C is for Cuckoo and Caakiri

The cuckoo is to English spring as the Robin is to North America. The call of the cuckoo heard over the hills and dales of the English countryside is a welcome sound each year. You can hear it here. I didn’t realise, before writing this, that the cuckoo family is spread widely turning up in many parts of the world and apparently the bird with which I am familiar is the Common Cuckoo. It is a bird parasite because it lays its eggs in the nests of other species. Here again, there are many cuckoos which do not do this, silly me I thought it was a feature of cuckoos. After all that is where the word cuckold came from. Translation: a man who’s wife produces another man’s child. These days I guess that can happen with surrogates, but cuckold is an old fashioned word. We saw a whole flock of cuckoos in our North Carolina back yard once, they devastated a plant which was full of bugs, and then we never saw them again although the bugs came back. I don't ever remember actually seeing a cuckoo in England.

Here’s an interesting sounding pudding from Food.com. It has its origins in Africa. I like couscous so will definitely try this one.
 

Caakiri (Couscous Pudding)

By Random Rachel

Photo by Annacia
 

• Servings: 4

 

"A simple couscous pudding. Makes 4 - 1 cup servings. From congocooking.com"
 

Ingredients

• 2 cups couscous
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 dash nutmeg (optional)
• raisins or crushed pineapple or mint ( to garnish)

Directions

1. Prepare 2 cups of couscous according to package directions and allow to cool.
2. Combine evaporated milk, yogurt, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Stir yogurt mixture into couscous.
3. Add more sugar, to taste. Garnish as desired. Serve warm or chilled.

Have a great day

A is for Albatross and Amaretto Syllabub.

Albatrosses are large sea birds which are found in the Southern Ocean and the Northern Pacific. They are not found in the Atlantic although fossils show that they once lived in that ocean. There are different species, but the largest of them all has a wing span of 12 ft. That is huge. They often follow ships as I guess they know various edibles are likely to be jettisoned from the galleys. The Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, was based on the killing of an albatross which was supposed to be unlucky.  In fact it turns out that the albatross was often killed for food despite the fact that sailors are some of the most superstitious people in the world. They start breeding later than most birds and have complicated courting dances to entice a mate. They spend a lot of time in the air and banded birds have been tracked circumnavigating the globe in their extensive travels. Apparently the Maori use their wing bones to carve flutes. The albatross is a threatened species; once due to man stealing feathers and today because of introduced species in their nesting areas such as rats and feral cats which eat their eggs. A Laysan albatross, named "Wisdom" on Midway Island is recognized as the oldest wild bird in the world; she was first banded in 1956 by Chandler Robbins.  A legend is that the soul of  a sailor lost at sea ends up as an Albatross which inspired me to write a poem too.

The Albatross

With wings outstretched
You sail the skies
And, so they say
When a sailor dies
His soul departs
And enters you
To guard o’er ships.
If this be true
Then when you soar
On thermals fine
I pray you, guard
This ship of mine.

Jo Wake

To me, this sounds absolutely delicious. I love syllabubs and the addition of Amaretto has got to improve it no end.


AMARETTO SYLLABUB

Nigella Lawson

• 2.8 fl oz (80 ml) amaretto liqueur
• 1 oz (25g) caster sugar
• ½ fl oz (15 ml) lemon juice
• 0.4 pt (225 ml) double cream
• 1 (8 oz (225g) ) packet amaretti morbidi (soft almond macaroons) 

Method 

Pour the amaretto liqueur into a bowl with the sugar and lemon juice and whisk using light, rapid sweeping strokes to thicken or thoroughly combine ingredients. You can also use a whisk attachment of a food processor. Whisk in the double cream and whip this mixture until it has thickened but is still soft and billowy.

Crumble 2 little amaretti biscuits into each of the 4 glasses (each with a yield of about 180ml).

Divide the syllabub between the glasses on top of the crumbled biscuits.

Crumble another cookie or 2, and sprinkle this golden rubble over the top of all the glasses to give a fine sprinkle of crumbs on each. Serve the remaining amaretti alongside the syllabub.

