Feeds to Follow: Our Food Stories

Our Food Stories is a blog and Instagram account run by Berlin based food stylists and photographers Nora Eisermann & Laura Muthesius. From their impeccably shot and edited photo stories to their health conscious recipes (Eisermann and Muthesius cook vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free recipes), Our Food Stories should become your go-to reference for meals that are just as incredible to look at as they are to taste.

Eisermann and Muthesius frequently split their time between their Berlin and countryside studios to stage their shoots and dream up new recipes. They frequently invite friends and family over to participate in their shoots as well; "as we love to share our food with other people, family and friends we started the series Dinner Stories. The thought behind this series is to show people (who are not used to eat gluten free) how easy and delicious it is, to prepare gluten free meals and that you don’t have to eat alone, if you have to follow a certain diet."

Eisermann and Muthesius' cooking philosophy is heavily inspired by nature, and whenever possible they choose to incorporate ingredients from their garden, local grocers and farmers markets into their recipes. To see their beautifully staged photos and peruse through their one-of-a-kind recipes, check out Our Food Stories blog and Instagram account!

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Cooking with Emilia: Rosół

You probably know by now that I'm Slavic. That means I take soup seriously.

Soup — especially broth — is one of the ultimate Slavic staple foods, up there with potatoes and pickles. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that for the first eighteen years of my life I ate some sort of broth every single day. Most commonly it was chicken soup, so beloved in Poland that it has its own name, "Rosół" or "Rosołek." My mother makes it so well. It's flavorful, tangy, and borderline addictive. It becomes tomato soup with a little bit of tomato paste, and once my mother adds in her handmade egg noodles we're all in seventh heaven.

I will never forget the day I realised that not all broth is created equal. It was my first year at UChicago, and someone was drinking warmed up chicken stock out of a mug. I asked if I could have some and to my horror it was watery and bland. I had genuinely never thought that there could be bad broth. Call this a first world problem, but it made me appreciate how good I had it. So I've made it my mission to make sure that nobody has to live with bland stock again.

Despite its long cooking time this is such an easy recipe. I love to put it on right after getting home from classes or the Reg — by the time I'm hungry I have a steaming and nutritious bowl of rosół to nourish my soul and body.

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Rosołek

Time: 3+ hours. Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 1 bunch of celery, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• Fresh parsley and thyme
• Bay leaves
• Whole black peppercorns
• Kosher salt

Method:

1. Throw all your ingredients (sans salt) into a large stock pot and add enough water to cover everything.
2. Bring to a low boil, salting as you go.
3. As the soup boils keep your eye on it. White, yellow, and grey scum (fat) will float to the top. Scoop it out with a slotted spoon, or more realistically, just any old utensil.
4. Reduce to a simmer, continuing to salt and remove the scum.
5. After all the scum is removed (around fifteen minutes) cover and let simmer for at least two hours.
6. Check every half hour to adjust salt and flavour.

That's literally it. Don't be scared if your broth tastes like chicken water for the first hour or so. It takes its time but it's worth it.

Happy cooking!

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Cooking With Emilia: Fake Pasta

Hi Everyone! It's me, I'm back, and I'm cooking more than ever. No joke though. Today I set out to rectify the lack of spag in my last video by cooking a spaghetti squash pasta dish with pesto, tomatoes, and chicken. Unlike my Bol, No Spag, my spaghetti squash pasta requires a lot of prep work — and thus time — before you leave it to cook, so you definitely have to plan around it. However, the result is delightful, and the time is well worth it.

Check it out — "Fake Pasta" lays ahead:

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Fake Pasta. Time — 2hrs. Difficulty — Advanced Beginner

For the Fake Pasta

• Spaghetti Squash
• Herbes de Provence
• 1 punnett Cherry Tomatoes
• Pesto
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 or 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 chopped Shallot
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• Bocconcini or parmesan (optional)

For the chicken:

• Chicken Drumsticks
• 2 or 3 Cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Full Grain Mustard
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce, or Coconut Aminos
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Honey
• Salt and Pepper
• Rosemary

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC)
2. Combine the ingredients for the chicken marinade, and coat the chicken drumsticks. Set aside.
3. Cut in half and gut the spaghetti squash. Spray with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Position the two spaghetti squash halves face down on a baking tray (rind up).
4. Place both the squash and the chicken in the preheated oven for 1 HR.
5. Halfway through cooking, flip the drumsticks for an even cook.
6. After an hour, remove the squash from the oven and turn it off. Keep the chicken warm by keeping it in the cooling oven while you prepare the pasta. 
7. Over medium heat, sauté the crushed garlic and chopped shallot in olive oil, in a pot large enough to hold the squash. While this is cooking, shred the inside of the squash to create a spaghetti-like texture. Empty the shredded squash into the pot with the shallot and garlic, and stir until fully incorporated.
8. Add pesto, salt, pepper, and crushed pepper flakes to taste. Bring to a simmer to let any excess water evaporate from the squash.
9. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Bring the spaghetti squash off the heat, and incorporate tomatoes.
10. Take the chicken out of the oven. Plate and serve immediately.

Don't forget — once everything is out of the oven you should be tasting at every step of the way! I do a lot of my cooking by eye, and it's always important to keep tabs on your flavours so that your dish turns out well. This is crucial because squash can be very sweet, but you're cooking a savoury dish. To finish the dish off, you can top the squash with parmesan or bocconcini (small balls of mozzarella). Or, if you're a purist like me, eat it as is.

Happy cooking!

- Emilia

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Youtubers to Watch: Caitlin Shoemaker

Welcome to our series: Youtubers to Watch. In this section we will introduce you to our favorite Youtube channels. We hope these channels will be a fun addition to your study breaks and summer internet scrolling!

While moving off campus means fun, friends, more freedom, and a cozier living space, it also adds many more responsibilities to your life. If you are an amateur chef looking for healthy, budget friendly and versatile recipes, Caitlin's cooking and lifestyle channel will become your go-to-source of inspiration!

As a medical student herself, Caitlin also doesn't have much time and resources to cook. However I love her suggestions and recipes–which always end up in both delicious and aesthetically beautiful meals. Ranging from nutritious oatmeal variations to creative salads, chilis and many more samples from international cuisines, her videos promise to give you many ideas to stick to a healthy diet and impress your friends. Her clear explanations make it super easy to follow her steps and allow you to customize her recipes according to your own personal preferences.

Even if you are not vegan, you might want to try her vegan recipes, which look and taste amazing. My favorites include Cheesy Vegan Breakfast Pizza made with Homemade Smoky Tempeh Bacon, Savory Mango & Chipotle Quinoa Buddha Bowl, Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew.

Bon appetit!

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