Sausage Rolls

I've been watching a British show called The Inbetweeners, which I highly recommend, but that is besides the point. One of the characters was wolfing down sausage rolls at a high school party, which reminded me of the same ones I devoured after a shopping spree at the Shakespeare Corner Shop (SCS) in San Diego. It is located right next to the aptly named Shakespeare Pub & Grill, which by the way serves awesome shepherd's pie, which is also besides the point. Goodness, I'm getting sidetracked today.
So these darn sausage rolls are akin to pigs in a blanket, except there are no Vienna sausages wrapped up, you know the kind that come in a dingy little can. This is good old real mashed up sausage, baked in puff pastry. I had them fresh out the oven at the SCS and I should have probably assumed that eating half a dozen was enough, but no, I finished the whole damn bag of dozens of salty, oily rolls. I regretted it, for about an hour. After my stomach settled, I dreamily remembered the savory flavor of puffy goodness and salty pork. Or at least I'm assuming it's pork. I know it wasn't chicken. And am pretty sure it wasn't beef. The sensible thing would be to look up recipes on the damn internet and be done with the guessing, but I'd rather go on with my uncertainty.
Pigs in a blanket are easy to make, so I'm assuming these British sausage rolls will also be a cinch. Eventually I'll have to look up the said recipe I guess, just to make sure I don't veer South and create some Mediterranean morsel instead. No doubt I'd feel inclined to sprinkle in some oregano or something like that just for the hell of it.
Since they are small bites, party food really, or an afternoon snack, or hell, even a midnight snack, I wouldn't go through the trouble of thinking of something to serve alongside them. Why ruin a perfectly good thing? To get your imagination and mouth watering, here are pictures of decent looking ones that will put my creations to shame, I'm sure.

 

Wafers

I have been obsessed with wafers since I was little. They are not to be confused with waffles, which I didn’t try until I was in the US. Totally different things.
Wafers are thin sheets of…well, wafers, that are packed tightly together and held in place by all sorts of goodness, such as chocolate, hazelnut spreads, fruity cream fillings and whatever else the marketing and development people think of.
My favorite has to be Knoppers, which is the product name of a little square morsel that I indulge in once in a blue moon when I can find it for sale at the German imports store or when my family brings some during visits. There is also Manner, which is the brand name of a wafer company stemming from my favorite place, Vienna, of course. Their hazelnut flavored wafers are the traditional and most popular, but I also like the lemon and a new favorite, the apricot wafers. How in heaven’s name they were able to create that magic is beyond me. Delicious!
Other brands also produce wafer products, most notably covered in chocolate, which is what most people like, I’m assuming. Most people do enjoy chocolate…. I’ll eat them any way they come my way. I don’t discriminate. All wafers are good wafers.

Yes, it's the best - not too sweet and hits the spot between meals

The new magical flavor, although apricot is good for anything

 

 

 

Chocolate and hazelnut, always a deadly combination

It's the plain old wafer, before it was reinvented

Point Loma Seafood

Took my German family to Point Loma Seafood yesterday, a water-side restaurant in San Diego that serves delicious seafood sandwiches, salads, cocktails and plates. You order at the counter and take your food to eat outside, overlooking the fishing boats. It’s probably my favorite place in San Diego and I find myself gravitating towards it even when I’m not hungry, just when I want to enjoy the atmosphere.
We enjoyed crab and fish sandwiches, served on sourdough bread with tartar sauce. It’s so simple and yet so freaking good. Even the Germans were impressed. I’ve also had their smoked marinaded mussels there, their shrimp sandwich, sushi and clam chowder. They have an extensive menu and sometimes I want to try it all, but end up still going with the old favorite, the crab sandwich. The pictures don’t do it justice but if you are ever in the area, try it out. Even Rachel Ray went there during one of her travel shows. The weekends are packed so I recommend the middle of the week if possible and lunchtime is even better. Enjoy the food, the views and the seals and seagulls awaiting you for an after-meal stroll.

Front view of the restaurant

 

Ordering inside 

 

Enjoying the food outdoors 

 

My favorite spot to sit, eat and even read 

 

Crab sandwich 

 

The smoked fish selection 

 

Followed by the fresh fish selection 

Leberkaese

This is a German word for, well, the translation sounds a bit stupid. Literally translated, it means liver and cheese. But what it actually is, is a sort of meatloaf not in the traditional sense that comes from Austria and is usually sandwiched in a Kaiser roll and always served with mustard. It’s a must. I have been toying with the idea of trying to make this damn meatloaf but it is complicated and requires about three different types of meat. I have the recipe in one of my German cookbooks and have yet to gather the time and courage to attempt it. Since my family has been visiting, my fingers have been itching to try it, given that they have been making food from that region. Maybe I’ll brave it and give it a go in the next couple of weeks, when I have spare time for failed kitchen experiments. In the meantime, here’s what it’s supposed to look like.

Traditional Leberkaese

 

 

Served with the usual roll and mustard - salads typically not included

 

 

If you are real lucky and buy it in Austria, you might find the version with actual cheese pieces embedded in it, which melts when warmed - heavenly!

Austrian Schnitzel

My family from Germany is visiting and when they do, I always look forward to good German and Austrian cooking. A few days ago they made mashed potatoes with chicken schnitzel, one of my favorites. I was so excited about eating that I forgot to take pictures, but I looked some up on the web to include here anyways. Schnitzel is usually made from veal or pork and is a large thin piece of meat, usually pounded to make it extra thin, and coated in breadcrumbs before being fried. It's usually served with fries and a salad, but sometimes the piece is so darn big, nothing else fits on the plate. Similar to fried fish, think fish sticks, it is served with lemon wedges to squeeze over before devouring.

