Coppery Potness

I recently cleaned out some of the high inaccessible storage cupboards in our kitchen which need a ladder to look into (thanks Mr Architect!) with the aim of throwing out or giving away those items no longer needed, moving not so much used stuff in, and creating more room in the everyday part of the kitchen.

There were many things up there I had forgotten about, including novelty Y2K champagne glasses (remember Y2K? All the contracts we drafted had to have special Y2K clauses in them just in case everything re-set to Year Zero!  Seems so silly now), a huge lobster pot, old emission globes left by the previous owners and these two copper pots:

Okay, I obviously hadn't forgotten they existed.  They were there, in the deep recesses of my brain, but we had not used them for so long, they had slipped into a limbo area.  I got a nice surprise when I found them but they were almost black (with some green bits) and needed a really really good clean.  I got my husband to do that, and as you can see they are still not perfect.  

I have a very minimalist kitchen.  I don't really have anywhere to display these beauties.  But sometimes open shelving beckons me because I really love copper pots against stainless steel.  Something about the contrast of industrial modernity v an almost Gothic patina of age.  I so love this kitchen. 

This is a bit judgmental I know, but I just feel that someone who colour codes their cookbooks probably does not get much use out of these beautiful hanging pots. 

A lot of US and UK kitchens have a central hanging pot arrangement. It is not very common at all in Australia.   I don't think I could live like this but if you used your pots regularly it would be quite practical.   When I was a little girl I saw a story on Farrah Fawcett Majors in US Vogue.  It must have been about 1978 and she was at the height of her fame.  The story had a picture of her in her 1970's kitchen with a huge set of hanging copper pots.   She spoke of her love of cooking, and it made me look at her in a completely different light. 

This is a very English kitchen, complete with an Aga stove. 

This is Martha Stewart's kitchen at Turkey Hill.   Many famous chefs have kitchens which are copper pot heaven. Julia Child's, with her pegboard hanging wall, is very well known.  And this is Elizabeth David's:

Every kitchen should have a copper pot.  They are things of beauty not just practicality.  And they last forever. They are a pot to pass down to your children, if you can keep it clean enough! 

Apparently copper bowls are very good for whisking eggs.  But in fact I feel I only need one, the little pot, which can be used for cooking sauces.  These pots distribute heat really well, and can also be brought to the table for serving, just as is done at Vue de Monde as you can see below:

I must get out the copper cleaner again this weekend.  What a pity there is no miracle quick and easy way to clean copper. 

(Images (1) Marie Claire Italia (3) Raimondkoch.com (4) Badgley Mischka's kitchen via Decorpad (5) Coastal Living (6) House to Home (7) Martha Stewart (8) JohnnyGrey.com (9) Vue de Monde)

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Diary of my Day - in Tomato Time

Yesterday my day began with tomatoes, and ended with tomatoes. It also had a tomatoey middle.

Let me explain.

Breakfast is a bit of a challenge in my house. My son is always absolutely starving, and my daughter is what you might call picky. I barely eat myself between negotiating what everyone will eat and serves of toast, milk, juice, different spreads, picking bits of jammy toast from the floor etc.

Having run the gamut of cinnamon on toast, Nutella on toast, Vegemite on toast and just dry toast, I have managed to introduce my daughter to tomato on toast, one of my favourite snacks ever. I slice tomatoes, place them neatly on a piece of grainy toast which has been lightly buttered and drizzle with olive oil and Maldon salt and pepper. I love the contrast between the warm toast and the salty cold tomato. And guess what? She likes it too (minus the butter of course because she doesn't like butter).

Unfortunately tomatoes are not really in season at the moment. The choice yesterday was tiny cherry tomatoes. And have you ever tried to slice a slippery cherry tomato as opposed to just chopping it willy nilly? You need a really sharp knife and concentration which I do not have at that early hour. After I bandaided my cut finger, I discovered that the slices were so tiny that nine of them fitted on the slice of toast. And then, because my daughter also likes it this way, I cut the toast into nine (yes, nine - 3 x 3) tiny little toasty squares so that there was one piece of tomato on each section. Then I carefully drizzled with olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of salt. And it was all scoffed down in 30 seconds flat, confirming my view that persuading a child to eat often comes down to presentation.

And if that doesn't convince you that I am crazy, nothing will.

