BS: Recipes - what are we eating?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 02:04 PM

For something else to do with fennel seed, see my Pork Meatballs of Feb 19, 2020.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 02:03 PM

I made something new last night. It was a hit with the DH.

Slice cauliflower into pieces about half an inch thick. (They will probably fall apart. That's okay.) I used one half of a head to make 2 generous servings.

Melt 2 T of butter in a big skillet.

Sprinkle in 1 T fennel seeds. Sprinkle them all over, don't leave them in a pile.

Place the cauliflower on top of the butter and fennel seeds, flat side down.

Don't go off - this dish needs watching.

Saute at fairly lively heat till side one is browned somewhat. Turn, cover, and cook at somewhat lower heat till tender. Listen to the sizzle. An experienced cook can tell when a dish is sizzling dangerously fast, and we are all experienced cooks.

I believe I cooked it covered for about 12 minutes, but that's just a guess.

Tip: the goal is to caramelize the surface of the cauliflower to make a fascinating new taste. The inside should be cooked through and tender.
================
I buy fennel seed in an Indian market and keep it in the freezer.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 11:13 AM

I've rarely eaten coleslaw that didn't get me thinking of worthy rabbit food with added watery white liquid. I'm sure yours is delicious.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 11:10 AM

Made something vaguely resembling coleslaw... Had a quarter head of cabbage which became a huge bowlful when food-processed, added some raw carrot, and my vinaigrette. Yum.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 10:47 AM

My ancient Panasonic bread machine makes a lovely "ciabatta loaf." All it takes is 500g organic strong white flour, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, 3tbp extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of yeast and 350 ml water. Yeah, it feels like a loaf and looks like a loaf, but it tastes like ciabatta (and lets face it, have you ever bought even a half-decent shop ciabatta? All crust and big holes just where you don't want 'em...)

I've yet to make my own pizza dough. I'm not a lot of use with a rolling pin and I feel strangely inferior when I see those Italian chaps making a pizza base by swirling a piece of ever-thinning dough round their heads. One day, one day...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 08:35 AM

I've baked my own bread for over 20 years all by hand, plain white, wholemeal, granary, rye, no knead white [ brilliant bread ] and of course sourdough, I can make ciabata but it's such a pain I buy it now when I fancy some.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 07:48 AM

I’m with Jos on this one.

Lots of people use bread machines for dough preparation, but I just don’t understand why — it’s a big, clunky, expensive gadget that does a task that I have always managed nicely with a wooden spoon and my two hands.

It’s easy to over-think yeast baking. I suggest reverting to the most basic technique you know, and making just enough for immediate consumption.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 05:16 AM

BobL, you don't have to use your breadmaker, just because you have it. You say:
"Once upon a time ... I made pizzas the old-fashioned way using fresh or dried regular yeast. ... The results were excellent."

Could that be the answer?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 03:47 AM

New topic, let's see if anyone has some answers.

My breadmaker makes excellent pizza dough, but far too big a batch - enough in my case for 6 pizzas. Easy-bake yeast doesn't seem to survive freezing, so the spare bases must be fully proved and baked for 5 minutes before being frozen. Pizzas made from these frozen bases are OK, but not brilliant.

Once upon a time, when I made pizzas the old-fashioned way using fresh or dried regular yeast, the dough could (if I remember right) be frozen raw, and would prove on thawing. The results were excellent. Also I have, in the past, bought frozen croissants and the like, which would thaw and prove overnight at room temperature.

So - is it down to the yeast? And if so, could I use regular yeast in the breadmaker by making up a starter first? Any suggestions welcome.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 06:36 PM

I know all about how to snap asparagus spears, Raggytash. I've made asparagus soup many times. I have a feeling that the Liverpool joint didn't really understand it.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 05:42 PM

Thanks - I shall watch that on Catch-Up tomorrow.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 05:26 PM

The Barcelona tapas bar programme (I have been to Barcelona tapas bars, and it would have shown me what I already knew) was on at the same time as the Stonehenge programme, which was the one I chose (I have been to Stonehenge, but the programme added to what I already knew).

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 04:39 PM

Just watching a programme called "Greg Wallace: Big Weekends Away" and seeing him in a Barcelona tapas bar certainly made me crave a bit.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 04:08 PM

Not dribbling, exactly - maybe I should have said "compete with" instead of "improve on" ...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 03:46 PM

Hope I haven't caused too much dribbling, Jos!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 03:41 PM

I doubt that any photograph could improve on what my imagination conjured up !

