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BonVivant

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Everything posted by BonVivant

  1. I don't often eat pork (unless it's the belly or other fatty cuts)... wanted to give the filet a go (sous vide). Turned out OK. It looked a lot nicer before slicing. Partner said "it looks expensive!". Seared the meat and then some butter, olive oil and more thyme were added to the pan. Strained and poured over the meat. Piping hot gratin. Quinoa and Riesling alongside. Nearly always Riesling, only sometimes quinoa.
  2. I could do away with the cheese, or use my own cheese. I'm particular about my cheese. This was in Budapest. Here is the airy inside of the deep-fried bread, for those who haven't eaten it. Had a simpler version in Albania and I liked it more. It's tiny, made in the fireplace by the *Raki-chugging housewife in whose house I stayed briefly. Because of the size you will eat many, but it's so good! (*Raki is Albanian booze. They drink it in large quantities, from morning till night. Yes, even with coffee at dawn.) Also no cooking for me today. Just cold seafood.
  3. It's a 4-day long weekend here. Soft-cooked egg novice. I need more practice. Black Forest ham and grainy sourdough. Sesame-crusted. Sesame oil and rice wine in the miso sauce. Black stuff is ground toasted black sesame seeds, in case I wanted to mix it in the miso sauce. Supposed to be tortillas but I used a little more eggs than I should have. One has fried Speck in it. I always slip it under the grill to finish the top but thought maybe I'd turn it over just this once. I broke it. Still tasted good all the same. More (beetroot) asparagus, with leftover pistachio picada (a Catalan almond sauce). Was part of dinner yesterday. Made asparagus kimchi today. We shall see what happens in 2 weeks time.
  4. I love beetroots and am always finding new ways to give something their stunning colour. Asparagus is my newest experiment. Just boil some beetroots to obtain the liquid and soak the asparagus in it. People here eat asparagus 2 ways and 2 ways only: cook it to death and drown it in some sauce, or make a soup. When I tell them all the things they could do with asparagus they are most surprised. And thank you very much! Some examples... Seared Skrei Spätzle Austrian dumplings with scrambled eggs Beetroot marinated raw salmon Beetroot chicken. Oh wait, not yet. It's not if, it's when.
  5. I replaced the green beans with green asparagus, which is a German lunch dish. My seasonal "Strammer Max". Basically it's toasted bread topped with ham and runny egg. Very typical in Germany. This is the ham I used. "Black Forest ham". Grated cured egg More asparagus. Very nice selection this weekend. This one was about to run. Already quite soft to the touch before cutting it open.
  6. Squid and mince, neither Thai or Vietnamese. I just used Vietnamese fish sauce, garlic, ginger, onions, palm sugar, Shaoxing wine to give it taste. Very small squid from the North Sea. Easy to clean if they are cut open on 1 side so that they curl up on contact with heat. Squid and mince go exceptionally well together, especially if there's also copious amounts of garlic and chilies. (I make my own habanero chili sauce though, this plate was for someone else who can't eat too spicy.) Where's the mince? It's there, kind of hard to see.
  7. The most popular dish in Galicia, Spain: boiled octopus. The beauty of this food lies in its simplicity. Tender octopus, good oil, and paprika powder. (I used both sweet and hot paprika here) It's not often that I eat green asparagus. Here with grated dried tuna roe, from Alicante, Spain. My criteria for eating green asparagus: domestic, young and slender. In southern Spain, dried tuna roe and salted tuna loin ("mojama", an exquisite delicacy, let sit in olive oil for an hour first) are served in slices with some almonds and lots of beer. I have grated dried tuna roe over a lots of things. Took some time to remove the meat from a kilo of crab claws.
  8. Look up "melanzane ripiene", Sicilian stuffed aubergine. This way it will keep its shape. Love aubergine! I like mine with lamb mince.
  9. Razor clams. Too hot to cook or eat outside otherwise I would have grilled them on the Weber. 25 degrees Celsius today but felt like Australia. Sun is better for plants, not me.
  10. Asparagus e.ve.ry day. Mantou, steamed bread. Pieces of roasted pork are pressed into the deep incisions. Cheesy Swabian noodles. Chives blossoms were to be torn and sprinkled on the noodles.
  11. Mussels (Calalan style). Made this 2 days in a row as fresh mussels can't be kept for long. Catalan Picada sauce is delicious with all kinds of food. Basically it's ground almond, olive oil, parsley, garlic and breadcrumbs. The bread in the photos above. Got it in Koblenz on my way home from Bremm, Germany. Text on paper bag: "Happiness lies in making others happy". Not a literal translation but that's basically what it's meant to say. Rhubarb with fig jelly on the base and top. Someone was very happy with these. I prefer the tea. Brought back from Uji (a tea-producing town between Kyoto and Nara, Japan). Can't roll anything, especially rice paper. I'm a sea rabbit sometimes. These rolls contains only vegs (asparagus, turnips and their leaves, Italian chicory, chives etc). Red strips are shaved asparagus that has been soaked in beetroot water. I like eating almost everything, especially cheese. The BEST food in.the.world! The "small breast" is actually quite big. A young, creamy cheese from Galicia, Spain.
  12. I almost never eat my precious asparagus with a thick sauce. This one has cream and grated Tuscan cheese in it. Crisp-fried Tyrolean Speck on top. Ate with sourdough bread I brought back from Germany yesterday. Would add a slug of Riesling to the creamy sauce next time. Last week... Boiled prawns. Prawns in cream on bread. Red thing in background is salmon roe soaked in beetroot water. Asparagus in cream, hot smoked salmon belly and potatoes fried in Mangalitsa fat.
  13. BonVivant

