Homegrown is best!

As an amateur vegetable grower I must admit to some doubts regarding the productivity of my patch. Flowers - yes, I've grown flowers all my adult life, but vegetables - no - not until now that is. My kind next door neighbours started me off with some tomato and courgette plants, to which I added runner beans (almost foolproof), aubergines and peppers. We may well have had one of the wettest Julys ever down here in Devon but, fuelled by the warm sunshine we have enjoyed between the rain, my plants have grown and grown and grown.

And tonight I was proud to present my adaptation of Gordon Ramsay's Fish and Tomato Chowder. It was DELICIOUS!! Here's how it goes....

First put on your very beautiful DevonBear apron

Ingredients

good splash of olive oil
1 or 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
couple of handfuls of small new potatoes (pre-cook these or use up leftovers)
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
a few thyme sprigs from my own garden
2 bay leaves from my own garden
400g tin chopped tomatoes (but I think when my own are ready I shall use these and just add more stock)
1 pint hot fish or chicken stock
2 courgettes, roughly chopped from my own garden
handful of green beans cut into short lengths from my own garden
some chilli flakes to taste
1 lb white fish fillets (the fish van that visits the village every Thursday has a good selection of mixed fish fillets - only £3.50 for 1 lb)
bunch of parsley, roughly chopped from my own garden

Method

• Heat olive oil in heavy casserole. Add onions and celery, cook for 6-8 mins to soften. Then add carrots, pepper and herbs, then saute for 5-10 mins until veg are lightly golden.


• Add tomatoes and stock to pan, plus courgettes and beans and chilli if desired. Simmer for 5 mins. Thicken with a bit of cornflour/water if desired, then add potatoes, and simmer to warm through potatoes.


• Put most of the fish fillets on top of the vegetable mix in the pan. Give the remaining fish to the newfies who are absolutely starving as they haven't eaten for oh - at least 2 hours.


• Cover and simmer for 5-10 mins (bottom oven of Aga for me) until fish is just cooked through.


• Break the fish into large flakes and gently stir through casserole. Ladle into bowls and eat in secret so that the newfies don't realise what you're doing.

And that's it! It's so delicious you don't even realise it's healthy too. (Can always be followed with chocolate icecream, chocolate cake or best of all chocolate dipped strawberries if desired!)

Just like Children!

Sometimes I think that having dogs is just like having children. It has been raining all day today and the dogs were bored. Our walk was of the shortest as it really was throwing it down and the footpaths had all been transformed into glutinous mud. The tide was in, so heading for our beach was no good either! Then they weren't allowed to take up their favourite positions by the gate where they like to look out for our neighbours, the postie and anybody else who might come along.

So they fidgeted and wriggled, bounced and bickered and were generally annoying, rather like small children on a rainy day and, like small children, needed to be amused. Now, for Christmas, Amy received a rather good present - K-9 Cookbook - Easy to make Dog Biscuit Recipes. As she has finally managed to lose the weight the vet recommended, I thought we'd give one of the more luxurious recipes a try. "Come on dogs," I said, "we're going to make Spot's golden cheese dreams."

Boredom vanished in an instant as we all headed for the kitchen. We measured and mixed, patted and baked. They were allowed the scrapings from the bowl, and the picture above shows them enjoying the savoury aromas wafting through the air as they waited for the biscuits to emerge from the oven. Well, they were delicious. The recipe's below if anyone wants to try for themselves ... and I don't think they'll stay in our Pet Treat tin for long!

"Goodbye rainy day blues," said the newfs, "this is great, let's do it more often!"

Spot's Golden Cheese Dreams

3 cups (750 ml) whole wheat flour
2 tsps (10 ml) garlic powder
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (250 ml) grated (shredded) cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup (250 ml) milk

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and garlic powder.
2. Make a well in the flour mixture and gradually stir in vegetable oil, cheese, beaten egg and milk until well blended.
3. Knead dough on a floured surface, about 3-4 minutes.
4. With a rolling pin, roll dough to 1/2" thickness.
5. Cut with K-9 (bone-shaped) biscuit cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Bake 25 minutes at 400F 200C (we used Aga Roasting oven 3rd shelf).
7. Cool on rack (well out of reach!) and store in a container with loose-fitting lid.