Friday Links

Posted on September 23, 2016 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! I’m at the end of the week and the beginning of a busy weekend! Here are this week’s links…

Riz Ahmed on airport typecasting.

Jeremy Corbyn and leadership. Yep

The Real Junk Food Project. This is inspiring and scary in equal measure.

This made me crave a fish finger sandwich. How to make the perfect fish finger.

I love Joss Whedon and I love this.

Millennials need to band together. Generally, I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of the millenials, as a generation, they are getting screwed over but they aren’t getting screwed over by the Gen X-er’s or Baby Boomers in my family. I have a job and hopefully, I can keep it but I’m screwed by the housing crisis too, with over half my monthly income going on housing and bills related to housing. Ma was lucky to get the sheltered housing when she did but the reason she was on the housing list was because her buy to let landlord put up the rent by £170 per month, the year she retired. Her income from pensions, state and private, is good, it’s certainly more than I’ll get but she pays tax on that and is using her time to help at a food bank and a homeless charity. So she is doing alright but it’s not like she’s swimming in a sea of cash. Actually, all the millenials I know are doing better than me because unlike me they have parents with money or have inherited money. We actually need to look at this without blame across the generations, people without money are being screwed by people who have money. That’s actually what’s happening here.

 

 

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Courgette Caviar

Posted on September 22, 2016 by nicdempsey

Guys I’m sorry, I realise that this space is turning into the courgette diaries, as it seems that most of the cooking I do nowadays seems to be about not letting any go to waste. The last five months of renting an allotment have been a steep learning curve. Mostly about time, because allotments are a time suck, sure I’ve got more time outdoors, more exercise and more heart lifting moments of  joy as I look at my 6 x 15 metre space and think about how good it looks.img_4969I also get produce and the lesson I’ve learnt about produce is that courgette plants just keep going. We are in the middle of September and the plants just keep producing, last time I looked we had 15 tiny courgettes, seems like the only thing that will stop them will be winter! So I saw this recipe and it used 2 kg of courgettes so it had to be tried.

Honestly, that it wasn’t the easy recipe it seemed to think it was, mostly down to me not having a big enough pan for the quantity of vegetables. After I put the tomatoes it, I just gave up and I tipped it all into the slow cooker and let it do it’s thing. For a day and half. What I ended up with was a paste/spread/sauce thing. img_4988It’s going to be one of those useful sauces when the produce dries up. I’ve already used some stirred through rice and roasted tomatoes.

I can also imagine that it would be great put to the same use in pasta.img_4913I made it again but this time, I cooked the onions and carrots together, then the courgettes and stuck them with drained tinned tomatoes into the slow cooker and I cooked it on high for 2 days. It looked and tasted the same as the first batch and I’ll probably do it again this week to use up the monster courgette that we somehow missed until the weekend (it’s more of a marrow than a courgette and it doesn’t even fit in the fridge!)

The only other thing, I’m changing is not keeping it in the fridge, you could hot water bath the jars, I guess to make it shelf stable, however, after a quick google, I froze this batch.

So there you have it, part 111 of the courgette chronicles….

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Allotment Adventures: The neverending weeding

Posted on September 21, 2016 by nicdempsey

We’re at a tricky point on the allotment right now. I started in May, so had missed the window on lots of sowing, so this month most stuff is coming to an end, except perhaps the courgettes, or not started yet.

Which means it time to start thinking about longer term allotment goals and clearing up and more weeding. First clearing and construction.

Last week, we bought some more compost and some topsoil to fill the two raised beds (which resulted in Ma and I having to take it to the allotment at 6:45am on the wettest day of the week!)img_4949

On Saturday we cleared the sweet peas and peas and took down the metal frames put up by Joe’s father in law because they weren’t very safe (or they didn’t feel very safe). I did manage to bash myself with the falling metal as we were taking them down so I’m going with not very safe! One of the best things about getting the allotment has been becoming part of the community there, over the course of the 4 hours spent getting the frame down we had help come wondering past to assist with the tricky bits and there were two posts we couldn’t have got out without the expertise of other people!img_4957It makes a huge difference to the plot which doesn’t feel so cut up now, there still isn’t a clear barrier between my half and Joe’s but we’ve managed so far and we are going to put raised beds there so it shouldn’t be a problem.

