It has been a bit of a food-mad weekend. On saturday GB and I went to my niece Ella's batmitzvah - a huge deal for us Jews and a really happy occasion. I am not religious in the least and almost haven't set foot in synagogue for donkey's years, but I really loved the music and the singing, hearing the words that were familiar and seeing the men in the tallits - the white prayer shawls. I felt very connected to my roots in East European jewry and will be exploring that in more detail the best way I know how- by eating. GB and the other non-Jews in attendance were very excited by the Kiddush afterwards - a buffet laid on for special occasions. Get jews in a room and there'll be bagels and I wasn't disappointed, especially when they are topped with chopped herring, which is a really piquant, sharp topping that I love. Soft, chewy bagels and sharp herring. And fish balls (slightly sweet, very light), pastries, bridge rolls, latkes. Lovely. The evening party broke with tradition by being vegetarian in honour of Ella. Normally veggie food brings me out in hives but this was lovely. Very Ottolenghi-ish! Quiches with sharp cheese, roasted squash, salsas, roast beetroot and carrots. It was lovely to have something fresh and light, with bags of flavours, rather than the usual party 'chicken breast in sauce/bad potatoes' options.
On Sunday, feeling the need to cook after three dinners of toast last week, I made the shepherd's pie from SaturdayKitchen. This was, to be honest, a total palaver but it was the shep's pie to end all shep's pies. Shoulder of lamb roasted for two hours with shallots, rosemary, stock and red wine. Shredded into large chunks with a mix of crispy chewy and softly shredded meat, topped with buttery mash and served with vichy carrots. Three hours of cooking filled the house with the most incredible savoury, tempting flavours, which made GB think of his Welsh relatives (esp. Auntie Bhopah). I had the leftovers for my lunch today and it warmed me from the inside and also made me feel a bit better mentally on a cold, grey Monday morning. Shepherd's Pie for the soul.
Today has also been a right glutton day in the office. In our team we love biscuits and often have a pack on the go. But today, it was something special. On the treats table, we had:
- homemade mini banana muffins (from me, using up some overripe bananas)
- chocolate digestives (from Fiona)
- jammie dodgers and ginger nuts (from James)
- Vietnamese snacks (from Reshma's holiday) - these are worth some explanation. The pack was astonishingly funny (it's foam, it's egg!), they looked like macaroni cheese but they tasted like boudoir biscuits with a lingering aftertaste of pork fat. Strangely unpleasant.
- Diwali snacks from Nisha's mum, including home made bombay mix; something that was like spiral webs which were essentially deepfried sugar syrup (but were delicious); a kind of smooth, not too sweet coconut ice; a condensed milk thing which candied fruit and a date paste thing. All delicious.
Crikey. Off home for a stir fry which will hopefully be light, umami-ish and full of vegetables.
Lots of love
GG
There was a huge sugar rush for about two hours, after which we have been unutterably miserable, like toddlers at a party.
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