Kitchen fun

Masterchef has nothing on us here in East Harling at the moment. We have been cooking fit to burst.It was our annual Blackcurrant blitz on the weekend. Somehow it's turned out that Ricardo makes all the jelly. Thank God for him because it takes HOURS. We picked all the black and red currants at Harriet's on Saturday afternoon (Kelly we missed you), rolling around underneath the currant bushes, trying not to sit on too many, hiding from the odd shower and dodging wasps. We got a mammoth haul of 8 and a half kilos of fruit. So.....we made, redcurrant jelly and black currant jelly and I made blackcurrant sorbet Mmmmmmm and now Ricardo is STILL in the kitchen making Creme de cassis that's been marinating in red wine for 2 days.
Here he is having a welcome respite for a glass of water, "Nothing sugary please as I'm covered in stickiness".
"Wow those sunflowers have grown while I've been slaving away in the kitchen".
Meanwhile we were having our friends Jeremy and Gudrun over for dinner on Sunday night so I hopped back into the kitchen to make slow cooked shoulder of lamb on a bed of fennel, onions and garlic a great recipe if you have 4 or 5 hours up your sleeve. Here's the beginnings of it. 2 whole heads of garlic in this recipe.
For dessert I made a raspberry clafouti to have with the blackcurrant sorbet YUM.
And now I've made a tester cake for a catering job I'm doing on Friday. It's the cake-o-the-month at our house at the moment, lime and pistachio courgette cake My friend Carryll (of morning bike riding fame) has lent me her cathedral shaped cake tin. Perect.

Weeting country show

Yesterday we took our friend Harriet Sprigto the Weeting Steam Engine Rally and Country Show.
We were there early, the third car load of people through the gates as she and Richard were mighty keen to be the first ones to peruse the 2nd hand tool dealers. A blokes (or honorary bloke in Harriet's case) paradise is Weeting..... rusty metal, dull metal, shiny metal, any metal at all really...heaven.What is it about a steam engine polished until it gleams that brings a lump to your throat though?
These guys didn't even see me taking the photo. So incredibly focused on handling that massive piece of machinery.
Ricardo always tries to match an exhibit or two...
"Just going to get the milk Mum."
The weather wasn't great and there was a thunderstorm half way through the day but it made for a very other wordly atmosphere and it wasn't really cold if you stayed up close to the engines.The air was thick with smoke and the coal merchants were run off their feet keeping up the supply. These massive oak logs weren't there to be burned but to be part of the 'Look how strong my one is...' display.
Our fiend David Boggia has what's called a 'Living van' that he takes to shows like this one. Here he is looking mighty proud of it, with Harriet reading a book about tractors behind him.
Harriet did a lot of the woodwork inside the van and it's very cute and cosy with a wood burner and all.
I made David a mattress for his bed out of an old horse hair one that he wanted cut down. Boy cutting through horse hair is a tough job, I blew up an electric knife doing it and blunted my scissors really effectively too. If you look closely in the following photo you can see the tea cosy that David's sister made for him that's a little replica of the van.
A truly wonderful day out.

Warm weather and Imam bayildi

For the last few days it's been amazingly warm around these parts. My bike rides in the morning have been magical. The animal and insect world all come alive at this time of year and I usually see something interesting most mornings. Yesterday morning there were three big deer dancing across the road through the mist. Usually there is a hare that runs beside me near the happy-hens-farm and my friends the skylarks who sing non stop every day in West Harling, one on either side of the road make me wonder when do they ever eat? This morning there was a snake squashed on the road with its pink ribbon of guts stretching a good meter across the road.
It's been warm enough to eat outside for the last three nights and we lapse into silence as we watch the swallows swooping and screeing as they practice their acrobatics high above us in the warm air. Last night I had some time to cook as bell ringing had been canceled and decided I would lash out time wise and make one of my favourite meals...Imam Bayildi. It's one of those recipes that seems to be more than just the sum of it's parts. It translates as 'The priest fainted or swooned' no wonder.Here's the recipe from the Waitrose sight and a real beauty. Worth all the effort. Great with falafels and Humus b'tahini.

Imam Bayildi

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 sprigs fresh mint, chopped
100g natural yogurt
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp harissa paste (optional)
1 tbsp currants, soaked in 3 tbsp boiling water for 30 minutes
1 pinch cumin
½ tsp ground allspice
8 tomatoes, 6 peeled and chopped, 2 sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
6 tbsp olive oil
2 large bulbous aubergines (about 350g each)

Method

1. Slice off 1cm of the bulbous end of each aubergine and 6–8cm of the stalk end. Cut the middle into 4 fattish slices. Slash the flesh of the aubergine slices in a criss-cross pattern, salt liberally and press into the flesh. Drain on a rack for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
2. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the onions. When they are soft, add the garlic, tomatoes, spices and currants (including the water), and harissa, if using. Let the mixture stew, stirring regularly, for 40 minutes, until thick. Leave to cool.
3. Rinse the aubergine slices, squeeze out excess water and pat dry. Peel all the end bits (removing the stalk), then quarter the 2 larger pieces length ways. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan, add the aubergine slices and tuck in the peeled bits. Colour lightly, then place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or so, turning over once or twice, till soft.
4. Chop the peeled bits and add to the stew with ¾ of the parsley. Press down the flesh of the slices with a spoon and fill with the tomato mixture until domed. Put in a baking dish, put a slice of tomato on each, spoon over the remaining olive oil and season.
5. Pour a few tbsp of water into the dish and bake for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have blistered. Scatter the rest of the parsley over the top and serve with a bowl of yogurt with mint and cayenne pepper stirred in (not authentic, but delicious).

