Saturday 4 June 2016

Busy morning.

yIt was our church monthly coffee morning this morning and, as usual, I went along and met friend W there (and her dog Sophie too of course).

It was very well attended.  I think the extra people was probably the result of a Memorial Service immediately afterwards.    A gentleman in the village sadly took his own life a few weeks ago.   He lived alone.  Today the village is holding a memorial service for him and this is followed by a Bring and Share lunch in the village hall.   Many people attending the coffee morning were bringing their contributions for later.

My friend brought a beetroot salad and, because I had expressed an interest in it (I am trying to build up a few recipes for salads) she brought me a sample, which we intend to have for our tea.

There is always a food stall at our coffee mornings and A always makes individual Turkey Lasagnes - they are delicious and I bought two for lunch, along with a cheese and onion quiche made by K.

I thought you might be interested in a salad recipe I make.   It is adapted from an original Rosemary Shrager:

Cook 200g Quinoa in accordance with the instructions on the packet and set to one side.  Pour olive oil into a pan (not too much).
Chop garlic cloves to taste, a red onion chopped small and a few slices of bacon thinly sliced (or lardons) and fry until the bacon is crispy and the onion cooked.  Turn down the heat and add about a dozen ready to eat prunes which have been sliced thinly and then half a teaspoon each of cumin, coriander and mixed spice.  If the mixture looks a little dry add a couple of tablespoons of water and cook until it has evaporated.
Sprinkle on lemon juice, a dozen or so cherry tomatoes quartered, a good couple of tablespoons of finely chopped parsley and salt and pepper.  Add the quinoa.
 Finally mix all well together with a couple of forks to separate the quinoa and then add a garnish of a few chopped tomatoes, a sprinkling of parsley and some feta crumbled over the top.   Delicious.   I added some toasted pine nuts I happened to have - they added the nutty taste.

This recipe is especially for Rachel - I promised to post it for her.   Enjoy Rachel.

 

19 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Some of the women in Bellerby have odd first names - W, K and A for example. But I guess that over a lifetime this saves on a lot of ink.

The salad sounds scrumptious!

Sue said...

That salad sounds very interesting and tasty. Might have to give it a go.

Rachel Phillips said...

Thank you Weave. I wondered what had happened to it! Yum yum, I will try it out this week but I think I will miss out the prunes as I am not keen on fruit with savory but I don't think that will matter do you? It sounds lovely. Thank you. We also love beetroot and I slowly boil a bunch every Sunday to last us the week. Beetroot always need a long, slow simmer.

Frances said...

Thanks so much for the salad recipe. I definitely welcome new salad ideas as fresh local vegetables become available.

I also like Rachel's idea about cooking a supply of beets, as we call them, to have handy for several dishes.

Hoping your weekend is fine, and that the Farmer can have a walk with Tess.

xo

Gwil W said...

Beetroot is many a distance runners energy supplement. You'll be galloping round those Yorkshire meadows before you know it.

Heather said...

That salad sounds delicious and I love beetroot too. I do hope the farmer is beginning to feel better.

John Going Gently said...

We are having it for tea!

The Weaver of Grass said...

YP - you are certainly in a droll mood at present. I use initials to protect their privacy!

angryparsnip said...

This salad sounds so wonderful, I will be trying it soon.
I love beets also.

cheers, parsnip and thehamish

SandyExpat said...

The food stall sounds wonderful and you know many of the people who make things. Curious how the financial part works. Who runs the food stall, gets the food items etc. and sets the prices?

Your salad sounds yummy!

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

A very sad tale though. Some people just don't get the help they need in time, or in some very rare cases are all but impossible to help

Wilma said...

The salad sounds very good - will give it a go at some point. I adore beets, but I usually roast them. I don't care for them boiled.

Rachel Phillips said...

After they are simmered for two hours they are thinly sliced and preserved in vinegar Wilma and eaten in salads or as a pickle with cheese etc. Delicious.

Librarian said...

I so love the idea of a monthly morning coffee at the village church, and a "bring and share" lunch! Two years ago, when my sister and I went to Bradfield in South Yorkshire to spend the day with my aunt and uncle J & B, we happened to walk into the village church just as the coffee morning started. In retrospect, I think we should have stayed a little while - we were made welcome enough by friendly people greeting us -, but somehow we felt a bit shy and declined the invitation, moving on for our hike instead.

Elizabeth said...

The quinoa recipe sounds good!
I will try it and see how we like it.

A recipe Robert enjoys is cooked cubed beetroot with chick peas ( garbanzo beans) with oil and vinegar.
Goes a gorgeous bright pink!
salt, peppe, and a few chives add to the fun....

Buster used to get awful itchy in the summers and scratched like crazy and had to have
special baths.
Allergies to something.
Do hope Tess's remedy helps.

Derek Faulkner said...

Rachel saves her beetroot the same way as me, although I use pickling vinegar. Open the jar up in the winter and it's just great.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone - some interesting takes on beetroot here.

Fairtrader said...

Dear Weave!
I was really touched by the thought of memorialservice for that lonely man, is that what is always done before the funeral?
I also must add, like some here, that the thought of the monthly coffee and then lunch seem like a very nice idea. The service in itself to gather around and then the important social gathering with sharing. I love it!!
As for beetroot, I use it instead of carrots in carrotcake because I am allergic to carrot. You can also try them pickled and crushed, mixed with f.i creme fraiche, salt, pepper and an egg and into a crisp pieshell, bake for 40 minutes. Yum.
I'll definitely will try that salad recipe!!

thousandflower said...

Oh, that sounds good. I am going to try it.