"GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD"

It's a crappy day here today with torrential rain so it doesn't look like golf is on the agenda.

I've been lazing around reading and listening to music but thought I'd better make a loaf of bread.

I have two breadmakers.

The Breville Bakers Oven is the original I bought some years ago and that got me enthused in bread making.

This model bakes 1KG and 750gm loaves. I usually use it for the 750gm setting .

The other oven I have is the Sunbeam Bakehouse 4500 which bakes 500gm loaves. I use this when I don't want a larger loaf, or for fruit loaves as it has a neat fruit and nut dispenser fitted.

Today I'm using the Breville for a mixture of Country Grain and Soy and Linseed that I buy in bulk from Binn Inn.

I should have started the bake earlier as it takes about 3 hours and would have been nice to have a fresh bread sandwich with a couple of slices of the meatloaf left over from last night's dinner. Never mind, I'll have a slice or two with dinner.

I have six different bread mixes (from Binn Inn) and a lot of different flours from which I knock up my own blend. To be honest though, the Binn Inn mixes are better.

I like sourdough bread but you can't get a pre-mix for this as you have to start from scratch using a fermented dough mix. It takes a lot longer which is why I've never bothered.

Maybe I'll give it a go some day.

BETTER THAN FASTING

Being locked down isn't a problem if you know how to cook.
Fortunately I and the fellow bloggers in this community know how to cook (although Robert is maybe overly reliant on the use of his pie-maker).

We've got a reasonably stocked pantry, fridge and freezer so making a different and interesting meal each night is easy. We're fortunate though in not having a household full of children which, no doubt is a problem for families who have been, prior to lockdown, used to indulging their kids in takeaways like KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Often in these cases good home-cooked food isn't liked or wanted by the kids.

On Neighbourly recently I saw an interesting idea from a couple who have three kids. To bribe the kids to behave they promised them one of their favourite takeaway meals.
Fortunately these parents own and run a design business so they downloaded images and logos off the McDonald's website and created cartons, place mats and other items to hold the home-made burgers and chips that they cooked while they sent the kids out of the house. The result was 'Big Mac' type burgers and shoe-string chips that the kids absolutely loved. This was clever and fun.

Thinking of this I went over the types of food we cook at home and, among the more 'serious' meals we make are some nice simple, wholesome and completely home-made versions of fish and chips, tacos, pizzas, pies and other 'meals' that can be bought at fast food outlets. Fried chicken isn't included in our menus as we can't stand that KFC rubbish but I'm sure that others could do so.
Again on Neighbourly I read that some guy had experimented and perfected the 'Colonel's secret coating' for Kentucky Fried chicken and was making it at home.

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

Yesterday when food shopping I went to New World on the other side of town because I wanted to buy a couple of bottles of Taittinger Champagne as it was on special ($20 a bottle off).
The place was crowded - with old people.

I felt right at home but it really pisses me off that old people can't drive or park their supermarket trolleys very well. They leave them in the middle of the aisles, parked at all angles and it's hard to get past the silly old duffers. I don't know how they manage to drive their cars to the shops and park them .... oh. that's right I do ....THE SAME BLOODY WAY!

Anyway, I discovered to my delight that Tuesday was Gold Card day at this supermarket and if you are a gold card holder you get 5% off your groceries (not the wine unfortunately).  Still, every saving helps when you're retired.

In the vegetable and fruit section, when I got to the bananas I could smell them quite strongly. A lot looked a bit manky and it appeared that they'd been pulled out of the warehouse where they'd been sitting for ages under a cloud of preservative gases. On 'release' they quickly deteriorate.

I chose three that looked a bit greener than the others, dithered a bit and was about to put them back when I spied an old woman with her eyes on my bananas (you don't often get to say that). I kept them.

Big mistake.

This morning when having my muesli and blueberries I selected one of the bananas. It was buggered. Into the compost bin it went.
I selected another. This also showed extensive browning but I sliced some of the better bits into my cereal. The third one I left and I'll use this in a tuna and banana toasted sandwich tomorrow if it hasn't entirely rotted away.

