Over the summer, I did a guest post over at noveltravelist.com, about the trip that inspired my latest novel, Words In The Windowsill.  I noted that writing the novel afforded me the opportunity to revisit my old journals and photos from that trip.  Looking back, I quickly realized that along with the history and music which propels the plot of my story, so much of what inspired me had to do with foods of the regions we visited.

So today, I’d like to share a bit more with you today about Bonn, Germany (photo above) along with some of the foods I ate.

In some cases, connections were made!  For instance, my novel takes place in Europe, in countries that have borders that are really close.  It was amazing to see some similarities to the recipes of my Italian heritage.  Although the countries are different and the people speak different languages, some of the recipes are incredibly similar.  I am including recipes for some of these as well.  They are seriously worth trying!

First, a little bit of background information:  Bonn was the capitol of Western Germany until 1990.  It is the home to major universities and museums as well as BeethovenHaus, the birthplace of master composer, Beethoven.  I reference this home quite a bit in my novel.  In Bonn, there is a lot to see and do, even if you are not a music buff, as I am.

 

                                   

When I arrived in Germany, I was so bent on seeing the home of Beethoven I didn’t realize what more there could be.  Above left, a fuzzy photo shows me and a friend standing outside his home.  To the right, are two of Beethoven’s piano’s from inside the home. The BeethovenHaus property also features gardens as well as a concert hall.

But while in Bonn, it is also worth noting a small eatery we visited, where rice pudding was given in a little cup with every meal ordered.  I wish I could remember the name of the establishment, as I would love to know if it is still in existence.

Their homemade rice pudding was very creamy and instead of being baked, it is prepared in a pot on the stove.  It reminded me of the rice pudding my Italian Great Aunt Connie made.  Growing up, I just assumed that hers was Italian Rice Pudding, but perhaps a better way to refer to it would be European Rice Pudding.

When I returned home, I asked my mother about Aunt Connie’s rice pudding recipe.  Here is her handwritten recipe for Rice Pudding, and it is delicious!

With the exception an egg, the German recipe below is very similar to the one my family used.

 

Milchreis (German Rice Pudding)

(Courtesy food.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup short grain white rice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 inches piece vanilla beans, split open ( or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Directions

1. Mix the rice, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Stir in the milk and cream, and add the whole piece of vanilla bean. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat and simmer the rice for 30 minutes, or until soft and milk/cream mixture becomes thick. Stir often.
3. Scratch out vanilla seeds and stir into pudding. Discard vanilla bean pod.
4. Serve warm with cinnamon and sugar or fruit compote, or both.

Another restaurant we visited in Germany was called “Christine And Hans”.  Here is what I wrote in my journal about it:

“Today we had some free time in Germany.  Jenny and I had lunch at the cutest restaurant called Christine and Hans.  The owners were the cooks and servers, and kept bringing out everything on the menu.  We had a caraway soup, and zucchini soup, along with several different salads, and a plate of meats and cheeses.”

My friend and I discovered that in many of the places we ate at on that trip, the presentation of meats, cheeses and salads was very common, along with artisan bread and rolls.

The service they gave us at Christine and Hans made a serious impression on me.  The foods were absolutely delicious, and served up in a very homey atmosphere with special attention to detail.  Christine and Hans, the people, were there to cook and serve the food.  I got the feeling that the service we received was typical of their everyday business.  Christine came out of the kitchen to seat us, and told us about everything on their menu.  She told us how everything was prepared.  Here are a few recipes that remind me of the foods I ate during my visit to the restaurant Christine and Hans.

When writing Words In The Windowsill, I took my experience at Christine and Hans and molded it to create a fictitious youth hostel where the foods are laid out in a comforting way and remind my main character (also named Hans-strictly a coincidence!) of his past.

Try some of these recipes, similar to the ones served up by Christine and Hans:

Caraway Sour Cream Soup                                                                                                      

(Courtesy Taste Of Home)

8 ServingsPrep/Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken or      vegetable broth
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute onions, celery, carrots and caraway in
• butter until vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat; stir in
• flour until well blended.  Gradually stir in broth. Return to the
• heat; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat;
• simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine sour cream and milk; add about 1 cup
• broth mixture. Return all to the pan; heat through (do not boil).
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Yield: 6-8 servings.

German Zucchini Soup

(Courtesy of dollopofcream.com)

serves 3 – 4

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 c. butter

2 onions, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp. kosher salt or 1/4 tsp. regular salt

1/8 – 1/4 tsp. black pepper, to taste

2 1/4 c. zucchini, shredded

2 c. vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 c. white wine

1/2 c. plain yogurt, preferably high fat

fresh basil, chopped

Heat thick saucepan over medium-low heat. Melt butter and olive oil in pan. Add onion and sauté. Turn heat down to cook slowly. After 5 minutes, throw in the garlic, salt and pepper. Fry until onion is almost transparent, about 10 minutes. The onion will glisten and look almost soupy.

Add zucchini and stock. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 12 minutes, uncovered.

Stir in the wine. Whir it all together with an immersion blender or regular blender until it’s creamy. Return to heat. Stir in yogurt and about half of the basil. Heat gently, but don’t let it boil, for fear it will curdle.

Ladle into serving bowls. Place a few bits of basil on top. Serve.

It has been years since I took that trip.  As I was writing Words In The Windowsill, my impressions from that trip came through in the prose.  My familial connection to the rice pudding, and the service and homey atmosphere of Christine and Hans show up as I describe the fabled youth hostel and Fiddler’s Inn of my novel’s portrayal of 1820’s Vienna.

 

I would love to hear from you!  Have you been inspired by experiences abroad where the locations or foods made an impression on you?  How might you use those experiences to craft a novel or story?  What about familial connections to places abroad?