 2 eggs, add ground meat, mixed spices, sautéed onion and bell pepper. Combine well with hands.

Put skillet back on stove and heat to medium high (don´t add more oil) while forming the meat into balls the size of clementines, press slightly to flatten. Brown 2-3 min. on each side and transfer to paper towel lined plate.

In a small bowl gently mix the thinly sliced spring onions, the 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper and garlic with 3 tbsp of the “cream” skimmed off top of opened can of coconut milk. Sauté the vegetables and coconut “cream” mixture over medium low heat 3-4 min while stirring. Add rest of coconut milk, whisk until combined.

Place meat balls in a glass baking dish (I used a 10 inch pie plate) pour coconut milk sauce over meat balls and spoon it over any meat balls that are not completely covered. Cover with foil and bake at 190°C for 30-35 min. Take off foil for the last 5-10 min to thicken the sauce.

Serve on a bed of steamed cauliflower and wilted spinach or with a grain side dish. As mentioned above I liked the curry meatballs very much with Lorna Sass´s recipe for millet spinach pie.

Hello world!

Welcome to my blog.

My name is Becca. Thinking about food, reading about food, cooking, smelling and eating good food is a wonderful way to indulge in this life and it has evolved into one of my most favorite ways to spend time. This blog is about wholesome, natural, whenever possible organic and local life enhancing eats. Nothing fussy about it. Just things that make my heart sing; plunk, a ripe spotted pear resting in dewy grass, pressing up and savoring flaky pie crust morsels with the touch of a finger, drizzling creme and egg infused french toast with possibly the worlds best organic Vermont Maple syrup or sigh…a pipping hot slow cooked plate of rustic Ragout vom Hirschkalb (venison stew) with a sauce dark as chocolate, rich and yet so simple…uggg.

Tastes evolve, I now know that. In the past, however, I often thought of myself as picky a late bloomer in regard to food. Prefaced by some gagging watery eyed dinner memories from the 1970´s. As a child I knew what I liked: homemade pasta sauce, green beans, olives, pies, cakes without frosting… and what I didn´t like: scrambled eggs, fish with grates, salad-dressing and cheese (unless it was in a grilled sandwich or on a pizza). I´m sure I wasn´t the only kid to wretch over lima beans, spinach or stuffed cabbage. It took many years to get past some of those childhood aversions and to understand how and why they came about i.e. overcooking, appearance, stubbornness. Ironically as an adult I have grown to love love love spinach, moan over cheese, admire anyone who has the innate feel for preparing tender, flaky, melt in your mouth fish and savor cabbage raw or cooked. However, I probably have not tasted much less sighted a lima bean since 1976. Rehabilitation still pending.

Aging, living abroad, being more food courageous and eating well with family and friends has led to me be more hands-on in the kitchen, more discriminating and inspired in my search of fresh wholesome products and develop my sense of taste. Whiling away time thinking about food is a fine past time. Reading recipes, cooking, learning, craving, visualizing food makes my life sheerly enjoyable.

In a pumpkin shell, this blog is about food that pleases me. Come press your nose up against my kitchen window or even better pop in and join me now and again on my journey through life with food. I look forward to seeing you. Becca