Assiduous GG readers will remember that a while ago, when Glutton Boy was working endless late shifts and so I was cooking every night for what seemed like a million years, I felt that the effort of putting a meal on the table every night was just too arduous. The last six weeks or so has seen a reversal of fortune in the -putting-dinner-on-the-table stakes.
A combination of colleague holiday and back to back pitches has meant that GluttonGirl has had to put in a serious amout of hours in the office lately and dinner (for me at least) has become peanut butter on toast schloffed down at 8pm in the office, while poor old GB has reacquainted himself with the joys of the fray bentos.
Lo and behold, the truth is that I have missed cooking like mad. On Friday, with the worst behind me, I made a sort of Spanish-y risotto with prawns, chorizo, roasted red peppers and my favourite ingredient of all, sweet smoked paprika. The satisfaction I got from putting a meal on the table was unparalled.
Darling GB cooking on Saturday - mac and cheese with bacon bits and roasted cherry toms. Delicious and eatable with a spoon - my main dinner criteria.
Sunday saw tapas and sherry with the girls, then weirdly, I felt like I had a cheese baby right under my ribs and had to go to bed early. And today, the last day of the bank holiday, I'm whipping up a quick puttanesca.
There it is. For me, cooking is just what I have to do, it's what I like to do. I like to make a lovely meal for husband/friends. I like to take a gorgeous cake out of the oven. I am a Glutton.
Lots of love
GG
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
In which GG states the bleedin' obvious
Now I know this probably isn't news, but this week I've been thinking about how much circumstance dictates what we want to eat. I order my shopping weekly online, as I can't bear the thought of shopping every day when I've been slaving away all day down the PR mines, but this does mean that sometimes I get it very wrong, dinner-wise. I try to think about my work week, whether I'll leave in good time or be wanting a quick meal having stayed late, if I'm likely to be stressed, what the weather is likely to be etc. Add in doing it on a budget, trying to be relatively low-fat, and it does make things complicated. So sometimes, I get it very wrong. A hot weather day, a work crisis which keeps me chained to the keyboard, an impromptu gin and tonic which goes on too long... all mean that plans go awry.
And as much as I try to eat well at lunch, sometimes the lure of a cheese and pickle baguette is just too much to resist (especially when Pret has just opened in the wasteland of Vauxhall and a cheese and tomato pickle on artisan baguette is MY FAVOURITE SANDWICH EVER). This is also true when we're in pitch mode, when the stress is building, deadlines are looming, clients are being juggled, I've been in the office for 8 hours with a few still to go and my stomach is rumbling. I can rip through a 'sharing bag' of peanut m and ms in seconds, followed by some crisps. Sometimes, only a tub of M&S chocolate miniroll bites will do.
Tomorrow is Norway Independence Day. I love Norway, and not just because two of my dearest friends are Norskis. I love the lifestyle, the landscape, the socialism, emphasis on doing things well. Most of all, I loved the baking. My Norwegian friend Ingrid is an incredible baker and has always made, amongst other things, School Buns. In Norway, these are the only buns you can take to school - talk about socialist principles in microcosm (no one has a better or worse bun than anyone else). A standard bun dough is a very lightly spiced and sweet dough, which you can then add raisins to, or make into cinnamon buns, or make into school buns with the addition of a well of custard. When baked, they are encircled with icing and dessicated coconut. After my father died earlier this year I went to Ingrid and Harvey's for a few days of sanctuary, to sit on their veranda on a clear, cold day and look out into the fjord, watching the big boats come past. We also made loads of buns. And today, just a few days after what would have been Dad's birthday and the day before Norway Day, I made a batch of buns to Ingrid's recipe. The taste of them was hugely evocative - instantly reminded me of long walks through the forest, rural Norway, cold fjord water.
