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The last of the summer produce


I am hoping that this will be the last weekend of lockdown, but looking at the guidelines for level three I am not sure much will change for me , there will just be more businesses open so I can buy more shit, still plenty of restriction around the things I enjoy like hanging out with groups of friends, live music and going on adventures in my bus, which is pants really but no doubt better than getting or spreading the virus.

I have had a busy weekend outside, did about a month’s gardening in half an hour with a big hedge trimmer, I rather liked that, I will have to shop one up when everything opens again. I cleaned the mess I had made up yesterday and mowed that fucking lawn again after fixing the l damage I inflicted on the mower last time. I have also been doing some very tricky painting of my car using a spray can, it is looking rather splendid.

I heard a fantastic band, maybe not a band  but a musical ensemble called Pink Martini on The Most radio, compulsory sunday listening is The Most. 100.4 if you are in Taranaki or live stream it elsewhere. If you like very sexy piano indeed check them out they are on Spotify.

I picked the very last of the tomatoes and cucumbers yesterday so I slow
roasted the tomatoes with garlic, onion, herbs and garlic butter as I had run out of fresh garlic. They are in a jar in the fridge waiting for my next move.I also made bread and butter pickles, I make a variety of these all slightly different, these were cucumber, apple and onion, I used a left over quince syrup I found in the fridge for the juice. But here is the definitive recipe from a very stylish friend and Dressage judge Anne Tylee, which I use as a base for a variety of creations when I have 20 cucumbers or the bloody courgettes grow to marrow size. Pick, Every, Day, I hear you say.

Courgette Pickle
Fill a 2 litre container with sliced courgettes or cucumber
Add 2 cups sliced onions and 2 T salt
Place all in a large bowl and cover with water and leave overnight, strain.
Then, bring to boil 3 cups white vinegar, 2.5 cups sugar, 1 T yellow mustard seed, 1 T celery seed, 1 t turmeric
Add veges to above mixture, bring to the boil and simmer all for 2 minutes and bottle in hot jars. Spoon out of the jar into your mouth or if you can wait, serve with cheese.

The other thing I did was brine a chicken, which I have done before, I think roast chicken is my favorite meat and the brining procedure along with Jamie Oliver’s gig of shoving a large wedge of butter under the breast skin prior to roasting guarantees a killer chook every time. Just don’t cook it to death, it’s not a bloody beef roast! This brine recipe came again from the Diana Henry, Salt, Sugar, Smoke book.

Tea Brine Chicken
Make a brew of tea using bags 4 of your choice in 1 L water, I used green tea, while hot dissolve 125 g brown sugar, 50 g of salt and zest of ½ a lime. Chill, add another L of cold water and submerge your chicken for 6 hours, in the fridge, remove and pat dry with paper towel and leave uncovered in the fridge for a few hours  to dry further.  Salt the cavity and fill it with quartered lemons, lift the breast skin up and wedge a decent slice of butter under there, salt the outside and give it a generous sprinkle of tarragon. Cook at 180 until it is just cooked, for a small chicken about 1 hour 15 and up to 1.45 for a big one. Slice and then pour the pan juices over it, serve with anything, this is the business!


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