(In view of my ressistance to make human portraits ……)

In my opinion the most hyped and overrated animal in the world. All they do is eat and contemplate their big, and growing, bellies (much like some …. well, never mind) and they can’t even be bothered to have sex. This set of twins, and the last one about four years ago, in Berlin Zoo, came about by way of artificial insemination:

Some more birds:

I also like hoofstock …..

….. and almost all other animals:

Decided to photograph some of the more common, usual suspects which I normally do not bother to photograph. And good to see that the supply of material for my series “garbage disposal Berlin-style” is never-ending and that the pigeons were eyeing my balcony when I got back just in time to avert the start of a new nest.

Just a star looking a bit lost, a song thrush, and another of those stupid balloons.

After yesterday’s disappointment when it was raining in Friedrichshagen at the time when the Volkshochschule birdwatching walk at Müggelsee was due to start, it was nice to wake up to gorgeous weather for this Sunday walk, led by always knowledgeable Bernd Steinbrecher of Freilandlabor Britz.

It was a lovely walk with a couple of – for me – new faces, and without the usual gang of incessant yackers.

serves 4

300g (101/2oz) dried toor dhal (yellow lentils/yellow split peas), washed in several changes of water
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 black cardamom pods (optional)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cinnamon sticks
4 green cardamom pods
6 cloves
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2–3 chillies, any colour, deseeded if you don’t like it fiery, some chopped and the rest left whole
2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp peeled and finely chopped fresh root ginger
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
good pinch of salt, or to taste
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
lots of chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

Gently boil the lentils in a large saucepan of cold water (around 1 litre /13/4 pints will do) and stir in the turmeric and black cardamom pods (if using) – this will add a subtle smoky flavour.

Allow to cook for around 45 minutes, or until the lentils have softened and started to break down. Skim off any foam that sits on the top and give the lentils a stir every now and again in case they begin to stick on the bottom. If they boil dry, add more water.

Once the lentils have softened, turn down the heat and make the tadka. Gently heat the oil in a frying pan and add the cinnamon sticks, green cardamom pods and cloves. When the cardamoms have turned white and the heads of the cloves have swollen, you are ready to stir in the mustard and cumin seeds. When they are sizzling, stir in the spring onions, chillies, garlic and ginger.

After a minute, stir through the tomatoes and turn off the heat. Pour the tadka into the dhal so that it floats on top. This is the traditional way to serve it, with the scented oil sitting on top, but I prefer to stir it through. Season with salt, sugar and lemon juice.

Finally, stir through plenty of chopped fresh coriander and serve with some rice or fresh bread for the ultimate comfort food.

IN PROGRESS

• Yield: Serves 4
• Time: 10 minutes prep, 1 hour cooking

Baked butternut squash rubbed with balti spices and filled with salty feta, sweet sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mint. No wonder this is a great veggie dish that is filling and packs a lot of flavor. There is no recipe as such for “balti,” as it actually refers to the pot that the dish is cooked in rather than a particular spice mix. However, across the world you can find balti spice blends and they typically contain the spices I have used in this recipe, so I have called this dish a balti in terms of the particular spicing of the dish.

• 2 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil
• 1 cup spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 3/4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven 400°F. Lay the squash, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roughly crush the cumin and coriander seeds, peppercorns and red pepper flakes with a pestle and mortar before mixing in the garam masala and oil. Rub all over the squash, especially on the flesh side, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until you can put a knife through the flesh of the squash easily.

In the meantime, make the filling by mixing together the spinach, feta, garlic, mint, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice.

When the squash is soft, take out of the oven and scoop out nearly all the flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch border of flesh around the inside of each squash half. Mix the scooped-out squash with the filling and pop it all back into the grooves you have just carved out. Sprinkle over the lemon zest and roast in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Serve with a delicious crisp salad, such as Green Bean Salad with Mint, Roasted Fennel & Garlic.

DRUNKEN CHICKEN

INN PROGRESS

1 can (12 oz) beer
1 tbsp peeled, coarsely chopped fresh ginger root
grated zest (peel) of 1 lime, and its juice
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 fresh red chili, coarsely chopped
3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil (canola preferred)
sea salt or coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
3-1/4 to 3-1/2-lb (1.75 kg) chicken, cut open and flattened

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1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour beer into a deep roasting pan and add ginger, lime zest and coriander seeds.
2. Grind cumin seed and make seasonings rub for the chicken. Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine cumin, onions, garlic, chili and rosemary and pulse in food processor or grind with mortar and pestle. Blend in paprika, turmeric, oil, salt and pepper. Mix into a paste and rub all over the chicken.
3. Lay chicken cut-side down on a rack that will fit over the roasting pan of beer. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes (longer if the chicken is larger), until the juices run clear when poked with a fork.
4. Turn oven to broil, or transfer to a grill pan or outdoor grill preheated to medium. Broil or grill until skin is crisp, up to five minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes before serving with the lime juice.
serves 4