tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78654627977519312732024-03-13T17:30:02.981+02:00Adventures in the Monkey House KitchenA diary of what we ate and what it says about anything and everythingDebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06948985766849749388noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-53375249429640008882010-04-08T08:20:00.003+03:002010-04-08T08:24:36.979+03:00Wedding bellsFriends of ours are getting married this weekend and we will be spending as much time celebrating with them as the little one allows. She has been a little inconsistent in her sleeping habits recently, although 4am seems to feature quite highly. The kitchen has been busy with making easy meals to keep the sleep deprived parents going. It feels more like a petrol station than a kitchen right now. It will of course change in the future and is just a stage we all have to get through. The amazing thing is that the munchkin is still quite bright and happy all day long.<br /><br />We did manage to make a lovely lamb recipe from Jamie Oliver's first cook book. It was very tasty but somehow it seemed to be very simple in a way that is maybe not good. Does that mean we've all come a long way with our expectations in the kitchen as to the authenticity of what we cook? I'd like to think so. Whatever the truth I'm not blaming Jamie (he will no doubt be relieved!).<br /><br />More soonishPebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-88981104377224305822010-03-29T20:10:00.002+03:002010-03-29T20:21:10.943+03:00Twinkle twinkle little starWhile I was at work today the boss sung this song to our daughter. We decided to see if we had the chords in either of our two books of nursery rhymes as the baby seems to enjoy my guitar playing (at least for a while). The first one featured a tune which was not twinkle twinkle little star and the chords clearly did not work with the melody we know. So we tried the second book which came up trumps.<br /><br />However it seemed to be in an unnecessarily fiendishy key (which on a guitar isn't so bad) and on top of that it featured some outlandishly complicated chords. I tried the usual trick of sending them back to their root but somehow it just didn't sound right.<br /><br />So I started with Am7b5. This is more correctly written as "A minor seven flattened fifth" which isn't something to inspire confidence. Then on to the E° (or E diminished). Once I could play these chords fluently enough so the song could be sung and played simultaneously I was amazed at how beautiful, calm and generally tranquil they made the song. The baby seemed unimpressed but hopefully she will be one day.Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-79533165149806595692010-03-21T20:17:00.003+02:002010-03-21T20:35:51.418+02:00Kanteleen kutsu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S6Zjt_hd7QI/AAAAAAAAAU4/1dmdfXwLgYk/s1600-h/DSCN5282.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S6Zjt_hd7QI/AAAAAAAAAU4/1dmdfXwLgYk/s200/DSCN5282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451154040775634178" border="0" /></a><br />We took the baby swimming for the first time today. I have to say I had a great time and it seemed that our little werewolf also enjoyed herself. She kicked her legs and smiled and then decided it was all so normal she started sucking her fingers. She didn't quite understand what was going on when I went under water but that will come as we learn to enjoy it. However as a starting point it was an excellent half hour.<br /><br />For us parents learning to sing the welcome to swimming and bye bye songs in Finnish is a more immediately pressing challenge but that will come. Luckily our instructor spoke excellent <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">English</span> and we got the idea so I have a feeling that between all of us there will be muddling through resulting in the little one having an enjoyable time swimming!<br /><br />Dinner tonight was salmon and lentils which was very tasty and quite made up as I went along. I'm not even sure I could write a recipe even if I wanted to. The thing is my menu planning seems to be being dictated by what we are feeding the little one. She needed some salmon poaching so I followed suit for us adults. Luckily I managed to make it tasty! We followed it up with some chocolate ice cream which I bought the other night on a whim. Very naughty but very nice!<br /><br />Finally we hung some fabric in our stairwell this afternoon which looks amazing. The design is based on the Finnish national epic the Kalevala. You can see the full pattern <a href="http://www.marimekko.com/ENG/interior/fabric/sannaannukka/continuingcollection/kanteleen_kutsu_190.htm">here.</a> The picture above is of our stairwell looking up. The boss is convinced the photo would have been better from the landing looking down, and she maybe right, but as the little baby has gone to bed I'm not about to start blundering about up there.<br /><br />At this point it is worth while mentioning that we have been baby proofing the house. The strange thing is that I seem to be bumping into everything, whacking anything vaguely likely to give me a bruise and generally lumbering about the house like a blind cyclops. However today has (so far) been accident free. Now if I can only make it to bed in one piece...<br /><br />The other good news is some friends of ours have asked if they can come and visit at Easter. It will be great to see them. We lived next to them in Helsinki and were occasionally known as the "Champagne Elves"...maybe Easter and good company would be a good excuse to open a bottle of bubbly?Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-330470319896251722010-03-15T20:27:00.004+02:002010-03-15T20:37:05.527+02:00Al Andalus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S5585QVsZSI/AAAAAAAAAUw/WCbKj5c-MMs/s1600-h/ronda_puente_nuevo2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S5585QVsZSI/AAAAAAAAAUw/WCbKj5c-MMs/s200/ronda_puente_nuevo2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448929922245223714" /></a><br />Apologies for light blogging recently. Work has been busy, so has raising a family and we have been in Spain on holiday. We took the heir to the empire to Ronda which we found to be very impressive. Her verdict was to fall asleep in her pushchair. She was more impressed with the sea in a kind of, "hmm what is this?" kind of way. <br /><br />The highlight of the trip was that she loved being with Grandma and Gramps and to see how they all played together was great. There were many shrieks of delight from Daddy's little werewolf (long story don't ask) which were lovely to hear. I hope when she goes to visit her Grandpa and Nanna in England next month that they all have as much silly fun together.<br /><br />We shall start taking her to swimming classes this weekend which I am excited about, and a little nervous, mostly because I would like her to enjoy it and because the course comes with two pages of instructions in Finnish detailing what to do, when to do it and who to notify. It honestly seems more complicated than my tax return which can't be right. Our first challenge is to find her a pair of swimming shoes. Although as work is about to be super silly for the rest of the week with 3 commercial reviews and a day of meetings culminating in one about my future, when I shall have time to help in finding said swimming shoes is something only the almighty knows. <br /><br />So it does mean that blogging will continue to be light for a little while. <br />Please do keep coming back, there will be more soon. I promise!Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-90298296166523926772010-02-20T12:20:00.002+02:002010-02-20T12:25:55.270+02:00CassouletI am on a plane from Munich to Stockholm as I write this. It is about 8pm local time and darkness has fallen. As I waited for the seatbelt sign to be switched off so I could write about my week in Toulouse I looked out the window. As we climbed through the rain I watched the white lights at the end of the wing flash twice like a heartbeat every second. In the brief moment of illumination I saw a wall of rain drops that contained some water diamonds caught in the light. They were shining and moving in the strobe light effect. It was quite beautiful.<br /><br />I have been in Toulouse with work and have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to enjoy some good French food across the week. Before I go any further I should point out two important things: firstly I love Cassoulet. Secondly Cassoulet comes from Toulouse. So long before I set out for this trip I have been on a mission to make sure I ate Cassoulet in Toulouse.<br /><br />On Monday evening we ate in a Restaurant beside the hotel, our French host had arranged for it to be opened especially for us. There was only the choice of steak or fish. I opted for the former as did many of my colleagues. I listened, slightly depressed as my colleagues all asked for their steak to be well done. I know in Finnish there is no word for a ‘rare’ steak but I was in France now I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to order my steak Bleau. It was excellently cooked and raised the eyebrows of all my colleagues for my recklessness and of my French host who listening to us order had clearly decided we were gastronomic philistines!<br /><br />On Tuesday evening we went for dinner in the local shopping centre beside our meeting venue. It was as drab and as soulless as all shopping centers tend to be. However the restaurant seemed to be trying to be better than its surroundings. The menu was standard bistro fare with a few extras thrown in. Unfortunately there was no Cassoulet. So I opted for the tripe. I had had some good tripe in Barcelona which had been served with chickpeas in a great tomato sauce so I had high hopes. When it arrived at the table I realized that this time I was literally being served a bowl of tripe. However it was tasty. I get the chance to eat tripe so infrequently it had to be better than ordering steak again. I also raised the eyebrows of my colleagues for what was now clearly my recklessness and from our French host who was beginning to think I might be unusual for a foreigner.<br /><br />On Wednesday night we were taking for a cheese tasting at one of the oldest cheese shops in Toulouse. We were in a private dining room in the cellar behind the shop which stands in the Place Victor Hugo. The main wall in the cellar was actually the old city wall which had stood guarding Toulouse from the Middle Ages until the late 19th Century. The loo was also special as the tap for washing your hands was operated by a foot pedal. <br /><br />The cheese tasting itself was amazing. 2 and a half hours of unpasturised artisan cheeses served with complimentary wines! I have never eaten so much cheese in one sitting! I went to bed very full. Our guide for the evening was the cheese shop owners son and he spoke with such passion that I joked at one point that if you substituted the word “Cheese” for “Our Lord Jesus Christ” you would think yourself in Church. I did learn that it is always good to cut off the crust on cheese. He even served us two British cheeses, Stilton and Cheddar. The highlight however was the Mont Cheese. He only sells Mont that is at least two and a half years old.<br /><br />Thursday morning saw me unable to eat breakfast I was still so full and had to make do with a cup of coffee and a glass of grapefruit juice. Our meeting wound up on Thursday afternoon and some of my colleagues headed out for the airport. Due to flights I was staying over with about half the group. We acted on a recommendation from the night before and we managed to reserve a table at Emilie in the Place St George. I had been told that this was the Cassoulet restaurant in Toulouse and I wasn’t going home without eating at least one! <br /><br />When we arrived at the restaurant I was pleased to see it was in the Michelin Guide. The place itself was small but nice, the staff were welcoming but this was clearly a place with a gourmet pedigree. We were seven people and six Cassoulets were ordered for a main course. I had oysters as a starter and I am pleased to say they moved when I added lemon juice and they tasted of the sea.<br /><br />Finally my Cassoulet arrived. A hearty bowl with beans that were caramelized on top with a crispy piece of confit du canard in the middle was placed in front of me. I broke through the top and began to spoon it onto my plate. Under the top were pieces of pork and Toulouse sausages. The beans were creamy and the taste was amazing. The sauce gave it a richness without swamping the ingredients. I think I also spotted a few sly pieces of tripe in amongst the melee but there was no way you would know it was in there. <br /><br />We had ordered a reasonable local wine to accompany the meal, however 2 of my colleagues labeled themselves as philistines in the eyes of the waiter and I by ordering Kronenburg beer to go with their Cassoulet!<br /><br />Afterwards I could not contemplate a dessert but contained myself to a glass of malt whisky which turned out to be an extremely generous measure which was just as well when I got the bill!<br /><br />The little I saw of Toulouse has planted the idea in my head that maybe I should bring the family for a holiday on the Canal du Midi, although with all the adventures we already have planned I am not sure when this trip would happen. However it is always good to have dreams. And an excel spreadsheet to keep them on.<br /><br />Now I am flying home and I am on flight two of three. I will be home in the early hours of tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to seeing my family but I know I will be asked by the boss what I am cooking for dinner on Saturday night. Will I disappoint her if I don’t cook Cassoulet?Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-67989015622667777912010-02-07T10:37:00.005+02:002010-02-07T10:49:47.013+02:00This is your destiny calling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S2575IEqLmI/AAAAAAAAAUY/N4EgchfPmBE/s1600-h/DadAdventurous.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S2575IEqLmI/AAAAAAAAAUY/N4EgchfPmBE/s200/DadAdventurous.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435418021632552546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have to admit how much I love Calvin & Hobbes. I found this one on the internet and it sums up perfectly what is happening to my life now with the little one. I am becoming Calvin's dad. I am not entirely sure this is a good thing.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S258avASdUI/AAAAAAAAAUg/T4elBoFpZuE/s1600-h/calvins-dad-snow-biking1.