It's over, finally!

The Christmas Madness is over, finally - until next year. Working with an eCommerce fulfillment service company for 17 years has weaned me of any romantic notions concerning Christmas. I've learned to hate December. While others decorate their homes and bake (seemingly) boatloads of delicious cookies, we fight a battle, that turns into a veritable war as December progresses, to fulfill the orders and mail them in time to be delivered before Christmas. But now we can relax a bit, the annual stocktaking accomplished (actually, it is still in progress as I write this post, but I didn't have to work today), and January before us, a month with habitual slow business. It's a four day weekend, and I am planning to do absolutely nothing. Well, the laundry has to be done and the apartment needs a bit of cleaning, but other than that - nothing. Outside it is a very cold, but sunny winter day. Later in the day, I will bundle myself up in several layers of clothing and go for a long, long walk. I have two new books to read, raspberry-red yarn and an interesting pattern for a new pair of socks, my favourite blend of tea, expensive Cuban coffee, an assortment of fruits including a pomegranate, the ingredients for (gluten-free) biscotti and madeleines - all considered, I think, I will have a very nice time off!

10 Gluten-Free Days

I have spent the last 10 days glued to the chair in front of the computer. I have spent hours reading about gluten-free diets, gluten-free blogs, and celiac disease. The more I read, the less convinced I am about that gluten-free thing with regard to my health issues. Some of the symptoms of celiac disease fit, some not. For instance, I gained weight, did not loose it. I have never experienced violent reactions to ingesting gluten-containig foods. But then again - it's nice to wake up in the morning, actually being awake. It's nice to get up without puffy eyes, without a headache that will not lift until the evening, without stiff and creaking joints. I am indeed feeling better, my stomach is flatter, not distended any more. Gone is the constant tiredness. I have much more energy. My mood has improved considerably - I am even able to smile and be friendly in the morning. And those annoying cravings are gone. Pst, don't wake them! I know for sure, they are hiding just round the corner, waiting for the one moment, when I am distracted, to pounce on to me again. I don't know what to make of all this. If I had been on an unbalanced diet of fast food and sweets, I would have credited this change to my new healthier eating habits. But no, I have had my veggies daily. I am not a vegetarian, so I was not lacking in protein or vitamins B6 and B12. I have binged quite often on cake, icecream and chocolate. That has taken its toll, no doubt about that. But apart from that, my eating habits were/are not that bad. So I will continue to avoid gluten for the full four weeks, as recommended. Then we'll see how to continue.

1 + 1 = 3?

Beim Einkaufen am Samstag habe ich im Reformhaus die kostenlose Kunden-Zeitschrift "Reformhaus Kurier" mitgenommen. Ich bin darin auf einen Artikel von Dr. Jörg Zittlau gestoßen, von dem ich nicht weiß, ob ich ihn lachhaft oder ärgerlich finden soll: "Die Klima-Diät". Es geht darin um die Auswirkungen der modernen Nahrungsmittelproduktion auf das Klima. Zitat: "Die Hälfte der ernährungsbedingten Treibhausgase stammen aus der Landwirtschaft und davon über 80 % aus der Produktion tierischer Nahrungsmittel. Allein diese Zahlen belegen, wie weit die Umwelt durch Fleischverzicht entlastet werden könnte. Die Vegetarier seien daher, betont Karl von Koerber, als "Umweltschützer der ersten Riege" einzuschätzen." Der Autor kommt zu dem Schluß, daß die Erzeugung von Fleisch mehr Resourcen verbraucht und mehr CO2 in die Atmosphäre abgibt als die Erzeugung von Getreide. Folglich sollten die Menschen auf eine ovo-lakto-vegetabile Diät umsteigen. Das sei besser für die Gesundheit der Menschen und das Weltklima.

Woher stammt die andere Hälfte der "ernährungsbedingten Treibhausgase"? Was sind überhaupt "ernährungsbedingte Gase"? (grins! wo die wohl herkommen... und setzt man bei den vielen vegetarischen Böhnchen, die man essen sollte, nicht noch viel mehr Gase frei?)

Vor allem frage ich mich, ob der Autor bedacht hat, wo denn die "ovo-" und "lakto-"Bestandteile der vegetarischen Diät herkommen. Natürlich aus der Viehzucht. "Aus energetischer Sicht ist die Umwandlung pflanzlicher Kost - die der Mensch direkt verzehren könnte - in tierische Produkte eine riesige Ressourcenverschwendung." Leute, eßt mehr Heu und Silage! Wäre es für die Energiebilanz dann nicht besser, sich völlig vegan zu ernähren? Was soll mit den ganzen Hühnern, Kühen, Schafen, Ziegen, usw. geschehen, wenn ihre Zeit des Eierlegens bzw. der Milchproduktion vorüber ist? Man darf sie ja nicht mehr aufessen, also dürfte da ein gewisses Entsorgungsproblem entstehen.