    A Sparkling Riesling?

    Made my Riesling dream come true again yesterday. Walked to the next 2 villages (4km each way) where W.J. Oster winery has a tasting room. All Riesling. Last 3 on the list are sparkling. And more Riesling with dinner when I got back to my lodging. The village where I am staying. Known for being postcard-perfect, having the steepest vineyards in Europe (65 degrees), some of the most exquisite Riesling, a ruin surrounded by vineyards, a river bend that's on every postcard etc.
  14. BonVivant

    A Sparkling Riesling?

    It's made the classic way and was cellared for 3 years. I got it from the winemaker's residence, which also doubles as a wine tasting spot, about 50 (?) metres from my lodging. Sparkling Riesling is hard to find. It's not made in large quantities and most remains near its source. That's why I have come here to make my Riesling dream come true! Everything was closed today but I will be drinking at Toni's soon. (The winemaker's homepage, in German.) All the winemakers in this pretty little village have racks like this out front. And like this. Another place to get wines and have a tasting directly from the winemaker.
  15. Germans use marjoram in sausages and soups, and is also found in Saumagen. The "sausage" is formed with finely minced pork, potatoes, garlic, marjoram, nutmeg and parsley. It was invented to use up leftover bits and pieces. The lowly home-made dish now even served in some (semi) fancy restaurants.
  16. Farmer's ham of Eifel (a big area around here). Asparagus comes from Bruchsal in south western Germany. Sow's stomach in the style of Pfalz. It's not sausage and not haggis. (Name in German is Saumagen) 3 Riesling with my asparagus. Making my Riesling dream come true! First Riesling last night upon my arrival. The Riesling was drank with dinner, which I brought with me from home knowing everything was closed on sunday.
  17. The end (probably) of my meatball-making lark. Loosely based on the recipe on the maker of the pear-apple syrup's web site. I used La Trappe bock beer and some Bovril in the sauce. The syrup. Leftover Liège meatballs in a roll. With tea soba. In the mince: harissa paste, kebab spice mix, minced onions and garlic. In the sauce: Turkish red pepper paste, tomatoes, onions, seasoning. Leftover lamb meatballs. Even better with giant white beans and chard.
  18. Duvel, that's a lot of peanuts. Are they fried in oil? I would eat donkey, happily. Intestines on the other hand... I've tried countless times but couldn't get into it, mostly because my incisors and molars are dull (I think). On top of this the texture of trails. ---------------------- Recent lunches. These days I hardly eat anything besides asparagus and chard. Taking my sweet time eating North Sea crab claws, North Sea shrimp, North Sea oysters. Salmon roe from Denmark, I don't remember anymore. Aberlour scotch and beetroot water in the cure. Faroe Islands salmon. I no longer want to cook Faroe Islands salmon. Pickled herrings in cream sauce. One has cucumber and parsley, the other beetroots and dill. Leftover sausages. Small asparagus farm and bakery inside a windmill in the countryside 3.5km from my house.
