First of all I am going to have to say lots of “sorries” to people. Sorry for not having posted for a while, sorry for not visiting you all so often, and a very, very big sorry to all the lovely folk who have nominated me for awards over the last few months and who I have not thanked properly. My excuses are many – the house renovations, a dreadful cold and my old laptop almost dying and having bought a new one which I’m trying to get to grips with (but not always successfully). The technical problems mean that the e-mails with the lovely award nominations are no more…along with some photos and documents. My fault entirely. So sorry. Again.
We’ve had some snow here, which was actually quite fun as there wasn’t enough to turn our little world upside down.
We bought another place to do up – but this time it’s for us to use as our UK holiday place. Er yes, you did hear that right. Last one, I promise. But it was so sad and sorry looking and is part of an Edwardian House that needs to be loved again, we couldn’t just leave it there to get sadder could we? And when it’s done we may even let loved ones come and stay…so if you’re ever in the area…
But we’ve eaten too. Hearty dishes to keep out the cold, and glamorous dishes to celebrate the sea. I did cook an amazing monkfish tail with prawns and a champagne sauce. But guess what? The photos seem to have been lost in transit from one laptop to another. Too much renovating and not enough backing up I hear you say.
Not a recipe as such for you today, but a bowl of hearty pasta and broth to chase away the snow, winter colds and house renovation madness.
For the two of us, I took one leek and finely sliced it, stir fried it with some finely chopped bacon (but you could use mushrooms if you wanted a veggie version), added in a packet of ricotta and spinach tortellini (or you could be fabulous like my pal ChgoJohn and make some ravioli) and covered with broth (stock). I used the broth from boiling a gammon but chicken or vegetable stock would also be good. Then I just simmered for a few minutes until the tortellini were cooked, and voila, a speedy supper. Be healthy and eat it as it is, or do like me and smother it in grated parmesan. Buon appetito!
Chica Andaluza 
How could you not love that delicious thick layer of puce paint in the kitchen just screaming out for your enjoyment? ;). I KNEW you would catch the bug girl! I KNEW IT! You are so good at what you do (and timely…there are lots of people out there who would kill for workfolks as timely as you two! 😉 ) it was inevitable that you would get stuck in to another reno. I can’t think of anything better than finding somewhere unloved and making it desirable…tarting up somewhere that had lost faith in itself and sending it out on the town :). Steve and I made ravioli…and as the late great Chris Farley would have said “Holy Canolli!”…most of the contents ended up making their own broth in the simmering water lol! We also made gnocchi…”it will take NO time babe…” started at 4pm and ended at 10pm drunk out of our brains (you HAVE to drink wine when you make farinacious goods 😉 ) from a lack of food and singing old punk songs along with youtube…it was great fun and the gnocchi was good but not worth 6 hours! ;). Parmesan is my downfall…it calls me…it lures me with its scrumptiousness and I have to hide it if we buy it…my little guilty non-vegan secret ;). Glad to see you back as I miss your style girl, your joie de vivre, and your wonderful recipes 🙂
You are already starting to know me well – I think you predicted this. I’m so much more excited about this one as I get to do it to our taste, and furnish it too – not just a neutral base for tenants to personalise! I laughed at your pasta making exploits as I so clearly remember my mother making gnocchi with great pride when I was a child. They puffed up beautifully as they cooked and when she drained them they disintegrated and all washed down the sink. I think we had toast for dinner that night 😦 I won’t tell anyone about the parmesan but out of interest (and tell me to mind my own business) but why vegan and not just veggie? Have to say, I admire you, but am curious as to why you also made the decision to go the full hog (or no hog!).
