Waiting for the Bus

- posted by Kieke @ 14:38

 
Creamy Potatoes
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Wash and slice firm potatoes. Peel and slice onion.
Lay them in an ovenproof dish, in layers or scattered, whatever.
Add salt and pepper.
Pour a mixture of milk and cream (and sueezed garlic) over it.
You may top it with crated cheese, but you needn't.
Bake covered in an 180 C. oven until almost done. Then some 10 minutes more uncovered for the golden finish.

Serve with a crispy green salad.
- posted by Kieke @ 15:59

 
Winterland

- posted by Kieke @ 15:08

 
Marrowfat Peas
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These rainy dark days I felt like eating an old-fashioned dish: marrowfat peas with bacon, onions and molasses.

Soak the peas overnight and boil them in water with herbs: bay leaf, sage, rosemary etc. You can also add a carrot and half and onion if you like.
Fry smoked bacon cubes in a little vegetable oil until crisp, add lots of thinly sliced onions and cook until soft and fragrant. You may add a little chopped red pepper for some zest.
Toss in the drained peas, from which you have fished the herbs, and warm through. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve with molasses drizzled on top and a green salad.

Not entirely vegetarian, but I don't know what can replace the smoky flavour of the bacon. It goes so well with the sweetness of the molasses!
- posted by Kieke @ 11:10

 
Waterpret

- posted by Kieke @ 10:57

 
The Better Deal
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Some encounters can light your day in a flash.

We were taking leave of our friends. Dog into the boot of the car, bags on the backseat. In the confusion our friend bumped into a young man who was cycling on the pavement.
"Oh, sorry," said our frined.
"No, no," answered the cyclist, "I'm doing something that is illegal."
"So am I," said our friend, while he kissed me goodbye.
"Ah!" returned the man, as he bumped off the pavement. "But you are having the better deal!"
- posted by Kieke @ 12:47

 
Little P.

- posted by Kieke @ 12:02

 
A's Neighbourhood
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A’s neighbourhood in London is mixed: mixed race, mixed class, mixed established/trendy. About half the corners in her street are occupied by newsagents-cum-local stores, invariably run by South Asians. They sell a lot of sweets and potato chips, cigarettes, liquor, an occasional apple or onion, and watery milk. It is a miracle they survive, but they do have a clientele.
Around the station the level of yuppiness rises: a French delicatessen, selling wine, croissants, cheeses, and rillettes in glass jars. The shop across from it is harder to place: fresh espresso in paper cups, meat, tinned vegetables, and fresh bread. I don’t get it. What’s their formula?
But hey! Who cares, if they offer good bread. . . .
From there we go to the shop on the hill, which caters for the environmentally conscious. Next to it an Indian restaurant with Formica tables, and further down a supplier of household goods – brooms and light bulbs –, and another of faucets, or television screens.
Thank goodness for the yuppie quasi supermarket, that has fresh local produce, eggs, good coffee, and all the other daily necessities. It also offers espresso in paper cups.
But hey! Who cares!
- posted by Kieke @ 10:22

 
Learning to Ride the Scooter

- posted by Kieke @ 17:46

 
Chanterelles on Toast
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Last night we had not enough left-over sourkraut for a whole meal, so I added an appetizer:

Fry some finely chopped shallots in butter with a little oil.
Add cleaned (with a brush) and chopped chanterelles and cook for a few minutes on a high heat.
Stir in some crème fraîche or double cream, loads of chopped parsley, salt and lots of pepper.
Serve immediately on freshly toasted slices of whole grain bread.

To me this brings back wet autumnal walks, looking for mushrooms. Then bringing home their woody smell and cooking them for lunch.
- posted by Kieke @ 11:21