I started my kez last night, and it looked like this... kinda milky, really. I've taken a sneak peak (remember peek freans?) and tonight, it's looking a little more solid. So it may have worked. More, later.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Reclaiming my Romanian heritage
As you probably know, way back (like turn of the last century) my great grandfather left Vaslui, just outside of Iasi, to make his way to the new world, aka Manchester.
I've been reclaiming my Romanian heritage, and given that mămăligă is the national dish of Romania (it's now Moldova, where my family came from), I've been making it for a while. The smetna/smatana is turning into a sourcing problem, and I often add mushrooms. I'm yet to find out what the English equivalent of brinza (cheese) is, but I suspect it's kinda feta-like.
Romanians, we're all about the dairy products. Hence my interest in kez (cheese).
I've been reclaiming my Romanian heritage, and given that mămăligă is the national dish of Romania (it's now Moldova, where my family came from), I've been making it for a while. The smetna/smatana is turning into a sourcing problem, and I often add mushrooms. I'm yet to find out what the English equivalent of brinza (cheese) is, but I suspect it's kinda feta-like.
Romanians, we're all about the dairy products. Hence my interest in kez (cheese).
Sad about John Martyn
I am listening to John Martyn's Solid Air album in tribute. I just read that he died aged 60, which, frankly, is sounding younger and younger. And he's one of the triumvirate of English folkies.
Cleanliness is next... milkiness?
So there's been a strange confluence of thought, here at Sashinka Towers.
Firstly, having a baby, and sterlising everything, and washing my hands in antibacterial soap like ten times a day has made me think about how clean is clean, and if dirt is good - turns out the New York Times (sashablog sashablog if you want to read it) have been reading my mind: A Little Dirt Is Good for You is a piece about whether our immune systems are being affected by not having the odd bit of dirt in our super-clean society.
Then, as you know, I've been thinking of recreating the kez (cheese) both my grandma's used to make from milk and buttermilk, and drain in a muslin cloth on the washing line.
To this end, last night I heated whole milk to 90 degrees, and added buttermilk, stirred and left it at room temperature. I know you're supposed to wait 24 hours before something happens, but I took a peek this morning, and it's still pretty.. well, milk like. My dad felt that because the milk is pasteurised, it won't work (which may be true), so I've been reading up on raw milk (aka fresh milk) - fascinating piece from the Guardian about raw milk and it's pros and cons.
Meanwhile, I may have to find some, as my kez is not doing what it's supposed to, methinks.
Firstly, having a baby, and sterlising everything, and washing my hands in antibacterial soap like ten times a day has made me think about how clean is clean, and if dirt is good - turns out the New York Times (sashablog sashablog if you want to read it) have been reading my mind: A Little Dirt Is Good for You is a piece about whether our immune systems are being affected by not having the odd bit of dirt in our super-clean society.
Then, as you know, I've been thinking of recreating the kez (cheese) both my grandma's used to make from milk and buttermilk, and drain in a muslin cloth on the washing line.
To this end, last night I heated whole milk to 90 degrees, and added buttermilk, stirred and left it at room temperature. I know you're supposed to wait 24 hours before something happens, but I took a peek this morning, and it's still pretty.. well, milk like. My dad felt that because the milk is pasteurised, it won't work (which may be true), so I've been reading up on raw milk (aka fresh milk) - fascinating piece from the Guardian about raw milk and it's pros and cons.
Meanwhile, I may have to find some, as my kez is not doing what it's supposed to, methinks.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Aubergine with coriander and tahina
Tonight, I made this, based on an Ottolenghi recipe.
It's quick and easy, which is always good.
For two people
1 small aubergine, brushed with olive oil
Dressing:
1/2 a mild red chilli, desseeded and cut into strips
A lot of coriander, finely chopped
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Olive oil
Lemon juice
salt and pepper
Tahina:
Tahina paste
Water
Lemon juice
Cut the aubergine into chunks, brush with olive oil
Put the chunks on a hot griddle pan for 2 minutes to get chargrill marks
Place chunks in roasting tray, season with salt and pepper
Put in 220 C / Gas mark 7 oven for 18 minutes
While it's in the oven, mix the dressing ingredients together
Make the tahina; mix with water and lemon juice
To serve: marinade the aubergine in the dressing, and when ready to serve, drizzle over the tahina. I served it on a bed of rocket, which was nice.
Whole thing takes 25 minutes. Delicious.
It's quick and easy, which is always good.
For two people
1 small aubergine, brushed with olive oil
Dressing:
1/2 a mild red chilli, desseeded and cut into strips
A lot of coriander, finely chopped
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Olive oil
Lemon juice
salt and pepper
Tahina:
Tahina paste
Water
Lemon juice
Cut the aubergine into chunks, brush with olive oil
Put the chunks on a hot griddle pan for 2 minutes to get chargrill marks
Place chunks in roasting tray, season with salt and pepper
Put in 220 C / Gas mark 7 oven for 18 minutes
While it's in the oven, mix the dressing ingredients together
Make the tahina; mix with water and lemon juice
To serve: marinade the aubergine in the dressing, and when ready to serve, drizzle over the tahina. I served it on a bed of rocket, which was nice.
Whole thing takes 25 minutes. Delicious.
Turn Your Old Mobile Phone Into Cash! - 23/01/2009
Once, a really long time ago, an ex-boyfriend looked round my flat aka technology graveyard, and said to me, "do you know about Ebay?"
