Light Meals and Weekend Treats from an English Woman in Berlin
I think 2018 is shaping up to be a pretty good summer! Of course while Berlin is hardly a Mediterranean climate I am fortunate to live in a city that experiences proper seasons such as cold winters, blooming springs, crisp and cosy autumns and a scorching summer. Yet this year summer has felt like it did when I very first moved to Berlin. I cannot remember the last time…
It often takes a few weeks (if not months) for a recipe to actually reach my blog after it has been tested and photographed. I like to keep a backlog of recipes and always give myself time to prepare, because sometimes there is the odd recipe fail, even if it did work out well the time before! But I just had to quickly upload this weekend’s delicious burger treat – Rosemary Beef Burger topped with Goats Cheese and a Red Pesto Mayo….
I have made no secret of my love for asparagus, especially the delicate white kind that is popular here in Germany. It symbolises the true start of spring and finally the end of those deep, dark winters. Since moving to Berlin (many, many years ago) I have grown to love living in a country that has proper seasons. While I am not exactly in a mediterranean environment where of course Berlin can suffer from some rainy weeks in the summer or spring seems to suffer…
Something terrible has happened this last month. Our favourite Thai restaurant has temporarily closed down! OK, so the staff have simply just gone back to Thailand for their holidays and the restaurant will be open up again soon. I guess I should be grateful that it isn’t another story of a restaurant closing down because the food is either too spicy for the sensitive German palate or too expensive for the rather frugal average German….
This Seafood Chowder is the perfect recipe to rustle up for St. Patrick’s Day! I am a big fan of a chowder although I am aware that I typically make mine more New England style. Even though my husband is half Irish and I should be supporting his Irish roots, I can’t help but be a little fonder of the American rival – a delicious New England Clam Chowder. I love the taste of the clams with some added sweetcorn for that little sweet touch. Yet an Irish style chowder is delicious and different in it’s own way. I like to use a mix of different fish but you can easily make this with a selection…
Some days all you need is a bowl of pasta. I feel a little sorry for pasta these days. The ‘clean eating’ crowd have made it almost a sin to enjoy this much loved easy and simple ingredient. These guys have more or less put pasta under the same category of bad foods as frozen ready-meals. But pasta has been serving the Italians, and Mediterranean diets, perfectly well for a very long time. For me this is a key ingredient, it crops up on my meal plan once, or twice, a week as it is so versatile and is perfect for a quick yet delicious meal. This Pappardelle with Pork and Sage Meatballs…
With Chinese New Year coming up next week I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the year of the dog than with this delicious Salt and Pepper Chicken with an Oyster Sauce. I am a huge fan of Chinese food but in particular Cantonese style that produces some of the best spicy and hot dishes. Typically known as the Doctrine of Five Flavours, Chinese food is grouped into five key elements – spicy, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. From the heat and spice of sichaun pepper to the sweetness of honey or hoisin sauce to the sourness of limes and rice vinegar,…
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of mussels! I can only really get hold of them during actual mussel season here in Berlin. I love bringing home a big pack of mussels and their shells clinking away as you pour them into the pan. My popular go to dish is Mussels in a White Wine Sauce with Garlic Butter Ciabatta. You just can’t beat scooping up that delicious broth with some crispy garlic bread. And I think with mussels it quite often is all about that sauce or broth that they were steamed in. For a little extra kick I love a big bowl of Coriander and Harissa Mussels that has a delicious Eastern Mediterranean feel to it….
