BonVivant

A simple octopus stew for this dark, windy and rainy friday night.

It was most simple, the only thing I had to cook was the potatoes. The fish was from my regular fishmonger, big enough for 2 people and 2 meals. I prefer red wine with rich, fatty smoked fish with dark meat.

Duck breasts in the oven. First seared then transfered to the oven. Overhead shot with apple bits

LOL, no problem. I would think they were scallops, too. I score scallops the same way.

^^ They just look like scallops The food tasted meaty with the lamb stock and mushrooms. I got the mill in Belgium.

I have eaten all the fresh mushrooms brought back from Japan and now I'm eating non Japanese mushroom, too. Rosemary because I used a lamb stock made with leftover cooked lamb rib chops and bones from the other day. Tastes like meat and yet it isn't.

I tried another speciality of Osaka yesterday. Your order is cooked on your table and the process takes 20mins, and seems complicated. It's mostly cabbage.

Some recent lunches. Arrived in Uji today where everything revolves around green tea. It's mushroom season now and the only way to eat mushrooms my way (amount and what kinds) is to buy them and cook them myself. (My lodging in Kyoto has a simple kitchen) More delicious mushrooms

Crazy marbling! This is premium Hida beef. Well, why not, when one is visiting pretty Takayama (Japan)?! You cook the meat yourself on a curved grate to your liking. This plate of meat is 300gr for 2 of us and we were very full afterwards. In Argentina we had to split one steak, standard size there is 400gr! (this series: http://tinyurl.com/nc5gs6x)

I'm backpacking in northern Japan at the moment and in this town it's all about squid so here goes: (This series in one .gif file)

I don't have a vacuum sealer and am turning off the fridge.

I have about 12 days to eat everything in the fridge. It's almost empty, still 2 more wedges of old cheese like this but a lot more expensive and exquisite. I hope they survive 6 weeks at room temperature whilst I'm away. These are some of the very last things: Lunch in the sun

Germany and Spain under the sun: Strammer Max and Huevos con Chorizo. The black chorizo is called 'morcilla achorizada Iberica', which is a little sweet but that's because it contains smoked pimenton dulce. The normal chorizo is a bit spicy. Both bought (at the market's butcher's shops) in Alicante, Spain, as well as my tiny paella pan. Strammer Max got its silly name in Berlin, is a warm anytime-snack. Three things always always go together on bread: meat, a fried egg and gherkins. (Meat could be anything one fancies such as smoked Black Forest ham, roast beef, or Leberkäse.)

Reindeer and roe deer steaks/meats are wonderful. All kinds of smoked reindeer bits are quite normal in Norway, too. (Pics -in .gif file, are small but you have an idea how normal it is in Norway to see this kind of thing there) I also enjoyed S(a)ami reindeer and elk salamis (in Norway) very much.

Finger food today. Lamb mince with kofta spice mix thing (and the other half of the mince with sumac as well). I use the gorgeous Turkish pepper paste on the ciabatta.

^^ Yep. I was just done slicing, cleaned it and left it on the chopping board as a prop.

Duck was from a Chinese restaurant. Steamed rice rolls from a Chinese store. I can't make the rolls myself as they need certain equipments to make. The batter is cooked on a flat surface then rolled up using a long pair of chopsticks. That's how I saw it done all over south east Asia.

^^ That's steamed rice noodles/sheets/rolls. I like it the as part of dimsum, but then stuffed with mince or prawns. Or Vietnamese style: with pork paste sausage and cooked mung bean shoots. Cheers

Easy dinner after an afternoon in the pub

A couple of recent meals. I always have both meat and seafood on the barbie, this time it was big razor clams (and 'normal' clams, from Spain). The other meal was 'Banh Mi' with pork rind. The rind lasted 3 meals.

Avoiding cooking again... I used lettuce leaves as wraps. After the first one it was clear I needed to cut the rind 'noodles' into smaller bits. My molars and incisors are no longer sharp! (This series in .gif)

While I love Vietnamese food I don't usually cook it so 2 days in a row is a new trend. (Yes, I've travelled around Vietnam, from Phu Quoc to Bac Ha/Sapa just to eat.) Vietnamese beef salad with watercress. Dipping sauce is lemon juice, salt and pepper. Wine is Carmenere. I've been trying to avoid cooking in this heat but today it was pleasant enough to fire up the Weber.

Pseudo 'Banh Mi'. Vietnamese food is mostly unknown in my food hell. We ate it with a tomato, cucumber, corriander salad. And 4 different beers. Too hot to cook! (pics in .gif )

Mussel season has officially started here. My easy fast food, steamed with celery leaves and wine.

They usually go on the Weber but it's 35C today so no barbie. (All shots from this series )