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Archive for the ‘other sides to this life’ Category

Infusiasm

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2012| 12 Comments »

It is simple to make.

The results are so tasty some people find it hard to believe there’s so little to it.

“It’s just raw  ginger and boiling water?”

Put a thumbnail piece of raw ginger root, peeled and chopped, in your favorite mug, top it up with boiling water and leave it for a couple of minutes to infuse–the magic word–and  sip it and see!

It works equally well with a sprig of thyme from the pot outside the kitchen door or a single mint leaf from the patch in the garden.

Sage and rosemary too work well though the taste is stronger and may not be to everyone’s liking.

If you have easy access to the herbs it’s fun to ring the changes–seasonally especially.

Our mint patch at the back shows signs of the new growth as early as March and I pounce on the first little bud that peaks out–impatient for a hint of Spring.

As the mint begins to fade in October I start looking for ginger on the stalls eager for a change of season and taste.

Enthusing about infusing is easy once you’ve tried it!

It’s good for you too!*–

(Meredith tells me our doctor Michel recommended she drink thyme tea for her sore throat.)

And in my view it’s so much nicer than a bag!

*more on the possible benefits from drinking– thyme tea

and ginger tea.

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A tough old bird!

Posted in other sides to this life, tagged , , , on January 12, 2012| 34 Comments »

 The other afternoon we were distracted by the near death experience of our hen.

Madame Arcati!

Meredith answers a knock at the door.

“Bonjour… Quoi?…Oh non!…OH NON…!”

“What?”

“NON…!”

“WHAT?”

“It’s Maurice–he’s says his dog has just killed our hen!”

Our neighbour, Maurice, was walking his dog past the house when his mobile rang; distracted, he didn’t notice his dog slip off into our garden and grab Madame Arcati by the neck.
An understandably distraught Meredith follows Maurice back into the garden.
The hen is nowhere to be seen–except for an ominous  sign…
“She was was lying there on the grass–dead–I thought…” says Maurice, staring at a trail of feathers.

an ominous trail of feathers....

Maurice apologizes profusely, offers to pay any vet’s bills and leaves with his equally puzzled dog.
Meredith bends down and peers into the bushes hoping against hope….
At this point a stream of strangers stride up the drive heading for the church–
hikers armed with Nordic walking sticks on an afternoon outing, taking advantage of the brilliantly sunny weather.
It is beginning to resemble a film by Jaques Tati.
“Bonjour, Monsieur–Bonjour Madame—I think that gentleman’s dog just killed my hen!”
Oblivious of the drama playing itself out around them–or choosing not to understand–they barely react to Meredith’s tragic revelation–and walk on to congregate in front of the church.
Meredith leans down again willing the poor bird to be there–and this time hears a familiar clucking sound from deep in the bushes.
She’s alive! But where?
Madame Arcati is a wily bird and a tough old thing–not table material.
Meredith finally spotted her on the other side of the garden wall–how she managed to get there will remain a mystery–needs must when a dog is about to swallow you..!
Gingerly, step by careful step and answering her cluck for cluck, I edged her slowly towards the courtyard where she headed straight for the safety of the pigeonnier.
Apart from a small wound on the bald patch on her neck where the dog had grabbed her, she’s survived unharmed–we sprayed the wound with disinfectant and installed her in her little house to reflect on being the hen with two lives.
We then had to deal with the kitten (fast using up his nine!)–stuck up the fig tree!

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Penne amatriciana–a fiery birthday treat

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 9, 2012| 10 Comments »

Amatriciana and Arrabiata.

Two tomato-based pastas beginning with “A“–and until now I never bothered to find out the difference.

As far as I can gather (my Italian friends might put me right on this) arrabiata is vegetarian and amatriciana is made with pork–but both are fired up with chili–as much or as little heat as you like.

Last night for a Birthday Pasta I made amatriciana with wholewheat penne.

(We always eat wholewheat pasta. Its lower glycemic index makes it healthier–which matters for people with diabetes–and Meredith and I prefer it now. That said, I limit myself to pasta once a week.)

Our friends, Keith and Helen, sent a birthday present of some bold and beautiful Tuscan red wine and it went down a treat with this robust sauce.

It takes its name  from the town of Amatrice,

in the east of the region of Lazio (Rome’s region) close to the border of Abruzzo and Marche to its north.

for 4

350 grms wholewheat penne

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion–chopped small

2 garlic cloves–chopped small

2 oz/50 grms pancetta or bacon–chopped small

2 small dry red chilis–seeds removed and chopped

2 teaspoons rosemary needles–chopped small

2 tblspoons red wine

1 14-oz can/tin of tomatoes–chopped and drained but retaining 3 tablespoons of its juice

salt and pepper

  • Heat the oil in a sauté pan large enough to contain the cooked pasta at the end.
  • Gently brown the onion, bacon and garlic.
  • Take  time to get a nice sticky, slightly caramelised result (but not burnt!).

