A culinary tour of Switzerland

What tickles your taste buds? Plain in Pigna, Maluns or the famous Aargauer Rüeblitorte? Or maybe a Berner Platte, Papet Vaudois or Fondue Moitie-Moitie? Any Swiss expatriate is sure to yearn for some hearty Swiss cooking now and again. And a new cookbook from Betty Bossi is guaranteed to help satisfy appetites for authentic Swiss food.

By Heinz Eckert

It’s thanks to Betty Bossi that Swiss cooking is well and truly back in fashion. 53 years of experience and a genuine love for Swiss cuisine have prompted the company to compile a comprehensive collection of recipes for Switzerland’s finest and most popular dishes. Spanning more than 300 pages, it is the first book from the company to be published in English as well. Swiss cooking can hold its head up high in the illustrious company of the world-famous culinary traditions of Italy, Asia or France.

By launching “The Swiss Cookbook”, Betty Bossi wants not only to preserve Switzerland’s culinary heritage but also to actively contribute to the future development of Swiss cooking. This original, beautifully illustrated and comprehensive reference work features all the essential regional specialities together with new interpretations of classic dishes and fascinating, entertaining cookery tips. All the recipes share a long tradition and reveal a passion for detail and a love of fresh seasonal produce. But as Switzerland’s foremost cook, Betty Bossi is intending to take Swiss specialities to a wider international audience. “The Swiss Cookbook” is the first cookbook from the company to appear in English as well as German and French. It’s a book for Swiss at home, home-sick Swiss abroad, lovers of Switzerland and gourmets everywhere. In short, it’s for the whole world.

If you were to ask what Switzerland’s national dish was, most people would probably say fondue or raclette. And what about the most popular sweet treat? Chocolate, I hear you say. But Betty Bossi’s “The Swiss Cookbook” broadens our horizons and proves that Switzerland has much more to offer than just chocolate and cheese. The country not only has four language regions but four different culinary traditions as well, with every part of the country proudly preserving its own specialities.

The new Swiss cookbook is divided into four regions: Romandy; Solothurn, Berne and Valais; Northern and Eastern Switzerland; and Central Switzerland, Grisons and Ticino. The recipes are also divided into three categories: a recipe with one Swiss cross is of the type “New Swiss cooking with fresh Swiss produce”, two crosses indicates a “New interpretation of a Swiss classic”, and three crosses symbolises a “Swiss classic”.

As you would expect, the “classics” include the likes of Älplermagronen with Apfelschnitzen (Alpine macaroni with sliced apple) and Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (chopped veal with mushrooms and cream). But Betty Bossi also throws in a few surprises, such as “Hagu-Hans-Gotlett” (pork cutlets with dried fruit) and “Ziberlihoger-Lisi-Filet” (pork medallions in a cream sauce). And noone would guess from its name what “Sii” is: a sweet dish made with bread, sultanas and red wine.

The book is packed with delicious ideas and surprises, although a few recipes do make you chuckle. Asparagus samosas, salmon sashimi, stuffed quail with horseradish, and crème brulée are undoubtedly mouth-watering, though they can hardly be described as authentically Swiss.

SUURE MOCKE (wine-braised beef)

Marinade: approx. 5 days. Preparation time: approx. 1 hr. Braise for approx. 2 hrs 45 mins. For 6 persons 1 kg of beef (e.g. eye of round)

Marinade

1.2 litres of light red wine (e.g. Blauburgunder Beerli)
1dl of red wine vinegar
1 small leek, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 small piece of celery, chopped
2 onions, halved
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves and 2 cloves
8 black peppercorns, ground
4 juniper berries, ground

Marinade: bring all the ingredients for the marinade to the boil in a pan and allow to cool. Pour into a glass, porcelain or stainless steel container, place the meat into the marinade, covering it fully in the liquid, if necessary by weighing it down. Cover and leave in a cool place for approx. 5 days, turning the meat every day. Remove the meat and vegetables and dab dry. Bring the marinade to the boil, pour through a finemesh sieve and put to one side.

Season the meat with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and a pinch of pepper. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of clarified butter in the pan. Brown off the meat for around 8 minutes and remove. Sauté the vegetables and remove. Reduce the heat and add a small amount of clarified butter. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 a tablespoon of sugar, cook until hazelnut brown then remove the pan from the stove. Pour in 5–7dl of the marinade that has been put to one side and bring to the boil while stirring. Put the meat and vegetables back into the pan. 1⁄3 of the meat should be covered by the liquid. Cover and simmer on a low heat for approx. 2 3/4 hours, turning the meat every half an hour. Remove the meat and leave to rest for approx. 10 minutes before carving, keeping it covered. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Carve the meat and serve with the sauce and vegetables.

ALPINE MACARONI WITH SLICED APPLE

Preparation time: approx. 1 hr A wide, 2-litre, greased oven-proof baking tin is required.

Preparation: preheat oven to 120°C, preheat baking tin.

ALPINE MACARONI

Cook 500 g of waxy potatoes, diced into 2 cm cubes, and 200 g of alpine macaroni in boiling salted water. Cook the potatoes and macaroni until soft, then drain. Arrange 200 g of finely grated spicy alpine cheese in layers with the potatoes and macaroni in the prepared baking tin. Top with cheese and keep warm. Wipe out the pan. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Brown off 2 thinly sliced onions and 1 clove of crushed garlic and spread over the macaroni. Keep warm. Bring 3 tablespoons of milk, 3 tablespoons of full cream and 2 pinches of salt to the boil in the same pan and pour over the macaroni. Wipe out the pan.

SLICED APPLE

Heat 1/2 a tablespoon of butter in the same pan Add 750 g of sliced red apples Add 1 1/2 dl of apple wine or cider, 1 cinnamon stick, halved, and approx. 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cover and cook the sliced apples until soft. Remove the lid, reduce the liquid and remove the cinnamon stick.

Serve hot or cold with the alpine macaroni.

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