Cookery on call

[desperance]

Yesterday's veggies arrived just in time; apparently I'm cooking dinner tomorrow, for a couple of friends. I'm thinking smoked black halibut with a fennel-and-wet-garlic risotto for starters, then perhaps braised lamb shanks with shallots, if I've got any shanks in the freezer. They're almost impossible to shop for in this city; the restaurant trade just takes them all. If I see 'em at the farmers' market, I grab 'em and freeze 'em; whether I have any at the moment is in the lap of the ice-gods. If not, well, other content providers are available. The big question is, do I put the other head of fennel in with the lamb? It would be yummy, slowly stewed, but fennel twice might be over-egging the pudding. As it were.

I have no idea what to do for pudding. I shall go downstairs and poke about the books a bit, while avoiding the hoovering. That's the downside of people coming: I have to clean. Barry and I are not the fussy kind of bachelors who keep their homes immaculate; we're the other kind.