Stuffing

About a fortnight ago, we took stuffing for Sunday lunch with a little chicken on the side. Stuffing made in the usual way, involving sage from more than one country, that is to say both from a large pot on the patio and from a small pot in the relevant kitchen cupboard. Bread from the market, as already reported at reference 1. I was a little uneasy about using sour dough, which does not agree with me in large quantities. Hazel nuts from a packet, getting near their sell-by date, chopped fine. Onions. Celery. A couple of eggs. Freshly pounded black pepper: smelling the volatiles is all part of the ritual. A little rape seed oil. Cooked with a layer of bacon on top - higher grade Sainsbury's rather than the dry cured I sometimes use and which can be rather salty.

Having organised the stuffing, I departed for a spin around Jubilee Way, leaving BH in capable charge of the remainder.

Both chicken and stuffing turned out very well. The chicken had none of that unsightly soft yellow fat you sometimes get with chickens described as corn fed. The stuffing was a little dry and crumbly, but good. Served, as can be seen above, from left to right, with white cabbage, brown rice and mangetout.

Taken with a 2018 Fleurie from Waitrose, a sort of wine first taken in the Bugle, in Brading, on the Isle of Wight. It did well then (as noticed at reference 2) and it did well on this occasion. Not the same label as that at reference 3, but possibly much the same stuff. But with a bit of poking, I turn up a 2015 version of my actual label, with the soil described as pale pink granite. Maybe something has been lost in translation.

In the event, we did most of the stuffing.

Stewed overripe cherries to follow. As it turned out they did rather better after chicken than they had after salad a day or so previous. Perhaps because they were taken with a little something that warms, from Normandy via Majestic.

Went on to lose by a narrow margin at Scrabble, ending my winning streak.

Then walked some bricks, which gave me appetite for the bread pudding which had been made with the left over sour dough. Pudding which had the important virtue of being made with white bread, even if it was sour.

Reinforcements from Waitrose were delivered the following morning. For some reason I had thought that seven bottles was the appropriate number, rather than six. Note the little buffer bottom left, arranged to stop the handle of the cloakroom door adjacent left damaging the plaster or the wall paper when it was opened. A detail I am not sure that a modern builder would bother with.

Chicken taken cold, complete with a discussion, prompted by a young lady, about where the head and heart were. We fudged. But plenty of chicken as stuffing had slowed down its consumption.

Remains of the chicken taken in the form of soup with noodles late Wednesday afternoon. That is to say, stripped the remaining meat off the carcase which was then boiled with onions, celery, carrots and some left over cabbage. Strained. 2oz lentils. Left over potatoes in their skins. Some fresh white cabbage. Chicken meat added back in. Two biscuits of Sharwood's soft noodles. Mushrooms. Good flavour. Done in one sitting.

PS: in passing, I might note that while Thames Water did a very quick job on replacing our leaking water meter, we now have a letting telling us that they are about to do the whole road, a letter which takes no account of the fact that we have just been done. Clearly two non-communicating arms of the organisation involved here. See reference 4.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/08/trolley-523.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/07/fragonard-fail-aka-yaverland-five.html. Five years ago now and involving rather a good pie.

Reference 3: https://www.henryfessy.com/en/wine/8/fleurie.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/07/service.html.