Broad bean Martock

First time to grow this Irish variety Martock, germinated in April and planted out in late May. Growing well with big leaves and no aphids attacks. Lots of flowers and beans formed, but what a surprise the pods are so small, like size of pea pods! 

So even though there is a lot of harvest it amount to a lot of work to peel and lack the sweet flavour of what I used to. I will never grow this variety again. 

I used it to make baked bean for breakfast, just cook with tomatoes and season with salt, 5 spices powder, turmeric and olive oil.

Smoked eggplant and crispy bbq chicken wings

Come back from a short trip to a huge harvest of various vegetables and fruits, what a good summer. 

While having a childhood flavorite, slow cooked bbq crispy chicken wings, I also grilled eggplants, whole, on the fire, to char the skin, soften the flesh and impart a smoky flavour. 

When cool, remove skin, simply season with salt and olive oil to taste the sweetness of eggplant and the mild smoky aroma. 

Quick trip to London

A short trip to London to deliver pots to gallery and to meet up with family. Spend whatever time left wandering around streets, grand buildings old and new, famous shops and immerse in a very multicultural, busy city. 
The change I observed from the last visit a few years ago is that I can hear Cantonese being spoken around, and a lot more of middle eastern ladies, of course all wrapped up. 

 

 

2025年7月28日 快閃倫敦

快閃倫敦，辦事兼探親，幾年才留連一次，快來快去已經足夠，市中心人多車多污染多吃不消。

 

找到兩個可喜的景點，一個是在Marylebone Highstreet 老房子內的Daunt 書店，木書架、木樓梯上落上下三層，十分文雅，書本種類齊全，看書買書人都多。

第二是Sir John Soane 故居博物館，一位十九世紀初有名的建築師，排屋中兩幢相連單位免費開放參觀。

屋內放滿他的收藏品，我最欣賞的，是他重視天然光，屋頂有玻璃天𥦬、屋簷牆壁有鏡片，把光折射引入屋內，令窄長只有前後窗的房子，也見光亮。

且他的心思，放在房間六個平面，四周是畫和古董，地上有紋理地氈，連天花也不放過，個個都有不同裝飾，有形有格。

Dry cooked bean and beef skewers

This cloudy, wet and not too hot weather is perfect for beans, runner bean, climbing bean and mangetout all have very steady harvests. 

For runner bean, I like the dry cooked method to get them soft and the flavour out. Traditionally done in a wok to stir-fry at medium heat, I use oven to achieve the result without slaving over the hot stove. 

Season climbing beans and carrot with minced garlic, salt, pepper, may be curry powder and olive oil. Spread on baking tray and bake at 180˚C until soft, around 25 minutes.

Easy to pack in a food box to bring to bbq area for a beef skewers dinner. 

A variation to the dish is to mix with tomato paste when out of the oven, another taste profile. 

Summer boating in the lake

It is just that hard to find a calm (no wind no rain) period to get on the boat to tour the lake this summer. So when there is one we drop everything to get in the boat. 

Always a pleasure to see the fast changing water and sky views of lake Shannon.

Venison ribs with berry sauce

The dense meat and stronger flavour of venison goes well with a rich fruity sauce. I used Jotaberries (or blackcurrants) as the main ingredient and season with soy sauce, 5 spices powder, brown sugar and juice from baking ribs. 

Ribs first seasoned with salt and pepper for a few hours, bake with a lot of bay leaves and branches below (from pruning of the tree) at 220˚C for 10 minutes. Being a dry meat it cooks fast, cooked through and still very tender. 

Tomato paste

 

種菜廿多年，每年都會種數個不同大小的番茄品種，無論在法國和愛爾蘭，還是頭一次在七月初就有中碼的番茄成熟可吃，密密地煮，早、午、晚三餐都吃些。

也是第一次來到七月尾，已經趕不及十株番茄樹的收成，要開工把吃不完的轉化儲存，先做茄醬。

天氣轉變，在種植的人一定有深刻感覺。

 

To make tomato paste, first peel skin off (blanch in boiling water), cut into big chunks and remove the center top hard core. Use potato crusher to turn into pulp, season with minced garlic, salt, olive oil and a few cloves. 

Bring to boil then pour into large baking trays, bake at 120˚C until thick enough, around 3 hours, open oven door to let steam out every half hour and give it a stir. 

Keep in portions and freeze.

New coffee shop

 

上星期有天日間停電，成為去附近小鎮新開咖啡店吃午餐的好理由。

由兩間相連地下單位打通翻新而成，地方頗大，有住家氣氛，多窗開揚，木傢俬，看見喜歡感覺舒服，已擠滿人客，十分熱鬧。

看介紹由三位年輕女郎負責，在瘟疫期間愛上做酸種麵包，然後決定聯手開店。

餐牌只有一張紙，做早餐和午餐，午餐有十幾個選擇。看完一輪，估計廚房只有以下材料：

-白方包、全麥方包

-bun

-雞蛋

-雞肉

-煙肉

-番茄

-牛油果

-鷹嘴豆蓉

-沙律

-pesto

午餐的十幾個選擇，是以上材料的不同組合，每款食物都有四、五個材料，結果放眼看四周各枱，碟碟都差不多樣子和顏色。不是不好吃，只是見到就覺得悶，年輕人開的店，怎麼仍然如此水平。剛剛從哥本哈根美食之都回來，特別覺得失落。

Blue potatoes

While I am on a diet of having less carbohydrates, I still grow potatoes, but half are blue potatoes, at least more nutrients than white ones. Also I boil a batch at a time, keeping them in the fridge to use in the next few days, apparently re-cooked potatoes have less spike on Glycemic index. 

The left side is variety Bleuet, totally deep blue inside, the right hand side is variety Purple Rain, with patches of purple blue and cream flesh. I planted 6 of each and Bleuet is much more productive. 

When small both are mid way between waxy and floury, if kept in the ground longer and hence bigger, they become more floury. 

Shakshuka variations

With continuous ripening of tomatoes, I have to use them more to keep up, before transforming the excess to conserve. Other than using in lunch and dinner, also thought of serving in breakfast as Shakshuka, with my twists. 

First I cut tomatoes into halves and bake for 10 minutes at 180˚C, much faster to use in meals and skin slips off easily.

 

-Baked Shakshuka with potato

  

Much easier than the cook on stove version, this one I prepared the small baking dishes with tomatoes, cooked potatoes and seasoning. The next morning crack an egg into each and bake with lid on, at 190˚C for 20 minutes, straight from the fridge and no preheating of oven. 
Serve with a drizzle of basil oil on top.

-Shakshuka cross over with Chinese Tomato scramble egg

Cook the typical childhood dish of tomato scramble egg as you like, using the half cooked skinless tomatoes, season generously with paprika, turmeric, curry powder, salt. Add whisked eggs into the mixture and serve when set. Place lumps of fresh cheese and drizzle basil oil on top. 

Fresh cheese is made from milk a dairy farmer friend brought to my house in her visit. Noticing it is too much to use up in time, decided to turn into fresh cheese, set with rennet, following instructions on rennet bottle.

Eggplant Czech and Japanese Long

Very pleased to have eggplants ready to harvest in mid July, so early in the season. While I have a lot of tomatoes to use, bake them together suits me fine.

Half the eggplant, cut criss cross pattern on the flesh, for the long one I brushed miso then pile on tomato mixed with oil and salt. 

For Czech early, I put the halves in the right size baking dish and cover with a lot of tomatoes seasoned with salt pepper and olive oil, on top and around. Takes a long time to soften eggplant, 180˚C for 50 minutes, at least nothing to do just wait. Add on fresh rocket before serving.