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  May 2009
   
  Blimey, nothing since February, how did that happen. Scottish winter apathy?

Well, we are currently in (on?) Shetland, and it feels like another country, in a good way. Gastronomically things are looking good. Mary, Heidi's Aunt, supplies Shetland lamb, and we had some tonight, just sublime. Chops under the grill, some redcurrant jelly (brought for copious lamb expected), chive mash and carrots. Rory seems to have taken to harvesting the chives, so we had a very chivey mash indeed. Um. Washed down with some Chinon (cab franc) from Sainsbury's, a real corker for around six quid. Pud was vanilla rice pudding and rhubarb.
  With respect to fish, there is a very good fish shop near Scalloway 'Blydoit fish'. Among other things they had salt ling and tusk, the latter new to me, though maybe it is a local name. I came away with mussels, salt ling and kippers. I gently fried some fennel and shallot, then cooked the mussels with a slug of pinot grigio, all very authentically Shetland. To add some protein to the 0.5kg of mussels, I thought I might put a wee bit of salt ling. Note to self, always check just how salty your salt fish is before adding, particularly when you have already added your mussel liquor to the rice. The ling 'looked' OK, not bacalau cardboard, more smoked salmon, but no. DISASTER, my risotto was now dead sea salty; feck, feck, feckin feck. And the boys were needing fed.
  They got some peat and whisky barrel organic smoked salmon with beetroot rye bread. The salmon I bought from the Real Fish company in Lerwick, strangely based in a stupendously tacky shopping precinct on the edge of town. It certainly kicks ass, and was smokier than the very pleasantly mild kippers we ate today for lunch. Incidentally, I made some half wholemeal bread last night which we baked this morning. A nice wet dough, thick crunchy crust, just the thing to have with a kipper. Wouldn't it just be marvellous if you could get this in a ye olde croft house, with a view over the sea, served by a nubile. Shtop.
  The risotto wasn't quite as salty once the liquid had absorbed into the rice, but I think our blood pressure rose after consuming a moderate portion of it. Mixed with bashed potatoes and fried I think is the way to go.