tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post7593789418489080041..comments2024-02-11T19:28:27.997+11:00Comments on Personal Reflections: Developing Belshaw's bucket list 3 - filling the buckets: gardening, introducing foodJim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-81713332644810967492015-08-07T18:38:22.466+10:002015-08-07T18:38:22.466+10:00What interesting and inspiring culinary posts! Tha...What interesting and inspiring culinary posts! Thank you. Parsnip in Poland is one of the basic and cheap vegetables so I can roast it to my heart content.I will follow the recipe and treat my Polish friends to an Aussie style meal once the temperatures get lower. It is a heat wave in Poland now.My Observationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15725268761534651409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-75047245024996024362015-08-06T13:11:48.240+10:002015-08-06T13:11:48.240+10:00Beetroot is a recent discovery for me, as I only k...Beetroot is a recent discovery for me, as I only knew it as the tinned product that fell out of your hamburger down the front of your shirt. Avoided it literally for decades.<br /><br />I may have fluked roast beetroot. When I roast, regardless of the meat, the potatoes go in for an hour, starting with the oven on 240C. Nothing else can take this treatment. Except pork. Crackling. Mmmm. After 15 minutes, I reduce the oven to 180C. <br /><br />For the beetroot, I peel it since the skin is always dirty beyond my powers to wash. I cut beetroot to approximately the same size as the potato pieces, usually just halving them, or if they are small, I don't cut them at all. They and the onion (if big) go in the moment I reduce the temperature. (Often the meat goes in at this stage too). That gets seems to get a nice consistency for the beetroot, not sloppy or wooden, don't ask me why. Swedes/turnips are treated as for beetroot. Swedes, turnips, beetroot and onion get peeled, the rest I don't bother with.<br /><br />After another 15 minutes, any small onions, carrot and parsnip (parsnip is SO expensive, have you noticed?) go in. I shake the pan occasionally. I never use fat, except what renders out of the meat. I am always aiming for medium rare on the outside and rare to blue on the inside.<br /><br />After an hour (measured from the potatoes going in) the pan comes out and sits for 5-10 minutes. I don't really believe in resting, I just use the time to do other things, including putting the veg on the plate(s) and carve last.<br /><br />Note that after the prep you stand up once at the 15 minute mark and once at the 30 minute mark. Standing up at the 45 minute mark and shaking things around again is recommended. But that's nearly an hour of reading.<br /><br />Hope this helps. It helps me vicariously because I am living without an oven or access to decent meat and it nearly kills me. My stir-fry skills are improving but I have to leave the country to get a good roast.<br />2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-7516209902328248432015-08-06T09:57:54.248+10:002015-08-06T09:57:54.248+10:00It was just so relevant to your comment, kvd!It was just so relevant to your comment, kvd!Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-74442942776318414672015-08-06T09:38:43.296+10:002015-08-06T09:38:43.296+10:00That's a great bucket story Jim - thanks for p...That's a great bucket story Jim - thanks for pointing me to it.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-54754475320099869422015-08-06T07:12:12.115+10:002015-08-06T07:12:12.115+10:00I'm glad that you rose to the challenge, 2t. I...I'm glad that you rose to the challenge, 2t. I will bring that up in the post so it's easier for us all to share! I, too, await your answer on the beetroot. And, kvd, I have a gardening bucket story for you!Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-16527061749189802902015-08-06T05:51:51.646+10:002015-08-06T05:51:51.646+10:00Hi tanners - that all sound doable and delish but ...Hi tanners - that all sound doable and delish but a question on your beetroot - do you do any pre-preparation of this vegetable? I have yet to figure out a way to use them in roasts so that they don't end up either too 'wet' or too woody. Help would be appreciated.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-77550497150934969862015-08-05T21:00:13.061+10:002015-08-05T21:00:13.061+10:00I rather like a challenge. If you are going to a w...I rather like a challenge. If you are going to a weekend roast, and it's wonderful sitting around as everything cooks while you read your book and drink a glass, then you have to buy too much meat for one, in my view. You are definitely going to have leftovers. Let's leave that aside for the moment.<br /><br />If you are going to slow cook a lamb shank, though, that's one shank, one onion, one carrot, a bit of bok choy or other greens that utterly vanish when you throw them in at the last moment plus herbs and of course wine from the bottle red. (strange, but I didn't notice you writing about the wine you had to waste). A bit of rice to soak up the yummy sauce and there ain't much left over. What there is turns overnight in your fridge to a really strong, almost irresistable taste. This can be heated in a trice in the office microwave to drive coworkers to a drooling frenzy. Applies to curries etc as well.<br /><br />OK, so you wanted roast chook and you could only get a 2 kilo chook and there were the roast potatoes. And a roast onion. Oh and carrot, parsnip, and beetroot. And snow peas and red wine and onion gravy. Half your veg and two thirds of the chook are left over.<br /><br />Step 1. first, wipe the roasting pan clean of the lard etc. With a slice of bread. Eat immediately, you know you want to.