Now I'm thinking of collecting up the myriad dead mobile phones in my posession and turning them into cold hard cash.
Now I'm thinking of collecting up the myriad dead mobile phones in my posession and turning them into cold hard cash.
Obama Staff Arrives to White House Stuck in Dark Ages of Technology - washingtonpost.com
Entertaining washingtonpost.com story about how Obama staff get to the White House expecting to be all Facebooked up and they're stuck in the dark ages of technology.
I've been living in a parallel universe, because - obviously - I watched the Obama inaugauration, but also managed to time my watching of series four of the West Wing to get Jed's second inaugauration to coincide - watched Barak at like 3pm and then Jed in the evening. Talk about overload. Except, Obama is Jed Bartlett, right?
I've been living in a parallel universe, because - obviously - I watched the Obama inaugauration, but also managed to time my watching of series four of the West Wing to get Jed's second inaugauration to coincide - watched Barak at like 3pm and then Jed in the evening. Talk about overload. Except, Obama is Jed Bartlett, right?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Latest batch of banana and chocolate chip cake - consumed at our NCT class reunion - seeing ten or so babies all lined up on the sofa when last time we were all together they were on the inside was quite some experience.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday night dinner
When I was pregnant, I could hardly function, and certainly stopped cooking a few months in. So it's a real pleasure to jump back in the saddle.
Tonight I'm making (since I currently eat fish)
Humous with za’atar and pine kernels
Middle eastern flatbreads
* * *
Baked salmon with pesto crust
Couscous with cardamom, saffron and pomegranate
Green salad with French dressing
* * *
Poached pears with ginger and chilli
Romanian sultana cheesecake
I'll let you know how it goes. One of our guests has dropped in home-baked challah, so it's quite The Good Life here in Kilburn.
Tonight I'm making (since I currently eat fish)
Humous with za’atar and pine kernels
Middle eastern flatbreads
* * *
Baked salmon with pesto crust
Couscous with cardamom, saffron and pomegranate
Green salad with French dressing
* * *
Poached pears with ginger and chilli
Romanian sultana cheesecake
I'll let you know how it goes. One of our guests has dropped in home-baked challah, so it's quite The Good Life here in Kilburn.
New president, new template
Not really, but I'm still on an Obama-induced high, about how good the world is (can be) and everything.
So, totally unrelated, but my CTO (aka husband) has just done something I've been meaning to do for ages: blog-spring-clean.
So YACCS finally closed its doors, like a finally salary pension scheme, so my comments were buggered, and the templates was one I hacked together about five years ago, and didn't really have template titles, and I couldn't do half of what new Blogger did because I wasn't so XML etc.
So... voilà. A work in progress (WIP), and probably will change some (I imagine the blue turning lilac/purple at some point). But special thank to D who just knows what I need, and you, if you're still reading.
So, totally unrelated, but my CTO (aka husband) has just done something I've been meaning to do for ages: blog-spring-clean.
So YACCS finally closed its doors, like a finally salary pension scheme, so my comments were buggered, and the templates was one I hacked together about five years ago, and didn't really have template titles, and I couldn't do half of what new Blogger did because I wasn't so XML etc.
So... voilà. A work in progress (WIP), and probably will change some (I imagine the blue turning lilac/purple at some point). But special thank to D who just knows what I need, and you, if you're still reading.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Opleygn is nor gut for kez, ober nit far a khasene
(delay is good for cheese, but not for a wedding)
I don't really know why, but I had one of those random thoughts pop into my mind, which turned into a random link journey. It went something like this: I bought some celery in Lidl because it was cheap and also because I have my grandma's celery glass she used to use. Then, I was thinking about Quark, as a I have a great Romanian cheesecake recipe a friend's grandma gave me from the old country (which I was thinking of making because there are a lot of sultanas in my store cupboard). So I googled quark, and came across this recipe for what they call quark, but what sounds really like the kez (Yiddish for cheese) my grandma used to make and hang off the washing line. I personally don't remember this, but my dad told me. So I think the recipe is something like this one.
My dad things that now milk is pasteurised it might not work. I don't know enough science to know. So I have bought high-fat milk (which is not my custom) and buttermilk and I will keep you informed.
I don't really know why, but I had one of those random thoughts pop into my mind, which turned into a random link journey. It went something like this: I bought some celery in Lidl because it was cheap and also because I have my grandma's celery glass she used to use. Then, I was thinking about Quark, as a I have a great Romanian cheesecake recipe a friend's grandma gave me from the old country (which I was thinking of making because there are a lot of sultanas in my store cupboard). So I googled quark, and came across this recipe for what they call quark, but what sounds really like the kez (Yiddish for cheese) my grandma used to make and hang off the washing line. I personally don't remember this, but my dad told me. So I think the recipe is something like this one.
My dad things that now milk is pasteurised it might not work. I don't know enough science to know. So I have bought high-fat milk (which is not my custom) and buttermilk and I will keep you informed.
I have mixed feelings about Jonathan Ross (aka Wossy) twittering like an addict on crack cocaine, but I am loving his latest tweet:
Gotta go. Wife thinks I'm cheating on her with 13,933 people. G,night.
about 14 hours ago from web
Gotta go. Wife thinks I'm cheating on her with 13,933 people. G,night.
about 14 hours ago from web
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Holland and Barret, Golders Green
Thing is, you don't know when the 30 minutes started, he might have just left.
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