Who brought the fish paste?

'Who brought the fish paste?' I'll take that as a compliment. I'm certain it was intended as one because the asker proceeded to clean out all remnants of the 'fish paste' from the dish with a piece of bread. Glad you liked it. If Dagmar's dad liked it, (Dagmar of Eiden that is, who I will post about soon), then I am sure you will too. Thing is, I can't really call it my fish paste because the recipe comes from Nigella Express, and Nigella calls it Trout Pate. la-di-da. Well, I add a dash of Tabasco at the end and she doesn't. Is that enough of a modification to make it mine? This has been, to date, the most made recipe from my copy of Nigella Express. Due to it's moreish tastiness but also in part, to how unbelievably 'schnell' it is to make. Smoked trout is readily available here, in the exact quantity the recipe requires. It is usually in the fridge section and is sold in flat, plastic packets, boned, skinned and ready to use.
Nigella's Smoked Trout Pate or Fish Paste

2 smoked trout fillets, approx. 125g total weight
50g cream cheese
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Spoon pate into a small bowl, making sure to get it all out of the blender. You won't want to waste any. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. I usually serve this with cornichons, tabasco and thinly sliced fresh bread.

Ulmer Wochenmarkt or the weekly Ulmer market

It is a strange time to go to the market at the moment. Winter persists but spring is fighting back, there is no clear winner and so we are in limbo. Quite a few of the usual stall holders weren't there, I guess for this very reason. We have the tail end of winter veggies and not much else, although oyster mushrooms seem to be everywhere. Husband and I made our usual Saturday morning trip. We stopped to by eggs at our chicken lady, but this can be a complicated business, because she is right across from our meat man. We didn't really want to stop at the butcher, but he spotted us before we could get away and when he greets us with a robust 'Guten Morgen' we can't really walk past can we? We ended up with 2 types of smoked sausage and 3 types of ham.

Our butcher

It is also time for pussy willow (see new header photo), and ignoring husband's impatience I stopped to buy. Now there is a bunch sitting pretty on my dining table.

Nobody takes pictures at the market. This guys thinks I am weird. Notice the cathedral in the background?

The market is on every Wednesday and Saturday morning. It takes place in the town square, known as the Münsterplatz where the Münster, the cathedral with the highest church tower in the world, provides a dramatic background.

The potato man is out of Annabelle potatoes, our favourite. He says that they are an early potato. What does that mean? Does anyone know when is early for potatoes?

Blaukraut or red cabbage

Husband makes a mean Blaukraut. He cooks it the traditional way, with vinegar, sugar, onions, an apple, bay leaves and preiselbeere or lingonberries. When my mum used to make spaghetti bolognaise, bless her determined wooden spoon, somehow it always ended up tasting like curry. A dish without a pinch of her mixed spice was unfathomable. Husband cooked fish (perch), with the Blaukraut and somehow it turned out like a schnitzel. It was crumbed and fried but never before has fish had such a schnitzely quality. Needless to say, I had seconds. I love schnitzel.

Ever seen apples displayed like this before? All in the name of being easy to unhook and take with you.

These are the last apples for the season but the apple man will continue to sell what he has stored, as well as schnapps and juice over summer. He also does a roaring trade with berries. I am his number one raspberry customer, I'd like to think so anyway. When I first bought apples from him, I always used to get a free one for the road. This practice stopped after he noticed that Husband benefited from this freebie more than I did. I have a floury apple phobia, so someone has to test bite first. Husband's bite means there is little but core left by the time it's my turn. As the weather gets warmer, the market becomes unbearably beautiful. I'll have to try to remember my camera so I can show you what I mean.

Zwetschgenkuchen

Zwetschgenkuchen is traditional German plum cake. Zwetschge are Damson or Damask plums and the cake made from these is very popular here when they are in season. They weren't in season a few weeks ago but it is possible to store them (this is where a cellar comes in handy) like apples until you are ready to whip them up into something delightful. The plums are sour and are usually used for jams and cakes. This cake was particularly good because it was served warm, and it had a unique base made from a mixture of almond and hazelnut meal. Usually, the base is similar to a buttery, sweet, shortcrust pastry. I much prefer it with the nutty meal, it goes together quite well with the deliciously squishy plums. We drove to Wirtshaus zum Silberwald (Silver Forest) to sample this Zwetschgenkuchen. Wirtshaus zum Silberwald is a very cosy restaurant with an open fire, tucked away, as the name suggests in the Silberwald which isn't very far away from where we are. They have a beautiful beer garden in summer. You really feel like your miles away from everything. It's not just the cake that is good here, the traditional Bavarian food is also worth the trip.