The sun didn't last long. Yet again I woke up, opened my eyes, thought it was so dark it had to be the middle of the night to realise it was already 8.15am & time to be up. These southerners who say don't bother to change the clocks in spring & autumn clearly don't know how dark a winter morning can be in the north. Heaven knows what it must be like in the north of Scotland!
I told myself to get up. I have a challenge ahead of me for today. What is that challenge I hear you ask. Somehow a meal for two has to be made with one chicken thigh. The Fox's reaction was to go to the butcher & buy some more. But, to my mind, the whole point of using up the things in the freezer is not to go buying yet more.
So, what have I decided to make? Chicken vol-au-vents. I'm proposing to cut the thigh into fairly small pieces, fry them, add some flour & milk to make a white sauce which I will flavour with a bit of curry powder French style. All of this mix will then go into some vol-au-vent cases & be served with chips & peas. Should be good & satisfying.
PS Hasn't it been a quiet bonfire night? Around here we've had very few. A sign of the recession really hitting home & people's pockets?
Monday, 8 November 2010
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Looking sunnier
It's come as quite a shock today to get up to a gloriously blue sky. Sunshine for once. The cars down the street sparkled in their frosty coatings. The itch to go out is upon me, though I half suspect by the time we're ready to do so the sun will have disappeared. It has to be admitted the clouds are already beginning to collect. Still, at least, my morale has had a boost.
I even managed to stop to have a good look at the sunflower at the back door. It looks pretty blackened & dried out now. The Fox suggested I uprooted & binned it but I thought no. I'm glad I didn't now. The sunflower seeds in the bird feeders don't seem to have been going down much lately. I had put it down to the rain & that persistent cat. The birds don't seem to have been around as much of late. Now I know the real reason. The birds have obviously discovered this sunflower & all its seeds. I presume they must be at the peak of ripeness & tastiness. Seed casings are scattered all around. Definitely someone has been busy feeding.
I gave Jean, our friend with cancer, another ring today. She's found the chemotherapy not as bad as she feared. So far. She has had some reaction which she is assured is a sign that it is having some effect. This has given her some hope that things may improve. It certainly makes the prospects of continuing the course not so daunting. She's also arranged to have an aromatherapy massage at the local CancerCare place. Let's hope it continues to go well. It's time something got better for her & her husband.
Meanwhile we're looking forward to roast leg of salt marsh lamb for dinner tonight. It's a while since we had roast lamb. It should be a bit of a treat.
I even managed to stop to have a good look at the sunflower at the back door. It looks pretty blackened & dried out now. The Fox suggested I uprooted & binned it but I thought no. I'm glad I didn't now. The sunflower seeds in the bird feeders don't seem to have been going down much lately. I had put it down to the rain & that persistent cat. The birds don't seem to have been around as much of late. Now I know the real reason. The birds have obviously discovered this sunflower & all its seeds. I presume they must be at the peak of ripeness & tastiness. Seed casings are scattered all around. Definitely someone has been busy feeding.
I gave Jean, our friend with cancer, another ring today. She's found the chemotherapy not as bad as she feared. So far. She has had some reaction which she is assured is a sign that it is having some effect. This has given her some hope that things may improve. It certainly makes the prospects of continuing the course not so daunting. She's also arranged to have an aromatherapy massage at the local CancerCare place. Let's hope it continues to go well. It's time something got better for her & her husband.
Meanwhile we're looking forward to roast leg of salt marsh lamb for dinner tonight. It's a while since we had roast lamb. It should be a bit of a treat.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Lamb curry
It is amazing how evocative food can be. Today my mind is off to La Rochelle in France once more.
First I'll tell you the meal that's plopping away at the moment is a Bhoona Gosht, a lamb curry. The last time I remember cooking this recipe was in France when we were staying with our French friends. Their son had been to stay with us a year or so before. While he was here we took him along to our local Indian restaurant & he discovered curries, a new experience for him. So when we visited them next in France, he was keen for us to make a proper curry. He hadn't been able to find anything like it in France. So I agreed to do this lamb curry.
While the son located some spices, Marie, his mother, our friend, took me along to the butcher.It was just a small suburban establishment on the outskirts of La Rochelle. There we utterly bemused the butcher. Not only was I very definitely English, a rarity in those parts, but I was clearly a friend of a Frenchwoman - the French seem to regard this as an impossible concept. He was even more amazed when he realised that I, the Englishwoman (& therefore obviously a hopeless cook as no English person knows how to cook), was going to cook for Marie (a professional chef, which he knew) & her family &, what was more, I was cooking an Indian curry!!! This was internationalism gone mad for him. Still we managed to get the meat.