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 127px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S258avASdUI/AAAAAAAAAUg/T4elBoFpZuE/s200/calvins-dad-snow-biking1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435418599018886466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It dawned on me that this process was happening when I was cycling to work in the snow and the</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">wind on a horrible morning and being very happy with myself because it was such a healthy thing to be doing. At that moment I was hit by the thunderbolt of Calvin's dadness. I had to stop and laugh out loud, which on the street in Finland on a February morning is to risk a visit to the local psychiatrist.<br />The fact that I was dressed exactly like Calvin's dad in the cartoon above did not help.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S259atY0xoI/AAAAAAAAAUo/sTie4bP46CQ/s1600-h/hiihtoreittiiso.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 185px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S259atY0xoI/AAAAAAAAAUo/sTie4bP46CQ/s200/hiihtoreittiiso.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435419698096555650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Not content with this terrifying development I went cross</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> country skiing yesterday. I though I was doing a gentle 7km</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">. 15km later I was a tired but happy Calvin's dad. I have since heard of a 40km trail that goes over the sea ice in and around Turku Harbour. Sounds good, I should reach my optimal heart rate in no time and it is so good to be out on these cold days.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*Calvin & Hobbes is the work and property of the wonderful Bill Watterson. All images here belong to him. Except the ski track! Thanks to James for the song title.</span><br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-42757768588239547122010-02-02T21:22:00.003+02:002010-02-02T21:35:18.474+02:00Adventures in the Finnish Monkey House<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S2h7j476nhI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Wk1MR96mfL0/s1600-h/lh_405x324_himostanaan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 164px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S2h7j476nhI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Wk1MR96mfL0/s200/lh_405x324_himostanaan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433728806931832338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our weekend in Tahko turned out to be a little more adventurous than first planned. It all started about 25 minutes after the bus should have left Tampere and we had seen no sign of it that we phoned the Tahko central booking office to be told our trip had been cancelled and unfortunately they had forgotten to tell us!<br /><br />My brother & I gamely hired a car and drove 4 hours from Tampere to Kuopio in the worst winter in 50 years. The roads were not that great and for large parts of the journey there simply isn't much there. All in all most of the route is not a good play to come a cropper in winter driving conditions. However we made it safely to Kuopio by about 11pm. On Saturday we drove on up to Tahko and had a fabulous day's skiing. The weather was cold, around about -25C with the wind chill and we were fully kitted out in just about anything possible to wear that covered our face from the elements. It is not often I ski in (and I list in order): balaclava, powder mask, hat, helmet & goggles. The new skis were brilliant and I loved tearing down the slopes on them. In Finland this means 5 minutes on the lift going up and 30 seconds coming down which can be a too quick!<br /><br />On Sunday we decided to head for Himos ski resort which is between Jyväsklyä and Tampere. This was an inspired move as the resort itself was excellent and we managed to be home at a reasonable time. Even better the slopes in Himos were steeper than in Tahko so I had some great fun turning the (wonderful) new skis on the steep.<br /><br />All this being outdoors has made me realise that I am letting the best winter in 50 years pass me by and I need to get out and do some cross country skiing. I have a day off on Friday. Can I tear myself away from quality time with my 5 month old baby daughter to go and wonder around some frozen landscape on a pair of thin skis?<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-63435054036307682182010-01-29T08:30:00.002+02:002010-01-29T08:32:49.381+02:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S2KAszyGF3I/AAAAAAAAAUI/CiOyiOseG54/s1600-h/kaikkeapaitsitylsaa.gif.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 60px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S2KAszyGF3I/AAAAAAAAAUI/CiOyiOseG54/s200/kaikkeapaitsitylsaa.gif.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432045607865161586" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Going skiing. Hoorah! Back next week.<br /><br />The soup was excellent and I will try and post the recipe soon. It has been a lot of fun to have my little brother here, it is good to catch up.<br /><br />Now I just need it to be warmer....should be -30C with the wind chill. Brrr.<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-4332392321566593382010-01-27T09:56:00.003+02:002010-02-02T21:22:15.235+02:00Carrot & Celery Soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S1_xzK9hBoI/AAAAAAAAAUA/0yrgbd4u29M/s1600-h/cc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S1_xzK9hBoI/AAAAAAAAAUA/0yrgbd4u29M/s200/cc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431325537050101378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">I made this very quickly and simply the other day. Hope you enjoy.<br /><br />1 onion roughly chopped<br />5 or 6 carrots peeled and roughly chopped<br />1 head of celery washed and roughly chopped<br />1 potato, peeled and you guessed it<br />A bit of garlic (if you fancy)<br />A good dose of tarragon<br />Water<br />Salt and pepper<br /><br />This couldn't be simpler - boil all the vegetables in the water, add the salt, pepper and tarragon. Once cooked, blend to a puree, return to the heat, add cream and cook for a little while longer, check seasoning and serve.<br /><br />How simple was that?<br />A dash of cream<br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-66899045159774420552010-01-26T18:47:00.002+02:002010-01-26T19:00:06.307+02:00Day tripper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S18cnvXUkfI/AAAAAAAAAT4/swfgmfXEsJM/s1600-h/45873-v1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S18cnvXUkfI/AAAAAAAAAT4/swfgmfXEsJM/s200/45873-v1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431091144686866930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Kitchen is on paternity leave this week, which is a welcome change from work. Although the supreme being in the house has wryly suggested this means she gets a week off and I look after the little one, I haven't as yet put this hint into action. However we, as a family trundled off to the botanical gardens today. Even though Finland is enjoying the coldest winter in 50 years we thought at least the greenhouses would be open. If nothing else we reasoned, it would be an adventure.<br /><br />Needless to say it was. We got off at the wrong bus stop in the middle of nowhere and had to walk the last mile and half to the botanical gardens, luckily for us the day was one of those days where the earth is covered in snow and the sun was shining, so despite the cold temperature it was a pleasure to be outside. When we got to the greenhouses I have to say I was impressed and the little one certainly went goggle-eyed as she saw things she had absolutely no comprehension of (gold fish especially!). However it is clear the Ruissalo is somewhere to explore in the summer and in the autumn and is a tiny piece of Finnish nature only a bus ride from our front door.