GREEN, HEALTHY AND GOOD!

The new cookbook from Regensburg: Vegetarian delicacies for 5 seasons.
The book “Vegetarische Schmankerl für 5 Jahreszeiten” by Ursula Gaisa will be published on October 15, 2019. The book, made in Regensburg, promises dishes that are easy to make and yet sophisticated. That sounds great! There are 50 vegetarian recipes in this cookbook, including starters, main courses, desserts and cakes. There is also a product guide to spices, herbs, mushrooms and products such as oat cuisine or smoked tofu, interviews with greengrocers and producers from the region and an expert discussion with a mushroom picker.

Winter vegetable strudel by Ursula Gaisa

Ursula Gaisa was born in Schwandorf in 1968. She taught herself to cook and is now a passionate eater and food blogger. In 2016, she successfully took part in the ZDF show “Die Küchenschlacht”. She has been a vegetarian for over two years for animal welfare and environmental reasons and proves with her innovative dishes that meat-free cuisine is anything but boring.

Ursula Gaisa Regensburg — Ursula Gaisa (Photo: Dietmar Grün)

We asked the author a few questions in advance.

Dear Ursula,

How did the idea of writing a cookbook come about?
To be honest, I wouldn’t have thought myself capable of it, but the publisher, Josef Roidl, had noticed my monthly vegetarian-vegan recipes in the Mittelbayerische newspaper and suggested publishing a book. I couldn’t say no. An exciting and thrilling time began. I photographed all the dishes myself, so I had to gain some experience first. So I cooked the pointed cabbage recipe at least four times. (laughs) And in March, I paid 7 euros for a Hokkaido pumpkin…

What is your favorite food?
I like all the dishes in the book myself, otherwise I wouldn’t have included them. But my favorite is the spring and early summer cuisine. I love asparagus and strawberries in all their variations. In the fall, I cook a lot with pumpkin, which I also like very much. It’s always important to balance the sweetness with acidity. As in many dishes. This balance is important to me. A dish should be exciting and not one-dimensional. Cauliflower, which I roast whole in the oven, is also great and very underrated. A great recipe for winter.

The book is “Made in Regensburg”. What do you particularly like about Regensburg?
I’ve lived in Regensburg for over 30 years and still keep discovering new things. If you leave the well-trodden tourist paths, you can always immerse yourself in the old alleyways and stories. Regensburg is just the right size for me and has a special mix of old and new. The students keep the city young, and the cultural offerings are also remarkable.

You’re a jack-of-all-trades: in addition to your job as a journalist, you write recipes for the Mittelbayerische Zeitung, you’re a singer, you do musical cabaret and you run the blogzine www.immerschick.de.
What do you write about on your blog and how did you get into blogging in the first place?
I seem to have an uncanny need to share (laughs). No, joking aside: I came up with the idea of publishing my recipes in 2011 because I found blogging fascinating and I liked taking photos. This blog was on a free platform and was difficult to use. As I’m also very interested in fashion, I went on Instagram with my pictures in May 2018. I now want to bundle all my interests on immerschick.de. Together with other women, I want to create a blogzine for modern women in midlife – with healthy recipes, cookbook introductions, fitness, fashion and beauty tips, as well as novel recommendations and interviews with interesting women.

What is your favorite place in or around Regensburg?
I live in Stadtamhof and I really like it. The district is young and yet somewhat quieter than the center of the old town. I love the market on Wednesday mornings in the main street. And in both summer and winter I like to walk along the Danube, it’s a real place of strength for me. Outside of Regensburg, I love being in Kallmünz, where I also work at the weekend.

The book “Vegetarische Schmankerl für 5 Jahreszeiten” costs €19.90 and is published by
MZ Buchverlag.

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