  • Stir in the chili and rosemary and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Add the wine and let it bubble a moment to burn off the alcohol.
  • Add the tomatoes and extra juice and mix everything together thoroughly.
  • Cook this for about 20 minutes to achieve the unctious sauce in the photo at the top.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Bring to a boil a large saucepan of cold water with a teaspoon of salt.
  • Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to your taste.
  • Drain the pasta thoroughly and add to the sauce; turn it well in and heat through.
  • Serve hot in warmed bowls with parmesan cheese to grate and red wine with a bit of attitude!

Portion control is the only challenge!

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70!

Posted in other sides to this life, Robin Ellis, tagged , , on January 7, 2012| 94 Comments »

I’ll be seventy tomorrow!

OMG!–I don’t believe it–you must be kidding…!

Three score years and ten–the biblical allowance.

(It gives me pause to think that twenty years ago I was 49 and twenty years before that I was 29 and in twenty years–with a bit of luck and a following wind–I’ll be 89!)

I remember not liking reaching 40–it felt like the end of something.

[Forty is the old age of youth–(Hosea Ballou)].

Seventy doesn’t seem so bad–paradoxically.

Could be that I’m enjoying this new found means of expression–more like a beginning than an ending.

It’s a lottery though and as the French say “on ne sait jamais!” [you never know].

My mother Molly died aged 68 and father Tony, eleven months later–the same age.

Brother Peter was only 58–Meredith’s brother Storm was 60, as was her mother, Dodie.

All of them with more to give, all of them too young.

I’m still here.

“Keep on keeping on…”

And resolve to follow Bob Dylan’s advice to try to–Stay Forever Young!–(at heart that is).

!

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White fish fillet poached in mild soya sauce with sweet onion

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on January 3, 2012| 3 Comments »

This recipe is adapted from one I spotted in The New York Times a few weeks back.

It is quick and simple to do with an otherwise bland white fish (often a cheaper option).

I found whiting (merlan in France) at the market this morning.

(Tuesday market in Castres today was a sparse affair–everyone’s still in recovery mode I guess!)

The original recipe called for spring onions (scallions), but I couldn’t find them, so I sliced a sweet onion finely and spread it over the fillets bubbling away in the pan. Should work, but it won’t have quite the texture of spring onions.

This dish goes well on a bed of  brown basmati rice (to soak up the juices) and  perhaps a green salad.

A simple lunch for someone else in recovery mode–for not quite the same reason though!*

for 2/4

2 fillets of white fish, about one and a quarter  pounds of fish–cut in four

5 tablespoons mild soy sauce

5 tablespoons water

1 sweet onion–sliced very thin

1 red chili–fresh or dried (whole)

  • Bring the soy and water to a boil.
  • Slip in the fish fillets–flesh side down–followed by the onion and whole chili.
  • Cook for about 5 minutes–the time depends on the thickness and texture of the fillets; mine were ready in 3 minutes.
  • Add more hot water if you like–though the fish doesn’t need to be covered with liquid.
  • Lift them out carefully with a fish slice onto a warm plate.
  • Simmer the remaining liquid in the pan to reduce it by about half.
  • Place the fish on top of a serving of rice.
  • Spoon over some of the sauce and serve.
  • No need for extra seasoning–the soya sauce is salty enough.

In the event Meredith preferred a poached egg on toast! understandably not quite ready for something as savoury as this.

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A Beau start to the day–to the year!

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, tagged , , , , , , on January 1, 2012| 20 Comments »

kitten contemplating...

Sitting here with a little chap on the arm of the chair–who just moved onto my tum!

He’s eaten his first meal of the New Year and is purring loudly.

I’m telling him I have to get up and make porridge for the patient–but he pays no attention.

Noises off prick up his ears and he moves to the other arm of the chair.

“Could be that grumpy cat who keeps growling or could be something I’ve never seen before and needs investigating.”

Back on my tummy he decides my left hand needs a thoroughly licking–“this guy hasn’t bathed yet and it’s nearly ten!”.

The tickle of the rough tongue on the back of my hand makes me get up and light the gas under the porridge pot.

I set the tray and he checks out the cat bowls–just in case he’d missed something.

The first day of the New Year is on its way–up and running.

Scamper and hide.

Arch and jump.

Tap-tap-tap the ball and crouch. 

For Beau everyday is a new start and that could be my first resolution–start each day like Beau!

He is without question unlike any other cat…!

I arch and scamper upstairs with the tray…!

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Chicken broth for chills…

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , on December 30, 2011| 48 Comments »

“Horses for courses”–chicken for chills!

“Please–just some broth today!” was the request this morning from the sick bed.

Poor Meredith has been fighting the lurgy since Christmas Day.

Not a person to give in lightly to a tickle in the throat she has been up and back to bed all week.

We were bucked up last night by watching the original Shrek film, which I hadn’t seen.

It is high in the chuckle factor and almost as good a tonic as a bowl of chicken soup.

But this morning after a troublesome night it has to be the real thing–so here goes!