When I make GB welsh cakes, they remind him of his late mum and his Welsh aunties - its like going to a 'happy place'. I guess eating anything that you loved as a child does the same thing. So what's the moral of this tale? Listen to your stomach and your mind - and eat to soothe your soul as well as your hunger.
Lots of love
GG
And as much as I try to eat well at lunch, sometimes the lure of a cheese and pickle baguette is just too much to resist (especially when Pret has just opened in the wasteland of Vauxhall and a cheese and tomato pickle on artisan baguette is MY FAVOURITE SANDWICH EVER). This is also true when we're in pitch mode, when the stress is building, deadlines are looming, clients are being juggled, I've been in the office for 8 hours with a few still to go and my stomach is rumbling. I can rip through a 'sharing bag' of peanut m and ms in seconds, followed by some crisps. Sometimes, only a tub of M&S chocolate miniroll bites will do.
Tomorrow is Norway Independence Day. I love Norway, and not just because two of my dearest friends are Norskis. I love the lifestyle, the landscape, the socialism, emphasis on doing things well. Most of all, I loved the baking. My Norwegian friend Ingrid is an incredible baker and has always made, amongst other things, School Buns. In Norway, these are the only buns you can take to school - talk about socialist principles in microcosm (no one has a better or worse bun than anyone else). A standard bun dough is a very lightly spiced and sweet dough, which you can then add raisins to, or make into cinnamon buns, or make into school buns with the addition of a well of custard. When baked, they are encircled with icing and dessicated coconut. After my father died earlier this year I went to Ingrid and Harvey's for a few days of sanctuary, to sit on their veranda on a clear, cold day and look out into the fjord, watching the big boats come past. We also made loads of buns. And today, just a few days after what would have been Dad's birthday and the day before Norway Day, I made a batch of buns to Ingrid's recipe. The taste of them was hugely evocative - instantly reminded me of long walks through the forest, rural Norway, cold fjord water.
When I make GB welsh cakes, they remind him of his late mum and his Welsh aunties - its like going to a 'happy place'. I guess eating anything that you loved as a child does the same thing. So what's the moral of this tale? Listen to your stomach and your mind - and eat to soothe your soul as well as your hunger.
Lots of love
GG
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Back to your roots
This week, I visited my mum for a couple of days, as she's about to go on hols. Regular readers will know I lost my darling dad in January, so I'm trying to see more of my mum now, partly to keep her company but partly as I only now have one parent, so want to look after the one I've got. My mum is a mad quilter/patchworker, inspired by GluttonBoy's late mother who made the most beautiful log cabin quilts. Before we got married, my MiL to be spoke to my mum to ask her to contribute to a wedding quilt for us. Sadly, she died soon after, and nothing came of it, except my mum was bitten by the quilting bug, which she has also passed on to me.
I went with her to her quilting group this week - and a lovely lady called Jenny talked to us about whole piece quilts and her collection of antique quilts, which were exquisite. Whole piece is where it is one piece of fabric (rather than patchwork) and incredibly intricate patterns are sewn into it, to make it quilted. She talked about the traditions of different regions and countries, and how, if you had a daughter, you made 12 quilts, with the 13th being a wedding quilt and the most beautiful. What has this to do with cooking? Ask almost anyone what their favourite meal is, and invariably the answer will be something their mother makes - 'my mum's roast lamb', 'my mum's chicken pie' etc etc.
Food has a way of tying us to our roots like almost nothing else. Why else do people with heritage come back endlessly to the dishes of another country? Why else is it so important to keep food heritage alive? And food, particularly dishes or recipes that remind you indelibly of a place or a person, have a life of their own that has more longevity than we do. Handwritten recipe books passed down the generations are a more potent reminder of a person or a time than any amount of diaries are.
And this is what I love about food. I love that the sponge biscuits and the honey cake I make are the ones my nana made. The welsh cake recipe I use was given to me by my mother in law and is the recipe Glutton Boy's auntie gladys and auntie bhopah used. And in each case, every bite reminds us of people we've lost but that we still carry with us. After my mother in law died, we found a batch of welshcakes in the freezer - thinking about her making them and putting them away to be enjoyed at a later date made us feel she hadn't quite gone.
