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A Beau start to the day–to the year!

January 1, 2012 by Robin Ellis

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…!

Posted in Food, other sides to this life | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments »

Chicken broth for chills…

December 30, 2011 by Robin Ellis

“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.

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 48 Comments »

Spatchcocked chicken with lemons and bay

December 28, 2011 by Robin Ellis

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.

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments »

The Single Best Thing You Can Do for Your Health…

December 18, 2011 by Robin Ellis

Posted in Diabetes, other sides to this life | 21 Comments »

Mushroom soup

December 17, 2011 by Robin Ellis

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.

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes | 12 Comments »

A Wake Up Call

December 15, 2011 by Robin Ellis

It was the lead story Wednesday morning on BBC Radio 4’s The Today Programme and headlined in the British broadsheet newspapers.

 

A devastating new report says diabetics in Britain are dying far too early due to poor management of their condition.

This includes not receiving basic diabetic health checks on the NHS,  unhealthy lifestyles and not properly understanding how to take prescribed medication.

The new report urges better education and support for people with diabetes.

Teaching people how to  manage their condition (including exercising and improving one’s diet) reduces the risk of complications.

Education is vital–not just for people with diabetes, but also for friends and loved ones, if they are to provide the necessary support.

 For example,  persuading loved ones to recognise that they are at risk may be problematical:
“Fit as a fiddle me–maybe a bit overweight; got to get exercising and cut out the extra chips–going to start tomorrow, honest! Don’t worry about me.“
Denial is an easy option and with Type 2 diabetes–not just for the diabetic, but for family and friends–as there are seldom obvious signs and symptoms early on.
With no family history of the condition, for instance, why would you go for a blood test when you feel more or less “on form”?  Why put yourself through the stress?
Well, an estimated 800,000 (!!) Brits have diabetes but DON’T KNOW IT!
You could be one of them.
A simple blood test will tell.
None of this is easy on one’s own.
Family and friends can play a vital role.

I was lucky–I was diagnosed with Type 2, inadvertently one could say, thanks to a friend.

An old schoolmate convinced me to have a blood test for prostate cancer, after he’d been diagnosed with it.

My blood test was clear for cancer–but it turned up higher than normal glucose (sugar) levels in my blood. A second test six months later confirmed the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.

In a way I was doubly lucky.

My mother had Type 1 diabetes (injecting) for 30  years; I knew from watching her struggle that I had to take my own predicament seriously.

The support of friends and family is important.

In a recent interview for Diabetes UK‘s Balance Magazine I was asked :

What would you do if you were head of NHS Diabetes Services for a day?

I’d have a day for the partners of people with diabetes. There’s a lot of ignorance around and more people need to learn about the condition.

Posted in Diabetes | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments »

BEAU takes a bow!

December 13, 2011 by Robin Ellis

"What's up Pussycat?"

Beau thanks everyone for their wonderful suggestions regarding his name.

Spoilt for choice he was:

Scamper, Nomad, Mcneil, Gulliver, Tibble, Shakespeare, Cointreau, Lucky, Garcon, Noel, Gabriel, Drake, Osborne, Sylvester, Richard, Casper, Ross, Bilbo, Galileo, Griffen, Gordon, Giscard, Gaston, Gustave, Glee, Oliver, Dwight, Gateau, Graffitti, Gorgonzola, Harley, Felix, Bailey, Cody, Wilkie (and that’s not even ALL of them!).

He also begs you to forgive him the time its taken him to decide–actually I think he likes the attention and has been stringing us all along…..

We like his choice because he reminds us of the late much-loved Beauty–the white wonder, who we thought was a female until the vet told us otherwise!

Anyway it’s done–bless him!

Posted in other sides to this life | Tagged , | 24 Comments »

Brussel sprout soup

December 12, 2011 by Robin Ellis

I’ve always liked Brussel sprouts–they were on the winter menu in the fifties. Clearly Ma knew not to overcook them and I have a memory of mushing them with the gravy from the Sunday roast. She added chestnuts to them at Christmas–even better!

Preparing them for the pan was often my job on a Sunday morning.

“Cut across the base, peel away the outer leaves and make a cross–(“Why?”)–to make them cook more quickly”

This delicious and surprising soup is quick to prepare and has a pleasing light green colour.