Because I WAS that full hog girl! I used to weigh 110kg. That is a hog and a half…I loved meat but especially dairy…my cheesy downfall :(. I decided that I had to do something drastic and with me, I can’t just cut down on things…I am an all or nothing girl me… so I just did what all good ex druggies and alcoholics do and gave up “my precious” completely 🙂 Call me smeagol on a diet ;)…cept I DON’T diet! Bacon calls me…toast slathered with butter calls me…cheese… ANY cheese but especially the creamy ones call me but I steadfastly refuse to want to go back to 110kg of sad humanity. I would much rather be me today and dairy free 🙂 (oh yeh…and I get to be smug about the animals as well 😉 )
Well that makes perfect sense. I’m a girl like you who loves her dairy – in fact I’d probably find that even harder to give up cheese than meat. I salute you for what you do and love that you make it work with your life and don’t look down on the hog eaters like me!
If I was born naturally thin I would beat you hog for hog! I have a HUGE appetite and that’s what made vegan work for me…I can eat heaps of veggies and still not gain any of my ex hog suit back :). I have no problem with meat eaters (lucky for Steve eh? 😉 ) and have been known to toss the odd egg into things especially when I get worried about B12 but aside from that…vegan is a lifestyle choice forced on me by my own personal circumstances and I am NEVER going to tell anyone else how to live/eat or what to do! 🙂
Well hurrah for wonderful women like you – I would love to sit down and have a vegan meal with you one day and we could talk plants, flowers, chickens and sing along to old songs whilst getting gloriously drunk!
I think we would NEED to get gloriously drunk if we were cooking that gnocchi…nothing tastes as good as when you are drunk as a skunk listening (and singing) to The Clash at 10pm at night and you just KNOW your neighbour has his glass to his wall (and he lives almost a kilometer away from your house! 😉 )…
Of course we missed you!
From time to time I went browsing to your blog,realizing you weren’t in….
Welcome back and……. “viva i tortellini”!
Ah, thank you – I was a busy girl, but I’m still here!
LoL
AGAIN!!! But this one is for you to stay in when you visit? That is pretty cool. It is really good to work together on a project especially now that you have shuffled about and found what each of you are good at.. Well back to work then and what a sight that snow on the beach! amazing.. c
Yes, this one is for us. Old and lovely when it has been restored still with the original Edwardian sash windows, garden doors and ceiling coving. We think we’re starting to get the hang of it now but we will have to go back to Spain too as we miss our mountain 😦 The snow on the beach was beautiful, and somewhat unusual here.
I love the idea of garden doors it means you will also have a garden! I love english gardens! c
Oh yes, the kitcheni sbeing moved so that it becomes a kitchen/diner (small, but perfect) which will open out onto a suburban but not too tiny, walled garden!
That’s a great purple wall in need of some TLC (or paint). Don’t feel guilty about the blogging – you have to have a real life as well as blog life 🙂
You should see the other rooms – turquoise bathroom, lilac hall, scarlet bedroom and a mercifully beige-ish sitting room. Real life has rather been getting in the way of everything the last week or so 😦
It takes a special vision to see past *that* kitchen… 😉 I’ll wait patiently for a photo of what drew you to the house; it must be wonderful.
Welcome back to blogland, but don’t ever apologize for having a real life, too.
We can’t all be Celi, can we? 🙂
More photos to come but I think the ones where it reveals its true charms may be a while coming!
(laughter!)… sure you can! what i love about our little group is we all do what we love when we feel like loving it.. no problems there! c
🙂
Hiya, Tanya. Far too many sorries for the end of January. That’s a December sort of thing, isn’t it? Of course we’ve missed you, but leading the busy life you do it is totally right that first things come first. And talking with some friends lately, it seems that January is the Computer Crash month of the year so know you have some sympathy down under.
Looking at that lovely snow makes me feel nice and cool in our sweltering heat.
And talking of food, I blow up like a blimp if I get stuck into pasta. How that could happen with Italian ancestors I don’t know. The British meat and veges genes have certainly won out.
Ah, thanks Diane for the lovely words. And who knows, by the time you get to come back to England you could have a little seaside retreat waiting to welcome you. Can’t promise sunshine though – English weather is notoriously fickle 😉
Have fun with your new place! I must say, I’m with you on the kitchen work 🙂
The kitchen well…what can I say apart from yuk!
