Over Seasoning
Ironically, Part 2 of the latest learning piece was lined up for today. The irony being that, in some departments at least, I never learn.
Yesterday, our usually 6-weekly but long overdue bulk market shop coincided—not coincidentally— with a bare freezer. No drama. But you know how you sometimes do that weird thing—particularly with cooking or cleaning— when you think, we’ll I’m doing this now so I may as well do that too…
Well, I had already doubled down with a bulk freezer-filling batch of curried sausages, a goes-with-anything tomato sauce — see below for one of the greatest treasures a housewife can have on her shelves— and (image above) these little rippers before the search for sea salt took 30 seconds longer than it needed and I further committed to a pantry overhaul in true burn-the-boats fashion by clearing the shelves.
That might read like I lost my shit but it wasn’t that at all. Indeed, I imagined that by taking full advantage of a not ever-present domestic industriousness I was sailing pretty close to sheer genius.
Make hay when the sun shines.
Or perhaps it was that: our unseasonably warm spell triggering some spring cleaning urge. In any case, my tiny kitchen now suggests my imagined industry was on closer inspection more akin to — I’ll just get it all done now— laziness that turned what would have been a pleasant way to spend 2-3 relaxed afternoons into a death march.
And given I look forward to merely being up to my neck in it we can rule out genius.
The happier news is that you too can avail yourself of some simple but tasty winter recipes. Just push the spring clean until springtime. Because we well know that following a warm spell, winter will often return with a vengeance to sign off with a snowy flourish.
And that the early lamb does not get the worm. The worms get the early lamb.
DELICIOUS BOTTLED SPAGHETTI & TOMATOES
A recipe my grandma faithfully transcribed from an older friend she only ever referred to as ‘Mrs Perkins’.
I’m making it with tinned tomatoes and slow-cooking overnight to freeze (not bottle) so I don’t add the spaghetti.
It’s a great base for hundreds of dishes with garlic and chilli being obvious additions, but it’ll be dinner tomorrow night as is— with the spaghetti— along with half a dozen best pork sausages ovenbaked.
Delicious is right.
Have a great weekend.
- OLI