Salads for those hot evenings

Well those who saw my last blog will know that spring has sprung Down Under. The last few days have been so very warm, in fact, yesterday it was 33C. A lovely hot day and for once I did feel the heat. I had the doors and windows open to let some breeze into the house. I do however say it’s not so hot that I need to start my fan just yet….. But the evenings are too warm to spend standing by the cooker making hot dinner. Not only cooking makes me hot it is also too hot to eat that meal.

My fall back standard is to make something that will not require standing by the heat of the fire. I try for the minimum of time to be spent by heat. So the favourite dish is the couscous salad since couscous can be done simply. I just need to add right amount of boiling water, stir in the couscous, with a pinch of salt, spoonful of olive oil and cover it for while I get the salad ready. Once the couscous is ready fluff it up with a fork before it cools down completely, otherwise you will have to break up the lumps that will form. I do not put more olive oil in the couscous at the start as I will be putting salad dressing too and might end up with soggy couscous. This dish has developed and evolved with every making and so now I forget from where and what exactly was the original recipe was.

When I do not have couscous or it has gone stale for it is not used all over winter then I have pasta (fuselli, or farfalle or rigatoni etc. any small variety ones) as one does not need to spend a lot of time cooking it. I have also used Bulgar wheat which is generally used for tabouli and indeed that’s where I picked up some of the ingredients for my salad.

Now for the salad, I love putting –

Cucumber – in UK there was only one variety but In Australia I get also the small Indian variety and the Lebanese one too.

Onions - can be spring onions or red onions or just ordinary cooking onions but I have not tired the white ones.

Tomatoes - variety is not a major issue as I use whatever I have handy. But I have to say the small cherry tomatoes both red and yellow are sweet. The purple tomatoes (I cannot remember the name) I used for the first time this year and oh my! The taste is so very different and wonderful. If you can find these try them at least once.

Fennel – the bulb of fennel and also the fine fronds are really good in adding an aniseed taste and a crunch to the salad.

Raddish – I have added the small red raddish as well as the white large mooli.

Leaves – Now I am allergic to lettuce (iceberg and other varieties) but you can add whatever you want to. I usually add watercress if I can find any and rocket which I can still eat. Small spinach which is for salads can also be used. Fresh basil and coriander are another favourite of mine if I have some in the fridge.

Beans – I usually add tined butter beans after washing off the preservatives. At different time I have added red beans, chickpeas, barlotti beans or indeed mixed beans. This will add protein into the meal. Somehow I have not liked the taste of fresh peas or corn in this salad.

Egg – a couple of hard boiled and chopped eggs can be added if you wish. After all this is meant to be a one bowl meal so I want more variety in it.

I nearly forgot and would not be forgiven by my husband if I did not mention boiled potatoes. He loves his potatoes and so I indulge him with boiled and cooled potatoes chopped small.

Cheese – I have tried a couple of cheeses like mozzarella and feta separately. Shred by hand and sprinkle it in the bowl. However, cheese is not a regular ingredient in my salads.

Nuts – I sometimes add toasted pine nuts or walnuts.

So you see it’s everything and the kitchen sink in the salad depending on what is in the cupboard and fridge. Sometimes when I plan to make it, then I shop for all the ingredients I feel like that day. You can add sultanas and raisins and maybe some hard fruit like apples and pears. However I do not like to mix sweet and savoury so I have never added them myself.

Now for the dressing –

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar generally at a ratio of 2 to 1 as advised by many recipes that I have seen.

Salt and pepper and or mustard powder (the English mustard as it is hotter) You can put French mustard as it is milder if you do not like hot food. Also you can use grain mustard.

Crushed garlic cloves and I must say this is entirely up to you how much you add. I sometimes just chop it find and add it to the salad instead of the dressing. Same goes for green or red chillies, since I am found of hot food I leaves the seeds in and add finely chopped chillies into the dressing.

If you do not have fresh herbs like basil and coriander or thyme you can add the dried herbs into the dressing.

Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar, close the lid and shake it thoroughly and have it ready to pour on to the salad.

By now the couscous /pasta/bulgar wheat should be ready and should be cooled. The couscous and bulgar wheat should be fluffed and spread to cool and pasta can be cooled under cold running water which not only stops it cooking but also stops it sticking till you can coat it with dressing. Add it all to the other ingredients, and pour the dressing on it. Mix well and leave in the fridge to cool. I know most recipes advise that dressing should be added just before serving so that the leaves do not wilt but I find that adding the dressing and letting the salad cool in the fridge allows for the flavours from the dressing to soak into the ingredients and makes it very tasty. I discovered this when I had once made a lot of salad and had to eat the left overs the next day. Yummmm

So you can see that adding and leaving out different items at different times will make for so many versions of this salad. I have deliberately left out the amounts as I have not even got approximates since I just throw things in as I find and just aim to have the bowl filled. Hope you try it and enjoy.

