Things are all in a spin here…
…and it’s not just the salad spinner which is working hard.
The truth is, the most hardworking members of this household are the dishwasher and the washing machine. Both run daily, often more than once, keeping our cutlery, crockery and clothes in good clean order.
When the children were very little I once set them a task of listing everything in this house that runs on electricity. After the frightening realisation that we could not live without it, I decided not to think too much. I am just grateful that we have such power on tap, so to speak.
One useful and indispensable item in my kitchen, which does not need electricity, is the salad spinner. I love fresh raw salads and it would be a disaster eating soggy leaves.
It is easy to wash a couple of handfuls of mixed salad leaves and herbs and then let the centrifugal force do its work.
Mr Gochugaru and I have more than a few pounds to shed. We resisted all the cakes in Primrose Hill Market last Saturday but did end up with some Greek olive oil. I was intrigued by its origins: Achaia is mentioned here and there in the New Testament.
I could not bring myself to use the oil to dress our salad so I made a fatless one using:
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon pineapple jam
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
This was used to dress a salad of watercress, red and green leaves, orange segments and orange zest.
Things are really in a spin: after three days of intensive meetings, Mr Gochugaru and I are off to Boston tonight. This is Boston, Massachusetts as opposed to Boston, Lincolnshire. We are very excited at the prospect of our second trip to the United States. 24 years ago we made our first trip there, to New York. Where does the time go?
A little snack before departing for the airport: half a mushroom quiche from Gail’s with another fat free salad of red chicory, mint and orange. This time the dressing was made with 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice and 1 teaspoon of home-made rhubarb and vanilla jam (strictly an experiment but it worked, so I will post the jam recipe in a future post).
So, goodnight London, Gochugaru Girl has left the city…or should I say ‘Cheers’? The next post will be from New England.