Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Switzerland

With four official languages in Switzerland here goes:

Bonsoir,
Buonasera,
Guten Abend,
Buna saira.....this is Switzerland calling!

1956 Lugano, Switzerland is when Eurovision all began but our story begins in Zürich in 2011.

I have previously mentioned that the dishes in Chow Down to Eurovision are an homage or link, sometimes remote link to the featured country rather than an official national dish.

So instead of Switzerland presenting chocolate as they did last year, I have been inspired by an Australian themed restaurant AB and I dined at in Zürich. The menu is actually quite hilarious with probably the flavours of Thailand or India rather than Australia, but as Pat Benatar once said, we are young and have been influenced.

Before we head to perusing the menu, let's go back to when Eurovision was young and the first ever winner Lys Assia with Refrain.

 

Bless you Lys you are the start of wonderful things to come!

 

Australia in Switzerland

I suspect they mean bush whacker rather than packer!

 Nothing scream Australia like Thai red curry!
 

 

Possibly not authentic indigenous art?

 

 

 Am I on the set of Rush?

I understand how the whole of Ireland must feel about Irish Pubs!

 

I have gone though my travel blog archive to find my reaction at the time:

"Strewth cobber, what the blazers am I doing in an Australian themed drinking and eating type establishment.

My butch is through the roof with the waiter's Swiss French German lisp I just chuck in a few " yeah I'll have the coopers mate, ta beutie" (spit) oh for a pack of winnie red.

The soundtrack is Let's Go Disco volume 2... We are family, the hustle, I will survive. It's like I'm at the Broken Hill mardi gras!

Dessert menu no pavlova? I think this might more Austrian than Australian. Btw the Prime Minster favourite dish....ostrich! I'm ready to belt at a bit of cold chisel....cheap wine and a three way grope."

One thing that was so obviously missing from the menu was a prawn...sorry shrimp on the barbie???? Not a single one......never fear I have fixed that with "Australian" (Thai) flavours.

Prawns with Devil's Butter Sauce (inspired by the chicken breast with either angel or devil butter)
Ingredients

• 500g green prawn cutlets tail on
• 1-2 cups plain flour
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying
• 60g butter
• 2-3 long red chilli chopped
• 1 red onion chopped (small)
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• Zest and juice of lime
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/4 cup cream or coconut cream
• 1/2 bunch coriander chopped

Method

• Make the sauce
• In a saucepan on low heat melt the butter
• Sweat the onions, chilli and garlic without browning the onions
• Add the chopped stems of coriander
• Add lime, sugar, fish sauce and combine
• Add cream and whisk
• Adjust seasons......(pinch more sugar, drop more lime or fish sauce)
• Serve in a bowl for dipping
• In a large bowl season the flour with salt and pepper (lots)
• Coat the prawns in the flour
• If the prawns are wet, it makes the flour form little bits of batter for added texture. To avoid this and have smooth prawns, pat them dry before coating
• Fry in hot oil for 1-2minutes till prawn is cooked
• Let the prawns drain in a colander over a bowl
• Sprinkle with extra salt and pepper
• Serve with the sauce and sprinkling of coriander

 

I imagine Sebalter could do well with Hunter of Stars as a handsome young fella on stage fiddling usually gets a fairytale response from the Eurovision crowd.
 

Will he make it through to the final and follow in the foot steps of Lys Assia, or be more like DJ BoBo when the vampire were alive but non qualifying?

Viel Gluck!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Switzerland

It's time to get your hair in plaits and climb the Alps we're in Switzerland. I looked back to the time AB and I spent in Zurich for inspiration for this post but the thing that was most prominent in my mind was ginger tea.

 We made the scenically breathtaking train ride from Milano to Zurich on a train so technologically advanced it adjusted it's height and angle for maximum comfort and truly made me feel horrendously ill.
I've never had travel sickness even remotely, give me turbulence or rough sea I love it, but something about this train did not agree with me.
While the earth was spinning in the passenger lounge I saw they had bags of fancy first class ginger tea on offer, remembering that ginger was supposed to help travel sickness I glugged and glugged away. Thankfully we had already done Zurich so this was a return transit stop with a few hours to kill before our night train to Amsterdam.
I'm not sure if there is an implied limit to the amount you should consume in a first class lounge type situation but let's just say there may have been several tea bags that were a what I call "take away", others may say stolen.

 

Unfortunately there was a tiny bit of petty theft during the Zurich trip, no we weren't mugged we were the robbers! We went to a corner café and ordered the "mega" schnitzel which probably should have been called large but not that size matters and as we waited we nibbled on the basket of bread. The set up was long tables with a group of people at either end.
As I looked around checking out the other customers to absorb the culture I noticed ours was the only table with bread on it.
I actually believe we may have been eating the left overs from the people at the other end of the table and they were too polite to say anything.

Our other meals in Zurich didn't offer much help either as they ranged from Chinese and kebabs to a night at an Australian themed pub that was an hilarious stereotype of an Aussie outback pub straight from the set of Crocodile Dundee but with flamboyant Priscilla Queen of the Desert camp waiters.

We also got to visit the Lindt factory in Zurich, now when I say visit I mean went to the onsite shop they don't actually do tours. They do however do samples and again there was no designated limit!
Today's recipe was inspired by their chocolate parfait but has had a don't boil the sauce makeover.

With regards to Eurovision, Switzerland is regarded  the birth place after hosting and being the first winner in 1956. The wonderful Lys Assia was the first winner and has since competed multiple times and in several languages with my favourite being Giorgio from 1958. Lys was going to attend this year's Eurovision but is currently in hospital for severe pneumonia. Get well soon Lys see you at Eurovision 2014.

Chocolate Parfait with Chillied Almonds
Ingredients

• 200g 70% dark chocolate
• 600ml thickened cream
• 2 eggs
• 100g caster sugar
• 75g slivered almonds
• 1-2 tsp. chilli powder

 

Method

• Spray fry pan with spray oil to help coat the almonds
• Add almonds and chilli powder and toast over low heat making sure almonds are coated
• Remove from heat
• Break chocolate into small pieces in a bowl
• Gentle heat 250ml of the cream in a saucepan to just below boiling
• Add the hot cream to the chocolate and stir till melted
• In a mixing bowl beat eggs and sugar with electric beaters till fluffy and thicker
• Add to this mix the remaining cream and chocolate mixture and beat to combine
• Add the almonds and stir through
• Pour into a thin loaf mould lined with cling wrap
• Freeze over night or at least 6-7 hours
• Remove from freezer for about 10-15 mins prior to serving to help unmold
• Cut into slices or lock the door and get a spoon!
• Optional serve with raspberry gravel, soil, confetti depending on what you want to call it. Nothing fancy here just a 300g bag of frozen raspberry crushed with a meat tenderiser
• You could also leave out the chilli and/or the almonds if you prefer 

Takasa will there luck in Sweden with You and Me as long as they are clear on who owns the bread I'm sure they'll do fine.

Viel Glück!