Two Paintings
La Betterave
38x50cm
Wonky Pot & Co
28x38cm
Close but not Crowded
When you place your buns on the baking sheet, put them
close together but not crowded.
They will come together and help each other rise.
Who will you help to rise today?
.
Sort of a Tamale
Sometimes watching videos can be a pastime (a waste of time?) and sometimes it can move one to action. I saw a young man being taught Mexican cooking by grandmothers and it inspired me to do something along the tamale line. This is in no way meant to be an authentic tamale but it made a nice dinner and kept this gardener occupied while waiting for the weather to be more auspicious for gardening. Previously, as far as I can remember, the only tamales I have eaten came in a can.
I cooked some meat like I do for pork BBQ (boiled, basically) and steamed some leeks from the garden while it was simmering. I stuck four whole tomatoes down in there just until they cracked, then removed and set aside for a sauce.
I made the corn flour mixture using half the fat called for. I think 2/3 cup must have been a mistake. So 2 cups corn flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¾ tsp. salt, 1/3 cup lard and duck fat that we had left over and 1 ¼ cup bouillon from the meat.
I didn’t have any banana leaves or corn husks so I used parchment paper. I set them to steam for 2 hours in our couscoussier.
For the sauce I used the Vitamix blender and the four tomatoes, one shallot, one clove of garlic, some salt, cumin and paprika.
While they would not win any prizes for elegance, they were a very satisfying meal and I was happy that they did not turn out as falling apart blobs.
Tuesday Feb 9 2016
For a few moments, the sky appeared to be damaged. You know how when you scrape your knee and red shines through, well, the sky had some blue patches. It quickly self-healed however.
On the way home I saw fields beginning to resemble rice paddies. I sailed through two mini-lakes.
A home-cooked meal awaited and then the entertainment began. XXL flakes.
djdblogginghere 