Thes – Old English for "this", neuter of thes, of West Germanic origin: Mediolanum – old name for Milan: Lif – Old English for "life", of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijf, German Leib 'body'
We’re still talking about it but it seems the fish is off.
The decision was made by F going and ordering lasagne – a meat ragù lasagne. Also with a little more information that I learnt the other day. He can eat (even likes?) veal. So, following the information about the ordering of the lasagne and the revelation that all meat is NOT a no-go area, as I was shopping last night, I checked, and they do rolled veal – for roasting.
So, I suggested that, if he would like, I could do a sort of English Sunday Roast – but, instead of beef, use veal (since it is the same meat, after all). And, so, unless there is a change of heart, that is going to be our Christmas dinner. I am very happy about that. I am, after all, a meat eating (and loving) person. We will also have Yorkshire Pudding with it. It will be the first time I’ve ever done Yorkshire Pudding for Christmas Day
The discovery of veal being OK also opens up so many more possibilities.
Perhaps, he has just said it for my benefit. I don’t really know. It is a possibility. We shall see if he eats it.
p.s. Yes, I don’t understand why you would pull a face at the mention of goose – and, yet, be more than happy to eat chicken or, worse, veal! Makes absolutely no sense to me and I really do think it’s just stuck in his head. Bless him.
“We could have this?”, he says. This, being a fish pie.
To be honest, I know it doesn’t sound terribly exciting but I’ve never actually made a fish pie in my life. And I’ve been around the block a few times. In fact, I’ve never really cooked fish until I met F. And I find it a bit of a struggle. Born and brought up in the wilds of deepest, darkest Herefordshire, fish wasn’t something that was really ‘local’. When my parents (and I) moved to Gloucestershire, near the river Severn, we sometimes had salmon – provided by the next door neighbour as they were caught up in the water filtration used for the nearby nuclear power station – and, of course, the obligatory (we are British) fish and chips – which I always hated, by the way.
So, fish. Difficult. But with F not eating any meat (except mince, polpette (meat balls) and sausages) it poses a problem for cooking. Lamb chops (my favourite) are a definite no-no. And, here, we were talking about Christmas.
The plan had been to go to Vienna for Christmas. F’s friend had a friend who has offered us their flat for the four of us (us and the two dogs) but with Rufus’ unpredictability with illness (although for the last few days he has been very well), we are thinking not. Not this year anyway.
So, whereas I would choose goose for Christmas, as last year, it is not to be. F’s face, at the mention of it, screws up in disgust with an ‘oh, no!’. To be honest, I’m not sure why. He is a bit fussy as far as food is concerned which is a little galling but not enough to make me not love him – after all, we go out quite a lot and then I can have meat. And I eat meat at work every day. So all is not bad.
However, I thought it would be nice to propose having fish for Christmas lunch. I know that, to those of you in the UK, it will sound very strange but here, fish for Christmas lunch is normal. I know, I know, it doesn’t seem Christmassey to me either but it’s a compromise and I’m happy to make it.
To stat with he suggested that I should do meat and he would just have vegetables. But I really can’t be doing with that – I would feel mean eating meat and him just having veg.
He had suggested lasagna (we can buy it Christmas morning if we pre-order it) and it would be lovely. After some discussion, about what we would have, as we were eating the above mentioned fish pie, he suggested that I do this very dish. And he would do a fish lasagna!
Again, perhaps it’s just me but fish lasagna just doesn’t sound quite right. And, anyway, I was quite looking forward to having a nice meaty lasagna. As I explained to him, eating a course of meat and then a course of fish is really no problem for me. And I am doubly surprised by Italians not going for it – they do have vitello tonnato after all (thin slices of veal covered with a thick tuna based sauce – which, incidentally, I hate – having a fish course followed by meat (or vice versa) is one thing but to mix fish and meat together makes me feel sick.)
Ah well. It’s one of the prices I pay. And it’s not really a great price to pay. It’s not like we shall starve or anything.
On the plus side, he really liked my fish pie (as you may have gathered) so now that’s two fish recipes I can do and that he likes (or, at least, says he does). And I know that he knows that I am making a real effort to make him happy – which I do not because I want him to know but because I’m glad to make him happy in the same way that we have gone to all-meat restaurants because he knows I love meat. It’s just the normal give and take. As you do. Or, rather, as you should do.
