Richard Kägi opens up his Zürich home kitchen to bring decades of culinary expertise to the city’s table

Richard Kägi is a hunter. “I went out into the world to find interesting products and interesting people,” he tells Monocle. The former food scout and avowed gourmand spent 29 years bringing home trophies to Zürich department store Globus, which has one of Europe’s best-stocked delicatessens. Since 2021, he has been channelling this flair for discovery into independent culinary endeavours.

His approach to food is equal parts evangelical and educational. “I like to show people what they can do with good products and the right handling,” he says. That ambition is achieved through gastronomic consulting, a homeware shop, a cookbook and a supper club.

Monocle meets Kägi close to his home at produce purveyor Huber. He arrives in a black 1980s convertible Fiat, sunglasses on and canvas grocery tote in tow. Ahead of recipe testing, we’re here to stock up on morels, aubergines and Noirmoutier potatoes, which are grown in the sandy soil of Île de Noirmoutier, of France’s Atlantic coast. “Most of the harvest goes to the top French restaurants,” says Kägi.

Provisioned and back home, Kägi begins preparations in the kitchen. He cooks with a casual ease, explaining the value of using plenty of olive oil to boost the umami flavours of bottarga, garlic and anchovies.

Twenty years ago, Kägi moved into his five-level house in the exclusive Zürichberg area. Designed by Zürich architecture firm Graser Troxler, the house is a curio cabinet of Kägi’s tastes and travels. It’s also the location for his intermittent home supper club, which is open to anyone quick enough to claim one of its 20 places. “I could offer it every weekend and it would be full,” he says.

From the first sip of Soave wine to the last dab of strawberry-cream dessert, Kägi provides more than just a shared meal. He delivers a culinary lesson, sharing deep knowledge of food scrupulously gathered from travelling, tasting and plenty of experimentation. His evolution from food scout to host, chef, author and all-round food authority was developed over decades. But what he has learnt along the way, he shares generously.

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1.
Roasted aubergine with bottarga

The outstanding, caramelised purple aubergine rounds, green herbs and orange bottarga smell sweet but have savoury depth. “I love this dish for its umami power and simplicity,” says Kägi.

Ingredients

• 100ml roasted garlic oil or olive oil
• A few whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 slices aubergine, from the widest part, 3cm to 4cm thick
• Salt and black pepper
• 50g bottarga
• 1 bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Gently fry the garlic cloves in the roasted garlic oil over low heat for 15 minutes, then remove them. If you don’t have garlic oil, you can use regular olive oil.
3. Turn the aubergine slices well in the oil, place in an ovenproof dish or pan and pour more oil over the top.
4. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until light golden brown and completely soft.
5. Remove from the oven, drizzle with more fresh oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. Grate the bottarga over the top and scatter with the chopped herbs.

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2.
Asparagus and Noirmoutier potatoes with morel sauce

“White and green asparagus play off one another, layered with superb potatoes and a depth that only morels can bring,” says Kägi. To serve as a more substantial main course, accompany each plate with a square of baked puff pastry.

Ingredients

• 1kg fresh white asparagus
• 500g green asparagus
• 500g Noirmoutier potatoes (or other small potatoes)
• 80g butter (50g for vegetables and 30g for finishing)
• 100ml water
• Salt and a pinch of sugar

For the sauce

• 150g fresh morels
• 25g dried morels, soaked in water for 1-2 hours
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 50g butter
• 50ml Noilly Prat (or other dry vermouth)
• 100ml chicken stock
• 250ml double cream
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Fresh wild garlic or chives, finely sliced

Method

1. Trim the ends of all the asparagus and peel. Cut into bite-sized pieces, keeping the tips separate.
2. Halve the unpeeled potatoes and sauté in butter for 10 minutes.
3. Add the white asparagus spears (without tips), along with 100ml water, salt and a pinch of sugar.
4. After 7 minutes, add white asparagus tips and green asparagus spears (without tips). After a further 4 minutes, add green asparagus tips and cook. All should remain firm.
5. Prepare the sauce. Halve larger morels lengthways, leave smaller ones whole and wash carefully. Wash and strain dried morels and keep the soaking water.
6. Finely chop the shallot and sweat in butter, then add the morels. Simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
7. Deglaze with the vermouth, then add the chicken stock and morel soaking water. Remove the morels, add the cream and reduce by half over high heat.
8. Return the morels to the pan and season with sea salt and black pepper.
9. Spoon the asparagus cooking liquid into the sauce.
10. Arrange the vegetables on prewarmed plates, pour the morel sauce over the top and scatter with finely chopped herbs.

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3.
Eton mess

For dessert, Kägi whips up his take on a classic British treat.

For the meringues

• 100g egg whites (about 3 eggs)
• Pinch of salt
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g icing sugar, sifted
• 15g cornstarch

Other ingredients

• 750g strawberries, quartered, plus extra for serving
• 100g caster sugar 200ml whipping cream, lightly whipped
• 125g crème fraîche
• 50g icing sugar, sifted
• ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped
• 125g raspberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120C.
2. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes until stiff peaks form. With the mixer still running, gradually add the caster sugar and beat until firm and glossy, about 2-3 minutes. Sift in the icing sugar and cornstarch, folding in gently.
3. Spoon mounds of about 8cm onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the meringues lift easily from the tray and are crisp but without any colour. Leave to cool completely inside.
4. Wash and prepare the strawberries. Mix with caster sugar in a large bowl. Leave to macerate for 20 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, lightly whip the cream, crème fraîche, icing sugar and vanilla seeds until soft peaks form.
6. Place a quarter of the strawberries in a large glass bowl, spread a quarter of the vanilla cream over them and crumble a quarter of the meringues roughly over the top. Repeat the layering.
7. Top the Eton mess with raspberries and extra strawberries to serve.