<br /><br />Real Step 1: Decide how many meals worth of chook meat you have. i strip the chook first because I like bones with my roast, but not so much in other things. Let's say you have two meals left. Divide the remaining chicken into 2 and put one serve in the fridge.<br /><br />Step 2: You've got at least one meal's worth of veg, maybe more. Decide how much you need, add the rest to the chook in the fridge. No cooked greens go in the fridge.<br /><br />Step 3: So here we have chook, lots of root veg and a few sad looking snow peas. Mash the root veg roughly, keeping lots of colour mixed around, chop the snow peas and the chook roughly, stir in, and add some seasoning. The root veg will absorb the lot, but be careful since they're going to stand and hot things will get stronger. Like a crushed garlic clove and a single birdseye chili. stir in 2 eggs and pop in the fridge.<br /><br />Step 4: you get home the following day and empty the mash mixture into a frypan preferably shaped into 2 easily turned patties. turn them each five minutes as you drift around with your glass of wine and the book. In about 10 minutes you have frittata. Mmmm.<br /><br />Step 5. Get out the slow cooker, throw in your curry ingredients including the remaining roast chook and veg and tomorrow is sorted. kvd, don't forget both chili and ginger act to increase your core temperature, which must be good for you, so heap them in.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-39304667620108115512015-08-05T20:48:06.882+10:002015-08-05T20:48:06.882+10:00You have been a bit of an inspiration to me there,...You have been a bit of an inspiration to me there, Neil! Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-30978476361607527642015-08-05T19:50:10.353+10:002015-08-05T19:50:10.353+10:00"Coming home from Parra, stop at Kingsford an..."Coming home from Parra, stop at Kingsford and have a nice but cheap meal with a glass of wine while reading?!" sounds perfect to me, Jim. I am sure you have noticed that eating and discovering new tastes have been very much part of my becoming Neil from Wollongong in recent years, whether alone or in the company of friends like Chris T or Persian Danny. Life's not too bad at all while one can have such pleasures.Neilhttps://neilcommonplacebook.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-84233800359803044802015-08-05T19:38:14.715+10:002015-08-05T19:38:14.715+10:00There are indeed a lot of rhyming words, kvd, alth...There are indeed a lot of rhyming words, kvd, although I had not thought of that until you drew my attention to the matter. On hot food, 2t you have a challenge!<br /><br />I actually like eating alone, kvd, especially in the type of circumstances you describe. I have had to do a lot of that. But, why then, have I not done it recently. Coming home from Parra, stop at Kingsford and have a nice but cheap meal with a glass of wine while reading?! Then come home with the rest of the evening before me. Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-22578826018325040282015-08-05T17:50:38.043+10:002015-08-05T17:50:38.043+10:00There's lots of limericks rhyming with 'bu...There's lots of limericks rhyming with 'bucket', and also 'list' - but I am not encouraging your googling of either.<br /><br />I recently watched that film (again), and I remember the 2nd last thing struck off the list was "kiss the most beautiful girl in the world". And he kissed his grand daughter. And that made me cry (again), because that's exactly how I feel about my two grand daughters.<br /><br />Anyways, tanners, I'm now advised by the msm that eating 'hot' i.e. spiced, dishes will prolong my life. So if you wish to hear further from me, I'm waiting to be flagrantly incensed :)<br /><br />Dunno about this concern about eating alone? Some of my favourite meals were in the RAC Sydney, overnight on business, eating alone while reading a book and listening to the piano. And then down to the basement carpark, and out onto Circular Quay, late at night.<br /><br />kvd<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-25242037101003755822015-08-05T11:44:44.831+10:002015-08-05T11:44:44.831+10:00Very nicely written, 2t. I do use the slow cooker ...Very nicely written, 2t. I do use the slow cooker and it is indeed good. But what I haven't quite worked out what to do with the left-overs. For example, say I cook corned beef, something I love. Then at the end I have lots of beef left. Or I roast a chook and then slow cook the remains next day with veg to form a soup. I seem to end up just recooking the remains with some additional things added until I have to throw the whole lot out.<br /><br />I accept that this displays lack of imagination and this links to the theme of this series. I need some professional guidance here! Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-76303459970595366392015-08-05T09:51:46.163+10:002015-08-05T09:51:46.163+10:00Obviously, above was 2t. Bloody recaptcha system r...Obviously, above was 2t. Bloody recaptcha system recaught me.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-30446013269875212232015-08-05T09:50:14.629+10:002015-08-05T09:50:14.629+10:00Jim,
I suggest curries and slow cooked meals with...Jim,<br /><br />I suggest curries and slow cooked meals with cheap cuts of meat (because they work better) and lots of veg (and you get your favourites). Two options here - you can cook forever at night, for not very much money, and as the room slowly fills with the smells of home, read and make notes. My favoured option though, is to leave the slow cooker on all day, walk into the house already redolent of your own cooking (i.e. a small amount of food preparation the previous night) and immediately sit down to a glass of wine, a book and dinner the moment you walk in the door.<br /><br />(You knew you'd draw a food comment from me.)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01568120308989495459noreply@blogger.com