For Sabine, it’s spaetzle, sauce and soup
A native of Germany, stunning Sabine Ehrenfeld is known to TV viewers everywhere as the spokesmodel for Overstock.com. She launched her modeling in Italy at the age of 20, and was soon working for Elite Models in New York City.
Ehrenfeld considers being a mother of two her most important job, and when she’s not busy with that and work, she enjoys yoga, running, biking and giving time to a variety of charities and civic organizations. She is also an accomplished private pilot and is working on a variety of new TV, movie and publishing projects. To learn more, visit www.overstock.com.
The average American knows only a little about German food. So, what dishes would most suit the average American’s taste?
“I grew up in Hamburg, and the cuisine there is completely different from the rest of Germany. It has a lot of seafood and potatoes. We all just wanted noodles and sauces all the time. When I go home I just LOVE to eat anything with spaetzle, which is a kind of pasta, topped with sauce. I think Americans would go crazy over all the great cold cuts and sausages we have. And the bread! There’s nothing that compares to the fresh rolls, pretzels and loaves of freshly baked bread.”
Which food could never be “overstocked” in your home?
“I always have pasta in the house, as well as homemade pesto and Bolognese meat sauce in the freezer.”
Fave food that begins with the letter “O”?
“Osso bucco! I love Italian food!”
Sabine’s Lentil, Barley and Bacon Soup
1 cup lentils
1 cup barley
Olive oil, 4 tablespoons to cook, more to add later
1 cup chopped onion
4 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 pound bacon chopped very fine
2/3 cups chopped celery
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
2/3 cup canned crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Romano cheese
Wash lentils and barley in bowl of water. Drain off top of water to discard what floats, until water is clear. Remove from water, rinse and set aside. In olive oil, cook the onions, garlic, bacon, celery and parsley until deeply colored, about 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes and stir to coat well. Cook for 3 minutes. Add lentils and barley, stir to coat well. Add water to cover by about 1 inch. Adjust heat to simmer gently until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
Stir and check water level, and add water as necessary to keep at the desired soup consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Before serving, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir.
Top servings with Romano cheese. Perfect with warm, crusty bread. Serves 8-10.