I shouldn't have bought these bananas. I knew something was wrong by the smell surrounding the display.
I'd take them back and complain if it wasn't so far to drive.
A tip: Always keep your supermarket receipts as there is invariably a product not up to standard. It's worth making a complaint and getting your money back. Foodstuffs (New World, Pak n Save, Four Square) seem to have a policy of asking if you want a receipt or not. A lot of people think that this is a way of saving paper. I think it's a way of making it difficult to make a claim if something isn't right.

I've learned via Youtube some tricks for keeping vegetables at home but have yet discovered how best to keep bananas (assuming you are sensible and buy ones in good condition at the start).

• Carrots. Clean them and cut off the ends. Put them in a container of water and keep in fridge. They will last for weeks this way.
• Spring onion. Stand in a glass of water and keep in fridge.
• Asparagus, leek, broccoli etc. - ditto
• Salad leaves. Take a large container and line the bottom with a paper towel. Layer half or a third of the leaves (spinach, rocket, salad mix) and cover with a paper towel. Repeat and cover with towel. Put lid on container. Store in fridge. These will be good for a week.

Take it easy out there.

A LITTLE FEAST

The Old Girl's been really busy the last few weeks and this weekend she's staying in Auckland.
Last weekend we were both  in Auckland and the previous weekend she stayed in Auckland. This has meant that the cooking for one that I'm used to during the week has stretched to a couple of weekends as well. This is OK as I'm a dab hand at stir-fries, salads, pasta sauces, pizzas and various one-pot dishes but tonight I feel like something a bit special.

I'm making schnitzel the way The Old Girl and I invented which is not veal (weiner). We use a small piece of eye-fillet steak and slice it thinly and then cover in an egg and breadcrumb mix. The result is delicious as eye-fillet steak sliced thinly and quickly pan-fried is extremely tender. To slice evenly it pays to have the steak slightly frozen.
To go with this I have broccoli and fresh green beans and have decided to make a small, one-portion size dish of Potato Dauphinoise. I have a little bit of pumpkin in the fridge so will add this to the potatoes and cream and cheese. Yummy!

I have a Central Otago pinot noir rose to go with this.

NEW YEAR'S DINNER

OK, Christmas is over and you've had your pork rolls and pasta dishes but there's no reason to give up on fancy cooking.

I've discovered a good and easy recipe for Beef Wellington that I recommend you try at New Years.
The Old Girl's birthday is a week after New Year so I think I'll give this a go then.
In the past any beef Wellington dishes I've tried have been disappointing being variously soggy, undercooked, overcooked, flavourless. I've never tried to cook one myself as the recipes have been uninspiring.
Now Gordon Ramsay is an opinionated prat but he is a good and practical cook. I was impressed when watching the video below and I think that I will be able to make a good go of this.


BEEF WELLINGTON

BIG CHICKEN

I had a hankering for a big chicken or similar for Christmas this year.

"What do you want a big chicken for?" asked The Old Girl. "There will only be the two of us".

"I know" I said "but I've got this idea in my head. You know how I get".

"Tell me about it" she muttered.

*****************

I thought about the options:

•  Turkey (too big and too dry)
•  Goose (where would you buy them?)
•  Duck (too strongly flavoured

and settled on capon. Capon?

capon

/ˈkeɪp(ə)n/

noun

1. a castrated domestic cock fattened for eating.

Well I searched everywhere and discovered an Auckland gourmet specialty supermarket taking orders for them which was impractical so I gave up on that idea.

Over the last couple of weeks I visited a half dozen supermarkets and butcher shops and found one supersize chicken which I cleared space for in the freezer and froze.

This morning I asked The Old Girl when I should take the chicken out of the freezer in readiness for cooking on Christmas morning. She said "tomorrow morning - don't forget" which kind of rang warning bells for me. I might take it out tonight and put in the fridge just to be on the safe side.

Things only got worse from here.

