Duvel

Good morning from the Mediterranean coast ! This morning the usual pa amb tomaquet (and a chocolate croissant for my wife) plus a bowl of beans 😋 The beans (and sausages) were very good - but the broth was fantastic !

but oyster sauce is Cantonese and not at all traditional in Lion's Head Meatballs. Neither is 5-spice powder. This is a heavily American-Chinese orientated recipe. Pork shoulder is all wrong - they are made from pork belly. I agree - it is a bit of a unusual combo, but I still think it will work nicely. For me it has a kind of Teochew vibe to it, and maybe thats where the connection to American-chinese cuisine comes in. For me, I do like some oyster sauce in my meat balls. At least from that the recipe it should come out tasty. Fully with you on the meat as well - the fattier, the better (and the more flavorful). I panfry, then steam and finally thicken the resulting sauce with cornstarch. Served over greens. Noodles seem odd indeed - @Susanwusan: they are not mentioned in the recipe, are they ?

You beat me to it 😉

I assume you are referring to this recipe. If you leave out part of the essential aromatics (five spice) and the umami component (oyster sauce), you eliminate significantly the depth and intensity of the dish. There is little question something might be missing then … My question would be why you choose to preemptively mute the dish - was there any specific intention to modify a recipe you haven’t made before ? I’d give the recipe another try, and if you want a bit more oomph, add a tiny pinch of sugar and some larger pinch MSG and your “someone”* will not complain … *is that the same one complaining about the Italian meatballs ?

Respect ✊

Dinner was simple: pa amb tomaquet with whatever the fridge had to offer … Plus some truita de patates (with onions, of course) … Some ready-made purchased, but freshly fried at home croquettes de pernil … And some cooked shrimps we picked up just before arriving home. Easy, yet very satisfying 🤗

Of course there were also some local products purchased. The famed mongetes de Santa Pau (in the non-touristy packaging) … Remember the “broth” combo from the supermarket ? I got some extra serrano ham bones, just because … I should have soaked longer, but two hours had to do … the beans will be featured in tomorrows dinner. And a piece of Garrotxa cheese to nibble for the busy cook 😉

Our tour through the Garrotxa region started in a place that featured large ground crevices (is that the correct term), as per legend inhabited by fairies. We searched, and little one made sure he went into every single one but - alas - no ferries, pixies, sprites or anything to be found (or maybe yes ?!) … Moving on we arrived to the picturesque town of Santa Pau, conveniently also famed for the elusive mongetes de Santa Pau, a extremely popular bean variety. The town itself was founded in the 9th century and quite beautiful. All the housing, the castle & the church are well preserved. A few kilometers down the road two former vulcanoes are located. We decided to visit Volcà Croscat. You have to walk a bit to come to the site, passing by fields of beans … The volcano itself has been extensively mined, as the foamlike stones from the vulcanic mass are perfect for absorbing, storing and releasing water for agricultural applications. An interesting sight. Returning to the car the little one was already showing signs of fatigue and surely enough, he fell asleep after a few minutes drive. We therefore skipped our visit to the town of Castellfollit de la Roca and just made the touristy round to the fields below the city for a commemorative picture …

It’s funny - we were discussing this the other day. Exactly 15 years ago my wife (then girlfriend) an me returned from living ~3 years in Japan back to Europe. And we argued where to go. I wanted to live in Spain - and Barcelona seemed like an excellent choice. Unfortunately, the job situation was (and is) still largely in favour of Germany. Plus I am more German than I like to admit, in many ways 😉. And don’t get me wrong: Both me and my wife got a nice job (with opportunities to live in other countries, cf. my last food log), we have friends, a decent house … but the lifestyle and quality of life here is simply another level. My current plan is thus early retirement and moving here as soon as I can afford it 😆

It is pretty similar to a french creme brulee, though the crema catalana derives the “background” taste from infusing the milk with cinnamon and orange peel, rather than vanilla …

Bon dia ! Today a medium-sized breakfast based on pa amb tomaquet in preparation for a (car) trip through the Garrotxa region, famous for cheese & beans (and vulcanoes, at least that’s what the rest of the family wants to see …).