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 03:35 PM

By the way, is there another way of linking to our photos on Mudcat? (Forgive me, I've only been on here since March 2006!)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 03:32 PM

I took a photo which I could add to my "My Diet" poem, but then you'd probably say, Raggytash, that it looks disgusting, too.

However, I googled and found another adding not sultanas but a "Generous handful of raisins (optional)" here

Either way, for me it was sweet and savoury and pretty healthy, too.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 02:54 PM

Hmm .... that sounds ........... disgusting.

Steve, asparagus as you know is "stringy" personally I love it as a vegetable. I use the lower woody ends of the stems to make soup which I blend thoroughly and then pass through a sieve to remove the "stringy" bits.

A dish of beauty.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 02:41 PM

Above I mentioned couscous as a change from my customary oats.

Today I did a similar thing: 1 cup of instant veggie soup, half a cup of couscous, plus baked beans, iceberg lettuce, tomato sauce and spices; but, this time, I enjoyed adding a handful of sultanas.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 10:27 AM

You might want to do that if the soup was made from a brocvoli cauliflower crab... :-)

I've never worked out what the fuss is over asparagus, and we never have it as an actual vegetable, but it does make very nice soup. It does need a good trimming first though. I once had a bowl of asparagus soup in a restaurant in Liverpool. It had a lovely flavour but was full of what I can only characterise as split matchsticks!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 09:08 AM

Ooky asparagus that owes its disgustingness entirely to texture could become a rather nice soup. Just sayin'.

Blue cheese in a soup featuring crab? Would it not extinguish any crab flavour?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 06:37 AM

"brocvoli cauliflower crab"

And what's this? Is it all one thing, some kind of vegetated crustacean sea creature (there is such a crab, called the decorator crab, but, to my knowledge, it uses seaweed to stick all over itself and has never managed to access a supply of broccoli or cauliflower), or is "brocvoli" a hybrid between broccoli and cavolo? Or broccoli-stuffed ravioli?

I can imagine that the soup is good, but I might chuck a wodge of blue cheese in there if it were me...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 02:24 AM

What does "ooky" mean? Is it good or bad? Is it the same as "yucky" [bad]?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Feb 21 - 06:52 PM

My asparagus was all ooky but brocvoli cauliflower crab soup is yummy too...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 21 - 02:36 PM

I made a batch of banana bread today, split into two small pans and with lots of roasted pecans in the batter and placed on top.

My ex is Puerto Rican (born there, moved away as a child, but lived in a PR neighborhood in NYC) so we have a number of dishes we make.

Plantain (platanos) have two stages - really green, or ripe and yellow. When they're green, we make the Puerto Rican dish of tostones - peel the banana, cut it into slices on the angle that are about an inch thick. In a shallow pan of oil gently sauté them for a few minutes then set them to drain on paper towels. Once they've cooled a little, put the heel of your hand on each slice and squash it until it's about a half-inch thick and it has lots of little rough edges sticking out. Place each of these in a bowl of salted water for a few minutes, then pat them dry and put them back in the oil to finish cooking. They are an equivalent of fried potatoes in how they are eaten and in their consistency.

Ripe platanos are peeled, patted with butter and wrapped in foil, then baked in a medium oven until it's soft. Cool it a little bit, then open the foil and sprinkle in cinnamon sugar. If you didn't put butter in when you baked it, then add it once it comes out of the oven, and follow with the cinnamon sugar when it's time to eat it as a dessert.

I was looking over the supply at a local Hispanic grocery one day and struck up a conversation with a woman who was originally Jamaican. She took the plantain from my hand and handed me a different one - pointing out the mottled pattern on the first one and said that wasn't a desirable fruit. I get some of my best cooking tips from other shoppers in the produce section.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 11 Feb 21 - 12:50 PM

Meal boxes in the UK are horrendously expensive once you get passed the introductory offers.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Feb 21 - 12:18 PM

Changing the subject, as gardening is a future fantasy in Ontario at the moment.