I put in a large pot:

1 chicken–washed

1 carrot

2 sticks of celery–roughly chopped

the outer parts of a fennel bulb–roughly chopped

1 onion–peeled and roughly chopped

1 small garlic bulb–with the top sliced off

3 bay leaves

a couple of parsley sprigs

a couple of slices of fresh ginger

a few peppercorns

3 pints of organic vegetable stock–from cubes and

the kitchen sink (only kidding!).

I bring these slowly up to the simmer–while feeding Beau a little cat milk and reassuring the patient that broth will be ready at the end of a brief snooze–cover it and leave it to bubble for an hour and a half.

Then I remove the cooked(out) vegetables with a slotted spoon and

add a cut up carrot, 

half a cut up fennel bulb and

some broccoli and

cook on until they soften and serve them with the broth.

Now, not meaning any disrespect to “grandma’s”  traditional  cure-all remedy–especially not as in a few days I shall reach the traditional “alloted span” and so must watch my tongue–I always find this broth/soup less than more-ish. So what am I doing wrong?

I notice that in several internet versions tinned chicken broth is used.

Tinned stuff? Really? This seems a bit of a cheat; though anything to lift the spirits I suppose…

As broth is staying on the menu for the next few days–I’m in the market for ideas!

(Our friend Charlotte suggests plenty of leeks and some nutmeg!)

Nevertheless the patient said she was happy with the outcome, but advised that the broth be refridgerated overnight for the fat to rise, be skimmed off and the soup to be reheated.

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Spatchcocked chicken with lemons and bay

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 28, 2011| 9 Comments »

I’ve decided on single word resolutions for 2012–which beckons.

My first is SIMPLIFY!

Something simple–for New Year’s Eve perhaps…?

I’m spatchcock-crazy at the moment.

To spatchcock or spattlecock or butterfly is to remove the back and breastbones of a chicken (simply and effectively demonstrated in this video) or any other bird (I just watched someone spatchcock a turkey!) in order to open it up and flattened it out–as you might do a book. This allows the bird to cook more quickly and evenly.

Spatchcocking is an easy and oddly satisfying technique. All you need is a pair of poultry shears or strong scissors and the nerve to try it!  (Or your friendly butcher might do it for you….)

Earlier this week I had two spatchcocked birds in the fridge–a chicken and a guinea fowl–and two recipes I wanted to try.

I took  the guinea fowl out to make this dish–inspired by a recipe in The River Café Classic Italian Cookbook .

We ate it thinking “How good this spatchcocked guinea fowl tastes!“.

The next day I went to the fridge to get the chicken, to marinade it overnight for the other recipe–and found the guinea fowl!

We’d eaten the chicken thinking it was guinea fowl!

I put it down to Christmas fever.

Ideal for serving four people–the bird (whichever comes to hand!) divides easily into quarters thus dispensing with the need to carve.

You could use chicken or guinea fowl quarters instead.

1 chicken--spatchcocked

2 lemons–halved

3 tblsps olive oil

6 bay leaves

salt and pepper

set oven to 200C

While the oven is heating–

  • Squeeze the juice from two lemon halves into a pan, halve them and leave the quartered lemon in the pan with the bay leaves.
  • Rub the skin of the chicken with the two remaining lemon halves.
  • Lower the spatchcocked chicken over the lemon halves and the bay.
  • Season well and spoon the oil over the chicken.
  • Add the other two lemon halves to the pan.
  • Cook–covered–on a low flame for 30 minutes.
  • Uncover, spoon over some of the juice and place in the upper part of the pre-heated oven.
  • Cook on for 40 minutes–checking and basting a couple of times.

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The Single Best Thing You Can Do for Your Health…

Posted in Diabetes, other sides to this life on December 18, 2011| 21 Comments »

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Mushroom soup

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes on December 17, 2011| 12 Comments »

The meatiness of mushrooms makes them ideal for making soup.

Not much else is needed, though the hint of nutmeg chimes nicely with the festive season.

This is adapted from a recipe in Carolyn McCrum’s still very handy The Soup Book, published over 30 years ago.

Mushrooms, garlic and parsley with a sprinkling of nutmeg and seasoning.

It’s simple, quickly done and very tasty.

Ideal for Christmas evening perhaps?

Meredith makes the very best of a less than photogenic soup!

(It has the added advantage of not having a hint of cauliflower or brussel sprout !)

for 4

1lb/500 gms mushrooms–wiped cleaned with a damp piece of kitchen paper and chopped roughly

1 tblsp olive oil

1 garlic clove–chopped

2 tblsps parsley–chopped

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

2 pints/1l stock–I use an organic vegetable stock cube

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
  • Add the mushrooms and stir thoroughly–the oil will quickly be absorbed.
  • Cook over a low heat until the mushrooms start to release their liquid.
  • Add the garlic, parsley and nutmeg.
  • Season with pepper and a little salt.
  • Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
  • Cook gently for 15 minutes.
  • Let it cool a little before liquidising and check the seasoning.
  • Sprinkle each bowl with a pinch of parsley.
  • (Christmas pix below is garnished with a teaspoon of yogurt and a small piece of cooked red pepper that was handy at the time of the shoot!)
  • The pictured version was a tad too thick we decided–add a little more stock if you like.

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