So back we went & set about making the curry. Marie watched eagerly, always keen to learn new culinary techniques. She was impressed by the Fox's knife skills as he diced up the onions. She was quite content as we sweated off the onions & garlic, but then came the spices. As I was cooking for 6 people in went 9 teaspoons of curry powder plus a teaspoon of chilli powder to give it a bit of extra oomph. Marie's eyes grew bigger & bigger, her mouth dropped further & further open, as I counted out the spoonfuls of spice. In France we discovered their idea of a curry for four people involves a quarter of a teaspoon of curry powder at most.She wasn't much reassured when she saw no liquid going in the pot except a tablespoon of vinegar & one of tomato puree. Nonetheless she let us get on with it & prayed the meal at the end would be edible.
After it had all plopped along we sat down for the meal. By then plenty of juices had come out of the meat to give a rich sauce. Nervously Marie took her first mouthful, expecting her mouth to burst into flames. She was somewhat surprised to discover it was really rather good. Her husband is a lot more conservative in his likes. He tried it, said it was good, but clearly found it overwhelming. The son & his girlfriend loved it.
So here we are again, once more with a bhoona gosht. And our memories return once more to that day in France & our friends - good times
First I'll tell you the meal that's plopping away at the moment is a Bhoona Gosht, a lamb curry. The last time I remember cooking this recipe was in France when we were staying with our French friends. Their son had been to stay with us a year or so before. While he was here we took him along to our local Indian restaurant & he discovered curries, a new experience for him. So when we visited them next in France, he was keen for us to make a proper curry. He hadn't been able to find anything like it in France. So I agreed to do this lamb curry.
While the son located some spices, Marie, his mother, our friend, took me along to the butcher.It was just a small suburban establishment on the outskirts of La Rochelle. There we utterly bemused the butcher. Not only was I very definitely English, a rarity in those parts, but I was clearly a friend of a Frenchwoman - the French seem to regard this as an impossible concept. He was even more amazed when he realised that I, the Englishwoman (& therefore obviously a hopeless cook as no English person knows how to cook), was going to cook for Marie (a professional chef, which he knew) & her family &, what was more, I was cooking an Indian curry!!! This was internationalism gone mad for him. Still we managed to get the meat.
So back we went & set about making the curry. Marie watched eagerly, always keen to learn new culinary techniques. She was impressed by the Fox's knife skills as he diced up the onions. She was quite content as we sweated off the onions & garlic, but then came the spices. As I was cooking for 6 people in went 9 teaspoons of curry powder plus a teaspoon of chilli powder to give it a bit of extra oomph. Marie's eyes grew bigger & bigger, her mouth dropped further & further open, as I counted out the spoonfuls of spice. In France we discovered their idea of a curry for four people involves a quarter of a teaspoon of curry powder at most.She wasn't much reassured when she saw no liquid going in the pot except a tablespoon of vinegar & one of tomato puree. Nonetheless she let us get on with it & prayed the meal at the end would be edible.
After it had all plopped along we sat down for the meal. By then plenty of juices had come out of the meat to give a rich sauce. Nervously Marie took her first mouthful, expecting her mouth to burst into flames. She was somewhat surprised to discover it was really rather good. Her husband is a lot more conservative in his likes. He tried it, said it was good, but clearly found it overwhelming. The son & his girlfriend loved it.
So here we are again, once more with a bhoona gosht. And our memories return once more to that day in France & our friends - good times
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Fish again
It's fish again. Only today it's going to be salmon, crusted with couscous & baked in the oven. I've just coated the fillets with the couscous already to just go in the oven this evening.
Couscous I find a strange item. We first encountered it in France when were staying with friends just outside La Rochelle. We were left feeling dubious. I suppose it's no more bland than plain boiled rice or pasta, even than boiled potatoes. It's the sauce that lifts these staples. I think what really gets to me is the texture - so granular.
Then one year we tried a Moroccan restaurant in Le Mans on our homeward journey from a holiday in the Pays d'Oc. Yes, plenty of flavourings were added to the couscous & yet we still didn't like it.
Since then I've had a go at cooking(?) it myself. I've come to the conclusion it can work reasonably well as the basis of a stuffing, for chicken for example. A small portion can be an interesting addition to a salad. But I still wouldn't have it in place of our usual staples of pasta, rice or potatoes. Spelt I would consider, couscous no. I just can't get away from the texture. So our tagines continue to be served with rice or potato, much to our preference.
This is the first time I've tried using couscous as a coating. I'm hoping it's going to give an interesting crispness to the fish whilst still protecting the flesh from the fierceness of the heat. We'll find out this evening.
