Bread & A Monkfish

My day started early today in the greenhouse picking herbs and veg, then it was into the kitchen to make and knead my granary loaf so it would have enough time to rise. On my way into the school the rooster scared the beejesus out of me from inside his house. I hear him every morning, but it sounded so different with the echo of his house walls.

Chocolate éclairs and a monkfish curry were also on my order of work this morning. Monkfish are very interesting, they have a “rod” that comes over their eyes and looks like a line with bait, if they lose it in a fight, it will grow back. Sadly, my fish must have lost his prior to me getting my hands on him. They are very slimy creatures, and harder to deal with than other fish in that sense, but much easier to filet – no pin bones. My granary loaf was perfect, and I enjoyed it with a delicious fried egg for dinner tonight.

Yesterday I made focaccia, also a success. I really love making bread, and it is so satisfying when it comes out of the oven so perfectly. I also made a salad with blood orange and pan-fried scallops (had to get the scallop out of the shell, very neat!), and orange and mint jelly.

Tim and Darina are gone for a few weeks, so Rory has been doing the demos this week, he is brilliant! I’ve said it before, but I could watch him (and listen to him) all day. He is so precise, so calm, and there is meaning behind everything he does in the kitchen. He comes out with these hilarious phrases, or little tidbits about what he is doing, which are so fitting, but come with no warning – which probably makes them that much better. It is great to have three different teaching styles in the demos, it makes the afternoons more interesting, and the change is always nice.

Tomorrow we have a wine lecture in the morning, and then a tea demo from Rory… Two of my favourite things, should be a grand day! I have this dreadful cough that gets worse during the evening, so I am going to turn in early tonight, and enjoy a wee bit of a lay in. There is a herb and lettuce lecture tomorrow morning for students who are worried about the exam on Friday, but I think I will skip that and head down to the greenhouse to brush up on the few leaves I am still unsure of Thursday morning. Can’t believe that Friday marks the end of week six, that tomorrow we are half way through this week, and that next week my parents will be here. Time is f-l-y-i-n-g by.

“Vulgarity is very important every now and then.” Rory on adding Ballymaloe rose petals to a Tomato salad with flowers, za’atar and freekeh

“Remember camel dung, you don’t want it to taste like you’re face down in the desert.” Rory on za’atar