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 once took a couple of leftover fishcakes to work for lunch the next day. Once cooked in their breadcrumbs they don’t really freeze that well but do keep their shape and taste by popping them in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. I take a pot of Tartare Sauce and a simple salad to serve with them, heating the fishcakes in the microwave for just a couple of minutes. It was when a colleague asked me what I was having for lunch that I realised the term fishcakes is something slightly odd to anyone not accustomed to this very British dish! As soon as I muttered the word ‘fishcake’ …
Who doesn’t love a burger!? For me, it is the absolute comfort food and a real treat. When I first moved to Berlin many, many years ago, the only place that you could actually get a decent burger was at The Bird. I am pleased to say that this place is still going strong! Over the past couple of years Berlin’s burger scene has boomed and there is certainly no shortage of getting your hands on a decent burger. My top places to go to are Tommi’s, Hirsch and Eber, Muse and Salt n Bone. They all serve up good quality meats tucked inside fresh buns …
I have a soft spot for this retro classic starter. Unfortunately, the prawn cocktail has has become a figure of fun and embarrassment that many of us are no longer taking this dish seriously. It sort of screams Abigail’s Party in your face, a kind of 1970s hysteria where everyone in the UK was excited about pasta .. but in a tin, and during a time when Delia was soon to take the country by storm with her microwave recipe cookbooks and endless casserole recipes….
I think after the news this week, we could all do with a little comfort food this weekend. I had one guy tweet me this week saying that he wishes more women were at home baking treats like myself, that a woman’s place is in the kitchen (I assume that he means the kitchen at home seeing as the top leading chefs in the world are mostly men and women are of small numbers in their kitchens…). I would like to point out that actually I have a full time career in digital marketing…
This recipe is packed full of fresh vegetables, healthy salmon and a lot of flavour!
I love rice noodles. They are light and really soak up all the flavour. Plus they are incredibly easy to prepare – which makes this recipe one of my regular mid- week meals! …
During the week I try and keep my meals simple and light. By the time I get home after work I am not in the mood for cooking a complicated meal and if I am faced with this then I will just skip it and go and eat out! But what do I do when there is a more special occasion? A friend is coming over for a catch up dinner, a celebration or a quick last minute dinner plan … I don’t always want to go out and instead have it at home. …
I am a big fan of wasabi and the kick that it gives to any dish. It has such a fresh taste to it which is why this recipe works so well with it. The rice salad is kept simple with some avocado and spring onions and seasoned lightly with a wasabi dressing. This dressing is one of my favourites and a regular on my meal plans! Soy sauce is lower in calories compared to olive oil and you only need a tiny bit of it. Top that up with a bit of lime juice and a tiny amount of wasabi paste and you have yourself a delicious and healthier dressing. …