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!
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:
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
Codsworth Cheese
Yay, my first cheese is ready! The Codsworth I made about a month ago is done ripening and ready to serve!
I don’t know if everything I did went the correct way, and I certainly don’t know if it tastes even rudimentarily like a proper “Cotswold” since I never had one before. But it definitely is flavourful and – yes – even a little hearty. It does have a hint of a sourly note, not unpleasant but noticeable. It goes well with bread and salad and a drop of olive oil and some pepper also fit it well. I’ll also try it melted in some oven baking recipe.
Until now, nobody got a bad stomach from it and everybody found it at least pleasant enough 🙂
Sauce Vierge
The sauce vierge is a traditional french, meditarranean-style, infused sauce invented by some super important french cooking guy several decades ago. Goes very deliciously with fish, and that’s what I had yesterday.
Rillettes de Poulet
Well, I’m really into cooking, but these days I stumbled upon something completely new to me again: Rillettes. A french type of shredded strands of pork/chicken/duck or even fish as a soft and savoury spread for toasted bread and the like.
Meat or poultry or whatever is cooked over a long period of time until very tender and aromatic, then frayed and mixed with it’s own juices and rendered fat. Stored in a glass jar and topped with a layer of fat for preservation this is a hearty, savoury and addictive addition to a rustic and “good and solid” dinner. Obviously, this is not for the calorie-conscious…
