Sunday, October 21, 2007

RPS - Regional Meeting - Roast Chicken

Picture 1 is solely to show that we have 'misty mornings' looking West too and Picture 2 is following Bungus's suggestion about the 'Nature imitating Art' picture. I have photoshopped the colour of the logo to, more or less, match the colour of the plant.

And finally, the rescued rose is a day older but still strutting its stuff.



To continue with the 'chiru ' story, Jill wins the sixpence but, equipped with her preliminary info. my research revealed this interesting article in The Hindu Times. This publication leaves no stone unturned even if said stone happens to be in Tibet. We shall see more of the 'chiru' because it is to be one of the five mascots for the Beijing Olympics apparently.

Bungus's advice about not salting beef too early in a stew is good advice. But also, supermarket beef has never been hung long enough. It appears that customers want it to look bright red and white instead of the 'nearly purple' it becomes after being hung for 4 weeks. The difference is that it makes no difference how well or for how long you cook the former, it will remain tough whereas the purple stuff from a decent butcher will melt in the mouth. Also, expensive beef is for roasting, the best cut for stews is 'shin' which is about the cheapest. And also thank Bungus for the Dennis Healey quote, which is a gem, but perhaps a little raw for a family blog.

The RPS day far exceeded expectations. Tony Penrose, on the subject of his Mum, Lee Miller, was wonderful, here is the link again if you missed it yesterday. I hadn't realised the strong surrealist and art connections of his Mum and to have a family snap of youself as a child sitting on Picaso's knee is really something ! Having read the stern copyright warning on his site I asked him if he minded me publishing a link in my modest non-commercial blog. He was delighted (as I thought he would be) and when I told him that his lecture alone had been well worth my annual RPS subscription he was furtherdelighted ( a new word). Y pays my annual sub. as a Xmas present and she was delighted too.

Ray Spence FRPS who followed in the afternoon was similarly great and here is the link to his website again. I paid him the compliment of buying two of his books and made him furtherdelighted too. There is a chapter about the 'creative use of a scanner' which is a new furrow for me to plough.

I sat next to Martin who I met at an RPS do in March (we decided). We had a good chat and exchanged e-mail addresses. I also gave him the blog URL and it will be nice if he shows up with a comment.

Quote for the day (having churlishly rejected Bungus's contribution) is from Henry Moore:-

"Art is the expression of imagination, not the reproduction of reality"

For evening meal we had Roast Chicken with all the tracklements. The roast potatoes being Desirée were just as they should be, crisp golden brown outers with fluffy inners, and I made gravy with the residue juices in the roasting tin and Bungus and Jill would both have needed their slice of bread for mopping-up purposes.

Being a little 'done-for' I meant to be in bed by 10pm to listen to The Westminster Hour, never mind, I don't suppose I shall miss much of importance. Had a nice chat to David this morning before RPS and we are hoping to go over while the children are on holiday. And we would also like to go to Boughton to see Bungus, and it's a while since we went to see chairman Peter...... All pleasure in the offing. 'Strictly come Dancing' was good again and my vote must have helped John Barnes, and Y's definitely rescued Anton. It's a pity you can't vote for who you want out ! That would satisfy my vicious streak.

Coffee, read, radio and kip.. Sleep tight. Catch you tomorrow.

p.s. for new readers. A click on a picture usually produces an enlargement in a new window. And anything in orange is usually a live-link.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It must have been the beef, I never add salt in cooking, as however much I add R still covers his meal with it.....trouble is, our only butcher means a special car journey, and it is very hard to park. I have had Waitrose meat without any problems. Today we had lamb shanks, Welsh Hill lamb (from Waitrose) and they were absolutely delicious.... though we do like a roast chicken now and again. Whenever we are in a supermarket R always wants to buy one of those hot cooked chickens that smell so good, I've always said no as they were not free-range, but now Waitrose have started doing organic free-range cooked chickens, so we had one, I am ashamed to admit that we ate it in the car park, with our bare hands, it was very good indeed.

We have been having clear, almost-but-not-quite frosty mornings lately.

Quite agree, being able to vote for whom you want dropped would be rather pleasurable, I would have voted for that insufferable Cockney twerp, Dom something, who does the awful One Show at 7.00 pm.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to say thank you for all the chiru stuff - most interesting.....

Anonymous said...

Possibly because it was my idea, I think the green logo photoshopping is rather successful.

I look forward to hearing more about the chiru. He sounds rather delightful but he will have a job to beat a chinchilla for cheek and charm.

Although founded on a sound basis, I think RG’s meat rules may be a lttle too rigid.
More than infrequently I have had cheap beef (esp the cheaper cuts) which has performed very well. I have also had ‘well-hung’ roasting beef from reputable butchers which has been extremely disappointing. I also think 4 weeks hanging may be a bit extreme. Most ‘experts’ suggest a couple of weeks; not that I expect RG to be influenced by experts unless they happen to share his opinion! ('ark oo's talkin').

I think you may be confusing me with someone else; although I like good gravy I do not want my dinner swamped with it and only require sufficient to deal with my mashed potatoes (and Yorkshire pud if the meat is beef or sausage).

I agree that my quotation (from last British governor of Yemen to Dennis Healey, not from him) was unsuitable for family blogging.
And I totally agree with Henry Moore. You might as well say ‘What’s it supposed to be?’ about a piece of music as about a work of art.
‘N’est pas une pipe’.

Re Jill’s comment:

I’m with your Ro over the salt. I use it liberally in cooking and then add more, (but only after tasting – except with potatoes, eggs and a few other items which are bound to need it). It is easy to see where I have sat at table because I leave the shape of a plate outlined by a halo of salt. Sandra, of course, ignores my needs, and does not use it in cooking (but if I am near I always slip a teaspoonful into the saucepan).

Although I do everything I can to avoid watching the dire (personal view) ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ I have had the misfortune to catch the occasional trailer. I think you are confusing ‘that insufferable COCKNEY twerp, Dom something’, an amiable builder who does morning shows about property, I think on BBC1 (possibly ‘To Buy or Not to Buy’) with the delightful and witty and knowledgeable, non-dancing BRUMMY Adrian Chiles who first very ably and wittily presented the entertaining BBC2 financial programme ‘Working Lunch’ and now frequently fronts Sunday’s ‘Match of the Day’ jn fine fashion and has, unfortunately, been saddled with the ill-thought-out and mostly flat ‘The One Show’

I think I may be beginning to hit form again!

Anonymous said...

Crikey! I have a Weekend Off and miss all the fun. Trips to various parts of the world, and even outer space in search of chiru (or is the plural chirus?), censorship of quotations, and a good few references to something being 'well-hung'!
Friday was a busy work day (boo hoo) and Saturday/Sunday was a trip to family in Manchester. Which meant that I not only missed the blog action but also the World Cup Final (it WAS a try!) and the RPS day which I really wanted to attend.
I shall have to go and see the Lee Miller Exhibition.
Re Strictly Come.... if you vote for everyone except the person you want out won't that be the same as voting for the one you want out? Don't know what it'll do to your phone bill though.
Rob