OK. This recipe has failed me only once. Prior to using this recipe I used to hit good Yorkshires about 50% of the time – after using it I hit 100%. The only reason it failed once was that it was my old cooker in the new flat which did not have settings for the oven (other than High, Low and Off). This recipe makes about 12 – 15 small cake-sized puddings.
Ingredients:
2 Eggs……………………….2 uova
3 oz Plain Flour………………85 g farina (tipo 00)
1/4 pint of Milk………………0.14 l latte
Salt and Pepper……………….sale e peppe
Some oil/lard…………………olio/strucco
Method:
Sieve flour into a bowl and add the salt and pepper (a bit of each to taste). Break two eggs into the flour and mix well. It is better using a mixer (like a Kenwood Chef). Now add the milk, drizzling it in very slowly and making sure it mixes well to give a batter without any lumps. Put into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. (I have made it the day before and left it in the fridge until needed – but it needs a good whisk if you do that as it does separate).
Use a patty tin (like the cake tin to make small cakes – preferably with rounded bottoms to the individual cake parts). Brush a little oil or melted lard over the tin and place in oven (the oven should be the hottest you can get – max, max, max!). At this point anyway, you can take the meat out to rest – so it’s all perfect timing.
Once the oil/lard is hot (and smoking slightly is good – no, not you, the oil/lard!), take out of the oven and pour some of the batter in each one. Put back into the oven for about 15 minutes until well risen and brown. Try not to open the oven door too much or too early but they shouldn’t really deflate anyway. Serve immediately with the meat and good gravy. They are to-die-for!
Save any left over (if there are any) and you can have them with a spoonful of sugar when they are cold!
Well, I’ve now been and it was lovely but, as I’m not from the USA (I guess), it was, more or less, like going to dinner at someone’s house.
I’m talking of Thanksgiving.
I’m talking turkey, mashed potatoes, and a rather glorious stuffing.
To be honest, I thought it was going to be an all-American affair (except for me) but it took on quite an International flavour. 3 Americans, 1 Canadian, 1 Australian, 1 Italian and me. The turkey (which I’ve never been mad keen on) was rather good and well cooked. The stuffing was fantastic. The wine and conversation flowed and we even had a rather difficult conversation with N & S all the way from San Francisco – the ‘difficult’ part being the connection which, unfortunately kept dying.
I got home at about 3.30 a.m. I then spoke to Ag on the telephone. She was in need of someone to talk to. It meant I got to bed about 5.30. I was, unsurprisingly, tired on Saturday. My headache was still here (but that could have been just ‘cos I’m tired).
F phoned me during the day on Saturday. He said that things were going rather well and he was going to be coming home that night so that we can go to a concert. He had booked it before he knew that he would be away and there had always been some doubt about whether he would be there.
He got home in the late afternoon and then we met up and went for a pizza at Liù (see link at side) – except Liù was full so we went to Time Out 2 instead. Then strolled down to Il’s flat and took a taxi with her to see Chiara Civello at Blue Note.
She was fabulous although I was so tired and we went to the second concert of that evening – it started at 11.30! He knows her because his ex, M, from Rome, knows her. After the concert we went backstage and I was introduced to her as ‘my new boyfriend’. I had been similarly introduced to someone who sat with us and was a friend from some time ago. She works for Moschino or somewhere like that. It was then added that I was a ‘real man compared to S’ – which always makes me smile – although I never, ever make any comment, of course.
Anyway, there are a couple of Chiara’s tracks at the bottom. I hope you enjoy them. She was lovely, always smiling and the music is really good.
Yesterday, as F is away, I had promised A that I would do Sunday lunch for him and Fr – you know, the Roast Beef type of Sunday lunch, which F would not enjoy so much.
A had baked some bread which we had with something that was like a light pâté that F had brought back from Germany. There was goose-liver and reindeer – they were delicious and not at all heavy as pâté can be sometimes.
Then we had the roast beef and, with my new cooker, the perfect Yorkshire puddings – YAY! I will do a post with the recipe since it has never, except once, let me down. The only reason it didn’t work before was my old oven, I was sure – and this proved correct when, this time, they were well risen and light – just as they should be. Also, when I had been in France last year, I had bought some red horseradish sauce – and it was quite hot, which I liked.
After that we had Apple and Blackberry Crumble with whipped cream. This was all followed by cheese (including Stilton) and some rather fine port, bought for me by a colleague when he went to Portugal. The problem was that then I just couldn’t stop drinking it. I had to ‘force’ myself to stop, even after A & Fr left.
Anyway, they enjoyed it – as did I.
I spent the rest of the evening washing up :-).
