Regional Recipes

Recipe: Stefan Lünse, Chef, Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort*****, Lenk

INGREDIENTS

1 head of red cabbage, diced

150 g celery, chopped into small cubes

1 potato, grated

2 onions, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 peeled apples, cut into small pieces

200 g cranberries, frozen

500 ml red wine

100 ml cranberry balsamic vinegar

500 ml freshly squeezed apple juice

2 litres vegetable stock

200g unsalted butter

1 clove, ¼ cinnamon stick, ½ vanilla bean, 2 fresh bay leaves, 4 black peppercorns

1 pack glazed chestnuts

PREPARATION

Sauté the vegetables and spices in butter until translucent and deglaze with red wine. Let the alcohol evaporate and infuse with the remaining liquid ingredients. Next bring the broth to the boil and simmer until everything is soft. Now purée the soup with a hand blender until smooth. Finally, season with salt and pass the finished soup through a fine sieve and serve. Garnish the soup with the chestnuts and fresh apple slices.

Recipe: René Mäder, Chef and Owner, Waldhotel Doldenhorn****s, Kandersteg

INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE

600 ml fish stock

200 g sturgeon fillet

200 g trout fillet, preferably an organic salmon trout from Blausee

8 crayfish

30 g carrots, cut into strips

30 g leek, cut into strips

30 g celery, cut into strips

70g unsalted butter, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

6 saffron threads or ground saffron

100 g Rouille sauce (see below for recipe)

PREPARATION

FISH STOCK Add 1 litre of water to the fish bones, bring to a boil and skim. Add the combination of chopped onions, leeks, mushrooms, bay, cloves, parsley, salt and pepper. Leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Then strain everything finely, reduce to half the volume of liquid and add 200 ml of white wine.

FISH SOUP Bring the fish stock to the boil, add the saffron and vegetable strips. Cut the fish into pieces and add this to the boiling stock together with the uncoiled crab tails and poach very briefly. Then remove the fish and crabs from the stock. Add the diced butter to the stock, stirring constantly to enrich the soup. Season with pepper, salt and a little garlic. Be careful not to let it boil any more. Add the poached fish and vegetable strips and serve the soup with slices of toasted bread.

HOW TO MAKE ROUILLE SAUCE INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE

1 egg yolk

125 ml olive oil 1

large garlic clove

1 pinch of ground saffron

2 pinches of paprika and pepper

Whisk one egg yolk and completely mash a large garlic clove. Add 1 pinch of ground saffron, 2 pinches of paprika, 2 pinches of salt and 2 good pinches of pepper. Now add the olive oil bit by bit, beating constantly with a small whisk or fork until the mixture has a creamy consistency.

Recipe: René Mäder, Chef and Owner, Waldhotel Doldenhorn****s, Kandersteg

INGREDIENTS

Clean mountain hay

1/2 celery stick

3 onions 1

leek stem

80g unsalted butter, diced

200 ml double cream

Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

Bring 1 litre of water to the boil and add fresh, clean mountain hay. Allow this to brew for 3 minutes as if it were tea and then strain the stock for later. Discard the cooked hay.

In a second saucepan, sauté the cubes of celery, onion and the leek in butter until translucent. Then add the hay stock and reduce the volume of liquid by half. Purée with a hand blender, add the cream according to taste and strain through a fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Recipe: Nico Seiler, Chef and Owner, Hotel Alfa Soleil***, Kandersteg

INGREDIENTS

100 g root vegetables, diced

50 g bacon, cubed

2 shallots, chopped

400 g cooked sauerkraut

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium-sized potato, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

500 ml white wine

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock 1 bay leaf 1 clove

To finish:

200 ml double cream

Salt, pepper, nutmeg

PREPARATION

Melt the butter. Sauté the root vegetables, shallots, garlic and bacon until translucent. Add the sauerkraut and steam. Add the potato, white wine, stock and spices, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season to taste. Purée the soup ingredients and strain through a sieve. Bring the soup to the boil again, add the double cream and season again if necessary.