1. Menu in two courses (Pogaron soup and lamb ragout)

Hans Maurer, Zürich

1. Potato, garlic + lemon soup (Pogaron soup)

• 1 kg potatoes (organic)
• 2 large chopped onions (organic)
• 12 garlic cloves (organic)
• 150 ml half cream (organic)
• grated rind of 1/2 lemon (organic)
• olive oil (organic)
• 1 liter vegetable stock (organic)
• spices: 2 t cumin, 1 - 4 chillis (as you like it)

Fry the onions over a moderate heat until soft. Cut potatoes and pound the cumin. Add potatoes and cumin to the onions and fry on a high heat for 3 minutes. Add stock and well pounded chillis. Cook until potatoes are soft. Purée the potato mixture slightly but not for too long or it will go slimy. Add half cream and lemon grind. Slice garlic cloves and fry in olive oil until light brown. Stir garlic into the soup mixture.

2. Dizzy lamb with barleyotto and lettuce

dizzy lamb:

• 600 g lamb cuts, off the bone (organic, if available)
• mustard (organic)
• 300 ml red wine (organic)
• 2 medium sized apples, cut in halves (organic)
• 20 peppermint leaves
• 5 laurel leaves
• 1 heaped T concentrated pear juice spread
• 2 t vegetable stock (organic)
• 1 t salt

Coat lamb with mustard and fry. Put lamb in pressure cooker, mix with 200 ml wine and 200 ml water, add stock, peppermint leaves, laurel leaves, apples and pear juice spread. Cook for 20 minutes in pressure cooker. Add remaining wine. Season with salt and pepper.

barleyotto:

• 400 g barley (organic)
•  2 medium sized onions (organic)
• 40 g butter (organic)
• 300 g carrots
• vegetable stock (organic)

Soak barley overnight. Fry onions lightly until soft. Add barley, carrots, stock and 600 ml water in a pot und cook for about 30 minutes.

lettuce:

• 12 medium sized lettuce leaves (organic)
• butter (organic)
• 1 t salt
• 1 piece of nutmeg flower (to buy in an Asian shop)

Fry lettuce lightly in butter until yellow-brown (more yellow than brown!). Pulverize salt and nutmeg flower and mix with lettuce. Season with pepper.

2. Vegan menu of three courses (lame chicory, tofu and courgette stew, rice, apple compote)

Hans Maurer, Zürich

1. Lame chicory

• chicory rosso (organic)
• olive oill (organic)
• aceto balsamico (organic)
• salt, pepper

Cut the chicory rosso into horizontal 1 cm wide stripes and fry in olive oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm. Place the vinegar on the table, so that each guest can use when desired.

2. Tofu and courgette stew, rice

Tofu and courgette stew:

• 300 g marinated tofu (organic); if marinated tofu is not available: marinate natural tofu in Soja Sauce; mix 1 T moderate mustard and lemon juice in bowl. Combine Soja Sauce with mixture. Place tofu in the mixture and leave to marinate for 1 day in refrigerator. In an emergency: stand for 10 minutes.
• 600 g courgettes (organic)
• 1 medium sized apple (organic)
• 1 large onion (organic)
• salt, pepper (organic)

Preparation: Slice courgettes, cut tofu in cubes, chop onion, cut apples (remove core) into small pieces.

Place onions in skillet and fry. After softening, add tofu and fry. Once the tofu is lightly browned add pieces of apple and courgette. Season with salt and pepper.

Rice:

• 350 g rice (organic)
• 1 T cumin

Place rice and cumin in a large pan of water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until soft. Energy saving method of rice cooking: bring to boil, turn off the heat, wait a moment and then place the lid on the pot. After about 30 minutes the rice will be cooked. Place Soja Sauce on the table, for each guest to season at their own discretion.