Have a great day

2014 A to Z Challenge

Tomorrow I and around 2,000 other bloggers start the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge. The hosts for this Blogfest are:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Author Stephen Tremp
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti@ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips
Heather M. Gardner
AJ @ Naturally Sweet
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

The original idea for this blogfest was Arlee Bird’s. The idea is that for the whole month of April one writes a blog a day (not Sundays those are rest days) pertaining to the letter of the alphabet assigned to that day. April 1 is A, April 2 is B and so on. This is my third time of participating and I have found it great fun. We are also honour bound to visit the blogs of as many of the other participants as we can and they will all return the compliment – we hope. Because there is such a lot of work involved, the hosts have helpers, known as minions, and I am on Tina’s Terrific Team this year (see the badge in the side bar). This involves checking on 20 assigned blogs and making sure they are keeping up and helping if and when necessary then reporting back to our team leaders. I actually had my posts finished by mid March as otherwise there is so much to do it is difficult to keep up. Life still has to be lived after all. Many bloggers don’t write every day so it really is a challenge for them, for me it is easier because I already post 6/7. So, as they say at the Olympics, LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

If you are taking part in the challenge, I wish you all the best and hope to see you along the way. If you haven’t yet signed up, you still can I believe. Click on any one of the host’s names above. In fact you can still sign in til April 2, 2014 and the sign in list gives you the exact date and time. Do join us. The more the merrier. You can get to know all kinds of other bloggers as well as get new followers for your own blog.

This recipe from Food and Wine looks absolutely delicious. Sadly I cannot afford the price one has to pay for duck in these parts. But hopefully some of you will have access to inexpensive duck and can try it.

© Amy Neunsinger

Pappardelle with Duck Ragù

Contributed by Curtis Stone

• ACTIVE: 1 HR 15 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 2 HRS 45 MIN
• SERVINGS: 6

Celebrity chef Curtis Stone makes his delicious pasta sauce by braising duck legs in white wine with dried porcini, prosciutto and herbs.
 

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. Three 1-pound duck legs, skin and excess fat removed
3. Kosher salt
4. Freshly ground pepper
5. 6 large shallots, finely chopped
6. 1 large carrot, chopped
7. 2 celery stalks, chopped
8. 3 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
9. 2 rosemary sprigs
10. 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
11. 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
12. 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a powder in a spice grinder
13. 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
14. 3 cups chicken stock
15. 8 ounces dried pappardelle noodles
16. 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
17. 2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the duck legs with salt and pepper and add to the casserole. Cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned, about 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.
2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the casserole. Add the shallots, carrot, celery, prosciutto, rosemary, thyme and garlic. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the porcini powder and wine. Simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the casserole, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return the duck legs to the casserole, cover and braise in the oven until the legs are very tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes; turn the duck legs halfway through braising.
3. Transfer the duck legs to a plate and let them cool slightly. Remove the duck meat from the bones and shred into bite-size pieces. Return the duck to the ragù and season with salt and pepper; keep warm. Discard the rosemary stems.
4. In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the pappardelle until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. In a bowl, whisk the ricotta with 2 tablespoons of the cooking water until smooth.
5. Add the pasta to the ragù along with 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and the 2 tablespoons of pecorino. Cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until the pasta is hot and coated with sauce; add more cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Transfer the pasta to shallow bowls, top with the ricotta and serve, passing additional pecorino at the table.

Make Ahead: The ragù can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving.

Have a great day

A to Z, Blogger, Bowling, Weather.

I have finally finished my 26 posts for the A to Z Challenge in April – in my case it is something of an extra challenge as I chose a subject beginning with the letter of the day and also a recipe beginning with the same letter, you might be surprised at the difficulty of finding recipes beginning with certain letters. I generally avoid Mary’s something or other or Xavier’s favourite, that is kind of cheating in my book. I kind of ended up with a wildlife or nature theme although I didn’t, as Alex J. Cavenaugh suggested, talk about an animal and then tell you how to cook it. Not a bad idea though but not sure one could sustain that for 26 posts. As for my minion duties for Tina’s Terrific Team, we have started those now and I have read a few new blogs lately. If you want to know any more about the A to Z or would like to join in, click on the badge and it will take you to a sign up page.

Talking of pages, I can’t believe how incredibly dumb I am, I have been writing a blog for a number of years and yet I have only just discovered Blogger offers me the chance to use other pages. I don’t know why I never realised it before particularly as I wondered how other bloggers did it. I feel such a dimwit for not seeing the option before. Not sure what I would use the extra pages for although one blogger I know uses them for all the awards.

Friday’s  bowling wasn’t as good as the previous Monday but I beat my average which is always good.

