Tips for quick and healthy cooking with Andreas Meier
“You need to pass on your knowledge, else you haven’t really lived,” says Andreas Meier of Grünes Gut culinary school in Oberviechtach. He inherited his knowledge of wild herbs from his grandmother. Meier passes on his expertise as a chef in around 200 courses per year. In every single session, he and his students conjure up quick dishes that are also healthy. This busy schedule requires plenty of motivation. So, what drives Andreas Meier? “The guests! I get real pleasure from seeing people enjoying the courses and getting involved.”
At Grünes Gut culinary school, Andreas exclusively uses authentic and natural ingredients. There’s no place on his plates for glutamate, additives or flavor enhancers. However, the 46-year-old chef knows all too well that the stresses of everyday life often lead us straight back to processed food. “You can cheat when it comes to food, but your body will suffer for it,” he says. He has a handful of cooking principles: eat seasonal produce, use every part of your ingredients and think ecologically.
Always cook with your heart – that way, you’ll always get it right.
Looking for a recipe?
Andreas recommends freezing vegetable stock, tomato butter and garlic paste in portions to help cook meals quickly. “All you need to do is throw it in the pan with pasta and some shrimp, and you’ve whipped up a delicious dinner for yourself.” After attending his courses, you’ll never eat the same way again. That’s because Andreas loves to reveal secrets, share his recipes and pass on tips and tricks.
Tomato butter
Roast 500 grams of cherry tomatoes in the oven with salt, sugar, garlic, lime zest, oil and pepper for 90 minutes. Then mix the roasted cherry tomatoes with 250 grams of butter.
Pro tip: The acids in the tomatoes release histamines. Our bodies do not want these histamines and respond with rashes and skin irritation. Roasting the tomatoes ripens them and allows our body to process them. In a tomato salad, a simple dressing can regulate the acids.
Garlic paste
Peel 300 grams of garlic and boil it until the water becomes milky. Then drain the water and fry the garlic in butter. Purée with rock salt, a dash of cream and some lemon zest to taste.
Pro tip: Garlic is a bulbous plant with cleansing properties. However, its essential oils contain acids that have a negative impact on our body. When boiled at 80°C, garlic releases these oils but still supports our health.
Marinade for salads
Sauté sliced onions in oil until golden-brown, combine with vegetable stock, mustard, salt, white wine vinegar and sugar, then purée with a hand blender for three minutes. Marinate your salad and season as required.
Pro tip: Should you eat raw onion? No, not really. The same goes for garlic. It troubles our gut and irritates our entire body, which can result in bloating and heartburn. Sautéing makes onions and garlic more tolerable for our body – and makes them taste a lot better, too.
Vegetable stock
- 2 tomatoes
- 4 celery sticks
- 5 sprigs of parsley
- 1 sprig of lovage
- ½ a celeriac
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 onions, fried until golden-brown
- 2 carrots
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oil
Wash and slice the vegetables, then fry in a pot with oil. Pour some cold water into the pan and leave to simmer gently for an hour. Pass through a cloth and season with salt and pepper.
Pro tip: This is a great way to use up leftovers. Cabbage, beans and bitter foods are the only things you need to leave out of the pot. Egg shells, root vegetables and leeks are all suitable for vegetable stock. Ultimately, “you’ve already paid for them and they’re still food.”
Whenever Andreas isn’t sharing secrets in cooking classes, he’s working on his next project: Hawaiian poke bowls. “It’s the latest trend and it’s super interesting for us,” he says. “It allows you to put all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need in a single bowl.” Despite the exotic food in his bowl, Andreas still follows his principle of ecological cooking by using regionally sourced ingredients and sustainable, reusable bowls.
