Light Meals and Weekend Treats from an English Woman in Berlin
Spring recipe! This dish has every spring season feel to it. The spring onions and cherry tomatoes make it refreshing and the pesto and creme 
fraiche give it that added twist. It is easy to make, takes no time and is delicious. Perfect for the working week or a quick and easy meal during a busy weekend. …
A few summers ago I visited Rome, yet the best pizza I have eaten has been in Berlin. I was told that you can get decent pizza in Berlin and was expecting something good. I wasn’t disappointed. Berlin is full of pizza places and you can easily come across one on every street. From cheap 1 slice pizza to eat on the go to decent priced restaurants where you can enjoy good service and good wine – you will always find a proper thin crust pizza place. …
I found these today! 
I found out that my local Asian store has chickpeas ( Kichererbsen in German). After asking a colleague of mine the correct pronunciation I decided to pick up a couple of tins on my way home. I felt that getting the correct pronunciation was important seeing as my colleague thought I was asking about church peas …But on my arrival I not only found one of the aisles stacked full of chickpeas but also written in English. So much for my language skills! …
I finally have golden syrup here in Berlin and so this brings me to my next recipe – ginger biscuits! These have been a favourite of mine since I was small and are easy to make. …
I have been living in Berlin for a few years now and will be the first to say that Berlin is a cool city. However the one thing that drives me crazy are German supermarkets. If you want some pickled gherkins then aisles a plenty await you. If you are around during the Spring/ Summer time then expect everything with asparagus and I mean everything – starter, main and if Germans have their way even for desert. They go absolutely crazy for it! Yet the one thing I really miss is the baking section. How hard can it be to just get a bag of chocolate chips? Is icing sugar really that uncommon? When I was back in the UK for Christmas I went to Sainsburys and found aisles of baking products. From glittery sugary goodness to special flour to make your own breads or pasta. What struck me as even more crazy were all the Dr. Oetker baking products in Sainsburys. A German brand, yet I haven’t even found half of the products over here in Berlin. …
Anyone who has seen the film Julie and Julia will be familiar with Julia Child’s time in France. Moving to France in the later 1940s, Julia and her husband set up a life together. The film explores Julie’s task of blogging about Julia Child’s recipes. It switches between Julia (played by Meryl Streep) and her time in France to modern day America and Julie’s blog.
My Life in France goes into more detail and is a personal account by Julia. Moving to France Julia appreciated the good food but her first attempts to cook were disastrous and so eating out became the only viable option. Julia joined a cooking class and from there she began to learn how to cook, leading to a collaboration with two French ladies for a French cookbook for Americans. The book had to draw American women into testing out ambitious and new French recipes and Julia succeeded in doing so. Her cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ became a bestseller and led to a further 2 volumes being published. …
Perfect for vegetarians and to be enjoyed on a cold evening. The colours of the dish give it a real Autumn/ Winter feel and is great comfort food. I decided to make this dish through my love for sweet potatoes and the simplicity of it all. Yet you can fool anyone into believing you spent hours standing over a hot stove and your home will smell lovely.
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This is a perfect starter and is great with any Italian pasta dish or light meal. It is easy to make and ideal for a nice midweek meal or to be enjoyed at the weekend.
Ingredients (to serve 2):
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