Monday, September 30, 2013

Getting Adventurous...

...in my old age. It's the only thing I can put down to my new found focus on food. Now, don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed food. But more in the eating, rather than the preparation thereof. Dinner parties round mine are always a bit haphazard. Guests arriving in the middle of potato peeling, wine being poured, guests doing dishes... It can't have been that awful, people still turn up again when invited and no one's been hospitalised with food poisoning; yet. 

But recently, I've been flexing my culinary muscles. You may remember these at the beginning of this year? Whilst, we were perhaps a touch over enthusiastic and made too many, I've been enjoying popping the odd slice into a dish or two. I'm told they'll be good for awhile yet. 

Last week, I had a dear friend over for dinner. I sorted out the mains and then scratched my head for the dessert. The next minute I'm throwing the fruit in my bowl into a pan with a good slosh of sherry and then suddenly, there's a crumble! 

WTF?! Me? Made a dessert? From scratch!

I know. Who is this person in the Pink Fluffy Dressing Gown? I'm not sure I know her anymore. 

I'm a bit perplexed at this. But I'm going with it. It feels quite fun really. The cooking part of it, if I'm honest, is made a lot easier by my new shiny toy - my dishwasher. This was a housewarming present by Dave (you see why I adore him so?). It's fantastic. I love it. It's like a magical cupboard - you putting dirty stuff in it and Hey Presto! they're clean! I knew how much I hated doing the dishes, but man, I never realised how much that hatred informed my cooking!

So, a couple of weeks ago I was in a large chain supermarket. It's a place I prefer not to go. I had to go for work purposes. While I was there, I noticed purple potatoes. Now, I like red-skinned potatoes like Desiree, best of all. I love the flavour and texture to the point where I don't peel said spuds. Granted, some of that is down to laziness. But given most of the nutrition in a spud is under the skin and I don't have enough roughage in my diet, I think there is a bit of sense there.



Anyway,  yesterday, I worked up the courage to give these bad boys a go. It turns out they are indeed purple all the way through. With purple juice. I made wedges. Roasting them was interesting, it's hard to tell by just looking at them when dark purple goes crispy and isn't burning. To be honest, the eating of them wasn't that much to write home about. For all their purpleness, they tasted like normal spuds, but with the wrong colour. 

I think they just mess with your head. They're purple, but don't taste purple. Or taste more...anything. It's just like a boring white potato...but purple. Dave poked the couple I left and refused to even try them. When I said that to him, he made an excellent point: we are programmed not to eat blue and purple food. Historically, they are a sign of foods that have become inedible or are poisonous.

I like blue berries and they're purple, so it's not that I can't or won't eat purple. Those spuds just didn't do it for me. Well, I tried them. But I won't be repeating the exercise any time soon. 

14 comments:

  1. Roses, I admire your adventurous spirit in the food department. I love spuds, but these look suspiciously like beetroot. See? I've gone off the idea already. Indigo x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey hon. The adventurousness comes from being a failed vegetarian and in the knowledge that I've never known true hunger in my life. I will eat anything that walks, crawls, swims or flies.

      People get hung up about all sorts of things with food. I'm willing to try most things. I may not go back for seconds, but I'll give it a go.

      It's weird what Dave said about blue and purple - I love blueberries and beet root!

      xx

      Delete
  2. Purple haze all in my eyes
    Don't know if it's day or night
    You've got me blowin, blowin my mind
    Is it tomorrow or just the end of time?

    Purple Haze
    Jimi Hendrix

    I've not seen those. I think I would use them in conjunction with white potatoes rather than by themselves, i.e. mixed together roasted or swirled mashed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol

      Actually, that's a bloody good idea. White and purple mash! That'd be a very cool dinner party dish.

      Thanks for that idea!
      xx

      Delete
  3. For taties, my favorite has always been the Yukon Golds.

    But I'll give your purples ones a try, especially if they've been roasted. Yum.

    Pearl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had to Google Yukon Golds. They look really pretty.

      The only issue with roasting the purple spuds is figuring out when they're crispy. They're really dark in the oven and it's hard to tell!

      xxx

      Delete
  4. I had no desire to own a dishwasher until 4 years ago when we stayed in a self catering cottage that had one. After only a week, I was completely converted! There wasn't room for one at our old house, but we bought one very soon after moving in here and I would hate to be without it.

    I love potatoes (there are some baking in the oven right now), so I ought to give the purple ones a try. They don't look all that appetising though.
    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am never going to be without a dishwasher again. Ever. I have decided. They are fabulous!

      They look fine. I just can't get my head around the fact they don't taste purple (or however purple is supposed to taste in my head).
      xxx

      Delete
  5. PS: This just in ... the tomtato!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's amazing what grafting can do! I could probably grow one of those on my little balcony now.

      xxx

      Delete
  6. I think I'd like them. After all, I like blue food.

    And I don't think there's anything wrong with purple potatoes, as carrots were naturally purple before orange became the new black (It's why I'm such a fan of orange T-shirts!).

    Dishwashers are marvellous. Keep on flexing those culinary muscles!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tried to grow some purple carrots - the slugs and snails thought they were the most delicious things ever!

      And of course you like blue food. I'd expect nothing less from you.
      xxx

      Delete
  7. I have tried the purple spuds - I agree they didn't taste that exciting, and the worst thing was trying to judge when they were cooked - I had to try them though - they are purple! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who poked the damned things muttering 'are you done yet?'
      xx

      Delete

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