This time too the winter has played hooky. It has been unseasonally warm. Usually, we get a week of really cold spell with the day temperature going down to 12-14oC and the night temperature plunging to 3-4oC. There would be a watery sun that would perhaps bravely appear around noon to promptly disappear by 2 pm in the afternoon. But this year, just like last year, it has been sunny throughout the day much to our disappointment as it just means that the summer will arrive early with its unbearable heat.
The garden has done okayish in spells. We had trouble with the usual suspects - peacocks and nilgai. Then this year the fox and the hedgehog decided to put in an appearance. The methi, spinach, cauliflower, and lettuce were much appreciated by these two animals. We have now fenced the entire area but I am quite sure that the animals will figure a way out.
I went to Chennai as usual for the winter (or whatever weather was prevailing in Delhi). When I came back, the crysanthemums had flowered, bringing much needed colour to the garden. This week I cut some and put it in flower vases.
Their season is almost over. Next week, we will remove them. Hopefully, the dahlias will flower soon.
In this mild winter one does not even feel like making soups. However, I did have one opportunity to make it. My mother invited her brother's family over for dinner before they went back to Canada. As we had some sweet potatoes, I decided to make a soup, which was much appreciated. My aunt asked for the recipe and I gaped at her. That day I had been distracted as I was writing a rebuttal to an editor who had rejected our paper (the rebuttal was rejected as expected). So, I had just grabbed whatever was in the fridge and put it into the soup. The recipe always varies depending on my mood. That day, I gave a tadka of jeera,and fried some onions, added chopped carrots, sweet potato, and peas. As an afterthought, I added a piece of red chilli. All this was boiled with plenty of water in a kadhai (I do not like to use pressure cooker for soups). After the vegetables had cooked well, I cooled it down and then pureed it in a mixer. Just before serving, it was heated with salt and pepper.
Sometimes, I added a piece of garlic. Sometimes milk. Sometimes curd. The interesting thing about soups is that the variations are endless. It just depends on the cook.
Happy New Year!
The garden has done okayish in spells. We had trouble with the usual suspects - peacocks and nilgai. Then this year the fox and the hedgehog decided to put in an appearance. The methi, spinach, cauliflower, and lettuce were much appreciated by these two animals. We have now fenced the entire area but I am quite sure that the animals will figure a way out.
I went to Chennai as usual for the winter (or whatever weather was prevailing in Delhi). When I came back, the crysanthemums had flowered, bringing much needed colour to the garden. This week I cut some and put it in flower vases.
Their season is almost over. Next week, we will remove them. Hopefully, the dahlias will flower soon.
In this mild winter one does not even feel like making soups. However, I did have one opportunity to make it. My mother invited her brother's family over for dinner before they went back to Canada. As we had some sweet potatoes, I decided to make a soup, which was much appreciated. My aunt asked for the recipe and I gaped at her. That day I had been distracted as I was writing a rebuttal to an editor who had rejected our paper (the rebuttal was rejected as expected). So, I had just grabbed whatever was in the fridge and put it into the soup. The recipe always varies depending on my mood. That day, I gave a tadka of jeera,and fried some onions, added chopped carrots, sweet potato, and peas. As an afterthought, I added a piece of red chilli. All this was boiled with plenty of water in a kadhai (I do not like to use pressure cooker for soups). After the vegetables had cooked well, I cooled it down and then pureed it in a mixer. Just before serving, it was heated with salt and pepper.
Sometimes, I added a piece of garlic. Sometimes milk. Sometimes curd. The interesting thing about soups is that the variations are endless. It just depends on the cook.
Happy New Year!
How come i never encountered a fox in the campus? Haha!
ReplyDelete