Saturday, July 08, 2006
Lots of Vegetables and Some Fish
Revived and rested I got up fairly early this morning and
headed straight down to the market. Jenny told me last Saturday that she was going to have broad beans this week and as I have never tasted them fresh I was determined to get my hands on a bagful. Apart from them there was nothing new to be had today, so I stocked up on the summer essentials - lettuce, lettuce and lettuce ... oh, and a few baby potatoes - and moved on to the fishmonger.Here, being early was a definite advantage. There was so much choice, I really didn't know what to buy. In the end I settled for a small selection of prawns, hake fillet and two mackerels. The prawns especially made me happy. It's been a while since I've seen such gorgeous shellfish. They were just shouting out: "Make us into a paella!" So what could I do? I had to go get the rest of the ingredients.
First came a quick stop at Denis' stall, though, for some
sweetcorn, mushrooms and, much to my delight, zucchini blossoms. I've read and heard a lot about them but have never actually eaten any myself. I can't wait to try them. I also grabbed a few more tomatoes to try - among them a bright yellow one - and then moved on to Fallon & Byrne.My mission here, apart from stocking up on the tomato test winners, was to get the remaining fresh ingredients for the paella. This was accomplished quickly and to my complete satisfaction. I had a few mussels, a few clams, some free range chicken wings (they only had pre-marinated 'hot wings', but I'm sure I'll be all right) and a great conversation with the French lady behind the fish counter. Then I was off to my final stop: Liston's. I could probably have got everything I wanted there from Fallon & Byrne, but apart from the fact that I want to support smaller local shops that surely get a lot less walk-in customers than big market halls in the city centre, I have no plans to abandon my old foodie refuge. Firstly, the service there is excellent, the people friendly and you get a personal touch that no large shop can provide. Where else would you get the phone number of the shop owner's acupuncturist along with your chorizo? Secondly, in certain areas, such as wines, tea and coffee, their choice is simply better. Thirdly, most things are more reasonably priced there. I got a bottle of Italian olive oil that is perfectly suitable for salads for nearly half the price of the cheapest they had in the city centre. Fourthly, they give good advice on what to expect from your purchases and actually let you taste quite a few things. And then there is the relaxed atmosphere that revives the spirit, and the great deals if things are getting close to the sell-by date, and the fact that every time I go I discover something new. I'm sure I could come up with an even longer list, but I'm sure you get the picture.
Christine at 4:50 pm
