Lately in my kitchen

Here is a little post about my recent cookings, new food and cooking utensils in my kitchen. I try to make such posts more often, as I enjoy reading similar posts to hear about nice products.

I didn't buy much foodie stuff on my recent trip to Germany, as I was only travelling with a hand luggage, but here are some of the items that I brought with me. I just had to get this cute hedgehog cookie cutter as an addition to my wide selection of hedgehog themed kitchen items. I can't wait to use it for some gingerbread cookies soon.

I really like Spätzle, traditional southern German egg noodles, very much and often make my own ones, but since it was now available I bought a packet of the ready made ones. They'll be very handy for some weekday meals.

My partner insisted on this mustard from Düsseldorf that is flavoured with the local dark beer Altbier. I doubt that I'll be using that myself, but then there'll be more left for him.

Halloween was a while ago, but I even still have some of these chocolates left. They are extremely tasty and that's why I only want to eat one every now and again as a special treat.

I also still have some pumpkin ales left, but I don't think that those are strictly for Halloween either. This Pumpkin IPA by Flying Dog is just an exquisite drink, perfect for this season.

Recently I bought this tasting and distilling logbook for whiskey tasting notes. I haven't started filling it yet, but it's a neat little book.

These food labels from Ikea are really nice. They could be used for some foodie gifts for Christmas.

My partner makes a great spinach pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and olives. It's one of his regular dishes and I'm always more than happy to eat it.

So, that was a little overview of some of my new acquaintances and purchases. Have a nice week everyone!

Your VegHog

From dinner to lunch

I'm always happy when I can use absolutely everything in the cupboard and nothing goes to waste. This can be very challenging with a varying appetite like mine and fondness to fresh produce. Sometimes really creative and even odd dishes are created through this method. This one wasn't quite as adventurous, I just happened to have a couple of tortilla wraps in an open packet that had to come away, so I decided to wrap Monday's dinner, Harlequin squash spelt risotto with halloumi, into it and bake in the oven until the tortilla was crispy. This was indeed a nice tasting lunch for the next day. Otherwise I packed into my lunchbox for that day a few apple slices, salty potato rings and a Leicester cheese stick. I was very happy eating these things.

How do you like recycling food and creating new dishes from left-overs?

Have a nice Friday everyone!

Your VegHog

Harlequin squash spelt risotto with halloumi

I was happy to obtain some harlequin squashes again, and decided to make a spelt risotto with one of them. A spelt risotto is a wonderful weekday dish even though it takes slightly longer to make. I'm always so happy to have some of it left to take with me to work. This is a very filling and tasty dish and I can only recommend pearled spelt. However I just noticed how many spelt dishes I have posted again recently and should use some other main ingredients soon. I promise that it will be the case! First, here's today's recipe.

Ingredients

1 harlequin squash

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 bell pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

20 g butter

1 cup pearled spelt

1 glass white wine

1 l vegetable stock

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

40 g vegetarian pasta cheese

250 g halloumi + 1 tsp vegetable oil (optional)

Method

The method to this dish is my basic risotto method, nothing complicated about it, just some patience is needed.

Heat the vegetable stock in a separate pot.

Chop the harlequin squash into cubes. Also chop the onion, garlic and bell pepper.

Heat olive oil in a pan and start cooking the onion there for a few minutes. Then add the bell pepper and garlic and cook for further couple of minutes followed by the harlequin squash.

Add the butter and pearled spelt into the pan and mix for a few moments. Then add the wine and let it absorb.

Add a few ladles of the hot vegetable stock and let simmer under the lid. Stir often and keep making stock additions.

When all the components are cooked nicely and the flavours have blended, season the dish and add some grated vegetarian pasta cheese to it.

Serve with pan-fried halloumi slices like I did, if you feel like it. In that case no salt addition is needed to the risotto, or just a little bit.

Enjoy!

Your VegHog

Spelt tattie scones

Oh what a week this has been! It was so busy and tiring, but now it's finally weekend and time to relax and enjoy good food. I think that today I want to eat out, but haven't decided on the restaurant/café/pub yet. What are your plans for the weekend?