3. Apple compote with nuts

• 600 g apples (organic), most suitable are apples with plenty of acids, as for instance Boskop
• 1 heaped T concentrated pear juice spread
• 60 g peeled walnuts (organic)

• cinnamon

Cut apples in pieces (for young apples, use unpeeled; peal older fruits). Mix pear juice concentrate with 50 ml water and add to compote. Simmer for 10 minutes. Chop nuts and roast slightly in skillet. Strew nuts over apple compote. Serve hot.

3. Vegetarian Menu in two courses (Armer Schlucker I and II)

Hans Maurer, Zürich

1. Armer Schlucker I ("Armer Schlucker" means "poor man")

• leftovers of cooked vegetable from previous day (organic)
• 200 g fine noodles (organic)
• 2 large chopped onions (organic)
• 8 garlic cloves (organic)
• 1 T olive oil or sunflower oil (organic)
• 150 ml half cream (organic)
• 2 T Thai red currypaste (buy in an Asian shop)
• freshly pulverized cumin
• salt or vegetable stock

2. Poor Schlucker II (apple rösti)

• 1 kg apples (organic)
• 300 g old bread (organic), cut into cubes
• 300 ml milk water (100 ml warm water, 200 ml milk)
• 2 eggs (organic)
• 1 T butter (organic)
• salt
  
• 2 EL concentrated pear juice spread
• 3 EL raisins (organic)
• cinnamon
• 4 carnations
  

Pulverize cinnamon and carnations (mortar). Mix eggs in milk water. Add bread cubes and leave to soak. Cut apples into slices (younger apples unpeeled, older fruits peeled). Melt butter in skillet. Add soaked bread cubes in Skillet. Add apple slices, pear juice concentrate and raisins and stir well. Add a pinch of salt. Mix in cinnamon and carnation powder. Fry mixture until light. Serve hot.

Tip: Serve together with slightly sweetened sour milk or vanilla yoghurt.

4. Fish-Menü in two courses (carp spread and apple compote with streusel)

Hans Maurer, Zürich

1. Carp with potatoes and carrots

carp:

• 800 g carp on the bone, gutted (organic)
• 1 large onion (organic)
• 3 T coarsely ground mustard seeds (mortar)
• 2 T lemon juice (organic)
• 200 ml strong white wine
• 20 sage leaves
• olive oil (organic)
• salt, pepper

Preparation: rinse carp with water and dry with household paper. Mix ground mustard seeds with 2 T lukewarm water and pepper to a mash and let stand for 30 minutes (thus the mustard aroma develops). Chop onion. Cut sage (easiest is with scissors). Mix wine and lemon juice.

Coat carp with mustard mixture. Strew a little salt on the carp. Fry carp in olive oil over a medium heat. After 3 minutes of frying add sage and onions. Roast the carp until the meat separates easily from the fishbones. As soon as the carp is done, add lemon juice/wine mixture and simmer for another 3 minutes. Serve hot.

potato carrots:

• 800 g potatoes (organic)
• 400 g carrots (organic)
• 2 pulverized pieces of nutmeg flowers (mortar)
• butter
• salt

Peel potatoes and carrots and cut into pieces. Place potatoes and carrots in a pressure cooker and add nutmeg flowers and 1 T salt. Cook for about 10 minutes. Pour out water. Melt butter over the potato carrots

2. Apple compote with Streusel

• 600 g of apples (organic), best are apples with plentiful acid, e.g. Boskop
• 1 EL concentrated pear juice spread
• approx. 3 T flour (organic)
• 40 g butter (organic)
• cinnamon

Cut apples into pieces (younger apples unpeeled; older fruits peeled). Add pear juice concentrate and 50 ml water. Bring compote to boil.

Preparation of the streusel: melt butter in skillet, slowly add small quantities of flour to it, until mixture achieves a crumbly consistency. Fry light brown (caution, not on highest temperature). Strew streusel over apple compote. Serve hot.

