Monthly Archives: February 2012

Samosa


I made these samosa tonight. They look good but the picture doesn’t reveal the lack of crispiness in the cases. I phoned my mum after I’d made them to find out why the cases turned out more chewy than crispy and she told me I was supposed to make the dough with some oil in it. I have used oil in samosa dough before but because I’ve been in a breadmaking mindset lately, tonight I made my samosa dough in the same way as bread dough i.e. without fat. Doh!

Other points to note: As with all potato-based food, the filling needs a reasonable amount of salt. The pastry also need salting and some lemon juice too. I tried cider vinegar as an alternative but it wasn’t as good.

1 Feb 2013
I made samosa tonight using the recipe in the Indian Vegetarian Cooking book. I’ve found that you can cut down the oil in the dough by a sixth. Also, add the juice of half a lemon when doubling the book’s recipe for tasty and crispy pastry. Also, instead of making neat parcels how Mum taught me, I just made quarter-circle shaped ones by simply folding over a semicircle in half and gluing and pinching together the edges. This makes them visually bigger and gives lovely crispy edges. They seem to cook quicker too, I suppose because there aren’t any double layers of pastry. Next time I might try trying them with the lid on to see if that makes any difference.

3 Feb 2013
Now that I’ve perfected the pastry I have found that the samosa are best freshly fried. They don’t ever get quite as crispy when reheated in the oven. I could part fry them but it would be best to fry them just before serving.

The Lovely Bones

I’ve just finished reading this. I’d already watched the film, so I knew how the story was going to end, but I still enjoyed it purely because it is so easy to read. I didn’t think it lived up to the hype though. For a start I don’t think it’s very well written. Considering the material it covers, the book seems very benign. It’s a good story though and I like Sebold’s very original (as far as I can tell) idea of having the narrator tell the story after her death.

It’s rare but in this case I have to conclude that the film is better than the book, though I can’t say for certain that I would maintain that position had I read the book before I’d seen the film. Of course the film simplifies and accelerates the book, as films have to, but still I found Peter Jackson’s adaptation to be visually breathtaking and the suspense was masterful.

(6th in 2012)

The Planets

Went to see CBSO perform tonight. Due to a mix up with the tickets we sadly missed La Péri but we did see the main event: The Planets. I’ve had the CD for years and I love it but to see CBSO performing it at Symphony Hall was something else. I was completely blown away. To feel rather than only hear the music made everything else seem unimportant. To be entirely consumed by the sound and its emotions, which came together so effortlessly, and yet I felt I could hear each note completely separately…was wonderful, heavenly even.

Amsterdam

Read this in just a couple of days. I admit that it’s a novella so not lengthy but, even so, the plot sprints along making it difficult to put down. Dark, delicious and very British, I loved it. My only criticism was that the ending seemed very slightly unbelievable but it is still a most splendid read.

(5th in 2012)

Cosa Nostra

I finished reading Cosa Nostra tonight. Given my affection for mafia-based entertainment (The Sopranos, Scorcese’s films, The Godfather Trilogy etc.) I was very much looking forward to discovering the truth behind it. Although the content of the book was interesting, my enjoyment was marred for the following reasons:

1) I frequently had to look up the meanings of words, most of which don’t occur in everyday language. Every time this happened it disrupted my flow.

2) I had to keep looking up places that were mentioned on Google maps. There are maps at the front of the book but places aren’t easily located or even present on them, as far as I could tell.

3) There are so many people involved that it’s difficult to remember who they all are. Worse still – and this isn’t the author’s fault – everyone seems to be called Giuseppe or Antonino! I had to makes notes on who was who as I went along, otherwise I got utterly confused.

4) It isn’t in strict chronological order. Where stories overlap then it’s fair enough but the author sometimes goes back and forth over the same few years. I can see that this is necessary as there are so many interwined stories – the history of the mafia is complex – but again, I couldn’t make sense of it without making notes.

I have to admit that finishing the book is a relief. I got halfway through without making notes and then had to start again because I was too confused to continue! In summary, this book is a bit too much hard work if you’re after escapism or entertainment. If you want to think and learn then by all means read it, but not without a cup of tea and a notebook.

(4th in 2012)

Cookies and bread

Baking is a good activity when it’s too cold to play outside. I use one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s chocolate recipes for choc chip cookies (scroll down to the bottom of the article).

EDIT 06/06/12@: To get squidgy cookies, whip them out of the oven as soon as the outer edge has coloured. Mr W prefers them crunchy like biscuits though, so for him they need to stay in a bit longer. Add 50g of chopped nuts for a nutty variation.



I also made some bread. It’s nowhere near as good as Waitrose bakery bread but I enjoy producing a loaf purely by hand.