Dumplings-don't freak out

[shootingstar]

I really did eat the plates of food in last 2 photos featured here while I was in Europe.

That's why it is important for me to have an "active" vacation, cycling, walking tons or in winter, snowshoeing.

[shootingstar]

And Czech cuisine didn't offer much veggie. Not even spargel (white asparagus). Shockingly in some places, there was boiled, over-salted spinach on the side. Just to me, strange: spinach just needs to be lightly sauteed. Never boiled to death.

What we did eat for veggie dishes was not Czech. More Italian: Mozarella bococini with fresh tomato slices and basil in abit of olive oil dressing.

[katherine]

Mmmmmmmm dumplings

[badger]

I miss eating those dumplings. My mother used to make goulasch with dumplings, and my all-time favourite was dumplings with plum inside. We'd put bread crumbs and whipped cream over them. She'd make the dumplings out of cottage cheese *drool*

[Crankin]

Yea, I loved our tour in the Czech Republic, but the food was terrible. We made up for it in Austria.

[OakLeaf]

Ha, we ate terrible in Austria too, except for the macrobiotic place on the ring in Vienna.

So far in our travels nothing holds a candle to Emilia-Romagna, although we ate pretty well in Trento and Trieste as well.


I love gnocchi.... and the strozzapreti dumplings are just to die for.

[Crankin]

By terrible, I guess i meant not appetizing, not necessarily unhealthy! At least in Austria there were good restaurants of all types of varieties. Yes, the food was rich and not what I would always eat at home, but it was good. I never care too much about what I eat on a bike tour or any vacation for that matter.
I am not sure where the best food was; Andalusia or Siena.

[Eden]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH dumplings run for your life....

(sorry I couldn't resist )

(but in the case of strozzapreti - if you are a priest at least, you better look out ((priest stranglers ))

[shootingstar]

Returning back for oxygen for dumpling chat. Was in throes of writing up my spin on Copenhagen impressions..not sure where it will be released. Long story behind this..

I understand that Austrian cuisine is similar to German. I wasn't long enough in Austria to sample enough (was there for 1 day) nor do I remember (it was 20yrs. ago.) At that time, my palate was not as "developed" as now.

Badger, I haven't tried dumpling with plum inside. But it sounds real good.
I love goulash...as long as the cook does not use ketchup.

My partner makes dumpfnudel occasionally. I don't know how to make it. In that photo, he's using a pan that didn't quite work which we ended up with some burnt-bottomed dumpfnudel.

Nor have I learned how to make Chinese bao yet.

But in southern Germany, there were some restaurants with reasonable prices and lighter/healthier dishes. Which is why we were dismayed in Copenhagen. Expensive pricing and hard to find healthy Danish food.

For big North American cities: we are VERY lucky for the sheer diversity of cuisines and choice that we have. And I say this, even after visiting some European cities that are heavily visited by tourists. I didn't realize how moderate to high quality North American restaurants do try different things for various dishes--either successful or not. But at least they try. Here, we are also accustomed to dynamic fusion cooking --particularily East-West much more successfully done.

Just to illustrate: i saw the menu of dearie's cousin's restaurant. He runs a inn-restaurant in Black Forest region. (We didn't visit it this time.) The restaurant has been reviewed well in German to Germans. But I thought the menu..looked ho-hum. Dearie, thought so too. His establishment would be catering to people with higher incomes but probably "conservative" in palate.

[badgercat]

Those dumplings look like the ones my grandma used to make. Her ancestors hailed from Bohemia; my grandfather's from Poland. So I'm used to eating like Czech-Polish-American fusion at holidays with my mom's side of the family. Dumplings and sauerkraut and kielbasa... and kolacky and listy for dessert... yummmmmmy. There were many Eastern European influenced restaurants and grocers to be found in the Chicago area where I grew up, but not so much in Tucson, AZ where I live now, so I miss the food. I have some of my grandma's recipes, but I'll never be able to make the food taste as good as she did.

[OakLeaf]

By terrible, I guess i meant not appetizing, not necessarily unhealthy! At least in Austria there were good restaurants of all types of varieties. Yes, the food was rich and not what I would always eat at home, but it was good. I never care too much about what I eat on a bike tour or any vacation for that matter.
I am not sure where the best food was; Andalusia or Siena.

No, that's what I meant, too. We didn't get any food in Vienna that tasted good, aside from at the macrobiotic place. I'm just not a fan of Viennese tortes.

[shootingstar]

Not all dumplings are "bad".

But adjusting any recipe to make it healthier does require some experimentation..which alot of us don't have time all the time. My mother did create a lighter bao that wasn't just whole wheat (abit low on flavour) but less dense, less thick in texture compared to what one sees in Chinatown. This experimentation was all part of her whole gradual transition to cooking healthier Chinese food for family over....last 30 yrs.

My partner's mother also did some major changes to healthier recipe versions for traditional German dishes in the remaining 40 yrs. of her life. Unlike the steretypical heavy German cooking, her dishes had a "lighter" texture, less fat, less sugar, etc.

Though I cannot make bao nor the multitude of other dim sum varieties at this time, at least I do prepare happily, home Chinese dishes that are healthy but are grounded in tradition..probably for centuries...BUT not often served in Chinese restaurants.

So these recipes (not written down anywhere. Just learned at my mother's elbow as a teen.) will be part of my cooking DNA, past and present cooking --forever.

Badgercat, badger hope you find a way to keep and cook 1-2 of your favourite recipes, adjusted to your liking.

[shootingstar]

I'm just not a fan of Viennese tortes.

Ahhh, I have fond memories dearie's mother's homemade tortes. She did 6-layer hazelnut torte with coffee topping. It wasn't a frosting. Her layers were thin. She did alot of other different types of tortes. Filling in between should be thin, delicately made, etc.

His mother took cooking courses at some technical school and learned the science of baking. She made up all kinds of variations. Just incredible.

A properly made torte is not sweet cloying nor heavy in taste.

My partner is influenced by his mother's baking (she died a few yrs ago.). No, he doesn't make tortes but does make up desserts ..compotes, mousse and invents a whipping cream whipped with abit of white riesling wine. It's a great way to use up leftover white wine. His mother used to do this whipping cream variation.

Lovely.

[badger]

my mouth is watering just reading the posts in this thread.

It's been yonks since I've been in Austria, but what I remember the most is the lack of fresh vegetables (ok, vegetables, period), and the amazing desserts. And damn fine sausages. I also remember those liver dumpling consomme soups. I hate liver, but for whatever reason I loved those dumplings; it had a really nice after taste.

[OakLeaf]

None of the tortes I sampled were heavy or overly sweet.

I don't know, my mother and sister thought they were fantastic.

I just thought they were too dry. Like eating corrugated cardboard (no, they weren't tough, very delicate in fact, and the flavors were subtle and good; just the general texture and moisture level).

They all seemed to be the same way. Viennese style tortes my dad has made - and he's a pretty awesome amateur pastry chef - have come out the same way.

I just don't like them. I think objectively they were very well done.