<br /><br />*****<br /><br />My little brother arrives tomorrow and will meet his niece for the first time. I hope she doesn't confuse her daddy with the guy who kind of looks quite like him....<br /><br /><br />*****<br /><br />The kitchen is currently blogging and making tea (or more accurately ignoring what is on the stove and hoping for the best). I am making carrot and celery soup with tarragon for no other reason than I have the ingredients. My inspiration levels have been at the functional for quite some time and I've been more successful at producing better than average lunches than dinners recently. However this week we have managed a rather delicious aubergine and lentil moussaka and now with this soup things are going well. I had an idea today that it was time to start making terrines.<br /><br />*****<br /><br />Finally the other project I have going at the moment is learning to play Day Tripper by The Beatles. I learnt it in F for some reason which seems incredibly complicated compared to using E in the 1st position. Now however I have gone with E and am sliding up to the 7th position which leaves me loads of time to sing the song and play the lead guitar line without looking like a total plonker. It is nowhere near polished yet but it is getting there and the little one is impressed if no one else is.<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-33381145177341386342010-01-22T20:20:00.002+02:002010-01-22T20:42:02.216+02:00Backbeat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S1nsmNWbi2I/AAAAAAAAATw/SbP8HbwMbOY/s1600-h/222px-Coat_of_arms_of_Hamburg.svg.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S1nsmNWbi2I/AAAAAAAAATw/SbP8HbwMbOY/s200/222px-Coat_of_arms_of_Hamburg.svg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429630966934768482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week the Kitchen has been in Hamburg, working hard by day and maybe, just maybe finding a quiet watering hole for a small beer in the evenings. I arrived early on Monday morning and headed for Kiel by train. The lady in the ticket office sold me a rover ticket which meant I could travel on any train in Schleswig-Holstein that day. Speeding over the landscape that was covered in snow a montage of images came and went as we sped along: The field shrouded in mist with roe deer standing and watching the train pass; the field full of sheep (it is strange to report but that was definitely a novelty); the sun burning through and coating the white landscape in a brilliant luminescence before we plunge into the dank cold of Kiel.<br /><br />After that is was back to work in Hamburg and it was an intense couple of days that were challenging and rewarding in parts and deeply frustrating in others. However the evening with colleagues from around Europe were fun, although it seems that this lark fell in with a crowd of owls and learnt that hard way that "one more beer" is a German euphemism for 4 or 5!<br /><br />We were also treated to a walk through St Pauli, it's history (Gaststätte Zur Ritze) and we were told how The Beatles are a Hamburg band. However despite that the enduring image of my night out in Hamburg was of standing down at the Elbe river with it's ice floes looking at Abramovich's yatch in dry dock.<br /><br />However it is now good to be home and to marvel at how the little one has changed in only 4 days. I now have a week off and am looking forward to a little quality time with the family and in the kitchen.<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-44877584743924226822010-01-16T21:13:00.003+02:002010-01-16T21:39:46.778+02:00Tears and inspriations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S1IQBUTpDmI/AAAAAAAAATo/1AA2enPuJAM/s1600-h/G-gata-img01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S1IQBUTpDmI/AAAAAAAAATo/1AA2enPuJAM/s200/G-gata-img01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427418115751874146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Next week the Kitchen will be in Germany. I am travelling again and leaving the boss to fend for herself and for my daughter and heir while I have fun in Hamburg. I am not relishing the 06:00 flight but am looking forward to catching up with colleagues and working on the subject at hand for this session. And maybe, just maybe finding time to enjoy a small glass of German beer.<br /><br />Work in the Kitchen has been a hotch potch recently and I must admit to having borrowed ideas liberally in order to keep myself and the boss fed. I haven't had the energy to be creative on my own. Instead I have been reliant on finding inspiration from others and then either following the recipe or more often than not using it as a guide and following my gut.<br /><br />Today I have had a double dose of this just at the point when I can do nothing about it. However this does mean the boss can look forward to an Aubergine and Lentil Moussaka and some kind of Naan bread topped with aubergine, courgette, pine nuts, feta cheese and mint. The latter came from an home furnishing magazine I was reading at lunch today. It was only two years old and while it was in Finnish I understood what was needed to make the dish...so does half reading and half taking notice of someonelse's recipe written in a foreign language count as stealing it? I think the answer to that is yes.<br /><br />Tonight our little girl howled at the moon in such apparent pain that dinner was at best just a fuel stop for two parents confused at their little baby going bananas on them. I started out by riffing on a Japanese dish of rice with 3 toppings: chicken, egg and green beans. Luckily once it was all cooked I was able to pop it in the oven to keep it warm until our little girl was convinced to sleep. Nothing seemed to work for her: even entreaties in English, Spanish, French and Finnish had no effect and that is unusual. Normally she finds Daddy cooing in French or Finnish to be very amusing.<br /><br />So despite my best efforts to pacify an upset daughter with Finnish I am generally quite pleased with how my Finnish is coming on. Admittedly when a lady spoke to me at length about the Finnish pension system for entrepreneurs in Finnish this week I had to pretend I had a clue what she was talking about. I am just over the moon I have made the leap with the "Puoli" (meaning half) to extending its context to include the idea of a side (as in "this side" and "that side" or the Swedish side of the border). I can't yet use it in a meaningful sentence but I know my Finnish colleagues do so. It is little victories like this which keep you going with a language that is as alien to my English mind as Finnish. In a strange way I find it quite a beautiful language even though it frustrates me on a daily basis.<br /><br />To come back to travelling the kitchen will also be in Toulouse in February and I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. Well first of all I am quite upset that I cannot get back on the day I want to due to flights but Toulouse is the home of Cassolet, one of my all time favourite foods in the world. While I am in Toulouse I wonder if I can eat Cassolet every night in a different place?</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-83054222514996452672010-01-10T08:11:00.004+02:002010-01-10T09:30:30.304+02:00Do be do<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S0lvqwP5wyI/AAAAAAAAATg/J5yyO_KPiVw/s1600-h/DSCN5185.