So then go to Großmugl! Our interlocutor Paul Ivić, top chef, chef and managing director of the Vegetarian Starer Es Tian in Vienna, had a proposal for our meeting point ready, which, as usual with gastro reports, should not be in its place of activity but at a supplier. So we did not head for the 1st district in Austria's capital, but at a distance of 40 kilometers away from that of that small village Großmugl in the Weinviertel.
We owed the fact that the trip from Munich with my Spezl and photographer Lutz Dürichen was thanks to the press department of the manufacturer Polestar, which made us available to us for the "e-trip", which has just been launched on the market with the simple model name "Polestar 4"-in gold. And as the "coincidence" wanted, our protagonist with the same vehicle in chic light blue also went to the fabulous organic nursery "Krautwerk". What an optical treat in times when shades of gray in different nuances are still the preferred colors of car buyers. And especially in view of the situation that is insufficiently described with "dreary": light snow graves at 1 degrees, cold wind and the potato and beet fields harvested all around. And in the middle of this barren agricultural desert a garden with winter vegetables in a variety that is probably second to none.
Class instead of mass - the rediscovery of old varieties
Krautwerk is a real pilgrimage for variety freaks, which appreciate the special, but also the tried and tested, look after a variety of taste and pay attention to top quality, as Robert Brodnjak with his team with dedication and passion. Products that have little to do with those for maximum yield, durability and uniformity that can be found in usual supermarkets. No wonder that his main customers mainly include kitchen champions of top restaurants like the Tian. Paul Ivić sums it up:
„We need the old knowledge of the farmers-today only organic farms like the Krautwerk "
What his credo means in practice, the cook and his supplier, who grows several hundred (! ), Certainly forgotten old vegetables and whose kindness and suitability he explored with his gourmet partner. Robert Brodnjak uses ten different types of Radicchio alone - exclusively for Tian's kitchen. Later, after you first touched down, tried, rejected and finally selected the best varieties, you can get on the plate in the restaurant guests in magical creations.
What gets new bloom in top gastronomy is of course also suitable for use in the "normal" kitchen. It is high time that old, regional and often resistant varieties that once had proven themselves in their specific terroir find their way onto the plates. Without being covered with plenty of artificial fertilizers and all kinds of chemical means, it goes without saying. Robert Brodnjak and Paul Ivić see their steadily grown experience as an ambassador for a reflection or re-reflection in the production of food and as a mouthpiece of farmers who work with nature.
Special relationship with the suppliers of the restaurant
People like Robert Brodnjak who have worked hard for the fact that and how the ingredients end up on the plates of his restaurant is particularly important to the star chef. After all, they have dealt intensively with how the best composition for the earth should be in which the seeds are set. You have experimented with the ideal harvest time, all the levers have started to get your products as fresh as possible from agriculture to the restaurant. And the Tian team appreciates their hard work by always trying to process the entire plant-from the root to the leaf-and do not throw them away. And together they try to keep the biodiversity of nature alive.
Krautwerk: variety of shapes, colors and tastes
Even if the weather was still not good with us, we soon forgot cold and wind in the face of the fascinating and colorful variety of the various plants in the beds. And since the two flavor artists kept encouraging us, but one or the other varieties tried, it was not only with great optical impressions. What an experience to taste the different degrees of bitter substances in the red, green or white types of Radicchio.
Finally, we made our way towards the warm home of the nursery, which initially came to a certain challenge. Borders the bed to the bed, which in its nature would be a lot of off-road rally. So we plowed our all-wheel drive stream backwards through ankle depths, extremely greasy mud until we finally reached the country road. And in the morning we considered visiting a car wash before the shoot ...
What benefited us in the maneuver was a peculiarity of the Polestar 4. In this model, a rear window was dispensed with and a back camera transfers the recorded image to the rear view mirror at an angle that further captures the road than in the conventional solution.
At the nursery, we first released the lubricated shoe soles with a high -pressure cleaner from the sludge we brought with us, whereby we could also get an impression of how much manual work, despite various machines when cleaning and sorting the harvested garden fruits.
Strengthened and warmed up by a wonderful vegetable soup presented, we then devoted ourselves to our protagonist.
