Friday 19 February 2021

Sprouts and Sunrises

We have had some extraordinarily beautiful sunrises lately, two of which I am sharing here with you. The first one I took on Monday morning at around 20 past 7.

The day itself was unspectacular.

On Tuesday, I had asked my sister over for dinner. Now that we do not have to be home by 8:00 pm any longer (the curfew was lifted last week Thursday, with the option of being re-introduced should infection numbers rise again), we can visit each other without having to check the clock all the time, which makes for a much more relaxed meal.

I had read a recipe in the supplement of my weekly paper and wanted to try it, but not on my own. We both enjoyed it, and I am sure I will make it again, rather sooner than later:

Brussel sprouts with red pesto and goat or sheep cheese

It is easily made and doesn't take all that long, especially if you go for the lazy option and use ready-made red pesto.

Pre-heat oven to 200C. Clean and half a bag of sprouts (here, they are sold at 500 g a bag). Mix with several spoons of pesto rosso; don't "drown" the sprouts but make sure all halves have at least a bit of pesto on them.

Spread on a baking tray (lightly oiled or lined with paper), put in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Prepare another tray with the cheese; I used sheep camembert, while the original recipe had thick slices of round goat cheese. I cut the camembert in quarters - I could have just as well left it uncut. Drizzle with liquid honey and put in the oven at the highest level, right underneath the grill.

Leave everything for another 5-10 minutes, until the honey is caramelised and before the sprouts turn black ;-) (they will look dark because of the red pesto).

Put sprouts on plates (warm the plates if you like, it makes for a nicer meal - I will do that next time!) and top with the half-melted cheese. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and a bit of dried thyme.

Enjoy!

We had well-chilled craft beer with it, a recent local discovery of O.K. and myself, but I can imagine this going very well with a nice rosé wine or a white one, and of course water will be good, too.

And my sister brought another bunch of tulips - actually, two bunches; a yellow and a pink one this time. They look great but were still firmly closed buds on Tuesday, which is why they do not appear properly in the picture.


Another beautifun sunrise was yesterday morning, on the 18th; I took this picture at 10 past 7:

Now there is only today left to work (and another busy one it will be!), and then the weekend is here - phew! :-)

20 comments:

  1. That sprout recipe looks interesting. I do love meals which do not involve meat.

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    1. Me too, Pat, although I must admit I really like meat, and have a soft spot for bacon - always mentally distancing myself from where it comes from.

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  2. What is red pesto made of? I'm only familiar with the green kind!

    Gorgeous sunrises you've had....lucky you! It's STILL pouring rain here. We've had days upon days of cold rain.

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    1. It is basically sundried tomatoes, olive oil and nuts; some use pine nuts, others walnuts. Of course, salt and pepper and probably other spices go in as well.

      Cold rain is worse than snow, isn't it - everything just looks and feels so bedraggled, including ourselves.
      Wonderful sunshine here right now, highlighting how very much in need of cleaning my windows are!!

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  3. I wonder if the recipe would be nice with cabbage too? Gorgeous sunsets.

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    1. Cathy, I can very well imagine it working with cabbage. Just try it!
      Those "sunsets" were sunrises - I look East from my kitchen window, which makes for a nice view first thing in the morning on my way to the coffee machine.

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  4. Your recipe sounds good. I love finding more vegetable recipes as I'm not overly fond of meat. It must be wonderful for you and your sister to get together without worrying about a curfew. You are getting such beautiful colors with those sunrises! I'm happy for you that your work week is almost over. Enjoy the weekend!

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    1. Apart from the rare occasion when I have leftovers from the weekend, I hardly ever eat meat during the week. And I can completely make do without it on weekends, too, but it does feature on our table when we have a BBQ at O.K.'s in the summer or when I cook a Saturday or Sunday dinner for us.
      The weekend was very enjoyable, with spring-like temperatures and wall-to-wall sunshine!

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  5. I've never roasted them with pesto but I often roast them with sprinkled (plentiful) Parmesan cheese and chestnuts for company. Delicious.

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    1. That does indeed sound delicious! Sprouts are also very nice with melted butter and fried bits of bacon. Must remember the chestnut idea for autumn.

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  6. I'm roasting Brussels sprouts for supper tonight - just with shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper, then served with a drizzle of Balsamic glaze and freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano. Next time I'll give your recipe a try when I have red pesto at the ready - you know I'm a cheese-a-holic! Mushroom soup, baked cod and mashed potatoes alongside - a 'comfort food' meal on a chilly night.

    Your sunrise is gorgeous Meike - and it's nice knowing you and sis can spend more time together. Is she older or younger than you?

    Have a great weekend - stay well and safe.
    Mary x

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    1. Your food sounds always great, Mary, and your way of serving Brussels is no exception.
      My sister is older; we were born 14 months apart. It is nice to have family close enough to be able to see them with after a short walk of 10-15 minutes.
      It was a great weekend, very mild and sunny from start to finish!

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  7. Red sky at night, an auspicious sign in February.
    They say the light really comes back in the third week of the second month.

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    1. That red sky was in the morning (my kitchen window faces east), but we had beautiful sunsets, too.
      There is noticeably more light now to each day, making my after-work walks a bit nicer again and not limited to the steets within my town's built-up areas.

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  8. Even though they don't last long, a pretty sunset or sunrise always raises my spirit. Hope you and O.K. have a good weekend together. No curfew!!

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    1. Mary, sunsets and sunrises are wonderful - I love to stand and stare!
      We did have a good weekend together, with plenty of sun and temperatures warm enough to go without a coat. And indeed, no curfew!!

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  9. Darling Meike,

    Although we are not vegetarian, we do try to eat a number of meals that if not wholly are mainly vegetarian. And, we love Brussel Sprouts. So, your receipt sounds and looks totally delicious. We shall definitely give it a try, especially as it does not seem to need us in the kitchen for any length of time...always a plus point.

    Light mornings are definitely with us now and that is so joyful. Your captured sunrises are very dramatic. We cannot claim to be organised sufficiently at that hour of the day to be snapping sunrises so we have taken pleasure in enjoying yours instead.

    The curfew continues here in Budapest. We are starting to forget when there was a time without it. But, young people visit each other earlier in the day and simply sleep over, returning home after the curfew is lifted. We are not sure that the Hungarian government quite intended it like this.....and the COVID cases are increasing alarmingly. A connection, perhaps?

    take care and stay safe.

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    1. Dear Jane and Lance,

      I am not vegetarian, either, but my sister is, and so she was the right person to try this recipe with - apart from that, it is always nice to have a meal with her, be it a picnic when we're out walking, a snack on her balcony in the summer or while watching TV together.

      Yes, those early spring mornings full of light and birdsong are precious, and I can never seem to get enough of them.

      Like you, I wonder how much of the measures intended to help stop the virus have been backfiring because people find other ways to meet those they want to meet, curfew or not.

      You too stay safe! "Bleiben Sie gesund" ("Stay healthy") has become the most used greeting in emails and other messages these days in Germany.

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  10. A great way to cook sprouts, and I'll give it a go. They're a vegetable I actually like but I do get a little tired of them merely boiled. They can get a bit soggy if cooked the wrong way so I am always looking out for new ways with them. You certainly have been seeing some beautiful sunrises. What time of day are they at this time of year for you?

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    1. It was a new way of preparing sprouts for me, too, and I really liked them that way.
      Sunrise is now around 7:00 in the morning; the time when each of the sunrise pictures was taken is in my blog. This week so far, sunrises have been very "milky" - I blame it on the Sahara dust that is still around.

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