Honkman

When do you wake up in the morning?

Quick stew with pinto beans, escarole, crumbled Italian sausage, onion and garlic in some chicken broth and a little bit of red wine vinegar - served with some shredded parmesan

Knoedel mit Kraut - German-style dumplings (made from bread, bacon, milk, egg, parsley, marjoram, onion, nutmeg) with braised cabbage (with caraway seeds) and topped with roasted onions

Coconut and black bean soup - made with coconut oil, coconut milk, black beans, chilies, garlic, onion, all spice, thyme and at the end puréed part of it and finished with lime juice, fresh tomatoes and raw onions.

Wild mushroom burger - simple ground chuck beef patty with soy sauce, salt and pepper, Topped with a sautéed wild mushroom mixture (chanterelle, shiitake, oyster with shallots, garlic, thyme and madeira wine)

Brazilian style pizza (thicker dough with 50% hydration from Milk Street recipe) - we like the creative toppings on those Brazilian pizzas. Here with tomato sauce (made from grape tomatoes, olive oil and oregano), thinly sliced ham, pimento-filled olives, heart of palms, mozzarella, hard boiled egg and sautéed onions

New England Fish Chowder - First cod poached in a mixture of water, salt pork, onion, bay leaf and thyme. After removing the fish, cooked the potatoes in the mixture, added milk with cornstarch to thicken and added the cod back to the chowder. Finished with crispy bacon and chives.

Linguine Carbonara with slightly crispy diced ham steak and peas

Chickpeas, spinach and dried tomatoes briefly sautéed with some garlic. Topped with a fried egg and pistachio. Served with some lemon zest yoghurt

Fusili with asparagus and a sauce made of of chèvre, olive oil, lemon zest and tarragon

Minestrone with fennel, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broccoli, basil, parmesan and small pork meatballs (but without pasta)

Simple beef chili with ground beef, red pepper and kidney beans and a bit of sour cream

Dinner was made today in large parts by our daughter - ricotta-herb gnocchi with green beans, lemon zest and parmesan

Stir fried beef (filet mignon) with gai lan and an oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil based sauce

Oven-roasted brown mushrooms (with rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika) with a taleggio-infused bechamel sauce served with mashed potatoes (with parsley and tarragon) and baby arugula salad with an olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, agave nectar vinaigrette (the recipe was calling for chickweed and garden cress but both are impossible to get anywhere)

Brussel Sprouts and Spaetzle Gratin - Cooked brussel sprouts and spaetzle are mixed with bechamel sauce (more heavily spiced with nutmeg) and grated Gouda. Baked in the oven and than topped with roasted onions and chives

Groestl is a Austrian/German dish of cubed meat, potatoes and vegetables sauteed in a pan and often served with a fried egg. Here is a lighter summer version without potatoes but with red pepper, zucchini, onion, kielbasa and parsley.

Quick pasta salad with tortelloni, peas, snap peas, radish, scallions, baby spinach and a vinaigrette made from olive oil, lime juice, agave nectar and basil

Veal stuffed sweet potato - Sweet potatoes were baked in the oven for 80 minutes. During that time you prepare the filling with ground veal, onion, garlic, parsley, milk-soaked bread, egg, harissa, pistachios, feta. Once the sweet potatoes are done you half them, scrape them out and mix it with the veal filling, divide the filling in the sweet potato halves and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve with a mix of mashed avocado, cilantro, olive oil and lemon juice.

Orecchiette with Caponata (eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, over-roasted red peppers, onion, garlic, rosemary)

Some simple chili with kidney beans and corn - and we also wanted to try some “fake” ground beef with Beyond Meat - it was quite good. Served with corn-guacamole and rice.

Actually classical ragu bolognese as it is made in Bologna always contains dairy (most of the time milk, sometimes also cream).

Stir-fried pork tenderloin with choy sum in plum sauce (plum sauce, rice wine, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil) over rice

The Splendid Table Cookbook has a nice overview of different recipe versions of ragu bolognese over the centuries. This is the contemporary ragu bolognese version with a little bit less fat than the “original” one - made with ground beef, pancetta, carrots, celery, onion, tomato paste, white wine and milk (added in small portions over two hours). Overall a very good version and we always like them with the addition of milk which gives it a “silky” texture.

“Japanese” salad with grilled chicken thighs (marinated a few hours in soy sauce, sake, garlic, ginger, chile, brown sugar) with edamame, radish, sugar snap peas and mizuna with a dressing made from white miso, garlic, ginger, pickled ginger, oil and vinegar and sprinkled with some wakame and roasted sesame seeds.