Rosenkohlsalat mit Birne und ZimtBrussel Sprout Salad with Pear and Cinnamon

Nach Weihnachten und Silvester, der ganzen Völlerei möchte man sich wieder auf gesunde und leichte Kost besinnen. Also manche Leute. Es ist nicht so als würde ich Salate nicht mögen. Sättigende Salate aus vielen verschiedenen Komponenten und wenig Blattgrün finde ich sehr lecker. Das Problem ist nur, dass es mich alte Frostbeule nicht wärmt. Das gute an diesem Rosenkohlsalat mit Birne: er ist warm! Der Nachteil: ihr müsst die Blättchen vom Rosenkohl abzupfen!

Ja, ihr habt richtig gelesen! Und nein, ich bin nicht bekloppt!

Rosenkohl ist wirklich nicht mein Lieblingsgemüse, was kurios ist, wenn man weiß, dass ich es als Kind wirklich gerne gegessen habe (normalerweise ist es immer umgekehrt). Aber sobald man sich die elende Sisyphusarbeit macht und die Blättchen abzupft wird er richtig lecker!

Ich liebe diesen Salat, weil er so gut schmeckt, ich kann euch gar nicht beschreiben wie gut! Die Birne ist essentiell hier. Wenn sie in der Pfanne zerläuft und den Rosenkohl umhüllt bringt sie eine wunderbare aromatische Süße mit sich. Der Zimt verleiht dem ganzen eine herrliche Würze und es ergibt sich mit der erdigen Note des Rosenkohls eine tolles Aromenspiel!

Rosenkohlsalat mit Birne und Zimt 

Vor zwei Jahren: Dulce de Leche Cheesecake mit Fleur de Sel

Vor fünf Jahren: glutenfreie Nanaimobars

After the gluttony of Christmas and New Years Eve people want to concentrate on healthy, light food. Ok, some people. It’s not that I don’t like salads. I love salads that have a lot of going on in texture and where only little leavy greens are involved. The big problem with salad is that they are cold. Not good for someone like me who is freezing a lot. The good thing about this brussel sprout salad with pear and cinnamon: it’s warm! The downside: you have to pluck the leaves of the brussel sprouts!

Yes, you heard right! No, I’m not insane!

Brussel sprouts are not my favourite vegetable, which is funny, as I liked eating it as a child (normally it is the other way round). But as soon you are done with the sisyphus work of plucking the leaves of, the salad is extremly good!

I love this salad, because it tastes so incredibly good, I cannot describe how good! The pear is essential here. When it melts in the pan it coats the brussel sprouts and leaves a wonderful aromatic sweetness. The cinnamon warms, too and spices things up! All this combines very well with the slightly earthy taste of the brussel sprouts.

Rosenkohlsalat mit Birne und Zimt 

Two years ago: dulce de leche cheesecake with fleur de sel

Five years ago: gluten-free nanaimo bars

Unser kleiner Acker reloadedOur small field reloaded

Nach langer Überlegung haben wir uns dieses Jahr wieder entschlossen ein Stück Feld bei meine Ernte zu mieten. Es hat uns letztes Jahr unglaublich viel Spaß gemacht und wir wollten auch dieses Jahr wieder gärtnern, ernten und viele neue Sorten anpflanzen. Ich möchte Euch dieses Mal regelmäßiger auf dem Laufenden halten und fange gleich mit ein paar Bildern vom Wochenende an. Viel ist noch nicht zu sehen, aber das ändert sich hoffentlich bald.

So haben wir unser Feld auch im vorraus schon durchgeplant. Das heißt es flogen diesmal gleich Setzlinge von Pflanzen raus, die wir nicht so mögen oder auch die ganze Saison zum Wachsen benötigen, es aber für kleines Geld auf dem Wochenmarkt und aus der Region gibt. Dafür haben wir mehr Platz für Gemüse, dass man hier nicht bekommt, wie Chiogga und gelbe Beete (dafür musste die normale rote Beete raus), dicke Bohnen, bunte Radieschen und noch ein paar andere Sachen. Ich freue mich, dass es dieses Jahr vor vornherein Erbsen gibt! Und wir versuchen es mit einer Melone! Es wird also noch spannender dieses Jahr!

Wir haben auch aus letztem Jahr gelernt und haben gleich ein Dach für die Tomaten gebaut. Da das Wetter in Stuttgart diesen Frühling besonders mies ist und es eigentlich nur regnet (und kalt ist), ist das Dach dringend nötig.

Gegen die fiesen Erdflöhe haben wir Gesteinsmehl besorgt und es gleich ausgebracht. Die Viecher sind nämlich bereits wieder wie wild am Nagen.

After quite some consideration we decided to rent again a piece of field at meine Ernte. We loved it last year and are looking forward to gardening, harvesting and sowing a lot of new varieties. This year I want to keep you posted and I begin just now with some pics from last weekend. There isn’t much to look at, yet, hopefully that will change soon.

