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Barbara’s gone and done it

She posted her Vegetarian 100. While I’m still trying to catch up to the Omnivore 100. *sigh*

The Vegetarian Hundred :

Strikeout : What I won’t eat
Bold : What I have had
Bold and Strikeout : Have had, never again

1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked – Tanya makes great mac&cheese — Oh dear, I hope you don’t mean I need to make the macaroni and / or the cheese from scratch?
2. Tabouleh
3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam) — Sure, in a black pot on a campfire, many times.
4. Fresh figs — had a tree at my parents’ home.
5. Fresh pomegranate — at Tannie Lizzie’s place (Esterheim) in Montagu, many moons ago.
6. Indian dal of any sort
7. Imam bayildi
8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu
9. Freshly made hummus
10. Tahini
11. Kimchi
12. Miso
13. Falafel — takeaway only.
14. Potato and pea filled samosas
15. Homemade yogurt
16. Muhammara
17. Brie en croute
18. Spanikopita — Aaah yes, the ex used to make these. Took up the whole kitchen and the whole day, but my oh my.
19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes
20. Insalata caprese
21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards)
22. Freshly made salsa
23. Freshly made guacamole
24. Creme brulee — I like the Marie Claire Flavours recipe (Recipezaar link)
25. Fava beans
26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles
27. Fattoush
28. New potatoes
29. Coleslaw
30. Ratatouille
31. Baba ganoush
32. Winter squash — Butternuts cooked, in foil in the coals, in soup (better than straight pumpkin soup), gems cooked, gems in foil on the fire…
33. Roasted beets
34. Baked sweet potatoes — in tinfoil in the coals, oooh yes.
35. Plantains
36. Chocolate truffles — there’s a nice chocolaterie outside Tulbagh
37. Garlic mashed potatoes
38. Fresh water chestnuts
39. Steel cut oats — rolled, yes. Steel cut, no.
40. Quinoa — I’ve only recently heard about this, but it seems the rage on the USA side of the ocean.
41. Grilled portabello mushrooms
42. Chipotle en adobo
43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal
44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas
45. Frittata — my ex used to make these often.
46. Basil pesto — and this, when the basil bushes reached the level of the wall.
47. Roasted garlic — what’s a roast without garlic?
48. Raita of any type
49. Mango lassi
50. Jasmine rice (white or brown)
51. Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry
52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie — in SA we know every form except pie :-)
53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette
54. Quince in any form — had a tree in the garden at Amperbo.
55. Escarole, endive or arugula
56. Sprouts other than mung bean — all kinds available here.
57. Naturally brewed soy sauce
58. Dried shiitake mushrooms — to give body to veg stews.
59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…)
60. Fresh peach ice cream
61. Chevre — locavore delight.
62. Medjool dates
63. Kheer
64. Flourless chocolate cake
65. Grilled corn on the cob — often. We’re South African. We braai!
66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili
67. Tempeh
68. Seitan or wheat gluten
69. Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese
70. Sweet potato fries
71. Homemade au gratin potatoes
72. Cream of asparagus soup
73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip
74. Mushroom risotto
75. Fermented black beans
76. Garlic scapes
77. Fresh new baby peas
78. Kalamata olives
79. Preserved lemons
80. Fried green tomatoes
81. Chinese scallion pancakes
82. Cheese souffle
83. Fried apples
84. Homemade frijoles refritos
85. Pasta fagiole
86. Macadamia nuts in any form
87. Paw paw in any form — don’t like it much.
88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind — with Marmite! Yeah!
89. Paneer cheese
90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!)
91. Fresh pasta in any form — made lasagna once. I’ll get better if I practiced.
92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps
93. Green papaya salad
94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes
95. Pickled ginger
96. Methi greens
97. Aloo paratha
98. Kedgeree — Tanya’s daughter is vegetarian but eats fish. So… yeah. I quite like the stuff. Edit : Barbara meant the vegetarian version, never heard of it. will hafta research & try.
99. Okra
100. Roasted brussels sprouts — Tried it the other night, maybe I need to practice, but I prefer boiled.

It’s starting to look like a kitchen…

Not only because the cabinets are coming together nicely…

… but also because the cupboards are being filled with all kinds of exotic goodies I’m picking up in anticipation.

I went shopping in the Waterfront the other night, saw that they had juniper berries and star aniseed, and that sort of started it. The star aniseed is for making creme brulee, from the Marie Claire Flavours book. I’ve seen exactly the same recipe online, will find and post a link.

Then came yesterday’s shopping trip. The cover story is that I need a wok. The folks-in-law have a cast iron wok that really works well. I can get something similar from Le Creuset in Cavendish, but it’s rather expensive, as Le Creuset tends to be. So I said that at some stage I’ll go to the Chinese/Japanese/Oriental shops and have a look-see.

