The cup of tea

THIS BLOG IS BACK. I TOOK A LITTLE BREAK BECAUSE OF OTHER COMMITMENTS. BUT SPREAD THE WORD AND PUT THE KETTLE ON

BECAUSE

I have been disturbed, in recent months,  by the fact that I have gone off cups of tea. This has been due to morning sickness (number three on the way) BUT HOORAH! While green pesto -or in fact the smell of basil in any setting- and -horrors- chicken are out for the time being, the tea is back. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Like Dr Johnson, you see, I prescribe cups of tea for refreshment, solace and general good cheer. My mother was big on sherry for this, but obviously that's out right now and one cannot be imbibing sherry through the day. So here is my prescription for you. OH: I fear I am so very British.

Put on kettle and, simultaneously, radio 4. Go to cupboard and select a mug. Again THIS IS IMPORTANT. I am instantly depressed by the thought of a cup of tea in a thin mug. You know; one that looks a bit delicate, with a spindly handle. Technically, it might be from your 'best mugs' collection, should you have such a thing, but right now it doesn't cut it. I apologise for the slight vulgarity of the simile, but my mother once said (this must have gone in deep) that thin lips suggested meanness. You know; like a limp handshake (unless you were actually dying)? So, drinking tea from a thin little mug, however pretty, would be, for me, like kissing a man with thin lips. It would not suggest abundance and generosity.  I prefer a solid little willow pattern cup and saucer or a chunky-looking mug with a good thick rim. My two favourites of recent years have been the gloriously tacky 'Georgia Peach' mug with the revolving peach on the handle and, also from the Southern U.S., a thick pink mug sold by an old fashioned family restaurant and diner at Fancy Hill, just outside Lexington in Virginia. There's a picture of a cadillac on it because it hails from 'The (pink) Cadillac Cafe'. It has no handle because, well, this ain't no couture mug and it wasn't stuck on properly. But I don't care: I love it and it speaks to me.

Now, I wouldn't complain if you made me tea with a teabag just in that thar mug, but best of all, is for you to use either loose or tea bag in my blue teapot - which you have warmed - and that you then leave it to brew properly. For here are some more depressing things done by friends and family of mine. A certain friend: one tea bag between two and then just a quick dip in the water. NOOOO! A certain person to whom I might be related by marriage: similar concept, but the tea bag is also left on the side of the sink (albeit on a sweet little saucer) ALL DAY. I think that tea bag just does one person apiece. But even so. NOOOO!

Leave that tea to brew and let it be known that, in our area of deep lime and its attendant hard water, I favour the brand called Yorkshire Tea for hard water areas. I could go on about all sorts of teas but right here, I won't. Good and strong and a little bit malty. Pour the tea into the mug first then add the milk. But leave room in the cup or mug for plenty of milk. Strangely enough, I favour quite full-bodied tea, but I like plenty of milk. I have been told this is a bit common.

Sit in a soft chair and continue listening to radio 4, ignoring all chores and outside interference.

I am suppposed to say, I think, that if you are up the duff (sic: pregnant), you should keep your caffeine intake low. But, also, babies like you to be happy. So have a biscuit or some sort of slab of fruit cake it with it.

Watermelon

The watermelon. Just how beautiful is it? Happy July the 4th yesterday, by the way. "Oh say can you see" some very cool things to do with your watermelon?

1. As is. Just cut it into what, in our house, is known as a watermelon smile. A big slice. Dig in.

2. As before, but cut around the rind, score and then cut perfect little chunks. Serve them in a bowl with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds (even more beautiful this) or a sprinkle of dried ginger and maybe just a few shavings of lemon peel.

3. Keeping the chunks, as before, stash them in in the freezer and have them ready, like lovely pink ice cubes, to slosh into a vodka and tonic or a martini. Experiment and see what you like. You could whizz them in the blender, of course.

4. Make a fine smoothie with watermelon chunks and an orange.

5. Refer to earlier in this blog for a fine watermelon pickle.You use only the rind for this one.

6. Whizz up the chunks with some lemonade and lime zest for a non alcoholic party drink or, sod that, just for you.

7. Try  a few cubes of watermelon with some a little finely ground sea salt and a few grindings of black pepper. You'll either love this, or you won't. Also excellent for dysentery - when you're over the worst!

Thanks to Stephen Depolo at flickr for his watermelon photos!

Headline: jacket potato gives hug on difficult day

To left: don't roasting things cheer you along? In the picture: large chunks of squash being roasted with a splash of olive oil and some black pepper at the house of Mrs Pat Jones: aka one of my marvellous aunts who cooks and totally ROCKS. Having no mother in my adulthood, these girls are very important. As is their cooking. But I digress, because I'm blathering and you might want to know what to do for your tea.

Right: take as many jacket potatoes as you think you can eat, rinse them, pat dry carefully and then massage them with sea salt. Put them into a hot oven and cook for about 30 minutes, possible more. The sea salt should have crisped up the skin and, inside, the potato will be soft and fluffy. Now, after about twenty minutes of potato cooking time, put into the oven (in a baking dish) a big handful of cherry tomatoes, a whole fresh green chilli, chopped as you might like,  it plus a sliced medium onion. Make sure you have put a good tablespoon of olive oil in with the vegetables.

So, take out the potatoes when they are done, cut into them, add a dab of butter if you like and then pile the tomatoes, onions and chilli on top.

