Bumbling along

I had a "bit of a cold" last week - really, it was hardly anything at all - I had a couple of days where I felt washed out, a bit achey, had to lie down for an afternoon on the sofa, that sort of thing, but the early shifts for the car boot sales last weekend pulled me down and so far this week it has returned and rendered me completely woolly-headed and unfunctioning.

It was just as well then, that I could make up a) the loaf of bread on Monday, and b) my lamb curry for tea, without much thinking. Both things I have done so often that they are automatic. The curry recipe is from the Margeurite Patten book which taught me to cook. As far as curry recipes go it is far from authentic but gosh, it's tasty.

I chopped an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and fried them in a little olive oil and took the pan from the heat and then, reaching into the cupboard, I added a good shaking of flour, 2 teaspoons (or tsps as they are known in this house) of Madras curry paste, a heaped tablespoon of Madras curry powder, and another tablespoon of home-made Rhubarb chutney which - having been in the fridge for months - has now reached a quite revoltingly wall-paper-paste consistency but has oomph. I had already made up a veggie stock cube with about 3/4 pint of water and gradually combined this with the pastes. I had a little windfall Bramley kicking around at the back of the counter, so this was peeled and chopped and added. MP calls for some sultanas at this point, but I omitted those as they were there from the chutney. I also omitted the squeeze of lemon juice, and the dessicated coconut. Then I added the chunks of hogget, and let it simmer for an hour or so. It was really tasty, and even better the 2nd night, but I really can't face it for a third, so I shall freeze the last portion.

When my eldest daughter makes curries, she is inclined to use lots of coconut milk or creamed coconut, and blends her own curry spices, but her palate is different to mine and whilst her curries are good, they are on the mild side, and when you have a cold, you can't beat a good hot curry to clear the head and nose.

Well, the head still isn't co-operating, so this will have to be a make-weight posting. I am off to buy paint this morning to cover the walls which were amazingly uncovered yesterday when we had a massive clear-out in the back junk room and the bottom kitchen. . . .

Many thanks to Creative Commons for the curry photo.