Try a Creative Hangover Cure
(Zester Daily) Hangover cures - they're never there when you need 'em. Not that you (or I) ever need them.
Nevertheless, in the spirit of post-festive brotherly love, a recommendation or two might come in handy for those who might have been on the wrong side of a midwinter indulgence and are looking for a simple restorative mouthful, liquid or otherwise.
The bullshot - boiling beef consomme cooled with a generous measure of vodka - comes well-recommended as the morning pick-me-up on England's Yorkshire moors in grouse season, while Scotland's heather bashers consider the oatmeal caudle - runny porridge with cream and whiskey - more geographically appropriate.
And don't overlook those who swear by yak butter and hot tea as the antidote to overindulgence in fermented mare's milk when traversing the Khyber Pass.
Soupe a l'oignon
Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald cured a Parisian hangover with onion soup with the porters in Les Halles, the central produce market in the good old 1930s, when men were men and women were -- let's just not go there.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 to 35 minutes
Total time: 40 to 45 minutes
Yield: 2 servings (You should never hang over alone.)
Ingredients
3 large onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil or (better yet) goose fat
1 pint beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
For finishing:
Sliced baguette, toasted
Gruyere or cantal cheese, grated (optional)
Directions
1. Fry the onions very gently in the oil or goose fat in a soup pan until soft and golden but not brown. Stir regularly, allowing at least 20 minutes.
2. Add the beef broth and allow to bubble up. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
4. Ladle over slices of toasted baguette in bowls. You can also place the bread on top of the soup, sprinkle with grated cheese and slip the bowls under the grill for the cheese to melt and brown.
Katzenjammer
A beef and potato salad is the hangover cure in the new wineries of Vienna. Try to remember to put the meat into its marinade the night before so it'll be ready in the morning.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Resting time: 3 to 4 hours or overnight
Total time: 15 minutes, plus resting
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
For the dressing:
4 tablespoons seed or nut oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon mild mustard
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
2 slices cold boiled beef, cut in matchstick-sized pieces
2 cold boiled potatoes, sliced
1 pickled cucumber, chopped
For finishing:
2 to 3 tablespoons beef broth (optional)
1 egg yolk
Chili powder or hot paprika
Directions
1. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Dress the beef, potatoes and cucumber with half the dressing. Allow the mixture to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
3. Whisk the rest of the dressing into the egg yolk to make a thick emulsion, dilute with a little beef broth or warm water to a coating consistency and spoon over the beef mixture.
4. Finish with a generous dusting of chili powder or hot paprika. There's nothing like the fiery capsicums to set a person's metabolism back on track.
Aigo boullido
An oil-and-garlic broth flavored with sage and fortified with egg yolk and pasta serves not only as a remedy for overindulgence but as cure-all and stomach-settler for pregnant women and babies. L'aigo boulido sauvo la vido (Garlic broth saves lives), as they say in Provence.
Prep time: 10 minuntes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
4 fat fresh garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of sage
1 level teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons (25 grams) vermicelli or other thread pasta
1 egg yolk
Directions
1. Simmer the garlic and olive oil in 2 cups of water for a half-hour, or until the volume is reduced by half.
2. Add the sage and bubble up until the broth turns a pretty yellow.
3. Add salt and vermicelli and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, fork up the egg yolk in a small bowl, then whisk in a ladleful of the hot broth. Stir the broth-yolk mixture back into the pot so the egg sets in strings. Bon appétit.
Zabaglione
Italy's version of restorative eggnog -- basically, egg and wine combined to make a spoonable fluff -- was a remedy long before it became an elegant dessert. No need to cook it if you're going to eat it right away. The usual strictures on raw eggs apply, but I guess you know that anyway.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
4 eggs
4 level tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablespoons sweet wine (such as Marsala, Madeira or Valencia)
2 to 3 almond macaroons (optional)
Directions
1. Whisk the egg yolks and whites together until fluffy.
2. Sprinkle in the sugar gradually until the mixture is white and light.
3. Continue whisking as you trickle in the wine.
4. Pour into two tall glasses over crumbled macaroons -- or not -- and eat with a long spoon without delay or the eggs and wine will separate. If this should happen, no need to panic. Simply whisk the split mixture into another egg yolk in a bowl set over simmering water and it'll cure itself.