5. Mother Maurer's best chocolate cake

Hans Maurer, Zürich. The recipe for the chocolate cake originates from Mrs. Wepfer, home economics and domestic science teacher in Zürich, who teached my mother to cook and bake in 1957. Mrs. Wepfer advised the teenage girls to serve this cake, when the potential mother in law visits the household of her potential daughter in law. With whipped cream on the cake, the mother in law would in any case accept the engagement.

• 200 g black chocolate (organic, if available)
• 4 T freshly brewed espresso coffee (organic)
• 260 g butter (organic)
• 360 g white flour (organic)
• 300 g sugar (organic)
• 6 eggs (organic)
• salt

Preparation: separate egg yolks from egg whites. Add a pinch salt to egg white and whip until stiffly beaten. Place chocolate, coffee and butter in a pan and melt mixture over a low heat. Allow to cool until lukewarm. Beat egg yolks until fluffy. Fold egg yolks into chocolate mixture.

Strew a layer of flour on chocolate mixture and spread a layer of stiffly beaten egg white over the flour. Repeat until all of the flour and egg white have been used (about twice). Fold layers of flour and egg white under the chocolate mixture until homogenous brown. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes. The cake is ready, if no chocolate sticks to the knitting needle. Allow to cool before serving.

Tip: Serve with whipped cream (see above).

6. Menu surprise in three courses (vegetarian)

Hans Maurer, Zürich

1. Crazy starter

• 2 thin slices of wholewheat bread, cut into 4 pieces each (organic)
• raspberry marmalade (organic)
• butter (organic)
• pepper-mill

The cook brings the ingredients to the waiting guests and keeps silent during the whole procedure. The cook takes his seat and spreads the pieces of bread with butter and marmalde. Last he mills a good pinch pepper on the spread and hands the pieces out to the guests.

For drinks a muscat (organic) or fruity white wine (organic) is suitable.

2. Chili con Austernetti, Pea-Picata and maize with herbs

Chili con Austernetti:

• 700 g courgettes (organic)
• 200 g oyster mushrooms (organic), from mushroom farm
• 1 large chopped onion (organic)
• 150 ml half cream (organic)
• chilis (freshly pulverized)
• 3 T sweet (!) paprika powder
• butter (organic)
• salt

Fry onion in butter until light brown. Cut courgettes into small cubes and mushrooms into strips of 1 cm. Add courgettes and mushrooms to onions. Season with salt and paprika and fry until courgettes are soft. Season with chilli-powder as you like it. Add cream and 50 ml water.

Pea-Picata:

• 600 g peas (organic)
• 50 g breadcrumps
• 3 eggs (organic)
• 50 g Parmesan cheese(organic)
• 2 t freshly pulverized black cumin (Kala Jera)
• salt
• olive oil (organic)

Cook peas with 200 ml water for 6 minutes. Pour out water and purée peas (pass through a sieve or use a purée-device). Cool down purée until lukewarm. Add breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmesan and black cumin. Season with salt and stir well. Let stand for 10 minutes. Form discs of 8 cm diameter and 1.5 cm thickness. Fry discs in skillet with olive oil, on both sides until light brown. Place Picatas in oven (low heat) to keep warm.

maize with herbs:

• 300 g Polenta-maize (organic)
• 500 ml milk (organic)
• 1 bunch of herbs (e.g. parsley, chervil or sage (organic)
• vegetable stock

Cook maize in milk and 700 ml water, seasoned with vegetable stock. Chop herbs finely and add to the cooked maize.

Tip: Serve with a medium strong red wine (organic) from Italy.

3. Grape pie (dessert)

• 800 g white or red dessert grapes (organic)
• 3 freshly pulverized carnations
• 4 t sugar (organic)
• 30 g vegetable setting agent (e.g. pectin or agar agar)
• pastry (no yeast), round or square (organic)
• 500 g beans (to weigh down the pastry; beans can be used again)
• 100 ml whipped cream (organic)

Line pie-tin with baking paper. Place pastry in tin. Prick air-wholes in pastry with a fork. Weigh down pastry with beans. Bake blind in the oven at 200°C for 10 minutes. Remove beans.