The middle of my day was a lunchtime meeting at work. We rotate the catering, and it is rarely inspired. Yesterday was tomato and lentil soup with a heavy hand in pepper, and a so called pumpkin soup which tasted like a thick tomato soup. We all complain about the food. It gives us a sense of team solidarity, which I think you need to get through the tough times. (Side note - on good days we get the lunchboxes from our local which happens to be one of the best restaurants in Australia - Vue de Monde - fantastic and really good value).

My day ended with tomatoes because last night I made pasta with my favourite tomato sauce which, and I know this is a big call, is the best tomato sauce for pasta ever (in the history of the world).

I know it's wrong and in breach of anti-dumping laws but one of the only things I like about supermarkets in Australia is the profusion of very cheap tinned Italian tomatoes. They bring a taste of summer to the darkest day, and I am very sorry to the local producers - your fresh tomatoes are bliss but your tinned are not a patch on those produced by Italia.

I have been engaged on a search for the best tomato sauce for pasta for many years. This is because:

1. Monday night is always pasta night. Except when the routine seems unbearable and I change my mind about this. Then it becomes noodle night.

2. I really need a quick brainless pasta recipe I can cook which will be amazing and foolproof for those emergencies.

3. I feel that many tinned tomatoes (and indeed, regular real round tomatoes) do not often have the best flavour. The challenge therefore is to maximise the tomatoeyness and minimise the tinny or watery flavour you can get.

About 3 years ago I struck gold. I have to thank Marcella Hazan for this. I have previously mentioned how her books are falling apart at the seams through use. Her Classic Italian Cookbook actually has 4 different tomato sauce recipes. The one below is the one I love. It produces a rich deep dense flavour and I highly recommend it.

Ingredients

One tin of Italian tomatoes (450g)
One onion peeled and sliced in half crossways.
About 50-75 g of good quality unsalted butter depending on how naughty you feel.
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper

Method

Put all ingredients into a heavy based saucepan. Once the butter has melted stir to incorporate. Cook at gentle simmer for about 45 minutes. Check and stir occassionally. The sauce should be reduced but not too gluggy. Remove onion bits before serving.

Serve with boxed dry pasta (cooked!) - I usually use spaghettini. How easy is that? Make it now!

Images (1) Real Simple (2) Delia Smith (3) Martha Stewart

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My 10 Favourite French Things for the last year

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I have given myself the challenge of listing my top 10 favourite French things for the last year. The challenge part is that it cannot include any French design, shop, blog, furniture, decor or interior. That would be too easy.

No 1 - Laguiole cutlery, which I was given for my birthday in March. These are bone handled, with a little silver bee on the top bit where your finger sits. They cut beautifully and have a lovely 'heft'

No 2 - The bistro dining room at Vue de Monde. This is better than the modern formal dining room at Vue de Monde. Truly it is. More down to earth, more intimate, much less shocking when you pay your bill.






and you get to eat on this crockery:




No 3 - Carla Bruni. Loved that purple Christian Dior dress, matching coat, flat ballet shoes and hat and handbag worn on her triumphant tour of the UK last year, and also love this music.





No 4 - Edgar Degas exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. In truth this exhibition was a bit of a disappointment. Too many sketches, not enough paintings and too much emphasis on that one ballerina sculpture. However look at the movement and turquoise in this painting.

No 5 - La Symphonie Pastorale by Andre Gide. Read for French in school and recently revisited. Lovely bittersweet tale of forbidden love between a blind girl and a priest, heavy going maybe but up there with the best.



No 6 - beef fillet cooked by my husband. No neither the beef nor the husband are French but the meal is especially when served with my French fries, dijon mustard and horseradish sauce and a green butter lettuce salad. My favourite meal of all time.

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No 7 - embroidered pillow case from Plane Tree Farm. Yes I can embroider too. No I can't do it anything like this well.

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No 8 - Delice de Bourgogne. Triple cream cheese. From Burgundy. 75% fat. When I became pregnant I started eating cheese to 'get more calcium'. That is one road you cannot do a U-turn on.






No 9 - William Fevre Petit Chablis. French wine can be expensive in Australia, but we have discovered this and been drinking it regularly. Buttery and oily and divine.




No 10 - okay just one French interior. Christian Lacroix, one of my favourite French designers, put his beautiful Parisian apartment on the market earlier this year.

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Happy Bastille Day for 14th July ...

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