swine flu and rabbit stew
Pandemic illness has struck the household. Julian became ill around Memorial day and now it's my turn to suffer. We think that it is highly likely that we have become infected with the H1N1 or "swine flu" virus. There have been 854 cofirmed cases in Massachusetts, 600 of those in our area. It seems unlikely this reflects a true morbidity as the CDC is also urging people to stay in their homes unless they are in dire need of medical care.
On Friday we drove to Plum Island to enjoy the beach. For dinner I made a Pasta Timbale - an enormous construction of 1kg pasta layered with a hearty tomato meat sauce, provolone cheese, peas, and tiny meatballs. I also made green peppercorn bread which was enjoyed by all, even the dogs!
Saturday evening after dinner we went for a sunset walk along our pond to the park. Yellow Iris was blooming on the edge of the shore - beautiful but naturalized from Europe and very invasive. We watched fish rise for insects and a muskrat swimming along with a mouthful of grasses.
We have slowly continued our food travels with Carluccio, working on the island areas of Sicilia and Sardinia. Notably, we made a batch of Sardinian ravioli. Although we were a bit unsure on how to properly fold these potato, cheese and mint filled morsels, there was no uncertianty in their taste once swirled around in melted butter with saffron and sage. In comparison, saffron flavored pasta, or "Malloreddus" as it is called, has a more subtle and perhaps less distinct safforn flavor, especially when mixed in a tomato sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes. Sardinian risotto, made with minced veal and pork was a third recipe from the area containing saffron. The pasta timbale mentioned earlier was from Sicilia, as was a fantastic recipe for stewed rabbit. While previous experiences with rabbit meat have been mediocre and tended towards too much effort to carve scant amounts of meat from bone, this rabbit was meaty and flavorful. The rabbit meat is floured and browed in butter and then stews slowly with onion, garlic, celery, green olives, capers, tomato paste, wine, and vinegar. The recipe reminded us of a French stew but with a more distinct acid tang.
For "Movie Club" we have seen Vera Drake, Mean Streets, Mission Impossible 1 and 2, Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino, Jurasic Park, Daywatch/Nightwatch, and Boogeyman. I finished playing Lost Odyssey and Julian finished Tomb Raider Legend. We also had a lot of fun with the downloadable Wallace and Gromit and the Fright of the Bumblebees.
On Friday we drove to Plum Island to enjoy the beach. For dinner I made a Pasta Timbale - an enormous construction of 1kg pasta layered with a hearty tomato meat sauce, provolone cheese, peas, and tiny meatballs. I also made green peppercorn bread which was enjoyed by all, even the dogs!
Saturday evening after dinner we went for a sunset walk along our pond to the park. Yellow Iris was blooming on the edge of the shore - beautiful but naturalized from Europe and very invasive. We watched fish rise for insects and a muskrat swimming along with a mouthful of grasses.
We have slowly continued our food travels with Carluccio, working on the island areas of Sicilia and Sardinia. Notably, we made a batch of Sardinian ravioli. Although we were a bit unsure on how to properly fold these potato, cheese and mint filled morsels, there was no uncertianty in their taste once swirled around in melted butter with saffron and sage. In comparison, saffron flavored pasta, or "Malloreddus" as it is called, has a more subtle and perhaps less distinct safforn flavor, especially when mixed in a tomato sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes. Sardinian risotto, made with minced veal and pork was a third recipe from the area containing saffron. The pasta timbale mentioned earlier was from Sicilia, as was a fantastic recipe for stewed rabbit. While previous experiences with rabbit meat have been mediocre and tended towards too much effort to carve scant amounts of meat from bone, this rabbit was meaty and flavorful. The rabbit meat is floured and browed in butter and then stews slowly with onion, garlic, celery, green olives, capers, tomato paste, wine, and vinegar. The recipe reminded us of a French stew but with a more distinct acid tang.
For "Movie Club" we have seen Vera Drake, Mean Streets, Mission Impossible 1 and 2, Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino, Jurasic Park, Daywatch/Nightwatch, and Boogeyman. I finished playing Lost Odyssey and Julian finished Tomb Raider Legend. We also had a lot of fun with the downloadable Wallace and Gromit and the Fright of the Bumblebees.