On Sunday we were back for another four hours. We set up the other raised bed. We filled the first one with some compost and topsoil and planted garlic in it. We covered the two beds that have chard and salad growing in them to protect them from the pigeons, my pak choi is done for but I’m going to protect the spinach and chard!img_4972Ma did valiant work on the raspberries and they got another layer of compost. The bind weed and couch grass are perennial and the only way to win will be constant weeding, although I am considering planting mexican marigold down the middle as their roots apparently kill the bindweed and couch roots. In fact I’m considering planting it everywhere to help get the weeds under control!img_4973

The rain on Friday softened up the ground so I dug over the area where the french beans had grown and weeded again.

Then we weeded the beds and cleared up. Most of having an allotment appeared to be grind and the weeding is never ending, but looking from the bottom of the plot up to the main path, I feel that we haven’t wasted the five months we’ve been in charge. Someone described their allotment as their church, their gym and their community and it’s certainly been all of those things so far!img_4979Look at how tiny those sage and rosemary plants were in Mayimg_4340

Of course we can’t do everything at once and although we spent eight hours on the plot over the weekend, there is still lots to do. We need to weed at the top end of the plot next weekend. There are lots of the things we want to do, like the base for the shed, moving the gooseberry bushes and more raised beds which are dependent on money, weather and seasons and hiring a car!

So I’m starting to think a little bit smaller and plan in monthly chunks. So by the end of this month I want to have the following done

  • Tank at the top of the plot emptied cleaned and moved to join the other one by the herbs (my current working plan is to add compost and plant squash in them next year)
  • Weed the top of the plot and mark out the areas for wildflowers, poppies and the ‘patio’ area for the shed.
  • Plant bulbs around the plum tree.
  • Rhubarb moved
  • Raspberries re-weeded and covered in compost (one more time!)

By the end of October

  • Clear the courgettes
  • Dig over and weed the bottom of the plot again
  • Three more raised beds, (155cm by 100cm) at the bottom of the plot
  • One more 100cm x 100cm raised bed
  • Clear and dig over beds in the middle of the plot (the ones that are currently growing cherry tomatoes, runner beans, courgettes and the cucumber.
  • Sow a green manure into those beds.
  • Clean and put the bamboo canes away for the winter
  • Have all the rubbish on site burnt and the ash added to the compost

That and the regular maintenance of the plot, should keep me occupied. We’ll also having a Halloween Pumpkin Trail on 29 October, so I want to get my fairy lights out and wrapped around the plum tree for that, I’ll also need some pumpkins but I can’t grow those suckers in time so it’ll be a trip to the supermarket for me!

In November, I want to lay down sand, weed fabric and paving stones for the shed but I do recognise that that may not happen until Spring but I live in hope that we’ll get it done!

 

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Food and Budget Update: 10/09 to 16/09/2016

Posted on September 20, 2016 by nicdempsey

Last week, the weekend went missing. I know things happened and I know I ate but I wasn’t really responsible for any of it. On Friday afternoon, I did my shopping and forgot to photograph it. I bought peppers, onions, mackerel, eggs, cocktail cherries and fruit. I also bought washing detergent and fabric conditioner but although I’m sure I bought other stuff I can’t for the life of me remember what! I do know it was below £15 but the details escape me.

Saturday night I went to Kathy’s for dinner (smoked salmon pasta was amazing!), Sunday I ate a crossiant for breakfast and had a cheese and bacon burger at Joe’s birthday party.

Monday was fruit for breakfast and work lunch. I had duck flatbread which was amazing but again no dinner.

