So what should I eat in Germany?

Oh yes, this picture above is one of the reason we love to travel in Europe in May. White asparagus!!! We walked to our local restaurant in town, "Zum Krone" and ordered the asparagus. We also got two pieces of perfectly cooked pork tenderloin, boiled potatoes and the fresh white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. A little pricey at 17 euros each, but the time to eat these beautiful spears is short and every restaurant cooks them in every way possible.

These asparagus differ from what we know in America as green asparagus. Why our ancestors did not bring this tradition with them is unknown to me. They are grown differently. You see fields of peaked rows, probably up to 12 inches tall. The asparagus never sees daylight, totally grown underground. Though the spears need peeling before cooking, they are very tender, very sweet and very fabulous. I could eat these every day of my trip and in the past, I almost have. There is a small town near Heidelberg, Germany, where they actually have a festival week where the precious white asparagus is honored. "Spargelfest".

I love the simple salads. Here you see fresh leaf lettuce from the garden, carrots and white radishes, all napped with a pleasant, light vinaigrette.

But, of course, I needed at least one schnitzel dinner. This was served with fried potatoes...very golden potatoes. The potatoes in Germany are also very different than ours. Finally, with the availability of Yukon Gold potatoes, we are getting close to a good flavored potatoes like you find in Europe.

This meal was for two, our friends Dieter and Heidi. A little of everything. Spaetzle, salad, pomme frites, carrots and peas, two fried eggs, potato croquettes (the oval shaped items) and two sausages, two pieces of ham and two pieces of steak. They ate it all and proclaimed how great it was.

My unbreakable habit

I have one weakness that I have not been able to control, and I know that there are many foodies out there that would wag that finger of shame at me. It all started as a young child.



I love lamb! Lamb chops, leg of lamb, lamb kebabs, lamb burgers and just about any other way you can imagine. I always have. Mom would roast legs of lamb when we were young and I know none of my friends were eating lamb at that time. Mom was a restaurant cook and her speciality was meat; cooked, grilled, roasted, just about any way. (Oh yes, she was great with making soups also.) She was a perfectionist when it came to cooking a steak exactly as ordered. She always got it right. I guess that is why we also had lamb. She loved preparing meats. But, she also introduced me to.....mint jelly. That is the only way I have ever eaten lamb. In restaurants, when it does not accompany the lamb, there is usually some sort of mint sauce, so that is enough to content me.



Our herb garden has been doing quite well, and the mint needs to be used before we leave on vacation. So this morning, I made mint jelly. Always wanted to try it and now we have plenty. Lamb chops are on the menu for this weekend, so will give this a try. I feel my larder is now full. "smile"

It was excellent!

I so enjoy reading many blogs and so often I find recipes that speak to me and this one was one of those recipes.

It has everything any one brought up with German food would love. Potatoes, onions, garlic, bacon, parsley. This was so wonderful that the Trout and I immediately started talking about the next time we will make it again. It is so worth the try and a wonderful compliment to any meal. These flavors are all so very German, we really enjoyed these potatoes.

Oh, the wonderful smells

Yesterday, as the aroma of braised short ribs in red wine wafted through the house, my mind wandered to days past. One of my favorite smells to remember goes back to the year we lived in Germany. We window shopped a lot in those days, but my favorite day out was usually late morning or early afternoon when I liked walking through neighborhoods and smell the kitchen smells escaping into the streets. Always onions and bacon together produced the most mouth-watering effect. I often wished I knew these wonderful cooks and could go in to sample what was on the stove. Browned meats, pork and sauerkraut, cabbage, real European fare.

The week I spent in rural Budapest, Hungary, was similar. I so enjoyed walking the streets of this little village and there, the sweet and savory flavor of paprika also mixed with the wonderful smells coming out of these Hungarian kitchens. Quite often I would see the grandmas of these homes, dressed in black and head scarfs, gray hair peeking out on the top and sides, and smiling and waving as they sat on their steps or were hoeing in their gardens. How I wished I could speak to them and ask what was cooking in the kitchen.

I was on a Mission trip that time with teenagers from our church, so we ate in the castle where we were living for the week and the food was very basic, not very flavorful, but the bread....it was delivered each morning and the loaves were at least 18 inches in diameter and must have weighed close to 5 pounds. Bread and homemade jam...it was so good.

Can you smell it?

I love coffee, be it the black espresso of Italy, the thick, spoon will stand in the cup Austrian coffee, plain ol' American coffee or my favorite of late, French press coffee. I don't have an expensive French press, but this one works well for me.

Yesterday we were in Costco and they had set up a small coffee shop where they were selling these beans grown in Mexico. They are then sent to Texas to be roasted. We got the dark roast because that is the best in my opinion. This coffee is very good and very reasonably priced. In fact, this is the second pot today. I actually think the coffee has more caffeine than others, because I have more energy than normal.

Slip on over and and I'll keep it hot for you!!

Tonight's dinner

Having as much Norwegian blood as The Trout has, tonight was his night for dinner. The Trout makes his own Gravlax. Raw salmon marinated in lemon juice and zest, vodka, lots of dill, sugar and Kosher salt. One of our favorite appetizers is a gravlax pizza, but tonight we made it our main meal. Crispy pizza crusts topped with cream cheese, lemon juice, red onion, capers and lots of dill and the gravlax made for a wonderful treat. Accompanied with a Cote du Rhone rose' wine, it was a delightful evening dinner treat.