  19. Farls, soup, croquettes. I like Kartoffelkäse /"potato cheese", Bauernfrühstück/Farmer's breakfast. Gröstl is a similar dish in Austrian Tyrol. And a kind of dumpling called "Schupfnudeln". These things are typical lunch dishes in Austria and southern Germany. (Both have been posted before) With Speck and Sauerkraut. I think every restaurant in Swabia serves this favourite of mine. Can also be a sweet dish, with poppy seeds. Potato cheese Tiroler Speck top right.
  20. Braised chicken in dry Riesling is nice. Have never tried it with a sweet Riesling. Also, I don't touch sweet Riesling. My favourite white wine!
  21. Tastes almost exactly like tinned cod liver. Just eat it on toast and a squeeze of lemon.
  22. I have many lunch photos from last week, too many to post them all in 1 go. Here are a few: Beetroot marinated Skrei (winter cod from Norwegian arctic). What the Skrei looks like before slicing: Maatjes in cream with beetroot and appel. Herring roll. Labskaus is a typical lunch food in northern Germany. All port cities in northern Europe have their own versions of Labskaus. This is my version with the same ingredients. Everything is normally next to each other on 1 plate and the egg is fried and runny. Labskaus always comes with beetroot mashed potatoes. I ran out of eggs but had beetroot eggs so I used them. First photo in the back garden this year. Shrimp are full of roe. Shrimp rolls Rye bread and toppings.
  23. Some southern German and northern Tyrol food. Dumplings with scrambled eggs. Very simple to make, everyone likes eating it. Exactly the same as the above but with raw beetroot in the batter. Spinach dumplings (these are big ones) filled with breadcrumbs and grated Italian cheese from Tyrol, Asiago d'allevo. Sauce is cream and the same cheese. Leftover dumplings were sliced and fried in Speck fat, and goose fat (crispy bits on the plate). The fried version is even better. Speck on the side. Always find ways to eat more beetroots. I like things most people hate, I guess. Same as spinach dumplings, cheese is 2 year old Comte. Golden brown bits are just breadcrumbs fried in fats (goose, Speck and Mangalitsa). "White sausage" Without "white beer" this time. Supposed to be a Bavarian sausage salad but I used homemade kimchi instead.
  24. BonVivant

    Bangers and mash

    Have you ever seen hipster Bangers and Mash? In Dublin no less. Was my lunch It also ate the mussels because the above was so little. I'm a girl and the food was not much! I even drank all the beers (full pints) on tap in a single session and then I was happy and full.
  25. So rare to hear that. I like the food in the region of southern Germany, Austria and Tirol. But then, German food (and beer, as well as wine) is very regional. I visit Germany every year and always find something new every time. I must say that I'm not a fan of Bavarian dumplings (see photo below) but the cook usually happily replaces them with Spätzle when I request it. (Goose was for my companion who didn't mind Bavarian dumplings) Just a chair to most tourists. There's a significance of the hop shovel and mash fork. And Miltenberg is a lovely little medieval town (do an image search).
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