Tuesday was more fruit for breakfast and courgette soup for lunch. Tuesday night dinner was allotment tomato sauce and pasta with Ma, I also added some grilled courgettes because I needed to make some room in the fridge for the new ones and felt we should eat something green with dinner.img_4940

Wednesday was fruit for breakfast and salad for lunch. For dinner, vegetables (onion, pepper, courgettes) cooked with spices (smoked paprika, cumin, ground corriander, garlic powder and chilli) and a fried egg. Not pretty but about right.img_4941

Thursday’s breakfast and lunch was the same as Wednesday.

Thursday night I made this pasta dish. It was loosely based on Rachel Roddy’s recipe for the Guardian that went up that day. I used my own homegrown tomatoes, it was good, you should try it.Friday night was pizza night because what is life without tradition…

 

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Life Happened: September Heatwave

Posted on September 19, 2016 by nicdempsey

For some reason known only to the climate, it got very warm in the south-east last week. Warm weather never lasts long in England but three days in a row of 31C weather is unusual and in London during a commute, painful.

So it was hot, I was getting over the remains of a cold and the office air conditioning was still broken, it was freezing. I was taking clothes into work to put on in the office and we had heaters running when it was 31C outside. Madness.

I was also grumpy. What’s new? I hear you ask. I know, grumpy and tired is my default setting but I was grumpy for legitimate reasons.

  1. The heat.
  2. The commute.
  3. Weird dreams on Wednesday night about my dad. In my dream he was trying to get me to agree to let some random person, that he met in the pub, live in my flat. I haven’t lived with my father for roughly 23 years and he’s been dead for 15, so it was odd. I don’t often dream about Noel, well not since the one just after he died when apparently I was burying him next to the budgie in the yard of my childhood home and he, like the budgie, was wrapped in a j-cloth. (Look I can’t help it, I don’t dream these things on purpose!). Anyway it was unsettling.
  4. The idiot on train on Thursday morning, who wanted to talk to me about what I was reading. No, I didn’t make eye contact with him or do anything that indicated I wanted to talk to anyone and I wasn’t on fire or anything that someone needed to draw to my attention. I had earphones in and I was reading, it was rush hour. People should know better than to communicate with me in those circumstances, especially when I am listening to the Hamilton soundtrack.
  5. The return of the wake up light. I finally had to give in and start using it againimg_4947
  6. Friday’s rain. The hot weather broke and there was rain. Epic rain with thunder and lightning during the rush hour. It was exactly as joyous as you would expect.img_4951

The week was redeemed by two days on the allotment.  And hearing about Oli’s first proper football match I’m still under slept and this week is going to be busy, the only way out is through….

 

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Friday Links

Posted on September 16, 2016 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! You may have noticed that I dropped the ball last week and there was no Friday links (well a couple of people did!) so some of these links are a bit old…but here they are….

‘Pay to stay’ is Robin Hood in reverse for working class families. The problem is that market rent is too damn high and private renting is insecure because of the changes made to tenancy law in the ’80’s. Instead of dealing with that, the Tories are shifting the blame onto council and social housing tenants.

How to do your make up on the Tube. First, let’s laugh at the whole idea of getting a seat on the Tube in the rush hour (it’s like the magic unicorn of commuting in London). Second, let’s not do this because it’s disgusting. Why would you do this? Have you ever blown your nose after being on the tube, it’s black because the underground is a hot, sweaty place full of people and their germs and why would you rub that in your face? Come on people, we are not animals. In a civilized world, we either get up earlier and put on make up before we leave the house or wait and do it in the office toilets after the journey.

How Hilary Clinton can get that presidential look. Hilarious

Bizarre ant colony in Poland. Fascinating.

The Keith Vaz scandal seems to have fallen out of the new and been overtaken by events but this is still worth reading as a guide on whether to declare an interest.

Prince Buster died last week. This is sad news…

More Robin Lustig, this time on grammar schools.

