Teapot people

In the 11 days since DP’s been home, we’ve had two sets of houseguests (the first was here for five days, and the second for three), plus Sunday lunch guests in the gap in between. All invited by my husband (who continues to claim that he’s shy and introverted), and all primarily, or originally, professional connections of his. And all, therefore, people to whom I privately refer as ‘teapot people’.

I don’t know if this is a distinction only I make. I’m not a serious tea drinker, but when I do make myself a cup of tea, I make it with a teabag straight in the mug. I do the same for any friends who happen to be hanging around who are in the mood for a cuppa. Breaking out the teapot is serious business, reserved for more formal circumstances: usually people that I don’t yet know very well or, if I do, with whom I still have the kind of relationship where I stand on ceremony, even if we’ve spent a lot of time together. Respected elders, that kind of thing. People in front of whom I sit up straight at the table, and try not to swear.

But I will still feed them Italian peasant food for dinner. Sometimes you just have to let the real you shine through.

Ratatouille minestrone

I think this is really more what my ancestors would call giambotta, but more people are familiar with minestrone, so let’s go with that. I was inspired to make this because it solved two conundrums: 1. what to do with a vat of leftover ratatouille from Sunday lunch; and 2. what to feed houseguests for a late, light dinner that could mostly be prepped ahead of time?

Since this is a creative re-purposing of leftovers, I’m going to give you the sequence of events, rather than a recipe per se.

On Sunday, I chopped:

1 large red bell pepper/capsicum

1 large red onion

5 medium zucchini/courgettes

1 medium eggplant

1 dozen large cherry tomatoes

I tossed the chunks with olive oil, stuck them in the oven, and roasted them for about 45 minutes until they looked ready to eat. When they came out, I tossed them with lemon juice, salt, and black pepper and served them.

This turned out to be way more than enough vegetables for four adults and one child (along with peposo alla notturno, garlic mashed potatoes, and rolls), and at least 50% of it went into the fridge as leftovers. So, on Tuesday, I did the following:

-       chopped up and briefly sautéed 4 slices of Italian salami, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil with 2 anchovies

-       dumped this mixture into my slow cooker

-       deglazed the frying pan with about half a glass of red wine and added that to the slow cooker as well

-       added the leftover ratatouille

-       poured in about half of a bottle of tomato passata and the same amount of water

-       drained, rinsed, and added a can of chick peas

I stirred this all together, clapped the lid on the slow cooker, and left it to stew for about 3 hours on high while we were all out attending to various commitments. Then, just before serving, I seasoned with salt and a generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper, as well as a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

I served it topped with grated pecorino romano cheese and accompanied by pesto cheese crostini – thin slices of bread brushed with oil, topped with pesto and grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, and grilled briefly in the oven.

I’m still eating the leftovers. They get better every day.

June wrap-up

June is almost over, and that means it's winter in Canberra now for real. This tree is now completely bare, so I'm glad I got a picture of it early in the month when it was in its full autumn glory. Here are some of the other things we were up to this month:

DP's birthday, which involved a cake disaster of epic proportions - I used a cake stand I'd never used before, and it overbalanced while I was frosting, causing the top layer to fall on the floor. We managed to salvage it, somewhat; it didn't look too good, but it was still an edible finale to DP's traditional birthday dinner of steak au poivre, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed greens.

Winter in Canberra is seriously dry, and not just for humans. I noticed that all my wooden utensils were looking dried out, so after some extensive internet searching on various methods, I decided to try walnut oil. My utensils loved it, and so did my hands, plus it's food safe and a little goes a long way. I recommend trying it.

As part of my continuing efforts to waste not, I collected all the stems I had chopped off of several batches of kale and spinach, tossed them with oil, and roasted them as an experiment. The results were promising, but the idea needs more work. Stay tuned.

Miss B's school had a phys. ed. event where all the students rotated around a series of activities placed all around the grounds. This meant lots of extra parents around to help with organizing, and I offered to bring something in to supplement the food we'd be cooking the canteen. I made a batch of oat-fruit bars filled with homemade strawberry-quince jam. (Note quality-control sample at bottom left.)