Am Ende des Artikels heißt es u. a., man könne seine persönliche CO2-Bilanz verbessern, wenn man z. b. verstärkt regionale und saisonale Produkte in der Küche verwenden würde. Ein paar Seiten weiter vorn in dem Heftle finden sich die vom Reformhaus empfohlenen (natürlich vegetarischen) Rezepte: Wie saisonal und regional sind im November Zitronengras, Staudensellerie, rote Linsen, Beluga-Linsen, frische Chilischoten, Kokosmilch, Kokoschips, Zedernnusskerne, Limetten, Korianderblättchen, Zucchini? Ich denke, da erübrigt sich jeder Kommentar. In diesem Artikel wird versucht, das Dogma von der gesünderen, ethischeren, irgendwie besseren vegetarische Ernährung mit Zusammenhängen zu untermauern, die nur auf den ersten Blick logisch sind. Die Alternative zur Massentierhaltung ist nicht der tierfreie Bauernhof. Ich bin ja auch nicht gerade glücklich über die Methoden, mit denen unsere Lebensmittel produziert werden. Für mich ist die logische Konsequenz aus dem Zusammenhang von Nahrungsmittelproduktion und Weltklima die Stärkung der nachhaltigen, umwelt- und resourcenschonenden Landwirtschaft ohne Massentierhaltung, wo möglich mit direkter Vermarktung. Und was die Gemüseproduktion in Treibhäusern betrifft: Ich esse zwar im Winter keine Tomaten, möchte allerdings in dieser Jahreszeit nicht nur auf das heimische Angebot beschränkt sein.

1 + 1 = 3?

Beim Einkaufen am Samstag habe ich im Reformhaus die kostenlose Kunden-Zeitschrift "Reformhaus-Kurier" mitgenommen. Ich bin darin auf einen Artikel gestoßen, von dem ich nicht weiß, ob ich ihn lachhaft oder ärgerlich finden soll: "Die Klima-Diät". Es geht darin um die Auswirkungen der modernen Nahrungsmittelproduktion auf das Klima. Zitat: "Die Hälfte der ernährungsbedingten Treibhausgase stammen aus der Landwirtschaft und davon über 80 % aus der Produktion tierischer Nahrungsmittel. Allein diese Zahlen belegen, wie weit die Umwelt durch Fleischverzicht entlastet werden könnte. Die Vegetarier seien daher, betont Karl von Koerber, als "Umweltschützer der ersten Riege" einzuschätzen." Der Autor kommt zu dem Schluß, daß die Erzeugung von Fleisch mehr Ressourcen verbraucht und mehr CO2 in die Atmosphäre abgibt als die Erzeugung von Getreide. Folglich sollten die Menschen auf eine ovo-lakto-vegetabile Diät umsteigen. Das sei besser für die Gesundheit der Menschen und das Weltklima.

Woher stammt dann die andere Hälfte der "ernährungsbedingten Treibhausgase"? Was sind überhaupt "ernährungsbedingte Gase"? (grins! wo die herkommen, weiß eigentlich jedes Kind...)

Vor allem frage ich mich, ob der Autor bedacht hat, wo denn die "ovo-" und "lakto-"Bestandteile der vegetarischen Diät herkommen. Natürlich aus der Viehzucht. "Aus energetischer Sicht ist die Umwandlung pflanzlicher Kost - die der Mensch direkt verzehren könnte - in tierische Produkte eine riesige Ressourcenverschwendung." Leute, eßt mehr Heu... Was soll mit den ganzen Hühnern, Kühen, Schafen, Ziegen, usw. geschehen, wenn ihre Zeit des Eierlegens bzw. der Milchproduktion vorüber ist? Da man ja kein Fleisch mehr ißt, werden sie dann jeweils feierlich auf riesigen Tierfriedhöfen bestattet? Oder in Tierkrematorien verbrannt? Wieviel CO2 wird dabei wohl freigesetzt?

Am Ende des Artikels heißt es u. a., man könne seine persönliche CO2-Bilanz verbessern, wenn man z. b. verstärkt regionale und saisonale Produkte in der Küche verwenden würde. Ein paar Seiten weiter vorn in dem Heftle finden sich die vom Reformhaus empfohlenen (natürlich vegetarischen) Rezepte: Wie saisonal und regional sind Zitronengras, Staudensellerie, rote Linsen, Beluga-Linsen, frische Chilischoten, Kokosmilch, Kokoschips, Zedernnusskerne, Limetten, Korianderblättchen, Zucchini? Ich denke, da erübrigt sich jeder Kommentar.

Oh, übrigens, der Autor von "Die Klima-Diät" ist Dr. Jörg Zittlau, falls ich das aus urheberrechtlichen Gründen angeben sollte.

Food Intolerance???

