It's the end of July, the weather is sultry, walking through the bracken feels like hacking through forest untouched by human hands, the garden is barely under control and I'm sitting indoors fretting about my academic work and cooking a whole heap o' stuff.
Tomorrow is Drimnin's summer dance and I cook the BBQ stuff. I took over from B because, frankly, nobody in the community could tolerate her complaints any longer. Obviously I complain as well (the standing! the heat! the vegetarians!) but not quite to the same level as B. Also I hold a basic hygiene certificate, having turned up to the course in Strontian where you spend a day being told all the different ways you can kill folk with food.
In order to limit the number of people we kill (and placate the pesky vegetarians) I spend the day before the dance pre-cooking lamb shanks and sausages and roasting vegetables. I'm using this as an excuse not to get down to my academic paper and it's working so far but even I cannot avoid the need to get a synopsis off to my supervisor by the end of today.
Hey ho.
One of the (many) reasons that I'm behind with my research is that the first half of the year has been concerned with: trying and failing to get elected as a councillor and laying a new floor in the fank. They were both much more work than expected but the fank, at least, is finished and ready for eager airbnb renters.
When it comes to the garden, there's no doubt that it's getting a bit out of control and, having successfully chopped down the hated leylandi hedge, both chainsaws have stopped working. Rather than fret too much I ordered a stack of timber from our local timber-supply man (who's also the bus driver and fireman). It's a long trip for him so he tends to come along with his partner L and her grandchildren. L has a fabulous wee garden in Lochaline and keeps chickens so she always comes along with some eggs. This has provided another excuse for avoiding my paper as I've had to come up with recipes to use up the eggs. The one I'm trying out today is Blackcurrant Curd.
600g blackcurrants
juice of 1 lemon
450g sugar
125g butter
5 eggs beaten
Cook the blackcurrants and lemon juice for five minutes then pass through a mouli-legume. Stir the puree, butter and sugar in a bowl over simmering water til the butter has melted. Add the eggs and stir gently til the mixture thickens (about the consistency of soft ice-cream). Pour into sterilised jars and keep in the fridge once cooled. It should keep for about a month but I'm freezing half of mine since it can also be used - mixed half and half with whipped cream - as a quick ice-cream base.
Now I've just got 8 lamb shanks, 60 sausages, 50 peppers and one academic synopsis to prepare.
