Vegging out
Yesterday a friend with a car took me for a little jaunt to Dank St, in a nearby suburb that's gone upmarket from industrial/commercial grotty to trendy innercity precinct. I wanted to see the galleries another friend had told me about, but when we got to them after an extended brunch at a streetside cafe, they proved a bit too trendy and not really all that interesting, But we did find the large Fratelli's Fresh shed, so we went produce shopping instead.
I go mad when I see beautiful fresh vegetables in all their colourful glory.* Less so with fruit, as I'm not a great fruit eater. Nevertheless, with someone else to carry the basket, & sticking only to the cheaper items, I had no problem spending $30 on a box of delights to be transformed into items of delishness. I did buy fruit - rhubarb (oh joy!), two sorts of pears: Bartletts (eating) & Beurre Bosc (stewing) plus 2 quinces, which I think I'll stew with the pears. Oh, & some little Pink Lady apples and half a dozen lemons.
I was more adventurous with the veggies, & had to work hard to restrain myself. Apart from the staples: garlic, ginger, red onions & zucchinis, I fell for the most beautiful tiny red aubergines, not much bigger than a large chili; baby brussels sprouts, perfect green beans. Radicchio, (which I'd eaten but never bought before), looking like a cross between red cabbage & lettuce, & a 'fancy lettuce' that looked like a clump of rocket. Both are agreeably bitter. And a huge bunch of vividly veridian silverbeet.
That afternoon I roasted the baby aubergines with some of the red onions, zucchini and lots of cloves of garlic, then put them all into a lidded dish with a marinade of red wine vinegar, olive oil, dill & rosemary. I had some with the salad leaves at lunchtime today - superb! I should have bought more of the aubergines - or maybe more of everything!
I stewed the rhubarb with the Granny Smith apples I had in my fruit bowl, & put half of the mixture in the freezer. I ate most of the rest last night - it needed cream or yoghurt, but was pretty delicious on its own.
Today was a slow day - I guess I used up too much energy yesterday & my neck & shoulder have been hurting all day. I spent a lot of time waiting for the pain killers to work & my energy to pick up again. But between lying down & resting, & reading a bit, I managed to make applesauce oatmeal muffins with the remaining rhubarb & apple (topped up with a tablespoon of C's plum sauce, fortunately the same consistency). I also made a very thick lentil soup, with lamb stock from the freezer, but nothing more interesting. Not enough energy for really creative cooking!
* I need to indulge in beautiful fresh veggies now while I can still afford to buy them. Thanks to the drought (perhaps that should be The Drought) & Australia's water crisis, pretty soon fresh produce with be a luxury at four times already fairly high prices. I may have to go back to the instant mashed potato & dried soup vegetables of my student days!
I go mad when I see beautiful fresh vegetables in all their colourful glory.* Less so with fruit, as I'm not a great fruit eater. Nevertheless, with someone else to carry the basket, & sticking only to the cheaper items, I had no problem spending $30 on a box of delights to be transformed into items of delishness. I did buy fruit - rhubarb (oh joy!), two sorts of pears: Bartletts (eating) & Beurre Bosc (stewing) plus 2 quinces, which I think I'll stew with the pears. Oh, & some little Pink Lady apples and half a dozen lemons.
I was more adventurous with the veggies, & had to work hard to restrain myself. Apart from the staples: garlic, ginger, red onions & zucchinis, I fell for the most beautiful tiny red aubergines, not much bigger than a large chili; baby brussels sprouts, perfect green beans. Radicchio, (which I'd eaten but never bought before), looking like a cross between red cabbage & lettuce, & a 'fancy lettuce' that looked like a clump of rocket. Both are agreeably bitter. And a huge bunch of vividly veridian silverbeet.
That afternoon I roasted the baby aubergines with some of the red onions, zucchini and lots of cloves of garlic, then put them all into a lidded dish with a marinade of red wine vinegar, olive oil, dill & rosemary. I had some with the salad leaves at lunchtime today - superb! I should have bought more of the aubergines - or maybe more of everything!
I stewed the rhubarb with the Granny Smith apples I had in my fruit bowl, & put half of the mixture in the freezer. I ate most of the rest last night - it needed cream or yoghurt, but was pretty delicious on its own.
Today was a slow day - I guess I used up too much energy yesterday & my neck & shoulder have been hurting all day. I spent a lot of time waiting for the pain killers to work & my energy to pick up again. But between lying down & resting, & reading a bit, I managed to make applesauce oatmeal muffins with the remaining rhubarb & apple (topped up with a tablespoon of C's plum sauce, fortunately the same consistency). I also made a very thick lentil soup, with lamb stock from the freezer, but nothing more interesting. Not enough energy for really creative cooking!
* I need to indulge in beautiful fresh veggies now while I can still afford to buy them. Thanks to the drought (perhaps that should be The Drought) & Australia's water crisis, pretty soon fresh produce with be a luxury at four times already fairly high prices. I may have to go back to the instant mashed potato & dried soup vegetables of my student days!