Budgie Smugglers and Thongs

Well the spring has well and truly sprung Down Under. The sun has been shining and the sky is so very blue. Reminds me of the skies seen in cartoons like The Simpsons. Sometimes a few clouds float by or you can see a long vapour trail of the passing jet. The swimmers and surfers are out on the beaches already to have fun. The gardens all around have beautiful flowers with a mass of colours like I have never seen. Well there are so many flowers that are new to me while some are known from childhood. The variety of succulents and cacti are also aplenty. In deed I have started on my succulent collection with Kangaroo plant, happy plant and a new one which has oval leaves ending in a blunt point with the margins dark purplish.

Coming back to the topic of budgie smugglers…. took me some time to work out this slang which is actually in a TV advertisement. This refers to men’s swimming trunks specifically to speedo variety. It gave me a good laugh. The other word – thong, was the UK terminology for specific kind of knickers. Now I am not going to describe this as you can just google and find a picture. As for the meaning Down Under – ‘I am so glad to be able to wear thongs and go out in this sunshine’. Guessed it? No? It’s the flipflops (rubber slippers)!! So you see the link to warmer weather? Men are going to be out in their budgie smugglers and thongs… While women will have to make do with thongs.

Seawitch by Alistair MacLean

This is yet another book by Alistair MacLean which I believe I had forgotten about. This is strange as I generally have a good memory about what I have read. My ploy is always to forget the details of the story and if there is a long enough gap even the main issues of the plot. But maybe after over 30 years I am forgetting the names of the books I read. Having found these ebooks I am renewing my acquaintance with all the books of my childhood and teenage.

This one is different from the usual war and spy plots of Alistair MacLean. The main characters are 2 friends who are private detectives and ex-cops. The whole story rests on 2 emotions love and hate. The John Roomer and Michael Mitchell are in love with the daughters of a very very rich man, Lord Worth, while he is being hated by another man, John Cronkite, who wants to see Lord Worth destroyed. This plot provides details of oil exploration and oil rigs on sea. The destruction planned is for Seawitch the Lord Worth’s oil rig to be wrecked and this would incur him huge losses. If you think that Cronkite is using underhand tricks and is a bad guy as he arranges all the criminal activity and steals weapons and works through hiring well known criminals and so should be hated then think again. The Lord Worth of the book, the richest man, is not above skulduggery and criminal activity. The people he employs on the rigs are most often those who do not wish to come into limelight as the police are after them. He too steals weapons albeit for protecting his oil rig. So what is the difference between the two men? Lord Worth does not realise the only weapons he needs are John and Michael.

They will fight his cause as Cronkite kidnapped the daughters. They will do anything to save their love. Now is it that every hero is almost superman or that love gives one strength of purpose? No matter the battle for the upper hand see saws and keeps the tension in the plot. I enjoyed the book as it was different from the others and shows that Alistair MacLean can deliver a good plot and suspense even when it is not about spying or war. One wonders right till the last page will the Seawitch be saved?

Mere Brother ki Dulhan

This is a fairly new Bollywood movie and was told by a couple of my friends that it is a funny film and I should try seeing it. Then I was listening to Sunrise radio online and heard some people give good reviews for this movie. So last week I thought let me find and watch it. Generally I watch movies online from one of the sites that streams them. Sometimes one can see them in parts on YouTube as well.

This is a movie where one brother asks the younger one to find a bride for him as he had broken up with his long term girlfriend and wished to settle down. Since his love affair had fallen through he wished to go for an arranged marriage. The plot works its way through the young man Kush looking over many girls and depicts the classic questions and pitfalls of such activity. But eventually he find a girl Dimple who is very different from the other girls and think she would be ideal for his brother. The wedding gets arranged and all things required are done by Kush and Dimple. Having spent so much time together and learning about each other the inevitable happens as they fall in love. Now in the movies of old this would be the time for the couple to elope and the family to take up arms and the hardships a couple married for love face. Indeed the girl is all for eloping but this is not the way Kush wants to do things. Oh yea the old ‘we should do this the right way. I wish to take blessing from your parents’ approach of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is what Kush wants. One thing though irks me is that while definitely he chooses the ‘right’ even moral way of doing thing without unduly upsetting people, the way of getting there is extremely manipulative. Right up to the end the parents do not twig to the reality.

Now the dialogue is funny and there is lot of double entendre or is it I only thought that as public laughed (this was a camera copy by someone and so there was a side commentary from people around this person videoing). It was funny and reminded me of one of the best Bollywood screenplay writers Kader Khan. His dialogue always raised a laugh as they had comedic as well as philosophic value. It is nice to see a movie where there is just entertainment without the action, violence, and sadness that is seen in many movies. While I appreciate that serious films have to be made to make people aware of issues as well as to allow the screening of bitter reality, I mostly want to be entertained and want a laugh. There is enough sadness and cruelty, corruption and violence in the news and often shown TV series that I just want a laugh and fun when I see a film. This one allowed me to do just that. Light-hearted giggle and no pretentions of being a thought provoking movie. The acting is reasonable and Katrina looks pretty as does the girlfriend of the ‘brother’ Tara. The usual dance numbers and catchy tunes keep us entertained. Worth seeing and may be more than once after some time as I may have missed a few jokes.