Couscous I find a strange item. We first encountered it in France when were staying with friends just outside La Rochelle. We were left feeling dubious. I suppose it's no more bland than plain boiled rice or pasta, even than boiled potatoes. It's the sauce that lifts these staples. I think what really gets to me is the texture - so granular.
Then one year we tried a Moroccan restaurant in Le Mans on our homeward journey from a holiday in the Pays d'Oc. Yes, plenty of flavourings were added to the couscous & yet we still didn't like it.
Since then I've had a go at cooking(?) it myself. I've come to the conclusion it can work reasonably well as the basis of a stuffing, for chicken for example. A small portion can be an interesting addition to a salad. But I still wouldn't have it in place of our usual staples of pasta, rice or potatoes. Spelt I would consider, couscous no. I just can't get away from the texture. So our tagines continue to be served with rice or potato, much to our preference.
This is the first time I've tried using couscous as a coating. I'm hoping it's going to give an interesting crispness to the fish whilst still protecting the flesh from the fierceness of the heat. We'll find out this evening.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Excitement & colour
We didn't get over to Carnforth. The rain just kept coming down. So, today, we're not off to Wigan. Instead we will have to do some food shopping. Boring but essential. So far, today has just been showery, a bit of an improvement.
I'm digging out some fish for dinner, sea bream, from the freezer. It will make a change. I'm thinking of just dusting it in flour & simply frying it, meuniere style.
Meanwhile the rain & gloom is beginning to get to us. We find our minds turning to warmer climes & once more contemplating a holiday. I am seriously beginning to think two holidays a year are becoming essential - one to relax & one to get us through the winter cold, wet & dark. The winter already seems long to me & we're still in November!
I see, or rather hear, some people are trying to bring some excitement to life with bangs & shooting stars as fireworks are set off prematurely. Often in the middle of the night, around midnight.
But my excitement & colour is still being provided by the lilies. Now five have opened. On the petals of the older ones a slight dusting of paprika has appeared - a little spot of falling pollen I suspect. The delicacy of the colour is a joy to behold.
Many moons ago I was a bridesmaid for my Cousin Pat. Our dresses were just such a colour. Come the time of our wedding the only bought flowers in my bouquet were some roses of similar colour. The rest of the flowers were provided by my mother from our garden. My bridesmaid, a trainee horticulturalist, made up the bouquets.This shade of apricot remains a delight for me, only enhanced by such happy associations.
I'm digging out some fish for dinner, sea bream, from the freezer. It will make a change. I'm thinking of just dusting it in flour & simply frying it, meuniere style.
Meanwhile the rain & gloom is beginning to get to us. We find our minds turning to warmer climes & once more contemplating a holiday. I am seriously beginning to think two holidays a year are becoming essential - one to relax & one to get us through the winter cold, wet & dark. The winter already seems long to me & we're still in November!
I see, or rather hear, some people are trying to bring some excitement to life with bangs & shooting stars as fireworks are set off prematurely. Often in the middle of the night, around midnight.
But my excitement & colour is still being provided by the lilies. Now five have opened. On the petals of the older ones a slight dusting of paprika has appeared - a little spot of falling pollen I suspect. The delicacy of the colour is a joy to behold.
Many moons ago I was a bridesmaid for my Cousin Pat. Our dresses were just such a colour. Come the time of our wedding the only bought flowers in my bouquet were some roses of similar colour. The rest of the flowers were provided by my mother from our garden. My bridesmaid, a trainee horticulturalist, made up the bouquets.This shade of apricot remains a delight for me, only enhanced by such happy associations.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Plans
We're intending to go over to Carnforth this afternoon. Or, at least, that was the intention. I'm beginning to question the wisdom of this idea. Rain is slashing down. Winds are bowing over the trees.
The purpose of the trip was primarily to go to Booths supermarket & top up on our freezer meals & cheeses - the former are expensive but infinitely superior to the average & useful to have in when you couldn't be bothered to cook, the latter for the sheer range & variety. However, there is nothing apart from some bread that is essential for today's dinner. I've just made some carrot & coriander soup, which we thought we'd follow with the last of the Booths' ready meals that we have in stock, a chicken Alexander.
To not go would spoil our plans for tomorrow. Then, we're hoping for a trip down to Wigan. Why Wigan you might ask? It's not the highest place on the tourist map. We're going to look at bathrooms. We've decided the time has come to turn our attention to the next home improvement project, a new bathroom. I spoke to the Occupational Therapist a little while ago. She suggested three companies which specialist in bathrooms designed for disabled people, one of whom has a showroom in Wigan. So we're off to get some ideas.
