Light Meals and Weekend Treats from an English Woman in Berlin
It’s happened – I am officially more of a fan of the white asparagus than the green kind. There was me thinking that my love for bread and salami in the morning for breakfast, constant grilling of sausages in the summer months and my love for anything pickled had made me continental enough. But now I have joined the rest of Europe and fully welcoming the delicious spears of white asparagus. Not that I don’t enjoy green asparagus….
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…
Ah, asparagus – I just can’t get enough of it! Spring is my favourite season, especially for food and fresh produce. The root vegetables have fallen out of season and instead we have new potatoes, crispy sweet lettuce and of course pungent, delicate asparagus! I do find comfort during the winter when parsnips, turnips and brussel sprouts start to make an appearance, but spring vegetables bring much more excitement! It is like a glimmer of hope that summer is just around the corner…
I have made no secret of my love for asparagus, especially the white kind that is hugely popular in Germany. The other week I picked up my first lot of asparagus of the season and made a simple but delicious White Asparagus with Cured Ham and a Chive Sauce. The smokey ham goes so well with the delicate white asparagus and the chive sauce has plenty of fresh lemon juice to add that almost sour kick to the dish. I like to plain boil my white asparagus with a pinch of salt…
It’s here – Spargelzeit! Germany’s obsession with asparagus season, and especially the white kind never fails to amuse me! And I love it! This weekend I popped into my local Galeria Kaufhof and there it was – a Beelitzer asparagus pop-up stand! Beelitzer grown asparagus is local to Berlin and something that Berliner’s take great pride in. This is the BMW of asparagus, not your imported Spanish kind but local, home grown and claimed to be the best and most delicious! …
I am loving Spring! May is my favourite time of the year in Berlin. The sun is out (well, for some of the time at least!), there are plenty of public holidays and the parks are busy with people hanging out and enjoying the sunshine.
We had friends over last weekend and spent sunday afternoon in the Tiergarten. Of course most of that time was spent at Cafe am Neuen See, a beer garden right by the lake. I am already looking forward to the warm weather this weekend and spending the weekend relaxing in the park with a picnic. One of the things I always make for a picnic is my Asparagus and Goats Cheese Tart which is like a quiche but I use puff pastry instead of shortcrust. …
Ah, Spargelzeit – my favourite time of the year! I have always been fond of Germany’s passion for all things seasonal and the fact that you can only find some produce when in season. Every year I am happy to see asparagus in the supermarkets and at local markets not just because it offically puts an end to the long, cold winter but it is the start of spring and the weather is warming up.
It is the white asparagus that they go crazy for over here in Germany….
In Germany we love to rave about white asparagus but I’m a much bigger fan of the green. I find it less bitter and more delicate. White asparagus wrapped in ham with a hollandaise sauce is a real German classic but for me this recipe can be greened up a bit!…