Kitchen play
Nov. 5th, 2003 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidI was hosting a friend for dinner last night, but didn't have energy for making anything involved or elaborate. I decided on pasta, since it's reasonably quick and lends itself to one-pot dinners. While the orecchiette boiled, I assembled all the mix-ins. I cut pieces of mozzarella off a half-pound block, then cut sun-dried tomatoes into strips. I drained a can of black olives and another of chickpeas. I drained a jar of artichoke hearts, and opened a jar of spicy red pepper-eggplant spread. I wasn't sure if I'd need crushed tomatoes or not, so held off on that. I rooted around in the fridge, and found a bag of fresh spinach, so I washed some leaves. Once the pasta was al dente, I added everything, including the crushed tomatoes. I ripped the spinach as it went into the pot last, so it would still have a bit of crunch.
The dish is very substantial; a bowl or so is plenty for dinner. I was pleased with the spicy undertones, the slight crunch of spinach, and how there are enough different things that spoonfuls are different. And how there were plenty of leftovers for today's breakfast and lunch.
I bought a new flexible cutting board at Kitchens Etc. Actually, I bought far more than one, because five full-sized ones came packaged together, each with an appropriate picture: green for vegetables, teal for fish, yellow for dairy, red for red meat, orange for poultry, and two half-sized clear ones for something else (cutting chocolate, perhaps? :-). I only use cutting boards for vegetables, so I might have an odd mismatch when I get around to using the next color.
I have been gifted with a meat grinder (Porkert brand; this amuses me), and the last time I have memories of being around one being used was when my bubbe was alive, some decades ago now. Has anyone used one more recently? What did you make? I suppose I shall have to attempt some kind of interesting sausages now, there's no escape... I wonder what cuts of meat are appropriate (and how expensive they are)...
Trashpicked last night: a small wooden rack that might be strong enough to hold wine bottles (if so, I suppose I'll move the wine out of the dishwasher, and I'll have to choose what flavor dishwasher I want to have [only 5 or 6 years after kashering it]), and a covering for an old-fashioned radiator, with a shelf above and metal mesh in front for the heat to flow. I don't have a radiator like this, but it's a nicely worked piece, so I thought it might be useful. Does anyone have a radiator they'd like to cover?
Yesterday there were elections for councillors at large. I wonder what the minimum size requirements are, to ensure not being caged or imprisoned...
Hmmm... kitchen play.... what sort of conversation would the spatula have with the can opener, and would they present a united front against a dairy fork?
The dish is very substantial; a bowl or so is plenty for dinner. I was pleased with the spicy undertones, the slight crunch of spinach, and how there are enough different things that spoonfuls are different. And how there were plenty of leftovers for today's breakfast and lunch.
I bought a new flexible cutting board at Kitchens Etc. Actually, I bought far more than one, because five full-sized ones came packaged together, each with an appropriate picture: green for vegetables, teal for fish, yellow for dairy, red for red meat, orange for poultry, and two half-sized clear ones for something else (cutting chocolate, perhaps? :-). I only use cutting boards for vegetables, so I might have an odd mismatch when I get around to using the next color.
I have been gifted with a meat grinder (Porkert brand; this amuses me), and the last time I have memories of being around one being used was when my bubbe was alive, some decades ago now. Has anyone used one more recently? What did you make? I suppose I shall have to attempt some kind of interesting sausages now, there's no escape... I wonder what cuts of meat are appropriate (and how expensive they are)...
Trashpicked last night: a small wooden rack that might be strong enough to hold wine bottles (if so, I suppose I'll move the wine out of the dishwasher, and I'll have to choose what flavor dishwasher I want to have [only 5 or 6 years after kashering it]), and a covering for an old-fashioned radiator, with a shelf above and metal mesh in front for the heat to flow. I don't have a radiator like this, but it's a nicely worked piece, so I thought it might be useful. Does anyone have a radiator they'd like to cover?
Yesterday there were elections for councillors at large. I wonder what the minimum size requirements are, to ensure not being caged or imprisoned...
Hmmm... kitchen play.... what sort of conversation would the spatula have with the can opener, and would they present a united front against a dairy fork?