F is back on Wednesday as that is the day that the new shop will open. I will be very happy when he is back, as will Dino. And Rufus who is a LOT better. Thanks for all your kind wishes.
Anyway, enjoy Chiara – these are some of my favourite songs of hers.
It’s just annoying. But at least it seems I can post things. Don’t know about accepting comments or replying to them yet as none of you have made any. But I guess I’ll find out.
I have looked into alternative hosters and, unless it’s fixed by tomorrow, I shall be going down that route, I expect.
Which is a shame – but it only really works if you can publish your website and then actually retrieve the website and write new posts!
I seem to be getting busier with the old English teaching lark. And, to be honest, I WANT MY LIFE BACK! I had forgotten how much work it actually takes. A says that I do too much for it. V used to say the same. I can’t do it differently though. I’ve also looked at doing the three kids and decided that I could do it – but I have put forward a price that is a little high. If they don’t want me to do it then that’s fine – after all, teaching kids will be much more work.
Anyway, enough of all this. No time, no time.
To get you a bit more up to date:-
I’ve got the Christmas Stamps! Yay! Now all I have to do is write the cards
Rufus seems a lot better – since Monday, which is good.
F is working from tomorrow through to next Monday and, therefore will be away.
This means that I will have to go to my first-ever Thanksgiving Dinner alone (Friday night)
It means that we might not go to the concert that he booked for Saturday night.
It means that I have invited A (and F) for Sunday Lunch (Roast Beef, Yorkshire Puddings, Stilton Cheese and a very nice bottle of port direct from Portugal) – there being far too much stuff that F doesn’t like in all that.
It means I will miss him
It means I will get some sleep
It means I can write the Christmas Cards
In other news, South Korea and North Korea might be on the brink of war. Some miners died in a mine in New Zealand. The students are revolting (they should wash more hehehehe). Britain is to recognise my birthday by making the day a Bank Holiday.
Apparently there are also some other things happening on that day too, which I’m sure is pure coincidence. Checking, actually nothing much (apart from my birthday and the death of St Catherine of Siena) is going on. Oh, except there may be a wedding. Well, in fact, there may be quite a few. In the UK, I mean. Some woman called Kate and a bloke called Bill. Don’t know if I’m invited yet ‘cos they’ve only just announced it. Can’t go anyway, it will be me and F going to Giacomo, I very much hope. So, just in case you should read this, Bill (You don’t mind if I call you Bill, do you? Only William seems so, well, formal.), I’m really sorry we can’t be there. Anyway, the weather in the UK then is always a bit touch and go, especially on that day. You know, it could be raining, likely as not. Here it should be considerably warmer and sunny (I hope).
More stuff to follow (but maybe tomorrow if it’s all working properly)
For some reason, I would have much less problem with this. OK, if I’m being honest, I may have to close my eyes as I pop them in my mouth but I’m sure I would, at least, try them.
The first time I try to grab the ……… it twists and turns so much that it jumps out through my fingers. The second time I pinch a bit harder and quickly dip the translucent ………. in the accompanying emulsion of brown butter. When it lands on my tongue it does a little hop, skip and a jump before I decapitate it with my teeth and swallow the wonderful blend of crunchy shells, soft tail meat and creamy sweet butter.
I pride myself on the fact that I have never actually refused to eat anything put in front of me. I think, I could, almost eat anything, including grubs and insects (given the right circumstances – I am not, right at this moment hunting for a nice, big, juicy spider, for example. I’ve just had lunch!). There are things I might ‘struggle’ with like slugs (if they are even edible) or, in particular, dog (it’s OK, Korea is not high on the list of places I simply must visit).
However, after reading this piece, I’m almost certain I can now add ‘live things’ to the list of the unlikely things!
And you? Would you? (Italians are excluded form this as they’re almost certain to dislike the idea ;-). Sorry Lola, Pietro, etc.)
There are some important words there. ‘Bit’. ‘Like’. They mean it’s not exactly the same but it reminds me of custard. After all, custard is made with beaten egg yolks, caster sugar mixed with milk and a touch of vanilla.
Unlike the cream used in tiramisù. Instead, this is made with beaten egg yolks (check), caster sugar (check), mixed with mascarpone (a light cream/yoghurt-like cheese made from, erm …… milk) (sort of check) and the beaten egg whites.
OK so one is missing vanilla and is not cooked and the other is missing egg whites. Overall, almost the same ingredients. It not only tastes a ‘bit like’ custard but is, in fact, a ‘bit like’ custard!
