Sunday 5th September 2010

I woke up this morning and put the kettle on to boil. I felt like a cup of tea. I found the tea canister empty but Mum had a new box of teabags sitting on the counter, right beside the empty canister.

When I was young, it was my job to fill the tea canister with teabags when it was empty. This didn't mean that I just stuffed the teabags into the canister. Oh no. Mum showed me how to arrange the teabags in the canister in an orderly fashion so that if I continued the arrangement, I would be able to fit all the teabags into the canister. I haven't done this for over ten years. It brought back fond memories filling up the canister today.



Time to make breakfast!

I felt like eggs but I wanted them poached today. I have made a few attempts in the past to poach eggs the traditional way. Boiling water, a dash of vinegar, swirling water. Each time it would end up with the egg simply...dissolving into the water. I don't have a slotted spoon and I suppose supermarket eggs are not the freshest. The fresher the eggs, the easier they are to poach.

So, I poach my eggs using a cheat method.

Cling wrap.

You line a small bowl with a sheet of cling wrap and crack the egg into the bowl, ontop of the cling wrap. Gather the edges of the cling wrap and tie it off to contain the egg.

Drop the cling wrap into boiling water for a few minutes (longer if you don't want a runny yolk). To get the egg out, you simply cut the knot off with scissors or a knife.

Voila! Poached eggs the cheat's way.

Breakfast
Poached eggs, asaparagus spears,
buttered wholemeal toast and baked beans.

I placed one egg on the plate bottom side up and one top side up to show how gorgeous the bottom of the egg looks. Smooth and white.

Look at that gorgeous yolk!


Tonight I gathered some odds and ends in the fridge and finally made a dish that I've wanted to try for a few years now.

Basically, it's a soup originating from the Ukraine and beetroot is generally the main ingredient. It lends its gorgeous deep hues to the dish. I had to wear gloves while peeling and dicing the beetroot so as not to stain my hands and nails (yes, I've learnt this from past experience!).

Entree
Borscht

Look at that gorgeous colour!

The evolution of pork meatballs.

I have made meatballs several times now and each time they get better and better. I made these last night and froze a few portions.

Tonight I added an extra ingredient. Grated carrot.

I simmered the meatballs in the sauce for almost an hour on the lowest heat. The meatballs were soooo tender.

Dinner
Spaghetti and Meatballs in a rich homemade Tomato Sauce

Lots of grated pecorino.

I literally spent the entire afternoon and evening in the kitchen today. I can't wait for the day my house is ready and I can have those dinner parties where I can cook for friends.