"Will it fit in the crockpot?" she interrogated asked.

"We're roasting it" I answered.

"I like to half cook chickens in the crockpot first" she said.

"Oh" I said.

"Oh?" she quizzed.

"It'll be too big to go in the crockpot" I answered. "It's a big chicken.

"Oh" she said.

.............

"Did you buy a roasting bag?" she asked.

"A roasting bag" I answered .

"A big roasting bag" she stressed.

"Umm ... no" I answered starting to think that this whole exercise is falling into the too hard to be bothered category.

"I'll roast it in the oven covered in tin foil" I came up with.

She just looked at me.

"Eventually she said "You're on your own with that Matey!"

"Fuck"

CHRISTMAS SNACKERS

It's that time of year when we get a bit loose and let our hair down (those of us with some to spare).
The weather is improving - not necessarily drier but definitely warmer so we can strip off and get into a holiday mood.

There's one major thing that gets in the way of good times, conviviality and well being though.

CHRISTMAS

This outdated institution that's variously been taken over by retailers and christians and screwed to the nth degree bizarrely has Northern hemisphere imagery and trappings that are all to do with winter season. People in the Southern hemisphere who adopt it decorate their houses with 'snow' covered pine trees, dress in red woolen outfits and plan gargantuous feasts of roast meats and vegetables and steamed puddings. What's that all about?

Richard (of RBB)* who for all normal purposes appears to be a bit of an eccentric and, to quote his dearly departed mother 'A bit of a crank' has however got this Christmas dinner thing into some sort of perspective. For the last few years he has created Christmas 'dinners' on non-traditional themes and has used seasonal produce. It hasn't been unusual around at Richard's place for his guests to be offered a vegetarian pasta dish or a bhajee pavlova to go with the chardonnay and Chardon.

This year The Old Girl and I will not be entertaining guests for Christmas day and the days to follow so won't go in for the 'Siege of Mafeking' shopping expedition and will not be spending half the day cooking, setting the table and eating. We have an extra large chicken (I couldn't secure a capon) to roast and will have that with seasonal vegetables followed by a custard fruit flan. Wine will be vintage Champagne.

I'm picking her up from the bus this afternoon and will do the supermarket shopping first, allowing at least an extra half an hour to battle the hoards. I won't be buying a lot of supplies though as along with the lighter Christmas Day provisioning we will be keeping the rest of the holiday period basic.

So - what to eat during the Christmas and New year period?

The answer - sandwiches.

These can be:

• Normal

• Open

• Toasted

I plan to use some good old favourite combinations with the addition of some seasonal themes.

Here are some likelihoods:

Normal

Ham, tomato, cheese and lettuce - a traditional favourite that can be jazzed up with relishes and mustards and can benefit from some Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi.

Leftover chicken.

Vegemite and raspberry jam - still popular at our place.

Peanut butter and blackcurrant jelly with a touch of hot mustard - a nod to Trumpland which I've been following for at least the last year.

Cucumber.

Chocolate and cheese - sliced Whittakers chocolate and Colby cheese, a new addition to the menu.


Open

This is a great way of using up anything in the fridge or pantry and is like a light meal really. Eggs, salmon, tuna, tomatoes and dried meats all go well and can be put together in interesting combinations. This season I'll experiment with omelette, wiener schnitzel, curried egg and lasagne.


Toasted

Like the normal sandwich, the old favourites for toasted will find favour. Ham and cheese, tomato and cheese, cheese and onion and cheese and pineapple will be staples but we'll also have:

Bacon and potato - garlic sauteed bacon with some sliced leftover cooked potato.

Tuna and banana - always a hit at our place.

Buffalo Mozzarella, thickly sliced tomato (skin removed) and basil.

Leftover Bolognese sauce or mince.

Fruitcake. If you get the outside of the toastie golden and crispy this is delicious.


Enjoy!

* Richard (of RBB) cooked me a 'gourmet' lunch once at his Christchurch flat in the mid 1970s. It was baked beans with some grated cheese melted into it.