So glad to see you back and I’ve really enjoying seeing these places you’re renovating. This new one definitely needs some help. I like purple, but that’s truly a ghastly kitchen. A pretty snow and leek, bacon and tortellini…sounds lovely. 🙂
How can people live like that? It was a repossessed property but it seems until recently it was occupied, how sad 😦
Somehow, just somehow, I do not think this will be your last purchase 😉 ! It may be the one you’ll keep for yourselves, but you will want to do ‘another one’ up 🙂 ! You have not exactly made me feel great, as I’ll be exchanging one computer for another in the next 4-8 weeks – and it will have another system and I won’t be able to ‘transport’ too much along and have already been told it’ll take me a few weeks to get used to it!! Wonder if I babied this one: how much longer would it last . . . . 🙂 !
Well, it will have to be for a while – no more money! As for your laptop, I wish you well. I’m used to Windows 7 and this one has Window 8 – am struggling to get to grips with it. Also my last laptop had a Spanish keyboard and this one an English – small differences with some of the keystrokes and I keep making mistakes 😦
Well I am just an old-fashioned Colonial gal: will be going from XP > Windows 7 and one is supposed to get ‘blanks’ as to where e’thing is! Yep, have heard complaints about the ‘8’: good luck 🙂 !
Thanks I need it!
Good luck with house number three, and the new laptop! I’ve never seen snow on the beach before. It never gets that close to us here 🙂
It was exciting for us to see the snow on the beach – and quite surprising. It didn’t last long though. Thanks for the good wishes 🙂
Glad to have you back, Tanya, even if only for a brief moment or two. I was going to write that I cannot believe you’re going to renovate a 3rd home but, thinking about it, I certainly can believe it. You guys are good at it and now this one is for yourselves. I can’t wait to see more.
Your tortellini in brodo looks so very good! Love that you added leek and bacon. That must have been one very flavorful bowl of soup! And thank you for the shot out. Coincidentally, next week I’m posting Mom’s cappelletti recipe, which were served in soup. 🙂
Hopefully I’m back a bit more regularly, there was just so much to be done in the last few weeks finalising things and running around! And hey, if you ever get back to the UK (I say back, I think you’ve been over before?) you’ll have a little place to visit! Looking forward to the cappelletti recipe – anything in brodo is good as far as I’m concerned, it makes you feel better even if you are not ill 🙂
congratulatipns …. again! and love the shot of snow on our beach – a special treat x
It was so lovely – we went just as it was getting dark with the pups! Are you back?
Not yet, popping home for a week soon though!
Let me know if you’ve got time for a glass of wine!
I’ll make time 🙂
Ooh, how exciting, a renovation for you guys! Agreed – that scary paint must go! Actually, I would love to hear why the previous owners felt the need to put that on the wall.
You know how I feel about all your food – scrumity!
🙂 Mandy xo
Lord knows what possessed them – and the rest of the place is equally bad with fuschia, turquoise, lilac and scarlet walls. At least they didn’t rip out all the original features! And it was scrumity comfort food…good for the soul!
¡Qué rico Tanya! Tiene una pinta buenísima. Ya sabes que pienso que eres la mejor cocinera de la blogosfera y que….¿es muy obvio que te estoy haciendo la pelota para que me invites a vuestra casa – cuando acaben las reforma-? 😉
Pasadlo bien y no trabajeis demasiado.
Besos,
G
Ja ja Giovanna! Pues por supuesto que me encantaria invitarte y tu familia a nuestra casa – sin hacer la pelota! No se si lo vamos a terminar muy pronto como las otras porque quiero hacer la obra super bien (por supuesto) y amueblar con cosas antiguas. Creo que volveremos a espana dentro de dos meses y estaremos de vuelta en Inglaterra en el otono…a ver
Yes!! 😉
Si, supongo que a esta la mimareis aun más que a las anteriores y que le dedicareis mucho más tiempo… Me alegro mucho por los dos 🙂 Bss
Gracias Giovanna y nunca se sabe – un dia es possible que podremos tomar una copa juntos aqui!
