Duvel

Leftovers turned into something “Chinese” ... Squid, green asparagus & black beans Cabbage, garlic, chili, Sichuan pepper Jiaozi Served with soy, sesame, vinegar and chili oil Miso soup (yeah, I don’t know either ...)

Nice - even got the right pasta ! I’ve eaten my fair share of fideos, and thanks to my Catalan wife I make decent ones as well (not that she teaches me, its more of an evolutionary approach from my side to get approval 😉). Yours looks great ! A crispy top is a must, and a strong stock (either seafood, snails, other added protein) is required as well. Typically, however, fideua is not a side dish to a pretein, but really the star of the party. If you can, try to put more protein in there (rabbit, chicken, snails for a farmers version or clams, shrimp, monk fish for a seafood version - or a mix for that “mar i muntanya” approach) and serve with a good allioli ... Edit: found this picture from our Christmas fideua ...

Breaded cod with quick potato salad ...

Chickpea & chorizo soup, smoothened to appeal to the little one, with whole wheat crispbread (curtesy of the first IKEA visit in months) ...

Ossobuco in bianco, served with sweet potato mash & gremolata. Please disregard the splatters around the plate, the little one had to “steal” my marrow bone ...

With the Corona-related restrictions slowly relaxing in Germany, we have my sister and her husband over this weekend. The little one is super excited. And to make it a “family style” weekend, we preponed pizza & movie night to Saturday ... Mushroom & salami (little ones favourite) ”Inverse” Margherita (idea borrowed from Pepe in Grani: mozzarella di bufala, tomato coulis, basil puree) Hawaii (little ones second favourite) Seasonal pie - green asparagus & serrano ham Crumb shot Followed by icecream ...

I read it that this refers to adding the starchy water to the dish, not the soda part ...

I abstain from most social media, so I was a bit overwhelmed when recently my friends in Hong Kong and Japan were simultaneously getting enthusiastic about Dalgona coffee, which seems to be huge on Instagram. Seems it is a rather usual beverage is Macau (where nonetheless I never encountered it) and was popularized in South Korea by an famous actor, who had the drink there. Basically you whip (heavily) a mixture of sugar, instant coffee powder and hot water until thick and creamy and top a glass of cold milk with it. I tried it today (to at least be able to join the conversation again with my friends); even whipped the coffee mixture by hand as it is supposedly a soothing experience (maybe to millennials, who usually don’t cook). The resulting “cream” was too sweet for me on its own, but sipping the cold milk with little bits of the coffee mixture is quite pleasant. It has a kind of caramel candy taste to it, but refreshing due to the large proportion of milk accompanying it.

Yup ... pork neck/collar is a thing of beauty. And very forgiving - usually turns out juicy, regardless of ones BBQ or frying skills. And if you have the time and do the full SV treatment in advance plus a hard sear you get something very special ...

Yes, it is a thick slice of pork neck/collar, very popular in Germany (Nackensteak) Marinated with salt, pepper, garlic, bit of yoghurt, and whatever herbs you have. Usually grilled on a BBQ, but this specific one was pan-fired, as it was raining ...

“Traditional” German fare continues: marinated pork collar, mashed potatoes (with some sweet potatoes thrown in for good measure) with fried onions and the classic carrot/pea/butter combi. Gravy, of course. And one happy Duvel ☺️

The pinnacle of German cuisine from the 50’s - Toast Hawaii ... (augmented by Jägertoast - same concept, just with mushrooms)

That could either be a) a Mai Tai-induced vision of unicorn poo, or b) a glimpse of the IKEA plastic plate that we for some strange reasons use traditionally (and only for that purpose) for eating our Sunday night pizza ...

Pizza bianca (just fresh mozzarella di buffala), topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and chives after baking ...

I fully agree ... but plunging them straight from the fridge into boiling water and boiling them with a stir now and then for 6.5 min gives me consistent cooked whites with centered, runny yolks.

I would go Escabeche / Nanbanzuke: just skin & gut them, dust with flour and fry. Then pickle in sweetened vinegar with some spiced; over a couple of days the bones should have softened enough to enjoy the critters whole ...

I shamelessly admit that I have two 😉

Quick & easy - Okonomiyaki ...

Found some dried ancho peppers and decided to make some adobo sauce. Marinated two slabs of pork neck with it and cooked them SV @74oC for 20h. Shredded, crisped under the broiler and served with freshly made wheat tortillas and the fixings ... very satisfying !

Benvinguts, @jongm91 ! If you are coming from the Modernist department, you’ll find a lot of inspiration here ... as well as a very friendly and helpful crowd. Please enjoy and contribute !

Would you envision a fully prepared set of dishes or are you fine with some “on the spot” preparations (e.g. bbq, ...) ? Individual courses or buffet style ? For bringing vs. making: let them bring the alcohol, desserts at best and prep all the main foods yourself ...

Cleaning out the fridge and trying to call it dinner 😉 Lamb, carrot-couscous patty, grilled zucchini, mixture of leftover quarks, hummus ...

The localized “Chinese” food in the UK is nicely covered in Kenneth Loo’s “Chinese Cuisine”. It starts with “Everything suffers a sea change when removed from its original ...”. I like the book a lot, as it introduces the westernized versions first, and in the second part brings out “real” chinese recipes from several provinces of China, all nicely sorted by region and season. It was my first cookbook on Chinese food and I keep my (fully desintegrated) second copy together with my essential books ...

“My” döner shop has opened up again for takeout, so today I went to support the business in these times. They were busy - both skewers were on high heat and heavy rotation. I am happy that they are doing well. Needless to say, the döner was fantastic ...