On one of my canteen days, I also got a special treat - we've had a grandmother visiting in Canberra for several weeks from Canada, and she's been volunteering with us in the canteen as part of spending time with her granddaughter. As a goodbye gift, she brought in a batch of butter tarts, a classic Canadian dessert I've heard lots about but never had the chance to try. They're very rich and delicious - kind of like tiny pecan pies without the pecans.

 DP went on a two-week trip, which always means special treats for Miss B - including one of her favorites for Sunday-morning breakfast: rainbow pancakes.

 Miss B wanted to make a card for her grandmother's birthday, and I decided to join her. (I didn't notice until I posted this picture that I spelled 'Happy' with 3 p's - apparently I got carried away with the rainbow coloring!)

And today DP came home from his trip, laden with gifts for all - including a ceremonial (but real, and very heavy!) kukri that was presented to him as a thank you by the regiment he visited.

How's your June been?

English cuisine

No, this is not an oxymoron, I swear. Really, it’s not.

During the near-decade that we lived in Oxford, one of the questions I was most commonly asked about England by non-English people was, “How’s the food?” Usually accompanied by an anticipatory grimace, prompted by all the stories they’d heard about awful English food, or by memories of crummy meals they’d eaten themselves in tourist-trap London pubs.

My standard answer was not what they expected. I usually responded, “Expensive.”

Oxford is by far the most expensive place I have ever lived, and we spent our whole time there living on essentially one income. (First DP was a student and I worked full-time; then he worked full-time and I worked part-time and looked after Miss B.) Even grocery shopping was pricey, and eating out was an occasional luxury, usually involving a cheap-and-cheerful curry at our favorite Indian or burgers at one of the local pubs.

But once in a blue moon, we’d get the chance for a really nice meal out – visiting parents, work dos, or a splurge we’d saved up for. It was at one of these that I first discovered sticky toffee pudding. From then on, I sought it out whenever I went to a restaurant serving classic English food. It is far and away my favorite example of true English sweet cookery – a sucker-punch of moist, rich, toffee-soaked deliciousness. It's the perfect end to a Sunday lunch on a cold winter day.

Sticky toffee pudding
Adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
My main adaptation of this recipe was to halve it, and even this makes for 6 serious servings. The original recipe suggests baking the cake in a muffin tin for ease of serving later; I use my dessert shell pan, which cooks the batter into 6 cakes, each with a bowl-shaped indentation in the top, the better to fill with toffee sauce and ice cream.

Cake

1 cup/6 oz/180 g chopped dates

.75 cup/6 oz/180 ml water

.75 tsp/4 g baking soda/bicarbonate of soda (divided)

1 cup/4 oz/120 g all-purpose/plain flour

pinch salt

.5 tsp/3 g baking powder

.75 stick/3 oz/90 g butter, at room temperature

.75 cup/6 oz/180 g firmly packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp/5 ml vanilla

Toffee sauce
1 stick/4 oz/120 g butter

1.5 cup/12 oz/360 g firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup/8 oz/240 ml heavy cream

.5 tsp/3 ml vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease baking pan.

Cake Combine dates and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring just to a boil. Let simmer, uncovered, until all the water is absorbed, 10-15 minutes, and the dates have softened. Remove pan from heat, stir in .5 tsp of the baking soda, set aside for about 15-20 minutes while you get on with the rest of the process.

Sift together flour, salt, remaining baking soda, and baking powder, and set aside. In a medium-large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Fold the dates into the batter, followed by the dry ingredients, until just combined.

Divide the cake mixture evenly among the 6 cups, then place pan in the oven. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 15-25 minutes.

Toffee sauce Combine butter and sugar in a medium-large saucepan over medium-low heat, and let them melt together, 5-10 minutes. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, stirring often, for another 5-10 minutes.

Assembly Spoon 1 large tablespoon of warm sauce into each serving bowl, then place cake bowl on top. Drizzle another 2 tablespoons into each cake bowl and over the sides. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve warm.

Serves 6 generous portions.