With a pink hotel, a Boutique and a swinging hotspot.

I live in Margaret Thatchers frot-fantasy.

The developement where Inky Towers rests was pushed through in the eighties just after The Maggon shot the Parker-Morris guidelines in the head.  Parker-Morris set a standard for how much space should be allowed per person in a house.  Ever wondered why dwellings from pre 1980 cost much more than new ones and are so much larger?  That's why. When they went you got what we have now, hutches.  our 3 bed semi is actually a 2 small room and a cupboard semi.  The largest bedroom gives you a choice: double bed, or the ability to walk around.

The houses on our development, and there are way smaller ones with 3 beds, are sold mainly to young aspirationals. Not blue colour but pastel white.  It is quiet and ha a green for them to play on.
I am the only one with a front rose garden, of course, because I love roses.  Typical really, it just matures and I have to sell it.  Albertine reached 12 ft by 20 ft this year.

In the mornings at 8.30 everyone, me included, gets into their car for the school run.  the doors click in unison.  On alternate Thursdays we put the bins out.  It is the picture of ordered neighbourlyness.

It drives me potty.

Foal has now got used to me singing Malvina Reynolds greatest hit as we drive to school.  It is irresistible. I just cannot stand the conformity at the same time as being drawn to its sickly addictive grasp.

Structure and system rule my life and mind.  I struggle when I do not understand where I fit in.  Or what the people round me are for, what they want.  People lack purity of intention, due to woolly-mindedness.  So this kind of conformism seems attractive.  but at the same time it is all structure without benefit.  they all suffer in these hobbit sized houses with their giant sized mortgages because they think they should.  Something went very wrong here.

My daily shrink visits continue.  Yesterday I met a trainee who I  shall call Eric.  Eric sat in the meeting where I was pouring out my bitterness and hurt and was clearly moved by it.  I spoilt it by asking, at the end, what the hell switch flipped in his head and said "I want to be a Social Worker" but then I suppose there is no answer to that.  Unless they are all on community service, or Lizard Men in deep cover.

Anyway on to last nights recipe, which was a kindacassoulet.  The idea was a stovetop stew to do while foal and I were out.  I included chicken breasts for foal and mrsinky but any tender meat will do, rabbit quarters or pork loin being good ones.

1 onion
3 duck legs (in suffolk even the ducks are inbred)
2 chicken breasts
4 rashers bacon
A smoked sausage of some sort, skinned.
olive oil
1 large can white beans
a good handful fresh green beans
a tray of button mushrooms
a tray of baby corn (optional)
a bouquet garni heavy on the sage

You need a heavy based pan.  this is an old fashioned layered stew so respect the order.  First bone your duck legs.  It isnt hard, just cut down the inner thigh and circle the leg.  Remove tendon but keep the bone.  Tie the legs up with string into parcels.
Chop the onion and cube the bacon.  fry in olive oil until the onion is dark.  Add in the duck legs and brown top and bottom, then fish em out.  brown the leg bowns on both sides then leave them in the pan as a lattice to form a layer at the bottom.  the bottom of your pan should be dark brown here.
lay the duck legs on top of the bones.  then the chicken breasts on top of that.  then the white beans.  then the green beans.  then the mushrooms, then the bouquet garni, then the baby corn, then lastly the sausage.  Pour enough weak stock or water over to just cover the duck leg layer.  put a tight lid on.  bring to the boil then turn right down.  leave it for 2-3 hrs.
Thicken with beurre manie or cornflour, making sure to incorporate the fat which holds the flavour.  traditionally this is topped with breadcrumbs then toasted.  Serve with new bread or rice.  It is VERY filling due to the fat.  You should serve with a spoon and dig down through all layers.  at 2 hrs the duck will still be parcels.  at 3 it will be duckpaste, which is actually nicer.

Fight the cold with rice pudding.

I am used to rice puddings baked in an oven. Thats how my granny used to do it anyway. And i always struggled to get them moist and thick. Problem is in my current stable there is no oven. So i went digging through Eliza Acton and found something interesting...you dont need an oven.
So here is my take on a mid victorian staple. Few twists but hey...

Put 4 cups of milk and a knob of butter in a saucepan. Throw in half a teaspoon of roughly rubbed saffron threads. Ideally let it soak for a while but if in a hurry you can go as is. Slowly bring to the boil while stirring. Watch it because when milk boils it froths over. Once you have it at boiling point throw in 1 cup of pudding rice and stir. You can also use risotto rice. Put it back on a very gentle heat whilst stirring. With the rice in there it should simmer ok. Simmer it and add a half teaspoon of ground cardamom.
Continue to simmer for around 15 minutes until the rice is tender. Add more milk if you need to. The sauce should thicken by itself.
When tender stir in a half cup of sugar. More if you have a sweet tooth.
If you want the sauce extra rich n thick then combine 2 egg yolks and a teaspoon of cornflour in a cup then take the pan off the heat and stir it in.
Additional tweaks...you can sl am it under the grill to get the caramelised skin. Also you can stir in dulce da leche for a toffee taste.
This pudding is strangely addictive.