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Recipe for Eating.
August.. As Long as it's tinned...
September... something warm, sweet and soft for the Autumn nights.
October ... Nice and warm for my Tummy Mummy.
November - Sausages.
December - Might Get Dutch here, so watch out....
February... Can be the coldest month.
March ... Potatoes patatoes - oh lets not call the whole thing off.
MARCH
Potatoes Patatoes
When I lived in Spain the potatoe was treated with the sort of respect sadly lacking for it. These days potatoes get as much respect as Sir Fred Goodwin(he certainly did have a good win with that pension). Potatoes in Spain were like Sir F. Fing expensive. Here in good old Brits they is dirt mud cheap and lots of choice. Some people scoff at the red skins wonders, but don't because they are just the ones you want. Those purple ones are nothing but expensive. Cheap can be better, so for credit crunchy comfort...
WASH then Boil as many potatoes as can fit in the pan. Cover in cold water. Boil for ten mins. Throw out water, fill up with cold water and boil again. Now they should be cooked.Drain. Chop in large mouthful sizes, put in largee boil, throw a slug of good extra virgin olive oil( one ex boyfriend once said - the problem with you is you'd spend your last fiver on a good bottle of olive oil! Well what else is there to spend it on?), squeeze a lemon, sprinkle with good sea salt, fresh pepper, torn basil/thyme or majoram(only use one herb!) and fresh chopped and squashed fat cloves of garlic. Stir it up. and sit and wait til it cools to warm. The potaoes absorb the flavour to mix in with their own, and their consistency isn't waxy, so their ideal. Even better the next day, though we seldom have any left to know if this is true.
October Soup and toasty sandwiches - Of Any Kind.
The wonderful thing about a rainy October is staying in, to eat and watch the new series of scrubs or Curb your enthusiasm. I like eating lots of things but one of my favourite things is soup (though you can have butternut squash soup too often on menus).
The secret of great soup is great stock and a blender. The secret of great stock is Marigold vegetable stock, then all you have to do is cook what ever combination of vegtables you like in olive oil/butter or vegetable oil like carrot and corriander or beetroot, chilli and lemon ,or red peppers, thyme and tomatoes, or leek, potatoes and bacon. When cooked add pint of stock(see instruction of tin) leave for ten minutes with cooker off to cool to lukewarm) pour into blender. WARNING - Make sure you have an adult to help you put the blender lid on properly or to clear up when you turn he blender on, to redecorate the kitchen! When blended into lovely mush sometimes it's nice to add a spoonful of greek yogurt to make it all creamy, but sometimes its not. USE our judgement I can't do everything for you...
November - Italian Not For Vegetarians Sausage Mess over pasta
Go to Lima Stores in Soho and buy some of those Italian sausages with peppercorns - 6 will do for 3-4people or 2 depending how greedy you are. other things you need, dried mushrooms, Passata liquid tomatoes, fresh basil parsley thyme, red wine, garlic, parmesan, forcacio and dried pasta.
Squidge out the sausage meat from skin. Chop up 6 cloves of garlic 2 shallots, half a red chilli, and fry in the olive oil you've been soaking chilli's in. Add meat til brown and minced, add a handful of basil, fresh or thyme. Pour in a pint of passata and a cup of red wine. Meanwhile remember you put the kettle on pour it over those dried pucini mushrooms that have been living at the back of the cupboard. Cover in hot water in a mug, after 15 mins, add water and chop up soft squishy mushrooms to the passata and sausage mess, leave on a low simmer for as long as you can bare not to eat this over boiled pasta, I don't suggest spagattini, Barilla's Tortiglioni is perfect. Follow packet instructions and when cooked and drained mix in sauce and serve with fresh chopped parsley, some warm forcaccio and plenty of Parmesan
February can still be cold
If you don't have a toastie sandwich machine get one! then you can put all sorts of nice combinations inside 2 slices of buttered bread, Remeber the butter goes on the outside. If you are Jamie Oliver look away now - milky bars and nuttella
Cheddar cheese, chipotle sauce, mashed garlic and lettuce - yummy.
cheese and mushrooms - this sounds disgusting but works suprisingly well!
Chevre cheese, tomatoes and ham
Mild italian cheese, parma ham and basil.
The Breton Fart (named after it's cooking noise) good for September
byColette -(1873-1954) French novelist (Cheri, Gigi, La Fin de Cheri)
3 eggs
1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of milk
4 lg tablsp of sugar
pinch of salt
Make into a batter by pouring wet on dry. Pour mess in greased baking tray. Leave to settle for 45mins. Put on oven reg 5(350-400F,180C). Leave in for 45mins. Take out sprinkle with sugar. Eat when cool enough to handle with fingers, hands and mouth.
Tuna, Petis Pois & Kidney Bean Salad - August
Tinned food isn’t as popular as it should be with most people willing to go to supermarkets 24hrs a day but I am the kind of person who wants shops to open only five and a half days a week so there is more time to stay home and read, argue, play monopoly and make soup. Anyway I like tins and the immediacy of it all. I always keep emergency tins of smoked oysters, and sardines, (all delicious late at night after a long journey on hot buttered toast) but this is good any time.
1 tin of tuna in sunflower oil, 1 tin of petis pois peas(no other will do) and a can of red kidney beans(now don’t try to be clever with soaked boiled beans).
Take the three cans, open and drain(only half for the tuna). Empty out into a suitably large bowl and mix with a fork. Salt and pepper. If you have good olive oil and a lemon, pore and squeeze to taste. If you happen to have any fresh(dried will not do!)herbs, parsley, chervil, basil, dill, tarragon, oregano, any a mixture or all chop finely and add. But most important is the garlic, a large fat lump or two small cloves, chopped roughly. Stir.
The marvellous thing about this is it is delicious right away and better a day later(might need to add a little more dressing as the beans absorb it like an old drunk). It is great for lunch, supper, hunger and nibbles and amenable to your cupboard. If you don’t have a fancy oil, make a …
Mustard vinegrette.
Desert spoon of Dijon mustard into a jug. Stir vigorously adding oil in tiny drops until it takes on the consistency of mayonnaise and pales into thick oily goo. Add chopped garlic(as much as you can take) and a spoonful or two of white wine/cider vinegar to taste. Season. |
