Duvel

That’s what I want for tonight 🤗

We are trying to reduce the content of the freezer. I picked up some salmon, shrimps and what I thought was stewing beef … Turned out to be slices of beef shoulder that I purchased for making Döner. Difficult to think of anything to do with those. Enter the little one, requesting noodles - with the shrimps, Pad Thai came to mind. Salmon turned into Thai-ish fish cakes and for the odd beef cut after some perusing I dug out the recipe of “Heavenly Beef” from David Thompsons Thai Food. Yummy !

Still going through a lazy streak: Poor man‘s raclette - Ofenkäse with some accompaniments (pickles not shown) … A fruity red (current wine of the month from my companies wine cellar) … Fed the family well at minimum effort ☺️

I’d eat you one sheet linner in a heartbeat. Healthy portion, too 🤗

Laaaaazy … Chili dog … And chili crisp / cilantro / sriracha dog …

Interesting … any details on that ?

Interesting. Reminds me of Flädle …

Yes, easily. But it will be mostly imported from Canada, I think I only know of one German brand …

For some strange reason I have this very strong feeling I‘d love that combo ever since I heard about it not too long ago. I have no cultural or intellectual access to the concept, yet I know I‘ll enjoy it. Another weekend project …

Looks great - and I certainly approve of the mashed potatoes. But don‘t claim I made you serve it with roasted cauliflower 😋 … Is fried chicken on waffles still fashionable ?

Ahh … yes. That Corona 🤭 Yes, my wife likes it. The men had Kurpfalzbräu Helles.

Why ?

As we had „pizza“ last night, today’s pizza & movie night was wide open for suggestions. My wife decided for some „comfort food“ 🤔 … I was not aware that my usual options made her uncomfortable, but upon further investigation I found out she was in the mood for Schnitzel with Bratkartoffeln. Sure, why not … The setup … Good things are about to happen … Yeap. Bratkartoffeln And on the table with a cream & a wild mushroom sauce (thanks to a cupboard full of dried ceps & death trumpets), two sliced tomatoes (so everyone could check the salad component in the mental nutrition list) and some beers because thats what people drink with Schnitzel. Plenty of leftovers for tomorrow‘s Schnitzelbrötchen 🥳

Sunday at Duvel‘s … And a special breadroll with mayo and grey shrimp for me 🥳

You might have seen that castle and the surrounding vineyards before … Schriesheim, just 9 km south from where I live. Enjoying the day chasing my in-laws through the hills at 4 oC 😉 We picked some new wine on the way back and I made white pizza (with creme fraiche filling in for the tomato sauce) and selling it as Flammkuchen. Apple, blood sausage and crispy fried onions Classic onion and bacon Goat cheese, pine nuts and fig marmelade Cured & smoked headcheese sausage, Mett, potato cubes and onions. This was very tasty … No complaints 🥳

I reminisce about the time I could easily do that as well … but times change. And I hate you !

Absolutely … would be great to get an instant Cantonese roast duck like that just to pull out of the freezer !

True ! And you get lovely bag juices and plenty if rendered duck fat for other thing …

Very, very last day. With just a few hours to wander around we dropped by the Hacke‘sche Höfe, a restored historic landmark. Beautiful to see and wander around, but not so much to shop, actually … Before returning to the train station, I pressured the family to get a farewell snack at a local Vietnamese … Spring rolls (fresh) … And fried … Pho (ish) … Duck with peanut sauce This time the train ride went smooth … I had purchased some extra meatball sandwiches, which the little one and me enjoyed … And while he was having an Orangina, I enjoyed a lovely Jameson Crested from an IKEA plastic cup proper …

True that !

The in-laws are still with us, and today they were not too enthusiastic about more German food. So, I got a rabbit, braised it with little meat balls, dried wild mushrooms, brandy and white wine. Some garlic-fried white beans to go with it. Very Catalan, and no leftovers 😁

Fried chicken is a concept that has never really caught on here. Sure, we have KFC, but it is not really that popular. If I take my parents at the quintessential German couple, the issue with fried chicken is the (multitude of tiny) bones and the greasiness. It is a perception thing, of course, as you might have noticed German food isn’t exactly lean either. Yet, a proper Schnitzel will alwys be perceived better than anything from a KFC bucket. Chicken McNuggets, however, are popular as they do not have bones and their coating conceals the frying medium better that regular fried chicken, which just bleeds out oil …

It is somewhat odd how delicious and deeply satisfying a simple plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce can be …

In Germany, Döner needs to be comprised of stacked slices of marinated meat. It is, however, allowed to add a certain amount of minced meat, typically to smoothen the mass out and giving it a more uniform appearance. It also lowers the cost. A skewer just made from stacked meat slices is considered of higher quality.

Yeah, I kept telling me exactly the same thing when in the Burgermeister app I found the option to add a second patty …