It rained all day long. During a brief, promising sunny spell, Stefan, Elias, and I drove up to the Platte, an elevated area above St. Peter, to hike to some water falls. We had barely set foot out of the car when dark clouds and a renewed downpour descended upon us. So we drove back home and sat inside twiddling our fingers until we couldn't stand it anymore, and then we took a hike up the Schlossberg in the pouring rain. By the time we had finished collecting another few kilos of chestnuts, we were soaked but happy, and the weather was finally clearing.Arriving at the Kommandantengarten, we heard the sound of bells all over the east side of Freiburg. When we reached the viewing tower atop the Schlossberg, the sound was joined by bells on the south side of town. It was quite the concert!
Those of you who know about my profound fear of heights might wonder how I got all the way up to the top of the tower. (Well, almost all the way up; I skipped the last part of the tower because--as Elias demonstrated with glee--if you hold onto the railing and thrust your weight back and forth, you can make the platform sway.) Turns out that my two trips climbing the Muenster tower have taught me about the heady pleasures of an adrenaline jolt. Next stop: the Schauinsland Turm.
We saw Stefan's mother off at the Bahnhof this morning. After three and a half weeks of hosting assorted visitors, we're ready to settle back into a more regular routine.
5 comments:
Wow! Glorious photo of Freiburg after the storm. What are you doing with all those kilos of marrons?
Thanks! Ja, all those chestnuts. We collect them because we can. Plus, cutting Xs into them will give us something to talk about when Stefan's academic host comes over with his family tonight...
That's going to be one interesting conversation, e.g., why Xs are the mark of choice and not Ls or Vs or Ts or Fs. Better to exchange recipes. I suggest try your hand at making a traditional Paley Thanksgiving stuffing, which requires chestnuts along with onions and celery and wild rice and whatever else you've got.
Look what I found:
Silky Chestnut Soup
Adapted from this recipe by Alex Urena for Food & Wine magazine
Serves 4 as a first course
3 tablespoons canola oil
One 14-ounce vacuum-packed jar of cooked and peeled chestnuts (or 2 1/2 cups of the ones you oven-roasted yourself)
1 medium onion, minced
1 leek, white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons honey
4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth (or vegetable broth)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 7 of the chestnuts and cook until crisp and browned, stirring often. Remove from pan and cool. Finely chop and set aside.
Add the onion and leeks to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the honey and stir well. Add the broth and remaining chestnuts, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
Puree soup in a blender, working in batches. Taste for seasoning. May be covered and refrigerated at this point for 24 hours. To serve, return soup to the pot and reheat. Add the brandy or Cognac, and garnish with reserved chopped chestnuts and parsley.
Oh my, that sounds mighty tasty! If we find ourselves with a few hours to kill peeling chestnuts, we might give it a try. Turns out they're somewhat tedious to coax out of their shells. But toasted chestnuts do generate conversation, and we sent a pound of raw ones home with Stefan's lab host since they enjoyed them so much.
Post a Comment