Tuesday 5 January 2021

One Solution to the Cold.

 

I really don't like the cold weather. I don't like rain, and (heaven forbid) I can't stand snow. Guess what; it's snowing this morning!!!

Looking at my meteo forecast, it looks as if we're stuck with sub-zero mornings for quite a while. I'm not very tolerant of winter; I want to wear shorts, throw myself in a warm pool, eat outdoors.

So, what to do? Firstly each morning, if he's still showing signs of life, I stoke up our kitchen wood-fired cooker (George). He gives a lovely warmth, and, even though his thermostat is eccentric to say the least, he cooks very well too.

Yesterday morning at 5am I emptied the ash pan, chucked in a couple of Oak logs, and within minutes he was up and running again. 

I had already defrosted a couple of Quails overnight, so with them, some bacon, a few button mushrooms, onion, wine and herbs, I knocked up a quick Cailles au Vin, and let it simmer for a few hours. Some spuds in the oven later, and a few Cavolo Nero leaves from Haddock's, completed our evening meal; all cooked on George.

Slow cooked meals may not compensate fully for the cold, but they help. The house smells delightful, the Quails were delicious, and our bedroom just happens to be directly above George. All I have to do is to keep sawing wood.

Coming indoors to George's warmth after an early frosty morning walk, is simply gorgeous.

(George may look rusty, but he isn't)

41 comments:

  1. Sounds great, I love slow cooked meals. 28 degrees here today.

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    1. A short flurry of snow here this morning, which has now stopped. It's -2 C. Brrrr!

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  2. Log fires and tasty meals are a real comfort in winter. How is your arm today?

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    1. Did I miss something , what happened to your arm.

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    2. This is a prime example of 'BlogBleed' if you don't follow elsewhere you might well get confused.

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    3. It's a bit better this morning (I tore a muscle in my left arm; carrying big Oak logs). I shall try not to use it too much for another day,

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  3. 2 deg here and sleety rain. Mince and tatties is our go to meal, fortunately I have suet for dumplings. Rib sticking food is essential to get us through an Italian winter.

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    1. I bought 3 packs of Atora Suet before Christmas (Amazon). Still one pack left for dumplings.

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  4. Good old George ! I made leek and potato soup for lunch yesterday .... not quite as sumptuous as your quails but, perfect to warm us up at lunchtime. We need delicious Winter warming meals .... they cheer us up, and, now we are in lockdown again, there’s not a lot to do but cook, eat and drink 🤣 XXXX

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    1. Guess what's on George at this very moment? Yes, a big pot of Leek and Potato soup. There's nothing better for a winter lunch.

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    2. Great minds ! I made enough for more today ! XXXX

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  5. Is George named after Her Majesty's father or the Wigan ukulele player - George Formby?

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    1. Our Sitting Room wood-burner is called Gilbert... is that a clue?

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  6. I love that super thrifty way of cooking. And what food, sounds totally delicious.

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    1. Slow cooking of this sort really does make a huge difference; and the aroma is great too.

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  7. The sauce in the bottom of that pan looks real tasty.

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    1. The left-over sauce went into our soup pot... wonderful.

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  8. I am kind of wishing I am really cold and sitting in front of George. Not fussed on quail though.

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    1. Quails are just mini-Chickens... what's not to like? No different to Poussin.

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  9. A real delight in life is coming into the house filled with the aroma of wonderful, tasty food.

    We had about an hour of big flakes of snow on the weekend. I woke up to it and it was beautiful. The temperature went up and It disappeared from sight about noon. That is my idea of a good snowstorm.

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    1. It was just a light flurry here this morning. Tuesday is my shopping day, and I always go early. The roads were quite icy in places, but not enough to stop cars. All snow has now gone.

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  10. 4 inches of snow yesterday, -6C this morning. Bundled up to walk the dog. Time for bean and sausage stew, cabbage rolls, roast duck (our new years dinner) and lots of soups. I bake bread twice a week and that warms the kitchen. Take care.
    Barb

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    1. I really ought to bake some bread, it's silly not to use all that heat. Sadly my breadmaking skills are rather lacking.

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  11. Warming winter foods are so nice! I'm planning to make vegetable beef soup later today. I'd love some potato soup but the vegetable beef is my husband's favorite.

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    1. A good Beef stew is unbeatable. Unfortunately it's usually beyond my budget, but the occasional remaining stock makes the best soup ever.

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  12. Mmm the perfect way to enjoy winter.
    We are still having warm weather, off and on. I am looking forward to a few snow flakes, maybe later this month.

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    1. Don't tell me about 'warm weather', it's bloody freezing here... Roll on Spring!

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  13. Sawing wood to keep the stove fired up while you saw logs upstairs in bed. Made me smile.

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    1. I shall be out there again today; chainsaw disturbing the silence.

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  14. Cro, we slow cook in our Aga a lot... and it's warmth in the kitchen is very comforting. Myself, kids, and cats gather round it and not only in winter. Our daughter has an old pot bellied stove in their kitchen and the smell of the wood burning and the warmth is also wonderful. So enjoy George!

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    1. Our Aga in England was ruined during the Miner's strike. We couldn't get English 'Thermacite' coal (?), and were forced to buy imported coal from Poland. It was full of tar, and completely ruined the inner workings.

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  15. Looks delicious and the whole setup sounds wonderful. I do like a bit of Gilbert&George! Summer storms here but fairly mild temps as we're having a La Niña summer, and Mr. P has put in a request for a slow-cooked Provencal beef stew.

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    1. Heating and cooking with wood is lovely, but it does take a lot of work. There's not much else to do at the moment.

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  16. I do not like November through December, or January, February and March. I hate cold.

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    1. I couldn't agree more, I can hardly wait for Spring.

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