Monday, November 20, 2006

Skeets Gallagher's Souffle of Tomatoes


I am in strange black walled Blade Runneresque internet cafe in Auckland - the only non Chinese person here. All the salty snacks are Chinese, all the cold beverages ditto and even blog instructions are in Chinese so I have to use graphic memory to work out how to publish an entry. Surreal.

Am having a super time with all my NZ chums, have even managed to prepare two SSS dishes. The first, Charlie Ruggles' Tuna Special Salad - was prepared at our fabulous holiday home on Waiheke Island. This was a little appetizer before an evening of extremely heavy drinking and a birthday ceremony to mark my reaching the ripe old age of 40. This involved 5 of my lovely girlfriends perched on rocks in the dark like SIRENS swinging tea light lanterns to the sound of the Bee Gees singing "How Deep is Your Love". I was then handed a string (turned out to be dental floss) which I had to pull towards me thus propelling a "Huggies" baby wipe container across the swimming pool. The lid was open, another candle inside lighting the way on its journey to the poolside. Inside was a gift of a beautiful greenstone pendant. Only that bunch could have hatched such an elaborate plan. Insane and totally unforgettable. Those crazy kiwis.

The other Hollywood dish I prepared was Skeets Gallagher's Souffle of Tomatoes which I made for Merle and Rock - my lovely hosts in Glen Innes. It took me an age to prepare in an unfamiliar kitchen with a small pirate running around the place and preparations for a weekend away going on around me. Rock almost opened the oven to check on it but realised just in time that it was a SOUFFLE and we all know what happens to those if you are not careful. Upon completion I worried what it might taste like having never made a souffle in my life before but Merle announced with her usual style, "I'll chuck it down whatever it's like". It was actually rather nice in a sort of fluffy eggy sort of way.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Evelyn Brent's Spaghetti Mark 2


I have just had an almost perfect weekend. Much hilarity at the World's Biggest Blind Date attempt as mobile phone technology failed to match up to the task of 600 singletons attempting to find their assigned date in a ram jammed bar offering free drinks. Bizarrely I ended up with an ex - the Pocket Rockabilly - having a drink in the calm of the ICA rather than joining the after event scrum at the chavtastic "Rubyblue" nightspot.

On Saturday the chaw-bacon was charm itself. He'd arranged a romantic 1950s style date at a bowling alley Saturday afternoon. I fell over rather gracefully on my first throw - but I was already on my second cocktail at that point. Later on we watched the sun go down over Primrose Hill accompanied by 78s on a wind-up portable gramophone. Bliss. Lovely lie in on Sunday morning with aforementioned chaw-bacon and The Archers, a big hairy steak for lunch then a re-run of Evelyn Brent's spaghetti for 7 chums after fireworks on the roof with an awesome view across London. I love my life!

The blog may be lying fallow for a while as I am off to New Zealand for a few weeks. I hope that Ruth might get her pinny on Texas-side but I know she is busy...