Duvel

Tonight - in the spirit of the occasion- something from the cradle of democracy: Gyros (I hear you, @robirdstx & @kayb) Ouzo ! With Mezze, while waiting for the gril l to do it’s job ... Need to work on my stacking skills ... Done ! Red cabbage salad ... Greek salad ... Zaziki made from greek yogurt with a loooot of garlic ... Happy faces around the table ! στην υγειά μας

Actually, that one is pretty good. I always brought back one or two packages when returning from mainland China ...

Hailing from Lower Saxony - the gastronomic epicenter of the country - I of course need to disagree 😜 Trotzdem Herzlich Willkommen !

This type of cheese is very popular in Germany. We go through 1-2 packs per week, not only as a spread but also as a quite versatile ingredient. A very similar product available in the US is Boursin ...

It is very finely chopped spinach with dash of salt, boiled and drained. Then a generous of cream cheese (I use this) is added and done 🤗

Our local supermarket had fresh cod on offer, so I whipped together some fish cakes with homemade tartare sauce and creamed spinach ...

Local butcher had suckling pig on offer. So tonight slow roasted suckling pig shoulder, served with two kinds of peas in butter and Käsespätzle ...

Goose fat alone is a bit too liquid for me as a spread*. I use about half-half of goose and pork - get all the flavour and something that allows to get a decent layer of fat on your bread ... —- * at least at the ambient temperatures my (Catalan) wife appreciates. Here, at my parents home, of course German household temperatures prevail and goose fat would be rock solid as well 😉

Thanks ! Dolomiti is (from top to bottom): lemon, raspberry and woodruff. When I was a kid (some 35 years ago), the green part was much brighter - it was shortly after discontinued as (legend has it) the green colorant was classified as CMR. The new version, which came out maybe some 10 years ago as part of the 80’s nostalgia wave at least tastes like I remember the original ... but the green color - I liked the old one better 🙃

This past week we had autumn school holidays. My parents were kind enough to take our 6 year old to the Baltic sea coast, where I already spend every autumn holiday as a kid. We dropped him off last week and today went to my parents home (about 300 km north from where we live) to pick him up. I prepared some food that he and my parents would enjoy to celebrate the occasion ... Sourdough, 80% wheat/20% rye at 80% “hydration” using butternut squash puree. Served with Hubertus Schmalz, a delicious mix of pork and goose fat with apples, onions and herbs ... Lasagna: Marcella Hazans ragu alla Bolognese recipe as the base, plus a butter-laden bechamel. It is so simple, yet so good. There are no further pictures, as the whole thing disappeared in minutes ... Donuts - Happy Halloween 🎃 And an icecream called “Dolomiti” - a fond childhood memory that beside me only my son enjoys ... Chased by some more adult options ... Good times ☺️

I use pretty much ChefSteps recipe, but I prefer rosemary as the herb and omit the Activa RM (works pretty well without) ...

My type of pie 😍

I woke up this morning with my belly unmistakably & unexplainably requesting „Grünkohl“! No specific reason, it is not even cold enough for eating it. And yet, after three hours of carefully boiling chopped up kale into submission with copious amounts of cured pork products, here we are ...

I am not sure about a turkey breast roll, but turkey leg roll (first SV, then deep fried) is a truly remarkable item: easy to prep, forgiving in the making and very satisfying to eat.

My family rebelled against another night of Pho, as the house allegedly is still perfumed with a faint star anise/fennel scent ... so I made chicken braised with mushrooms and chestnuts (and added star anise, that’ll show them). Not much to look at, but very, very tasty. Served with stir-fried sugar snap peas & garlic and some dumplings (commercial product) with sesame/black vinegar/soy dip ...

That looks mighty tasty ... but what makes it “forbidden” ?

My apologies, but I had to smile reading this. Growing up in rural Germany, Pumpernickel was on the table more often than not. And I loathe it. So much. And while I admire you going through the process of replicating something inedible, it seems that the shortcut at least didn’t taste as bad as the original 😜 YMMV, of course ...

Pho Bo, as my first steps into pressure cooking continue ... half short rib, half oxtail. Added some black cardamom to the usual suspects coriander, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and fennel. Very good - the little one practically inhaled it. Next batch tomorrow ...

“Gyros & movie night“ instead of the usual pizza-fueled variety - no complaints (neither about food nor my movie choice “Totoro”) Nicely stacked ... And crisped w/ „veggie part“ Pita bread in the making Brushed with oil and grilled Assembly process, easy as child‘s play And a little reward for the cook !

There used to be a Chinese takeaway in my hometown called “Alte Linde” (“Old linden tree”), because it occupied the half-timbered house a German restaurant of that name occupied before. We always joked that “Al Te Lin De” was probably Cantonese and gave some warning on the food quality (Which wasn’t good, even for a 16 year old from a rural German town). It did not last long, despite the name ...

Before inevitable succumbing to @Franci’s purchase suggestions, this week I acquired a pressure cooker from the source of all evil (and cheap household appliances). The Amazon Basic pressure cooker does exactly what is needs to do - no frills, no extras - but thanks to Prime day about 25% off. Never having owned a pressure cooker before, I decided to make stock first. Pho Ga specifically. It worked out nicely. Stock was full bodied and delicately flavored after one hour cooking time. The used meat made a great filler in addition to the minced pork in my Vietnamese spring rolls ... all good !

Must ... resist. Aaaaaargh ! I know it will end up in my shopping basket tonight, latest after the Saturday night liquid mood enhancer 😜

That looks pretty good, too ... Would you mind sharing your recipe ?

Easy peasy “chinesy” ... SV duck breast with hoisin & five spice, cucumber & scallions, bag juices reduced with honey, tomato & eggs and fried string beans with black beans. Steamed bread (commercial product), to make little duck baos ...

I know a place 😉