On my last visit to the supermarket, they were giving away “meal kits” — small brown cardboard boxes containing (according to the packers) everything required for a meal of Jamaican-style jerked chicken for two to four people. I accepted one (free food!) and followed the directions. The box contained a plantain, a sealed plastic packet of skinless, boneless chicken thighs, a tiny Zip-loc bag of basmati rice, a tin of red kidney beans, a bag of shredded cabbage and carrot for coleslaw, a lime, and little packets of mixed spices for each dish.

First, the amount of food was certainly plenty for three and sufficient for four, so I’m still working my way through it. Its Jamaican-ness is doubtful, as the mixed spices are deficient in the oomph I associate with island cuisine. I would never have tried cooking plantain myself under other circumstances and I remain unconvinced in this world that already has potatoes, but I’ll gladly eat it again if it is cooked by a Jamaican person to his or her taste. The spice mix for the rice and bean dish did not contain salt, which is odd, and the recipe called for too much water.

On the whole, I’m glad I did not have to pay for this first excursion into the world of meal kits. They are advertised relentlessly and I know people who use them with pleasure, but I don’t see myself doing it again.

What do youse all think of meal kits?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Feb 21 - 05:25 PM

I have a lovely crop of purple sprouting broccoli at the moment. Just for once there's no sign this year of the annoying grey-green cabbage aphid, and the freezing cold we've had for a few days must be seeing off the slugs, which are normally active all year round in these parts. Purple sprouting, home-grown, has to be my very favourite winter veg (in the summer it's broad beans).

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 10:27 AM

Empty egg boxes are useful as chitting trays.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 10:07 AM

Good to see an article backing me up! Just a couple of points: I never rub out "excess" shoots and I don't get an over-abundance of tiddlers. Damaging a tuber in that way just before planing doesn't seem such a good idea to me. The other thing is that spuds will chit in the bag if you buy them a good while before planting. If they do that it's best to then spread them out in trays.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 09:41 AM

An article on chitting potatoes.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 09:38 AM

Just sit your seed spuds in a tray with the ends with most eyes upward. Then just leave in a bright frost-free place until you're ready to plant them out. They'll start to grow knobbly little dark-green sprouts. That's chitting. When you plant them out, make sure the sprouted end is pointing up, more or less. Chitting gives them a head start. It wakes them up so that they're raring to go once in the ground.

You can chit pink fir apples. I hope you bought seed potatoes!

Jon, all I can tell you is that I've grown both for many years, and I've given up with Charlotte because Nicola are better (in m'humble).

I understand that it's been a thing in the US to economise by cutting seed potatoes into pieces, each with at least one eye. When I did this one year some of them didn't grow. It's not something I'll be doing again.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 09:17 AM

What's chitting, please?

Until this week, I thought it meant running a tab at the Officers' Mess.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 08:48 AM

I've been given a small bag of fir apples; can one chit these?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 09 Feb 21 - 08:16 AM

I must admit I'd sometimes wondered why seed potatoes always seem to come from Scotland.

We will probably grow a sampling again this year. It could be Charlotte which suit me fine but maybe we give Nicola a whirl or ... I don't know, we'll see what happens.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 07:46 PM

Chitting earlies is definitely recommended, but it's not so crucial for maincrops. If you forget to buy your seed potatoes until the last minute, just bung 'em in anyway. They'll grow! They'll probably have chitted in the shop anyway, though it isn't quite as good as when they're nicely spread out. If you get them with really long, skinny sprouts, try to plant them without breaking them off. They'll still come good!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 07:13 PM

I confess to not reading every word - has "to chit or not to chit" been tackled yet?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 07:09 PM

I made bubble and squeak tonight. Unbelievably, I've never made it in my life. I had some leftover cabbage and roast potatoes from last night, a sad-looking mixture. After trawling around for recipes, I settled on one that added some crispy bacon and a bit of fried onion. I fried the onion in butter and added the bacon bits (unsmoked streaky). Once everything was sizzling nicely and colouring up, I threw in the mashed-up spuds and cooked cabbage. After another ten minutes I squashed it all down to get the bottom browned. Found it impossible to turn it over in one piece so I grilled the top to get that brown as well. It was hellishly tasty, though next time (and there will be a next time) I'll be putting in a bit more black pepper. Other suggestions gratefully received!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raedwulf
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 05:47 PM

Lecture, lecture, lecture. I know more than you do, blah, etc. Never stops, does it, Steve? "I've..." You don't know how long "I've..." do you? How many degrees have you got? Cos you've boasted & shoved down everyone's throat how You've Been A Teacher and how You're The Mudcat Authority On The English Language ere now.

