What are you eating?

[Sergeant Rock]

Hello Sarge & Karl - now, I do enjoy eating 'green' asparagus and know how the 'white' version is grown (i.e. w/o sunlight), but just curious if the taste is much different? 

It's not even the same vegetable...and has to be peeled.

Jens is correct. They are so different in taste they might as well be a different vegetable. The taste of white is hard to describe. Unlike the green, with its vegetal "green" taste, white is very mild (a poor example can be bland), less bitter than green and rather nutty tasting. It goes well with a sauce hollandaise or (my preference) butter, parsley and garlic.

White is more work. As Jens said, it has to be peeled. We have a special instrument for the task:

Also, the meat, some type of rib cut, I assume?

Yes, traditional entrecote is from the rib (equivalent to the American ribeye, I believe). Here's what the steaks looked like before I threw them on the Weber:





Sarge

[jlaurson]

Jens is correct. They are so different in taste they might as well be a different vegetable. The taste of white is hard to describe...

At least with white asparagus, you KNOW afterwards, why your pee smells the way it does. That's how it tastes. :-)

Yes, usually eaten in my family with melted butter and a variety of hams, cooked, cured, and smoked. It's usually a pretty good excuse to eat your way through six, twelve different kinds of ham, thinly sliced. Alongside potatoes.

Although myself, I actually prefer asparagus as part of a more inventive (or non-asparagus-conventional) dinner. Also popular with Schnitzel... and it must be said that the mild flavor of the white asparagus goes quite well with veal.

[Sergeant Rock]

At least with white asparagus, you KNOW afterwards, why your pee smells the way it does. That's how it tastes. :-)

That should make the non-believers give white a try 

Yes, usually eaten in my family with melted butter and a variety of hams, cooked, cured, and smoked. It's usually a pretty good excuse to eat your way through six, twelve different kinds of ham, thinly sliced. Alongside potatoes.

Although myself, I actually prefer asparagus as part of a more inventive (or non-asparagus-conventional) dinner. Also popular with Schnitzel... and it must be said that the mild flavor of the white asparagus goes quite well with veal.

We had it with Schnitzel last night. Drank a Franken Silvaner, the 2011 from the Juliusspital. Fantastic wine.



I used to think beef steak not a good match for white asparagus, preferring it with green (which wasn't easy to find in Germany until the last few years). But a restaurant in Lampertheim (Mrs. Rock's hometown) that specializes in Spargel meals during the season had it on their menu one year. Gave it try and liked it. But yeah, ham is ideal. Like it with fried fish too.

Sarge

[snyprrr]

We went to the French restaurant in town. I should not have ordered the pate.

The filet, though, was wonderful, medium rare, tall, with a wonderful bitter wood char,... a slice of goose liver on top, brown sauce, string beans, and these carrots that had the most surprising cumin/chili taste,... like tacos! Cheese for dessert almost again ruined it. I will remember the main course.


Otherwise, the soy revolution has me down.

[Karl Henning]

Constant Comment tea, please, extra lecithin.

[Sergeant Rock]

Lately, I get oatmeal for breakfast, and maybe yogurt/applesauce/banana/granola/o.j. for lunch. Dinner,... not so much. Maybe I save all week to go for Indian lunch buffet once a month.

We went to the French restaurant in town. I should not have ordered the pate.

The filet, though, was wonderful, medium rare, tall, with a wonderful bitter wood char,... a slice of goose liver on top, brown sauce, string beans, and these carrots that had the most surprising cumin/chili taste,... like tacos! Cheese for dessert almost again ruined it. I will remember the main course.

That's quite an upgrade from a few weeks ago when you were living on an oatmeal and granola diet    Or was this description of a French meal satiric? Or just a dream?

Sarge

[jlaurson]

I used to think beef steak not a good match for white asparagus, preferring it with green (which wasn't easy to find in Germany until the last few years). But a restaurant in Lampertheim (Mrs. Rock's hometown) that specializes in Spargel meals during the season had it on their menu one year. Gave it try and liked it. But yeah, ham is ideal. Like it with fried fish too.

I told you that I used to spent time in Lampertheim as a kid... because my mom's wetnurse? or maybe just nanny? or godmother? in any case... some relation of my mother's when she was a kid -- they lived there... and she would visit regularly. "Onkel Horst"... his wife's name I forgot. It's been a while. He was a devoted fan of Waldhof Mannheim. Speaking of Mannheim, I'll be there on the 17th, seeing a M.Weinberg opera (!!!) at the local theater!

[Sergeant Rock]

I told you that I used to spent time in Lampertheim as a kid... because my mom's wetnurse? or maybe just nanny? or godmother? in any case... some relation of my mother's when she was a kid -- they lived there... and she would visit regularly. "Onkel Horst"... his wife's name I forgot. It's been a while. He was a devoted fan of Waldhof Mannheim.