After the (well deserved & necessary) nap we took a stroll through the town and along the beach. My attempts to motivate me or my family to have dinner failed … instead I enjoyed an early nightcap at dusk and concluded the day 😋

“Chewy sea water” - now that’s what I would like to see in the potato chips thread …

The word you were looking for is “artisanal” … 😉

I think he was more attracted by the honey. He ate one ball (with all of the honey) and I had to finish the rest ☺️

I think they taste like sea water or brine …

The restaurant we picked it is one of my favorites here. I remember my first visit there almost 20 years ago; it’s the first restaurant I had grilled rabbit in. The restaurant is located in the hills flanking the coastline of northern Catalonia. It is rather “rustic” - a brasa or BBQ restaurant. The menu is therefore centered around grilled meats … Once seated, wine, water, bread, oil & tomatoes are served. All this is included in a cover charge of 5€ per (adult) person. For starters we had some fresh aubergine fritters (remember: calories !) … Little one opted for the grilled lamb (good choice - very juicy) … My wife took the grilled rabbit (of course) … It was equally enjoyed by the little one … All served with fresh and potent allioli ! I ordered the pigs feet. Their braised pigs feet are legendary, but I felt bad not to order the grilled one. After explaining my conundrum to the waiter he offered to split my portion and bring me half of each 😉. Both were unctuous, but the braised one was definitely better ! Thanks to our little exercise, there was still room for dessert … Little one ordered mel i mato - a fresh Catalan cheese, served with honey. My wife choose puff pastry filled with crema catalana. I had a carajillo with brandy. I order it “short on the coffee”, which always provokes a laugh if a foreigner uses that sentence in Catalan and leads to a generous shot of Brandy in my coffee … A very satisfying visit (again). After a leisurely drive home I decided to take a nap 😊

Definitely not 😉 But then again - the travel to my wife’s hometown takes about two hours on a German Autobahn, and then almost 9h through France. With a general speed limit of 120 km/h. So, just put the speedometer in, start cruising and brake for the toll stations …

Dolmen ! Who doesn’t like these ancient structures, strategically placed by our forebears in areas that would otherwise not attract any visitors at all? My wife started with “I lived here half of my life and have never visited that thing” and this should have given me sufficient & fair warning, but hey - vacation time 😉 The first one was “accessible” by car. If you drive a 4WD and do not care about the resell value. Needless to say, my adrenaline was already gone n edge even before I saw the magnificent structure erected by some very ancient Catalans and meticulously ramped up with instant concrete by some more recent ones. At least it came with a IKEA-type installation guide … The second one was more tricky to find. It was “a short way” (~20 min stroll) away from some ancient monastery (that was conveniently closed for visitors on Tuesdays). We followed the signs and met a party of three returning from their attempt to find it. When the signs finished we met another party of two, returning from their (unfinished) quest. Relying on Google Maps (until there was no more cell phone reception) we met a third party that assured us that the dolmen is just some 30 min away (although they didn’t reach there, either). Now, quitters never prosper and ignoring the information from my trusted Garmin that we had decended already over 300 height meters we pushed on. Finally - after 1h and something - we reached the overwhelmingly magnificent (and strangely tiny) dolmen, high-fived each other and headed straight back up the mountain again. We all agreed that the excessive calorie expenditure warranted some nice lunch (even though that was planned before) and I drove back about 1h through an area that would probably void my leasing contract instantly …

I am not an expert either and have to confess that most of the differences I perceive usually come from the tonic water … An (semi-)unbiased thought of the sunset edition can be found here …

It’s a lime …

Ok, ok, … I’ll buy some and report back 😉

If you hand me a plate like that, mine too 🥰 !!!

Good morning from our terrace ! This morning a slightly heartier breakfast, because we’ll need some energy for an outing to see some prehistoric artifacts and have to stretch our stomachs a bit for a lovely (late) lunch …

Pennä - swedish pasta from IKEA …