That's it. Simple but manages to be quite luxurious and a sort of hands off sort of dinner. In fact, what I just cooked for myself just now while answering reproachful-sounding '"ring me" messages and attending to children .

Chick peas (garbanzo, gram, etc...): get a bag for your cupboard

This is a big rustic salad which I made a few minutes ago. It's very good for this time of year and the flavour packs a hefty punch.

Take a bag of chick peas - about 500g. Soak them for three or four hours, bring to the boil then simmer until they are still firm, but not hard. That is, without a hard centre but still with plenty of bite. If you cook your own you'll have something with plenty of texture. I could be wrong, but I've never found tinned chick peas any good and they tend to be overcooked. So, after you bring them to the boil - and presuming you have soaked them, they should be done in about twenty five minutes or so.

Drain the chick peas when they are done, rinse them under cold water and drain carefully. Now stick them in a big bowl with three chopped spring onions, half a chopped cucumber, one finely chopped green chilli, a couple of teaspoons of drained and rinsed capers, a good squeeze of lemon juice, a small piece of grated fresh ginger, six chopped cherry tomatoes and lots of freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt. If you want to, add to the salad's instant dressing with some sunflower oil?

Serve straight away if you've used tomatoes and cucumber; if you didn't, then the salad can sit for a few days.

I'd serve this as is, but it would be good with grilled fish or chicken. Maybe from the barbecue? Also, if I had not added the ginger, I might like the salad with some grilled halloumi cheese OR I might add crumbled feta cheese to the salad. Cut everything really finely, add a pinch of green mango powder, a couple of teaspoons of cumin seed, leave out the capers, add a couple of cloves of finely chopped garlic and then some roasted black urad dhal and you would have a very fine South Indian salad. Check out the selection of dhals (or dals) at www.spicesofindia.com

Watermelon rinds?

Well now, what have we here?

In my view, the watermelon is one of the most beautiful fruits. We have just carved one into huge slices and so we have some rinds left over. Now, in the Southern United States, these rinds might be used to make a pickle. You may well see the same in India. Here is what I just did although, let it be said, it does not make a terribly long lasting pickle.

You have eaten your watermelon. If you didn't wash the rinds, do it now. Cut them into strips and then into little squares. Put them in a big bowl. Take a big green fresh chilli (the contrast -not too much contrast, though.-is very pretty). Cut the chilli, seeds and all. into fine pieces, add it to the rinds with a big pinch of sea salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper and, say, a hazlenut-sized piece of ginger root which you have grated finely. Mix it all up with your hands, then add the juice of a lemon, its finely grated peel and two teaspoons -but taste and taste again to see if you'd like to add more -- of  chaat (or chat) powder, one specifically marketed for fruit chaat which, like anything else with chat/chaat in its name, is a snack food. Chat is usually  spiced with aromatic flavourings, such as black cumin and pomegranate and green mango powder.  Might be a fresh peach salad (which you need tio eat straight away because it wilts fast!)or perhaps a potato salad. More on which soon. You can find chat powder easily enough in Asian supermarkets and shops; I tend to get mine here www.spicesofindia.com I like the 'shaan' brand best!

Mix everything in with your hand and pile into jars. The pickle is ready to eat after two days but will keep for a week. To make it longer lasting you'd need more preserving liquid, but that's jot quite what I'm after here. Keep it in the fridge. I will be serving this pickle with lots of South Indian snacks next weekend.

The photos you see are all mine: of the pickle itself, but also a few images from my kitchen showing some balti dishes hanging up, the plate of chilli and ginger which is invariably sitting on top of my big salt jar, plus one of my piles of thali dishes. I like the colours of my watermelon pickle against the vintage 'Ball' preserving jars. I collect these and you can still get them for just a few dollars at flea markets in the U.S. I've bought mine in Virginia and Georgia. Ball is still is business, the jars are still great but not, alas, in the same lovely colour.Clear these days.

New Book will be out at the end of August

Hi everyone. Been a bit busy with, among other, things, my fund raising writeathon athttp://www.rainbowoverbengal.blogspot.com/ but just a message to say that..

1. An ever so slightly different version of My Mother's Kitchen, my Father's Garden Volume One (that's Spring and Summer) will be out in August. Priced at £6.50

AND

2.  Volume two of this text (Autumn and Winter) will be available at the same time. There will be two different versions of the text. One, a black and white text copy at £6.50; the other is a full colour text with some lovely photographs, the price of which I will let you know soon. Texts are available from me and from local independent booksellers in England and Wales -- plus a range of shops, at www. blurb.com - and I am waiting to hear from Amazon and other online sellers. Will advise of ISBNs and stockists in more detail when I get a moment. xx

Re new media section

An update

If you want to see a sample of my freelance journalism pieces, plus the odd piece on me, I've put a selection in the new media section of this blog. Also, book number one is being edited for re-release at the moment and I  have just finished book number two. Volumes one (Spring and Summer) and two (Autumn and Winter), then, of My Mother's Kitchen, my Father's Garden, based on this blog with additional text. Perhaps a publisher would like to take on one or both -- in two volumes or one big fat one? The first book sold well with just yours truly as its publisher and promoter! Don't forget, if you are a business and reading this, that I also handle press releases and publicity!

Photo by Giles Turnbull of jugs on my kitchen window ledge: most of them from skips. Treasure.