I have all but given up blogging in Oktober. One of the reasons is quite simple: I have gained a lot of weight, and I am not happy about it. So I took a break from baking. At least I got to shop for new clothes - can't complain about that! I only wish, it weren't clothes in bigger sizes...
And I have some health related issues going on for quite a long time: feeling fatigued, lethargic and depressed nearly all the time, not getting restful sleep, stomach troubles for days on end, dry and itchy skin, various aches and pains - that list could go on and on. Finally, I went to the GP for a check-up. My lab tests came back "normal", my iron status a bit low, but that was to be expected as I had donated blood only recently. Turns out that I am not ill , but why am I feeling lousy? Amazingly, the GP took time for counselling me on a healthier lifestyle with an emphasis on stress-reduction. Amazingly again, he didn't just prescribe anti-depressants. He suggested to start looking for food intolerances, eliminating the most likely allergy-triggers from my diet, starting with wheat and other gluten containing foods. I have been restricting my intake of dairy products for some years as I have noticed frequently, that they don't agree with me all that well. My long list of symptons could be related to wheat or gluten intolerance. They should clear up in the weeks to come if gluten is really the culprit. Well, of course I want to get better. So, starting today, I will avoid gluten-containing foods for the next four weeks. Should I indeed feel better, I am in this for life.

Chocolate Babka

Yesterday started out gray and rainy. It was a holiday, the Day of the German Unity, so I did not need to go to work. But instead of enjoying la dolce far niente I grew restless and bored pretty quickly, feeling shut in by the rain. I decided to distract myself with baking. For a while now I have been wanting to try my hand at the „Chocolate Babka" from „Chocolate and Vanilla" by Gale Gand. An egg-rich, yeasted sweet bread, filled with chocolate and almond paste, rolled up, then twisted around itself and coiled in a snail shell shape in the baking pan - that sounded intriguing. A quick check showed that all ingredients were available. The recipe said „1 tube almond paste". I used marzipan instead, which I bought last Saturday with vague plans of turning the big „Belle de Boskoop" apples I found at the farmers’ market into stuffed baked apples. The recipe also called for only 1 ½ cups flour to be added to the sponge, but that is hardly enough. At this stage the dough was still liquid, much too liquid to be kneaded. So I added easily twice that amount of flour, not measuring, but adding bit by bit until the dough felt just right. I started to worry about the amount of yeast I had used for the sponge. Would it be enough? It was. The dough rose beautifully. I deflated it, rolled it into a more or less rectangular shape and plopped the filling in the middle. Of course it was very difficult to spread evenly. I should have made several little mounds. It would have been far easier to cover all of the surface. Then I rolled and twisted and coiled to my best ability. The outcome looked promising...

After the final resting period I brushed the top of the cake liberally with eggwash (a little cream and an egg yolk mixed together). This step is not mentioned in the recipe, but I wanted the babka to develop a nice, shiny crust. The babka is then baked for about 45 minutes. It smelled heavenly. I could hardly wait for it cool. By the evening the babka had completely vanished (having two teenaged nephews coming over for visiting aka raiding the sweets and dessert supplies tends to do that to cakes!). I never had a babka, chocolate or otherwise, before. So I don’t know if my cake is anything near authentic. But if truth be told I don’t care all that much... It was delicious the way it was!

A Fig Cake for Fall

The very first time I sampled a fresh fig was during a vacation in Croatia, 27 years ago. I have loved them ever since. I remember that I bought myself some figs from my pocket money whenever we went to the market. That was the last vacation I spent camping with my parents. I cannot remember exactly when the first fresh figs turned up here in Germany, but it was not so long ago. Now you can buy them nearly everywhere. When August is ending they start to appear in the produce section of the supermarkets. Mostly they come from Turkey. I buy them as long as they are available (and reasonably priced) and eat them fresh. It never occurred to me to use them in cooking or baking, until I came across SHF #35 hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice. Should I dare to take part, being just an ordinary home baker with a simple camera and a newbie to blogging? But I was intrigued nonetheless, and here is my contribution:

A Fig Cake for Fall
from "Baking - From my home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan

3/4 cup ruby port
1 cup honey, divided
2 thin slices lemon
16 - 20 fresh figs, stemmed and halved
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs, preferably at room tempereatur
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the figs and sauce:
Stir the port and 1/2 cup of honey together in a small saucepan. Toss in the lemon slices and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat, add the figs, cover the pan and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the figs are soft. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the figs to a bowl. Raise the heat and cook the poaching liquid until thickened. Set the sauce aside.

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust the insides with flour, tapping out the excess.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter. Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup honey, add the vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Jiggle the pan from side to side to spread the batter evenly, then scatter the poached figs over the top.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the edges and remove the sides of the pan. Cool the cake to slightly warm or to room temperature before serving it with the sauce.

I had to make some adjustments due to the fact that quite a few of the figs I bought Saturday mysteriously vanished until Sunday... I halved the recipe, and used a 7-inch springform pan. I had no Ruby Port, so I used "Brosek", a sweet, red dessert wine from Croatia (don't even think of comparing it to port - it's red, it's sweet, it's wine, that much they have in common) my parents gave me as a present for looking after their house and garden while they were away on vacation. It is just coincidence that they went to Croatia this year again.
Fiddling with a recipe not always works out, at least for an inexperienced baker like me. How much is 1 1/2 eggs? I used two medium-sized eggs, and the batter was just right. The cake turned out nice and moist, but I do not know if I like the texture of the poached and baked figs. They are a bit grainy. And the cake lacks spice, but I am not sure, which. Cinnamon? I don't think so. Hmm, I have to go and sample another piece...