raw milk does a body good

For the past year, a couple of my friends have been praising the benefits of raw milk. This blurb from www.realmilk.com explains it quite nicely:

Like most foods, the nutritional quality of milk suffers considerably during processing. Homogenized fat becomes inaccessible, and we need the fat in milk to absorb calcium. Pasteurizing milk kills bacteria essential for its digestion, converts lactose to an indigestible form, interferes with calcium absorption, and destroys vitamins A, C, and B complex. (Child Health Guide, Randall Neustaedter, OMD)

And according to raw milk advocates, raw milk is actually very safe despite the heavy marketing to the contrary. In the US, it's basically illegal, though various communities have found ways (like buying a share in a cow) to still get some. Want to know more? http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/

Anyway, I finally decided to try some, motivated by the benefit of using reusable glass bottles instead of recycling or throwing away seven bottles a week. The Kilchberg farm near my house has a self-serve raw milk dispenser, at 1.50sfr/liter. You just put in some coins, push start, and milk pours into the bottle. The first time I went, they were just bringing a new barrel of milk straight from the barn, so the milk was still warm and so sweet and delicious.It makes me happy to do it, feeling close to the earth and all that silly stuff. I especially love how the cream separates after a day. But since I have a grocery one block from my house where I can get delicious organic, albeit pasteurized, milk, I can't motivate myself to drive out to the farm very often. But every time I'm in the neighborhood, I make a point of stopping by to get a couple liters. Now if they would only deliver : )


just like water machines but somehow much more fun


the Kilchberg farm where we get the milk

Local farms with raw milk:
Kilchberg farm - Stockenstrasse 88, Kilchberg
Adliswil farm - Tüfistrasse 18, Adliswil

guilty pleasure

What is it about cake mix that makes Americans so giddy? I love baking from scratch but I still love cake mix cakes. Perhaps the taste memory from my childhood is too strong to overcome. While in Paris, we stopped at Thanksgiving, a Cajun restauarant and American grocery store, carrying a random array of outrageously overpriced American goods like corn syrup and barbecue sauce. Among other things, we happily paid 6 euros for a bag of flaked coconut and another 6 for a box of Zatarains red beans & rice mix (both priced at about $2.50 in the US). Being an expat makes me crave weird things. We baked this cake for father's day and wow, did it taste good! Definitely chemical-y, but still good. It's almost depressing - to love real food and cooking and still enjoy processed junk like this.

still looking

Does anyone in Zurich reading this blog know where to get these items?

• Non-Swiss/German sausages like Kielbasa, Andouille, "Italian sausage" like the kind you get the US usually used in spaghetti sauce
• flaked coconut - I've only seen the pulverized kind. I want to make coconut macaroons and coconut cream pie. I suspect an Asian market might carry it but I haven't found it yet.

Zurich speciality food tour

s'mores galore

A couple weeks ago, I led a little "Zurich speciality food tour" for several friends. I worried that my limited knowledge would be exhausted in the first five minutes and everyone would be bored, but we ended up having a great time. I took them to El Maiz (the Mexican market), the Thai grocery a few doors down from El Maiz (I don't know what the name is) and Jemoli Gourmet Factory. To make it relevant, I also provided recipes that required the special ingredients available at these shops, like Pad Thai, Tamales, and Arroz con Pollo. For anyone else in Zurich who might be interested, here's a list of some things available at these shops that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.

dried shrimp and preserved radish for Pad Thai

El Maiz

• fresh chiles like jalapeno, serrano, habanero (not every variety is there all the time, also check the freezer section)
• dried chiles like ancho, pasilla
• tomatillos
• masa harina
• corn husks
• chorizo (frozen) - for Arroz con Pollo
• refrigerated and frozen tortillas (corn & flour)
• premade tamales
• best tortilla chips (Mi Adelita brand, also available at Jelmoli)
• huge array of hot sauces
• vanilla extract
• dulce du leche
• tortilla press (40sfr)
• dried pinto and black beans

Thai market
There are better Asian markets in town, but this one is conveniently close to El Maiz. The staff is really friendly and helpful and even speak a little English. Besides all the regular stuff you might expect to find here, you will find:

• for authentic Pad Thai: thai scallions, tamarind paste, dried shrimp, and preserved radish (Hua chai bpoh)
• A & W root beer
• sweet mangos (totally different from mangos you'll see at Migros or Globus)
• black eyed peas
• canned coconut milk (which has the important top layer of coconut fat unlike the boxed Thai Kitchen coconut milk you'll find elsewhere)

Jelmoli

• US products: bbq sauce, oreos, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, big white marshmallows (most other stores only carry the little, multi-colored versions), canned soup like tomato and cream of mushroom
• Mexican: frozen tortillas, masa harina, corn husks, the good tortilla chips, dried pinto beans, & all the regular canned stuff
• Asian: besides the regular stuff you'll find in most Migros and Coop, you'll find a larger variety of sauces, canned coconut milk, tahini and falafel mix (also available at most natural food stores),
• Asian cooler: thai scallions, thai basil, lemon grass, thai broccoli, okra
• herbs, spices, etc. - Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, turmeric, powdered garlic (not garlic salt), kardamon, ground cumin (most other places only carry whole cumin), celery salt (sometimes). Some are available elsewhere, but I can never remember who carries what. Jemoli usually has all the weird ones
• yellow and white cheddar - for your Mex-American needs
• exotic fresh fruit in season, like litchi, fresh tamarind, star fruit
• big baking soda & baking powder packages for only 2.50sfr
• skinned hazelnuts - very helpful for making Nocciola gelato
• turkeys year-round (turkeys are usually only available at Christmas) with giblets
• lard (aka schweinefett), required for tamale dough (found in refrigerated meat section)
• vegetable shortening (aka planzenfett) - I don't like to use it but there are some special cases
• tapioca starch - I don't know what I'll need it for but I'm sure at some point I'll be looking for it

I'm sure there are other special things I've missed. This is just a start.