The second story comes from a conversation I had with a friend (CH) a few months ago, which went something like this :

<me> I want to make Barbara’s Sichuan Shredded Chicken.
<CH> And you are going to get black vinegar where?

But the real reason I went Chinese shopping yesterday is all Barbara’s fault. In particular, #76, baijiu. I couldn’t believe it’s as horrible as the wiki indicates. To quote, “There are a number of accounts in English which comment unfavorably on the taste of baijiu, comparing it with rubbing alcohol or diesel fuel“.

So I went to Mainland China near Cavendish in Claremont, found 500ml of Er Gou Tou for R18.75 (note : this is less than the cost of a sixpack of beer). I also got the black vinegar, some Tom Yum paste, and an intriguing bottle of “Confucious Family Liquor” which was the most expensive of the lot, R43.80 the bottle (note : R40 is what a relatively decent everyday drinking red sets me back most of the time. Just to put things into context for non-local readers).

So now, I feel that I’m qualified to speak. And I can tell you that baijiu tastes nothing like rubbing alcohol or diesel fuel. No, it’s closer to acetone, although I must admit there’s a slight diesel fuel aroma to it — but on the nose only, not the palate.

After the first few sips (yes, I’m brave) one becomes used to the taste. Maybe because by then, my taste buds had decamped and moved south for the duration. It also has a not-so-nice aftertaste, courtesy no doubt of overly brave taste buds who make the return journey too soon.

I’m sure my Land-Rover will run on it though.

One has to admire the packaging. This is the Confucius Family Liquor, and I have no idea what it is or what it tastes like. Time will tell, I’m sure :-)

OK, back to the kitchen. As you can see from the very first picture, I eventually got the right size panel to close the front of the cabinet that goes up against the wall in the corner.

Julian originally designed the unit with a standard (left-opening) door, but I figured that the cupboard would be more accessible if the door opened the other way, so I picked up two “blind corner” hinges and used that to hang the door. The gas bottle is going into the corner, so I need the access.

With this unit now bolted to the wall, I could measure the exact size of the countertops I need. Aluta Continua.

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Barbara Fischer linked to Andrew’s list and instructions :

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food – but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