I have already once posted a recipe for this Scottish breakfast classic, tattie scones that can easily be made from left-over potato mash. Tattie scones are such a nice breakfast, even if you'll have to boil the potatoes extra for them like I did (I never have left-over mash, as I always eat all of it). This time I made the tattie scones with spelt flour, so they became a bit nuttier and more wholesome. I also left the potato skins in the mash. 

Ingredients

500 g floury potatoes

50 g butter

125 g spelt flour

Sprinkle of salt

Method

Boil the potatoes with the peels on and then mash them.

Mix the potato mash with the flour, butter and salt once it has cooled a little.

Shape round scones of the mixture.

Fry the scones in butter on each side until golden brown.

Serve warm, and add some extra butter on the top.

Enjoy!

Your VegHog

New lunch box

My partner and I spontaneously purchased new lunch boxes for our household, when we saw these Joseph Joseph ones in the shop. The system of these boxes is quite cunning with two stackable and variable compartments divided by a silicone cover. The upper one also has two smaller sections perfect for some fresh veg and hummus for example! So finally I could find some stylish and functional lunchboxes. I have also been looking for nice transportable cutlery for a long time, and when I saw that there was a matching spoon/fork/knife set in a silicone cover held together by the magnetic knife, I knew I had to have them as well. I thought that the green colour is very suitable for veggies like us, and my partner already got compliments for his box at his workplace.

What I have noticed about these boxes after a couple of days of use, is that liquids might sometimes escape their compartments. I would therefore recommend this model for a bit “drier” dishes. They also have soup containers in the same range, so I might at some point invest in those too.

Yesterday's lunch, which is depicted here, included: Lebanese rice with vermicelli (recipe here), roasted cauliflower with tahini (recipe here), smoked paprika dusted chickpeas, Emmental pieces, grapes and rye crisps. This lunch was particularly lavish, but I normally want that kind of thing on Mondays. 

What kind of lunch gear are you typically using and what has been in your lunchboxes lately?

Have further a good week!

Your VegHog

Köln – Bremen – Düsseldorf

Here are some impressions from my holiday in Germany. Unfortunately I didn't have time to post anything while I was there, but wanted to share these photos with you now. I spent some time in the cities of Köln (Cologne), Bremen and Düsseldorf enjoying local food and drink. The autumn colours were beautiful everywhere and the weather lovely autumnal. I could have easily stayed longer, but it was time to return home and back to work.

In Köln we had nice walks around the cathedral and the Rhine and drank of course some Kölsch. I lived in Köln for nearly ten years and studied and worked there, so it will always be a very special place to me. It's quite different going back there as a tourist though.

My brother lives in Bremen with his family so this was mainly a family visit and I got to play with my nephew and his trains. We went to the annual fair Ischa Freimaak and on a stroll in the old town.

The last destination of the trip was a short day visit to Düsseldorf before our flights, where we watched the sunset in the media harbour by Rhine, admired the modern architecture there and drank mulled wine Glühwein.

Smoked tomato pizza

It's already November and now comfort food is more in demand than ever during the dark long nights. Pizza is always great for this purpose and what could be nicer than a pizza night at home.

This is a recipe for a smoky tomato pizza with a spelt crust that gets its flavour from some lovely oak smoked tomatoes. The crust will be first fried crispy on the pan and then grilled in the oven. With that method you can get close to the heat of a pizza oven in your own kitchen and the results are great. Here comes my recipe that made four smallish pizzas.

Ingredients

Spelt crust:

2 tbsp dry yeast

200 g wheat flour

200 g spelt flour

2 tsp salt

350 ml lukewarm water

3 tbsp olive oil

Topping:

180 g oak smoked tomatoes

200 g fresh plum tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1 onion

Salt

Pepper

Fresh basil

Olive oil

200 g mozzarella

Method

Make the pizza dough first for the crust. Mix the dry ingredients together and then add the water and olive oil and knead. Let rise under a tea towel for about one hour.

Chop the garlic and slice the plum tomatoes and onion.

Heat an oven-proof pan on the hob very hot.

Roll parts of the dough out and place it onto the hot pan followed by the toppings. Leave on the hob for a couple of minutes.

Put the whole pan into the oven under a hot grill. Bake it there until the surface is nicely golden brown and the crust is fully baked. Also here we are only talking about a few minutes depending on the oven performance.

Enjoy the pizza!

Your VegHog