DIARY OF WHAT'S FOR TEA FI? BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Good evening Bloggets. Firstly, to my lovely Blogget reader who I suggested should write to me using Google rather than Gmail, I have been told it makes no difference. Also, if you say you have been using that for years, then silly me for not noticing and I have always got your emails.  Sorry for confusing you.

 

A very happy 21^st birthday to Kay. I hope you have had a lovely day. To both Bloggets I shall write via email tomorrow if I don’t get chance tonight.

 

Other people who have birthdays today include lovely Bill and John, guys, enjoy today.

It’s absolutely pouring with rain. But it doesn’t seem so cold out there. Right now, Alexa says it’s 6 degrees which is 42 Fahrenheit. Fahrenheit, isn’t that a really odd word? It was the name of a mid-18th century German Physicist, Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit.

 

Just some of my Bloggets that have visited today have come from these countries’ capitals. A quick look into their weather.

Washington DC today is 2 degrees in Brussels it’s 11 D, Kiev D0. Cape town 21D Abu Dhabi 25D Ottawa -2. Lisbon, 20 D Jakarta, it’s a lovely 26 degrees Manila 27 degrees.

 So, some of you are in short sleeves and others buttoned up coats and snow boots.

 

My house smells of Christmas. Well, for those of you who follow what I have cooked in the past especially when it comes to soups for example, you will know I get a bit carried away. My Mum used to make the best in the globe, a corned beef stew. Hers was so simple. Peal and chop 6 large potatoes, chopping each potato into about five pieces if you can. Peal and chop six large carrots again chopping each one into about five bits. So, they are chunky pieces. Put them in a pan then pour your boiling water for the kettle over the top in a deep pan. Boil slowly add salt and a couple of stock cubes. Add some mixed herbs if you like. Then chop your onions, two of them into small chunks adding as well. After you have boiled your veg for about 12 minutes, add a tin of corned beef that has been chopped into cubes that are not too small. maybe you should get about 18 chunks from a tin. Then open another tin of corned beef chop and add then turn off pan leaving lid on and leave it overnight as it’s always much nicer the next day. Next day, just warm through. If you do want to make it and eat it on the same day, you can add dumplings.

 

Well I don’t eat corned beef or any meat, nor does Boy Wonder. So, my version of stew. Hmm. Now, this is wat I mean. Whatever happened to simple cooking?

 

So, peal and chop at least 6 large potatoes. Add to pan with another six carrots. Boil. Adding salt and a couple of stock cubes. I use veg cubes but you can use whatever you can get tomato stock cubes now days. I fried in oil some mushrooms and onions adding mustard seeds I just love to hear them popping. I also added to the frying pan other herbs from my cupboard. Now, you may ask, what kind Fifi?

I, don’t know. Hahahahaha. I start off so good knowing what herbs I have ordered in my home delivery and it all goes wrong when the man brings my groceries to the door. An organised blindie would have them Brailed or use some kind of talking label. Hub and I are the worst organised people who are blind in the world. I’m not even sure how we cope with getting up in the morning, as that requires setting an alarm. Haha.

 

So, bubbling away in a large pan are potatoes and carrots in water of stock. Salt too. I then wash half of a red cabbage. Slice very thinly and put into a pan of water to boil.  In that pan I added cinnamon powder and grated ginger. Why? I really can’t tell you. In the pan with the potatoes and carrots, I added a tin of beans. Any kind. When my onions were nice and crispy.

OK, I burned them.

But I’m not telling my family that, I shall tell them they are having French onions in their whatever the heckers I have made.

When the cabbage is cooked, I drain it. Reason why I do it separately to the potatoes and carrots, is because I seem to remember from my seeing days, it turns the water purple. After draining the cabbage, I put it in my stew pan. Put the lid on and leave it. So, my frying pan had loads of flavoursome onions, mustered and herbs of all sorts left over. Just signs of them. Well, I can’t waist that flavour, God knows my cooking needs every bit of help, especially when not using meat. So, what to do? I know, peal a couple of potatoes slice them thinly and fry them, right?

 

Meanwhile the steam is doing its stuff in my vegan pan.

 

I can really smell the cinnamon now, so will it be too sweet? May be so what do I do? Drain the veg… yep, all the flavorous cinnamon and ginger, down the sink, but hey, there is always gravy granules, right? Now I have put the veg in a huge flattish oven dish. One I bought for making a job lot of lasagne.

 

Pour over the gravy… then, only then, add the sliced potatoes on the top they are semi crispy, so when they go in the oven, they should, crisp up nicely. Still we should, have the flavour from the cinnamon and ginger. Now, what will it be like? Will it get eaten? I shall tell you in my next blog, but one thing for sure, it’s not piggin corned beef stew!

You have been reading. (In The Kitchen With Fifi) hahaha.

Ps And our gravy in the UK isn’t the same as gravy in America… just saying… What do you call gravy in America? Please don’t say gravy? Smile. I know you have gravy, but I’m sure its white? So, what do you call propper brown gravy you have with dinners?

Answers on a post card…