And not to be too overly sentimental, a handmade quilt is the same - tying us to a place and a person who might be long gone and enveloping us in feelings that they wanted to pass on. I have some quilts my mum has made, and hope to inherit a quilt from my mother in law, and if I have children in the future, I will make sure they know where those quilts came from and who made them. Just like I'll make sponge biscuits and talk about my nana and her baking, like my dad's love of a baked cheesecake and auntie bhopah's legendary welshcakes.
Lots of love
GG
I went with her to her quilting group this week - and a lovely lady called Jenny talked to us about whole piece quilts and her collection of antique quilts, which were exquisite. Whole piece is where it is one piece of fabric (rather than patchwork) and incredibly intricate patterns are sewn into it, to make it quilted. She talked about the traditions of different regions and countries, and how, if you had a daughter, you made 12 quilts, with the 13th being a wedding quilt and the most beautiful. What has this to do with cooking? Ask almost anyone what their favourite meal is, and invariably the answer will be something their mother makes - 'my mum's roast lamb', 'my mum's chicken pie' etc etc.
Food has a way of tying us to our roots like almost nothing else. Why else do people with heritage come back endlessly to the dishes of another country? Why else is it so important to keep food heritage alive? And food, particularly dishes or recipes that remind you indelibly of a place or a person, have a life of their own that has more longevity than we do. Handwritten recipe books passed down the generations are a more potent reminder of a person or a time than any amount of diaries are.
And this is what I love about food. I love that the sponge biscuits and the honey cake I make are the ones my nana made. The welsh cake recipe I use was given to me by my mother in law and is the recipe Glutton Boy's auntie gladys and auntie bhopah used. And in each case, every bite reminds us of people we've lost but that we still carry with us. After my mother in law died, we found a batch of welshcakes in the freezer - thinking about her making them and putting them away to be enjoyed at a later date made us feel she hadn't quite gone.
And not to be too overly sentimental, a handmade quilt is the same - tying us to a place and a person who might be long gone and enveloping us in feelings that they wanted to pass on. I have some quilts my mum has made, and hope to inherit a quilt from my mother in law, and if I have children in the future, I will make sure they know where those quilts came from and who made them. Just like I'll make sponge biscuits and talk about my nana and her baking, like my dad's love of a baked cheesecake and auntie bhopah's legendary welshcakes.
Lots of love
GG
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Weekend gluttony
And a happy Sunday to you all. An update from the previous post - the teriyaki steak was lovely, as was the fennel slaw. I normally make rubbish steak as I don't get the pan hot enough but this time I bit the bullet and it was as tender as anything. I also don't normally like fennel but it was quite subtle so very fresh and light. And neither of us missed the potatoes element at all.
Saturday I cooked a spag bol - very dull I know but with tons of veg. GluttonBoy was out so it was a good thing to shove down in a rush when he finally got home.
Sunday, and the shopping delivery arrived, minus the bottle of Gordon's that had smashed en route, coating the tea bags, puff pastry and grapefruit with the subtle scent of juniper. In at attempt to cut down the carbs on Sunday, I turned to one of my favourite books - Ottolenghi. I love his approach - fresh, zesty salads, lots of herbs and super-fresh flavours. The recipes also largely feature one of my favourite flavours, sumac. I have a super-love of all things arab/middle-eastern/mediterranean/greek, so it pushes my buttons totally. A quick scoot round one of my two favourite local shops (hello, Oli Centre of Walworth Road, a brilliant 24-hour Turkish supermarket) and I was good to go.
So, what was for dinner? Chicken wings marinated in a mix of olive oil, lemon, sumac, allspice and cinnamon, served with a salad of fennel, feta and pomegranate. The salad dressing was olive oil, sumac, tarragon and parsley. It was DELICIOUS. And took a while to eat due to the winginess of the chicken, so very satisfying. Thank you Mr O.
