As we now are living nearer to our daughters, and their friends, goody bags are being offered at the end of each visit - a few eggs, French beans, a slice of cake, a marrow.....and new recipes are being attempted. My favourite is my deconstructed moussaka. Unlike in the US, as I have been reading about recently in light of the NATO summit due to be held near here from tomorrow, we eat a lot of lamb and particularly Welsh lamb. I like to roast a leg of lamb slowly in the oven, covered in foil and slathered in a mixture of Ras al Hanoot spices, lemon juice and olive oil. This provides a meal of a roast dinner with potatoes and vegetables. The remaining lamb can then be used for a shepherds pie and then for the deconstructed moussaka. I cube the lamb and add to some fried onions and tomato and a little cinnamon. The marrow I then slice into large rounds and remove the central soft area with a pastry cutter. I heat a griddle and lightly oil the marrow slices before griddling them. When they are ready I microwave some left over potato and slice thinly and grate some cheese. The moussaka is the constructed by piling some of the meat mixture in the middle of a bowl, layering slices of the griddled marrow around the edges and the sliced potatoes on the top. The grated cheese is then sprinkled on the top and quickly melts in.
Griddled courgettes have also become a favourite vegetable accompaniment to any meal.
Googled recipes for courgette chutney and particularly marrow chutney - a James Martin recipe, have been very successful, the marrow chutney using some of the windfall apples too.
I am about to try deep fried courgettes and a courgette, tomato and cheese bake discovered in the weekend newspapers.
And the freezer is so full of ratatouille that I have ordered a new freezer which is due to be delivered this afternoon!!
And in the meantime - a new log cabin:
