Think On

Some things of little consequence

Was Googling around tonight for where to buy peanut butter M&Ms in France (yeah, yeah), when I chanced upon the M&Ms Wikipedia entry. Some fascinating stuff here.

Today was a good day at work, despite the lack of heat (organization officially on holiday, so wore a sweatshirt, scarf, and gloves at my desk) and closed cafe. Instead, drank awful coffee made via awful machine at my desk.

Created minor international incident at the local grocery store, on account of Frenchisms too tiresome to explain. Suffice it to say that "customer service" is not at all in the French vocabulary. I enjoyed, I must say, one of the few Brooklyn moments I have had since moving here.

Made a version of this easy and absolutely delicious dish tonight, but with chicken breasts and rosemary instead of the oregano (sorry, Dana!). Lovely flavors. Next time would roast some whole garlic cloves in it as well.

 

Verdict on Day Two of 2011

Marginal, at best. I have a terrible, awful, horrible case of jetlag, which I MUST OVERCOME TONIGHT. Big week ahead at work, alas. Tomorrow is still a holiday here for some, but not for Yours Truly.

Spent a lot of time today working on this blog, but have now discovered there are 92 coding errors. This will, however, give me something to do between 2 and 7 am :-)

I am reading some very good books at the moment, among them, So Much for That, and Eleanor and Franklin.

Otherwise, still unpacking, discovering all kinds of things stuffed into odd suitcase corners, and recovering from The Making of the New Year's Day Lucky Foods!

 

 

New Year's Day

The peas are on the stove for Hoppin' John. My favorite recipe, courtesy of the late lamented Bill Neal of Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill.

Hoppin' John
Yields 4 to 6 servings

Southerners may make resolutions for the New Year, but they know success (or lack of it) depends more on what is eaten on 1 January than on all the good intentions in the world. More black-eyed peas and collards are consumed on that day than any other time of the year--part of an antique gastronomic insurance policy. Collards are for a steady supply of folding green in the coming year; black-eyed peas for plenty of pocket change. Hoppin' John is a sort of jambalaya with a light touch. Do not stew the different elements into a homogeneous mush. Each pea, grain of rice, chunk of tomato, and piece of scallion should retain its individual identity, flavor, and texture.

2 cups (475 ml) cooked Black-eyed Peas
2 cups (475 ml) cooked rice
1 cup (235 ml) chopped fresh tomato
1/2 (118 ml) finely chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Recommended equipment: A 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet or enameled cast-iron sauté pan with cover.

Heat the peas and rice separately if cold. (Add 3 tablespoons water to cold rice, cover, and steam briefly.) Combine lightly in the skillet or sauté pan, sprinkle the chopped tomato and scallions over all, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and heat through. Add grated cheddar cheese when serving, if desired.

Besides cooking, today I am making resolutions, loading up the 2011 calendar, and picking up the remains of the post-holiday apartment.

Happy New Year to all!

 

 

New Year's Eve Eve

Whoo, boy. Back in Brooklyn and scurrying around: groceries, coffee, Barnes ad Noble--just the necessities!

Bought a few things for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day cooking. Thanks to an English friend, I recovered the all-important digestive-biscuit "cake" recipe, as below.

Couldn't find crowder peas in the grocery; instead, I got a couple of bags of things that look similar/passable. Forgot the turnip greens (not to mention all the ingredients for the cake), so back to Steve's C-Town tomorrow I go.

Books I'm reading or about to dive into:

Cross-X

What is the What

And here's the recipe (the original is here):

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Ingredients: 125g (41/2 oz) unsalted butter

75g (3oz) Lyle's golden syrup

200g (7oz) Green and Black's Chocolate, broken into pieces (try 1/3 milk choc and 2/3 dark)

1 egg

50g (2oz) digestive biscuits (McVitie's)

50g (2oz) whole walnuts

OPTIONAL: 50g (2oz) sultanas, 50g (2oz) glacé cherries, reserving a few for decoration

Instruction: Line the loaf tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment and set aside. Melt the butter and syrup together in a small saucepan over a gentle heat until they begin to boil. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water, then mix thoroughly with the butter and golden syrup. Pasteurise the egg by beating it slowly and continuously into the hot chocolate mixture. Break up the biscuits into large chunks; remember, they will be broken further when mixed, so don't make them too small. Add the walnuts, sultanas and most of the cherries. Pour the chocolate mixture on to the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon. Press the mixture into the tin and decorate with reserved glacé cherries. Leave to set in the fridge for about 4 hours. Remove from the fridge, peel off the paper and cut into slices or cubes. Serve chilled.

Serves: Makes: 10 large, very rich slices Preparation

Time: Preparation time: 15 minutes Chilling time: 4 hours

NB: I make this without sultanas/raisins or cherries.Enjoy. Happy New Year, everybody!