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Monday 18 February 2019

February

February, possibly the least liked month of the year. 

Despite the gloom, the mud and the insidious chill, I quite like it.




I love being able to see the bare contours of the land, the tracery of the trees, the bare fields.   

Winter walks through fields and along tracks mean that the dog and I will be squelching through mud and puddles.     Even so, there is something wonderfully exhilarating about being out in the cold, fresh air and pale sunshine, as long as you are wearing suitable clothing and footwear, of course!





Shadows and shade. 
Longer views, thanks to the lack of leaves, give surprising new glimpses of some favourite old places.


Learning the true lie of the land, sometimes so  different from how it appears when everywhere is dressed in summer finery.

















Beautiful little glimpses.






Weak wintery sunshine adds a little warmth to the winter palette.




















Countless snowdrops lift the gloom of the woodland floor.





Snowdrops will soon give way to the golden trumpets of daffodils.  They, in their turn, will make way for the haze of the bluebells and wild garlic.   









Home again, and the sunlight hits upon a cluster of crocuses, encouraging them to 'open wide'.

First job is to get rid of the mud from my boots, then comes the more time-consuming job of cleaning down the dog.

"Paddy-paw, paddy-paw.  Rub a dub a dub dub dub. Good boy!"

Hands washed, then on with the kettle for a good cup of tea. 

Bliss.



Soup is nearly always on the menu during winter.   Always home made, preferably served with a wedge of home made bread or a slice of quiche.

I make a large pot, normally sufficient to last three or four days.    Like most things, the flavours mellow and meld, so that the soup tastes even better, a couple of days later,  than it did on day one.


I made a very simple vegetable soup, nothing special, so I won't bother to give you the recipe.




This is a walnut and broccoli quiche - tasted much nicer than it looks, I promise.


The pastry recipe was a new one to me, using warm water and Marmite to mix...      I wasn't sure that it would work, but it turned out short and crisp, perfect and tasty. 

I will definitely be making it again.




Pastry:

175g (6oz) wholewheat plain flour
75g (3oz) Butter or Margarine
1 tsp Marmite yeast extract
Warm water to mix

Rub the fat into the flour, stir in the Marmite, then mix the pastry to a manageable dough using warm water.   Lightly knead on a floured surface, the roll out and use to line your tin.     Chill.         Bake blind for ten or fifteen minutes before adding the filling of your choice.





34 comments:

  1. You've taken me back - I used to make a Walnut and Broccoli quiche when a veggie friend was visiting. It didn't have Marmite pastry though!

    Love your winter photos - how much disappears behind foliage in summer. I made soup yesterday - then have forgotten to eat it two days running. It's a little runny as I made it in the electric pressure cooker and it seems to have got all the juices out of the vegetables and of course they haven't been at all concentrated as they would be in a stove-top pan. Will rectify that tomorrow.

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    1. Hi Jennie, The pastry was wonderful, not at all Marmitey, just nicely savoury, I promise.

      I love being able to get out and about in the winter, which is just as well, given that I have a dog! He sometimes looks as though he would rather curl up in his bed, but he enjoys it in the end. Can't compete with you for hills, but here on the outer reaches of the Lincolnshire Wolds, we do have some very nice ripples. ;)

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  2. I love your larger photos. You don't always do that. Snowdrops look Loveland the crocus too. Haven't seen any around here but then haven't ventured out to walk and the very brisk wind and rain or snow and ice.

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    1. Thank you, Marcia. I don't always put large photographs on the page, but they should always enlarge, if you click on them. I hope you have some better weather soon.

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  3. Interesting pastry - I shall have to try it.

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    1. It just adds a slightly savoury edge, Sue.

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  4. Beautiful, beautiful photos!!!

    February _is_ a "long" month. But you have flowers popping out. Imagine how long it is here? No flowers. Snow, snow, snow... Sometimes getting very dingy. But then, more snow falls, and falls, and falls.

    Your British February's are much less dullllllll, than ours. :-)

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    1. Our February's can be very dull, but this year we are being treated to some very nice weather, so we have to make the most of it! I hope your weather improves soon.

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  5. Have never heard of the combination of walnuts and broccoli. How interesting. And your whole quiche sounds delicious.

    Will have to look up a recipe for the "inside" part.

    Oh yes, soup, like so many dishes, tastes better, the longer it/they "sit." Isn't that lovely?

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    1. My husband really likes walnuts and I like broccoli - so we were both happy with it. You could, of course, add any filling you like, as long as it is a savoury one, of course!

