an ode to kartoffelpuffer

Oh, German potato pancakes! I love them so. There are plenty of bad ones out there, but the ones at this one stand at the Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt were consistently tasty: crisp and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, flecked with bits of onion, served with an excellent garlic quark (similar to Greek yogurt). I may have eaten a few more than I needed to (at three a serving when they're close to the size of my hand, it's easy to see how this might happen), but that only means I'll be able to survive until the next time I get them a little bit better, since I am sure not craving them right now. (During Christmas market season, it was a near-constant gnawing in the stomach.) They're particularly good with a little hot sauce, as we discovered when we brought along Frank's and Tabasco. And of course they're best of all when eaten while dressed as Santa. Till next time, Kartoffelpuffer!

frankfurt winter

  
Some things I did in Frankfurt in December before heading to NYC and Virginia for Christmas:

+ visited the Christmas market many times

+ saw a roller skating Christmas tree at Galeria Kaufhof

+ had fabulous fondue at Tatjana and Joachim's (and learned about the Swiss tradition of having to take a shot of Kirchwasser for every piece of bread you drop . . . it was not long before people were throwing pieces of bread into the fondue pot on purpose)

+ hung out at the Anglo Irish, a.k.a. the smokiest bar in Sachsenhausen

+ had lovely appetizers and Feuerzangenbowle

2013 resolutions

I started out this post with a list of 18 things that I wanted to absolutely definitely do in 2013, which is . . . kind of a lot. Let's try again, with four.

1. Run a marathon.
In high school my assistant track coach told me he was convinced I was going to run a marathon someday, and I basically laughed in his face. And now I've got two half marathons on the schedule for 2013 already (Gran Canaria on January 20th and Frankfurt on March 10th) and have figured I may as well accept my fate. Pretty much the only questions I've got are: when and where? I'm thinking fall, but the location is TBD.

2. Learn calligraphy.
I did not quite get my act together enough to buy myself the supplies and coursework for the I Still Love Calligraphy class by Melissa Esplin, which was my original plan for Big Thing I Want for Christmas 2012. I've been obsessed with stationery and hand lettering for ages, and am excited to get into developing my own calligraphy practice.

3. Complete the first draft of a novel.
This was a goal last year, too, and I didn't precisely set myself up for success by putting it off until NaNoWriMo in Novemeber -- when I was also already training for a half marathon five times a week. I like the NaNoWriMo concept, and am going to be picking a different month to give it another go this year.

4. Move.
I'll consider this resolution satisfied if I'm living in a different apartment this time next year, but really the goal is not to move for the sake of moving so much as it is to be moving forward. I've been in the same apartment for not quite three years, and in addition to being physically stationary I'm feeling stagnant.

From the original list of 18, some other stuff I would just plain like to do this year:

* go on another Weinwanderung * continue the hunt for the world's most magnificent beaches * be more conscious of my spending * prioritize swimming for exercise * add speedwork and strength training into my running routine * go on a wine weekend in the Pfalz * concentrate on people photography

Current travel plans on the agenda:

+ Gran Canaria with Stephen - January 19-23
+ ski trip to the Innsbruck, Austria area with friends - late February
+ Kelley visitation to Frankfurt or elsewhere - late March
+ Mom visitation to Frankfurt or elsewhere - spring, maybe?
+ Conor's college graduation in Vermont & some time in Stone Harbor - late May/early June

drei weihnachtsmänner

Have you ever heard of SantaCon? I hadn't until two weeks ago, when Stephen brought to my attention that we should try to get one together in Frankfurt. What is SantaCon, you might ask? Dressing as Santa and going around town drinking/eating/making merry, naturally. We were a little last-minute about it all and so didn't achieve the heroic numbers of some other Santa events, but we and our friend Jill still got plenty of delightful comments. Particular favorites: "Three Santas? I thought there was only one!" and "But Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day) was two days ago!" -- because clearly Santa only appears in public on one day in Germany, the land of Very Specific Traditions. Fun things to do while dressed as Santa: drink Glühwein, take pictures with your adoring public, eat Kartoffelpuffer, ride a carousel, be turned away at the door of a bar (!), go to a different bar and lend the bartender your Santa beard so he can terrorize his coworkers. Pretty solid work for just three Santas.

capri II: water

     
Capri might not have beaten out Cala Gonone and environs for the most gorgeous water I have ever seen in my life, but it made a valiant effort. Careers I would not mind one bit: the hunt for the place with the most beautiful sea water.

capri I: land

  
Parts of three days on Capri was just about right, especially since I went swimming every one of them. Neither Capri nor Positano knocked Sardinia out of my "favorite part of the Italian coast" slot, but as you'll see in the next post, Capri's coastline made for a nice runner up.

Capri Town and Anacapri were both a little too posh for my taste (with the prices to match!), but Lonely Planet really came through for us on one restaurant recommendation: Buca di Bacco, on a tiny medieval lane just off the main square in Capri Town. The smoked mozzarella and sweet peppers pasta (pictured above, short tube pasta topped with basil) was so good that after going for dinner we immediately went back the next day for more, AND I inquired after the list of ingredients. I still haven't perfected a home version of the recipe, but give me time.

This is where we stayed, by the way: La Minerva. It was delightful. How delightful, you ask? They folded our pajamas and left us a rose on the bed, together with a copy of their hotel daily news. That delightful.

*

Edit, Sept. 5, 2013: I more or less nailed the home version of the smoked mozzarella and sweet peppers pasta the other night. Recipe follows.

Smoked Mozzarella & Sweet Peppers Pasta

4 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
3 bell peppers, roughly chopped (we used 1 each of red, yellow, green)
1 cup heavy cream (we used soy cream)
1 ball smoked mozzarella, grated (seems to be sold in a standard size, at least in Germany -- approx. 1/2 lb.? this looks about right, in terms of size/price)
salt to taste
optional: liquid smoke to taste
1/2 lb. pasta of your choice (we used spirals)

If you haven't already, before you start cooking, chop your onions and peppers.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft (approx. 15 minutes), stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. While onions and peppers are cooking, grate the mozzarella cheese.

Once onions and peppers are soft, remove frying pan from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer onions and peppers to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth (should not take long). The mixture should appear quite thick.

Return onions-and-peppers puree to frying pan and cook until warmed through. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and mix well, adding more to taste until it hits a consistency you like.

Begin adding grated mozzarella in small handfuls, mixing well until each handful of cheese is melted before adding more. Once all of the cheese is melted, taste the sauce and add salt to taste. If you feel it could use a little more smoky flavor, add liquid smoke (one or two squirts of a spray bottle or up to 1/2 tsp. should do the trick) and mix well.

Add drained pasta to sauce and stir until well mixed. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.