I added Bold and Crossed to indicate stuff I’ve tried but have no intention of eating ever again, unless I’m starving.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros – on the menu at Mugg & Bean,  but as soon as my kitchen’s operational I’ll try Deb’s recipe, it sounds much nicer.
4. Steak tartareRead all about it.
5. Crocodile – yea, once, in Oudtshoorn – I was not impressed.
6. Black pudding – sounds horrible, but I’ll try almost anything once.
7. Cheese fondue – nice idea for a party, we also had The Real Thing (raclette?) in France.
8. Carp – Goldfeesh are carp, no?
9. Borscht – I want to make this sometime.
10. Baba ghanoush – first time I’ve heard of it.
11. Calamari – Tanya likes the takeaway Calamari at Muizenberg market,
12. Pho – Barbara mentioned Pho, maybe someday I’ll make it.
13. PB&J sandwich – over here, “jelly” is the stuff you mix from a powder and serve with custard or put in a trifle. I think you mean “jam”. I prefer maple syrup, but golden syrup works too. Or honey.
14. Aloo gobi – looks like something that should be on my “to try” recipe list.
15. Hot dog from a street cart – all the time. But here we call ’em “boerie rolls” and we use wors, not wieners, mostly.
16. Epoisses – maybe next time I’m in France.
17. Black truffle – my brother likes using truffle oil. For this kind of money I’d rather be buying expensive liquor.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes – Hmmm, it’s cherry picking season in Ceres again soon…
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes – I might be missing something, but in this context, “heirloom” means “grown in your own garden” like my grandfather used to do?
22. Fresh wild berries – depends on your definition of wild, I guess.
23. Foie gras – not common here, expensive.
24. Rice and beans – Moros y Christianos, lekker.
25. Brawn, or head cheese – We call it “silt” and it sucks.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper – does pickled Habanero count?
27. Dulce de leche – this is what you get when you heat condensed milk? Maybe I should try the real recipe.
28. OystersBloemendal has a yearly champagne and oyster festival. Oysters are overrated but the bubbly’s nice.
29. Baklava – the Ocean Basket in Long Beach Mall has a Greek owner. This makes this particular franchise… a bit different from the rest.
30. Bagna cauda – looks interesting.
31. Wasabi peas – I like wasabi with sushi, must try it with peas.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi – and here I thought Lassy was a dog… Edit: Salted lassi (2008-09-02). I can get to like this stuff, and the sweet version should be nice too. Recipe here.
34. Sauerkraut – Oh yes, goes well with eisbein (Nag’s Head in Noordhoek. Recommended). I’ve also braised it.
35. Root beer float – Root beer is not something we get in South Africa. Have had many coke floats though.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar – Remy rocks. But I don’t smoke.
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – Yes, if Peachtree Schnapps counts.
39. Gumbo – that I made myself, not authentic – will change if I ever visit the bayou.
40. Oxtail – many times. Popular dish in South Africa.
41. Curried goat – can’t say I’ve seen this on the menu anywhere.
42. Whole insects – You mean on purpose, not accidentally?
43. Phaal – oooh! *makes note*
44. Goat’s milk – well, Fairview makes it into quite nice cheese, if that counts.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more – been there, done that, single malt doesn’t do it for me, I prefer Remy or even Jim Beam Black.
46. Fugu – Chances are the stuff I can afford is cut a little close to the gland.
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear – we make it into witblits which is a noble destiny.
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone – We used to eat lots back before the whole poaching problem started.
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – had McDonalds once, when they opened their first branch in South Africa, at the insistence of the (then not) ex. Life’s too short.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini – Martini, yes. With olive juice, no.
58. Beer above 8% ABV – Belgian beer rawks!
59. Poutine – I should like this, seeing how I really took to the Belgian mayonnaise thing.
60. Carob chips – chips as in crisps? I only know carob-erzatz-chocolate.
61. S’mores – have roasted marshmellows but that’s about it.
62. Sweetbreads – I remember trying something with a sweetbread sauce once. Can’t recall being very impressed.
63. Kaolin – they mine the stuff in Noordhoek, there was a whole controversy over it, but I havn’t felt a great need to taste the stuff.
64. Currywurst – not yet, but Marko’s convinced me I need to make a plan. Edit : currywurst, at the AAD show (2008-09-20). Recommended.
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis – I think I need to drop more hints for an invite from the Cape Town Burns Supper Club. But then I’d need to recite poetry, and that could be… scary.
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho – on the list next to Borscht.
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe – and also Pernod.
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill – Around here, this would be either a cat or a dog, or the occasional pedestrian. Maybe if someone hits a kudu hard enough I’ll change my mind.
76. Baijiu – wiki says “after drinking it, most people screw up their faces in an involuntary expression of pain and some even yell out.” – I HAVE to try this stuff! Edit: Baijiu (2008-09-03).
77. Hostess Fruit Pie – no idea what this is? Brand name in the ‘states? Probably.
78. Snail – popular starter at many restaurants.
79. Lapsang souchong – if Twinnings tea bags count.
80. Bellini – Kir Royale is as close as I’ve got.
81. Tom yum – I order hot & sour soup almost every time we eat chinese/taiwanese. Simply Asia in Lakeside and Sea Palace in the Waterfront.
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky – chocolate covered pretzel sticks, sure, but not the brand name Real Thing.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash – I have several recipes.
88. Flowers – I always taste the garnish in lah-de-dah restaurants. Nasturtium, mostly.
89. Horse – Tanya couldn’t figure out why they put pictures of horses on the meat packages in France…
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. CatfishIn Zambia.
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox – I don’t think this travels well. I’ll have to visit New York
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta – on my “recipes to try” list.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake – Badger, badger, badger, badger

Thanks, Andrew!

Edit : I’m regarding this list as a challenge. Starting with the stuff I can make or find locally (the Michelin restaurant will have to wait).

So nice, working with professionals for a change

So I swing past the Lumber City on my way from Lansdowne Boards. Go past the counter, ask “may I browse” (this is a big warehouse place, not your typical hardware store). Guy (Neville) sez “sure”.

Find stuff on the shelves that look like what I need, make mental note of standard sizes. Past the counter again, “dowels?” — “behind you” — “thanks”. Pick up dowel of possibly correct size for fixing toy boat project (don’t ask).

Back to counter, start waving hands “I need 12 x 96 meranti, about 1.2 meters”

N: “Stock size is 1.8 meters”
Yours Truly: “Good, one of those and 12 x 144 pine, same length, and meranti, 10mm thick, about this wide” (show with fingers)
N: “that’s 44mm”
YT: “Lekker“.

YT: “And BTW I saw you have Etimo postform tops, but I need something redder”
N: “Would that be Mahogany?”
YT: “Sounds good”
N: (grabs catalogue) “600 wide, 3.6 meter length will be R949, but we’d have to order”
YT: “Sharp sharp, do you cut to size?”
N: “Certainly”.

Picked up a sample of the mahogany. I can work with these guys.

The Cape of Storms

August went out with a bit of a blow which some people called “the worst in 7 years“.

