Moon Festival, Child Killer.

Oops, I forgot to post this last night. I was busy watching Anastasia and didn’t even think about it although I had most of it written.

Uh Oh, Tuesday lunchtime we went to the Mandarin for lunch with a friend and when we got there, it was the first day of Moon Festival. I immediately thought of moon pies which I love, well the westernised version anyway. Diet? Who me? I started with my usual helping of Hot and Sour Soup which is one of the best I have ever tasted and it was really good and spicy. I found some fried spinach which is a favourite of mine not to mention dumplings and fried fish (which wasn’t good) however, friend found some special fish for Moon Festival so I ate that plus some special chicken. All delicious. Then I finally went for some Moon pie and also had some crème caramel, theirs is delicious. Neither Matt nor my friend cared much for the Moon pie. Matt ate his, friend had a couple of bites and said she didn’t like the texture so I finished hers!!! Actually I think the texture is a little bit like marzipan. Just saw a description of them as Yellow Bean and Salty Egg Pie, so maybe the fillings here are very different from those in China. A friend’s daughter who lived in China for a year absolutely hated Moon pies although she got on fine with Chinese food in China very well. I understand it’s a very different kettle of fish to eat there, what we get is very much westernised.

I have just read a dreadful story about a 6 yr. old. Lee Bonneau, in Regina, Saskatchewan being beaten to death by another child under 12. How on earth do we produce these little monsters? To me it’s unbelievable. The report says he was a troubled child, known to be violent and unpredictable, I’ll say he was troubled, he is a homicidal maniac. There must have been some signs, possibly cruelty to animals, before this happened. They can’t charge him because he is under 12. I can’t believe what the rest of the article says about his future, he is going to be put in protection!!! I have the nasty feeling that this child will be released into the general public when he is over 16 with a report that he is all better. I fail to see how he comes under the Child Protection Act. Poor little Lee Bonneau was with a foster parent although apparently his birth mother is alive.

I have never heard of Fideos before even though I have spent a lot of time in Spain, my parents lived there for a number of years.

Chickpea and Chorizo Fideos

From EatingWell:  September/October 2013

This quick, one-pot version of fideos, a toasted pasta recipe served in Spain, gets a smoky flavour from delicious chorizo. If you can’t find Spanish chorizo, pepperoni works well in its place. Serve with a green salad drizzled with sherry vinaigrette.

4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 package whole-wheat angel hair pasta (7-8 ounces), broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped Spanish chorizo or pepperoni (about 2 ounces)
• 1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 3 scallions (1/2 bunch), sliced

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pasta pieces and cook, stirring, until toasted and browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and chorizo (or pepperoni) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, water, wine and the toasted pasta; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and scallions and cook 1 minute more.

Have a great day