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/S0lvqwP5wyI/AAAAAAAAATg/J5yyO_KPiVw/s200/DSCN5185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424990006441263906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">This weekend we took our first family trip to Helsinki. I had some paperwork to get sorted with the Customs office relating to my car (which is of course managing to be entirely logical and byzantine in its complexity, however I think we are almost there) which provided an excellent excuse to pack the family up and see friends in the big city.<br /><br />I had gone into the railway station in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Turku</span> a week or so ago and tried in my best Finnish to book a special place for us and the pram. When we got on the train we found that the pram went somewhere other than our seats so we abandoned it and headed to our special family compartment. This is a little section of the train with 4 adult seats arranged in a semi circle around a window, a table and a small play area. It's meant for families with small children and it was perfect for us as in the carriage where we left the buggy 3 gentlemen decided that 9am was a suitable time to start drinking beer! The train ride up was great and the little one seemed to take it all in her stride and enjoyed sitting on my knee watching the winter world speed past. The boss took the photo above and I really like it!<br /><br />Once in Helsinki my appointment with customs took less than 15 minutes (when dealing with Finnish bureaucracy it pays to have the original of everything with you!) and we were off to enjoy the weekend. We caught up with some friends who have recently had twin girls who arrived a little early. It was really amazing to see how small the girls were compared to our little monster and to see how well our friends were coping with the rigours of looking after such small babies.<br /><br />Afterwards we went on to another friend who very kindly fed us and housed us! For dinner he cooked Salmon. However rather unusually he cooked it in the dishwasher. While it was an interesting experiment and the sauce (piquant dill sauce) was excellent, I cannot see how the dishwasher really added something to the finished dish apart from the theatre of the cooking process which was undeniable!<br /><br />On Saturday we caught up with more friends just by sitting in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ataneum</span> cafe. It was very busy due to the enormously popular Picasso exhibition. However we ignored the crowds and just made ourselves comfortable in the cafe. After lunch I offered to change the baby and I learnt a valuable lesson: If there is an enormous queue for the ladies toilet and access to the disabled toilet is being guarded by a group of formidable old dears carrying a baby and engaging in a little bit of polite small talk about how she is the first Finnish member of the family will charm even the hardest of old dears. Especially if a) you do it in Finnish and b) the baby smiles at all the right times which our little one did brilliantly! Unsurprisingly the ranks of old dears parted and we were ushered into the baby changing room! Afterwards all the women at the lunch table were adamant that if they had gone with the baby they would not have got through the barricade!<br /><br />Finally it was time to come home and I have to say we were "cream <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">crackered</span>" by the time we got home and put the baby to bed. I rustled up a lazy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">carbonara</span> and we trundled off to bed as soon as was acceptable even if it was ridiculously early. However we have a full day ahead of us and we're off to buy skis!<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-28265172774253495942010-01-06T21:15:00.003+02:002010-01-06T21:27:48.073+02:00Chickpea Ravioli<span style="font-family:verdana;">Surprise me the boss said. I know she's not terribly keen on chickpeas, or if that is unfair there is at least some resistance to them in their whole form. In hummus, mixed with bacon and avocado there is no complaints, but otherwise I sense some hesitation. All this is good background information because in the cupboard a carton of chickpeas has been calling to me and I was resolved to do something with it. So when we were working on the menu plan I casually wrote down Chickpea surprise and passed it over for approval. She saw it and gave it back as a challenge.<br /><br />So I went looking for something unusual to do with chickpeas and quite by chance I came across <a href="http://www.healthyvegankitchen.com/?p=606">this</a> blog posting on The Healthy Vegan Kitchen Blog. I read it, was intrigued and decided to do my own thing with it. However I do need to acknowledge my inspiration and thank <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Debyi</span> for putting the idea in my head!<br /><br />What can I say? This really works. You basically make a ravioli filling with chickpeas, cream cheese, chives, garlic, lemon juice and salt and you serve it with some good home made pesto. Pesto can be made more or less sauce like <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">depending</span> on how much olive oil you add. Here I used more than I would normally so that the pesto would be like a sauce for the ravioli.<br /><br />*****<br /><br />It is still cold here in Finland - the temperatures have been hovering around the -20C now for weeks really. There is no end in sight and we had one occasion in the last week where the temperature dropped so low that the cold water feed to the hot water tank in the garage froze. So to restore hot water, yours truly was up a ladder with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hair</span> dryer thawing out pipes....still the boss and the baby appeared to appreciate it.<br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-46081890031306177702010-01-01T09:09:00.001+02:002010-01-01T09:10:45.811+02:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/Sz2fvpzLZGI/AAAAAAAAATY/HcrkT56XgdY/s1600-h/DSCN4985.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/Sz2fvpzLZGI/AAAAAAAAATY/HcrkT56XgdY/s200/DSCN4985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421665167447123042" border="0" /></a>Welcome to 2010.<br />Hope it is a good one.<br /></div>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-20412025148070723002009-12-31T12:44:00.003+02:002009-12-31T12:54:56.129+02:00Let thy servant depart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SzyAuqWCBbI/AAAAAAAAATQ/GSu4CkYUCzk/s1600-h/DSCN5137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SzyAuqWCBbI/AAAAAAAAATQ/GSu4CkYUCzk/s200/DSCN5137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421349590576268722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So here we are at the end of 2009. I had hoped to finish the year with a post that is half written covering our Christmas adventures and our New Year escapades in the Kitchen. It is a post that also looked forward to the year to come and to the adventures planned and under consideration. As it is unfinished it will have to wait for another day to make its way here. Instead I offer this photo which is of a little bowl of wasabi I made from powder which I added to some Miso, Sake & Mirin and am using as a marinade for some steak which we will cook tonight.