Is that your third house to renovate? You must love all that dust and hard work! The pasta and broth should help keep your strength up, I hope!
It is indeed – but we really are going to stop now, we need a rest and we need to get back to Spain properly rather than just flying visits! No fear though of us wasting away from hunger here 🙂
Oh my…again?!! Well, I think that’s great, especially since it will be your get-away!! All that work and you still create gourmet dishes!! Even though we didn’t get the photo of that one, this is my kind of easy, quick meal that I know my son would love and so will I after a long day at work!! Good luck Tanya!!
I know, we’re mad, but the last one for the moment. have to say though, we’re having a great time doing it! Glad you liked the quick and easy dish 🙂
Oh you poor girl, Tanya! You’ve dealt with your share (and mine and maybe one other’s) of complications this past year. You are SUCH a trooper! And have such get up and go in your bones! I hope you’ll be making that monkfish dish again…that sounds wonderful too. And pasta (ala John) floating in Brodo! Fantastico chica! Take good care of you !
Yes, will have to make the mlonkfish again, it was actually a simple but very elegant one. Sod the photos, let’s make it soon!
Congratulations for all your nominations, and good luck with the new plave and computer…..lovely pictures. Have a great weekend! 😉
Thank you so much Katya – you have a great weekend too!
Oh no about the laptop and yes about the backups! Sod the photos indeed :o)
How lovely you are going to have your own place for UK holidays and save a little bit of history in the process. Thank god you are going to actually enjoy the fruits of your hard labour too after selling off the previous iterations.
Yes, the laptop has been a pain but yay for the fact that we are now starting to work on something for ourselves! Am really excited about this one 😉
Oooh, congrats on your place in the UK! I can’t wait to see what you do with the place!
My parents have wonderfully remodeled the two homes they’ve owned, and I love thinking back at the transformations and how they made the houses so cozy and their own.
Thanks Michi – and if you’re ever down on the South Coast near Bexhill, maybe we’ll get to have that glass of wine together!
Your new house looks cosy (I love purple) but why don’t you just stay here in Spain, where it’s warmer, hehe?
I quite like purple, but in smaller quantities! We’ll be back soon to Spain (it’s home after all) but at the moment it’s cold Up our Mountain too!
Congratulations on finding one that will be your own…this one will be a labor of love.
It will indeed, and I’m loving it already!
Oh, my, yes! All kinds of goodness in one dish. I guess there’s a batch of this coming soon to a household near me. 😀
Hope the household enjoys it!
This looks a really hearty lunch. That kitchen looks pretty grim!
Grim doesn’t even begin to describe that kitchen. It’s turning into a bedroom and moving into a bigger room!
Congrats on the new place–you two are busy. Sorry to hear about the old laptop. Mine is about to go I think. But I don’t want to think about that. This meals looks great and my stomach is rumbling right now. Wish I had a bowl 🙂
It’s like losing an old pal when your laptop dies 😦 But then you get to know the new one and love blossoms again! Get a big bowl ready…I’m sending some over!
Delicious! I’ve actually cooked something not too dissimilar for myself before, though I think mine had brocoli instead of leek. It’s just the sort of thing I crave after work– minimal prep and minimal cooking time! J
Hi Josh – now you’re talking..broccoli…love it!
Glutton for punishment???? I do despair of some peoples decorating choices. Each to their own, I suppose.
I agree…but a purple kitchen…enough to make you throw up while you’re cooking!
It’s grim, for sure!
Good to find your blog. Looks like I might learn something by following you! I just started a blog tracking the journey of renovation project: http://decoratingmyhouse.wordpress.com
How wonderful – wil pop over to take a look. Good luck with your project!