We have certainly lost a lot of our snow in the last few days. We can actually see stretches of grass from our windows. Matt even went out without a coat the other day. It has been mostly very sunny but I don’t think it’s quite that warm yet.

I thought this sounded like a tasty and very easy hors d’oeuvres – certainly something I would like to eat. Don’t be afraid of the anchovies, they give a lovely salty flavour to a dish. Never, but never, eat them on their own. This recipe from Food and Wine.

Potted Ham with Cabbage and Pickles

Contributed by Kay Chun

• TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN
• SERVINGS: 2 cups

While this tasty little potted ham can be eaten right away, it's also an excellent make-ahead party dish that can sit out for a few hours and still taste great.

1. 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1/2 pound smoked ham, shredded
4. 1 cup finely chopped green cabbage
5. 1 small dill pickle, chopped (1/3 cup)
6. 2 tablespoons chopped dill, plus more for garnish
7. Salt
8. Freshly ground pepper
9. Toasted country bread and mustard, for serving

1. In a small saucepan, melt the anchovies in the olive oil over moderate heat, stirring. Scrape the anchovy oil into a medium bowl. Add the ham, cabbage, pickle and chopped dill, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Pack the ham mixture into a 3-cup ramekin and garnish with dill. Serve at room temperature with the bread and mustard.

Make Ahead The potted ham can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Have a great day

Tax Offices, Shopping, A to Z.

Grrr. We have been accumulating forms for completion of our taxes for last year. I have been doing these online for a number of years and to do so we both needed a Web Access Number. This year, no form telling me how to obtain this number. So obviously I went online and ended calling up a bunch of different numbers. I found out I needed last year’s numbers which I hadn’t kept. After a frustrating time, I am finally told I no longer need such numbers. Why on earth didn’t it state this clearly on their web pages? It makes me so mad. If I couldn’t find that out and had trouble connecting to the right office, I think there are going to be lots of people out there in exactly the same boat. I shouldn’t grouse, our forms are a lot easier than the ones they use in the US.

Actually, it’s not been a good day for us. We decided to make a trip to Costco today (Wednesday) Matt has been to the grocery store first thing (7 a.m.) as he always does – his choice, not mine – and come back complaining about the bitter cold so I was in two minds whether to go or not. However, we set off about 10 a.m. and couldn’t get near the place. They have lots of wheelchair parking but every one was full up and there were no other spots within reasonable walking distance. We turned round and came home. I suppose we could have gone back after lunch but….. We like to buy meat there, they have some of the best lamb around – haven’t eaten any for a long time now. Was going to have a Valentine meal with lamb chops, guess that’s out, no time to go now. Will have to get some steak and ‘make do’. I know, hard done by! We are going to have Chocolate Volcanoes though.

At the instigation of my fearless leader (I am one of her minions I mean Terrific Team), A to Z blog host Tina of Life is Good, I have been visiting some of the blogs listed which have less than 100 followers. The idea is to add yourself to their followers list and hopefully to leave a comment. So if you feel like doing a favour, do click on the link. You can also click on the A to Z link and join in the fun for April. I have a few of my blogs completed, but although I thought I was getting on like a house on fire, I haven’t as many as I imagined I had so I need to flick the whip.

I have posted the recipe before but thought maybe you would like it again because it is an easy chocolate dessert and excellent for Valentine’s. We serve them with a dollop of Double Devon Cream. Only trouble is, the recipe makes 6 which means we will have leftovers. Cold they are like moist fudge and I am not sure I don’t like them better, but… I dread to think what the calorie count is; oops, I looked, 565 without cream. I just found out that one can make the batter, put it into ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 2 months. You can then cook them, frozen, at 350°F for exactly 18 minutes. Never tried this of course, but it does mean that for us we won't have to eat them three days running.


Warm Chocolate Cake (Volcanoes)

6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/3 cup all purpose (plain) flour

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). In heavy pot on low heat, melt chocolate and butter together. Cool slightly.
2. Beat together sugar and egg yolks with electric mixer until thick and creamy, about 4 mins.
3. Pour in chocolate mixture and beat together for 5 mins.
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, about three mins. Fold into mixture along with flour.
5. Pour into 6 nonstick buttered moulds or non-stick muffin tins (we use cocottes or ramekins). Bake for 5 to 7 mins or until edges are just cooked and centre is still liquid. Cool for 5 mins in cooking dish. Carefully remove to serving dishes. Serve with lightly whipped cream

Servings: 6

Source: Food and Drink

Have a great day