Pomegranates a slight return. Having reduced my three litres of juice to a paste, but not burnt and very good. I found this recipe which looks very good also. to say the least.



http://www.persiancity.com/recipes/recipe.asp?ID=2

"Don't use the pomegranate inhospitably, a stranger that has come so far to pay his respects to thee," the English Quaker Peter Collinson wrote to the botanizing John Bartram in Philadelphia, 1762. "Plant it against the side of thy house, nail it close to the wall. In this manner it thrives wonderfully with us, and flowers beautifully, and bears fruit this hot year. I have twenty-four on one tree... Doctor Fothergill says, of all trees this is most salutiferous* (*it means health giving) to mankind."

While we're on the subject of cooking, Ghalya Mahmoud is the Egyptian TV chef who provided some light relief during the revolution, and who some Egypians would most like to be president

During the revolution, her cooking shows were more popular than the news.



She cooks a mean Taro with chard.

Frances wrote on May 2^nd, 2012 at 2:11pm:



Now Rocket is one of these plants, like Coriander leaves that are an acquired taste that I'm very unlikely to acquire.

Mental note: Must share my Moroccan Vegetarian Tagine recipe. It uses chewy grilled portobella mushroom (that take the place of lamb),  together with apricots, ras el hanout (moroccan spices), garlic, lime, fresh turmeric, potatoes carrots, caramelised onions (added at the end), and thickened with mashed chickpeas (or houmus). The carrots and apricot masquerade as each other, providing an interesting surprise for the palate. 

Served with fried seasoned egg plant and a side dish of cous cous (or Khoubz if you prefer) . - yum.

Anybody grown/cooked salsify?

This Topic was moved here from Cats and Critters by muso.

St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 7^th, 2014 at 5:48pm:


i remember helping do something similar to that as a kid ... my parents would make about 300 bottles of it each year, all from tomatoes my dad grew himself.

St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 7^th, 2014 at 6:03pm:


the sad part is that it is fast becoming lost knowledge .... we used to make home made salami as a kid too ... nothing you buy is remotely comparable ... these days it's getting harder and harder to find some, the older generation are getting to old to do it, and the younger generation say its easier to go to maccas. It won't be long no one will know how to make it anymore .. it's a pity.

Yeah, it is sad. In my 66 years I have eaten two Macca burger imitations—once to try them, next, many years ago, I was working real late and Maccas was the only place open. they gave me some free onion rings (they were about to close too) but even those had little taste.

But I make my own pasta and tomato sauce, my own jams and jellies etc and have built up quite a library which I will leave to whoever of my nieces and nephews or their offspring might make best use of it. Getting hard to buy stuff for preserving tho. I also brew my own beer, mostly ales which I love. Have my offset smoker—a hot smoker, cooks food and flavors it with smoke. Will think about making a cold smoker some time.

Going to get into fermented foods like gherkins, sauerkraut, sourdough. Then cheese/yoghurt then will consider fermented meat like salami.

Good thing is—learning and trying all this stuff out—keeps the stuff behind my eyes from turning to noughat!