Seasonal cuisine: healthy, delicious and sustainable
It is often difficult to keep track of what is currently growing in the region you live in, nowadays – at least in the urban centers, you could think that basically everything is in season all year round. And it is not unusual that spoiled costumers are surprised that they cannot buy strawberries in the deep of winter. What does it mean for the environment, when we constantly transport foodstuff around the world? There is no question about it: A CO2 disaster. So, the best thing to do is to use a seasonal calendar and see it as a challenge to work with what the region and the seasons have to offer. The result can be delicious, as these Green Pearls® hotels show.
Fresh goods without long transport routes
The golden rule in the kitchen of Leitlhof: preparing culinary delights for the guests with seasonal and regional products. Most of the served vegetables and herbs come from the hotel garden, the mutton stems from the hotel’s own farm, and the potato field is only 1.5 kilometers away. Everything that does not grow on the hotel’s own property is produced in cooperation with local suppliers and the kitchen team buys most of the ingredients within a radius of 50 kilometers. What is great about South Tyrol in general is that even the large purchasing companies buy many products from South Tyrolean producers – a great example!
The enchanted garden: a lot of love and no chemicals
Thailand has a lot to offer in the “fresh and healthy” category: ginger, coconut, turmeric, pomegranate, lemon grass, passion fruit, star fruit, coriander, lime, basil and chilies. Delicious! All this grows in Keemala’s garden, which is fertilized using manure made from organic waste. In addition, numerous kinds of salad, herbs and edible flowers are grown as hydroponics. They do not need soil and get all necessary nutrients via their roots through an inorganic water solution. This requires less space, less work and the plants grow faster and healthier.
The Enchanted Garden provides basically everything needed for the delicious food at Keemala. On top of that, the chef will readily share a few Thai cooking tips. The garden is also a wonderful place to relax and unwind in the beautiful (and edible) nature. And it is also worth a visit due to the water buffalos spending their remaining years here.
Learn from an expert chef
Hofgut Hafnerleiten is known as a small paradise for lovers of architecture and nature. This Bavarian idyll is also the perfect place to enjoy culinary delights, because Erwin Rückerl ran a cooking school here, long before the unique themed houses opened. As a host, he still cooks every evening, treating his guests with culinary highlights. And you can still take cooking courses, too, and learn some tips and tricks from Rückerl. It is a point of honor that the focus is on regional and seasonal products. By the way, you can also just come here for dinner, because you don’t have to stay at the Hofgut to eat at the restaurant. But don’t forget to reserve a table, because it’s not a secret that the food is delicious. And if you don’t happen to be around: thanks to Erwin Rückerl, the recipe for his salmon grilled on the “Feuerring” is no secret, too. Have fun cooking!
Salmon, grilled on the “Feuerring”
Ingredients:
400 g potatoes
800 g salmon fillet
salt, pepper, lemon juice
600 g green asparagus
100 g bacon, in slices
200 g sour cream
50 g chives
Pink pepper
Preparation:
Marinate the salmon fillet, grate the potatoes, place ½ on the Feuerring and put the fish on top of the potatoes. Put the rest of the potatoes on the fillet, close at the sides and grill slowly.
Peel only the lower parts of the asparagus, wrap it with bacon about 1/3 and grill it on the Feuerring, tips pointing outward.
Season the sour cream with salt and mix with fine chives and pink pepper.
Enjoy your meal!
