Going to our 1st Swiss Society Dinner TONIGHT - need rec for Swiss food.....

M

music-city-missy

Well-known member
and not fondue. Need a main dish, side or I think dessert. It doesn't say to bring a Swiss origin dish but you know me, I thought it would be fun. BUt I realized of the 2,000+ cookbooks, I can't find one that is for Swiss foods. Several are 'international' but when it comes to Swiss foods - they have fondue - cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, and Swiss chocolate cake.

SIL did research and the name Linkinhoker was originallly Lenggenhager and comes from the German speaking region of Switzerland. I did more research and found a Lenggenhager winery over there - that's where I want to trace the family roots to - what a surprise, right? But it's kind of neat because a Swiss immigrant that settled in Nashville over 150 years ago started a society for them and ran ads encouraging Swiss to come to Nashville to settle. So there are actually several areas around here with fairly large Swiss decendants. Pretty cool....

 
The Veal dish does look great but I have no idea how many people....

This is our first time and it looks like about 20-30 names on the email distribution list x2 40-60 but my guess is it's like most things and only about 2-30 people will actually be there. It's a potluck so people will take little spoons of everything like I usually do I guess....

 
Maybe I am too late but how about Wurstsalat? Here is a recipe

Wurstsalat Spezial
from "A Taste of Switzerland"
serves 4

1-1/4 lb Summer Sausage
3-1/2 oz Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese
2 gherkins or cornichons
1 small onion
2 tomatoes
1 hard-boiled egg
chopped chives

Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp mustard
salt and pepper
6 tbsp oil
3 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp mayonnaise

Sin the sausage and slice or cut into cubes or strips. Cut the cheese into cubes or strips likewise. Chop the gherkins and onion finely.

Mix together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and pour it over the salad. Toss well to coat.

Slice the tomatoes and hard-boiled egg and arrange on top. Sprinkle with chives and chill well.

 
Rec: Rösti!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. potatoes, boiled in their skins
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced bacon and /or sliced onion
2 oz. sliced Gruyere (5-6 slices)

Directions:
Peel and shred potatoes. Heat butter in skillet, add potatoes, diced bacon and or onions and sprinkle with salt. When a crust begins to form on the bottom, turn the rosti, top with cheese slices and press down. Cover tightly so that the cheese will melt nicely and bake until golden brown.

Serve on a plate. Cheese rosti goes especially well with fried sausage (bratwurst) and browned onion rings. Such a hearty cheese rosti can make a meal of its own, however, if served with a lot of green salad and wine or beer, or if you prefer, cafe au lait. This is especially popular in Bern Switzerland but other Cantons where cheese making occurs also have their own versions.

 
I went with the Zurigschnatzlets & Richard's Spatzle. REC inside....

Definitely a keeper.

ZURIGSCHNATZLETS
(Veal Zurich or Veal in Cream Sauce)
1 - 1 1/2 pound veal cut into thin slices about 1 1/2" long
Butter

1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
1 Tablespoon flour
Pinch of dried thyme
1 cup young white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Season veal with salt & pepper. Saute in batches in the butter until browned. Remove and rain on paper towels. Don't overcook - it should be just browned on the surface at this point as it will cook more in the sauce later.

Add butter to the pan and cook the onion until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute. Sprinkle the flour over and add a pinch of dried thyme if desired. Stir and cook for just a minute to remove the 'raw' taste from the flour.

Add the wine and scrape down the pan to remove all the fond. Cook rapidly over high heat until reduced and slightly starting to thicken. Add the meat back. Taste and if the wine is too mellow, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Add cream to the pan and cook until the meat is cooked but still tender.

Remove from heat and adjust the seasoning. Serve with plain rice, buttered rice, boiled potatoes, pasta or most traditionally with rosti or knopfli (spaezle).


Richard in Cincy's Spatzle

Spätzle is a very basic pasta. How it is cooked and dressed are what make it wonderful. In my family, they were always cooked in very rich broths and were quite delectable. Most of the recipes one sees instruct you to boil them in plain boiling water. Boring. You can add herbs (basil spaetzle with roasted onions and parmesan on top), mushrooms, all kinds of things. My favorite way is to cook the spaetzle in rich beef broth. Cover with grated Emmentaler and put under the broiler. Yum!


500 gr flour
8 eggs
150 ml water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional- can use any herb or spice of your choosing).

Stir it up and let it rest for 1/2 hour before you dribble into the boil.


MCM NOTES: I used chicken broth to cook the spatzle for the first time and it was amazing what a difference it makes. I always make the spatzle in advance, drain and cool well. Then just before serving I heat a pan and throw a couple tablespoons of butter in it and throw the spatzle in and fry it to get some of it brown and crispy. And I often make a meal of it by adding sauted carmelized onions and mushrooms like Richard suggested. Can't wait to try throwing some cheese on top of that!

 
This sounds like a good one for the big summer 'picnic'....

Actually, I don't know if all of the meetings are pot lucks but they are every other month so I have several others coming up. I know it's probably corny to bring Swiss foods but that is fun for me and few people seemed to have. I just wish we were lucky enough to have some that were handed down from generation to generation.

 
MCM I've used

every potato imaginable in this dish and they all work. But I think russets work best, they result in a crispier crust and a creamier interior.

And by the way, I finally got around to reading your suggestion of "Being dead is no excuse : the official southern ladies guide to hosting the perfect funeral." Hilarious!

 
Way late but for the future, make some cookies with chunks of Toblerone for chips.

The cookies may not be traditional, but a good way to use a traditional product.

 
Never too late - thanks for all the ideas....

unfortunately there only seem to be the same 10-12 Swiss recipes out there on the internet so I am going to run out of recipes soon if I don't find some other resources. But I am definitely going to try all of these over the next few weeks. I've never done the rosti but heard wonderful things about them.

 
Remember that the Swiss are surrounded by Italy and France too

so those areas are heavily influenced by those countries' cuisine and language. So basically, anything goes!! I think you just need to go visit in person to check it out and gather some recipes.

 
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