Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Trace bovine
Passed what was left of the beef stock and the vegetables in it through the food mixer to obtain around 4 litres of quite thick yellow soup. The texture of the soups that come in things like milk cartons and say covent garden or organic all over them. The colour a testimony to the quantity of carrot and swede involved. That did two meals.
Passed what was left of the beef after the second meal through the giant Spong grinder, along with some carrots and onions. Turned most of it into a cottage pie. Interesting variant on the potato topping in that having no milk to soften it I used butter and water. This resulted in a rather pleasing finish on the finished article. Still worry about the potato icebergs floating uneasily in a sea of mince. Maybe there is a market for a gadget which extrudes planks of the stuff, maybe 5cm by 1. Rather like a pasta maker or a large nozzle on an icing bag. Must talk to Nigella next time I see her.
Sea of mince rather less sea-like by leaving behind much of the fluid by the elementary device of transferring the mince from pot to pie using a spoon with holes in it. A spoon, as it happens, which was bought as part of a set before we were married, some years ago now. What is left behind will do on bread for today's lunch. Maybe add the elderly parsnips lurking at the back of the vegetable box.
Not deterred by more rain from getting the bread part of lunch - although far to wet for other outdoor games. Underbridge at Cheam about a foot deep in water - not surprising given the amount of Autumnal junk in the drains and the fact that these underbridges must be among the lowest points in the borough. The one at Epsom took several engineering projects to fix it - which it has been, to be fair, for some years now.
I notice another compensation extravaganza. The Telegraph - not a particularly careful paper - alleges that BP have set aside £800m to compensate victims of the big refinery explosion in Texas a year or so ago - with 15 dead and some 170 injured. This is more than £2m a head and presumably the vast majority of the injuries were minor. Never mind, the price of petrol in the UK can carry the can. I also wonder whether the fact that BP is a British company gave the US health and safety gang a wonderful opportunity to have a go at refinery safety. No-one there is going to fuss about them having a go at a Limey company - but Haliburton now, that would be a differant story.
Nearer home, the Blair crew need to be reminded that Stalin style central direction is no longer in fashion. The education department - another Telegraph allegation - appear to be micro managing the way in which headteachers handle crimes against school uniform. Particularly odd given that the B-crew are very keen on all things uniform and faith (leaving aside a slight awkwardness about the M word). At least we don't still have a savage who hangs onto superstitions about virgin birth in charge of the department in question. You would think she would know better having had several children herself.
Incidentally, I am advised that some lower animals do indeed indulge in virgin birth. But a catch for us higher animals would be that any such offspring would have to be ladies given the way our chromosomes are organised. Something for the feminists perhaps.
Passed what was left of the beef after the second meal through the giant Spong grinder, along with some carrots and onions. Turned most of it into a cottage pie. Interesting variant on the potato topping in that having no milk to soften it I used butter and water. This resulted in a rather pleasing finish on the finished article. Still worry about the potato icebergs floating uneasily in a sea of mince. Maybe there is a market for a gadget which extrudes planks of the stuff, maybe 5cm by 1. Rather like a pasta maker or a large nozzle on an icing bag. Must talk to Nigella next time I see her.
Sea of mince rather less sea-like by leaving behind much of the fluid by the elementary device of transferring the mince from pot to pie using a spoon with holes in it. A spoon, as it happens, which was bought as part of a set before we were married, some years ago now. What is left behind will do on bread for today's lunch. Maybe add the elderly parsnips lurking at the back of the vegetable box.
Not deterred by more rain from getting the bread part of lunch - although far to wet for other outdoor games. Underbridge at Cheam about a foot deep in water - not surprising given the amount of Autumnal junk in the drains and the fact that these underbridges must be among the lowest points in the borough. The one at Epsom took several engineering projects to fix it - which it has been, to be fair, for some years now.
I notice another compensation extravaganza. The Telegraph - not a particularly careful paper - alleges that BP have set aside £800m to compensate victims of the big refinery explosion in Texas a year or so ago - with 15 dead and some 170 injured. This is more than £2m a head and presumably the vast majority of the injuries were minor. Never mind, the price of petrol in the UK can carry the can. I also wonder whether the fact that BP is a British company gave the US health and safety gang a wonderful opportunity to have a go at refinery safety. No-one there is going to fuss about them having a go at a Limey company - but Haliburton now, that would be a differant story.
Nearer home, the Blair crew need to be reminded that Stalin style central direction is no longer in fashion. The education department - another Telegraph allegation - appear to be micro managing the way in which headteachers handle crimes against school uniform. Particularly odd given that the B-crew are very keen on all things uniform and faith (leaving aside a slight awkwardness about the M word). At least we don't still have a savage who hangs onto superstitions about virgin birth in charge of the department in question. You would think she would know better having had several children herself.
Incidentally, I am advised that some lower animals do indeed indulge in virgin birth. But a catch for us higher animals would be that any such offspring would have to be ladies given the way our chromosomes are organised. Something for the feminists perhaps.
# posted by Jim @ 3:05 AM 
