Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Chopitty Chop Chop!

About a week ago I bought a copy of this. (Which despite the title is not about Lindsay, or Britney.) There is an element to my psyche that wants to be much more connected to the food I eat. To buy locally made produce, preferably organic. To make and store things to eat later. To enjoy and celebrate through cooking, experimenting and trying new tastes.

Of course this side of me is constantly at war with the side that wants to lie on the couch and eat takeaway forever. But I digress.

So my local supermarket has big bags of good tomatoes, at a reasonable price, and while they're not organic OR probably locally grown, they were inexpensive and good quality. Fast forward to tonight and I've spent much of it cutting up 500gs of onions, 2kgs of tomatoes, a couple of cooking apples, and along with vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, mustard powder and curry powder I now have myself a big pot of chutney boiling on the stove. Chopped fine. That's a lot of chopping.

Now the house is filled with a delicious sweet vinegary smell. I just tasted a spoonful, even though it has a while to cook still, and OMG the sweet/sour balance tastes just about right. So soon I'll sterilise the motley collection of jam and pasta sauce jars I knew I was collecting for a reason, and just before I'm ready to collapse into bed (note to self, I should have started all the chopping earlier) I should have myself a monster batch! I'm already planning the crusty bread and sharp cheese... but I won't be making those. I know my limits.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been baking bread for years, it's fairly easy once you get used to it. My loaves don't always rise as well as they should, but home-made bread tastes wonderful and the kitchen smell when it's baking is gorgeous.

Cecilia said...

I know too well that war between the desire to cook and eat organically and locally, and the desire to sit on the couch in front of the telly eating takeaway.

Very impressed by the chutney!

John C: I'm also very impressed by anyone who can bake bread. I have never managed to do well with anything requiring yeast.

Anonymous said...

Oh- cheese is easy & for that piquant flavour, it could mature near my cyle joggers. Mmmmm!!
=:-0

Fran Carleton said...

thought this might be right up your street -
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/guerilla-knitters/2009/01/13/1231608708374.html

it not related to cokking but your other love, knitting ;-)

Bex said...

YUM!

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

I know the feeling of "Dear god, this isn't going to be ready till 3am" when cooking, I do it ALL the time (especially at Xmas time, such a classic).

let us know if you do other recipes from that book, it looks like a good one!