It’s not a thick soup but nourishing on a winter night.

for 4

2 medium onions–chopped

500gms trimmed brussel sprouts--trim the bottoms, remove the outer leaves and cut the sprouts in half

1 tblsp olive oil

1 tsp of butter

750ml/1 1/2 pints vegetable stock— (I use organic vegetable stock cubes.)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

salt and pepper

  • In a saucepan gently sweat the onions and sprouts in the oil and butter for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the stock and bring to simmer.
  • Simmer gently for 20 minutes–the sprouts need to soften.
  • Liquidize (a handheld food mixer comes in handy here) and check the seasoning.
  • Season lightly with salt (remembering the stock cube may have salt in it), plenty of pepper and the nutmeg.
  • Serve hot with a teaspoon of low fat yogurt (or cream if you dare!).

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments »

Lunch: 9th December 2011

December 9, 2011 by Robin Ellis

Lamb chops, borlotti beans and broccoli.

We eat relatively little red meat.

Meredith bought these lamb chops on Tuesday from Monsieur Fraisse, the butcher in Lautrec. “They looked particularly nice….”

The beans are from Italy, bought in jars. They grow in beautiful red spotted pods–the beans turn brown when cooked.

The broccoli I bought from the organic market in Castres, yesterday afternoon.

For 2

4 lean lamb chops

3/4 sprigs of rosemary–needles removed

2 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons olive oil–a little more if you need it

salt

—————-

1 tin/jar of beans–drained but the liquid retained (of course these can be white or borlotti)

sprig of sage

a clove of garlic–chopped

1/2 an organic vegetable stock cube

the other 1/2 an organic vegetable stock cube dissolved in 250 ml/1/2 pint of hot water–(use this instead of or in addition to the liquid from the beans)

———–

1/2 lb/ 250 gms  broccoli–washed, stems shortened and cut into eatable florets

salt and pepper

olive oil

  • An hour or two before you eat  “pestle” the rosemary needles up  (i.e. smash up!) with the garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar and add the oil–this is the marinade for the chops.
  • Pour this fragrant mix over the chops in a bowl and turn everything to coat the chops with the marinade.
  • leave initially in the fridge–covered; then take them out an hour before cooking them.
  • Heat a grill to medium.
  • Season the chops and put them on the grill.
  • Timing depends on your taste and their thickness–3 to 4 minutes a side and they’ll retain some pinkness.
  • While they cook gently sauté the garlic and sage in the olive oil in a small pan until the garlic begins to colour.
  • Add the half stock cube (give it a stir to dissolve in the oil).
  • Add the beans.
  • Stir the mix and add a little of the bean liquid or the stock.
  • Cover and cook on for 5 minutes or so.
  •  In another pan, steam the broccoli covered until tender but not overcooked.
  • Serve with olive oil and salt on the table.

Interested customers watching M. Fraisse working on lamb chops

Posted in Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Creamy cauliflower soup w/bay and smoked bacon–but no cream!

December 8, 2011 by Robin Ellis

This is pushing it, I know–cauliflowers have been featuring a tad too much lately.

We had this for supper the other night and Meredith said, “What is this, it’s so creamy? It’s not potatoes is it?  It’s delicious.”

“Cauliflower soup,”  I said sheepishly. Somehow cauliflower is not a vegetable that’s easy to own!

This recipe is adapted from one by Nigel Slater that I spotted in a newspaper last week.

The key ingredient is smoky bacon.

1 large cauliflower--broken into florets

2 cloves of garlic–chopped

1 medium onion–chopped

4 rashers of smoked bacon–chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 litre/2 pints stock

salt and pepper

  • Gently heat the oil in a pan and sauté the bacon bits until they colour a bit.
  • Add the garlic and onion.
  • Cook the mix on for five minutes until the onion has softened.
  • While this happens break up the cauliflower into florets and add to a large saucepan.
  • When ready add the onion and bacon mix to the cauliflower pan with the bay leaves and the stock.
  • Cover and bring this mix up to the simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender.
  • Lift a thirdish of the mix out of the pan and into a bowl with a slotted spoon letting the liquid fall back in the pan
  • Liquidise the contents of the pan and test the seasoning.
  • Add back the set-aside florets and serve the soup hot.

Posted in Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments »

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