Well done for keeping calm Fran. I think I would have lost my ****, especially when they send you chasing your tail with the automated systems. Anyone remember that Micheal Douglas film 'Falling Down?' I feel like that's a count down of my life at present. Everything is so annoying!
Actually Fran. BA offered me money due to a flight being over booked once. They paid me £190 on a debit card/cash card on the spot. They may surprise you.
I may have mentioned once or twice that I am off to Napoli and The Amalfi close on Tuesday (well I am going to stay overnight tomorrow in the Gatwick Hilton so I am on holiday from tomorrow ), so in preparation I am in the garden soaking up the sun, glass of Italian wine and listening to my Italian Opera Playlist. After our victory yesterday it seemed apt that Nessun Dorma just came on. As Pavarotti delivered the final few lines, I closed my eyes and pictured Moussa rifling his shot into the top corner. Better than Shane and the titanic music any day Vincerò, Vincera, Vincerò!!!!
Lol though it was more teatime we won But, ’l'ora del tè vincerò‘ really wouldn’t have fitted in the original!
I can honestly say that I think I had a pretty damn fine penne and sauce tonight. It was tremendous. And there's plenty of sauce left for tomorrow. I'll give you the nod on the vino. Mine was a cheapish Pinot Noir that obviously didn't enjoy the journey from France. Fancy looking up my rellies in Monte Cassino?
That was rump steak and pork steak ragu. Bellissimo! Had to finish it all tonight 'unfortunately' as won't be here tomorrow to do so
I forgot about that I am trying to eat less meat (especially red meat), but pasta is a different thing. Maybe after 2 weeks of fresh seafood pasta I'll think differently. At the moment though Ragu without meat is like pasta without Chianti. Though I will substitute the odd bottle of Sangiovese or Merlot
Well, good to see you're trying. As you might know, I love meat as much as anyone, but when you look at the data you realise it is just not sustainable. We have to start saying no, at some point. I've gone without it at home now for a year or more. It's not like giving up smoking, where you deny yourself for the rest of your [longer] life. I've no doubt I will eat meat on occasion. But more along the lines of say... twice in 6 months, in a restaurant with friends, rather than twice a week. And eventually, not at all.
To be fair it would be quite easy for me to do. Mrs No7 has been a veggie since I met her (over 23 years ago) and it is only her & me (and the two chihuahuas) in the house, so atm I cook 3 meals (yes the dogs get a fresh meal most nights) every day. The problem I have is I have cooked meat alternatives (or even blatantly veggie meals) but Mrs No7 doesn't have my palate and likes more bland food, so I would end up cooking separate meals anyway.
You'll like this - I cook a lot of Indian. In the 1980s and 90s I was earning very well indeed and ate out something like 3-4 nights a week. I have oodles of Indian cookbooks and haven't needed them for years because it has become instinctive. My favourite was always Indian, but I ate Chinese too, with the occasional steak at The Spaghetti and Steak House at Six Dials, one of very few Italian [actually Maltese, I believe] eateries at the time that could do good Italian cuisine, they way I like it. That is, NOT watery, but rich and flavoursome without truckloads of oregano and basil. The way ordinary Italians, like where my family originate**, eat. **actually, there's some disagreement lately as we've found quite a few of us in the Tuscany area. And I have a truckload of Rossis on one side of my family, hence the Valentino connection. That's from Urbino up around the calf. Mostly we're from Cassino and Roccasecca in Frosinone.
There is something to be said for eating an Italian meal, not an English Italian meal. One of the reasons I cook in the house now (for the last 20 odd years!) and not the other half. Her idea of a nice bolognese is 500 grams of mince and a Dolmio pot cooked for 20 mins (in fairness she is a veggie and never eats it). Served with the 'parmesan' cheese in a shaker that we have had for about 2 months. Not knocking it for those that do it that way, but there is another way
I dived in an Aldi supermarket a few weeks back and came out with a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a bottle of unbranded Italian passata, and a bag of fresh conchiglie. I added a bulb of garlic and salt to it when I got home. When the garlic cloves were cooked in the passata I put it aside to rest and heated the fresh shells. And it was lovely with the parmigiano. Took 30 mins max. I won't go near Dolmio. It is expensive and crap, imo. Plenty of good unbranded passatas out there though, which is all Dolmio really is, except that the brand tries to make it out as something special.
I try to make my own passata when possible, if i am running short of time I use a bottle from a supermarket...though in my sauce that is the only potential pre-made bit. Interestingly, you can't buy passata (easily) in the US for some reason - whenever we go to see our daughter, I have to make the passata fresh with no cheating as they don't sell it.
Incidentally, I must get around to making my own pesto sauce one day. Never done it, yet it really ought to be simple.
I just use tins of chopped pomodoros, olive oil, salt, onions or garlic or both. Sometimes I add anchovies or other fish, olives, sweet peppers [loads of things really depending on taste]. I do squeeze in some concentrate most of the time too, as that gets things underway pretty smartly. I don't want to be watching a pot for over two hours. And these days, even Italians in Italy don't have the eternal sauce pot sat over one gas ring.
It is simple and it is lovely. Although I did go overboard with raw garlic the first time I made mine.
