A simple dinner tonight, partly because I feel lazy, partly because I have just had my wisdom teeth yanked out. All is green. Even that which we are watching as a culinary aid: Green Wing. But first, a diversion into philosophy....
Doth the colour always make the dish? Or is desire beyond the eyes' beholding? Iago's foe loved beyond skin but loath'd His love's desire he thought his love withholding.
Our task demands a colour naught but green Yet loins' desires ignore from where they sprung Thus all we strive toward shall be obscene If our meal lacks sweetness 'pon the tongue So to appease those whose eyes must be pleased Yet sight of white might cause their eyes to water Choose but a garish lick of white to tease To sweeten all this vegetable slaughter As love is meat to sate a soul that's living So to a meal is beer and wine divine Life without love runs long and unforgiving Meals without drink fall short of the sublime. Love simmers 'neath the surface of our thoughts Invisible it shapes us all to action A pinch of love the ordinary thwarts But if a drug provokes a crazed reaction Beside ourselves with longing do we seek For that which might appease our writhing hunger Yet if a foolish ship we fight the wind Sailing against love we'll be rent asunder Thus despite the pangs we might envision Love's grace turning again to love's derision Whilst love's meal lays before us on the table Should we feast, to propagate its fable. That was terrible. Write your poetry sober, cook your meals drunk. As always, imagine freshly baked home-made bread sending a curl of steam into the air as it sits beside the pea-green soup, ready for dipping. The trickle of coconut cream across the top is a complement to the cup of coconut cream I blended into the soup earlier after it had simmered on a low heat. There's also a dash of tabasco on there because it hurts so good. The guacamole has little to no tomato in it, instead a little more green chill and a sprinkling of sweet pepper across the top. Pea Soup: 3/4 of an onion chopped and browned in a little butter, add 2 cloves of garlic, peas, beans, fry gently until reduced, add stock (or stock cubes dissolved as I did in two cups of water), simmer gently. Blend with a hand blender, add a cup of coconut cream, salt and pepper to taste. Guacamole: 1 avocado, 1/4 of the onion finely chopped, 2 peppers, dash of salt and pepper, lemon juice, 2 tbs olive oil, tabasco to taste, blend with the hand blender until creamy. A dash of sweet chili powder over the top. Dirty Martini: 1/5th Vermouth, 1/5th olive brine to 1 Vodka, garnish with two olives. Dirty Martini 2: 1/5th Vermouth, 1/5th olive brine to 1 Gin, garnish with two olives. (To be honest, I preferred the vodka one.)
It will be a summer wedding; add walnuts and we will wear white and the honeymoon will be on a remote island unknowing of the internet or modern technology.
I would eat that despite my fear of bread. Bake it!
cliffelam used to make some pretty good bread and it was a recipe straight off of a flour bag if I recall correctly. What's your recipe _ref_? I've never baked bread. It's time I do.
Nick Malgieri's White Pan Bread from "How To Bake." Easily made vegan. Dad joke: Why's it gotta be WHITE pans, sheesh? 1 envelope yeast
2 c. warm (110-120 degree) water
5-5.5c flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp butter, melted, or veg oil Combine flour, salt sugar. Put yeast in warm water & let set until bubbles - "proofing" Combine yeast mix, oil, & dry mix. Stir for a while, and then when you can't stir, knead in the bowl for a while until all the flour is sucked up. If dough seems excessively sticky add more flour but start with less and try to add as little as possible. Grease bowl. Place dough in bowl and let rise, 1 hour. Punch down dough. Divide into 2. shape into rectangle. fold rectangle into thirds. from skinny end roll up. drop into greased 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 loaf pan. (hint: rectangle should be long enough that 1/3 = length of loaf pan - 8.5 inches or so. it's okay if the measurements are sticky.) let rise 1 hour. preheat oven to 400, stick 'em in for 25-30 min. bread is done when sounds hollow when bottom of pan is tapped on. enjoy maybe let cool first if you don't want to mush it when you cut it. I love making bread.