Swiss Connection Ltd

01/04/2015

Great autumn specials are now available. Get your grill for this autumn and winter season now: www.swissconnection.co.nz

Tasty Simple Delicious. Just plug it in and it will be ready in minutes, anyone can do it! Cooking has never been easier! Our mission is to introduce new European flavours using a quick and easy cooking style to Kiwis.

17/12/2014

Take advantage of our great Christmas offers and treat your friends or family with a gift that will keep on giving. It's perfect to celebrate these very special family meals.

www.swissconnection.co.nz

17/12/2014

It's this time of the year when biscuit baking becomes a lot more meaningful:

"Spitzbuben":

250 g butter, soft
125 g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
1 fresh egg white, lightly whisked with fork
350 g flour

Mix butter in a bowl until soft. Add icing sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and beat until colour is light. Add egg white and flour and form to a though using a ladle/scoop. Cover and cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Take dough out of fridge about 30 mins before you want to start with biscuits. Kneed a bit on a surface sprinkled with flour until dough is soft and manageable. Roll it out about 2 mm thick. Cut your cookies, always a bottom and top bit. Cut out a hole or shape in the top bit. Place on baking paper on baking try.

Bake for ca. 6 mins in preheated oven on 200 degrees. Take out and let it cool off. Sprinkle top bits with icing sugar. Spread bottom bits with your favourite jam. Carefully place tops on bottoms.

They make always a nice Christmas treat!

25/11/2014

Here's an-all time favourite:

"Hörnliauflauf" with vegetables (macaroni casserole):

Ingredients (for 4):
4 eggs
400-500 g mixed vegetables (whatever you like)
200-300 g grated tasty cheese
250 ml milk
400 g pasta (preferably macaroni)
pinch of salt and pepper (paprika - optional)
150 g ham, cut into little cubes

Preparation:
Cook pasta in salty water until al dente, put aside. Steam vegetables and lightly fry ham. Mix eggs with milk. Butter an oven proof dish and fill with past, vegetables, and ham, mixed together. Season and mix in half of the portion of cheese. Pour in egg-milk mix. Distribute rest of cheese on top and bake in preheated oven on 200 degrees for about 30 mins.

ps: also mushrooms are a nice mixed in. It goes well with a green or summary salad.

24/11/2014

Yesterday was the annual "Zibelemärit" (onion market) in Bern!

The "Zibelemärit" or onion Market is a traditional folk festival held in the capital on the fourth Monday of every November. Farmers from the surrounding area bring over 50 tons of onions (along with garlic) artistically woven into braids and artistic figures. Colourful market stalls offer ceramic pots, jewellery, vegetables, and many other traditional market goodies. There are also many food stalls that sell the traditional cheese and onion tarts, sweet roasted almonds, a soft biscuits called "Magebrot" and many stalls offer "Glühwein" (hot mulled wine) to fight off the winter cold.

The bustle gets underway at 5am as hundreds of visitors from home and abroad flood the city. This is the day when savoury cheese tarts, onion tarts and onion soup are on offer in all the restaurants, filling the air with a heady aroma. At around 4pm is the traditional "Confetti Schlacht" the confetti battle in which the youngsters scatter confetti in the streets and chase each other with plastic hammers and whistles. Many visitors travel to the event from quite far away and I can say it's certainly worth the experience.

For me personally the best memories are from the times (about 15-20 years ago) when it wasn't quite as popular yet. Walking through the stalls as a local in the quiet, early hours was just magic; even more so when it snowed!

Here's a recipe for the traditional onion tart:

Dough:
200 g flour
1/2 tsp salt
75 g butter, cold and cut into cubes
100 ml water
40 g butter

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add butter cubes and rub with your hands until it resembles bread crumbs. Add water and quickly mix into a soft dough. Don't kneed it. Press it to a flat dough and let it cool for about 30 mins.

