The roof stayed on, but half the dirt up at the top of the state near Mildura blew down and landed on the car and the other half landed on the washing line. Now the car is red and so is the washing. Yes, it's like 1982 again. No wonder they have to dredge the bay. Most of Victoria ends up in it over time.
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Speaking of red, I picked the last tomatoes for the year. It was a disappointingly small crop, but they were good. They had that abundance of juice instead of pulp and that almost overpoweringly sweet aroma with the acid in perfect balance. In this condition they need neither salt nor pepper. I sliced them thinly, scattered them with chopped, marinated green olives and served them as a kind of bruschetta on lightly toasted and buttered Potts Swiss white bread.
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And the basil continues to come. Plenty of parsley as well, so I made a pesto with equal measures of the two herbs with garlic, cheese and walnuts and used this as an ingredient in one of my favourite pasta dishes:
Pasta with chicken, avocado, red pepper and pesto.
Cube a chicken breast and poach the pieces very gently in a little white wine and water with a sliced garlic clove in a tightly covered pan. Add slices of red pepper. These will soften in the poaching fluid. Add slices of avocado. Cook until chicken is done. It won't take long. Have pasta cooking meanwhile - linguine works well.
Place drained linguine on serving plates. Top with chicken, red pepper and avocado, retaining pan juices. Add a good spoonful or two of pesto to pan, swirl around over high heat, add a dash of cream if you wish and pour over pasta.
*
Speaking of red, I picked the last tomatoes for the year. It was a disappointingly small crop, but they were good. They had that abundance of juice instead of pulp and that almost overpoweringly sweet aroma with the acid in perfect balance. In this condition they need neither salt nor pepper. I sliced them thinly, scattered them with chopped, marinated green olives and served them as a kind of bruschetta on lightly toasted and buttered Potts Swiss white bread.
*
And the basil continues to come. Plenty of parsley as well, so I made a pesto with equal measures of the two herbs with garlic, cheese and walnuts and used this as an ingredient in one of my favourite pasta dishes:
Pasta with chicken, avocado, red pepper and pesto.
Cube a chicken breast and poach the pieces very gently in a little white wine and water with a sliced garlic clove in a tightly covered pan. Add slices of red pepper. These will soften in the poaching fluid. Add slices of avocado. Cook until chicken is done. It won't take long. Have pasta cooking meanwhile - linguine works well.
Place drained linguine on serving plates. Top with chicken, red pepper and avocado, retaining pan juices. Add a good spoonful or two of pesto to pan, swirl around over high heat, add a dash of cream if you wish and pour over pasta.
Our basil's gone mad post the rain.
ReplyDeleteNot even the possums can keep up with it.
Basil's been poor as have the tomatoes that were meant to be large. the cherries went crazy though reaching nearly 2m in height. I ripped the last out last Weekend. We didn't have enough room to compost. A green collection failed. And some bastard pulled the remains out of the bin yesterday. that's enough grumpiness for today.
ReplyDeleteAs always your food sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteIt's that time of year again - we will soon be swapping summer for winter.
I will be honest, I am not sorry to see the winter go. Snow at the end of March is a bit much for this girl.
Lucy, if the possums couldn't eat it all there must be a lot.
ReplyDeleteEd, grumpiness makes for good stories.
Food Whore, I could live in hot summer all year round, heatwaves or not.