And, as an afterthough - Mr G and I are looking to buy our first flat. We saw a flat today with such a small kitchen it only had a two-ring hob. It was miniscule. Hopeless.
Anyway.
Lots of love
GG
Saturday I cooked a spag bol - very dull I know but with tons of veg. GluttonBoy was out so it was a good thing to shove down in a rush when he finally got home.
Sunday, and the shopping delivery arrived, minus the bottle of Gordon's that had smashed en route, coating the tea bags, puff pastry and grapefruit with the subtle scent of juniper. In at attempt to cut down the carbs on Sunday, I turned to one of my favourite books - Ottolenghi. I love his approach - fresh, zesty salads, lots of herbs and super-fresh flavours. The recipes also largely feature one of my favourite flavours, sumac. I have a super-love of all things arab/middle-eastern/mediterranean/greek, so it pushes my buttons totally. A quick scoot round one of my two favourite local shops (hello, Oli Centre of Walworth Road, a brilliant 24-hour Turkish supermarket) and I was good to go.
So, what was for dinner? Chicken wings marinated in a mix of olive oil, lemon, sumac, allspice and cinnamon, served with a salad of fennel, feta and pomegranate. The salad dressing was olive oil, sumac, tarragon and parsley. It was DELICIOUS. And took a while to eat due to the winginess of the chicken, so very satisfying. Thank you Mr O.
And, as an afterthough - Mr G and I are looking to buy our first flat. We saw a flat today with such a small kitchen it only had a two-ring hob. It was miniscule. Hopeless.
Anyway.
Lots of love
GG
Thursday, April 22, 2010
GluttonGirl makes a suprise return
As mentioned in previous posts, it has been a busy few months for GluttonGirl, what with one thing and another. The only constant has been the need to keep food on the table and I have never been one for churning out the same few meals over and over again.
I've often wondered why it is that when husbands cook the 'special' meals, eg for dinner parties etc, they are congratulated, when in fact it is far harder to get a meal on the table night after night. And when you are trying to stick to a budget, eat relatively healthily and not cook the same thing in any two-week period, that makes it even harder.
And another thing I've wondered is this - on Masterchef, when introducing contestants, they often say something like 'Miss X has been cooking for 2 years.' So, unless Miss X is about 20, I'm confused.What do they eat? I've been cooking since I was 14, became veggie and my mother refused to cook two meals a night. I can't say that every meal was delicious or even eatable, or that I've never eaten toast for dinner (or worse, Smash and cheese or a Pot Noodle) but I've been cooking a while.
Which brings me to my masterplan and reason for bringing GG back - to document what we eat at home and elsewhere, day after day. Whether delicious or disgusting, a triumph or a tragedy. Because to me, what people who love food eat day after day, where they shop, what they have discovered, is far more interesting to me than what a chef eats on his day off (not that I'm not interested in chefs' eating habits either, but you get my drift).
So, to tonight. Teriyaki steak and fennel slaw. Two steaks are marinating in soy sauce, honey, lime and red wine vinegar, ready to be griddled as soon as GluttonBoy gets home from a busy day down the cake mine. Accompanied with a mix of shredded fennel, carrot and red onion with mayo and lime. Should be yummy.[
Lots of love
GG
I've often wondered why it is that when husbands cook the 'special' meals, eg for dinner parties etc, they are congratulated, when in fact it is far harder to get a meal on the table night after night. And when you are trying to stick to a budget, eat relatively healthily and not cook the same thing in any two-week period, that makes it even harder.
And another thing I've wondered is this - on Masterchef, when introducing contestants, they often say something like 'Miss X has been cooking for 2 years.' So, unless Miss X is about 20, I'm confused.What do they eat? I've been cooking since I was 14, became veggie and my mother refused to cook two meals a night. I can't say that every meal was delicious or even eatable, or that I've never eaten toast for dinner (or worse, Smash and cheese or a Pot Noodle) but I've been cooking a while.
