Blog Archives
Cooking and eating and cooking some more
Things have been quiet lately. We seemed to have returned to autumn so the bike has been feeling rather dejected, as I been spending a lot of time with the cooker. Good thing happen when the cooker and I hang out together. Here are just a few examples:
Magical chowder…
Saute one small chopped onion in olive oil with a sprinkling of thyme leaves. Once soft add one large Maris piper, or other floury potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes. Season well and allow to heat through before adding a good glug of white wine to the pan. Stir, allowing the wine to completely soak in before adding two teaspoon of plain flour. Stir though allowing the flour to cook off for a few minutes before adding one or two bay leaves. Gradually add some milk. Allow to thicken each time before adding more. Once the potatoes are half covered, season and put a lid on the pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. If sauce gets too thick, add some water. Add a good drizzle of double cream to make sauce nice and rich, and season. Add a handful of frozen peas. Chop a large undyed smoked haddock fillet into large pieces an layer on top of the potatoes and cook for a further 5 mins. Add some chopped parsley, cooked prawns and a large handful of spinach. Stir through- the fish will start to break up. Once the spinach had wilted it’s ready to serve! Check seasoning before piling into warm bowls. No need for bread, this is a monster or a meal!
Ok, next rainy day dish…
Sun, soup and cycles-a wholesome Easter weekend
It’s been a good week. A wholesome week.
I have been a busy girl.
First, I feel I should really mention my first whisky tasting experience. Wednesday night I attended Tam’s Drams’ whisky tasting dinner at MacSorley’s bar in Glasgow. I was worried I was going to be a bit out of my depth. I had visions of old men with beards and Aran sweaters, scowling at the young pretender. I was wrong. It was fabulous. Informative but unpretentious and nobody was taking themselves too seriously. Now, I would normally have photos, but please bear in mind there were 6 whiskies to get through- 2 before the starter, 2 between courses and 2 after the main dish. After the second whisky, thoughts of photos went out of the window, but you can probably imagine….
I have to mention the food, of course. Brilliant. Really really brilliant. The menu is amazing and I can’t wait to go back. It’s definitely worth checking out the website using the link above to get a sample of how imaginative and tempting everything sounds. And, they do stovies! This pleases me lots. Not enough places serve stovies.
Anyway, on with the wholesomeness…
Soup. I make it all the time, but I was feeling a bit experimental this week and I was so delighted with the result of my Sweet potato and Squash spiced soup with lentils and coconut milk, I have added it as my first recipe in my Small Kitchen Diaries.
Delicious.
Today involved more food, but it was well earned. Once more I took to my bike and ventured out along the local cycle paths. It was a beautiful day. Not too warm, not too windy. Perfect cycling conditions. We peddled for hours through the countryside stopping only to do some shopping and eat ice cream. We finally made it home where we sat on the picnic blanket in the garden and ate olives and drank red wine out of tumblers so not to spill it everywhere, as I so often do when trusted with a wine glass outdoors.
