An abominable day calls for an abominable creation. It literally started right after I woke up: I did some leftover dishes in the sink from last night and while washing my martini glass, it broke in my hand. It was a Hollywood-esque explosion (I’ve broken a lot of glassware, but none this dramatic): one piece sliced my pinky and a couple of other tiny pieces managed to stick into the side of my hand. 10 minutes after that, BF got a call that his grandma had fallen and hit her head (she’s fine), and literally 10 minutes after that, his work called with an emergency (he’s managing a place now and this was his day off). It’s a Monday after all! Work was an utter sh*t show from the moment I arrived until some time after.
As for my creation, I made a beef and broccoli stir-fry. There were Kame par-cooked Udon noodles in the pantry, so I added them. There was leftover fried rice in the fridge from Saturday night takeout so I that them in figuring carbs are the best thing ever. Oh what’s that, a leftover egg roll too? Into the air fryer.
Green bean salad with sausages - green beans cooked with fresh savory (in German also known as “bean herb”) than mixed with crispy pancetta, red onions, tomatoes and parsley. Simple vinaigrette from oil, white wine vinegar, hot and mild paprika
I made Rick Martinez’s Coconut Roasted Cod with Anchovy Salsa Macha again. It came together fast because I had leftover salsa from the last time. I added some leftover roasted butternut squash and split serrano chiles too. A mixture of lime zest and dried tangerine peel stood in for the orange called for.
Tonight’s dinner was chicken mushroom stirfry served over linguine. I sautèed some cremini mushrooms in a little butter then added a shallot and a chicken breast. When nearly done I added a little sherry, a little chicken stock and some chives . All served over linguine and grana padano.
We were feeling a bit lazy tonight, and since the only Greek place in town is right near the car dealership we had to take my PIC’s ride in, we grabbed their gyro platter (comes with fries and a ridiculous amount of pita wedges), melitsanosalata & light-as-air tirokafteri.
I’d thrown together a xoriatiki minus the green pepper bc it’s my least favorite ingredient in the salad, but then I ended up missing its bitter crunch.
All this was rounded out with TJ’s gigantes in tomato sauce & Turkish dolma from the international grocer down the road.
I made butter chicken from scratch with basmati rice and TJ’s naan. Side of CSA spinach sauteed with oo, garlic and mustard seed and dressed with chaat masala, lemon juice, and dried cherries.
62* - Drizzly -100% humidity.Yuck outside. Calzone tonight. Homemade pizza dough, ricotta, mozzarella, a little pepperoni on his side and what else, hot Italian sausage. Leftover sausage and peppers for me tonight to go along with. He puts out a good looking salad does he not.
I was rummaging through the freezer and came across a package of pinklewurst from last winter. Pinklewurst is a traditional German sausage made with barley, oats, smoked pork and spices. It is one of my favorite winter meals. Too bad I missed winter by 26 hours.
Traditionally (at least how I was taught) Pinklewurst is served with kale, potatoes, and pears. Mr Bean made pretzel sticks as an accompaniment and I added a big spoonful of spicy mustard.
Last few nights, using up things languishing in the pantry and veg in the fridge.
Kerala kadala (black chickpeas) curry with mixed- flour pooris (ww flour, chickpea flour, rava; kneaded with leftover dal instead of water). I got good puff on the pooris.
Rice, with bok choy-and-tofu stir fry with tahini sauce and the usual suspects of ginger, garlic, black and szechuan pepper and a squirt of sriracha. Came out very good!
But in Germany it is important that you use kale which was at least once in frozen weather when still growing. The freezing temperature converts some of the complex carbohydrates to shorter sugars and thereby make the kale sweeter
Not the prettiest or most colorful meal I’ve ever made, but reasonably satisfying. Gai lan with squid and egg sauce (which was more scrambly than I intended - first time making this). Pea shoots with garlic and oyster mushrooms.
Thank you for this additional insight. I’m guessing that it wouldn’t work to freeze store bought kale but I that’s something I can see myself trying in the interest of “science”.
We had a garden when I was a kid. My favorite time to have cauliflower was after a frost. It took on a nutty quality. I bet the same principle is at work here, as @honkman explained with the conversion of starches to sugar.
Yes, easy to grow and also yes, depending on your climate, a favorite of aphids. You’ll have to be vigilant or they’ll take your crop. Same with brussels sprouts, cabbage.
Leftover sausage and peppers for me tonight to go along with. He puts out a good looking salad does he not.
