Category Archives: Food

Tastes of summer…. in winter….

In the middle of winter, a quick run through the rain brings the wind of summer – oranges, lemons, limes, sour oranges and lime leaves from the green house.

After a previous weekend in the mad weather of north England, it was great to get home and out to the Dorf for the weekend. The weather was great, and then descended into a very wet Sunday. Curry weather. A slow-cooked beef curry with coconut and lemon rice, to be precise. Obvs in this weather, thought I.

Unfortunately, this meant a short dash along a muddy path through the rain to the greenhouse – no pain, no gain, right? Or something like that.

I’ve to say that I was surprised at seeing the produce there. Alex had said we had some fruits, but we had enough for supper and a couple of vodka tonics, with some left over to bring back to the city.

Result, as they say!!

Getting to Grips

What a difference some time makes. Oft said, that’s true. In the space of a couple of years, things can change a lot. Heck – in the space of a couple of minutes, things can change forever.

We’re still here. I’m still here. You’re still here.

And first5things is seemingly back after a kick in the pants, and some help from a pal to get things moving!

First 5 things is fledgling in status, and long in the concept – I hope I can do it justice.

We’re in the winter here in the country. Winter that’s more like a spring or autumn, and in real need of some snow! Gray and damp is not my happy colour scheme, though of all the things I change weather is not one of them. I’ll sort through some pictures for inspiration.

So what’s been cooking this weekend? Some 5 things food for starters…. Beef curry (beef, onions, ginger, garam masala, tomatoes), a cracking spicy carrot and red lentil soup (carrots, chilli, garlic, red lentils, stock), and a Valentines night supper (garlic potato mash, steaks, caramelised onions). Comfort food, easy food, TASTY FOOD!!!

Chicken Bake

At Casa Schönau, this is a favourite. Colourful, healthy and easy to make, plus you get a pretty free reign with what you want to include. I use a mix, along with 4-6 chicken breasts on the bone, with the skin on.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C.
Wash the vegetables you want – Peppers (I don’t like green ones so much so tend not to use them), Zucchini, Aubergine, tomatoes.
De-seed the peppers
Peel a red onion; break 4-5 cloves out of a bulb of garlic. Leave the skin on.
Chop everything into chunky pieces and throw into the roasting dish
If you have fresh rosemary, wash and roughly chop a couple of sprigs, depending on how much you like the stuff.
Sprinkle the rosemary over the vegetables, along with salt and ground black pepper
You’ll need a couple of glugs of olive oil over the lot, and then get your hands in to mix it all together
Take the chicken breasts and lay over the vegetables, skin side up. Season with salt.
Whack the lot into the hot oven. Check after 40 45 mins to see if the chicken is cooked through.

I usually bring it to the table pretty much as is. The chicken can be taken out when it’s cooked and left to rest. Just use your noggin and decide how you want it to look. Optional additions are mushrooms, chilli, or change the vegetables according to season.

I’ve used oven sliced potatoes in the picture above, but again these could be sweet potatoes or whatever you want. If you’ve friends over who are on a low carb diet, this is an ideal dish for them.