Filling:
700 g onions, finely sliced
4 eggs
200 ml full cream
1 tsp salt
a little bit of pepper

Melt butter in a wide pan. Steam onions while constantly turning for about 15 mins until soft. Let it cool a bit. Mix eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and mix with onions.

Roll out dough and layer into a tart dish (~ 32 cm diameter). Distribute holes throughout bottom with a fork. Pour filling over dough and layer flakes of butter on top.

Bake in lowest part of the preheated oven on 220 degrees for about 35 mins.

Tip: if you want to add some meaty taste you can add cut bacon. Either way it's nicest if you eat it warm (not too hot).

16/11/2014

"Cholera" is a pie from the canton "Wallis" in the Western part of Switzerland. It's name is in deed a bit scary, but it is believed that the Cholera pie originated during the cholera epidemic around 1830. People were basically too scared to go outside sometimes and started to cook with whatever they had in the house. They often packed ingredients such as potatoes, leek, cheese, onions, apples, pears, and bacon into shortpastry, baked it and had a proper meal. Today "Cholera" is a Walliser speciality:

For an oven proof pie dish of around 24 cm Ø, buttered. Ideally use a dish with removable side. Serves 4.

For the dough either make 1 portion of your own shortpastry or buy some from your supermarket.

Filling:
500 g leek, cut into strips
1 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
300 g tasty cheese, shredded (original recipe is with a cheese from the "Walliser" mountains, so use a hard cheese with a stronger taste)
500 g potatoes (waxy type), pealed and sliced
3 apples, pealed or not pealed, halved, pitted, and sliced
1 tbsp butter or margarine
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Heat leek in butter. Add water and salt, cover and let it simmer until soft. Let it cool. Season potatoes with salt, a little bit pepper, and nutmeg.

Roll out pastry and fit into dish. Pull dough up on the side and fold in overlapping dough, so it creates a nice finish.

Layer apples and potatoes, then leek, and cheese and repeat layers, finishing with a layer of apples and potatoes.
Melt 1 tbsp of butter or margarine and butter potatoes and apples.

Bake for approx. 40 mins. in the lower half of the preheated oven on 200 degrees. When baked, let it cool for a bit, then check with a knife if dough sticks to the side. Remove side, check the bottom in the same way and transfer to a plate.

You can serve "Cholera" cold or warm and it goes well with a green or mixed salad.

Note: some recipes put a layer of dough on top. You can try what you prefer.

Tip: If you'd like to add some meat, then add little strips of bacon. You can also combine it with some onions. Fry onions and bacon first.

06/11/2014

A nice weekend lunch.

Cottage cheese parisette:

Ingredients for 1 person (if you'd like to fill a whole big baguette, then increase ingredients accordingly):

150 g cottage cheese, drained
a few drops lemon juice
1 spring onion, only greens cut into fine rings
2-3 garden radish, cut into little cubes or strips
salt, pepper
2 slices of ham
1/2 tbsp mustard
1 small parisette, cut in half

Mix cottage cheese, lemon juice, onions, and garden radish. Season. Spread mustard on one side of ham slices. Put cottage cheese mix on top and roll. Press a little dent into both sides of the parisette, place ham roll into it, close with other half and lightly press together.

Of course there are heaps of possible fillings. No matter what you choose, a fresh filled parisette or baguette makes always for a lovely lunch.

02/11/2014

Vegetable omelette:

For two persons - preparation ~ 20 mins.

Ingredients:
30g leek, cut into little pieces
30 g button mushrooms, cut into thin slices
75 g frozen peas
a bit of butter
salt, pepper
50 ml water
50 g ham, cut into little cubes
4 eggs
3 tbsp milk

Preparation:
Put leek, mushrooms, and peas into a pan and fry in butter for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with water and let it simmer until vegetables are soft, then add ham.

Mix eggs and milk well and pour over vegetables and ham. Cook omelette until it takes on a golden yellow colour. The surface should still be moist.

Fold in one half of the omelette, half it and serve immediately.

