Hello! I hope you are all having a wonderful summer - it's hard to believe it's 1 July already. So far so very good on the weather front, though as I write it's 32C and a little too toasty for me - the only thing for it this morning was a trip to the nearest outdoor pool for a cool dip. Tried to imagine I was back in the wonderful pool in Sydney harbour but the unmistakable twang of the Tonbridge masses soon stopped that.
Apologies for the delay since the last blog post but life has been a bit hectic lately since one started working as a proper bona fide chef! I know! After many disappointments on the job-hunting front this is just perfect. A gorgeous 600-year-old pub in rural Sussex - great location, lovely people, super menu, lots of fun and hard, hot work - despite the frightening heat in the kitchen I can't complain about spending all day doing my favourite thing AND being paid for it... we have a super summery menu during the week and I am encouraged to think up new dishes for the specials menu on Saturday nights - plus slaving under a scary salamander and over a sizzling wok on tapas night. Time whizzes by and it's great that we use local produce - even the pub garden's own vegetables, herbs and salad leaves when we can.
Talking of home-grown vegetables our mini plot is a blooming riot of colour and edible things now - this morning we picked enough potatoes, carrots, broad beans, peas, red onions and beet leaves to make a tasty salad to go with new-laid eggs for supper which will be delicious and totally free! The two courgette plants are like something out of Day of the Triffids and we've had to rescue the tomatoes and strawberries from being overshadowed as they need more light than they are getting at the moment. The squeaky pea pods contain glorious little jade orbs of sweetness and it's tempting just to eat them all straight from the pod but we managed to save a few for later. Only the briefest of blanchings is necessary for these, if any - same goes for the broad beans as the tiniest ones can be eaten just as they are without the need for shelling. The beanstalks are over 7-foot tall now and covered in beautiful red flowers which means lots of beans soon - at this rate I'll be taking them to cook at work because there will be far too many for just us. Note to self : next year try planting seeds a few weeks apart to avoid a glut all at once ...
Last night we felt a bit Italian and griddled some chicken and thin slices of aubergine in olive oil to go with a thick, garlicky tomato, red pepper and basil sauce. It was baked it in the oven with lashings of buffalo mozzarella on top and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and parmesan, served with a simple rocket salad and some warm, crusty ciabatta and it was delicious (and may well go on the specials menu). We closed our eyes and pretended we were on a shady terrace in a land of sunkissed cypress trees and olive groves with just cicadas for company. Once we opened them again of course we were back in our slightly dusty Kentish living room eating at the coffee table, with the Simpsons on the tv, the sound of the neighbours' kids bouncing on their trampoline and the chickens squawking outside the window - so back to earth with a bump... but one can dream!
We've also recreated some of the tapas dishes from the menu at work too - calamari dipped in milk and seasoned flour then deep-fried for a couple of minutes till crisp, hot chorizo sausage lightly sauteed or baked, serrano ham and crusty bread, a soft spanish tortilla, some prawns marinated in garlic and chilli then thrown in a hot wok till pink. All of these are simple and quick and with a green salad make a delicious meal, especially if you are sipping a chilled glass of Fino with it. It's tempting to imagine you are sitting in a plaza on a sultry evening in Seville, perhaps under an orange tree with the sound of flamenco music wafting on the air - but hey, under the umbrella on our slightly scruffy patio with the traffic whizzing by will have to do!
So long for now and happy cooking!
AMT
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