November means Wind

In Germany, November seems to have a similar flavor as march in the states- in like a lion, out like a lamb- except reversed. And it was a rather wet lamb in the beginning as it rained the first handful of days. Ok, I am stopping the metaphor now. Suffice it to say that it is windy. And the days are getting so short. I always forget how far north we are, somewhere latitudinaly north of Toronto, Canada. So it is dusk now, at 4:45pm, mid-way through November. The good news is we can light candles and listen to the blues and drink Chai and get in the bath and wear hand made sweaters and scarves. And make christmas cookies, because I am the sort of person that continues the traditions of eating and celebrating at christmas without any of the actual religious part. I don't really have any qualms with that, as Christmas was a big cover up and absorption of many indigenous and pre-Christian traditions- trees, candles and stars, santa claus (more on him in another post), passing through the darkest nights to the return (birth) of the sun (son), singing, drinking hot alcoholic drinks, baking cookies and feasting together, dancing and releasing the old year, presents (offerings); these are all traditions that belong to the time of year, rather than the particular religious festival of Christmas. SO, I can happily abandon myself to the pleasures of eating and drinking and celebrating with no guilt or remorse. phew, glad I got that cleared up.

Here are the cookies we are going to make:
Peanut butter with Hershey's kisses
Biscochitos (anise flavored New Mexico cookies)
Toffee bars (recipe from  my mother's friend from High School)
Spritz (German butter cookies that you squeeze out of a icing flute)
Chocolate Spritz
Mocha bean cookies
Bethmann's (almond/marzipan cookies)

Before Christmas, however, comes my birthday and before that comes Thanksgiving.
We'll have Thanksgiving on the weekend with our friend whose father was a GI, which makes him half American by culture and full American by passport. I am going to make pumpkin chestnut soup. And pumpkin Pie and apple pie. He'll make the Turkey and who knows what else. I'll make Gravy.

Then for my birthday We'll have a marzipan sour cherry torte, for which I promise to include the recipe here if it turns out to be as delicious as it sounds.

I have been making lots of soups lately. Other than that I have been too busy to make anything. But I made three soups this week that are worth mentioning


Pumpkin Sambar
Whenever I cook Indian food I have to get everything prepared and then it goes really really fast- almost faster than I can keep up with.

1 cup red lentils, cooked
2 cups (at least, maybe 3 is better) winter squash, steamed
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 green chiles, chopped
1" ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 T mustard seeds
2 tomatoes, chopped
1T tamarind paste (add to ~3T hot water and work the tamarind until a slurry forms, remove any pith)
sambar powder (make the effort to find it)
curry leaves (make the effort to find them)
salt
fresh cilantro

In a pot, pour 2T oil and heat until sizzling (but not smoking) add mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds. Add the onion, chiles, curry leaves, and coconut and fry until golden brown (not long). Stirring continuously, add tomato, tamarind slurry, 2-3 t, sambar powder and salt. Lastly, add pumpkin, dal and water to form the consistency of a thick soup. Simmer until hot (about 15 minutes) garnish with  cilantro, eat with rice and hot mango pickle.

Kale Soup
In water add the following:
1 onion
cubed winter squash
cubed beets
bay leaves
rosemary
pinch of anise or nutmeg, optional

Simmer until tender. Chop lots of kale and add to the soup along with salt, fresh ground black pepper,  and butter. When the kale is finished, add cream to taste (don't be shy).


Greek Vegetable Soup
1 clove garlic
1 leek
12 mushrooms (white button or brown crimini)
bunch of spinach
3 carrots
1 dried red chile
bay leaves, rosemary, sage, mint
Feta cheese

Make a broth with the spinach stalks, leek outer leaves and thick green leaves (i always use the tender ones), carrot peels, bay leaves, rosemary stalks. Simmer for one hour.

Sautee leeks in lots of good olive oil till translucent, add sliced mushrooms, chopped carrots garlic and salt, red chile, chopped rosemary and sage, two cups of broth and cover. Coarsely chop spinach, crumble or cube feta, chop mint. When carrots are tender, add the remaining items, correct salt and turn flame way low. Leave the lid only half on, otherwise the spinach will go gray. When the spinach is wilted, the soup is ready. Oh, I added croutons.

Croutons
Day old bread cut into cubes
lots of olive oil
salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika
toss all together with hands
toast in the oven on 350, turning with a spatula every 5 minutes or so. keep watch and take them out when they get to the point you like.

Oh, and I have been making and drinking lots of chai. When I get a good ratio of ingredients, I'll post the recipe. And here, because I love them so much, are the sheep we saw on a drive in the Odenwald.