Do cats get bored? It's hard to tell, mine has been tolerating me reading out recipes to her for an hour now and she still seems to be politely listening, i like to think that, if not, she's composing poetry in her head while nodding at me but, alas, she's probably not.
The reason i have been reading out loud to a small ball of ginger and white purr is because i have recently become fond of, if not totally infactuated, with 'The Best Of Masterchef Since 1990'.
A deceptively heavy hard back thats just the right size for thwacking someone round the head with, its filled with pithy words of wisdom from the judges and beautiful pictures that seem to come from a much older book, altogether too posed photos that look like still life tableaus rather than food that you would actually want to, you know, eat.
But saying that, it's not a book i will ever cook from given that i have never had the need to produce Masterchef worthy food. It's more a tome to keep in the kitchen and pull out whenever you have guests who might spitefully underestimate your cooking skills, oh, and i've just noted i already have all the ingredients needed to make 'Warm Salad of Wild Mushrooms with Deep Fried Polenta and Balsamic Dressing'. Which makes me feel pretty rad.
In fact, if i was feeling like a total bitch i would be tempted to give this book to a novice cook freshly moved into their own house with special reference to the 'Guinea fowl in Orange Sauce with Chesnuts'. I'd also rip out out the dessert section so they couldn't even console themselves with some 'Amaretti Chocolate Tortes', if only because i like making the transition from Pot Noodles to real foods as difficult as possible.
I declare this book to be fully worth the £3 i paid for it if only to read of Loyd Grossman calling a warm chicken liver salad "terribly butch".
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Monday, 7 April 2008
Brussel Sprouts and Grapes... Really?
As i have explained, i like reading cook books.
It rates, in the special scheme of Things I Like To Do, as high if not higher than teasing the cat, leaving work early and dancing in my underwear to songs with 'morrissey' in the title.
Particularly when i find a book like 'Cooking For Two' , a book so perfect that the author dares not put their name to it, lest other cookbook writers come and punch them in the boob.
A good solid example of a late 70's book, it provides page after page of shiny, vaguely alarming pictures of what could easily be cat sick but is in fact 'Jiffy Tuna Suprise'. It gives no explanation to the name of that one either leaving you to dwell on the fact that maybe the 70's were as 'far out' as your dad keeps telling you.
There's a recipe for jellied eggs! And an Essex Meat Pudding, which looks like a savoury Jam Suet pudding thing or something you may dream about when you have a high fever. I'm determined to cook it now actually-i just have to work up the courage and find someone odd enough to eat it.
The whole thing is splattered with stains and there's a question mark penciled in by the 'Liver Casserole' though we will never know if the person holding the pencil meant to try it or was just in awe of the very idea.
According to the reciept i paid £1.37 for this work of genius. An odd amount for a very odd book.
It rates, in the special scheme of Things I Like To Do, as high if not higher than teasing the cat, leaving work early and dancing in my underwear to songs with 'morrissey' in the title.
Particularly when i find a book like 'Cooking For Two' , a book so perfect that the author dares not put their name to it, lest other cookbook writers come and punch them in the boob.
A good solid example of a late 70's book, it provides page after page of shiny, vaguely alarming pictures of what could easily be cat sick but is in fact 'Jiffy Tuna Suprise'. It gives no explanation to the name of that one either leaving you to dwell on the fact that maybe the 70's were as 'far out' as your dad keeps telling you.
There's a recipe for jellied eggs! And an Essex Meat Pudding, which looks like a savoury Jam Suet pudding thing or something you may dream about when you have a high fever. I'm determined to cook it now actually-i just have to work up the courage and find someone odd enough to eat it.
The whole thing is splattered with stains and there's a question mark penciled in by the 'Liver Casserole' though we will never know if the person holding the pencil meant to try it or was just in awe of the very idea.
According to the reciept i paid £1.37 for this work of genius. An odd amount for a very odd book.
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