Clone wars! - Page 3

> "Kate XXXXXX" wrote...
>> My parents were very strange... They praised each and every one of us for
>> the things we did well or tried hard at (even if the results were a
>> failure!). They taught us how to think for ourselves and to do all the
>> practical things: bro can cook, iron his own shirts, run his own house...
>> Us three sisters can change fuses and plugs, paint walls, mix concrete...
>
> Not strange, good! I'm sure that my life would have looked a lot different
> with a little bit more praise. But at least none of us was ever discouraged
> if they wanted to learn skill typical for the other gender. Anyway, from
> where I am now I can see that the burden my parents put on my back is just a
> fraction of what theirs (and WW II) put on their backs. So I mustn't
> grumble, especially since I've been able to learn to cope with it. Mind you,
> what is perfect in this world? ;-)
>
>> My mum wanted a bookacse for the bedroom Big Sis and I shared. She went
>> to evening classes and built one. 40+ years later she still uses it. I
>> wanted a shed. I helped Alan put the roof on it!
>
> You know what I think? 'Gender specific work' is an invention of snobbish
> upper classes (or patriarchic forces, depending on how ultra feminist you
> want it ;-)) ; in the olden days, the farmer and his wife had cope with
> whatever workload was there, and if you were a poor man's wife you couldn't
> tend your sewing basket all day but had to give your husband a hand out in
> the field or where ever he worked. Made you an equal, though, and
> uncomfortably self confident I can imagine. Ah well, I'm drifting off and
> haven't got the time to follow this road (coffee at mum's and dad's).
>
>>> beans out of my garden. Do you know something similar, soup of green
>>> beans? It's called 'Schneiderscourage' (Tailor's courage), don't ask me
>>> why, but it was heaven to come home and indulge in this type of meal. And
>>> isn't microwave the greatest thing since sliced bread? ;-) Hope you
>>> enjoyed your meal.
>> I did! Do you have a recipe for that soup? It sounds like it would be
>> lovely, and just the ting for those 'I'm too tired/busy/in pain to cook'
>> days.
>
> Yes, it would, especially since it's got the right name. ;-) As for the
> recipe, it's one of those you learn from you mother and never get proper
> amounts, more like 'take this special pot and fill it to here with water,
> then add this bowl full of whatever'. It'll take a while for me to translate
> and write down the right measurements, but then I'll gladly share it. If you
> think it might be of interest to the entire group I'll post it here. Sorry,
> gotta go now, getting myself and everything ready for the afternoon out.
> Promised to bring 'Waffeln' and whipped cream, made the batter, DH is baking
> them. Anyway, still loads to do. Have a very happy Easter,
>
> U.
>
>

> If you just say 'fill a saucepan 2/3 full of whatever', I'm sure we can
> all work it out from there. I have recipes that start with 'Take the
> carcas from Sundays roast chicken, break into large chuinks, put in a soup
> pot and cover with water... ' and go on from there! However much soup
> you end up with depends on the size of the chicken to start with, how much
> stock you make, and the quantity of leeks you happen to own that day. :D

> "Kate XXXXXX" wrote...
>> If you just say 'fill a saucepan 2/3 full of whatever', I'm sure we can
>> all work it out from there. I have recipes that start with 'Take the
>> carcas from Sundays roast chicken, break into large chuinks, put in a soup
>> pot and cover with water... ' and go on from there! However much soup
>> you end up with depends on the size of the chicken to start with, how much
>> stock you make, and the quantity of leeks you happen to own that day. :D
>
> OK, I did my best, I hope I translated the essential ingredients correctly.
> Don't hesitate to ask if I didn't express well enough. Here goes:
>
> Tailor's Courage (enough to feed a small army or freeze for many unhappy
> days as a 'comforter'
> ============
> 2 l cold water
> 500 g of boiling meat (beef, with fat, bones and some nice meat)
> 1 bay leaf
> 5 allspice berries
> ½ Tb peppercorns
> 1 - 2 Tb salt
>
> Let it boil up and then simmer for about 1 hour. Or just use stock cubes
> for 2 l of broth.
>
> Add
> 4 Mettwürstchen (German pork sausage, smoked and soft, not hard like salami)
> in slices
> or about
> 2 cups of baconbits. The taste of smoked pork is essential!
>
> Add diced (in order of appearance while the pot is already beginning to
> heat):
>
> 1 bit of celery root
> 1 parsley root (optional)
> 1 small parsnip (optional)
> 1 - 3 carrots (matter of taste)
> 6 or so potatoes (size of chicken eggs, and anyway, it's a matter of taste)
> 1 sprig of lovage (fresh, don't bother with the dried stuff, don't know
> about frozen)
> ½ - 1 leek (matter of taste)
>
> Add last (in case of the stock-cube version when everything has begun
> boiling)
> 1 kg fresh green beans cut into 4 cm-pieces (not the princess ones, should
> be thicker) or the same stuff, frozen. If you want to freeze the stew, don't
> use tinned green beans, they'll disappear into nothingness after thawing.
>
> Let boil until everything is done (watch the beans, they tend to overcook,
> at least with me ;-))
> Take out the boiling meat, pick it over and return the nice parts in small
> pieces into the soup.
> Season to taste with salt, ground pepper, perhaps more stock cubes.
> If you like hot Dusseldorf mustard, put some on the soup to go with the
> beef. Chopped fresh parsley on top is nice, too.
>
> Guten Appetit! ;-)
>
> U.

> Excellent. I can work out a nice lower fat (essential for me) version
> using beef stock, a little roast beef, a reduced fat 'German saussage',
> and work from there. I dare say every tailor's wife did their own
> version anyway, so little variations here and there aren't a problem.
> It's soup, after all, not Pavlova cases, where the slightest deviation
> from the recipe and method results in soggy, flabby things rather than
> crisp pavlova that snaps into a suggary, powdery mess when you bite it
> (as it should!) :D

> Kate XXXXXX wrote:
>
>> Excellent. I can work out a nice lower fat (essential for me) version
>> using beef stock, a little roast beef, a reduced fat 'German
>> saussage', and work from there. I dare say every tailor's wife did
>> their own version anyway, so little variations here and there aren't a
>> problem. It's soup, after all, not Pavlova cases, where the slightest
>> deviation from the recipe and method results in soggy, flabby things
>> rather than crisp pavlova that snaps into a suggary, powdery mess when
>> you bite it (as it should!) :D
>
>
>
> Kate: I answered this yesterday, but it seems to have disapeared into
> cyberspace.
>
> Anyhow, I do just about everything lowfat these days - save the fats for
> when they really DO make a difference - and the way I do something like
> this is I split it into two days. The firat day I prepare the stock,
> just pop all the ingredients into the Crock-Pot and let it simmer all
> night. The next morning, strain it, put the meat on a plate and the
> liquid into a glass jug and refrigerate both. Leave them there all day.
> Then when the fat has risen to the top and hardened, I take it out and
> either discard it or save it to use as dripping, put the rest ofthe
> stuff into the pot and carry on from there. If I do the second stage
> also in the slow cooker it will take care of itself while I get on with
> other things - like reading a novel, maybe if I am not desperately sewing.
>
> Ursula, this sounds like a great recipe. I have printed it out and will
> file it after I have tried it.
>
> Olwyn Mary in New Orleans