Grüne Lampe
May 24, 2017
Julia Gutsch: "I felt good immediately in Berlin."
The city of Saint Petersburg was still known as Leningrad when Julia Gutsch was born there. She enjoyed a comfortable childhood, spending a lot of time at the Eremitage Museum, where her mother worked.
Still, even as a child, she knew that she wanted to leave Russia. Her country wasn't really free. After studying art history in Leningrad, she came to Berlin in 1990 as a refugee. After retraining as a travel agent, she opened up a small travel agency. When her business began to suffer, she turned to her skills in the Russian culinary arts and opened her restaurant Grüne Lampe in 2005. Meanwhile she quit - but the team is still known for it's excellent Russian cuisine..
Grüne Lampe in Berlin's Wilmersdorf district
The name is a reference to Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who used to frequent an elite club of the same name. In Pushkin's time - the 19th century - Russian cuisine enjoyed an excellent reputation throughout Europe. Julia Gutsch endeavors to revitalize it.
Dressed herring
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1–1.5 herring filet
- 170-200 g potatoes
- 130 g carrots
- 230 g red beets
- 170-200 g mayonnaise
- 1 small onion, around 70 g
- 1.5 eggs
- Fresh dill and parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Place red beet in a pot and boil for around 2 1/2 hours until tender. In another pot, boil potatoes and carrots for around 30 minutes until tender. In a separate pot, boil eggs for around eight minutes until hard-boiled.
In the meantime, chop herring filets into small cubes. Peel onions, dice, and set aside.
Remove boiled vegetables and eggs from pots, allow to cool, and grate carrots, potatoes, and red beets using a medium-sized grater. Peel eggs and crush into pieces by hand. Place individual ingredients in separate bowls and set aside.
Distribute grated potatoes on a large plate, around 26 cm in diameter. Using a tablespoon, spread around a third of the mayonnaise evenly over the grated potatoes.
Sprinkle diced onions on the layer of mayonnaise, and then spread a layer of herring over the onions until the entire plate is covered in herring.
Then, cover in a layer of egg and spread a new layer of mayonnaise over egg. Add a layer each of grated carrot and red beet, and cover in a layer of mayonnaise.
Place finished cake-like salad in refrigerator and cool for 30 minutes.
Café Grüne Lampe
Uhlandstraße 51
10719 Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 88719393