However, the look on the face says everything. Apparently, even if it wasn’t said, the cream for tiramisù IS NOT, IN ANY WAY, ‘like’ custard, even if, of course, it is, actually, quite a lot like custard.
Hmmmmph! Bloody Italians and their ‘our food only tastes like our food and has no similarities’!
The men arrived at 5. By 5.30 they had already left! I was expecting it to take longer.
It’s brand, spanking new! It shines. All stainless steel and glass. Out of place, in a way but that’s not why I bought it anyway. It won’t last (the super shiny bit) – or maybe I’ll try to keep it like that. Well, I will try.
I thought, for a horrible moment, after the man had gone (of course) that there had been some mistake. The numbers I was expecting were from 1 to 6 – not 150 to 275. But, no, it’s OK after all.
It’s a little wider than the last one. But that’s all to the good. More room and I like room, especially for cooking. See this is turning into a food blog or cooking blog or something similar. For I am talking about my brand new cooker.
So, let’s see what makes it better.
I now have proper temperature control on the oven. I have missed that so much. Now I can cook things at the correct temperature instead of guessing.
It is both bigger on the hob and in the oven. A baking tray I had bought some time ago but would never fit in the last oven fits easily in this. Now I can use all four burners on the hob without having to have half the pans halfway off the cooker.
I do not have to use one of those hand-held electronic ignition lighters. It lights automatically. The oven also has a light.
It has a grill (as an integral part of the oven), something I kept missing with the old one.
It has some special ventilation fan that keeps the outside much cooler than the inside and, so, won’t ruin everything next to it. However, it is still gas, which I love and, for me, is the only way to cook both on the hob and in the oven.
It is beautiful. It makes me want to do things. But that is for tomorrow.
It also happens to be a Smeg – which, of course, is the last name in kitchen appliances.
Now, all I need is a decent fridge and a proper fitted kitchen and I will be done. But those things can wait and are not so important as the oven.
My kitchen has a white floor, an orange wall, white cupboards and an old wooden table which, in the past, was covered with blue formica.
But, I am very excited for now I will add fuschia to it.
At least I will never lose it.
Last weekend, making Shepherd’s Pie, after making the meat bit, I boiled up some potatoes. I needed to mash them. I realised, digging around in the drawer, that I had not taken the potato masher but had left it for V. I’m not sure why, really. Sometimes I kick myself for leaving too much stuff with him and not putting up a better fight. Ah well. What’s done is done.
But, here I am, needing to mash potatoes and no potato masher. I used a fork. I suppose I could have used the food processor but it always ends up much more like purée, here. Too sloppy and not enough solidity and I like my mash to be well done but firm. It was OK. the fork did the job and I was pleased with the result whilst being annoyed that I hadn’t bought one before now.
So, the next trip to the supermarket and I looked for one. But they don’t have it. They had things that you squeeze but they just aren’t right. I need to mash my potatoes in the pan, with a bit of butter and a little milk and, if I’m doing roast beef, a little horseradish sauce.
So, A (a colleague at work) and I were talking and she mentioned that she and another colleague were going to some shop to look for stuff for another colleague’s birthday. And I remembered my need for a potato masher. I asked if she could look for one, explaining very carefully how it looked and saying that nothing else would do (I can be a little hard-headed about certain things, I suppose).
And today she brought it in. It cost €16 Euro, which is a lot but it is definitely a Ferarri of Potato Mashing implements and not a Vespa!.
It has the ‘mashing plate’ – the one with the holes in but this is on a spring. Below that is what looks like the element in a kettle. I guess the ‘element’ is to keep it flat to the base of the pan. The spring is held within the very sturdy fuschi-pink handle. A was very apologetic about the colour, explaining that it was the only one they had. I said it would go great in the kitchen, explaining that I would never lose it being so bright and clashing so perfectly with all the other colours in the kitchen.
So, this weekend, to go with the Tiramisù, I have decided to do Swiss Steak with mashed potatoes and leeks. This is a bit of a risk since it is meat in the form of, well, meat! However, the meat is well hidden by the sauce which is thick and very tasty and because it is cooked so long, the meat just falls apart. I’m hoping that I can get away with this (with F) and I think I might be able to. I’ve got to try.
But I am very excited with the prospect of being able to use my super new Potato Masher. It’s the little things that please me.
p.s. I’m a bit worried this blog is turning into a ‘food blog’, for which I am certainly NOT qualified!
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