Cut grapes into halves and remove seeds. Add sugar and pulverized carnations and cook for 6 minutes. Add the setting agent, allow to cool down somewhat and place the raisin mixture into the baked pieform. Serve warm.

Give every guest a large dollop of whipped cream on her/his piece of pie.

Tips: Serve with hot cereal coffee (organic) mixed with 1 t cacao (organic) per cup. Instead of grapes plums (damson) can be used.

7. Kiss of an Indian Boy/Girl (vegetarian)

Hans Maurer, Zürich

My best Dal:

• 300g red lentils (organic)
• 1 large chopped onion (organic)
• 5 chopped garlic cloves (organic)
• 1 heaped T freshly pulverized Panch Puren spice mixture. Panch Puren consists of: cumin (25%), fenue greek (25%), wild onion seeds (25%), mustard seeds (25%)
• 5 corns of Sezchuan-pepper, freshly mortared
• olive oil (organic)
• vegetable stock (organic)
• 100 ml half cream (organic)
• 50 g raisins (organic)

Place onion, garlic and Panch Puren spice mixture in a skillet and fry in oilve oil until light brown. Add 700 ml water, lentils, pulverized Sezchuan-pepper, raisins and vegetable stock. Cook until lentils are soft. Add cream and stir.

Hot Spinach:

• 1 large chopped onion (organic)
• 600 g spinach (organic)
• 1 heaped T thai red currypaste (buy in an Asian shop)
• vegetable stock (organic)
• butter (organic)
• 100 ml cream (organic)
• salt

Slightly fry onions in butter. Add spinach and 100 ml water. Cook until spinach is done. Add currypaste, season. Add cream and stir.

Saffron-cauliflower:

• 1 cauliflower (organic)
• saffron, 2 servings
• salt
• 1 T lemon juice (organic)
• butter (organic)

Cut cauliflower into pieces and place into pressure cooking pot. Add lemon juice, saffron, 1 t of salt and 300 ml water. Cook for 6 minutes. Pour out water. Place small pieces of butter over cauliflower shortly before serving.

Peppermint Yoghurt (sauce):

• 300 natural yoghourt (organic)
• 2 T lemon juice (organic)
• 1 apple (organic), finely chopped
• 1 pinch of vanilla
• 20 peppermint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 pinch salt, pulverised (mortar)

Mix yoghurt with other ingredients and allow to stand in fridge for 15 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice (organic) and green tea (organic).

8. Plain scones

Rachel Walker, England

Makes 8

• 225g Self raising white flour (bio) (or plain flour if not available)
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 tsp Baking powder (2 tsp if using plain flour)
• 40g Butter (bio)
• ca 150ml Milk (bio)
• Milk to glaze (optional)
• Icing sugar for dusting (bio) (optional)

1. Sift flour, salt + baking powder into bowl.
2. Rub in butter, using your fingertips, until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Add milk - stir in sufficient for a soft, light dough
4. Turn on to a lightly floured board + gently roll the dough to approx 2cm thick
5. Cut into rounds with a 6cm plain cutter
6. Place on to buttered baking sheet + brush tops with milk (optional)
7. Bake in preheated oven, 220°C / 425°F/ Gas mark 7, circa 10 minutes, until golden + well risen
8. Cool on wire rack + dust tops with icing sugar (optional)
9. Serve warm, split and filled with jam and cream*

Variations:
Cheese scones
50g Grated cheese (bio) (parmesan/sbrinz/mature cheddar etc),
2 tsp Herbs (e.g. caraway, fennel seed)
1 tsp Mustard

- Stir all above w/. flour before adding milk

Fruit scones
50g Raisins/dates/currents etc.

- Stir w/. flour before adding milk

* Traditionally, plain scones are served with strawberry jam and a rich dolloping of clotted cream, from South West England. Pure debauchery! If you don't live there, the closest substitute I've found for the clotted cream is Mascarpone cheese
Enjoy!!