Duvel

See … 😜

Oh dear! You may want to look at this … … before joining my dinners* 😜 — * you know, with my strict rules on portion control and such …

My mom is going to visit “us” (actually I assume mainly the little one) from tomorrow on for one and a half weeks. So we preponed Pizza & Movie night to tonight, and since we are already throwing traditions over board I changed it to Burger & Movie night … Got some brisket on offer, and had my butcher grind it up - made super juicy, super flavorful patties. (Commercial) brioche buns, aged cheddar, caramelized onions and lettuce/tomato/pickles. Couple of fries on the side. Mine had an extra patty, just because … Enjoyed while watching Jungle Beat on Netflix.

Delicious … got some You Tiao for dipping, perhaps ?

Were Mai Tai‘s involved ..?

On those days when work and life getting the better of you, but you still (or maybe above all) want to eat like a king with minimum effort, I turn to what we call „freezer gold“. In this case frozen ragu alla Bolognese from Marzella Hazan*. Together with De Cecco bucatini, a (slightly larger) touch of butter and copious amounts of Parmigiano a fantastic dinner, whipped together in less than 20 min, enjoyed in even less than that - but making you glow for the rest of the evening. —- * it’s just the perfect ragu. There are plenty of recipes out there, but this one is like in her book (while omitting the cured pork, though).

If not done yet, I‘d suggest to gradually lower the water amount. Contrary to popular opinion, brown rice is usually processed and the amount of bran removed makes a significant difference to the amount of water absorbed. If rice adsorbs too much water, the grains swell, split and starch will leak out resulting in mushy rice.

During my last post-doc year at KyoDai I had a master student working for me who doubled at nighttime cooking for everyone who stayed late (so, all of the lab). Once a week he made either Okonomiyaki or Negiyaki, the latter being preferred by the guys because it was a welcome excuse to have a beer (because of its stronger taste). I learned from him - both making it and having a beer when I do 🥳

What is all that green inside your Okonomiyaki ..? It does not look like a Negiyaki to me, but I could be wrong. And where are the katsuobushi/aonori (sacrificed for a cleaner picture perhaps 😉) ?

Tonight’s rendition of Pizza & Movie night featured … Salami & mushroom. You can tell that the family is hungry when you go to the kitchen to get napkins and when you are back half of the pizza is gone 🙄 Spargel. Mozzarella, shaved raw white asparagus, cooked potatoes. Post bake enhanced with Tyrolean Speck and dollops of Hollandaise … Margherita. Crushed tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, pinch of Parmigiano and basil leaves … … and the movie Finding Ohana, a kind of Goonies remake with some faux-Hawaiian mythology and fairy tale thrown in. Contrary to tonights pizza varieties this movie doesn’t need repeating.

They are indeed more tough than the green variety. Diameter is larger, too. The stalks are very soft after poaching; „floppy“ does describe it very well 🤗

I am a Hollandaise guy through and through. And despite my love for Schnitzel I do prefer my Spargel with a selection of hams (both raw & cooked), chopped hard boiled eggs and parsley. But I‘ll prep some next weekend when I am back home. Sooo … this is Spargel in the Duvel household. Well, at least for me. The (local) asparagus was washed and trimmed. The trimmings were boiled with salt, sugar (I use maple syrup), butter and lemon juice for half an hour, strained and the resulting liquid used to poach the trimmed asparagus for about 15 min*. Meanwhile some sauce Hollandaise was literally whipped together with an extra teaspoon of flavored mustard (the Duvel touch 😉) I recently aquired … Served with buttered potatoes and - for me - cured pork products: Tyrolean Speck and some Jamon Serrano. Plus a nice cured goose breast I found at my local dealer 🤗 „Hard“ boiled eggs and parsley as flavorful garnish … Family had Schnitzel, which I remembered only to take a photo of at the very end. Wine should have been a Palatinate Riesling, but unfortunately the bottle was corked. I had a Mosel cuvée that filled in fine … —- * the resulting poaching liquid will become a nice Spargelsuppe tomorrow …

It is a bit difficult for me to accommodate your style of meandering around topics. Now, is this the dish you want to recreate ? Ask for this, specifically. Then make an effort. No excuses as in „I am concerned about the shelf life“ (send it back) or questioning „is this the complete list“ (it‘s a copycat - tweak it if it doesn’t deliver). I read frequently you aren’t able to source stuff - I can relate, being in Germany and participating in a US/CAN/AUS dominated forum. But if you make an effort you‘ll find solutions. Maybe start asking concrete questions: I am in Iceland and have only access to fermented shark and ice bear urine - how do I make Peking Duck with these ? Chances are high someone will come up with an idea. If you ask generic questions like - well, this one - chances are high you don’t get a satisfying answer. Because noone knows what you are after. And even more so, you are potentially exhausting the patience of a very helpful crowd*. Sorry to be blunt - just trying to get you to get what you are actually looking for … —- * this is of course a personal statement. Many - if not all - members have far more patience than me. Thus I am the one indicating what might lie ahead in the answers of „What is the best …“

It’s not a recipe for chicken per se, but this might help …

Well … but every race has loosers, no ?

In this context maybe Basashi (aka „cherry blossom meat“) ?

You know … there are those peppers from the 70‘s that cause severe distortions in time perception (and other things), so they are still ok 😉

Well done, @Tropicalsenior ! A great looking pâté for a great looking meal. I am sure your friend was delighted 🤗

Isn‘t that a skill worth inheriting … just beautiful 🤗

That is pretty much what we are using (slightly different brand). Little one prefers a preparation called pop a la gallega (Spanish: pulpo a la gallega or Galician-style octopus), for which you thaw the arms (they are already cooked) and warm them up in salt water until hot. I like to put a bit of kelp into that water as a Galician grandma’s little umami secret. Then slice in thickish (think quarter inch) slices, drizzle with really good olive oil and sprinkle some paprika powder on. Smoked paprika works great as well. Add some flaky sea salt if you need more saltiness. The arms should have a bit of a bite in the white center, while the purple outside is softer and slightly „gooey“. It‘s a taste & textural thing …

We got up late and had a late (and full) breakfast, so I assumed we would skip lunch. But after walking Montmatre and climbing up to Sacré-Cœur (and down again), little one proclaimed he was famished and was aided by my wife without hesitation. So - a few streets down the famous Moulin Rouge - a light lunch of Moules-Frites (nature, creme and Roquefort) in a busy café plus a bottle (😜) of Chablis and everyone was happy again …

Today we took the closest brasserie to our hotel - it was all I could make the others move towards to. Beer & alcohol-free cocktails to start with … Ribeye with Roquefort sauce for me … Bavette with onion gravy for my wife … And salmon tartare for the little one … Plus chocolate lava cake & vanilla icecream for the rest of the family … And a pastis for yours truly 🤗

Lunch at a nondescript Basserie in the 8th arrondissement: Grilled sandwich (wholewheat Poilâne bread - shop a few meters down the road) with goat cheese and tomato … Steak tartare (with a looooot of capers) … Childs menu: a burger - which could be ordered medium and actually arrived medium … Plus a holiday treat 🤗

No need for fancy equipment - a potato ricer will do, or you can do it old school, as in here (starts at 3:15, don’t be put off by his accent) …

Yeap, that‘s how I do it as well. The resulting „stock“ is used as a base for Spargelsuppe as well … I am a Hollandaise guy through and through. And despite my love for Schnitzel I do prefer my Spargel with a selection of hams (both raw & cooked), chopped hard boiled eggs and parsley. But I‘ll prep some next weekend when I am back home.