"I make you drunk, I make you hot"

this guy works at the store and
is very helpful, in German of course

Or so goes the tagline for Heuberger, a great food store I stumbled upon a couple weeks ago in the Werd quartier, near Bahnhof Selnau. While one side of the shop sells wine, the other sides offers an enormous array of spicy things: chile powders, salsas, speciality spices. But the really fantastic thing is that right now theyare selling chile plants! They carry 19 varieties, including Jalapeño and Serrano, which I purchased yesterday. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll flourish on my little balcony so I don't have to run across town to El Maiz every time I want to make salsa this summer. In combo with my tomato and coriander plants and trusty tortilla press, I'm approaching self-sufficiency for my Mexican cooking needs. Yay!

serrano on the left, jalapeño on the right

Heuberger, Morgartenstr. 12, 8004 Zurich, Te;. 044 281 11 61
Di-Fr 11:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-17:00

baking soda

What's a girl to do when she uses up the last 1/4 tsp of baking soda in her cupboard for pancakes? In Zurich, she must visit every store in town before finding these precious little Natron packets. At one precious teaspoon per packet, I had to empty out the store to feed my baking habit for the next couple months. Yes, baking soda (aka Natron) is available in Zurich. However, "available" really means "rare commodity".

Here's where you can find Natron:

- Coop St. Annahof on Bahnhofstr.

- Coop online grocery

- maybe MMM Migros at Glattzentrum (I think I bought a big bottle there once)

Here's where you cannot find Natron:

- Jemoli (I'm very disappointed in you, Jemoli!)

- Migros Zurich City (on Löwenstrasse near Globus)

- Migros Brunau Park

- Leshop.ch (Migros online grocery)

cheerio-o-o

Never underestimate the power of sugar cereal! One bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and I was dancing in the streets, singing in the rain. How many bowls can I eat in one day without reversing the trend to a downward shame spiral? Some sugar cereals are available at the regular groceries, but lots of special American treats happen to be available at the Jewish groceries in my neighborhood. We're not sure why, but we think perhaps because they are kosher. I'm guessing that the writing on the box is in Hebrew, but it could be Russian for all I know. In any case, it sure looks cool.

dutch-processed cocoa powder

If you've bought cocoa powder in Zurich, perhaps you're wondering whether it's Dutch-processed or not. Perhaps not.

Here's how to tell the difference:
"After a bit of searching, I was able to find out that ‘Dutch-Processed’ cocoa powder is treated with the Alkaline substance potassium carbonate. Your answer can be found by looking at the packaging of the cocoa powder in the zutaten section (generally on the back). If it is processed, it will list the ingredient Kaliumkarbonat E 501. If this is not listed, then the cocoa powder will have a natural acid that will react with baking soda. Most cocoa powders in Europe are dutch-processed, and aside from the listing of potassium carbonate, there is no real method of checking whether or not the powder was processed." - Jack McNulty of laughinglemon.ch

I have not thoroughly tested this theory yet. The "Ligne Patisserie" cocoa powder I bought from Migros only lists one ingredient: Kakao. But I still suspect that it is dutched. Cook's Illustrated has a lengthy article on Dutch-processed cocoa that says "Natural cocoa looks beige; Dutch-processed cocoa boasts a deep, dark, rich-looking brown". Mine looks like the latter. So I will proceed assuming that it is dutched.

Here's why you should care (source):
It does make a difference since Dutch-processed cocoa is less acidic (or more alkaline) than a regular cocoa such as Hershey's. Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder is neutral and does not react with baking soda, so it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder, unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used.
In constrast, when natural unsweetened cocoa powder (an acid) is used in recipes calling for baking soda (an alkali), it creates a leavening action that causes the batter to rise when placed in the oven.

Substitutions:
3 TB Dutch-processed cocoa = 3 TB natural cocoa powder plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 TB natural cocoa = 3 TB Dutch-processed cocoa plus 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar

brown sugar

Found! Globus on Bahnhoffstrasse recently had real brown sugar in the flour/sugar section. CHF6 for 500g. This was real brown sugar, not those cane sugars that lots of the stores around here carry. This brown sugar was really dark, almost black, with a very strong molasses flavor. Yum yum.

You can also make your own by simply adding about 1-2 TB of molasses to 1 cup granulated sugar. Mix with a fork until well blended. I learned this tip from Jack McNulty of laughinglemon.ch, who also recommended buying pure molasses (or "melasse" here) from health food stores because it doesn't contain extra additives that affect flavor among other things.

Now you can finally have that nice hot bowl of steel cut oats with brown sugar and cinnamon. Yea!

vanilla extract

Found! El Maiz has "McCormick Extracto Liquido de Vainilla." Yea!

I briefly considered making my own - here are instructions.

According to Jack McNulty of laughinglemon.ch, the Swiss use vanilla sugar instead of vanilla extract because vanilla sugar provides a stronger vanilla flavor. Just substitute a small amount (5-10%) of the sugar in your recipe with vanilla sugar. You can make vanilla sugar but putting a split vanilla bean in a container with powdered sugar. Periodically replenish the sugar and vanilla bean.

treasure hunt

Here's all the food items not available or hard to find in Zurich. I'll post as I discover sources for or information about any of these items.

• brown sugar
• vanilla extract
• blue food coloring
• corn tortillas
• swiss chard
• turnips