We planned our field in advance this time. We removed some seedlings from vegetables we don’t like that much or need the whole season to grow and we can buy cheaply at the farmer’s market. Therefore we have more space for vegetables we can’t buy anywhere here, like Chiogga and yellow beetroots, fava beans, coloured radishes and some other varieties. I love that they’ve included peas in the sowing plan! And we will try to grow a melon! It will be so exciting this year!

We learned from last year and built a roof for the tomatoes. The weather this spring in Stuttgart is especially worse, it mostly rains (and it’s cold, too), so a roof was really necessary.

Against the nasty flea beetles we spread some rock flour, they are already fiercely nibbling on our plants.

Selbstgemachte GemüsebouillonpasteHomemade Bouillon Paste

 Upate: Für das deutsche Rezept nach unten scrollen!

Selbstgemachte Gemüsebouillonpaste

As I was ill the last two weeks, I wanted to do more for my blog. I made some things – I swear! But it happened, that those things were not good enough for my blog. Unfortunately.

Now that I’m back to work, I’ve done some great things and even more great photos of it! But just no time to write. So this evening I just take the time.

In my ill-time I had a lot of time to read lots of blogs, recipes and other interesting things. I got hold on a simple recipe making your own bouillon paste of vegetables. Since I’m very into making everything on my own, I was thrilled.

Selbstgemachte Gemüsebouillonpaste

Since I’m not a fan of glutamate in food, I’m using only organic granulated bouillon, because it never contains glutamate. But it can contain other things that you don’t want in there, for example gluten or allergens. So making your own paste, disposes this problem. And of course it’s just great to make your own bouillon, without making a real stock!

Selbstgemachte Gemüsebouillonpaste

I adapted the recipe from 101 Cookbooks. You can vary, which vegetables you use and also the ratio. I do not like celery stalks. But I like the root. So I just used that. Equally I do not like cilantro, thus I used just parsley. However It would be interesting to add some basil the next time or parsnips.

Selbstgemachte Gemüsebouillonpaste

It’s recommended to use a food processor. As I do not have one, I thought optimistic and use my blender. Hmmm… wasn’t that good idea. It didn’t get the leek and the carrots alright. Celery was good with it. In the end I used my immersion blender. It took some time longer I think (since I can’t compare), but it worked very well and I got a moist paste. I didn’t used as much salt, as stated in the „original“ recipe. Maybe that leads rather to a „creamy“ paste, than a loose paste. For me it’s salty enough and if not, adding salt is less a problem, than to withdraw some.

My recommendation is to dissolve 2,5 tsp. per 250 ml (1 cup). It dissolves very good, if you wonder ;-).

I put one jar of the bouillon in the fridge and froze the rest in portions. If you are not using that much bouillon, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, so your portions to thaw are very small. I froze the rest in three portions, every equal to the amount in my fridge. It yields about four 200ml jars.

Selbstgemachte Gemüsebouillonpaste

homemade bouillon paste

As I was ill the last two weeks, I wanted to do more for my blog. I made some things – I swear! But it happened, that those things were not good enough for my blog. Unfortunately.

Now that I’m back to work, I’ve done some great things and even more great photos of it! But just no time to write. So this evening I just take the time.

In my ill-time I had a lot of time to read lots of blogs, recipes and other interesting things. I got hold on a simple recipe making your own bouillon paste of vegetables. Since I’m very into making everything on my own, I was thrilled.

homemade bouillon paste

Since I’m not a fan of glutamate in food, I’m using only organic granulated bouillon, because it never contains glutamate. But it can contain other things that you don’t want in there, for example gluten or allergens. So making your own paste, disposes this problem. And of course it’s just great to make your own bouillon, without making a real stock!

homemade bouillon paste

I adapted the recipe from 101 Cookbooks. You can vary, which vegetables you use and also the ratio. I do not like celery stalks. But I like the root. So I just used that. Equally I do not like cilantro, thus I used just parsley. However It would be interesting to add some basil the next time or parsnips.

homemade bouillon paste

It’s recommended to use a food processor. As I do not have one, I thought optimistic and use my blender. Hmmm… wasn’t that good idea. It didn’t get the leek and the carrots alright. Celery was good with it. In the end I used my immersion blender. It took some time longer I think (since I can’t compare), but it worked very well and I got a moist paste. I didn’t used as much salt, as stated in the „original“ recipe. Maybe that leads rather to a „creamy“ paste, than a loose paste. For me it’s salty enough and if not, adding salt is less a problem, than to withdraw some.

My recommendation is to dissolve 2,5 tsp. per 250 ml (1 cup). It dissolves very good, if you wonder ;-).

I put one jar of the bouillon in the fridge and froze the rest in portions. If you are not using that much bouillon, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, so your portions to thaw are very small. I froze the rest in three portions, every equal to the amount in my fridge. It yields about four 200ml jars.

homemade bouillon paste