A four-hour train ride from Vienna brings you to a small town Feldon on the Lake of Wörthersee, a scenic lake surrounded by hills. After a very short taxi ride you’re find yourself at the doorsteps of Viva Mayr clinic. It’s not my first time here, I’ve been a few times and more. The first time I was told about the clinic I was skeptical, not because of the clinic itself, just in general I am not the type who rarely visits spas or clinics.
I can say that Viva Meyer is a place where you find all kinds of people, from all over the world and these days there are many Russians, Indians, British, Europeans and numerous Austrians. You can pick and choose your program after your kinesiology examination and from there the rest is history.
There isn’t much to do on these rainy days and if you enjoy duck weather, you can swim in the lake or walk in the forests, which is a frequent activity at Viva Mayr.
The facilities are excellent in most rooms have views on the lake, and you will not be disappointed by the kitchen unless you’re grossly overweight, and in that case you will have soup and complain about starving. During my stay here I always do the cooking course, and watch the how easy it is to make a Viva Mayr soup. The oils, grains, honey, vinegar are all selected for their quality and purity by the head chef Emanuela Fischer. I particularly enjoy this simple of a few ingredients and it reminds me of miso soup because it is very simple and based on a few ingredients.
This recipe is as simple as it gets. You take Hokkaido squash and some broth made from grated vegetables and mix in some herbs, reduce and you have a base stock. Then you take some root vegetables, carrots, cut them and simply add a bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg. Then after some 15mins of cooking time you puree the mixture and voila, an excellent soup.
| 2 | bay leaves and nutmeg |
| 400g | fresh root vegetables such as: Carrot, yellow turnip, celery tuber, celery stalk, fennel tuber, parsley root or parsnip (use vegetable peel, leaves and good vegetable left overs) |
| 50g | leek or spring onions (scallions) |
| 1liter | water |
| 1tbsp | sea salt |
Add the spices and salt and simmer for about 30 minutes – then strain the broth through a fine sieve, season well and serve as a clear soup. Stir in 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, if desired. Serve with the appropriate soup garnish.
Make 2-3 liters of soup at once, strain the required amount through a fine sieve and put the rest with the vegetables to cool, then storing in the refrigerator.
You can always vary the taste by using different vegetable mixtures.