Bring back the joy of eating.
TASTE AGAIN
Covid-19 has changed everyone’s lives. The pandemic affects us all - but some continue to suffer life-changing effects, such as smell and taste disorders, even after recovery. We asked ourselves how we can help those affected and partnered with Life Kitchen to do just that. The result: the Taste Again spice box and recipes that will help you train your taste buds in the long term and bring back the joy of eating!
Life Kitchen
Ryan Riley – Cookbook Author and Founder of Life Kitchen
Taste loss is not something we take lightly - or something we want to profit from. That's why we are donating the majority of proceeds to our partners Life Kitchen so they can continue their research. Life Kitchen is a non-profit cooking school for people whose sense of taste has been impaired by cancer or Covid-19. They want to help sufferers and are advised and supported by science. Our spice selection and recipes are based on Life Kitchen’s scientific findings.
These spice mixes are included in the box:
How do our spice combinations work?
We are guided by five key elements when selecting spices as well as creating our recipes:
The Trigeminal Nerve
When we lose our sense of smell, it is important to provide the brain with other sensory experiences to make food more enjoyable and add an unusual sensory element to it. The trigeminal nerve relays these experiences through chewing.Aroma
A scent consists of many molecules moving through the air. Different sized, heavy and fast scent molecules reach us at different times and give us a variety of tastes and experiences.Texture
The texture of the dish is important because it adds a new sensory dimension to what we experience in our mouths when we eat.Umami
Umami is our fifth sense of taste. It can enhance and emphasize flavours and acts as a kind of stepladder for the other taste buds.Recipes
Spiced cannellini and parmesan soup
This hearty soup can be served as an appetizer or as a main course.Serves 4
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 6 tsp Ankerkraut Exotisches Comeback
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 2 tins of cannellini beans, drained
- 2 vegetable stock pot or cube
- Zest and juice of 2 lemon
- 30 g parsley, roughly chopped
- a few shavings of Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 200c (180c fan).
First make the croutons, cut the bread roughly into 2 cm cubes, place on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp Ankerkraut Exotisches Comeback, toss to coat everything together, then bake for 5 - 7 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium pan, add the rosemary and 4 tsp Ankerkraut Exotisches Comeback and fry for 1 minute, add the drained beans, the stock pot or cube and 600ml boiling water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove about two thirds of the beans and blend in a food processor until smooth (or use a stick blender to blend the soup a little, keeping the texture chunky) Return the beans to the pan, add the lemon juice and zest and the chopped parsley, simmer for 4 minutes, then serve, garnished with croutons and shaved Parmesan.
Spiced baked cheesy orzo
Our casserole brings a touch of Greece and lots of cheese to the main course.- 300 g Orzo
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp Ankerkraut Würziges Revival, plus extra for dusting 25 g plain flour
- 25 g glattes Mehl
- 300 ml whole milk
- 100 g cheddar cheese, grated
- 120 g parmesan, finely grated
- 125 g mozzarella, roughly torn
- 300 g cherry tomatoes on the vine
Preheat the oven to 220c (200c fan). Boil the orzo in a pan of boiling, salted water for 5 minutes or until almost tender. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp of the cooking water.
Meanwhile, place the butter in a medium pan, cook over a medium heat until melted, stir in the Ankerkraut Würziges Revival and flour, beating until thickened, then gradually whisk in the milk, beating between each addition until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Stir in the cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella until smooth, adding 2 ladles of pasta water to thin the sauce, season with Ankerkraut Exotisches Comeback.
Stir the orzo into the cheese sauce then spread into a shallow oven proof dish. Arrange the tomatoes on top, dusting with a little more Ankerkraut Würziges Revival.
Bake in the oven for 15-20mins until bubbling, and golden brown, and serve hot.
Spiced chickpea and spinach toastie
Our spicy toasties with pesto bring variety into your everyday life.Makes 4 toasties
- 20 g pine nuts
- 30 g basil
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 50 g Parmesan, grated
- 75 ml olive oil
- 2 tsp Ankerkraut Würziges Revival
- 400 g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 100 g baby spinach leaves
- 100 g mozzarella, torn
- 6-8 large slices of sourdough
- 15 g butter
Place the pine nuts in a small dry pan and fry for 30 seconds until lightly toasted.
Place in a small food processor with the basil, the juice and zest of only 1 lemon and the Parmesan. Blitz to a rough paste, then while the motor is running drizzle 50 ml olive oil through the feeder tube into the food processor until it creates a thick spoonable pesto paste.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium shallow pan then add the Ankerkraut Würziges Revival and cook over a medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas and the remaining lemon zest and juice then cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
Add the spinach to the pan, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until it has wilted, then stir well.
Spread a little pesto on one side of a slice of bread, add a layer of torn mozzarella followed by a quarter of the chickpea mixture, drizzle with a little more pesto then top with a second slice of bread.
Heat olive oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once sizzling, place the toastie in the pan and fry on a high heat for 2 minutes or until golden, then flip and fry the other side for 2 minutes each side or until golden.
Serve leftover pesto alongside the toastie for dipping.
Spiced white chocolate and frozen berries
This chocolate cream will make your senses dream again.Serves 4
- 300 ml double cream
- 200 g white chocolate, finely chopped
- 400 g of frozen mixed berries
- 4 tsp Ankerkraut Sinnliche Rückkehr
Pour the double cream into a small pan and cook over a medium heat. Add the chopped white chocolate, stirring continuously until the chocolate has fully melted and combined with the cream.
Meanwhile, divide the berries between four bowls and allow to slightly defrost for 5 minutes.
Add 4 tsp of Ankerkraut Sinnliche Rückkehr to the cream and stir through, heat to just below boiling point then remove immediately from the heat and pour over the frozen berries. Serve immediately.
Fruit salad with spiced hot honey
Our fruit salad with yogurt rounds off every course menu in a fruity and delicious way. Go to recipeServes 4
- 6 tbsp honey
- 4 tsp Ankerkraut Sinnliche Rückkehr
- 400-500 g chopped fresh fruits, such as apples, pears, kiwi, melon, berries
- 200 g thick Greek yoghurt
Place the honey and Ankerkraut Sinnliche Rückkehr in a small pan and heat gently, stirring for a minute or two until the spices infuse into the honey. Remove from the heat.
Divide the yogurt between 4 plates, and spread evenly, then arrange the fruit on top, drizzle with hot spiced honey and serve immediately.