Duvel

Seeing this makes me seriously considering adding breakfast to my weekday routine again ...

After commuting for four years via ferry I had my first major traffic jam today. 90 min for about 30 km ... So dinner prep time was cut down to 15 min - broccoli fritters (as my wife is concerned about the little ones veggie intake), quick guacamole with north sea shrimp and hummus left-overs stretched with goat cheese. Little one got the excess guac with shrimps and concluded that next time he only wants that ...

The common intersection between leftovers from numerous Mettbrötchen orgies, little time to prepare dinner and the rarely predictable preferences of a five-year old is this: Pasta (technically Fusilli Bucati Corti) with meatballs. No time required, no fuss, no complaints. And a pleasant Rioja for me, just because ...

Preferably in Chinatown 😉

I bought some „ribs“ yesterday. Well, technically they are, because they did contain a few rib bones. But really it was just a big chunk of lower breast meat with a few bones left in. Nevertheless, it got the full SV ribs treatment (dry rub, 12h marinating, 12h @165 F, then finished with BBQ sauce in the oven). Accompanied by sweet corn (regular/herb butter finish) and croquette-fried potato-pumpkin puree (weekend leftover). Family was happy and so was I ...

In the two weeks I am back in Germany, I probably consumed an entire pig as Mett ... its just the perfect food !

Potato pancakes with sour cream/cucumber, smoked salmon and north sea shrimp (and a tad of kewpie). No complaints ...

They really charge 6 Euro for the tomato ?!

Well noted. My point is that even there are Buddhists that would consume meat at points, Buddhist restaurants do not offer a meat choice. The latter they need to seek out separately ...

I have visited many Buddhist restaurants all over Asia and have never encountered any meat on the menu. The Dalai Lama not being strictly vegetarian is a popular argument, but I can only partly agree: while some buddhists do consume meat when offered (just as the Dalai Lama), certainly none would specifically order or eat it at a "free to choose" restaurant with vegetarian options, as it would implicate a deliberate choice for another being to be killed for one`s own consumption ...

I am pretty sure that if you‘ll ever find a buddhist restaurant that served meat, it ain‘t buddhist ...

Pizza al taglio ... three distinct segments: Margarita (buffalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil), Fennel sausage & olives and coppa & rucola. Dough a bit Bonci-esk (sorry, bo crumb shot). My son was so delighted to see me cutting the pizza with scissors ...

Snacking in Heidelberg, inbetween shopping for clothes and other necessities ... “Vetter’s brewery” Märzen beer (yes, it’s Oktoberfest time ...) Cordon bleu - a Schnitzel filled with ham & cheese Bridge and panorama of Heidelberg Castle ...

Saturday night, comfort food. My son was allowed to choose; he found this pasta in the supermarket and requested “ragu” with it. So, ragù alla bolognese (pretty much Marcella Hazans version, with added anchovies) and this pasta. What can I say ... comfort food at its best ☺️

Mettbrötchen - the breakfast for champions ...

This young lady ...

Request !

Even lazier today, but luckily the supermarket next to us has a great cheese section ...

That looks fantastic. The dough rises overnight on the (oiled) baking tray ?

Back in Germany - lazy dinner after unpacking boxes and assembling cupboards: braised rabbit, jus, tomato & mozzarella salad, zaziki, bread. Enjoyed with some decent cava ...

It’s fatty pork, cooked low & slow in its own rendered fat until crispy. Perfect hangover breakfast ...

Indeed ... the green tarragon mustard is great. The honey & fig one might work for this idea as well ! Enjoy (and post pictures 😉)

Rillons would come to mind, maybe with some sort of “unusual” mustard. A raw meat preparation - beef with spices, tuna with spring onion, ... - to be eaten with the bread as you proposed. Fresh fatty goat milk cream cheese with some green allium; also with the bread.

Tonight I took the liberty to revisit the “Beyond Meat” burger at the Cathay First Class lounge at Hong Kong, prior to my flight to Germany. The other choices were tempting, but I felt I needed to give the product one chance to convince, with some modifications to counteract the shortcomings of last time ... So, this time I ordered it with Grueyere and extra pickles (and double fries). Well - it makes a decent burger! I was contemplating about the texture and actually it it close to a burger made from lean beef and cooked medium-rare. Tastewise it is lacking; but with the extra pickles and the sharp cheese it works out. Extra ketchup to counteract the slight “dryness” (as opposed to a full-fat beef patty and two larger whiskey highballs completed a quite pleasant meal.

100~200g of red meat ?! Not sure if that defines a “big eater” ... YMMV.