Not so Orthodox Easter

It has been a while since Easter, I know, and while I am not Orthodox, Orthodox Easter gives me the oportunity to share my holiday in a nearly-timely fashion.

I had a wonderful Easter, full of family and food. Really, what more could one ask for? The family kept me busy for the last week, hence the (un)orthodox timing, but it was a wonderful visit. On Good Friday, I found the weather gorgeous and worthy of a Cherry Blossom picnic. As the stores were all closed, all I could do was scavange in my fridge. I came up with a mache salad with orange slices and pine nuts, along with some remnants of goat cheese that was hardening and maturing in my fridge and rolls I picked up at the gas station along the way. It was the way a picnic should be - the food was secondary to the beautiful setting of the cherry orchard in the castle park. Watch out for toddlers practicing soccer and teenagers with badminton rackets.


Easter Sunday meant brunch in Frankfurt. This involved an experimental fritatta, which I did not make. My contribution was dessert. I am not a dessert person. I do not bake. Baking is science, I prefer domestic alchemy. Don't laugh, this has been my fallback recipe for years. Use organic ingredients, make half the original recipe, fail to measure butter correctly, ignore baking temperatures and times & there you go - chocolatey goodness. The frosting came from the supermarket, as did the decorations. In spite of my shortcomings, I made chocolate cupcakes that made a 2 year old happy. Really, what more can you ask for?

Home can be exotic

In a constant quest to leave behind the dreary gray of Germany, I realized that "home", regardless of where it is, is exotic to someone else. Yes, it's taken me a while to figure this out. Hence the reluctance of many Germans to embrace corn on the cob. It simply does not belong to the culture.

My "exotic" find came from the depths of my fridge; the "feldsalat" I bought at the farmer's market 2 days ago. "Feldsalat", known as "mâche" or "lamb's lettuce" in English, is a wonderful winter green I only became aquainted with when I first came to Germany. It is a green that adds a highlight to winter, as it grows quickly in the fields, and requires low temperatures. Some say it has a velvety texture, which I would not have agreed with until I mispaired it tonight. It goes well with roasted beets, sauteed mushrooms, goat cheese (what doesn't go well with goat cheese?) and, I think is best in a light dressing.

My mispairing was with crawfish & sauteed pitas, two "exotic" ingredients around these parts. I found the crawfish in the local supermarket, and the lebanese pita was my huge score from the green grocer around the corner. I had never had fried pita until I went to Kuwait. Somehow, this makes me feel like I lead a sheltered life. Bottom line: crawfish - good; fried pita - aditional velvety texture which simply confuses the palate.

If you find mâche, try it with seasonal veggies. And enjoy one of the few greens worth the gray days of winter.