Thursday, June 6, 2013

Daleks at Proms, Arthritis.

For those of you who are Dr. Who fans, apparently there was a section at the Proms (held in the Royal Albert Hall in London) which included the Dalek symphony together with a Dalek on stage. Fun I thought, sorry I didn’t see the actual programme.
Bowling again yesterday, I now have a new problem, some of you may remember I had an extremely bad left shoulder a year or so ago, now I am developing a painful right shoulder, so I can blame that on my lousy bowling, right? Saw a bit of a programme on TV imagesabout arthritis and natural cures, mostly pushing the books written by the doctor I think, but there was some interesting stuff including the importance of diet and exercise. The doctor said, if you can’t do much at all, go to therapy in a pool and progress from there. He suggests walking half an hour a day which is what I am beginning to do on my treadmill. He also said 2,000 calories of the right foods will get you to lose weight. I stick to about 1,200 at the moment so I should look into this more carefully. I wonder if our library have his books, Dr. Vijay Vad was the name of the doctor.
I persuaded another friend to get some asparagus from Barrie’s, well actually I got it for him. I will be interested in what he says. I couldn’t get him to try it raw, think he thought I was having him on.


Asparagus, Goat’s Cheese and Smoked Bacon Quiche
British Asparagus – Marcus Bean

"One of my favourite foods is warm quiche, the crumbliness of the pastry the soft texture of the eggy centre, combined with smoky bacon and fresh asparagus, serve simply with buttered potatoes & salad."
Serves: 8

You'll need:
Pastry; or buy readymade short crust pastry
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter (room temp)
1 egg
2 tbsp water

For the filling:

2 rashers of thick smoked back bacon (finely chopped)
100g of goat’s cheese
300ml double cream
200ml of milk
4 medium eggs
Salt & pepper
6 sprigs of asparagus
30g butter
2 tbsp grated parmesan

What to do:

1
Start by making the pastry; sift your flour into a large bowl, then rub in the butter with your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the egg, then add to the flour and bring together with your hands, add the water and knead on a cold floured surface until fully mixed. Then cling film and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
2
Next remove your pastry from the fridge and roll out on a floured work surface until it’s an even thickness of about ½ - 1cm. Get your loose bottomed tart case (20cm diameter by 3-4cm deep. Grease the tart case with butter then line it with your pastry making sure you press into the edges of the tart case all the way round (use a 2cm ball of pastry to do this to stop from piercing the pastry). Prick all over the pastry base with a fork, to release trapped air and stop the pastry from rising.
3
Now line the pastry case with parchment paper, fill it with baking beans or rice. Then place onto a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes at 190°c, then remove the beans and the paper from the case, brush the pastry with a little milk or egg wash, then pop back in the oven at 180°c for 10 more minutes until golden, remove from oven and set aside.
4
For the filling melt the butter in a pan and add the diced smoked bacon, fry until golden brown and cooked, then set aside. Now get your asparagus spears trim of the hard root, cut them length ways then add to a hot griddle pan with a little oil & cook until charred. Spoon the bacon mixture into the cooked pastry case, add the asparagus and crumble the goat’s cheese on top. Make your mix up by adding the cream & milk to a jug adding the eggs and whisking together, add a little salt and pepper to season.
5
Then pour the mix into the pastry case, don’t worry if you have some mix left over. Sprinkle the top with the grated Parmesan and bake the tart in the oven at 180°c for about 20-30 minutes until the filling is golden and the mix is set.

To serve:

Slice a good size piece of quiche and put onto your plate, serve with fresh watercress.
.
Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

12 comments:

  1. A symphony with Daleks I could take. Cybermen on stage, not so much.
    My exercise physiologist keeps telling me to swim, but I really do not like the water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was quite funny to see a Dalek at the Proms especially threatening the conductor.

      I love the water - you can go to do exercises in the pool, not just swim. I did them once and was staggered that I was sweating whilst I was in the water.

      Delete
  2. Daleks are so humorous!

    I use a homeopathic remedy called Rhus tox, it helps get rid of what my doctor calls the 'rusty gate' feeling in the mornings. Those kinks that make you feel like your 100, even after a good nights sleep. You can order it from Homeopathy.com or 1-800-Homeopathy, if you believe in the natural cures. I use them all the time. Not a cure for every pain, but my family loves it, even my sons ask me for it once in awhile. And no I'm not a doctor, but I do research natural cures for my own use all the time. It's easier than getting a doctors appointment, only to hear, 'it, comes with age' or having drugs that cause more side affects than help!
    Sorry, didn't want anyone to assume I'm an expert.

    I might eat asparagus with bacon! Mmm. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds interesting Yolanda, I'll check it out for availability in Canada.

      Delete
  3. Oh that recipe looks good and creamy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've heard that exercise keeps the joints limber and there's less chance for arthritis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not entirely. Matt has been a gymnast for a large part of his life, has played practically every sport available, but he still has arthritis. He blames his mom for it. She was riddled with it. However, we both try and move all the time. Matt more than me mind you.

      Delete
  5. Big Dr. Who fan!!! Daleks at prom is AWESOME!!!!
    As to arthritis, that's what I suffer from. I highly recommend the Feldenkrais Method I wrote about in my Get Healthy post. It's done wonders for me.
    I've also changed my diet. I've cut out dairy, grains, soy, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Since March 17th, I've lost 40 pounds. The good thing is that it's not about portions or calories, it's about which foods you eat. I read the book, "It Starts with Food". Amazing scientific explanations that made me a believer in the idea.
    So yeah...I'll unfortunately have to skip that quiche...
    Tina @ Life is Good

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've lost almost half that in a lot longer time, but a) I am considerably older than you and b) I am pumped full of medication some of which makes it more difficult to lose, but I am losing. Being diabetic doesn't help of course. You surprised me with grains, they are always touted as good for you.

      Dalek, dalek.......

      Delete
  6. No alcohol, no sweets, limited dairy -- no cheese but Greek yogurt OK, limited bread -- all this I am trying to do to see if it helps my sore knees since I am no longer taking Ibuprofen. More walking, more stretching and have lost some weight. But I do believe that many meds make it very, very hard. Especially my friends who are taking cancer drugs. They find it difficult to loose weight especially around the waist. It's a battle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've ordered his book from the library to see just what it does say. And yes, many meds do make it difficult to lose weight, age doesn't help either.

      Ah well, I will persevere.

      Delete