Slow cooked pork belly with preserved vegetable

Bought preserved vegetable 梅菜 during the trip to Taichung, and finally made a dish using it. Not really the traditional way梅菜扣肉 because I am lazy to deep fry the skin, so just slow cook in a nice sauce, tasty enough for me and the vegetable is fragrant and tasty.

1.Boil whole piece of belly pork for 30 minutes until cooked through. When cool cut into 1/2 cm slices.
2.Soak preserved vegetable until soft.
3.Bring to boil the water from soaked vegetable, add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, rice wine and five spices powder. Add pork slice to warm up.
4.In a baking dish, arrange pork slices in spiral/rows.
5.Warm up soaked preserves vegetable and carrot slices in the sauce, add on top of pork and pour sauce to cover all.
6.Wrap with baking paper and aluminium foil, bake at 130˚C until soft, around 2 hours.

Cuckoo bird and flower

This pretty flower is named after cuckoo, not because of how it looks, but they are said to appear at the same time, in Spring when warm weather starts.

Indeed I noticed the flower while walking the field on the first hot Spring day, and heard cuckoo in the forest!

A sunny hot day

21 April, the first sunny day, from early morning onward, for a long while. Went for a walk in nearby Castlelough forest to see bright light green newly appeared beech leaves and blue bells.

Turned out there has been coppicing last autumn thinning out selected trees, so a lot of blue bell grounds are temporarily messed up.

Found a corner with 3 cornered leeks growing beautifully.

The sun gained power and turn hot in the afternoon, have to change to short sleeves, in April, in Ireland, there is always a first time.

Alfresco bbq dinner followed, to enjoy such a pleasant warm evening.

104。2024年4月24日愉快的晚上

新認識的朋友有對十一歲的孖生姐弟，首次邀請到來吃飯，決定做薄餅，最安全。

十一歲，個子仍然細小，活潑可愛口齒伶俐，可以圍枱談話而不用說小朋友話題，難得是並不老積，就似在那個關口，懂事但仍然有童真。

二人都留心又好奇，開工做第一件薄餅時已主動走來看如何弄，燒焗時又計時間，看要待多久才取出來。

第二至五件薄餅，搓餅皮都由姐弟輪流爭著做，上手快，知道在家中已經會自己煎蛋煮麵，母親教導有方。

放入爐內焗薄餅時，會到草地走一圈，看準時間快上枱前就自動回來。

且喜歡吃，由第一件薄餅直落到甜品朱古力brownie 都沒有挑剔全吃下，最後姐姐坦白說太飽，想吃多件，但實在不能，嬌笑問能否打包！

知道他們剛到西班牙旅行，問吃了什麼，弟弟深情地說iberico 火腿香氣濃美味沒法擋，他那眯着眼沉醉的樣子好可愛。

姐姐說唯一不喜歡的是八爪魚，沒有味道，只得質感。

小小人兒的腦袋，分析能力一流。

with scallion, olive oil, salt and sesame

with confit garlic, thyme, olive oil, and semidried cherry tomato (pity sugar of tomato burnt)

with fennel bulb, olive oil, when cooked add anchovy and fennel fond

with tomato paste, chorizo and asparagus

with tomato paste, goat cheese and carrot, add parsley when cooked

Shiitake mushroom asparagus

I like fresh shiitake mushroom, the fragrance after dry cooking with a little oil is so fragrant.

1.Wipe clean shiitake mushrooms, remove hard stalk end and cut into thick slices.
2.With a little oil and salt, sauté shiitake mushroom until slightly golden on the edges.
3.Prepare any vegetable as you like, here I baked asparagus and carrot, season with salt and oil for 15 minutes in oven at 170˚C until just turn soft.
4.Mix with cooked shiitake and serve, the key is never add any water to keep the fragrant.

桃樹

花開滿樹，開心；
花落果現，開心；
幻想將來果子香甜，已經開心；
種植，如一切興趣，有起有落，每個階段都有挑戰，有期望，充滿樂趣。

Minced meat on baked cauliflower

Turn out to be a good way to cook and present cauliflower, tasty too.

1. Cut half inch thick slices of cauliflower, season with salt and brush with oil, bake at 170˚C until just turn soft, around 20 minutes.
2. Season minced meat, lamb in this dish, add other vegetables like chopped up carrot, herbs etc.
3. Place mince meat on baked cauliflower slices, steam until meat cooked, around 12 minutes.

