ideal

There is a kind of day that is ideal. It’s the kind of day that starts slowly. I may have slept in, a little, after which I kick back with a cup of tea, or two and read with my feet up and bathed in warm sunshine as it streams through the window. My house is spotless; the laundry is done. I might then putter in the garden, pluck the first of the fresh herbs for some use in dinner’s meal. I’ll eat light, healthy things all day and be languorous in the quiet of a Sunday afternoon. There most definitely is a little white or sparkling wine for sustenance while the sun is still high in the sky. A slow cooked meal tops the day nicely and I head for my pillow feeling like I’ve given myself a little something of the world.

Yesterday was exactly that kind of day.

The wine was an inexpensive staple that lies in abundance in my cellar.

The meal was a favourite: roast pork cooked until delicate and tender - accompanied by a chickpea mash, roasted baby garlic, and avocado spiked with preserved lemon.

Happy Monday everyone.

Chickpea Mash
a nice substitute for potato

1 cup raw chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 tbsps butter
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs: oregano, parsley, basil, cilantro, whatever
salt and pepper

-drain the chickpeas and put in a saucepan with the white wine, salt and pepper
-allow to simmer, covered, over low heat until soft: test one with a fork on a cutting board for mashability; they won't get soft, but will present themselves with some 'give'. This should take about 30 minutes. Add more wine, water, or chicken stock if the pot dries out.
-using an immersion blender (this is just easier and less time consuming than a potato masher) roughly blend up the chick peas and the butter
-stir in the herbs (or garlic, or whatever you like... onion maybe?)