How many degrees do I have, Steve? Do you know? Do you know what they're in, Steve? No & no. You don't. But hey, why miss an opportunity to leap to conclusions, especially if you see an opportunity to assert your "expertise".

As per Mudcat usual where you are concerned, impossible to have a conversation with Steve that doesn't involve Steve insisting how right Steve is. Dropping out of this; people want to read about... Whatever. They don't want to be reading petty squabbling. You can have the last word if you want it. Bye.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 10:58 AM

What you have on your spuds that you're calling grey mould is almost certainly potato blight. Now you have cheerfully demonstrated some lack of knowledge, so kindly don't tell me that I don't know as much as I think I do. I've been growing vegetables (and flowers) for almost 50 years and it so happens that I have a degree in botany (which included extensive work on plant pathology)...

Blight either comes in on the wind or has overwintered in your garden (or in next door's garden) on "volunteers" (potatoes that you missed last year). If you see those regrowing you should pull them up straight away. The minute spores can't overwinter as free spores in the soil. Washing seed potatoes before planting is probably useless. Seed that is carrying blight spores probably wouldn't have made it anyway, and, in this country at least (yours too as far as I can gather), seed potatoes are raised in northern areas free of disease and must be certified disease-free. Tomatoes can suffer from potato blight too, though the plants can often grow through it. Not so with potatoes. If you get blight early you'll lose most of your crop. If it strikes when your spuds already have good bulk, the best thing to do is to cut off all the tops (which you can compost: the spores won't survive) and leave the spuds in the ground for a couple of weeks. Most of the spores will wash harmlessly away down the sides of your earthings-up. There's no organic solution to an attack of blight. Get the spuds in early, grow first-earlies or second-earlies and keep your fingers crossed!

Blight on leaves looks like brown patches that spread very quickly over your crop. Each brown patch has a whitish fringe - that looks just like grey mould. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 10:28 AM

Soil health, micronutrients, and the flora of a healthy biome will be different from one garden to another, so you what you both are reporting probably reflects the soil in your area. It isn't just weather that makes a difference. From my organic gardening guru's page on Early blight: Control this disease by planting resistant cultivars and soaking seed in a disinfecting solution such as a hydrogen peroxide mixture before planting. Spray plants with compost tea, treat soil with cornmeal products.

The hydrogen peroxide is the 3% solution you buy in the grocery store, and it is a way to kill fungus. By soaking your seeds you are killing any spores that might come along. Cornmeal products are also good to kill fungal spores in the soil and on plants. If you make cornmeal tea - soak a cup of cornmeal in a few cups of water for a while then strain the solids and spray the liquid on plants where you want to prevent or slow blight. Here are more cornmeal uses.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raedwulf
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 09:47 AM

I've never heard of Botrytis on spuds. Then, as usual, you don't know as much as you think you do, nor as much you like to tell everyone else you do. Look it up; gray mold (or grey mold, if you prefer...) affects potatoes. I may be confusing what sometimes affects my spuds with what sometimes affects my toms (especially in cool, damp years), but it doesn't really matter. As you say, as I already said, there isn't any way of getting rid of it, only of managing it.

My spuds grow healthily, from spuds that have usually been stored for anything up to 6 months. Your comments about aphids, blah, etc, may or may not be true, but they don't match my experience in the slightest. I only get cropping problems when, for reasons of weather, time, ill health (which usually means bad back!), I don't / can't give the garden the time it needs.

I'll admit to having regularly practiced one false economy - out-of-date seeds! ;-) They do last longer than the "sow-by" dates on packets would have you believe; in most cases, I've found that 2-3 years beyond are still productive, but 5, 6, 7+ is pushing it! ;-) In other respects, I tend to give more veg away to neighbours than I ever have a shortage problem.

Remember, Steve, I'm not trying to lecture people, to say "do this". All I'm saying is "I've done this & it's worked for me". Your way is to say "Huh! Rubbish!! I know better, don't do that, it won't work!!!" It doesn't hurt to try, and if it isn't successful, then do something else. Other folks can make their own minds up. But they won't try something new if it never occurs to them that they could. I prefer my approach to yours.

