simple sushi bento

Hi bento pals! A simple bento today, with shrimp and tuna sushi, broccoli with Japanese ginger dressing, and two juicy pink grapefruit slices...

The sun is reviving...lovely to see it sparkling in tall grasses today!

german gourmet visit and bento

Hi bento pals! This bento was inspired by a recent trip to (big surprise!) another specialty food shop in the area: German Gourmet, which stocks a diverse selection of foods from Germany (plus homemade sausage, breads and sweets) and some Scandinavian specialties, too: perfect for this chill winter month...

German preserves (and, not pictured but a prized find: tart-sweet Swedish lingonberry jam)...

an impressive selection of German wines and beers...

marzipan pigs (marzipigs?)

Mozart and Constanze, eternally linked in music history...and German chocolate! These "Kugeln" chocs are quite addictive with a yummy rum-marzipan filling:

House-made sausage, lovely selection of flavors...we enjoyed the smoked bratwurst: hearty flavor, perfect with sweet-tangy red cabbage.

A star purchase from this visit was Swedish herring in garlic sauce...awesome on whole grain bread with a wisp of dill!

Cute little guy, love his placid, somewhat dazed expression :) Too much beer, perhaps?

Recipes for a couple of German-inspired dishes I've made recently:

Salmon in Cream and Riesling Sauce

Serves 2

Two wild caught salmon fillets, about a half pound each

two leeks, cleaned and sliced--all of white, more tender part of green

two thin carrots, sliced on diagonal

one tablespoon butter

one cup heavy cream

one cup Riesling or white wine of your choice

Preheat oven to 375

Gently melt butter, then add leeks. Cook carefully, as they burn easily! Add carrots, continue cooking until mostly tender. Add cream, cook over gentle heat for a couple of minutes, then add wine. Cook for about three minutes.

Place salmon in casserole, salt and pepper lightly. Pour sauce over. Bake about 12 minutes, or until your degree of preferred doneness.

Red Cabbage with Tangerines, Wild Berry Jam

Chop half a head of red cabbage medium fine. Saute a small red onion until translucent, add salt to taste, then about two tablespoons of wild berry jam--I used Swedish Lingonberry preserves. Pour in a half cup of white wine (used Riesling, in keeping with German theme). Squeeze a tangerine, add juice to pan as well as some peel. Cover and cook until tender--enjoy!

In the bento: salmon with cream and leeks, potato salad (red skinned baby potatoes with mayo, diced gherkins, dill), red cabbage with berry preserves.

Have a great evening and happy cooking this weekend!

gravad laks bento, celebrating food and friends

This bento, and this weekend, really, have been illuminated by the kind culinary generosity of friends. The spectacular homemade cured salmon, or gravad laks pictured above came courtesy of my lovely friend Lotte, and her talented hubby, Miguel.

Lotte is from Denmark, Miguel from Spain...he has made an art of this delectable dish, for which he takes special orders at holiday time from the Danish/Scandinavian community here in the D.C. area. I've never had such supple, dill-infused and delicate salmon including during the years I lived in Scandinavia...wow.

Thank you so much, Lotte and Miguel--this was a true treat for us!

In this simple, rustic bento, a beautiful piece of gravad laks is draped over multigrain bread, lightly spread with remoulade sauce (a sweet, herbal mayo) and topped with a wonderful sweet-tart mustard.  Green and very nutritious Mâche/corn salad leaves with walnut oil and some sun-colored tomatoes also inside...

The amazing gravad laks platter:

Also this weekend, a fun visit to our dear pal Cheryl, who not only made wonderful bahn mi for us (I was so busy enjoying them that I forgot to take pictures!) but also a fabulous pie rich with dark, jewel-like blackberries and blueberries: seriously yum. Thanks so much, C.!

Hope you also had a great weekend, friends...