#576 It's a Wash

#575 Rabbit stew and cabbage

#574 Weather today will mostly be . . . . . .

. . . . . even warmer on our terraza :- )

#573 Onion Soup

Onion Soup: gently fry two onions for at least half an hour - with a secret ingredient, three or four pieces of Star Anise. Once fried to a nice medium brown (but not burnt, hopefully) add chicken stock and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add some salt and pepper. Done.

If you are French, grate Gruyere cheese on top and grill.

#572 Tom

#571 Stock to be.

Bits of vegetables and chicken, simmered for four or five hours - et voilà!

And the next day - Chicken Broth from the stock
with new vegetables and chicken.

#570 Stop!

#569 Sudsy

#568 December Books

#567 Chilli con Carne

Ingredients
350 grams Beef minced by your friendly butcher
1 Onion, red but if not, any colour.
4 cloves of Garlic
2 tablespoons of Chorizo chopped into minute pieces
1 tin Tomato pulp
1 big spoon of concentrated tomato or perhaps a squirt of Heinz tomato sauce

Cumin, Cinnamon, various Chilli Peppers all ground up.
(a variety of peppers is good; hot, spicy, smokey, paprika - you choose).
Salt and Black pepper

1 Jar or tin of cooked red beans

Juice of one Lime
Sour Cream

Method
Heat a strong solid frying pan till it is very very hot.
Fry the meat, keep stirring, it will start to stick but don’t worry, water will eventually come out, keep frying until it starts to brown - stop and set aside.

Fry the onions till transparent, add garlic then spices then tomatoes.
Add some water if it’s thick and stogy (or red wine, stock or even strong black coffee).
Add back the fried meat and cook very slowly for 40 minutes,
Add red beans for five minutes more.
Salt and Pepper to your taste.
Squeeze on some lime juice.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream plus any side dishes; rice, vegetables, guacamole as you wish.
Enough here for four or two servings and freeze the other half.
Left overs are good with a baked potato.

#566 Jay's Birthday

It's Jay's birthday today.
Here is a photo I took earlier.
He is with Mika, Gloria, Bella, Helenium and Eomer.

Barcelona

#564 Blue

It really was this blue.

#563 "Chinese" Chicken & Pineapple

This is a recipe that we have been using for the last 40+ years.
It came from the Len Deighton's Action Cook Book.

Ingredients
Some cooked chicken
Small tin of Pineapple chunks
Any type of Onion roughly chopped
Finely cut or minced fresh Ginger, Garlic, Chilli

Sauce (in tablespoons):
2 heaped Dark Brown Sugar
2 Sarson's Malt Vinegar (or other)
1 Kikkoman Soya Sauce (or other)
Half tablespoon Maize Starch.
Liquid from the tin of Pineapple

Oil for frying, preferably Coconut Oil.

Method
Fry onions till transparent, add Ginger, Garlic and Chilli and fry 2 minutes more.
Add sauce and cook on low heat, keep stirring until the starch is properly cooked and the sauce has become thick.

Add cooked Chicken bring up to temperature then add Pineapple.
If the sauce is too thick for your liking add some water or juice.

Can be served with noodles or rice.
Can be garnished with Coriander or Mint.
That's it.

#562 More Fat Please

Stopped by the Guardia Civil for riding a bike and laughing at the same time

 

 

#561 eBay

Bought in 1987 and for sale in 2013. My very old Campagnolo Delta brakes are now under the hammer on eBay.  Sold €177.

Bought a year later in 1988 my Jean Paul Gaultier suit is also up for bidding. Reserved at US$50 it's a bit of a long shot, but still . . . .

A few years ago I sold a Campagnolo Disc back wheel on eBay for US$710 it was a very rare and sort after item and luckily for me two bidders went head to head for it - which was nice :-)

#560 Granola

Jay's Dad's Granola now being made by Jay in Amsterdam from the same family recipe that we've had since 1969 when we were goat-keeping hippies.
 

#559 I've got a New Bike.

I've got a new bike, it's for riding up and down the beach.
It's got 4" tyres and quite heavy at nearly 16kg,
but our beach is flat so shouldn't be too much of a problem.

On-One Fatty.

#558 Very Old Vinyl

I *could* play my old vinyl but it's easier to call up Spotify or even YouTube - you don't have to get up and turn the LP over (although having free Spotify I have to mute the ads between each track).

Love - Forever Changes

Terry Riley - Rainbow in Curved Air

Swingle Singers & the MJQ - Place Vendôme

#557 Red to Green

My touring bike resprayed.

Vicente with his Spray Gun.