Duvel

I think we need to review your pictures exposure time then …

No, I got that. The fire brigade part was not meant to be taken seriously. I don’t suggest to fry the crab covered. Closing the cast iron with a lid is just a part of the „don‘t worry“ protocol in case things get too violent during the frying process. Otherwise you fry without, of course - there will be moisture evaporating. Whether this is more pronounced than for example frying a battered oyster or a zucchini is something I look forward to be answered by you 🤗 A cast iron might have an advantage due to the higher/„less sloped“ rim when it comes to splattering, but I am sure the large wok would work equally well.

I would think of it as a frozen battered squid ring, or a frozen croquette. Just dump it (straight from frozen) into reasonably hot oil (160 oC) and see … Edit: large cast iron, 1/3 filled with oil and brought to temperature. If things get violent, put the lid on, close the heat and wait until things calm down (or the firebrigade leaves the building) …

Got a rabbit today and fried the liver for a quick lunch. Augmented by some Mett (extra protein for the industrious home office manager) …

Clearly, I‘ve got the wrong job 😢

Yesterday, we had sous vide carnitas as per Kenji. While I was ok with the flavor I really enjoyed the soft texture with the crispy, caramelized edges and decided to repeat immediately, but this time in a greek direction … So, sous vide Gyros. Definitely one of my best attempts to make Gyros at home. Sadly, this method yields a better texture for me that my spit-roasted versions. It might not be authentic, but the soft and aromatic meat with the crunchy-crisp edges make for an excellent faux Gyros. Served on (commercial) pita bread (just lazy today), with veggies, feta and tzaziki …

And yet none of your virtual burgers could be captured on camera, pearlized paper, etched into clay tablets (w/ appropriate cuneiform) or as charcoal on cavewall drawings to memorize the occasion ?

After a week of rain, the weather turned back to summery … I found some corn tortillas recently and with pork neck on offer this week I decided to make carnitas tacos. So, with lovely weather, a cold beer and the kid on the trampoline … Carnitas (SV, then crisped under the broiler) … Loaded nachos … Sour creme, guacamole … Pico de gallo, roasted pineapple salsa … Yum !

Himmel un Ääd: Thüringer & blood sausage, mashed potatoes, fried onions and apple sauce. Served with a Kölsch.

Cornstarch works well, as does potato starch ( Flour doesn’t unfortunately, as it is not purely starch) …

If your ground beef is on the fatty side, consider making Leberkäse …

Marcella Hazan’s ragù alla Bolognese, hands down! Just made 4.5 kg with ground short rib …

Interesting indeed. A bit counterintuitive for me, but am happy to learn 🥳

@Kim Shook: fantastic 🥳

My lazy streak continues: homemade burger, broiled to medium rare, on (commercial) brioche bun, cheese, bacon & the works. Little one requested fried onions, so they were in there as well … As a curious fact: the cut you know as shortrib is not very popular in Germany (“Querrippe”). So, whenever a butcher offers “Suppenfleisch” (lit. “meat for making soup”), he typically has short rib in the mix. I usually go then, ask for freshly ground beef and ask if he can use short rib. In 90% of the cases I get what I ask for. This makes for a flavorful and juicy burger for a very reasonable price. Curious fact #2: burger (as well as pizza) for some reason are enjoyed most in this household if served on IKEA plastic plates for kids. It just tastes better that way …

Amazon Germany sells alcohol - and on Prime day at interesting prices (at least for some that I was interested in) …

Feeling too lazy to cook … but found a package a small Maultaschen in the fridge (originally purchased to amp up some chicken soup last week). Boiled and simply dressed with soy sauce, sesame oil, dash of balsamic vinegar, doubanjian, chili crisp and cilantro.

… plus a three other bottles ☺️

Yes, you can eat them. You can eat the green parts of (more) mature ones as well, just need to cut very thinly and cook them. Blanching and/or stir frying should do the trick … Disclaimer: I am not a professional either …

Little one is getting better and wasn’t feeling like chicken soup. He would have liked pizza, but remembered that pizza night is Sundays 😉 … So I made him Focaccia (Escalivada, anchovies & olives; potato, garlic & rosemary; potato & chanterelles).

SV veal breast, third installment: sliced up, marinated with olive oil, onions, garlic and „Döner“ spices and flash fried. Served with caçik, salad, tomato, cucumber and raw onion on a toasted Turkish flatbread … A quick and easy Friday night dinner ☺️

Another day, another congested family member (😉), another chicken turned into a restoring chicken soup. This time with some extra ginger added. And with a proper picture (because yesterday’s really sucked) … I really like the addition of the fried chicken skin at the end. Can’t quite remember where I saw that, but it is a nice addition …

The next iteration of a SV veal breast: sliced thickly into steaks, seared and served smothered with herb butter, Escalivada (topped with chopped anchovies) and yesterday’s Gnocchi „diluted“ with fresh chanterelles & garlic on the side. Quite yummy !

Do you have an IKEA in your vicinity ?

In principle, they are Markklöschen. One of the ingredients is beef bone marrow, that however can be substituted 1:1 with butter - as in this case. 60 g Butter (or bone marrow or mixture), molten 60 g Panko or finer breadcrumbs 1 tbs starch parsley 2 eggs salt, pepper (white) and nutmeg Combine all ingredients except the eggs. Beat the eggs, add and let rest for several hours in the fridge. Form little dumplings (I like round) and poach in barely simmering salted liquid/stock until they float to the surface. Freeze them at this point, if desired, or add to soup/stew …