It is getting increasingly difficult to use our present bathroom. The Fox is finding standing in the bath to use the overhead shower increasingly dangerous with no grab handle to hold, a slippery base when wet, as well as slightly curved surfaces as the base becomes the verticals of the bath. As for me, I can cope with the bath board, but I'm having increasing difficulty getting up from my seat when I have a wash at the sink. The space between the sink & the toilet is too small to put a seat with arms, or even to really get purchase on a grab rail, to help me get up. We'd like to re-arrange the lot, getting rid of the bath (which we've never used) & making it into a shower room. That way there should be more space to move the sink & possibly toilet. We're half contemplating a wet room. The extra space would also mean that, if I became a full time wheelchair user, as has been suggested, there would be room enough to manoeuvre the wheelchair. As I say we need to have a look at what's on offer. Looking at brochures is just not enough.
So, at the moment, I'm hoping the storm will have blown itself out by this afternoon, & the rain dried out so we can get Carnforth done today & have tomorrow free for Wigan.
The purpose of the trip was primarily to go to Booths supermarket & top up on our freezer meals & cheeses - the former are expensive but infinitely superior to the average & useful to have in when you couldn't be bothered to cook, the latter for the sheer range & variety. However, there is nothing apart from some bread that is essential for today's dinner. I've just made some carrot & coriander soup, which we thought we'd follow with the last of the Booths' ready meals that we have in stock, a chicken Alexander.
To not go would spoil our plans for tomorrow. Then, we're hoping for a trip down to Wigan. Why Wigan you might ask? It's not the highest place on the tourist map. We're going to look at bathrooms. We've decided the time has come to turn our attention to the next home improvement project, a new bathroom. I spoke to the Occupational Therapist a little while ago. She suggested three companies which specialist in bathrooms designed for disabled people, one of whom has a showroom in Wigan. So we're off to get some ideas.
It is getting increasingly difficult to use our present bathroom. The Fox is finding standing in the bath to use the overhead shower increasingly dangerous with no grab handle to hold, a slippery base when wet, as well as slightly curved surfaces as the base becomes the verticals of the bath. As for me, I can cope with the bath board, but I'm having increasing difficulty getting up from my seat when I have a wash at the sink. The space between the sink & the toilet is too small to put a seat with arms, or even to really get purchase on a grab rail, to help me get up. We'd like to re-arrange the lot, getting rid of the bath (which we've never used) & making it into a shower room. That way there should be more space to move the sink & possibly toilet. We're half contemplating a wet room. The extra space would also mean that, if I became a full time wheelchair user, as has been suggested, there would be room enough to manoeuvre the wheelchair. As I say we need to have a look at what's on offer. Looking at brochures is just not enough.
So, at the moment, I'm hoping the storm will have blown itself out by this afternoon, & the rain dried out so we can get Carnforth done today & have tomorrow free for Wigan.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Worth the wait
When we went shopping on Wednesday, the Fox decided to buy me some flowers, some lilies. All the bunch was closed. Since then we've watched eagerly, & increasingly anxiously, for some sign of them opening up. Nothing. The water remained crystal clear. Some of buds gained a translucent orangeness, only really noticeable as the back light streamed through the bud. We were beginning to think they would never open up.
Then, on Saturday night, the first four flowers came into full bloom. Suddenly there were these majestic apricot coloured blooms. Magnificent. Throughout yesterday, we stopped to wonder & gaze on their glory.
I noticed things I hadn't observed before. I never realised before the petals of the flower were arranged as two three-petalled rings. Nor that the pale red dots on the petals are in fact slightly raised, hairy, almost barbed. This morning I became aware of a tear drop of something on the stigmas. They glisten in the bright morning light of today.
The colour of the pollen on the anthers is a rich paprika red, a glorious contrast with the paler yellowy orange of the petals.
All in all it's been a worthwhile wait. Now I eagerly look forward to the other buds opening up. I hope the open flowers last long. Each day it's wonderful to see the changes & rejoice in them.
Then, on Saturday night, the first four flowers came into full bloom. Suddenly there were these majestic apricot coloured blooms. Magnificent. Throughout yesterday, we stopped to wonder & gaze on their glory.
I noticed things I hadn't observed before. I never realised before the petals of the flower were arranged as two three-petalled rings. Nor that the pale red dots on the petals are in fact slightly raised, hairy, almost barbed. This morning I became aware of a tear drop of something on the stigmas. They glisten in the bright morning light of today.
The colour of the pollen on the anthers is a rich paprika red, a glorious contrast with the paler yellowy orange of the petals.
All in all it's been a worthwhile wait. Now I eagerly look forward to the other buds opening up. I hope the open flowers last long. Each day it's wonderful to see the changes & rejoice in them.
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