Buffalo Gnocchi

I found this companion video for the Swedish Chef. Double feature below:

Is it so much to ask

That the hotel have an outlet near the bed? Near enough so that you can sit, in bed, comfortably with your back against some pillows and the headboard, so that you can work until midnight without your computer dying?

No apparently at the STAR MAX Hotel in Mwanza you must do your work sitting on the bed underneath the hanging TV stand, or lying on your stomach, or (eureka moment last night at 10:15pm), sit on the pillows with your back against the bed, feet on the bathmat, computer happily percolating.



Also, this coffeemachine is supposedly the best ever for summer houses in Maine.

More crazy dreams

Greetings from Mwanza, Tanzania, known as "Rock City" for its large boulders dotting the hillsides of this Lake Victoria town. Looming deadlines abound for the development of a full training manual on Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) and for the package of print and radio materials that will support the spray campaign, which starts in mid-January.

I dreamed last night that I had a baby, and to keep it warm I put it in a low oven. When I came back an hour later he had turned into cornbread.

This may be linked to our plans to make gingerbread houses later this week. Or maybe not.

Adventures in Food

I shall not be delayed by lack of photos.

Last night, a roast chicken, using Jamie Oliver's technique for roasting the potatoes - boil them for 12 minutes, let them steam dry for a minute, then rattle them around in the dry pot to get all chuffed and fuzzy, then add them to your partially cooked chicken and roast for 45 minutes. Then, as the chicken rests once out of the oven, pour the potatoes and pan juices into skillet and boil off the juice/let the taters soak it up, and fry a bit more in the chicken fat. It ain't duck fat, but I won't kick them out of bed.

Vij's Family Chicken Curry recipe - excellent. Probably even better with cilantro, which lay forgotten in the fridge.

Pan-roasted trout, who knew you were so easy! Also, butternut squash soup with pork stock is yummy, but v. porky. Perhaps too porky.

Coming up: Mussels a la mariniere and a report from Atlanta dining.

Cookerrific Weekend

After a somewhat dismal working Saturday, in which not much work got done, and a mediocre capellini carbonara with chard was made (note to self, for the second time - Jamie Oliver's carbonara recipe ends up too dry. Needs to be more saucy. Especially with high-surface-area pastas!), I went all out on Sunday.

We began with the tomatoes.

Rinse and cut in half, longways, 5 lbs Roma tomatoes. Simmer them for 10 min and cook them down gently for an hour and a half.

(During this time, we started the pork stock)

Run tomatoes through a food mill (THANKS MOM AND DAD!) to remove skins and seeds. Rinse the pot and add 1 1/4 cups olive oil (yes you heard that right. Remember, olive oil is healthy!). Add 3/4 c minced onion and cook till translucent, then add 3/4 cup tiny diced carrots. And celery if you can stand it; I cannot. After a minute add back the tomato puree and 5 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp sugar. Stir, cook for 20 min.

Freeze for winter.

Pork Stock!

First, roast a pig. Or find roasted pig bones. We had leftover a side of ribs, the pelvis, and some other bones. Put these in your stockpot with a couple halved onions, skin on, a leek, halved, one huge carrot, split, a head of garlic, split, skin on, parsley stems, peppercorns, celery (if you can stand it), bay leaf. Cover with water and simmer for 4-5 hours. Skim. "I say again, skim." Then toss all your bones etc and strain the stock. Let cool and remove some of the fat. Freeze for winter, reserving 4 cups for....

Lima Bean Soup!

Cook 5-6 slices bacon till crispy, remove and crumble. Cook 3 leeks, split lengthwise and sliced fine, gently in the fat for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and pliant. Dump, unceremoniously, 1 pound fresh lima beans into the pot and add 4 cups pork stock or until beans are covered, plus a little more. Cook for 10-30 minutes or until lima beans are tender to your liking. Blend with a stick blender or with some other appliance until creamy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the bacon crumbles and snipped chives. So delicious, you will fight your dear spouse for the right to eat the last serving for lunch the next day. But you will win, because you made it.

I didn't forget dessert.

Salted-Butter Caramel Ice Cream.

Use David Lebowitz's recipe.

Watch sadly as the batter turns round and round in the mixer without freezing up.

Pour out batter and re-chill; set fridge and freezer to be colder in hopes of a better outcome on Tuesday.

Woo!

Just got my five-year multiple entry visa for Mali!

Now I just need to have reasons to go back after my next trip at the end of the month...

Labor Day Weekend

It ain't Labor Day without three separate trips to The Home Depot.

In the end, though, my office is painted a lovely blue, we got outside for a hike, and there was both barbecue and brunch. Pics soon!