detailing my explorations of the gastronomic universe
I’ve been trying with frustration to make a couple of crumpet recipes to work for a while now, but tonight by dint of completely misreading the recipe I managed to get it right! The entire process takes about 3 hours (what with all the rising time!) but it’s really worthwhile. So before I forget below [...]
For the past week I’ve been cooking another 2 curries (or curry & pilau) approx. every second day, which is working really well – we have at least 3 curries & a pilau for dinner each night and it’s fairly varied as we use up the older curries & add in the new ones. And [...]
1) have an exit strategy ready – trying to produce one when it is needed often leads to a shambles (& potentially arrest), the local drug dealer was standing on his bike, ready to go at the slightest whisper of ‘you’re nicked’ 2) don’t get too close to your business partners or their failure may [...]
and I’m not talking about exceptional £10 wines here! Last night we had a simple little Corbieres from Tesco, producer Lionel Faivre year 2000. It tasted quite fresh & nicely of damson plums. Nothing spectacular, but for around £5 very drinkable. I’m still angry though that I got the 2 cases I got to fill [...]
I found this recipe in The Age a long time ago & it’s very good. With lentils I don’t worry too much if I don’t have the correct variety, I use whatever is to hand rather than go out on a special shopping expedition! 200g chana dhal (lentils) vege oil either 1 large onion sliced [...]
150g split yellow lentils vege oil 60g dessicated coconut soaked for an hour in 60mL water (I’m going to try it dry next time) 7 dried red chillies 2tsp corainder seeds 1 tsp split chickpeas (chana dal) 1 tsp split black lentils (urid dal) 1tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 500g basmati rice 50g tamarind [...]
mmmm cake! This is exceedingly easy to make & tastes a bit like anzac biscuits! It’s nice & moist and would work as a pudding with custard. Don’t worry the mix is really liquid, it turns out fine! Preheat the over to 150 deg. Melt in the microwave a mix of: 200mL milk 2 tbs [...]
This is a serious beast of a wine. I loved it & in researching the price in Oz just now I discovered that Robert Parker did too, giving it 92 points (which equates to something like ‘a wine of exceptional quality’). Massive rich fruit (black cherry & plum) underlaid with spicey notes from the fruit [...]
Lebanese wine! A first for me, and since firsts are becoming more rare wine-wise I was very excited! On buying it my nice salesman at Uncorked told me that it is completely unlike other Lebanese wines – consistent, unoxidised, nice to drink… How could I resist? Now I haven’t drunk a cinsault based wine before [...]
My poor little pud expired recently. She was only 19. I thought she had a few more years in her