Yesterday was one of those days where I felt disinclined to do anything. It was raining, off and on, as it has been for much of the week (and is again today). We did manage to wander up to the markets and get some more seedlings, so my tiny little vegetable garden now contains: asparagus (which is thriving), broccoli, brussel sprouts, rainbow chard, bok choy, various lettuces, broad beans, fennel, beetroot, leeks and carrots. I think that's all. It sounds quite bountiful, but considering there are no more than half a dozen of any one plant, we won't exactly be self-sufficient!
I wasn't in the mood for thinking about cooking, so Andrew chose the dinner dish - steak and oyster pies. Unfortunately, thanks to my inertia, we got started rather late, the filling took longer than the recipe suggested and we didn't end up eating until after 8pm. Happily, however, the pies were delicious, especially the lard pastry ... I did also make a quince and pear crumble (almond meal in the crumble), but we haven't eaten that yet. I was going to have it for breakfast today but Phoebe was determined to have pancakes and bacon with maple syrup (other Australians think we're nuts, but we like this North American combination), so the crumble might have to wait for this evening. Or afternoon tea?
You would think, wouldn't you, given the stuff I cook and eat on the weekends, that I'd be the size of a house? I'm sure I would be if I ate things like LARD pastry all week, but in my defence, during the week I cooked much more healthy things like soup (lentil one night; pumpkin later in the week), fennel & cannelini (sp?) bean stew with chorizo, etc. Plus I seem to have my late father's genetic predisposition to scrawniness. Just as well.
Gifts of the Season
4 days ago
5 comments:
Goodness you are all on quince! I'm very envious and yes jumpsuits are the way to go. Your veg growing is beating mine.
How lucky you are not to have inherited your mother's physique! Can't wait to get amongst your vegie garden. How's the quince tree I bought you growing? And Phoebe's blossom tree?
MDS, I have a well-documented 'thing' for quince :). So very tempted by the ASOS jumpsuit you pictured plus a J Crew one on net-a-porter ...
Ma, hopefully the vegies will actually be at harvesting point when you're here. Quince tree is in but not looking happy, but I can't tell if that's just because it's almost winter! The crab apple is thriving.
I've never heard of steak and oyster pie (steak and kidney, yes, steak and stilton, yes, but not s&o) -- but I like steak, love oysters, and I make a mean lard pastry, so maybe it's time to check it out -- although it sounds more a winter dish than a summer one, so maybe I should wait a few months. . . the veggie garden is going to be great!
Mater, it is apparently an English thing - funnily enough I'd never come across it either, then just today I found a reference to the tradition of slipping an oyster into a pie before baking. It was very tasty. I'm glad I'm not the only one who still makes lard pastry!
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