I couldn't resist this pretty romanesco broccoli in the supermarket today. Isn't the colour alone sufficient to lift your spirits? - Very good for you, too.
Continuing my journey through the Cucchiaio d'Argento, last night I made this spezzatino di manzo [beef stew] and was very pleased with the result: Here, when you ask for spezzatino meat to be cut in chunks, you get bigger pieces than you would in Britain. They also believe in giving you meat with a bit of fat on it. I'm used to it now and take the advice of the knowledgeable butchers, because it always turns out fine. This particular stew was very easy to throw together - just onion, celery, carrot, a goodly slug of wine, peeled tomatoes or 2 or 3 tinned ones [here I must confess that I cheated and chucked in a large can of tomato polpa, which is different from concentrate / paste, as I was in a hurry and couldn't be bothered peeling fresh or straining tinned tomatoes] plus seasoning in it, apart from the meat.
My Cucchiaio d'Argento now looks more like a "Welshcakes"- owned book, by the way, as my notes are beginning to appear all over it!
12 comments:
That broccoli's amazing! Though I must confess if I saw that in Sainsbury's I'd assume it was raw...
If I send some liquid N2 could you save me some of that beef stew?
This really happened (well up to day 5):
I visited a friend in Chicago, she said eat that in the fridge. I looked at what she was pointing at and saw a big bowl of what looked like chilly. So being a polite Welshman, anxious to please, I ate chilly for breakfast and lunch (while she worked her day job at Wheaton College) and sometimes had chili for tea (she had an evening job waiting on tables at a local restaurant).
Was OK by end of day 1.
Day 2 presented itself and ended alls well.
Things were brewing on day 3.
Day 4 I realized I loved her despite the rumblings.
Day 5 we had pizza with her brother on sister.
Day 6: a seismology research group somewhere in the Midwest resisted a blip on their machines.
Day 7: the Hulk had nothing on me.
Day 8: local evacuation orders, methane concentration detected.
Day 9: overhead planes asked to divert to avoid setting off a high fuel-air explosion.
Day 10: Thermonuclear sized blip.
Day 11: Widespread panic.
Day 12: There was no day 12.
... actually, after a few days she asked me why I wasn't eating anything else in the fridge - and I said I wasn't sure what was her's and what belonged to her flatmate.
Opps, "resisted a blip" should have read --registered a blip--.
Ciao, Gleds. I was just thinking about you! It is raw.
Sure thing, Dr CW. I love your stories - thanks for cheering me up and sharing.
I actually think I've seen that brocolli in a supermarket here...I just can't remember which one now. And that other dish sure looks good.
great looking food as always.... still not made my biscotti biscuits :-(
My then American gf had a huge bowl of the stuff - took up a shelf in the American size fridge. Apparently she cooked the huge amount of beef chili as her contribution to a party she was going to take me too, but I ate most of it. Well, I did not major in "Communication". I guess you could say she was into Imperial English units and I was thinking "SI" (standard international) - separated by a common language. Anyway, we married and bought a house in Wales. I guess there's a guy somewhere in Seattle eating lots of beef chili - her chili was very nice - in moderation. Her mum was a good cook too. I should give my ex-inlaws a ring, very nice folks, just like folks tend to be in America's Midwest.
Oh, I was just looking at broccoli seed from growitalian.com, the purplish kind. Your green broccoli reminds me of an armadillo shell, well...kinda sorta. Broccoli, for me, is equalivent of being lactose intolerent...Dr. CW pretty much sums it up, eh?
Does Sicily have its own seed company? I found some San Marzano tomato seed... but should I get the classic Italian plum or the very large Redorta?
Hi, Sally. Oh, do make them and show us! Hi, pink. It does look like an armadillo shell [not that I've ever seen one for real!] I'm sure there are Sicilian seed companies but I can't think of their names. I would get the SM tomatoes if I were you.
Dr CW, thank you for sharing the rest of the tale.
The Broccoli looks almost too pretty to eat :-)
I think so too, Cherie!
A rich beef stew would go down well with this cold and miserable weather we're having!
Post a Comment