I’m on a diet at the moment but I’m absolutely willing to have the occasional cheat day, so I made a classic german treat for me and the SO: Currywurst! Here’s the recipe for Alex’s special Currywurst-Sauce!
New Approach to Hydroponic Growing – Part I
As the last try with the hydroponic tower system failed completely and I’m not willing to give up the idea itself, I tried a new approach. This time it’s a more standard horizontal construction, capable of holding 24 net cups in 4 “stories”. Construction was cheap and easy enough – the most time consuming thing was letting the paint dry. I’m waiting now for my seedlings to grow big enough to be placed into the tubes.
Cider done! Taste Test.
(This is part IV of the cider making series. Read part I, part II and part III here.)
I tested my apple cider for the first time after letting it mature for almost eight weeks – it’s amazing what you can do with a load of apples, a little work and some time. It tastes good and refreshing, it definitely has some alcohol (7% vol. as per calculation) and a nice color.
It is a little acidic, not really sour but rather with a sour-ish hint. Next time I’ll not use “some apples” that I can get hands on but I’ll try to select some really sweet and ripe ones. Other than that: Great! I’m very pleased.
Anchovi and Garlic Pasta
Very easy, yet yummy and filling. Just a few ingredients and only little effort make a tasty dinner:
Ingredients (yields 2):
Pasta for two
1 large shalllot
3 cloves garlic
6-8 anchovi fillets
Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste (only a little salt)
Simple Vegetable Fritters
I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the prospect of having another veggie-only-meal yesterday evening, but what wouldn’t you do to try to eat healthy and loose some weight?
These simple veggie fritter patties were surprisingly tasty and satisfying though and I’m sure they would make an excellent side dish too. You can make them with any non-leafy and not too soft vegetables or even a free-style mix of several of them, but I only had zucchini at home, so here we are.
Japanese “Gyudon” (Beef Bowl over Rice)
Gyudon is a japanese beef bowl dish served over steamed rice.
As far as I know it is considered a type of fast food in Japan since it’s wuick and easy to make and requires only a few ingredients. However, it has nothing in common with western fast food as we know it.
To me, it’s very delicious and I like it very much from time to time. Please note that the original recipe calls for a pickled type of ginger slices called “Benishuoga” which is virtually unavailable here, so I had to omit it.
Here’s how to make it:
Knife Tang Hole Filer
I made a tang hole filer for my next knife project to come. Just drilling and working with a needle file is not very satisfactory. I used a jigsaw blade that I trimmed down a little, some scrap wood and a dab of epoxy glue. Done.
New Flour Type
I got hands on a (to me) completely new type of bread flour. It‘s the German type „812“ and funny enough, in the US it‘s called just „bread flour“ 🙂 . It‘s surprisingly difficult to find in supermarkets here, although it seems to be pretty common for professional bakers.
What I found out is that you actually need a little less water than when working with the standard type 55 (all-purpose flour) and that it likes to ferment a little longer. But I may be wrong since I‘m just puzzling together the results of my first try.
Anyway, I got very good bread from it just using my spelt flour bread recipe and reducing the amount of water little bit.
Sloppy Joe Dip
I stumbled upon this recipe and decided to give it a (personally adjusted, simplified and halved) try. I used my homemade Codsworth Cheese and left out the bell peppers
As the recipe states, the long cooking time is vital and it really comes out delicious. It’s a versatile dipping dish for a convivial evening or an occasional warm outside summer evening meal. So, here’s my version of the dish:
Pan Roasted Asparagus
We’ve had a lot of asparagus here these days due to it being in season. I, personally, like the green variety way more than the hyped white one because it’s more flavourful and tastes more like a distinct vegetable. Here’s how to make a simple and delicious side dish from it.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of green asparagus (~500g)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp. butter + 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