<br /><br />The news of the shooting in a shopping centre in Espoo today has however sombred my thoughts and as I sit here surveying the winter wonderland of snow from the comfort and warmth of my living room I cannot but help feeling saddened by what has happened. 4 people killed for no reason other than shopping for groceries. What were their life stories, who is mourning their loss now? I guess I feel all this so keenly because of the precious gift the boss & I have received this year. They all told me parenthood would change everything. I didn't believe any of them at the time and even before this sad news I had already lost count of the number of times they had been proved right. This is supposed to be a time for hope. I hope my blind faith will be enough.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-12758218241023609142009-12-20T21:00:00.003+02:002009-12-20T21:09:57.298+02:00The woods are lovelyOutside the snow is falling and the land is dark. I have had a busy day at work and am in a dreamy mood: the kind of mood that comes from the weather - tonight is the kind of night I remember from within myself: it is the kind of night that is made for walking across fields, through woods, beside rivers, canals for just being out, lost in the myriad millions of snow flakes falling falling falling.<br /><br />I have done such nights many many times in my life and I hope one day soon I will take my daughter Frances out on such a night and introduce her to the beauty of a dark night, a snowy sky, a walk without a destination, the poetry of just being a traveller as a blot on an otherwise quiet world. As a teenager at school I would regularly escape into the snowy nights to wander, into the clear crisp winter nights to wander and see the constellations, into the summer nights to wander yet none of them moved me like the snowy nights when the sky seemed full of wonder falling falling falling. The wind, the dark, the snow, the sound of my feet crunching through fresh snow, the fields luminous and yet indistinct, the woods clear and yet closed and mysterious and the precious moments where the clocks disappeared from the world and the only thing that mattered was how long you wanted to go.<br /><br /><br /><br />The kitchen will be closing for Christmas and I would like to wish all readers a happy Christmas. I will be back in the new year. I know the year ahead has many many exciting adventures planned. I just hope I will be able to put them all here.Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-7856332614256513672009-12-12T09:21:00.004+02:002009-12-13T17:47:08.411+02:00Creeped out in Barkaby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SyNEpvGOd-I/AAAAAAAAATI/agppVyL_b4k/s1600-h/200px-Lettherightoneinswedishbookcover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SyNEpvGOd-I/AAAAAAAAATI/agppVyL_b4k/s200/200px-Lettherightoneinswedishbookcover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414246660837373922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">I've been in Sweden with work this last week. On Monday I found myself in Uppsala waiting for a train to Stockholm and found this book in the store at the station. "Let the right one in" is a tale of vampires, murder, mayhem and the less savoury aspects of life in Stockholm's western suburbs during the long dark Swedish winter. Where did I get off the train and start wandering around in the dim light of dusk? Stockholm's western suburbs. Did it freak me out? Hell yes!<br /><br />The 500 pages of the book only took a few days to read as it was a compelling read. Somehow it took various aspects of the Vampire mythos and turned them on their head in a refreshing way. It then also added to the mix several other normal story lines and characters and let them all begin to converge in a way that moderately predictable. The ending managed to be slightly surprising in the way it unfolded although thinking about it for 10 minutes told me exactly where the clues were. I'm avoiding a precis of the plot as it works on many levels and let us face it and 200year old vampire befriends small boy isn't your average premise for a book. The fact that it jumped into other genres as well; crime, low life, romance only added to the enjoyability of the read.<br /><br />As I am travelling a lot at the moment I am keen to find books that pass the time away, don't demand too much attention and yet are above average quality. This book fits that criteria and it was better vampire book than twilight.<br /><br />So now I am kicking around looking for a new book, preferably still in the Vampire genre which seems to be where my head is at right now.<br /><br /><br />*****<br /><br />While in Stockholm I was lucky enough to have a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner on a boat cruising the archipelago. While it was a huge meat and drink fest which has all the staples of Scandinavian cooking (I felt like a herring the next morning) this one included some of the less often served dishes which I was keen to try: pigs trotters. I understand the whole mind over matter thing and I almost chickened out before the first mouthful however I can recommend them! Of course they are not as good as other bits of the pig but do not be afraid! They are quite fatty and there isn't so much meat on them but they are like eating ham to all intents and purposes and that isn't so bad is it?<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-64051482774535708632009-12-04T15:50:00.003+02:002009-12-04T16:04:52.395+02:00Tabbouleh winter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SxkT0qBXb_I/AAAAAAAAATA/Ll_qiCLe8FQ/s1600-h/DSCN5016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SxkT0qBXb_I/AAAAAAAAATA/Ll_qiCLe8FQ/s200/DSCN5016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411378222616506354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is getting colder in Turku, there has been a hard frost and today the first snow has fallen. What does the kitchen do in a week like this? Cook like it is summer time! We started the week well with some tabbouleh and chicken which with it's lovely parsley freshness really seemed to pep me up from the slumbering darkness. It was remarkable simple to make and I cannot for the life of me think why I haven't made it before. I used the recipe in Leith's cookbook as a guide and towards the end let me taste buds guide me as I added salt, pepper and lemon juice.<br /><br />I think it is an indication of the power of food to evoke memories of times, places and people gone by a long time ago that eating that tabbouleh in a kitchen in Finland put me in mind of a visit to some Lebanese friends of my parents called Sammy & Theresa and how at their house I was given tabbouleh for the first time and eating it again this week was a reminder of how wonderful it was.<br /><br />The other thing to note is that tabbouleh will be a staple in the BBQs that will be a feature of next summer. So easy to make, so good to eat - can I praise this stuff enough?<br /><br />Writing of BBQs my day job is about to launch a frying pan designed specifically for a BBQ, this has me very curious as I have only seen a bad photo of it and it looks like it has lots of holes in the bottom of it. I look forward to seeing it closer up!<br /><br />On Wednesday evening we dabbled with Spanish food - here I used pimenton, sherry vinegar and garlic as a flavour base and added it to onions, pork, tomatoes, mushrooms and chorizo and let them stew. As I served it up with potatoes I realised that if I should have used chickpeas to make it even more authentic.