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Well it's a been a funny old day,
as the old shopkeeper used to say as he closed up his shop. In
our case, its been a funny old month you might say. Yes - here
we go again. Its that time that happens once every four years.
Dare I say the World Cup - when normal souls are taken over by
World Cup Fever. Yes I was there in 1966 walking down Heacham
High Street pushing my newly born daughter in her pram, and yes
the High Street was deserted. So you have guessed it - I am not
a lover of football. I don't know why but it has never done
anything for me even when I was picked to play for my school
team. “Rushmore you will play right back.” “Right back where
Sir?” “Never mind Rushmore just kick the damn ball if it comes
your way.”
On a lighter note, it is happy
fourth birthday to the commis chefs tattoo that he had done
after a drunken stew. “I love Amanda Holden and Beckham for
ever”. After spotting Amanda one day at Burnham Market I fully
endorse that tattoo, but regarding the other one I have my
reservations.
We are now well into the crab
season, but the normal chuckle from the waiting staff of “chef’s
got the crabs” has not been heard this year. I am sorry to say,
it seems that the fishermen from round Cromer way are keeping
the crabs to themselves due to a bit of a shortage. Other
reports of the sea warming up over the last few years that the
poor old crab can’t work out when to perform the mating act.
Then there are others that have put forward the idea that the
shortage is due to an invasion of another crab that is killing
off our local crab. Whatever the reason chef, this year is what
you might say “crab free”.
I was thinking the other day that
as one gets older it leaves less time to do all those silly
things that must be done before one pops the so said clogs -
hang gliding, bungee jumping off the Blackpool Tower, climbing
to the base camp at Mount Everest. No, no, no, what I had in
mind was getting up at the crack of dawn on the first of May and
heading off to Knights Hill and watching the Morris dancers
welcoming in the Summer. As I rose from my warm bed I can tell
you that the first day of May was raining cats and dogs as I
made my way up to the hill in the early hours only to arrive as
the Morris dancers were coming off the hill. Have you finished?
“Yes mate”, came the response from a person that that looked
like a drowned rat but at least I could mark it off my list.
The other thing that I wanted to
put on my to do list was to fish a river on the very first day
of the new river fishing season. That started on 16 June -
something that I have never done. So, with this in mind, I
decided to walk a river that I haven't fished since February
when the season closed. In February, the river in question was
a sorry sight. There was no vegetation on the river bank and no
weed in the river, but as I viewed the river for the first time
in three months, mother nature had done what mother nature will
do best if left alone. The river has once again come alive -
gin clear water takes the place of muddy, weed once again takes
its rightful place in the river, trees that line the river
provide coverage with their leaves for fish to hide under. Yes,
the river has come back to life. Already I have spotted a few
good size Pike in the river -now the only question is “Will I
be up at three in the morning?”
As I walked back along the bank I
was still thinking about the World Cup. What made up a normal
World Cup fan and what made him or her tick? So I decided to
ask the one and only commis chef with my list of questions.
The commis chef, whose knowledge
of football surpasses his knowledge of any other sport and proud
to fly the English flag, gave me an insight in to a fine
upstanding English supporter. Point number one is that he owns
and drives a French car, he watches a television that was made
in Japan, sits down on a chair that's made in Sweden, checks the
time on his Russian watch, then he pulls up his jeans that are
made in the USA, sips a German beer as he tucks into his Indian
take-away. At halftime he’s decided that it's a tad warm in his
flat so he opens the window only to admire a window box full of
French marigolds.
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The World Cup Omelette |
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When we serve omelettes in the restaurant people ask
me how is it that they are light and fluffy. Its
not rocket science but you do require the correct
pan when making the omelettes and that is one that
you can put in the oven.
This dish is just the thing to cook at half time so
on your marks and here we go.
Take three eggs and crack into a bowl whisk them up
with a little salt and pepper. As I am making a
plain cheese omelette I will add just a little of
the cheese to the raw eggs and mix in, get your pan
and pop it on to a good heat so it gets nice and
hot, draw off the heat and add a little oil of your
choice - not too much. Replace pan back on to a
high heat and add a small knob of margarine, not
butter as it will burn in the very hot pan. Add the
beaten eggs. Now with a fork move the mixture
around slightly in the pan add more grated cheese to
the omelette and then place the pan into a very hot
oven to cook.
The cooking time will not take long it depends on
how you like your eggs. But at some stage the
omelette will become all fluffy and ready to remove
from the oven. Please be very careful and use a dry
hand cloth (never ever use a damp cloth as heat will
travel though it). Carefully remove the pan get a
plate ready. There is no need to fold your
omelette. With the aid of a knife, slip it around
the pan and with the pan tilted at an angle the
omelette should slide onto the plate.
Serve with French fries, Russian salad, dressed with
a little Italian olive oil. A nice slice of German
rye bread, and maybe a nice warm glass of Dutch
beer.
I
am off now to cross another thing off my list of
things to do. Yes I am off home to watch England
play football and make a great omelette at half
time.
Its easy to make a bad omelette but not so easy to
make a good one.
But its like we say:
Vorspung Durch Technik!
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Colin Rushmore
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