Today is St David's Day in Wales. It's the day when the Welsh pin a mini daffodil or leek to their chest, so here are some fine examples of Welsh produce:
The daffodils picture comes from reallywelsh.com, supplier of daffs to Tesco, Waitrose and Wyevale.
Daffodils are considered a sign of spring and after some lousy drizzle yesterday, I am pleased to report that south east Wales is sitting under an enormous ray of sunshine today. (I had to dust my screen.)
Here are some beautiful leeks, also courtesy of reallywelsh.com . They are out and about on Queen Street in Cardiff today celebrating the day and bringing their locally grown produce to local attention.
Here's something you can do with your leeks; a very simple but delicious recipe:
Chicken in a Cream & Leek Sauce (and perfect for a low-carb diet)
Skinned and boned chicken breast(s); leeks cut into rounds; double cream; black pepper; olive or groundnut oil.
Fry your leeks until tender in the oil, add pepper and set to one side. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and also fry in oil. When cooked, add the leeks and enough double cream to make a sauce. Mix through and serve with other vegetables of your choice (steamed cauliflower and/or broccoli, roasted butternut squash make good companions).
And now for some crime fiction related stuff. The evening of Monday the 3rd of March will see Cardiff University hosting a smallish gathering as Ian Rankin delivers a paper on crime fiction. No surprises here: it's full to capacity. Luckily, I will be there and will report on the event later in the forthcoming week.
Rankin, don't forget, is an advocate of crime fiction in the arena of literary academic study. He's also someone who can't understand why all those heavy-weighted literary prizes appear to exclude crime fiction. It will be very interesting to hear what he has to say on Monday.
Meanwhile, enjoy your daffs and leeks and your latest crime fiction read and have a good weekend!
Looks Good, CFR!
Posted by: Clare D | 08 March 2008 at 15:02
The most charming culinary tribute I know to leeks is in the recipe for boiled beef in "Craig Claiborne's Kitchen Primer."
Leek is not essential to the recipe, he wrote (and I am quoting at least approximately correctly), but it adds something to the pot that nothing else can.
Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus a llwyddianus dros ben I chi gyd!
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Peter | 02 March 2008 at 22:39
Gosh, I forgot - so sorry! Happy St David's Day!
A
xxx
Posted by: Anne Brooke | 01 March 2008 at 19:19