Before Covid19, I was quite systematically visiting cities and towns in Poland, and did manage quite a lot, since that is now my new neighbouring country, but recently, I seem to have forgotten that project, except those that can be reached on foot from Frankfurt/Oder and Görlitz.

I have also always been hearing good things about Georgia. Unfortunately, in the meantime, I decided to never fly again, so I may have to abandon that principle briefly, unless I want to spend three days getting there.

But for now, I am looking for good websites about all of the above.

Already visited Gdansk, Krakow, Lodz, Lublin, Poznan, Szczecin, Torun, Warsaw, and Wroclaw. Would like to visit Warsaw again.

A rare honour nowadays. Despite my attempts to attract pollinators by sowing several pots of wildflowers amongst the herbs, only the marjoram attracted a couple of visitors.

More unwelcome visitors are the pigeons, rats with wings, that seem to be looking for nesting places almost all year round. One afternoon I watched one flying in and out of a neighbour’s porch with construction material. I think it has been discovered in the meantime and the structure disposed of. It is not nice to return home from holiday, for example, to find a nest full of eggs, or worse ……..

I am still trying to photograph the swifts that are sometimes swarming in great numbers near my balcony, but even with my camera locked and loaded, and a lot of the time perfect light conditions, they are too, well …. swift …..

I am not sure why it has taken me so long to visit “Peacock Island“, except perhaps the fact that I have never really liked peacocks (pompous divas) nor old buildings, nor manicured parks, and all those are represented there.

Bus 218 leaves from S Bahn Station Wannsee once every hour (on weekends twice every hour) and stops by the small ferry which leaves more or less on demand and the rides takes about fifteen seconds. A return ticket costs 6 euro and can be bought from machines – one for cash and one for cards.

As it turned out, most of the buildings there are currently being renovated and therefore scaffolded and inaccessible, so I ended up taking many more photos of peacocks than I had expected.

Fortunately, it is not all overly-manicured park – there are some more unkempt areas more to do with real nature. I heard many birds, but saw just a few. Mid summer is not the best time for birdwatching.

I was pleased to ascertain that peacocks are clumsy and inelegant flyers :-).

The island is easily walkable, though due to the occasional thunder and heavy rain, I did not stay long enough to walk all around it and am therefore definitely planning to go back.

There is a kind of café with food kind of one step up from junk food, and what looked like nice, homemade cakes, and there is also a rather large restaurant on “the mainland” just by the ferry.

Definitely a nice day out

IN PROGRESS

I was unable to find the right type of eggplant, so I decided to use the purple ones which are available everywhere. I also decided against stuffing them, which made it a lot less messy but also the end result a lot less elegant. Hopefully, the flavour is still OK. Here is what I did:

2 medium,sized, purple eggplants, cut into wedges

For what was to be the stuffing – now the marinade:

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 tblsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chilli peppers (broken into pieces) or the equivalent quantity of whatever form of chili you have available
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• 50 g cashew nuts
• 2 tblsp sesame seeds (I am using black ones)
• 50 g grated coconut

• 4 tblsp coriander leaves
• 1 tblsp garam masala (despite my best intentions, I have not yet gotten round to making my own, so am using storebought)
• 2 tblsp dark brown sugar (or molasses, but then a bit less due to the strong flavour
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper or any other kind of chili pepper you have available – to taste
• Salt to taste

Heat 1 tsp oil t on medium heat, add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods and chili, saute until the coriander seeds are a light reddish-brown and all the spices are very aromatic, about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

Add one chopped red onion and saute until it softens.

Add cashews and sesame seeds and saute for a couple more minutes over medium heat. Then add the grated coconut and sauté for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and add turmeric, brown sugar, and garam masala, and salt, mix well, and set aside to cool enough to be added to a blender and blended into a coarse past.

Pour this paste over the eggplant wedges and leave them to marinade while your prepare the rest.

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tblsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

Pinch asafetida

• 2 red onions finely diced
• 1 knob fresh garlic, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium potatoes of type that will not fall apart easily, halved and then quartered

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 potatoes in wedges

• In the same wok or skillet add 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and when they sputter add cumin seeds and asafetida. Stir in the last cup of onions. Saute until the onions begin to brown.
• Stir in ginger and garlic and saute for a couple more minutes.
• Place the stuffed eggplants in the wok in a single layer.
• Mix the sliced potatoes with any leftover masala in the bowl and add to the wok or pan, arranging the potatoes carefully on the sides of and between the eggplant.
• Add the tin of chopped tomato along the edges of the vegetables. Once the liquid bubbles and boils, cover the pot. Turn heat down to medium low and let the eggplants cook about 15-20 minutes. Add a little water along the edges as needed to ensure the eggplants and potatoes don’t stick, or if you want a saucier dish.
• After the eggplants have cooked for 10 minutes, turn them around gently to so they cook evenly on all sides. Use a spoon or small ladle to ensure you don’t mash the eggplants or potatoes.
• Once the eggplants are very soft, turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

IN PROGRESS

This Goan style cashew curry is made of whole cashews cooked to a delectable, toothsome tenderness with potatoes in a spicy coconut sauce. Serve over steamed rice.

Prep Time15minutes mins

Cook Time30minutes mins

Soaking time for cashews30minutes mins

Total Time1hour hr 15minutes mins

Course: Main Course/Curry

Cuisine: Goan, Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 336kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

• Large saute pan or Dutch oven
• Blender

Ingredients

• 129 g raw cashews
• 10 ml avocado oil or any neutral oil (divided)
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 1 black cardamom pod (optional)
• 5 g coriander seeds
• 2 g cumin seeds
• 1 large onion (finely diced, divided)
• 2 large tomatoes (finely diced, divided)
• 3 g mustard seeds
• 1 heaping tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 large potatoes (cut into ½-inch cubes)
• 2 g Kashmiri chilli powder (or cayenne or paprika, if desiring less heat)
• 1 g turmeric
• 2 sprigs curry leaves (optional)
• 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
• 237 ml full-fat coconut milk
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Soak the cashews in warm water for 30 minutes. Strain out all water before using the cashews.
• In a wide saucepan or Dutch oven heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaves, green cardamom pods, optional brown cardamom pod, cloves and bay leaves. Saute for a couple of minutes until the spices are very aromatic.
• Add half the onions, saute for a few minutes until they begin to brown, then add half the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they are very soft. Remove everything to a plate and let it cool to room temperature. Add 1 cup water and blend to a smooth paste. Set the paste aside.
• In the same pan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds and, when they sputter and crackle, add the remaining onions and a bit of salt. Saute the onions until translucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste, stir it in for a minute, then add the remaining tomatoes and saute until soft and pulpy.
• Stir in the potatoes. Add turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder or cayenne and garam masala. Mix well.
• Add the blended masala paste to the pot, then add the cashews and mix. Add up to another cup of water to thin the sauce if it’s too thick.
• Cover and cook the curry for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the herbs: the optional curry leaves and cilantro.
• Add the coconut milk to the pot, mix and bring the curry to a boil. Lower heat and let the curry simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Garnish with more cilantro, if you wish, before serving.