Easter Renewal

Easter monday seems to me quite a fitting date to get back to breathe new life into this place.

After one of the coldest, longest and snow-rich (is that even a word?) winters in the last 50 years, Germany has returned to a semblance of spring, which so far means it's raining instead of snowing.
But, crafty as we are, we can build our little spots of spring-time feeling right on top of our dining tables.



My absence from the web doesn't mean I haven't been busy in the kitchen, quite the contrary. I've been supplying the whole family with baked goods, becoming basically the sole boulanger we frequent.



Baking this much bread has justified the acquisition of a baking stone. A marvelous invention, and this little (heavy) thing really made baking a good loaf a lot easier. And of course, making pizza now is a pleasure.



Even my baguettes now start looking like baguettes. There's still a lot to learn in terms of shaping and scoring, but I think I am getting close.



One of the reasons I've been silent for so long is that my lovely wife and I took some time off of everything and left to Lanzarote for a while. We've been there a few times already, but this was the first time we rented a small house and a car. It was a lovely, lovely time and we've seen so much of this island we didn't know about before that it felt pretty much like our first visit.



Of course food played an important part - I finally learned how to make proper mojos! But moer about that later. Right now, I only want to say that if you go to Lanzarote, and you are looking for a great place to go out and eat - go to the marina of Puerto Calero. Not as sickeningly touristy as, say, everything else in that area, but sweet and charming and with a stunning bang-for-your-bucks ratio.

Especially the Taberna del Puerto managed to gather tons of good karma with their sometimes life-saving (or at least sanity-saving) food. Here's the rabbit in garlick sauce, which I still have to figure out how to make:



And my wife's daily ration of squid. How can a woman eat squid every day for weeks and still want more? But, on the other hand, a very reliable way to make her happy. ;-)



And, being in Spain, Paella, of course. Very varying in quality, though, but once again there were only pleasant surprises in the marina of Puerto Calero.



So, to all those still reading -  thanks and a happy Easter to all of you!