Sun Valley on Saturday :

Our house doesn’t have storm water gullies, the gutters vent straight down the side of the house. If it rains hard, we have a mini-moat around the house.

Fortunately it’s sand all the way down, so the water drains quickly.

On Sunday the sea was still rough. (For comparison, I took this photo on the rocks on the left hand side of the first picture below, on a nice day (September 13th) in 2004).

In typical Cape Town fashion, it clears up, the sun comes out, and it’s beautiful. With a flippen cold wind, I must say, but beautiful.

What I did yesterday afternoon

I always get my best ideas in the shower. In this case, the best way to get power to the gate motor.

There’s a plug point in the living room, I drilled a hole through the wall, fitted this box on the outside, and ran a pipe …

… through this Malawian-dug trenchette …

… to this weatherproof box, where I will eventually fit a plugpoint for vacuuming the car …

… and via a flexible conduit you almost can’t see in the above pic, to the gate motor.

A dip in the jacuzzi with a good looking girl and a glass of red wine rounded off the day.

At last, the 200mm unit

Recap : I bought the whole kitchen in flat format, audited it, found the two wall units were supplied twice, the two units under the window were too small, and four units were not supplied at all. I then managed to get them to fix the two units, and supply three of the four outstanding units.

Well, on Friday I finally got the last unit, the 200mm unit between the corner unit and the large (600mm wide) drawers.

This rack system comes from A&D Distributors (this is their display unit), and is made for a 200mm wide space. (I didn’t know this when I specified the 200mm unit. Serendipity).

This is what you get for R390. Including three baskets, not shown.

I decided to assemble this unit in place, because I realised I won’t be able to screw the sliding assembly into the 200mm wide (168mm on the inside) space, at least not easily.

Used two spare legs to level & square the unit while the glue dried.

With hindsight and perfect measurement, this unit should have been 195mm, not 200. The whole assembly, with a panel on the right hand side, is just proud of the doorway. But then again, the doorway is not yet trimmed. This sort of makes trim necessary, though.

On Saturday we went and bought 22 square meters of VNE20A1 (not named) grey tiles for the bathroom (from Builders Warehouse). R59.99/square. I also returned the brass fittings I didn’t use (because I got the same stuff cheaper at Muizenberg market) — R264.75 credit, w000t.

On a totally different topic — Saturday it rained, hard, so friend Randall came out on Sunday and spent most of his day fitting a gate motor, with very little help from me. I now have the Malawians digging a trench for power — the unit runs off a 12V battery, with a small transformer to keep the battery charged. The benefit of this is (1) it works when Eskom doesn’t and (2) you only need lightweight wiring, which saves a bit of money.

I’m sane! I’m sane! *happy dance*

At least, compared to these people, I’m sane.

This post sums up what I’ve learnt as well. I don’t look at the credit card slips any more, I just sign ’em :-)

Moloch’s Whore

Restoring an old house is like worshipping a pagan god in that both require sacrifice. Moloch demanded your first born child, old houses require much more.

Old homes require cash. Huge, filthy, fist-loads of cash.

At first you don’t mind so much. You think that a little sacrifice is necessary. You are still excited by the project, you are lulled by dream-visions of what the end product will be. You can see the fresh paint, the shining, refinished floors, and all that beautiful wood work.

Once you start feeding it money, it becomes easier and easier. It becomes part of your routine. Nails, saw blades, paint, and lumber become part of your normal monthly expenses. But, as the months and years drag by you start to feel the pinch. You put off your dry-cleaning as long as you can; you find yourself eating more pinto beans and peanut butter sandwiches; and, if you find a book or CD that you want, you put it on your amazon.com wish list instead of buying it. Then a day comes when you notice that all your sport coats have shiny, thread-bare elbows, your shoes have cracked soles, and that you haven’t had a haircut in months because you thought it a waste of money.

Things that other people consider major problems become interesting challenges for you. Instead of taking your car to the shop when your car’s second-gear quits working, you master the art of driving without it. Five months later when first-gear also quits, you find yourself taking pride in the fact that you can start from a complete stop on an incline in third-gear.

Late at night as you lay in bed, you can hear this relentless sucking sound. It is a persistent whistling of the atmosphere around you vanishing into a void. You are anxious. You know that your savings are gone, your budget is maxed, and it is only a mater of time before everything around you falls to pieces. When you do sleep it is fitful and tense. You dream of a vast weight bearing down on you, pinning you to the ground. You awake tired and thinking, “Should I work on the bathroom ceiling or back hall this weekend?”

The Devil Queen, the old whore upon the hill, beckons. After so much, who are you to deign her?

Edit : so now I’m reading the Devil Queen blog from the beginning. Difficult thing, reading blogs backwards. But oh so worth it. John can write. And he likes Lovecraft, and Monty Python, and, and, and…