• messing around

    From JIM WELLER@1:135/392 to ALL on Mon Oct 11 20:51:00 2021

    On Oct 8 we had our first frost, which is a record breaking late one
    for up here.

    On Oct 7 Roslind finished pulling up our small garden and moving our
    pots inside. She had planted some peas quite late in the season and
    they were just starting to produce so she chopped off the whole
    plant at the roots and brought them in.

    --MM

    pea vine soup

    whole pea plants
    butter and oil
    leeks, chopped
    garlic
    Chinese leaf celery
    chicken or vegetable broth
    S&P
    parsley, tarragon or mint or dill leaves, opt'l

    Separate the pea plants into coarse stems, tender stem tips,
    blossoms and leaves, immature pods and mature pods, if any.

    Chop the stems into short lengths that will fit into a sauce pan.
    Press the stems flat repeatedly with a potato masher and barely
    cover them with water. Cover and boil them gently for half an hour.

    Meanwhile shell the mature peas, chop the pods up and add them to
    the stems cooking in the pan. After half and hour drain the pot
    liqueur and discard the stems and pods, reserving the liquid.

    In a second sauce pan, melt some butter into hot oil and saute the
    leeks and garlic til fragrant. Pour in the pea stem liqueur and
    chicken broth. I added additional broth from previously cooking
    carrots. Bring to a boil. Then add the chopped celery, pea tips,
    blossoms, leaves, young pods. Optionally add one of the suggested
    herbs. (I used tarragon.) Simmer gently for about five minutes. Add
    the shelled peas during the last two minutes.

    -JW

    ---

    Weekend experiments:

    Lately, I have been drawn to strong, sour and bitter cocktails and
    now embrace the 3-2-1 ratio.

    --MM

    3-2-1 Negroni

    1.5 oz gin
    1.0 oz dry vermouth
    0.5 oz Campari

    Pour on the rocks and stir or shake and strain into coupe.

    Gin forward, quite dry, with just a hint of Campari taste and colour.

    JW

    ---

    I've also been messing around with my recently acquired bottle of
    Irish Mist and came up with a tasty variation on the classic
    Manhattan, which uses normally whisky and sweet vermouth by swapping
    them out for Irish Mist and dry vermouth. Also doing away with the
    orange slice and Maraschino cherry garnish and adding a few drops
    each of cherry whisky and Cointreau instead.

    --MM

    The Reverse Manhattan

    2 oz Irish Mist
    1 oz dry vermouth
    1 tsp cherry whisky or
    1 tsp sweet black cherry juice
    1 tsp Cointreau

    Pour on the rocks and stir or shake and strain into coupe.

    JW

    ---


    Cheers

    Jim


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