Zebedoodle's bike

What more could a small boy need than a new bike
It's a bit scary hopping on at first but sticking out your tongue helps.
Now I just need a push...any takers....Joey....Mumma?
That's better, faster, now faster.
Now all I need is a helmet and some reflective strips (I've got no idea what they're for but Joey wears them and she really looks the part.)
Who would EVER have thought from this boys first tiny foray into the world that he would be grinning at us and bossing us round like a proper little boy. Thank God for Zebedee.

The UKE

What is it about the ukulele? That little instrument of Portuguese ancestry born in Hawaii in the 19th century that's become one of the 21st century's musical celebrities.

Do yourselves a favour and listen to the wonderful Mic Conway talking about his favourite instrument. It's only on for a week so GO NOW.
Thanks to Coral reef for the pic Click on it to go to her beautiful paintings

Relax

It's Friday night, we've both been working like crazy.
Ricardo's been trying to finish a staircase for a friend in Norwich that has been going on and on, he's been home late every night and looks very weary. We have a hectic social schedule too with French lessons on Tuesdays, bell ringing on Wednesdays, choir practice on Thursdays and usually a dinner or two out with friends during the week. Phew it's exhausting and we are rarely home.
So when our friend William (see previous posts) asked us to come over and have yet another night out and dinner on his boat, we were a bit reluctant. Knackered really to not put too fine a point on it. But something happens when you step onto Will's boat, maybe it happens whenever you step onto any boat. Your shoulders drop an inch or two, your breathing slows. Maybe it's the rocking motion, maybe it's because of the ancient landscape that surrounds you but you really really relax.
When I write down "dinner on Will's boat" you might think plastic boat, plastic cutlery, gin & tonic up on the bridge but that's not what it's like at all. Will's boat is magical, it's an experience you could never buy. That part of the river is completely deserted, it's tiny and lush and green and very, very quiet.
I've spoken about the boat before it's made of a crazy patchwork of pieces cut from old caravans, painted army green on the outside with a red cross on one side. Here's a picture of it birthed up a few months ago, you wouldn't recognise it now, the greenery almost meets overhead.
It's painted inside like a fairground ride by Will's friend Piotr.

There is a wee wood burning stove on board and we cooked Aussie style burgers 'with the lot' including pineapple slices and beetroot....(I know, I know but you should try it). The only problem while we cooked was that Ricardo's legs were getting hotter and hotter, at one stage we smelled something burning, luckily it wasn't his pants but a log of wood resting on the outside of the stove. Yikes. (Will's not big on health and safety). We dipped it overboard to put it out.
Will's dog Humphrey Bogart came along and could smell the burgers! Humphrey is a labrador and would eat until he exploded.
He wasn't the only thing to smell the burgers! Being on a lower-than-eye level with a load of very curious cows is kind of scary really. They're quite large beasts and there were no life jackets on board.
Check out this absolutely huge specimen
Luckily we got past just in time.
A truly magical thing happened though as we lay becalmed in a rather skinny bit of river. Will was trying to punt us out but we discovered the boat had turned 180 degrees and instead of going downstream we were struggling to go back up stream. Under a branch sitting quietly with it's head under its wing was a kingfisher. Usually these birds are just a flash of colour as they scoot out of sight but here it was not more than a meter or 2 away wobbling sleepily on a twig. I took a few pics but you might have to blow them up to see it. It's just a small coloured ball of fluff really. Amazing to be so close to such a creature

Sunshine on the soles of your feet

It's no wonder 'The English' are obsessed by the weather. When it's sunny it's so spectacular. It's been a week and a half of Crap weather and today was back to beautiful.
I went to visit my friend Kate today. She's kind of a recent friend and I've never been to her house before. She had asked me for lunch and when I looked up her address on Google maps it came up as being in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere. Guess what, that's exactly what it's like. She and her brother share two tiny semi-detached cottages down a bumpy track with no sight of any other buildings. There was washing drying in the sun, caesar salad with lettuce and radishes out of the garden,and elderflower cordial on cushions in the back garden. It was almost too hot to sit out there but we soldiered manfully on.

More birthday

The birthday continued this weekend. (At this rate I think I could cope with a year of birthday celebrations).
As well as mine, we had William's and also Humphrey Bogart, William's dog (Humphrey was 100!). Here he is cutting the cake.It was the most beautiful day out but there was a lot of fun to be had inside the boat With Clarissa and the Zebedoodle and our lovely friend Grace. It was one of those times when your friends from very disparate groups all get to meet each other and you're hugging yourself as they actually GET each other the way you wish they would.

We went out in the boat on the sparkly water. There were just thousands of Damsel flies, and dragonflies some iridescent green and some blue. It was absolutely heavenly.
P.S. Not my photo click on it to go to the link