Zur Person Paul Ivić
As the son of a Croatian father and an Austrian mother, Ivić grew up in Serfaus in Tyrolean, where he also completed his cooking apprenticeship. Of course, it was obvious to ask about the tastes and body dishes of his childhood. Unsurprisingly, it is the traditional, hearty dishes from his parents' homeland, who remember him well: dumplings, bacon dumplings, potatoes of all types and goulash come to him spontaneously.
Which is why the boy decided early on for the cooking profession was thanks to his fascination for the distance beyond his home community, after all, 14-year-old Paul decided to travel the world in order to be creative, free and independent. He fulfilled his dream after completing his training when he was able to try out and develop and develop in high restaurants in Germany, Austria, Spain and Switzerland.
A few years ago he was looking for a new challenge and at that time the Tian Job offer came in 2011. What Paul Ivić particularly appreciates about vegetarian cuisine is to follow the rhythm of nature, which gives him different seasonal vegetables in every season.
It is important to him not to imitate the taste of meat with his kitchen, but to emphasize the taste of nature. So, in contrast to most vegetarian restaurants, neither tofu nor seitan comes to the menu plan in Tian. His statement:
Nature offers us so many remarkable tastes, so why should we try to imitate something if we can work with the most original of all ingredients?
Paul Ivić, SterneKoch
All components of the ingredients are used for most dishes, i. e. there is absolutely no waste. Anyone who claims to process everything from the root to the leaf cannot avoid experimenting to find out how from components that are usually thrown away can be created. Paul mentions his luck that the team still shares his curiosity and try, taste and combine things together.
And his vision for the future?
"We will see what she has ready for us. Our primary goal is to clean up with the accusation that vegetarian food tastes boring. Many people are still afraid of eating an 8 to 10 gunsteemenu without fish and meat. So we are pursuing a mission and it is always a great pleasure for us when guests who have come to our face at the end of the evening with a smile. "
A convinced "e-driver"
And of course, with a "Stromer with ... " contribution, questions about the respective electrical vehicle should not be missing. I wanted to know what the reasons were, which is why he decided on the Polestar 4 from the Swedish manufacturer. Paul Ivić was already certain that it would be an electric car when he was looking for a new vehicle. After all, it is important to him to worry about the most sustainable lifestyle in other areas of life. As a result, the decision for a Stromer is only consistent for him, since he sees it a logical further development of mobility. When he drove the Polestar 4 to an event at an event, he was so impressed that he was closer to the brand and the model. The top chef tears the reasons for the ultimate decision with the words "fun", "calm", "comfort" and "design". In addition, the father provides a high level of security that a vehicle offers. He derives the corresponding trust from the relatives of Polestar to Volvo, the sister brand has always stood for particularly safe cars. And both brands are also in common that their claim to sustainability is not limited to the choice of drive, but also places value on environmental friendliness, for example in the production and in the selection of materials.
Those who do not have the opportunity to indulge in Paul Ivić in Tian or who simply feel like preparing some delicacies themselves, his book was recommended "vegetarian".
The DK-Verlag describes the work of the star chef as follows:
The masterpiece of vegetarian cuisine
• The large vegetarian cookbook from Spitzenkoch Paul Ivic
• From a whimsical pepper to braised pointed cabbage: Incredible 300 recipes with acquaintance and less well known vegetables
• Above400 pages of cook inspiration, Commodity and Exciting specialist knowledge
• From leaf to the root: Flow avoidance and mindful handling of food shape Ivić's cook philosophy
•High quality: With noble cover and reading ribbon
With an abundance of 300 recipes, for mostly 4 people, the cookbook of top chef and veggie pioneer Paul Ivić is the ultimate standard work for vegetarian connoisseurs! On 400 pages, the chef of the Vienna Sterner EsTaurant Tian shares his passion for vegetarian cuisine. The 300 irresistibly delicious and everyday recipes, seasoned with specialist knowledge and goods science, make the book an indispensable companion for all hobby checks who want to conjure up vegetarian diversity on the plate. With its excellent photos and the high -quality equipment, it is also visually and haptically a real pleasure that should not be missing in any kitchen that value creative vegetarian diet and sustainability!
Text: Peter Grett
Pictures: Lutz Dürichen
Four pictures in the slider: restaurant, plate and Paul Ivić: Ingo Pertramer
Pictures recipes and book cover: Dorling Kindersley (DK) Verlag