Johnny English Reborn

I had seen the first movie Johnny English and had found it amusing and so when the sequel was being advertised I thought it would be fun to see this one too. Seeing the ads on TV certainly made me think it was a good idea. However, just as it came out I saw a review on the TV and it was not so complimentary of the movie. But I usually do not pay much attention to reviews as I often do not agree with them.

So last weekend I watched it. Being a wet and cool day I was happy to stay indoors and be entertained. I must also say that Rowan Atkinson is one of my favourite actors. Except for his Mr Bean character I love all his work. For some reason even though Mr Bean has been very popular I find it hard to laugh at that. Now give me his bumbling police inspector in Thin Blue Line or the Blackadder series (particularly the last one set in WWII). I find that he has a good and timely delivery of the dialogues hilarious. Well maybe that’s why I find Mr Bean (a silent character) not so funny.

Anyway back to the movie, Johnny has been thrown out of the service as under his security a president was assassinated. He has been living in a Tibetan monastery learning to be strong through martial art and meditation. Then comes a case where an informer will only talk to Johnny. Must against her better judgement the head of MI7 (oh yea we have moved to modern times and have a female head of services) bring Johnny back into active duty. There starts the usual bungling approach to Johnny’s case management. Some of the antics are reminiscent of the Mr Bean style, and mostly anticipated. Not that the anticipated event can be less funny as demonstrated by the gags in the final moments of the movie. In fact that was the best laugh as the expressions are wonderful and making it memorable. If you are watching and start getting irritated with anticipated gags….. just be patient the last laugh is the best.

Oh yes when Johnny goes to a country house to play golf with a suspect I sat up in the chair as this is Brocket Hall in Herts. I have walked there many a times and yes the path for the ‘country walk’ goes right through the golf course. So when Johnny’s golf ball hits a woman walking it is funny. But the antic with the helicopter is so unreal as you suddenly have these trees (obviously in pots) standing in front of the Hall where before there was nothing!

But this is a spy movie and the good has to win over evil. The spoof works reasonably well as one can see elements of great movies with events like gold playing (seen in a number of Bond movies), going up to castles on top of inaccessible mountains (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Guns of Navarone) where trolleys have to be used, mind control drugs and so on. Since I did not have to spend huge price of the cinema ticket I was happy watching this movie.

The Great Re-Potting

Over the last couple of weekends we have had rain and so have not needed to water my pots every day. The very windy weather also was annoying as I have to keep running out into the garden to check on the pots. Twice I found my 2 large tomato plants lolling about in the grass. The soil spilt out and the small tray under it was all the way around the house in the front garden. I ended up tucking all my plants behind the big dustbins that we have. There is a smallish bin for regular rubbish and two big ones for garden waste and for recycling.

The potato plants are shooting up and even the fourth potato that I tucked into the soil later has got leaves coming up. The lavender plant has perked up after I put a tray under it so that it can get more water. The pot has soil that just drains the water away and without the dish under it the plant was not getting enough water. I had wished to put the plant into the ground but I think we will be moving soon so have left it in the pot. The coriander while delicate and lying horizontal in the windy weather have also grown with good watering. The basil at last seems to have 4 leaves but I am sad that only 5 of the seeds have sprouted. Did some of the seeds float off when I was watering the plant?

The tomatoes are more than double their height and have been propped up with sticks as they were leaning over and branches got bent when the plants fell over. All of them have got little yellow flowers and am hoping this means a good crop. The broccoli was up for re-potting as I could not put it off any longer. I got 2 long planter pots and filled up with soil especially for vegetables. I have too many seedlings and so planting 20 cms apart is not going to be possible. I have planted all the seedlings ( I cannot bear to chuck any away) and hope that as they grow I can think out the plants by harvesting the young shoots. I always buy these young vegetable which tastes nice just steamed or also boiled. When boiled I use the water as a broth by adding some seasoning. So I am waiting for a nice crop of some tender shoots and eventually nice full head of broccoli.

The chilli pot appears to be suddenly taking off. I had 10 seeds sown and one day there were some seeds from my green chillies which also got thrown onto the pot, so there was a mixture. AT first there were only 8 seedlings but now there seem to be a lot more. I think once they grow a few inches I will have to re-pot these as well. I have got a few big plastic basket kind containers which can be used to plant after making a few holes for drainage at the bottom. Maybe I shall plant the chillies in one of these. I am so excited that my plants are growing. I want to plant more things but am being patient to see how these grow. I have planted another 4 potatoes in the second grow bag as this will mean I have got the second crop going. The first harvest should be in November – December while the second one should be ready in January – February. Oh yea have got 2 leaves coming from 2 of the onions I sowed. The methi leaves are proving to be hard as I have got a couple of them having small leaves. One was dried out and I had to remove it. Fingers crossed I get something from each of my plants.