Wednesday, October 03, 2007

I eschewed both the Scylla of the Earth Stripe Stole and the Charybdis of Ketki’s gansey last night (after checking the spelling of those words) and knit peacefully on with the Shawlette. I should finish the second eyelet panel today (of three), if I persevere. I had thought to take it north as country knitting, replacing the gansey, but I think I’ve already done so much of it that there’s not much point.

I decided that there was nothing to do but bite the bullet and order some more Kidsilk Haze from Colourway. I’ve done it. We’re about to have a postal strike, which will at least postpone the moment when I have to cast it on again, and in the meantime keep it off my conscience.

Comments

Shan, your Wellness Blanket is wonderful. I hope it will wrap your friend in wellness.

Gretchen, courgettes are zucchini all right. Last night we had them in a carbonara recipe from Jamie Oliver’s new book, in which they pretty well disappeared. Helen and David have given me a wonderful Greek cookery book – that produced a good potato-and-courgette bake last week, but the book lives in the country. Antonio Carluccio has an interesting-sounding recipe in which courgettes and potatoes are mashed together. I might try that today. The broad beans I steam with sweet corn cut from the cob, and pretend it’s succotash.

We subscribe to the New Yorker and to Kitchen Garden magazine (among others), but read them only in Strathardle, where life is quieter. As it happened, last week, I read articles in each of those magazines about the revolution in food on both sides of the Atlantic as a result of Columbus’ voyages. He carried seeds and plants in both directions, I learn.

7 comments:

  1. Courgettes are good in omelettes, because they don't have time to collapse and go very well with egg. Similarly in a flan, mmm.

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  2. Anonymous10:32 AM

    Hello Jean,

    Just to say I love courgettes and am always happy to get some from a friend with a 'volkstuin' (people's garden or allotment). Somewhere I have a recipe for cougette flan, which was lovely. (Using a well known seach engine) I found a page of recipes here : http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blv61.htm and one for courgette cake : http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/content/articles/2007/09/06/jamie_oliver_courgette_recipes_feature.shtml

    I also enjoy them in ratatouille.

    All the best,
    Dawn

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  3. Thank you Jean.

    I haven't heard of Scylla and Charybdis since I finished university. Now I'm reminiscing and must dig out my Classics textbooks.

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  4. The Scylla and Charybdis get a mention in the Police song Wrapped Around Your Finger, which is where I've heard the reference most recently and most often. Sting is frightfully literary, you know, referencing Lolita and Shakespeare and such.

    I've been in a mood for roasted vegetables lately, which will definitely include some courgettes/zucchini.

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  5. I'm not a hundred percent sure I can spell Charybdis without looking it up. And I can't even claim that they're Not My Period, because they do feature in the Aeneid.

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  6. Anonymous11:28 PM

    My favourite courgette recipe is Courgette Gratin from an old book (Chateau Cuisine, I think) by Anne Willan. Grated, salted, rinsed and squeezed courgettes are combined with sauteed onions, garlic and creme fraiche, topped with Gruyere and baked. Mmmmmm. Coincidentally, I started the Earth Stripe wrap a few weeks ago and have done 90 odd rows. It is seriously lovely - the Rowan photos do not do it justice. I'm glad the Jaggerspun is working out - I had some reservations that it might look heavy next to the KSH.

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  7. In my family tomatoes were the vegetable excess. Dad always planted 10 bushes regardless that we couldn't get through all the fruit in the previous summer. Neighbors used pretend they weren't at home when we'd come across with buckets of tomatoes to give away.

    Just to weigh in on the zucchini recipe fest, I enjoy them grated into a risotto with some saffron and they're great as part of a vegie curry with chickpeas. I'll fiddle about with a curry on the weekend and send you the ingredients etc if you like (let me know if you prefer mild, medium or hot curries).

    Tilly's growing well and is smiling beautifully at us. She's greedy; she has 3 dimples - both cheeks and her chin. How can one not go gooey when all those dimples flash during a smile?

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