2011.03.23 This evening

Its been another busy day at work today and I should have been out this evening but my friend has the toothache (hope she feels lots better soon) so it has been put off until tomorrow night.

Unusually tonight when I got home I was absolutely ravenous and I had a fancy for some Scampi, home made chips with tartare sauce served up with Bread and butter.  Scampi is not cheap and I sort of blew the budget out of the water by going and getting some but sometimes you just have to have a little of what you fancy - it does you good! I was in need of comfort food.  (If I go anywhere new and have a meal the first time I always order something I know just to see how they cook it and if they cook it well I go on to explore the rest of their menu).

When I got back I went looking for a couple of larger potatoes in order to make the chips and I came up with this whopper. It took a bit of peeling but eventually got it all sorted and then chopped into chips. chunky chips.

It is a bit of a whopper!  Its suprising what you can do with one very large potato

This one potato filled the whole of the chip frying basket.  |I set the temperature on the chip pan to 180 degrees C.  Here are the chips after the first dunk in the oil.  I then shake inbetween each checking to make sure the potatoes do not stick together.

 I then check again after the potatoes develop some colour.  I again lift the pan and shake the chips in order that they do not stick together. It also helps distribute the chips evenly so that they cook evenly.

 I am now happy with the colour of the chips.  At this point I take them out drain them on kitchen roll in a baking tray, dry off some of the fat with the kitchen roll and then sprinkle liberally with vinegar; I only put a sprinkle of salt on as my OH has high blood pressure and is limited to chips once a week only by yours truly.

 The scampi ready to go into the pan they only need 4 minutes cooking at 180 degrees C

Ready to come out.

This is where the gremlins hit - don't know whether the card is full on the camera but i took a couple of photos of the plated up meal but unfortunately it did not save to my card. It was however delicious and went down a treat.  I'm sorry you will have to take my word for it.  I have sacked the photographer.

The camera has also shown up the missing picture of the completed meal so here it is.

I have also spoken to my mum and she is coming for Sunday dinner at the weekend.  Today would have been her 54th Wedding Anniversary had my darling father still have been with us. When my mum and dad married mum had stephanoitis in her wedding bouquet along with roses.  As a surprise present a short while before he passed my father brought her a stephanoitis plant and it grew in the conservatory and climbed up the wall and was in blossom a couple of times.  It was in tight bud when he passed, and then came out to cheer my mum up. Unfortunately the cold weather got it in the conservatory this winter and she lost the plant which she was quite upset about. However yesterday she went out on the Age Concern bus to Spalding and came back with another Stephanoitis plant - when she went to pay for it instead of being £9 as on the label it was reduced to £5.  So my mum sees it as an anniversary present from my father.  Nice thought.

Since tea and chatting to mum  I have watched another part of the Great British Food Revival, this week with James Martin championing British Apples, which included a visit to Brogdale Horticultural Trust the home of every known British Apple plant in the country and where you can choose the varieties that take your fancy and get them grown on suitable rootstock for your own plot of land.  The second part was Matt Tebbut championing British Mutton.  I seem to remember as a child that this was what we used to have Mutton for Sunday lunch, and lamb was the real treat.  However I cannot remember the taste so may have to investigate that at a further stage. Mutton is very much part of the slow cooking revolution/tradition of this country that has sadly gone out of popularity.  Perhaps it is time for a re-emergence of proper British cooking.

I have had a little dog snuggled up on the settee with me fast asleep under OH's sweatshirt whilst I have been watching the TV - she has now disappeared with her Boss, but no doubt she will potter back later on just to see I am still there.

Catch you all later

Pattypan


xx