<br /><br />This is a perfect supper dish that demands minimal attention and any left overs can be turned into soup the following day as we did this afternoon for lunch.<br /><br />Tonight we will be making a hearty macaroni cheese, I had thought about burying some asparagus in there to make it more summery but that seems to be trying too hard and maybe on this cold and darkening evening the best thing to do is to make the macaroni cheese as thick and as gloopy as I can manage so that it makes your insides so warm the cold will not touch you.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-42286988007027572662009-11-30T16:02:00.004+02:002009-12-01T10:06:49.413+02:00Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SxTN4ueENKI/AAAAAAAAAS4/LR4Hrs0XhZQ/s1600/gotland.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SxTN4ueENKI/AAAAAAAAAS4/LR4Hrs0XhZQ/s200/gotland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410175426809312418" border="0" /></a><br />So said John Lennon and in one sense I really agree with him, you need to live each and every day. However the boss & I have been making plans today and I am rather pleased with them. OK maybe plans is too grand but decisions from which plans will spring.<br /><br />Initially we had decided to have a holiday in the Peak District next year but have today decided that we will be based somewhere in Sussex or Kent.<br /><br />I am of course sad to be losing out on opportunity to add 3 more mountains to my list but as I was out posting a card to some friends who have just had twins a happy thought occurred to me: With a 9 month old daughter in tow the most arduous thing that will be required of me on this holiday will be to sit in an english pub garden and supervise her. Now just imagine if that pub served Harvey's bitters....<br /><br />*****<br /><br />We're also going to be in Gotland with friends in August. Am quite excited about this, there is something about watching the sun set over the Rauks on the northern part of Gotland that captures my imagination. That together with a simple cabin and plenty of BBQ's and time to relax and unwind with friends that makes me feel these last few weeks of increasing darkness will be manageable and the corner of the year is not as far away as it seems.Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-90371802597146376062009-11-30T09:42:00.003+02:002009-11-30T09:56:05.934+02:00Moussaka<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last week I did a strange thing: I volunteered to make Moussaka. My wife could be described, without exaggeration, a being something of a moussaka fiend. She loves it. I am somewhat ambivalent about it, mostly because I don't get aubergines. I know people rave about them, and I know in Southern Spain they deep fry them in batter and serve them with honey and they are lovely, but somehow the ones we buy and cook here in Finland seem to be missing something. Or maybe how I am cooking them is wrong? I should qualify further and say I love how they look - they are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">definately</span> one of the cooler vegetables but somehow there is something lost between the time I begin chopping them and when they arrive on the plate.<br /><br />However to come back to the moussaka, I was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span> baking the aubergines in the oven and I had sliced them in the mandolin but they were too thin when they were <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">finnish</span> cooking. So my tip to myself and to whoever reads this is to be brave when making moussaka and slice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">thise</span> aubergines thicker than you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">initally</span> feel is wise.<br /><br />******<br /><br />Today is a day off and I have some serious menu planning to do. There is, of course, this week and as an extra I have to organise next week as well because I will be in Stockholm with work. She will have her hands full with the baby but will still need to eat while the chef is away! I cannot let her eat her standard Pasta Surprise for 4 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So I will use this week to make some good food that can be used next week. I suppose that one advantage of not speaking the language of the country you live in is that is makes her ordering take away pizza by phone nearly impossible...<br /><br />*****<br /><br />We have some cracked wheat sitting in the cupboard so I think I am going to have a crack at some tabbouleh as hopefully it's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Mediterranean</span> flavours will freshen up the dark days we have as we wait for the shortest day. I think that will be the theme of the menu: sunshine and warmth.<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-10677937355986361132009-11-26T11:17:00.004+02:002009-11-26T11:26:39.749+02:00Thursday musings<span style="font-family: verdana;">I have a bottle of Hoisin sauce my father bought when he came to visit a few weeks ago and it is calling to me, wanting to be used. Life has been busy and opportunities to use it have come and gone. Other things needed eating up, I fancied making other dishes, you know how it is. The balance between work and life have been muddled (what else is to be expected with a 10 week old baby in the house?) so the bottle has been left alone.<br /><br />The thing is I don't know what hoisin sauce is, what it is used for and why you might want to use it. As someone who loves to scratch cook I even enjoy making my own sauces and stocks so am innately suspicious of shop bought sauces like this. I even bought and used, <span style="font-style: italic;">in extremis</span>, some minced garlic made by the same company and found it to be disgusting and lacking in any kind of garlic taste. And yet. And yet the hoisin calls to me still.<br /><br />So we have a situation where I don't know what to do with it and I'm not sure I like it anyway. It's going to be a great meal when it comes out! This is the essence of the kitchen, getting the best out of what you have around you to feed body and soul.<br /><br />Wish me luck!<br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-12803852503912917062009-11-22T11:05:00.006+02:002009-11-22T13:28:57.316+02:00Bacchus and the meal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/Swj_Rx5tJQI/AAAAAAAAASw/luQvvD0hRrc/s1600/allora.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 62px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/Swj_Rx5tJQI/AAAAAAAAASw/luQvvD0hRrc/s200/allora.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406852033576510722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Finally a story. When we lived in Helsinki a neighbor of ours told us about how the people who work in the Alko are trained to give recommendations about which wines can go with which foods but most of the time they only get to point people to the Korsenkorva. He then went on to relate how he went into his local Alko and the sales assistant's eyes</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">lit up when asked to advise on wine. So I decided to put this to the test.<br /><br />I had sketched out doing something with chicken and chili and inspired by my neighbours tale I went into the alko and got my recommendation despite delivering one of my worst performances ever in the mangling the Finnish language. The recommendation was this Allora pictured above.