I intended to write something profound today, not that such an intention, though common, ever bears fruit. But after a long walk in some glorious English beech woodland, I am afraid a glass of this years excellent plum wine and some winter vegetables seem to have captured my attention instead. I don't know why the shortening of the days and the long dark nights make me want to curl up till April in a huge ball of chewed up newspaper and crave thick wholesome soups made from root vegetables, but they do.
I can't imagine that there is an atavistic mechanism for hibernation because although we most likely do have rodent ancestors back in the creataceous, most of our subsequent evolution seems to have been around equatorial Africa where it would seem there is little requirement to hibernate.
So, I suppose, I am just lazy.
Leek & potato soup? Possibly. Or perhaps the more exotic stilton and brocolli. I will have another glass of wine and think about it.
4 comments:
I always wondered if 'hibernation' stemmed from the times we were unable to see anything after 5.30 pm, so sleeping was the best bet.
Casseroles are my winter food craving. The inevitable arguments which ensue after Rob takes out all the meat and majority of the sauce for himself have become a winter tradition too.
I'm pretty sure broccoli and stilton aren't root vegetables, so it'll have to be leek and potato.
I like cauliflower with my stilton - much nicer texture.
Do you know, I think I'm going to make soups next week. It's been a while, I go through phases.
I'll start with red pepper, lentil, chilli and lime - may shift the tail end of my cold.
I wanted to write something profound too. It only happens when you don't try, doesn't it?
Well, the craving is specific to root vegetables and pearl barley kind of thing. But my early brocolli was tough as old boots and only suitable for soup so Mrs E used that. It was, frankly, delicious along with the home made focaccia.
I have 20 gorgeous uchiki kuri squash upstairs from the lotment. I think squash soup this week. With baguettes. The breadmaker is earning its keep lately.
But food, and comfort food in particular, seems to occupy the attention disproportiionately at this time of year, rising to a criscendo at Christmas.
Hello:
Yes, we are absolutely with you here, although Gulyasleves [Goulash soup] and Bableves [Bean soup]are the order of the day here in The Motherland. As the days are even shorter here, hibernation starts at around three in the afternoon and temperatures are already below zero at night and in the morning. Too difficult to think of something profound to say when one's energies are spent keeping warm!!
My favourite soup when I was in Hungary seemed to contain mainly garlic and was served inside a big hollowed out crusty roll. It was very taasty and extremely filling but nobody seemed to want to talk to me for a few days after.
As for keeping warm, I can recommend putting on some rousing music and dancing around. This can be somewhat martial, like the Great Escape and some marching up and down, or something altogether more elegant, like a spirited cha cha cha to something with about 94 bpm. You will be toasty warm in less than one song, all powered by soup.
Post a Comment