Flavours, faith and festivities

Our extended autumn has meant that I had time to take advantage of the wonderful fruit and vegetables still ripening in our and in our neighbours’ gardens. Below all the ingredients are lined up for  ….can you guess ? A hearty chutney will be the end-product: a great way to use up those green tomatoes that will no longer ripen fully now. Chutney is one of the many flavours imported to Britain from the Indian subcontinent where it is a side-dish made of a variety of ingredients and with a variety of textures. In Britain we tend to eat it with cheese or with cold meats; here at home we enjoy it with ouzo, smoked meats and cheeses.

                                                 

Some of you may be familiar with Edward Lear’s nonsense poem entitled The Owl and the Pussy Cat.     In the opening lines:

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea green boat,

 They took some honey, and plenty of money,

 Wrapped up in a five pound note. 

Their romance blossoms, they are married by the ‘Turkey who lives on the hill’

 And for their wedding supper

‘They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

 And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand

 They danced by the light of the moon.’

I couldn’t resist adding the romantic stuff, though the only thing that’s relevant here is the quince. As a child I loved this poem: the quince added such an exotic flavor while the runcible spoon was surely the only utensil with which one could eat such fare.

 The quince has been baked, skin and all, and, once the stones have been removed, the pulp and skin are blended.   This mixture is then boiled with sugar until it thickens and then is spread out on a baking parchment-lined baking tray. After about three days in indoor sunshine, the mix can be cut into strips as shown below. These are then cut into pieces which are sugared then left for a further three days to fully dry out. Quince paste is delicious with coffee at the end of a meal and makes a delightful Christmas gift. 

  

              

Thankfully, nowadays we don’t need to pound the ingredients with a pestle – from whence came the name – to make that great pesto sauce. I use a recipe that claims origins in Bologna, rather than the traditional Genovese one, and it’s great for using up cherry tomatoes which give it a lighter texture and flavour. H is just ready to sample a fresh batch on pasta with a liberal helping of parmesan cheese and a nice chilled white wine ….mmm!

               

 

                

Last month, within the space of five days I was fortunate enough to visit two sites of great significance to the Orthodox Church. Below is the Church of Saint Lazarus in the Kiti area of Larnaca.  The Church is said to have been built on the site where the relics of Lazarus were found. After his resurrection, he was said to have fled to Cyprus ,  met the apostles Paul and Barabas and was ordained as Bishop of Kiti. Angeliki admires the impressive silver icons depicting scenes of the resurrection.

 

          

Below is the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is said to house the site where Jesus was crucified and to house the tomb where he was buried. Next to that we see the faithful kneeling to pray, kiss the stone and rub it with material which they will hold as special in commemorating their significant experience here.

 

                        

While wandering through the Old City I saw people from all over the globe who had come there on a pilgrimage.  Whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, they were ‘people of the book’, united in their monotheistic beliefs and shared reverence for that holy place. It was hard to believe that close by, Syria was the theatre of a war being played out by ISIS in the name of religious extremism. How can adoration and faith sit side by side with hatred and merciless murder in the name of the spirituality of man?

At this time of year, in today’s world, the topic of faith raises many questions.

 This year, what with our economic crisis, capital controls, etc. etc. I have not sent so many Christmas cards.  But what I will share with every one of you is ………

…….    A Christmas Cat, our very own Mr Mao!   Isn’t he a wee cutie?                 

                                

                               

Merry Christmas, one and all!