<br /><br />Needless to say I never cooked anything with chili and chicken and the bottle was just enjoyed at some other time that seemed right.<br /><br />*****<br /><br />Two months later I decided to see if this wine really went with chili and chicken, did the lady in the Helsinki alko get it right?<br /><br />*****<br /><br /><br />Serves 2<br />1 bottle of allora negroamaro (Alko product code 409797)<br /><br />1 chicken breast cubed<br />3 dried red chillies crushed, flaked or otherwise made small and bitty<br />1 tsp black peppercorns<br />1 tsp green peppercorns<br />Sesame oil<br />1 dash of sake<br /><br />Put all the ingredients in a bowl and marinade for the whole day. When ready stir fry in a hot wok and serve immediately.<br /><br />To serve I decided to cook some sticky rice and peas and a little side of yellow peppers and mushrooms with chopped ginger stir fried. You can increase or decrease the amount of ginger used to taste but I decided to do this because ginger does have a heat that compliments the chili. The only other thing to note is I served this side in a little dish separate from the main to make sure the flavours had some integrity.<br /><br />The result? Excellent, the wine held it's own against the strong chili flavours. It was just a shame that our daughter decided to cry her way through the whole experience meaning that we ate with more of a hurry than such a simple and straightforward yet pleasing meal deserved.<br /><br />So if you are ever in the alko looking for a bottle of wine you should be confident that the staff will be able to recommend a bottle to go with your ingredients.<br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-31013955391901383842009-11-16T20:10:00.004+02:002009-11-16T20:25:44.025+02:00Across the universe<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Cycling home from work tonight was like tumbling effortlessly through time. The rain and the wind pushed against me and yet the bike moved almost by itself as my mind allowed itself to wander. The weather was the catalyst for the strange place I ended up in. Although I actually managed to be on my way home before 4.30pm the dark and dank nature of the world made it seem like much later and by the time I got home one hour later I felt like I was awake in the middle of the night.<br /><br />The original plan for tea revolved around a squash, some lemon grass and coriander and none of these were available in the supermarket today when the boss reported the results of her foraging expedition. So cycling home I decided to drop into the swankiest department store in town (Stockmann's for any Finns reading this) and while I found all three the recipe called for 250g of pumpkin and all they had was a 5kg pumpkin costing 18€! Next I tried the Kauppahalli but there was nothing and finally the eco shop which was just as fruitless. So I got home feeling like I had travelled much further across space and time than was usual.<br /><br />However</span> a little baby and her mother helped me back to normality but we still had the challenge of dinner, so here is a simple way to save a Monday night supper using one pan. It is based on the gypsy eggs idea.<br /><br />400g tomatoes<br />400g large white beans (this is cooked weight)<br />1 small red onion chopped<br />1 small red chili deseeded<br />Half an aubergine<br />1 carrot chopped<br />1 potato chopped<br />200g chorizo<br />Water<br />Thyme<br />2 eggs<br />Olive oil<br />Salt & Pepper<br /><br />Warm the olive oil in the pan and gently fry the onion, carrot, chorizo and chili.<br />Add the beans and the tomatoes<br />Add water to take the liquid in the dish up to where you want it (less more a meal, more it's closer to a soup - it is your choice)<br />Add the aubergine and potato, herbs and salt & pepper.<br />Put the lid on and let it simmer for 20-30 mins<br />Break 2 eggs into it and let them cook in the juices<br />Serve<br /><br />I sprinkled a little pimenton over it when I served it up which was a nice little touch. I recommend a lovely apple crumble with thick custard as dessert as well.<br /><br /><br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865462797751931273.post-86757409198412059932009-11-08T21:14:00.006+02:002009-12-13T17:47:32.928+02:00Vampires, Danes & Grandparents<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SvcYuNvchlI/AAAAAAAAASo/-G5prj7RSZk/s1600-h/twlight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 180px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwVmpCAVNIY/SvcYuNvchlI/AAAAAAAAASo/-G5prj7RSZk/s200/twlight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401813460295910994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm just back from a long long long wait at Copenhagen airport that stretched interminably. It got so bad that I bought Twilight and have been addicted to it ever since. The last time I checked I am not the target group for this book - 17yrs old, nope, female, nope....and yet and yet. I have to say it is for the most part poorly written but there are odd flashes of a well turned phrase and it did its job of keeping me amused as the hours rolled by as the story was well paced. The concept is also a good one. The question now is whether I go on and read the rest....as I have several encounters with Copenhagen airport coming up I fear I already know the answer.<br /><br />Update:<br />This morning I have decided not to bother with the rest of the books but my curiosity did get the better of me and I read the precis of the rest of the saga on the internet. I have to say that what I learnt only confirmed to me that I made the right decision.<br /><br />I have been thinking about this some more so this is kind of a second update here and I have to reflect back to when I read Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice many years ago and then went on to read other books in the series which were increasingly batty and bad. The law of diminishing returns applies. I think the same will be true of the Twilight saga.<br /><br />*****<br /><br />My parents have been staying with us, spending time with their new grand <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">daughter</span> and as today is Fathers Day in Finland we made a lovely dinner of<br /><br />Lamb shanks cooked in vermouth and cream with leek and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mushrooms</span><br />Mashed potatoes<br />Honey glazed carrots and an onion sauce<br /><br />This was followed by<br /><br />Bread and butter pudding which with the addition of Baileys was quite magnificent.<br /><br />It sounds kind of a simple <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sunday</span> dinner and in many ways it was but it was rich, and filling and the perfect thing to eat on a grey <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sunday</span>. We hadn't done much at all, enjoyed the baby's company, I had raked all the leaves up in the garden and we had all walked to the local <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cemetery</span> to look at the graves in the late autumn light. Somehow the quietness of the day was balanced by the full, rich food as we all sat around the table. It was a meal as a moment, a meal as a celebration and a meal as an everyday happening. 3 generations, one table, one meal, one moment. How good is that?<br /></span>Pebblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12357764286276369539noreply@blogger.com0