Does every moment in a mother’s life have to be inspiring? Erm no, but no-one’s life is like that. Also there seem to be two competing cults of parenting, ‘parenting is hard’ and ‘parenting is the most magical, important thing you will ever do with your life’. So on the one hand we are telling children that they are magic and special and on the other we are telling them that they are difficult and sap everything from us. The truth is both. Having kids can be hard work, it can also be magical. As someone who isn’t a parent I don’t quite know how to react, because the narrative for non-parents is worse, I’m selfish, I’ll never understand love or sacrifice or anything important. It all worries me.

Xkcd on Global warming. It’s real, it’s happening.

How women in the White House made sure they were heard. Yes, it’s good strategy but I can be sad that women still have to do this.

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Pickled Courgettes

Posted on September 15, 2016 by nicdempsey

So I’ve been told that right about now is the time that the courgette production should slow down, mine have been producing madly for nearly four months and the end should be in sight.

Ha!img_4910I’m still looking for ways to use up my courgettes, because I don’t want one of them to be left behind. The courgette marmalade was a bust but this courgette pickle was a revelation.

I’m obsessed by it, it’s just so good, even people who don’t like pickled things, quite like this. I add it to salads, eat it on the side or inside sandwiches and I’m sure that there are other ways I haven’t tried yet!img_4817-1I’ve made 6 batches of this so far and naturally, I made some changes to the recipe.

First, the ingredients. I used ordinary sugar instead of golden caster (there was a time when golden caster was all I used – things have changed!), I didn’t have and couldn’t find celery seeds and for some reason stuck fennel seeds in and it worked so I’ve just continued to use them. I used half a teaspoon of mild chilli power instead of half a dried chill and one whole onion thinly sliced, instead of 3 shallots, finally, I’ve made this using a mixture of white and red wine vinegar as well as cider vinegar and either way it’s been good.

Then the method, after soaking the courgettes and onion in the brine, I spun them in the salad spinner  (which this summer has become the most useful piece of kitchen equipment I own!). Rather than adding the vegetables to the liquid and then trying to get it all in the jars, I put the veg in the sterilised jars, then I poured the pickling liquid into the jars.

I next time I make this and there will be a next time because it’s good, I’m going to can it so that it’ll be self stable outside of the fridge because my fridge is currently full of jars of this stuff. Assuming that this works ok, this pickle is a candidate for Christmas presents this year, but then again I might just eat it all before that!

I think what I’m trying to tell you is that this pickle is completely customisable to different tastes and still good and uses up lots of courgettes. Go and make it in big batches!

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Food and Budget Update: 03/09 to 09/09/2016

Posted on September 13, 2016 by nicdempsey

Food last week was patchy, I think I ate pretty well but I also didn’t eat much at the beginning of the week because I was sick and therefore not interested in food (a sign of how bad I felt!). We had so many courgettes and most of them were large because I didn’t go to the allotment much last week. So operation use up all the produce was in force. I’ve pickled, grated and frozen lots as well as made soup and courgette caviar (which is a handy thing something between a paste and a sauce that tastes good and will add veggie goodness to stuff in the winter. It also uses 2 kilos of courgettes so it’s victory all round as far as I’m concerned!

SHOPPING 

Last weekend, I wasn’t home and this shop was done in the Sainsburys local on Sunday evening. It came to £6.14. Later in the week, I also bought some parmesan, pasta, and lemons which came to £5.40 (£2.20 of that was lemons for honey and lemon!). So a total of £11.54.The allotment provided lots of produce, we were courgettes a go-go again!

COOKING AND EATING  

For the weekend I was in Watford and not pictured but eaten were pesto pasta and garlic bread on Saturday night and bacon sandwiches on Sunday. I didn’t eat on Sunday night.

