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Catherine's Kitchen

Catherine Manning

WELL HERE IT IS, THE 13TH OF THE MONTH and I'm racking the gray matter or what's left of it! Sometimes I wonder... All my plans for today (Sunday) went by the wayside. Not unusual.

Yesterday was the weekly vegetable market where I sell a lot of my products, such as jams, pickles and marmalades as well as pies, pizzas and cakes. Sometimes people give me leftover sweet peppers or tomatoes, which might be blemished and not saleable, plus lettuce for the turtles.

Yesterday I came home with a large box of sweet peppers and a large bag of Seville oranges, which a friend had given me to make marmalade. So that was the plan for today: prep the oranges and deal with the sweet peppers. So what did I do?

This morning I happened to wake up early (5am) and didn't go back to sleep again like I usually do, so must have gone to sleep a bit earlier as well. It was a brilliant morning, we had an early morning shower, which I slept through (as usual) but found the floor wet so I knew about it and the sun was high in the sky. I have a habit, when the rain blows in, I just pull up the sheet and if it's really chilly, the blanket, but I never shut the windows unless the rain really is hard!

Anyway, I jumped out of bed this morning at 5:45 wide awake for once, and after having the morning play with a few of the dogs where a couple of them get under the sheet and another one jumps on top of them and they go bananas for a while, I went about my early morning chores, like feeding the cats and the turtles and giving the dogs their cat food snack, which is a small amount of cat food on the end of a fork, which they eat very neatly. They get fed at night so that is just so they don't feel left out! They are small dogs, by the way.

After that I went into the garden and cut the grass inside and out, raked and watered, cut back some of the grapes, dumped everything and then transplanted some seedlings. Finally got back inside at 10:30am quite burnt, but relaxed, maybe too relaxed as I had a shower, washed my hair and sat in front of the idiot box stiff as a board! It's now 9:09pm and the oranges are still in the box and the peppers stuffed in the fridge! Tomorrow is another day.

That was Sunday. Today is still Tuesday but nearly Wednesday! Woke up too early again and did the normal chores, bottled pickled onions, cooked a chicken for pies, packaged my fish stock from the dolphin (mahi mahi) that I got fresh from the boat yesterday and finally attacked the peppers. What a chore as there were at least 60-70, so I had to roast them under both grills and let them cool before I could peel them. Then I had to prep the onions, garlic, etc. for the pickle, so they are now bottled, but it took me the better part of the day. I had intended to make Melon and Ginger Jam as well, but since it is now too late, that will have to wait.

We're lucky not to be involved in the Iraqi war, though there will still be a backlash for everyone. I sympathize with all those families who have lost loved ones and hope that the end is in sight, without any more bloodshed. Soon!

To Tru, who asked me how to make Peas and Rice, it's very easy as with every rice dish, the important thing is the quantity of rice and stock or water and also what you as an individual want to add. In other words, those non-vegetarians add salted meat, such as pigtails or salt beef, which are boiled before with the peas. The stock is then used to cook the rice and the meat chopped and added. Alternatively, vegetable stock or water can be used as well, but it's always one cup of rice to two cups of liquid which is cooked covered tightly on low heat and left to cool for a bit before stirring and serving. If using salted meat, do not add additional salt and if the stock is too salty, add more water before cooking the rice. But remember the 2-1 rule of cooking on a low heat for 20 minutes without taking off the cover and also to stop the rice burning. Just about the only piece of equipment I don't have is a rice cooker, so I do it the normal way, in a saucepan on the stove! I don't want one either, not necessary.
 

PEAS AND RICE (OR RICE AND PEAS!) This is a general recipe open to adjustment, except for the 2-1 rule. Serves 6. 4 cups boiling water 1-cup rice 1-cup pigeon or black eye peas 1 large onion chopped 1-1/2 tsp. salt or to taste 2 Tbs. butter or margarine Bring water to a rapid boil, add salt and peas. Stir. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Measure liquid making sure you have two cups and add rice, onion and butter, mixing well. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve. I sometimes drop a bit more butter if necessary. With those peppers I finally made Roasted Pickled Peppers and they turned out quite well, even though a lot of work with the quantity I made. Again, a general recipe which I change as I go along to suit myself. Pickled Sweet Peppers   6 large red or yellow sweet peppers 2 large onions peeled and sliced into thin wedges 6 large garlic cloves sliced 1 Tbs. prepared mustard, French or Dijon 2 Tbs. capers 1 cup of white wine vinegar (or plain white vinegar) 1/2 cup sugar 6 basil leaves chopped 1/4 cup olive oil. Grill peppers till blackened on all sides. Cool and remove skin and seeds. Cut into eighths. Cut onions into to thin wedges and slice garlic. Heat oil in frying pan and cook onions for about 10 minutes over moderate heat till soft but not brown. Add peppers, garlic, mustard, capers, vinegar and sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes. Cool thoroughly and add chopped basil leaves. Bottle in hot sterilized jars and cover and seal when cold. I made fourteen 12 oz. jars with the quantity of peppers that I used, but this will probably only make three 9 oz. jars. They are quite tasty though and good with veggies as well as meat. Experiment!

Anyway, got to get this off, so...bon appetit!
Cath