If you've told me before, I've forgotten (not out of disinterest but because, you know, I'm just really old and on meds  ) Small world. Maybe we passed on the street years ago. Mrs. Rock's folks, and her brother, still live in Lampertheim. No football fans in that family though.

Speaking of Mannheim, I'll be there on the 17th, seeing a M.Weinberg opera (!!!) at the local theater!

I haven't been paying attention to what's happening at the National Theater (health has been too erratic for long range planning) but a Weinberg opera, wow. Just checked out the website, Der Idiot, Thomas Sanderling conducting. Damn, it's of Wagnerian length with only one intermission. Don't think I could handle that. Will be looking forward to your review.

Sarge

[jlaurson]

If you've told me before, I've forgotten (not out of disinterest but because, you know, I'm just really old and on meds  ) Small world. Maybe we passed on the street years ago. Mrs. Rock's folks, and her brother, still live in Lampertheim. No football fans in that family though.


I haven't been paying attention to what's happening at the National Theater (health has been too erratic for long range planning) but a Weinberg opera, wow. Just checked out the website, Der Idiot, Thomas Sanderling conducting. Damn, it's of Wagnerian length with only one intermission. Don't think I could handle that. Will be looking forward to your review.

Sarge

And then, on the 18th, I'll see Christopher Alden's production of Peter Grimes in Karlsruhe (have an extra ticket available for that, too). (And visit, for the first time in my life!!!!, my father's grave -- who died in 1989.)

And now I'm having the 1l Riesling from Wittmann's. Very decent, for sure... but perhaps not all that it could be.

[Sergeant Rock]

And then, on the 18th, I'll see Christopher Alden's production of Peter Grimes in Karlsruhe (have an extra ticket available for that, too). (And visit, for the first time in my life!!!!, my father's grave -- who died in 1989.)

Who did I meet in Frankfurt? Your stepfather? Your mother was there, and an aunt and uncle, right? The introductions went by so fast, I'm now foggy at this point.

And now I'm having the 1l Riesling from Wittmann's. Very decent, for sure... but perhaps not all that it could be.

Wittman's basic Riesling: I would expect it to be decent but nothing out of this world. It's also possible it needs some time. One of my favorite vintners in Nierstein (Schneider), his Riesling doesn't show well until it's aged a year.

Sarge

[jlaurson]

Who did I meet in Frankfurt? Your stepfather? Your mother was there, and an aunt and uncle, right? The introductions went by so fast, I'm now foggy at this point.

Wittman's basic Riesling: I would expect it to be decent but nothing out of this world. It's also possible it needs some time. One of my favorite vintners in Nierstein (Schneider), his Riesling doesn't show well until it's aged a year.

Sarge

My (paternal) aunt and (aunt-married) uncle.

Huh... aging young Riesling? Interesting. We'll see... I bought enough to find out. :-)

[toledobass]

Constant Comment tea, please, extra lecithin.

Blech!!!

[Karl Henning]

Hoy, Allan!

[Cato]

Hoy, Allan!

Yes, ToledoBass Allan has stopped by!

Tell us more about what you have been up to..or down to!   0:)

[jlaurson]

Baked my first ever cake. Or at the very least my first ever cheese cake. In my first ever spring-form pan.

And although I could not resist fiddling with the family recipe (adding a bit of millet and matcha powder and basil seeds and soaking the raisins in Ron Zacapa [rum]), it actually turned out.
Deflated a bit, after I stopped baking it (by about 50%, bit like a soufflé), but it was tasty and approved by the lady-friend who was force-fed with it.

[kaergaard]

I am over a week behind on the asparagus subject, but can't resist bragging about our purple asparagus. The small town of Quincy - half an hour drive from EW. - is the American equivalent of Germany's Schwetzingen. About four or five years the folks started growing this unique variety and it's the only kind I have ever eaten since. The taste is much sweeter than the regular green and white varieties. Less fibre too. Steamed or baked, browned butter, crambled eggs with a few slivers of black forest ham and a steamed Yukon Gold potato make a great meal. 

[toledobass]

Yes, ToledoBass Allan has stopped by!

Tell us more about what you have been up to..or down to!   0:)

All is good Cato!  Everything looking up.  Learning German and having fun with that, especially the stupid grammar! HAHA.  How about you and your fam?  Summer off right?   

Thread duty:

Pickled some ginger that will be ready in a few days, I'll report back with tasting notes.

[Karl Henning]

All is good Cato!  Everything looking up.  Learning German and having fun with that, especially the stupid grammar! HAHA.

I say to myself, "Regen (rain) is masculine -- or maybe it is feminine -- or possibly neuter -- it is too much trouble to look now.

[jlaurson]

Too late to eat more than just some grapes... in my favorite form:




just a bit, before turning in with some Isang Yun or some such music.

[Sergeant Rock]

Too late to eat more than just some grapes... in my favorite form:

Yum, yum. Mashed grapes. Good eats 

Sarge