Johannisburg Castle in Aschaffenburg holds a truly unusual treasure – an art form I had absolutely no idea even existed.
Peachy Goodness
Today, I experimented a little and it turned out very well, so I will gladly share it with you. I had received a bunch of very soft peaches earlier. They were a little brown already, so I had to do something about them fast.
Nutty Pear and Honey Porridge
It’s fall where I live and all of a sudden the weather turned grey and wet. I like to eat a warm breakfast, especially when the weather is cold.
My mom brought me some pears from her garden this weekend and here is what I did with them:
Shortie but Goodie: Roasted Fennel
I looove fennel, but I realize that not many people do. I get it! What do you even do with that bulbous stuff that smells like the tea you had to drink when you were sick as a child? (For me it was chamomile, so that’s the reason why I loathe that particular tea)
Anyway! Hear me out! I encourage you to try this once, and if you STILL hate it, you have my permission to type up some angry comments.
Shortie but Goodie: Oven-Baked Eggplant
I like baked stuff a lot these days. This baked stuff is a super easy dish or appetizer and a favorite for the summer time (or those yucky winter months when a hit of Italian-style goodness is everything).
Eggplants are cheaper in the summer, of course, but if that is not an issue for you, then knock yourself out right away.
Oven-baked Eggplant
1 -2 eggplants (really fat ones if you can get them)
100 g tomato paste
100 g grated parmesan cheese
a bunch of fresh basil leaves
a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
- cut eggplant lengthwise in thin slices (3-5 mm, yes you can)
- grill in the oven on a reck until they are soft (no baking sheet at this point will speed up the process), at about 200 degrees Celsius
- remove from the rack to cool a bit, cover rack with a baking sheet
- spread a thin layer of tomato paste on each slice, stick a basil leave on top and put the slices next to each other on the rack, add pepper
- cover everything with grated cheese
- bake for 10 mins at about 200 degrees Celsius or until the cheese is golden
Serve with ciabatta or any kind of (toasted) bread you like. This also goes well with tomato butter.
Also, as always, feel free to add as much garlic as you like. Timing-wise, I suggest drizzling the tomato pasted-ed eggplant with garlic oil before adding the cheese.
If you want to keep it vegan use toasted nuts or breadcrumbs instead of the cheese.
Shortie but Goodie: Tomato Butter
I recently heard of apple butter. Then I found out that apple butter contains no actual butter, and was a bit bummed. I will not do this to you. Tomato butter is made with butter.
So, uh… Like tomatoes? Not afraid of fat? Often consume bread and bread-like substances and need something to smear them with?
I’ve got you covered! Try mixing up this simple yet delicious concoction:
Tomato Butter
250 g butter or margarine
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
150 g tomato paste
Loads of thyme, oregano and other Italian herbs you like
Pepper, salt
Shortie but Goodie: Coconut Snowballs
For whatever reason I wanted to try a no-bake recipe this season and ended up using this one I found at The Kitchn (because it looked pretty and I like coconut): http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-coconut-snowballs-recipes-from-the-kitchn-181467
When I made the dough, I was a bit underwhelmed, because the coconut taste didn’t come through at all. My taste-tester and baker’s little helper said the same, so we had to do something about that.
Of course we were doing this on a Sunday, when all the shops in Germany are closed, so I had to make do with what I had and amped it up with some almond, sugar and Amaretto.
This is my updated recipe (and there is a funny video at the bottom). Continue reading Shortie but Goodie: Coconut Snowballs
Yours Julie - Mostly travel, also food. 