Thursday, 11th September 2008

Say farewell...

And now it comes what has to come: today the summer will say “farewell” with a last warm and sunny day - at least the weather forecast did say so.
That means the last time swimming, the last time wearing summer clothes and the last enjoyment of an ice cocktail in one of the nice Italian coffee shops around. It´s always the same and not unexpected: after the more or less beautiful summer follows the autumn and then the cold winter.
To prepare myself for the coming cold days I went yesterday for shopping intending to purchase warm clothing. It was a kind of equivalent for the expected uncomfortable days. But when I saw the crowded city, people hustling through the shops and buying warm clothing to help to overcome the winter, I had the idea they have also listened to the weather forecast  and realized immediately what was coming up. The consequence was that the queues in front of the cashiers grew longer and longer and again I was sure to be as usual in the wrong, the slowest row.
When I changed to another one that seemed to be much faster, suddenly the receipt roll was empty, the change was finish or the cashier had to go to toilet. So, as clever as I seemed to be, I moved back to my old queue expecting some speed advantage out of it. But everything, what I did, seemed useless. Now  the imponderabilities started also here again. When the old lady in front of the desk wanted to pay her stuff she recognized she had forgotten her pin code and not enough money to pay cash. To cancel the bookings the incharge had to be called and the rest of us were waiting and waiting. Slowly I started to grow upset. And the moment came when my mind developed a strong desire to kill at first the old lady and then the cashier and then the rest of the world. Furious I looked around for more candidates – but I kept waiting. I wanted and I needed the stuff which I chose.

When I reached home and unpacked all that wonderful things which I purchased, I made peace with myself and the rest of the world. I was also proud not to have done what I wanted to do some hours before to all that people around me.

But that was yesterday and is already history. Today it´s today and more things have to be done beside preparing the outfit for the cold days. I mean the kind of food which has to be modified and changed to the coming seasons.
The light summer food is out and has to make way to the more heavy winter food. So I started with meat-rolls filled with a mustard-honey-vegetable mixture and another variation of feta-cheese and spinach.

Ingredients – Meat Rolls with Honey, Mustard and Vegetables

Directions:

1. Flatten meat with meat mallet or rolling pin.
2. Sprinkle beef slices lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Mix onion, carrots and bacon.
4. Spread mixture on meat.
5. Roll up meat from short end and secure with string or pins.
6. Roll in seasoned flour
7. Place meat roll in skillet over medium high heat in reserved oil and brown on all sides.
8. Heat oil and brown roulades, a few at a time, on all sides 1/2 hour in all.
9. Add some water.
10. Simmer roulades for 1 ½ hours.
11. With slotted spoon, lift out roulades; place on tray. Remove string or pins.
12. In a smaller bowl, mix reserved seasoned flour, stirring until smooth.
13. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer, stirring, until thickened and smooth.

*****

Ingredients – Meat Rolls with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Directions:

1. Flatten meat with meat mallet or rolling pin.
2. Sprinkle beef slices lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the spinach according to the instructions on the packet. Then pur away the liquid.
4. Peal onions and garlic, hash it and sweat it with oil in a pan.
5. Add the spinach and season it with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then let the mixture cool down.
6. Crumble feta cheese and mix it with the spinach (or: spread spinach-mixture on meat and then sprinkle feta cheese on top). Then add the egg and mix it again.
7. Spread mixture on the meat.
8. Roll up meat from short end and secure with string or pins.
9. Roll in seasoned flour
10. Place meat roll in skillet over medium high heat in reserved oil and brown on all sides.
11. Heat oil and brown roulades, a few at a time, on all sides 1/2 hour in all.
12. Add some water.
13. Simmer roulades for 1 ½ hours.
14. With slotted spoon, lift out roulades; place on tray. Remove string or pins.
15. In a smaller bowl, mix reserved seasoned flour, stirring until smooth.
16. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer, stirring, until thickened and smooth.