Digging can be good fun

This exhibit looks like good fun at the Imperial War Museum in London - The Ministry of Food. Check out their blog and this cute video!

The Ministry of Food

"Isn't an hour in the garden better than an hour in a queue?"

In the news: TV Nuns, Organic Farms and Rosh Hashanah

How's that for a mixed bag of news goodies?  I think I enjoy scavenging for good food news almost as much as cooking, so here are some morsels from the past week.

TV nuns show how to cook by the good book - Giles Tremlett (The Guardian)
Cloistered nuns, Sister Liliana and Sister Beatriz of the Concepcionistas Franciscanas in Segovia have their own show on Spanish cable TV called Bocaditos de cielo (little mouthfuls of heaven). They specialize in recipes (mostly sweets) that have been handed down over the generations in the convent. Sounds fabulous and if anyone knows how to watch this online - let me know! [By the way, the guy who wrote the article, Giles Tremlett, is a great writer. I highly recommend his book called Ghosts of Spain: Travels through a country's hidden past.]

Organic farm blossoms in Kenya's largest slum - Xan Rice (The Guardian)
A garbage dump is turned into a prospering organic garden.

Rosh Hashana Recipes - The New York Times online
The Jewish New Year celebrations start 29 Sept! Celebrate with some maykholim (delicious) recipes courtesy of the NY Times. These go beyond kugel to Moroccan beet salad and other exotic, seasonal fare.

UPDATE 11.30pm:  We ate the Moroccan beet salad tonight as per the NY Times recipe and it's really good.  That is, if you like beets.   

China toxin scandal moves to liquid milk - The Guardian
An update on the horrifying milk scandal.

My morning window

Though it's a bit off topic for my blog, a friend of mine sent me a meme and passed it on to me: publish a picture of what you see through your window when you wake up. I don't read enough blogs by people I know to pass it on again, but this is my typical morning window. A grey day in London - fancy that! In the mornings I look out to see what sorts of wildlife I can find. Usually it's cats, but once there was a fox (see photo below). The dark curtains are for keeping summer morning light (which starts at 4am) out. They are material for making saris. I got them in Vancouver several years ago and they used to hang on my wall in university. Now they are bleached by the sun on one side (the rooms faces south), but I like them, so they are here to stay. Outside the window is a view of the many gardens our neighbors keep. Typical London. Overgrown and wild. The elderberries are just past peek and we're trying to salvage tomatoes, but mostly it's a losing battle because we can't mow the lawn - it rains almost every day.

Zucchini Monsters!

This is what happens when you neglect your zucchini/courgette plants. They turn into monsters, channeling all their energy into producing monstrous zucchini and then ceasing to produce any more. You should usually cut them when they are small to medium sized. This mutant specimen was a product of my holiday... Weight = 3.6kg. Length = 55cm. I have lots of ideas for its use (pasta, soup, frittata), but this thing could feed an army!


Also observe our tomato and cucumber!


The cherry tomatoes are especially delicious.

Eat your veg!

Our first courgettes/zucchini were ready last night and I bought some delicious fresh peas at the outdoor market on the High Road as well. I've had a bit too much meat in the past week and wanted something nice and fresh to make me feel more as if I were enjoying 'summer' as they call it here. This meal left me feeling refreshed and there was plenty left to enjoy again today. It also felt good to know that the peas were from Yorkshire, the zucchini from my garden and the leeks hopefully didn't travel from outside Britain either...

Pasta with zucchini, parsley and garlic
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped finely
1/2 leek, sliced finely
bunch of fresh parsley chopped finely
2 medium sized zucchini, grated
1lb/500 g pasta
salt and pepper
olive oil
parmesan

Sauté the garlic and leek in the olive oil and a non-stick pan. Add the zucchini, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium and let some of the water evaporate. I also squeeze out some of the excess water you find in super fresh zucchini beforehand. Cook for about 10 minutes, maybe a bit more (don't overdo it), then add parsley and let it wilt. Add to your al dente pasta with a little extra olive oil and garnish with parmesan or romano cheese.

Fresh peas with leeks
Peas
leeks, sliced finely
olive oil
salt and pepper

Shell the peas and steam until you smell the peas (5 min?). Don't overcook. Sauté the leeks gently in a non-stick pan and when they are soft, add the peas for a couple of minutes, no more. Add a little salt and pepper to your taste.

Tomato and mozzarella salad
tomatoes
mozzarella
olive oil (nice, flavourful)
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Urban Farming

Check out this cool project started in Detroit turning empty space into vegetable gardens that local people can work at and use. It's fantastic!

Urban farming takes root in Detroit - BBC News

Their website (needs a bit of work...):
http://www.urbanfarming.org/

It makes me feel lazy about not doing a better job in the garden this summer. There's still time!

First Harvest

Our first wave of strawberries from the garden! Aren't they cute? They taste divine.