On Monday, I had yoghurt for breakfast and honey and lemon and that and some cough sweets was pretty much all I had until Tuesday night when I had pasta and tomato sauce. I had made the tomato sauce on Sunday night from my own tomatoes!On Wednesday I managed to get it together and have yoghurt and peaches for breakfast and rice and a vegetable sauce for lunch. For dinner, I had the rest of the rice mixture with roasted cherry tomatoes (yep the ones I’d grown!). I’m also eating raw tomatoes with salt and finding them the most delicious thing, which is the strangest thing for me.On Thursday, I had salad and courgette tots for tea. It is lovely to be eating food that you’ve grown yourself!Friday was courgette pizza because there were so many.

 

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Life Happened: Autumn is just around the corner

Posted on September 12, 2016 by nicdempsey

I’m not a fan of autumn, so when we flipped from August to September and everyone got all happy about the forthcoming change of the season, I just ignored them. Then last Monday, the schools went back and it rained and I realised that I had a cold. Well played September, remind me why I don’t like you and your autumnal friends October and November.

On Monday afternoon, I went home from work because I felt horrible and just wanted to sleep. When I’m not well, I sleep! After a four hour nap, I woke up still feeling terrible with a very sore throat, so I made my honey, lemon and ginger concentrate, took some drugs and went back to bed. It’s been a good 6 months since I last had a cold so something is working but I’ve had a couple of bad years with coughs and bronchitis and it’s made me paranoid about catching anything and very afraid that it’ll be more of the same. So I spent Tuesday at home feeling ill and coughing between sleeping, it’s always a sign of how bad I’m feeling if I can’t read but I was back at work on Wednesday, I’m still a bit snotty and coughing but I’ll do!

I worked from home on Friday, and had a quiet day on Saturday because the weather was horrible and Joe’s birthday party was postponed to Sunday. Instead I had dinner at Kathy’s on Saturday which was restorative for body and mind! On Sunday, we celebrated little Joe, that year went really quickly!img_4927How amazing was the cake that I did not make, Laura has the decorating thing down pat!img_4937This week I will catching up on the Archers, getting a lot of sleep and if the weather forecast is accurate being very warm!

 

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Blackberry Yoghurt Cake

Posted on September 8, 2016 by nicdempsey

I like to think I’m a pretty good cook, most of what I cook is edible at the very least, sometimes I have a really good idea but really what I am doing is making something to eat, the highest compliments I have received about my cooking are generally “I’ve never not liked anything you cook” and “Aunty Nic do you remember last time I was here, you made some lovely bread”

As such, my cooking style is instinctive and adaptive, I tweak and add instead of creating something out of my brain wholesale. This cake comes from that. It started as a riff on the yoghurt cake base I used for the gin and tonic cake, with the addition of some allotment raspberries. It was a good idea but I also have to confess that it was a bit of a, not entirely cooked, disaster. Something I did not discover until I iced it and cut into it’s liquid centre.


But the fully cooked edges tasted good and were everything I hoped this cake would be. However, the raspberry season on my plot passed and when I got around to thinking about it again it was August and I bought some blackberries. So I tried it again and paid slightly more attention to the baking stage.img_4843

What

For the cake

  • 120g plain yoghurt
  • 240g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 360g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 a teaspoon salt
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 120ml sunflower oil
  • 350g blackberries

For the glaze

  • 100g sugar
  • juice of 2 lemons

How

  1. Line an 10 inch cake tin and put the blackberries on the bottom.
  2. Preheat the oven to 175C.
  3. Combine yoghurt, sugar and eggs in a large bowl until well beaten.
  4. Add flour, baking powder, salt and lime zest and beat.
  5. Add the sunflower oil to the mixture and don’t worry that it looks like it’ll separate, just keep beating it until it’s all mixed.
  6. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, it’s done when a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes away clean. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.
  7. Make the glaze. Add the sugar to the lemon juice, stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  8. Using a fork or a skewer, make holes in the top of the cake, pour half the glaze on and leave for 30 minutes.
  9. Sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate
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