Sunday, February 12, 2006

Wednesday 8th Feb

Breakfast is boil in the bag kippers which have practically taken over the fish section of Tescos and become my guilty impulse purchase (68p is a bargain though). Just the thing before a long bike ride down the canal and around Salford Quays.

I had been toying with the idea of scallops for tea tonight since they are still in season and not a bad price. Mrs Jiffler made me see sense after an my recent venison / pigeon adventures and I eventually opt to stick with some out of the packet fresh pasta.

It says ‘Mushroom tortellini’ on the packet, but I’ve had these things before and know that they need a bit of help flavour-wise. There is plenty of basil in the pot on the windowsill so I decide to knock up a quick pesto. The only ingredient I’m short of is pecorino cheese, but I’m not sure if this was in the original Ligurian recipe anyway.

I’m not snobbish when it comes to pesto and will happily use the stuff that comes in a jar, or even in a tube, but there is nothing quite like homemade stuff. It probably costs the same as well. For some reason the stuff in the jars always looks like the colour of grass when you empty it out of the lawnmower. Homemade pesto is bright emerald green, which leaps out of the plate and fools the eyes nose and tongue into believing that its summer for a brief moment.

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