103。2024年4月6日房屋政策

旅遊古巴，看到人民如何在共產制度下努力求生，而克羅地亞，是一個從共產政權走出來近四十年的小國，已成為歐盟國家，去年放棄國家貨幣，改用歐羅。

在遊客城市Rovinj 停留，風光美好，老城古老建築獨特有氣氛，四周餐廳多，多幢五星酒店設計優美，表面繁華興旺。

當地友人，才四十多，因為敢於投資房產農地，以太太所言，生活已經無憂，是當地少有白手興家人物。然而，他在物色當地房產，計劃為四名兒女置業。

我們都有點意外，覺得現世代，兒女長大後，工作市場大，不一定會想留在同一城市。且以他的創業背景，以為不會為兒女安排得那麽長遠。

他呻氣說，這城市表面風光，美倫美奐，地區政府建設計劃，以吸引遊客為主，餐廳丶酒店價格，直追西歐各國，但沒有想及民生。

他的父母，退休前人工是每月五百歐羅，是十年前很普遍的工資，和古巴的每月廿五美元，好多了。國家獨立後，仍然維持退休金制度，父母每月有二百歐羅收入，若是在以前的共產年代，物資廉易，房產配給，醫療全包，生活易過。

現在，物價房價醫療生活費用都在上升，而當地工資，遠追不上現代生活的要求。遊客區房子，不少賣給外國人，或改作度假屋出租，都是當地有房產人士的賺錢謀生方法。

房價高企，人工偏低，而政府沒有在外圍建廉租屋給年輕人，他們成年後找工作，會因為沒有能力負擔房產而離開，城市留不住人材，是長遠大問題。

同樣情況，也在愛爾蘭出現，這兩個小國，有個共同點，就是以人口比例計，有全球最高移民人數。

愛爾蘭首都Dublin，工商業集中地，人口密度高，而政府欠前瞻，建屋速度遠追不上需求。房價和租金高企，令各醫護、教師等等專科畢業生，不少選擇到英、澳、美、加工作，而不留下。人手不足，要招請亞洲地區人士到來工作，不少發現居住地區遍遠及租金高昂，亦離去。

鄰居中有位大藥廠主管，買了附近一間舊屋，作為女兒（才幾歲）將來的居所，想法如克羅地亞友人，怕兒女將來負擔不起房產。

其實愛爾蘭各城市的市中心和鄉村地方，都有不少破舊老房子，上一代留下，多年失修，後人沒有能力維修翻新，租不出去，又不想低價賣出祖屋，就空置算了。

亦有不少如鄰居那樣，有閒錢買下老房子，不趕著用，就一直任其破爛而不理。不少小鎮市中心，都有這樣子的房產，完全沒打算為社區環境，出一分力，令人失望。

Butler steak

Went to butcher to stock up, he admits there is not a lot of good cuts at the moment. He will be killing another cow in 2 weeks' time and there will be more available. Even so, he introduced this Butler steak, from the end of the sirlon near the back. Looks very lean and worry that it will be tough and dry.

Butler steak

Have it bbq with another piece of rib eye, full of marbling, to compare. Well, cooked to medium rare, this Butler steak is very tender, though not as tasty as rib eye. For 2/3 the price of rib eye, it is a very interesting cut.

Left behind steak is stir-fried with curry powder and soy sauce to make beef noodle for lunch.

吃自種蔬菜

是年吃自種蔬菜正式開始

二月初從香港回來，即刻在室內發青菜種籽，一星期後發芽，種在小盆子培育土內放溫室中。

三月中從古巴旅遊回來，已長成幼苗，移種溫室菜地內。

四月初到克羅地亞Rovinj 探朋友玩幾天，回來看到白菜仔、小松菜和茼蒿都長大不少，可以開始收成些少大葉，幸運，時間安排得恰恰好。

Asparagus

Finally see asparagus popping their heads out, so worry with the continuous rain the roots are rotten! After last 2 years of letting the root grow well, finally ready to harvest this year.

Scallop

Saturday night treat, seared scallops and red onion rings, with Pak Choi and shiitake mushrooms, fast, simple and delicious.

快高長大

這星期風中的濕和寒意減低，春天，應該到來了，趕忙把菜苗種下。

第一批種在溫室內，能抵冷的品種，中菜為主，芥蘭、白菜、茼蒿、芥菜、白蘿蔔、生菜等等。

溫室內日間暖和些，可望五月開始收成。收成後，騰出空間，用來種植喜歡溫熱有陽光的夏季蔬果。

下一批同樣的中菜苗，會在四月底種到戶外菜地，六月收成，一年就種兩次這些中菜，夏天日照長且蟲多，種不成。

Restaurant Kantinon, Konoba Jure, Rovinj Croatia

Restaurant run by local people, serving honest local food sourced in the area, no imported frozen seafood, reasonable price.

Restaurant Kantinon

Restaurant Kantinon

Konoba Jure

Sundowner, Rovinj Croatia

Lots of places for a drink and a view, one of the favorite is the roof top bar at Grand Park Hotel. Modern environment, friendly service, and a panoramic view.