Pasties and Ratatouille
A week in the West Country leaves me feeling relaxed and full of good memories. I came home feeling keen to get back in my kitchen though, despite enjoying some good food with friends - thank you to you all!
An obvious candidate for West Country food is, of course, the pasty. H and I enjoyed a fab pasty in Falmouth at a pasty shop called 'Oggy Oggy'. They had a variety of 'flavours, but also had the traditional Cornish Pasty, with beef, swede, potato and onion, which H had. I chose a Steak and Ale version which was good.
Now, being a Devon Maid, and being bought up in the land of the pasty, I never really considered how the two counties (Devon and Cornwall) might want to 'fight' for the right to being THE county where the pasty was born. Surely being from the South West would be good enough?
However, when researching the pasty on my return, I now know that Cornwall have been backed by the EU and given Protected Geographical Indication Status for the 'Cornish Pasty' (side crimped, unlike the Devon pasty which is crimped on top). I know that the pasty itself, can be traced back to the 1300's, in a French cookery book; and that it was probably the Cornish tin miners and their families that emigrated for work, that spread the pasty across the world to the US and Australia.
Oh, and by the way, Oggy Oggy was supposed to be what the wives of the miners called at the mine head where they stood with the pasties. This was replied with the shout of 'Oi! Oi! Oi!'
Wow! So much information about what is actually a funny shaped pie that could be eaten without cutlery at the bottom of a mine, and even part eaten and then saved for later. Still, worth a try, I think. I will have a go at a pasty sometime, but I think I probably have done something similar before. Now let me think about how I could adapt it...
Back to tonight...
Before I left for my break, I had found some sweet little courgettes in the greengrocer.
However not wanting to miss out on their loveliness, I made...
Ratatouille
Courgettes
Onions
Sweet pepper
Tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tblsp hemp seeds
Good splosh of Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper.
Heat some oil in a pan, then add each of the vegetables, chopped.
Fry for 2-3 mins, then pour in the tomatoes.
Add the vinegar and seeds, and season.
Leave to simmer for about 20 mins.
Serve hot, or cool and freeze for later.
I froze the ratatouille, which was just perfect for tonight. I added some cooked and sliced sausages, and tipped in some cooked wholewheat pasta. Heated through and topped with some slices of salami and grated cheese, it was the perfect supper :-)
(photo to follow)
An obvious candidate for West Country food is, of course, the pasty. H and I enjoyed a fab pasty in Falmouth at a pasty shop called 'Oggy Oggy'. They had a variety of 'flavours, but also had the traditional Cornish Pasty, with beef, swede, potato and onion, which H had. I chose a Steak and Ale version which was good.
Now, being a Devon Maid, and being bought up in the land of the pasty, I never really considered how the two counties (Devon and Cornwall) might want to 'fight' for the right to being THE county where the pasty was born. Surely being from the South West would be good enough?
However, when researching the pasty on my return, I now know that Cornwall have been backed by the EU and given Protected Geographical Indication Status for the 'Cornish Pasty' (side crimped, unlike the Devon pasty which is crimped on top). I know that the pasty itself, can be traced back to the 1300's, in a French cookery book; and that it was probably the Cornish tin miners and their families that emigrated for work, that spread the pasty across the world to the US and Australia.
Oh, and by the way, Oggy Oggy was supposed to be what the wives of the miners called at the mine head where they stood with the pasties. This was replied with the shout of 'Oi! Oi! Oi!'
Wow! So much information about what is actually a funny shaped pie that could be eaten without cutlery at the bottom of a mine, and even part eaten and then saved for later. Still, worth a try, I think. I will have a go at a pasty sometime, but I think I probably have done something similar before. Now let me think about how I could adapt it...
Back to tonight...
Before I left for my break, I had found some sweet little courgettes in the greengrocer.
 |
| Washed and ready to go |
However not wanting to miss out on their loveliness, I made...
Ratatouille
Courgettes
Onions
Sweet pepper
Tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tblsp hemp seeds
Good splosh of Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper.
Heat some oil in a pan, then add each of the vegetables, chopped.
Fry for 2-3 mins, then pour in the tomatoes.
Add the vinegar and seeds, and season.
Leave to simmer for about 20 mins.
Serve hot, or cool and freeze for later.
I froze the ratatouille, which was just perfect for tonight. I added some cooked and sliced sausages, and tipped in some cooked wholewheat pasta. Heated through and topped with some slices of salami and grated cheese, it was the perfect supper :-)
(photo to follow)
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