Which brings me to my masterplan and reason for bringing GG back - to document what we eat at home and elsewhere, day after day. Whether delicious or disgusting, a triumph or a tragedy. Because to me, what people who love food eat day after day, where they shop, what they have discovered, is far more interesting to me than what a chef eats on his day off (not that I'm not interested in chefs' eating habits either, but you get my drift).
So, to tonight. Teriyaki steak and fennel slaw. Two steaks are marinating in soy sauce, honey, lime and red wine vinegar, ready to be griddled as soon as GluttonBoy gets home from a busy day down the cake mine. Accompanied with a mix of shredded fennel, carrot and red onion with mayo and lime. Should be yummy.[
Lots of love
GG
Saturday, February 20, 2010
In which GG explains long absence
So, I'm aware it's been over two months since my last post and in the blogosphere (shoot me now for using that phrase) that is pretty much a capital offence. Here's a quick digest of what's been going on in Glutton-world.
Christmas - pretty much the high point of the glutton household's year. I went to Glutton sister for Christmas and ate my own body weight in roast potatoes. GluttonBoy went to Glutton sister in law and also ate his own body weight in roast potatoes. I also did my favourite boxing day meal - a buffet comprising a full range of pastry/pork/cheesy foods.
New year saw as at the lovely Darby household, for lovely curry. Less lovely was the Guinness and Drambuie cocktail. Sorry Mark. We'd brought Taittinger as it was on sale at Asda for £15 a bottle. That's us really - Taittinger tastes, Asda budget. I also made a pavlova and cranberry cheesecake cupcakes, which were hugely appreciated by the teenage boys present.
We were put onto this by our friends Sim and Martine. Sim is a barman with a taste for good wine, Martine is a chef and we have had some really great meals with them. They invited us for dinner and it was fantastic - great company, wine, food wasn't intimidating, they were v v hospitable. Good all round.
I made cranberry chutney. I am mad for cranberries and as they have such a short life I by them up and freeze so I can cook with them all year.
January wasn't a great month. My wonderful father had a heart attack and passed away. He was very fit and healthy and also a bit gluttony. He loved cheesecake and other cake and biscuits and chocolate but kept himself reined in. He also loved typical jewish food like bagels with saltbeef and latkes. He laughed at me many times for my sneery London foody ways, like knowing that the green leaves on the plate were Lollo Rosso. RIP Dad.
So, hence the GG silence. But, as I did last year, I am now trying again to combine a love of food with a relatively lowfat existence as GluttonBoy has inherited high cholesterol and I have a history of heart disease in the family. Jill Dupleix is my new heroine.
Anyway, expect to hear more of me from now on.
Lots of love
GGx
Christmas - pretty much the high point of the glutton household's year. I went to Glutton sister for Christmas and ate my own body weight in roast potatoes. GluttonBoy went to Glutton sister in law and also ate his own body weight in roast potatoes. I also did my favourite boxing day meal - a buffet comprising a full range of pastry/pork/cheesy foods.
New year saw as at the lovely Darby household, for lovely curry. Less lovely was the Guinness and Drambuie cocktail. Sorry Mark. We'd brought Taittinger as it was on sale at Asda for £15 a bottle. That's us really - Taittinger tastes, Asda budget. I also made a pavlova and cranberry cheesecake cupcakes, which were hugely appreciated by the teenage boys present.
We were put onto this by our friends Sim and Martine. Sim is a barman with a taste for good wine, Martine is a chef and we have had some really great meals with them. They invited us for dinner and it was fantastic - great company, wine, food wasn't intimidating, they were v v hospitable. Good all round.
I made cranberry chutney. I am mad for cranberries and as they have such a short life I by them up and freeze so I can cook with them all year.
January wasn't a great month. My wonderful father had a heart attack and passed away. He was very fit and healthy and also a bit gluttony. He loved cheesecake and other cake and biscuits and chocolate but kept himself reined in. He also loved typical jewish food like bagels with saltbeef and latkes. He laughed at me many times for my sneery London foody ways, like knowing that the green leaves on the plate were Lollo Rosso. RIP Dad.
So, hence the GG silence. But, as I did last year, I am now trying again to combine a love of food with a relatively lowfat existence as GluttonBoy has inherited high cholesterol and I have a history of heart disease in the family. Jill Dupleix is my new heroine.
Anyway, expect to hear more of me from now on.
Lots of love
GGx
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
In which GG gets festive.
Busy week in the Glutton household. Saturday saw the annual girls' christmas dinner. This has been a tradition for six years - me, Emily Jo, Ailsa and Charlotte congregating at Sharmin's for dinner. Lots has changed, including boyfriends, husbands and locations and in fact this year was the first year that a boy was allowed to attend - Emily Jo's new baby Jonah. So, we love it. Sharmin is a great cook and a brilliant host and for me, this annual dinner marks the start of Christmas - we have pressies and dancing and I wouldn't miss it for anything.
We kicked off with some spectacular canapes - pink devilled eggs (eggs dyed with beetroot) and blue cheese and apple in red chicory leaves. Dinner was amaze. A sweet onion pie had a lovely doughy crust and a really savoury/sweet filling. This came with roasted red peppers with capers (sharply flavoured, went brilliantly with the onion pie) and a salad of sprouts, green beans and
lettuce. Dessert though, was the star. Sharm has never really forgiven herself for serving, two years ago, a ready made dessert. The excuse (and it was one we all could get on board with) was that she had just hooked up with her new man and had more important things to do than make puddings. However, on that occasion she served mini pancakes as canapes, made from mixture left over from breakfast pancakes that the new man has suggested she save for us.
We were disposed to like him. Anyway, back to 2009. The dessert was a chocolate and prune steamed pudding. The prunes were puree and it had the most velvet texture, was light and rich and I had to restrain myself from wolfing it. All in all, a brilliant night.
As we speak, I am steaming three Christmas puddings. I was so worried about them boiling dry I overfilled the pans so in the mad boiling frenzy the puddings may have become a bit waterlogged, which I hope isn't a huge problem. To be honest, I imagine that anything that has an initial 5 hour steam followed by another three hour steam can stand a bit of water, but any advice, as always, gratefully recieved.
Lots of love,
GG
We kicked off with some spectacular canapes - pink devilled eggs (eggs dyed with beetroot) and blue cheese and apple in red chicory leaves. Dinner was amaze. A sweet onion pie had a lovely doughy crust and a really savoury/sweet filling. This came with roasted red peppers with capers (sharply flavoured, went brilliantly with the onion pie) and a salad of sprouts, green beans and
lettuce. Dessert though, was the star. Sharm has never really forgiven herself for serving, two years ago, a ready made dessert. The excuse (and it was one we all could get on board with) was that she had just hooked up with her new man and had more important things to do than make puddings. However, on that occasion she served mini pancakes as canapes, made from mixture left over from breakfast pancakes that the new man has suggested she save for us.
We were disposed to like him. Anyway, back to 2009. The dessert was a chocolate and prune steamed pudding. The prunes were puree and it had the most velvet texture, was light and rich and I had to restrain myself from wolfing it. All in all, a brilliant night.As we speak, I am steaming three Christmas puddings. I was so worried about them boiling dry I overfilled the pans so in the mad boiling frenzy the puddings may have become a bit waterlogged, which I hope isn't a huge problem. To be honest, I imagine that anything that has an initial 5 hour steam followed by another three hour steam can stand a bit of water, but any advice, as always, gratefully recieved.
Lots of love,
GG
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