OK, What's For Lunch or Tea Today?

[Marco]

You like your sweet and sour, Granty!

Quite a mild evening in Wrexham, warm enough to have a barbecue outside, so that's what we're doing... Once we've finished our Campari Soda aperitifs, we'll be starting off with some roasted portobello mushrooms with pine nuts and halloumi:




Watched this being made this morning on Saturday Kitchen and it looked good!


Same as this spiced green bean and tomato dish:




...which will be accompanying some barbecued piri-piri chicken:





...washed down with a nice bottle of Tesco's Finest Valpolicella Ripasso:



Laters, muchachos!

Marco.

[struth]

Looking good as always.

Now you need to master the pancake roll.

Know how they are made but not done it.

[struth]

You like your sweet and sour, Granty!

Quite a mild evening in Wrexham, warm enough to have a barbecue outside, so that's what we're doing... Once we've finished our Campari Soda aperitifs, we'll be starting off with some roasted portobello mushrooms with pine nuts and halloumi:




Watched this being made this morning on Saturday Kitchen and it looked good!


Same as this spiced green bean and tomato dish:




...which will be accompanying some barbecued piri-piri chicken:





...washed down with a nice bottle of Tesco's Finest Valpolicella Ripasso:



Laters, muchachos!

Marco.

You do like your bbq. Lol

S and s is good and I had lots of the ingredients. Such is the life of the cook for one life

[Marco]

You do like your bbq. Lol

S and s is good and I had lots of the ingredients. Such is the life of the cook for one life

Ha - only because I like the flavour of barbecued meat, plus it facilitates us eating outside in nice weather (such as this evening)

I also like a good sweet and sour (and yours looks good), but for me it's more of a winter dish. When the weather's nice like this, I prefer other things.

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

I assume pictures one and two are Del's and picture three is all for you (greedy guts!)

Looks better than the pizza I had for tea. I'm on a health kick at the moment, so no chips with it

I'll eat better tomorrow - a free meal at the pub, as a thank you for helping the chef with something this morning. I know he's doing something with venison, so that will probably be it.

[Marco]

LOL - yes, but I might save some of the chicken and eat more of the veg, as I love my veg - and the mushrooms (just being served up now) look gorgeous!

Italians (and indeed most Europeans) LIVE TO EAT, not eat to live, like many Brits (obviously excluding our members who post on this thread, who clearly enjoy their grub), so GOOD food is a *massive* part of our lives and culture - and we like to eat well, and healthily, too. It's why we generally live to a ripe old age

Life's too short to eat boring food..... It's really bad for the soul.

Enjoy your pub lunch tomorrow, sounds like it'll be good!

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

My daughter's fiancé's family are Italian and apparently live in the hills miles from anywhere. She says that when they've been over visiting, the women seem to spend most of their day in the kitchen preparing some amazing meals.

They love my daughter to bits, probably because she has a huge appetite, is never picky, and is always keen to help and learn.

They are a good match, as he is nearly as crazy as she is. A wedding over there might be a nice thing

[Marco]

My daughter's fiancé's family are Italian and apparently live in the hills miles from anywhere. She says that when they've been over visiting, the women seem to spend most of their day in the kitchen preparing some amazing meals.

That's *exactly* how it is, and what I've experienced and become accustomed to since I was a kid: life revolves around fantastic food! Your day is planned around your meals, and food is talked about constantly, sharing recipes with friends and family, or telling each other what nice restaurants you've been to.

However, it's not only Italians who do that, but also the French, Spanish, Greeks, Portuguese, Germans, etc - almost anywhere you go abroad, GOOD (home-made) food is as important as life itself, and something we're all extremely passionate about!

They love my daughter to bits, probably because she has a huge appetite, is never picky, and is always keen to help and learn.

They are a good match, as he is nearly as crazy as she is. A wedding over there might be a nice thing

I'm not surprised that they love her to bits - and yes Italian weddings (and religious celebrations) are amazing - that is if you love good food and drink, and plenty of it!

I remember going to the celebration of my cousin's first Holy Communion, in the little mountain village my family come from in Tuscany, I was about 12 at the time, and we arrived at their farmhouse around 12 noon, for 'lunch', which didn't finish until 6pm that evening!!

From the antipasto, followed by course after course of utterly amazing homemade pasta, vegetable and meat dishes, to the dessert and cakes afterwards, all from their own produce, and accompanied by amazing wines, again all made by themselves from their own grapes, and eaten outside in their pergola on a lovely sunny day, with everyone chatting, laughing and enjoying themselves, it was an unforgettable experience...

That's why I enjoy eating outside at home here, doing barbecues or whatever, when the weather allows, as it's in my blood [Del's too, from her German heritage] and the lifestyle our families were brought up with. Plus, in terms of Del and I, there's nothing nicer than spending time together like that, just chatting over a nice meal and enjoying each other's company.

It's what makes you close as a couple, and probably why we've been married now for nearly 27 years! It's certainly a far cry from what you so often see now, with both members of a couple glued to their phones, or worse, don't get on and spend all their time arguing!

Anyway, since you're interested in Italy, here's a pic of the little mountain village in Tuscany my family come from, called Barga:





And from another angle:



Special holiday discounts for AoS members

Marco.

[Roy S]

Pastie & mash & Rioja

[Pigmy Pony]

Wow, that is a big meal! Look at those lp's next to the plate!