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  6. The quiche sounds very interesting. We love quiche but I just use a pre-made pie crust. I would like to try the pastry recipe but I'm not sure what Marmite is or what the alternative would be. Also, those pictures of the countryside are so refreshing.

    Thanks for visiting my blog the other day!

    Grace & Peace,
    Pam

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    1. Hello Pam, Nice to see you. Marmite is a savoury spread, it is simply a yeast extract. They say that people either love it, or hate it, with nothing in between - but that isn't true, I like it, but I wouldn't ever think of buying it for myself!

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  7. The quiche and soup sound delicious. Won't be long before we are back eating soups.

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    1. At the moment we can only dream of the wonderful fruit and vegetables you are growing and eating. We have been planning our vegetable garden for the coming year - really looking forward to just wandering out to the garden to select the food for lunch.

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  8. A meal fit for a Queen! I love the woods in winter as well. Such a different view from summer! Your soup make me want a spoon...lol! Thanks for sharing your chilly walk with us!

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    1. Simple food, but nourishing and delicious, and very welcome after a long and slightly chilly walk. Grab a spoon and help yourself - would you like some bread with your soup?

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  9. I like your photos, particularly the one with snowdrops.

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    1. Thank you, Rosie! That one took a bit of effort, you should have heard my knees creak and crack as I tried to crouch down low enough to get the shot.

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  10. I think that the fields in winter look as if the have been swept clean. I enjoyed your pictures.

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    1. Thank you, Pam. A good walk through beautiful winter fields really lifts my spirits, they are beautiful.

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  11. You took us on a beautiful walk. I love the idea of Marmite pastry, one that i will be trying.

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    1. I am not the biggest fan of Marmite, but it really does make an excellent addition to pastry, well worth trying - if you happen to have a jar of Marmite in the cupboard!

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  12. I love it at this time of year when we travel up to Scotland as I can see beyond and through the trees that line the side of the motorway and I can spot things I haven't noticed before.
    I have made a nut roll before with pastry that is spread with marmite or a veggie substitute and that was quite nice. I love walnuts in Quiche and often I grind the nuts and include it in the pastry which makes it nice and crisp.

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    1. I can well imagine that you see some glorious scenery on those journeys north and south; wonderful to be able to watch the seasons unfold as the year progresses. Today has been truly spring-like around here, which means that I should have spent some time working in the garden, instead of walking the dog and enjoying the sunshine. Ah, well!
      I like the sound of a nut roll..

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  13. The snowdrops have been in flower since January in our garden and look wonderful. Nice to see a jar of Marmite, I love the stuff as does my oldest son. My wife and younger son on the other had hate it. Our veggie soup only lasts a couple of days andylonger and it tends to go off.

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    1. Hello Billy, Well, they do say you either love it, or hate it, and the lines are pretty even in your household! I found the Marmite cookery book in a charity shop - 30p - it has some interesting recipes, well worth the 30p investment!

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  14. I see carrots and celery and onions. That soup was good. I do enjoy your appreciation of the winter landscape, when we can see the framework. But air around the framework is so cold!

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    1. I added quite a lot of chopped swede, tomato puree, garlic, chopped tomatoes, and butterbeans - it was filling and scrumptious.

      I love being able to get outside into the clean, cold air, Joanne. It makes me feel alive and energised. Of course I wouldn't necessarily feel the same way if our weather was as extreme as yours.

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  15. That quiche looks so wonderful! I practically live on soup through March. I'm afraid that here, with the no sun, no flowers, no lovely views, February is both the longest and shortest month of the year.

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    1. In that case, Susan, just tag along on my walks. I can show you somewhere either beautiful, or historic, sometimes a combination of the two, on all my walks, I never tire of them. I hope your weather improves soon - and I hope your schedule allows you to enjoy it.

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  16. Lovely countryside photos. Never thought to put marmite in pastry, mind you think hubby would have something to say if I did and it wouldn´t be complimentary! xcx

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    1. Hello Chrissie, I bet he wouldn't know that it was Marmite. It just adds a slightly savoury note, truly. Given that the old rule is that we should keep everything cool when making pastry, I was surprised at the instruction to use warm water, but it worked out wonderfully.

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  17. Haven't had Marmite for years but I remember the days when I had it on toast and loved it. I like the picture of the crocuses, such a fabulous colour.

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  18. New reader here. What gorgeous photos! I love Marmite, have never thought of putting it in pastry...I will now. Spring is my favourite season, I love all the Spring bulbs and the promise of everything new.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.