Having a go and letting you know – A salute to France …
14 Jul 2020
Dear readers,
I hope that you have had a look at my last attempt at a message for this website where I made a promise to these pages, LPG and myself. I live in hope that LPG has chosen to post this message today, July 14th which is Bastille day.
In honour of this national holiday which will be anticipated the other side of the English Channel, and in spite of my lack of kitchen skills. I did have a go at this ‘simple recipe’. (►►►) Before I started I looked online for pictures of how it should look and I think that you can see the differences in my version. I admit to being a supermarket shopper too, which made my visit to a butcher quite entertaining for them. They suggested that they cut the marrow bones up and, unless you enjoy attacking things with a meat cleaver, I definitely suggest that you get them to do the chopping. The taste was very good, in spite of the rather strong smell of boiled meat that affected more than my kitchen for the first hour or so of cooking, and even though I used half measures I was left with a lot for tomorrow and the next day I suspect.
I have to warn that even if you read the recipe properly you will realise that you are cooking for eight, so I resolved to go with half measures of everything. There was something else I missed before I got started. It was only when I got to the practicalities of preparing it that I realised that there is one vital ‘ingredient’ missing from the list at the top and that is the amount of cheesecloth you will need to follow the recipe faithfully. The pictures give little idea of how much is needed in reality. So, I had to cheat and just chuck the vegetables in at the end, as I had run out of material when I got to that bit. I also have a lot to learn about tying herbs together. By the end of the cooking they had all escaped! I need to warn you about the need for another sizable utensil. Even though I was using half measures of everything I was not prepared for the size of the cooking pot needed to fit everything in successfully.
But all in all I have to say that it was a tasty meal offering sizable portions. If you are cooking for one I suggest that you are prepared to make lots of space in the freezer.
Everything considered, I think that I can mark my tribute to the challenge as reasonably successful. So, I say Happy Bastille day to all who celebrate.
Perhaps it was a bit short sighted to prepare such a good hearty meal in the middle of the summer so, for my next trick, I thought I would home in on a country that has summer all year round and celebrates its national day in the middle of ours. Trinidad and Tobago celebrate independence at the end of August. So, I am going to attempt their national dish of Callaloo and Crab and, with LPG’s permission, I will let you know how that turns out on their national Independence Day, August 31st …
CB, Lewisham.
CB goes Caribbean as she shares some online instruction on Trinidad and Tobago’s celebrated traditional dish of Callaloo and Crab…
… and LPG added a link to a little of the country’s history…
