What do you do when there are workmen in the house? when you want to be there to keep an eye on things, but at the same time not to cause a disruption?
My solution on such days, when workmen (macho men leaving dust and dirt wherever they go... but that's another story) are all over the house, when I am the guest in my own place, is to seek refuge in the kitchen.
I do my own thing and if/when there is a matter to be cleared, I am available to sort things out!
Last time this happened, it was no longer summer. It was clear that the weather had changed into autumn, and that I would have to adjust my cooking accordingly... With a vengeance, I cooked my most treasured soup, my always-comforting meal all weather round: the humble chicken soup!
Humble Chicken soup
150g cooked chicken breast, cubed
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp dried onion
1 pinch kurkuma
1l chicken stock
100g rice
Over medium heat, melt butter and oil, together with the dried onion. Add chicken, rice and kurkuma and stir for about a minute. Add chicken stock, lower the heat and leave to cook -- about 1 hour. Ready to soothe all aches of the world!!!
To go with that, I cheated: I made ice-cream (last hopes for a summery dessert), using a packaged powder to make with yoghurt:
Cheat strawberry ice-cream
1 pack of powdered preparation for ice-cream (this is a German make, called Eis Zauber)
300g yogurt (I used strawbery)
50ml double cream
3 tbsp honey
50g walnuts, chopped
There's no science about it: just follow the instructions of the packet: whiz powder with yogurt and cream and start layering: one layer of ice-cream, a sprinkle of walnuts, a drizzle of honey and start all over again... Put in freezer and leave for at least 4 hours. Delicious!
(and no, I did not offer any of these to the workmen! If only you saw in what mess they left my house...)
This post is my entry into Weekend Cooking, a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. For more information, see the welcome post.
That ice cream sounds so easy -- I wonder if it's available here. I'll have to look. And soup was great choice for escape from the mess.
ReplyDeleteI usually prefer to make things from scratch, but I have to admit the ice-cream was just great!
DeleteOh, I love new recipes for chicken soup! I've never used kurkuma (turmeric) in my cooking before... perhaps now is the time to try! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt just adds a nice colour and a hint of smokiness - away from the image of a bland dish...
DeleteYum yum! And oh the workmen...
ReplyDeleteYes, we both have had our fair share of workmen...
DeleteI feel your pain after we had workman here for a whole week a few months ago, unfortunately they were in the kitchen too. I'm so glad that Cecelia looked up kurkuma, I didn't realise it is turmeric.
ReplyDelete