Tip: you can also choose different vegetables (spinach goes well), add spring onions, cheese or even cooked potatoes.

28/10/2014

I'm a big fan of leek, so thought I'd post a leek dish for once:

It's for about 4 - 6 persons and takes about 30 mins to prepare and 30 mins to bake.

Use an oven-proof dish of ~ 2.5 l capacity

Ingredients:
800 g leek, washed and cut into 1 cm rings
200-300 g potatoes (for baking), washed and cut into fine slices
a bit of butter
1 tbsp salt

Béchamel-sauce:
40 g butter
2-3 tbsp flour (~30 g)
700 ml milk
salt, pepper, nutmeg
100 g cheese (whatever sort you like), shredded
a bit of parsley, chopped

Preparation:
Steam leek and potatoes in a wide frying pan with a bit of butter and season with salt. Add a little bit of water and cook for about 10 mins on low to medium heat. Drain fluids and pour vegetables into your oven-proof dish.

Béchamel-sauce: Melt butter in a pan, add flour, mix well with butter and let it cook for 1 or 2 mins (don't let it brown). Pour in milk slowly and constantly stir while it starts to thicken, bringing it to the boil. Season with a bit of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Let it cook for another 2-3 mins and stir often. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake in the middle of the preheated oven on 200 °C for about 20-30 mins. Sprinkle with parsley before you serve.

Tip: Leek and ham go very well together, so it's also really nice if you add chopped ham. Another option is to add some cut and cooked sausages.

14/10/2014

A real spring dish:

Ingredients:
1 kg new (little) potatoes
2 bunches of asparagus
1/2 kg cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese
1 bunch spring onions

Preparation:
Wash and peal potatoes and boil for about 8 mins (or until soft) in salt water. Peal lower third of asparagus and cut into 4 - 5 pieces. Wash tomatoes and half the bigger ones. Wash spring onions and cut into rings.

Use a big pan, heat oil and fry potatoes for about 5 mins. Add asparagus and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper and fry for another 5 mins. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for another ~ 5 mins.

Grate Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top. Serve immediately. It goes well with meat, but is also nice just by itself.

Tip: you can also prepare it as a salad with a light balsamic Italian dressing.

13/10/2014

They call it "Götterspeise" - food for gods:

Preparation time: ~ 45 mins.
To let it cool: ~ 1-2 hours

Ingredients for 6 persons:
6 250ml glasses

Compote:
400 g rhubarb, washed, pealed, cut into little cubes
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Vanilla crème:
500 ml milk
1 tbsp cornflour
4 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 vanilla bean, cut across the length

10 - 16 sponge fingers (~150 g)

Preparation"
Compote: cook rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice covered for about 10 - 15 mins until it thickens.
Crème: mix all ingredients including eggs and whisk well in a pan. Add vanilla bean and cook on a middle heat while continually stirring. Bring just briefly to the boil. Pour crème through a sift into a bowl and let it cool.

Distribute sponge fingers (standing up) into glasses. Pour in compote and crème in layers. Cover and put into fridge for 1-2 hours or serve immediately.

Tip: You can also prepare it in big bowl (~1.5 l) instead of glasses.
Use can also try it with your favourite fruit or berries instead of rhubarb and use biscotti biscuits instead of sponge fingers.

08/10/2014

Pumpkin risotto with fried feta cheese:

Ingredients for 4 persons (takes about 30 mins):
300 g risotto rice
500 - 600 g pumpkin, skinned and cut into cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
~ 750 ml stock
little bit of salt and pepper

200 g feta cheese, cut into pieces
little flour (to roll it in)
Cooking butter/oil

Preparation:
Stew rice, pumpkin and onion in butter and deglaze with a little bit of stock. Add stock bit by bit in order to keep the rice always only just covered. Stir rice frequently. Cook until al dente for about 15 - 20 mins and season to taste.

Roll feta cheese in flour and brown well but short in oil or cooking butter. Serve feta on top of pumpkin risotto.