I'm growing potatoes!
Follow my progress on my Flickr photoset. I'll add more pictures to the set as the plants start to grow.
Follow my progress on my Flickr photoset. I'll add more pictures to the set as the plants start to grow.
This recipe for salad dressing was given to me by my mom, and she's French, so I can vouch for its authenticity!
For 100g of salad leaves (2-4 people)1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
A dash of freshly ground black pepper
Measure the above straight into a salad bowl and stir until the ingredients have combined, or mix multiples of the above quantities and funnel into a clean bottle to store in the fridge (the ingredients naturally separate so you'll need to give it a shake before use).
Feel free to play around with variants of these ingredients; balsamic vinegar works well.
I heard a good taste-test trick is to dip a leaf of your salad into the dressing and try it, rather than just stick your finger in the bowl.
Update: Mom's just emailed me to tell me that she uses red wine vinegar in her dressing - white, she only uses to descale her kettle. Sorry Mom! Personally I think either works well - but, so much for my authentic recipe..!
Let me make one thing clear before I start: the fact I've added a 'recipes' category doesn't necessarily mean I'll be producing many spectacular or particularly original recipe ideas. I just love simple stress-free cooking and meal preparation, and if I happen to come across a food idea which gives me pleasure in both the preparation and the eating, I'd like to share it with anyone who might be interested.
This one is not a recipe so much as a combination of different foods which just seemed perfect on a day like today. Spring is definitely here, I spent several hours today and yesterday cleaning the balcony and filling it with new plants, and I faniced a lunch which could be enjoyed outside in the sunshine with minimal preparation or cleaning up.
For 2 people
1/2 seasoned rotisserie chicken served warm and torn into large chunks
1 sandwich-sized French baguette cut into portions and spread with butter
1 pot of potato salad
1 bag of herb salad tossed in home-made French dressing
I simply laid out the above in individual bowls, and provided plates and cutlery for self-service.
It took about 5 minutes to prepare including making the salad dressing, and there's now half a chicken in my fridge which will do nicely for dinner tomorrow night and possibly some sandwiches. Bargain!