New start in the new sternelokal: steffen szabo cooks again
The star came on 3. March – two weeks later steffen szabo had to close his gourmet restaurant. Corona time-out for the star cake in the "schwane. Only last year, the young chef had moved to volkach (lkr. Kitzingen) came to the hotelier and winemaker family duker – with the ambition to win a michelin star for the new restaurant "weinstock. It succeeded at first go, the current guide michelin praises szabo's "aroma cake" because he relies heavily on original vegetables and, according to the gourmet critics, "brings lost flavors back to life".
Szabo had already convinced the jury of the gourmet guide in coburg in 2016 in the "esszimmer" and defended it there until 2019 – as the youngest star chef in bavaria. For ten days now, the 29-year-old and his team have been cooking again in volkach in the restaurant "schwane 1404" – and since friday evening also upstairs, in the "weinstock". Finally, says the cake chef – and tells what he has done in the past weeks.
Question: mr. Szabo, as soon as you were awarded a star, you had to stay in bed. How have you been in the past weeks?
Steffen szabo: I really missed cooking! But i had the advantage, i became a father in december. And when you can spend so much time with your junior, it's really fascinating. It's amazing how fast the first five months go by and how the little one has developed. And you know that no one from your team will miss you when you have to go out.
What does a chef do when he lacks the ability to cook??
Szabo: i have looked at so many cookbooks. I have actually for the first time for my gourmet menu at home worked out recipes. Normally I always do it without recipes – but I was so bored!
So there was no canned ravioli that you pimped either?
Szabo: i have to be honest, i have eaten pasta only once in the whole corona time – and that was really canned ravioli. But only because I find them super. And I prefer to eat them cold.
And what has the star chef ertuftelt? What will you be serving in your restaurant now??
Szabo: in any case, mairubchen and romaine lettuce, green apple and cucumber. We have tried out in the past few days – I was curious to see what would come out.
There is asparagus too?
Szabo: only in the "schwane 1404. Upstairs, in the gourmet restaurant, not.
No asparagus in the star restaurant? Not on principle?
Szabo: no, i'm an absolute asparagus fan. But in the gourmet restaurant I have never made him. And if we open again now – for only three weeks that asparagus is still available, I think it's a bit too bad'. The guests who come after that would like to eat the same food and see how we got back. After two weeks but immediately again the asparagus from the menu to schmeiben, I found a pity. The mairubchen are also over after four weeks. But I have so many dishes in my head, so there will be something else for that, we'll think of something.
If there were still twelve weeks of asparagus – how would they prepare it to perfection??
Szabo: last year we had an asparagus mousse with female asparagus in front – with dried green asparagus, where we made auben again the peel, so that it looked like an asparagus spear. That was fascinating.They don't peel carrots because it's too bad to grind away some of the product. In the vegetarian nine-course-menu they process "from the peel to the core" everything. But they do peel asparagus, don't they??
Szabo: ah, no, that's really too bad for me. That's why I order white asparagus only peeled as a rule. I just hate it when I can't use the whole dish. I am particular.
Well, trick. How does the star chef prefer to eat asparagus himself?? How do you make him at home?
Szabo: cooked normally. Or as asparagus salad.
You come from central franconia and learned your trade in a brewery inn. They still serve wine with asparagus at home?
Szabo: in private i already drink more beer than wine, that's right. But for asparagus: silvaner! My boss ralf duker lives me this example. We have also used the time out to taste and fill the sternewein.
Star wine?
Szabo: I had the idea to design our own label when we get the star. I went to the vineyards with my colleagues from the winery, helped out a bit and bottled last year's wine with them. Now we have the weinstock logo in the middle and around it is every single employee of kuche and service who worked for the star, with name and hashtag. People should be able to see and get to know who is behind the star, behind the star restaurant.
The star chef as a team player?
Szabo: yes of course, I can't make the cake without my team! I couldn't have done it alone, all that cooking. We are a team, all cook everything, everyone makes times each post.
Four apprentices, four apprentice cooks and you – how crowded is your kitchen?? What do the new corona specifications mean?
Szabo: we have the advantage that when we cook with four people, we can keep the 1.50-meter distance exactly and cook without a mask. If the star restaurant opens and there are two more cooks, it will be hard to find the right one. Mask on, take off mouth guard every time you taste, then wash hand again, put on again . . . After a week you've got it down, but on the first day it was still hard to do.
Is it worth opening a star restaurant in the current situation??
Szabo: we have considered whether to leave with the vine for two more weeks. But there we had misjudged! When I see how busy the gourmet restaurant will be when it reopens – I never thought it would be this way. So fast we could not look how fully booked was.
When the testers from the guide michelin come, you know that, right??
Szabo: no, I do not know. They make reservations like normal guests. But we cook the same for everyone anyway, so it doesn't matter.
They offer their menu as a classic with meat – or as a vegetarian version. What is ordered more often?
Szabo: this is really very balanced, this has started positively. For us it is good because we have to take care of much less in the vegetarian version. More and more allergies and intolerances, be it lactose or gluten. We try to compensate a lot with soya. It's hard until you get a handle on soy variants. But in the meantime I find the vegan creme fraiche much better than the normal one. Cooks great! I had not thought what you could do without lactose.
What are you having at home this weekend??
Szabo: cutlets with potato salad.
To re-cook: steffen szabo's asparagus salad
That is needed:
500 grams of white asparagus 1/2 lemon, washed a little salt and sugar for the broth 100 ml olive oil 50 ml walnut oil 30 ml women balsamic 30 ml raspberry vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 pinch of salt 1 pinch of pepper this is how it's done:
peel the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. Cook the asparagus in a coarse pot with water, half a lemon, salt and sugar until al dente. Mix balsamic vinegar and raspberry vinegar with sugar, salt and pepper until the solid ingredients are dissolved. Whip with olive and walnut oil. Strain the asparagus and add it to the vinaigrette while it is still warm.
Let it brew for 10 minutes and then let it brew for about. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