All gardening is somewhat experimental. No gardener ever stops learning. Unless they stop experimenting, anyway... ;)

Incidentally, every banana you buy (if you do) in a s/mkt is a Cavendish clone. So what?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 08:19 AM

Incidentally, every potato in the world called Lady Balfour is a clone of the original cross that produced the variety. Genetically identical.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 08:14 AM

I've never heard of Botrytis on spuds. You'll get it in the greenhouse if conditions in there are stuffy and damp and it'll attack your raspberries in wet weather, etc. It isn't a thing that rotation will limit. You just have to work with it, as you do with slugs and greenfly, etc.

As for your spuds, seed potatoes that you buy every year (and you should) are grown in cool areas such as northern Scotland where aphids are far less likely to spread virus diseases. The seed tubers are matured in the ground and are kept in cold storage over winter, treatment that has them romping away in the spring. They are tested and must be certified disease-free before they can be sold. None of this applies to your Lady Balfours. You are taking a risk, probably getting a lower yield than you should be getting and you're indulging in false economy. So good luck with that.

As for F1 seed, they are expensive to produce and are generally sold in smaller quantities per pack. They will always give you consistent results. If you want the same F1 variety (e.g., my wanting to grow Sungold tomatoes every year, an F1 variety), you must buy fresh seed. You will not get Sungold, or anything like, from seed you collect from Sungold tomatoes from your greenhouse. Most likely you will get a ragbag mixture. In addition, F1 varieties have the advantage of possessing hybrid vigour. It's all in the science and you'll just have to trust your seed company. But do have fun cutting corners, though you won't know what you'll get until it's too late to start again.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Feb 21 - 09:27 PM

You've got the wrong end of several sticks, wulfie. I have to hit the sack. Tomorrow is another day.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Feb 21 - 09:23 PM

Ok, I forgot. I don't *like* ossso buco. But it was fun making it. Russell Stover, par contre, makes some kickass chocolates.

Maybe the KC would have done better if I had made bbq, though.

Advantage of living alone: taking a small bite out of each of the dark chocs.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raedwulf
Date: 07 Feb 21 - 04:58 PM

Oh, and by the way... I didn't say I keep replanting the spuds in the same bit of ground. That's how you get build up of pests & diseases. I'm fortunate in having a large garden & therefore a large veg patch. I have to put up with bloody botrytis, which affects all Solanums (potatoes, tomatoes & more) and is even more ineradicable than white rot.

Always rotate your crops. Even if you can only shift things 20-30' from where you grew them last year, it helps. Which is what I do (by more than 30'!). I plant spuds from last year's harvest, Steve. But not in the same bit of ground.

And if anyone is wondering about the F1 thing... F1 seeds / etc are (supposedly) the best / most productive / disease resistant, etc, etc. But you're also always told "They don't breed true / don't replant / etc". I can't unequivocally declare "Cobblers" on this, but... The companies who sell you seed want you to buy more seed next year (or the year after, etc). Do you think they're wholly truthful? I've happily re-used Lady B spuds year on year. I've also in the past bought a knock-off bag of s/m spuds (Georginas) & used them successfully as seed spuds. Leeks? Leeks will cheerfully self-seed themselves all over the sodding place! You can grow peppers from the seeds of those you buy. Etcetera. You get the general idea - it doesn't hurt to try, does it? ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 07 Feb 21 - 02:42 PM

...but have you forgiven Devon?! ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Feb 21 - 02:28 PM

Bloody water bombs they are. I don't grow maincrops because I get blight almost every year (32 out of 34 here). The first and second earlies at least give me something even if the blight gets here early, say mid- to late-July.

We're having roast chicken tonight, a five-pounder, free-range Creedy Carver, Devon born and Devon bred. Roast spuds, parsnips out of my frosty garden, an organic sweetheart cabbage, steamed, stuffing balls and, for a change, some roasted butternut squash chunks instead of carrots (I had half of one to use up). We wrestle for the skin but the parson's nose is mine and I'll brook no dissent on that one. A drumstick and several slices of tit each. Mrs Steve is currently making the gravy using my homemade stock and we are well under way with the Sabbath bottle of prosecco. A nice bottle of Argentine Malbec to wash down the fowl. I forgave Galtieri decades ago.