 

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for Breakfast

Yes, you read right. Spurred by raging hormones and probably an extra dose of stress, I have been indulging in grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast. It's the kind of stuff that makes you want to go straight back to sleep as soon as you wolf it down. In hindsight, it seems like a better idea to eat this in the mornings on days that I don't have to go into the office or be in any way productive, so maybe the next one will wait until the weekend. In any case, since I couldn't just have plain old cheese on my melted carb-fest, I also included prosciutto or salami, whatever was handy. My husband looked at me as though I lost my mind at 8 or 9 in the morning, but he couldn't help himself from stealing half of one before running downstairs. I managed one decent picture that encapsulates the oozing richness so comforting in the morning, and appropriately enough, the picture is blurry, just like I am at that time of day.

Colorful Egg Yolks

This is going to sound strange but I miss the orange egg yolks from Europe. I made eggs with sausage for breakfast this morning and it never fails that when I eat sunny-side-up eggs in the US, I long for the rich, deep color of the egg yolk back home. If you have not been oversees and don't know what I am talking about, here are pictures of the lighter US version vs. the more orange color I am used to in Europe. I feel as though the darker one is slightly sweeter in flavor, although that could just be my mind playing tricks on me. Anyways, if you cross the ocean and wonder what to try eating, order eggs and either love it or be grossed out. My in-laws were not having it on a family vacation a few years ago. They were missing the sunny yellow sunshine they are used to. But there you go, everyone's got favorites.

 

Ladies Lunch - After Photos

As promised last time, I remembered to take pictures of the food I prepared for the ladies luncheon, so here they are. Here are also the recipes, although it hardly signifies as that since there is no cooking involved.

Salmon Rounds
Cut out round shapes from pumpernickel bread, butter them and top with smoked salmon, crème freche and dill.

Caprese Skewers
Wrap marinated mozzarella in large basil leaves and include strips of sun-dried tomatoes before securing with a toothpick or skewer.

Cucumber Sandwiches
Cut white toast bread into squares and remove the crusts. Butter the bread and top with thin strips of cucumber. Sprinkle with salt before serving.

The recipe for the salad I have provided before. It's the prosciutto salad from a couple of months ago. Other than that, I put out blueberries and strawberries, along with crushed ginger snap cookies and mascarpone cream, so everyone could make their own parfaits. The cream is a cinch to make. Just mix a couple of containers of mascarpone with four egg yolks and half a cup of sugar. Stir it together and store in the fridge for an hour before serving. It's delicious and I could drink it with a straw.

 

 

 

 

Menu Planning

I am having a few friends over for a ladies lunch tomorrow and am going back and forth on the menu. I have been going back and forth on the menu for about two months. Am totally undecided. I usually have a sit-down meal that allows us to munch for at least an hour without having to get up and change scenery. Since I have a new place, I am sure they will want to tour it and enjoy the outdoors as well since it's gorgeous outside and we'll meet around lunchtime. Instead of doing the usual, I'm thinking of just having finger foods, that way everyone can fix themselves small plates and graze as we move around. As I have yet to shop for ingredients, my plans might change still. We will see. Hopefully I'll remember to take pictures of whatever I end up making to post on the blog.

Succotash

One of my favorite side dishes to make is succotash, a mix of various veggies cut into equal size pieces and sautéed with spices. The prep work is more time consuming than the cooking time, since you have to chop the veggies, but it's not a big deal. I serve this alongside stead, chicken and especially shrimp. The last time I made it, we had Bulgogi, which are Korean BBQ short ribs.

1 zucchini
½ cup corn kernels
1 red bell pepper
½ onion
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Serves 2

Dice the onion, pepper and zucchini into the same size pieces as the corn kernels. Heat half the oil, add the onion and peppers and half the salt. Sauté over medium-low heat for five minutes until soft, then remove the veggies to a bowl. Add the remaining oil, sauté the garlic for a few seconds and add the zucchini. Sauté for a few minutes until soft and add the cooked onion and pepper back to the pan. Add the corn, coriander, cumin, thyme and remaining salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until all the flavors combine.

 

Asian Noodle Soup

One of my favorite cook book authors is Nigella Lawson. I have several of her cook books and love her recipes. They are relatively easy to make although sometimes do require special ingredients. In her Nigella Express cook book, she gives a recipe for Noodle Soup For Needy People. It's an Asian inspired broth with veggies and noodles thrown in. Sometimes I follow her recipe exactly, othertimes I just add similar items I have on hand. And sometimes I get really lazy and just make the version pictured below.

I boiled 4 cups of chicken broth, added one star anise, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, half a cup of diced mushrooms, one cup of chopped bok choy and some thin noodles of the Asian variety. I have made it with other types of noodles as well and I guess it works fine. I let it all boil for about 10 minutes until the noodles were cooked and that was it. Her recipe is much better and nicer but I worked with what I had on hand. So that was it.

Sand Bass Confirmed

A few entries ago I mentioned my husband went fishing and brought home sand bass. I was convinced that he just had the name wrong and it was sea bass. Guess I was the one who was wrong. The first time I cooked it, it came out dry and uneven, compliments of too much time in the oven. The second time, I fried it in the skillet and it was perfect. As with most of the meats lately, my go-to seasonings were salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. I think I am turning that mixture into my house blend from now on.
The fish was flaky, flavorful and not overcooked. I served it with sautéed bell peppers and mushrooms, my husbands default veggie side dish. Whenever he decides to start cooking, those two things somehow end up on our plates.