HOME MADE CRISPS AND MORE SNOW!

       

                                 

          HUNKERING DOWN

The view through the windows was singularly uninspiring this morning,and in spite of the fact that I made everyone coffee at seven thirty it was after ten before we were all assembled for breakfast.

Now I must admit that I had made the coffee rather earlier than usual......and not for the first time,you see I have two rather attractive old clocks in my bedroom,both of which a extremely erratic at times and difficult to read all the time. In other words dear friends I made the morning coffee exactly one hour too early.

Neither was this accidental transgression allowed to go unmarked,it was in fact remarked upon ad nausium all through breakfast. Dodgy old clocks and extreme short sight we not allowed to excuse my shocking crime. Suitably chastened I washed the dishes...alone.

As we all set about our daily tasks it began to snow,tiny white pips at first ,but soon great goose feather flakes were swirling all around .The east wind howled once again throughout the house,I made more coffee and added another sweater.

The snow filled sky gave an eerie light and perhaps it was this which made us all congregate in the warm bright kitchen to drink our coffee . Then and there we decided to blazes with chores, I set to work to make a huge bowl of home made crisps while the boys set out a favourite game for us to play.

HOME MADE VEGETABLE CRISPS

1 potato

1 large carrot

1 parsnip

1 small turnip.

Corn oil

salt

Peel the vegetables and using a mandolin or a Y peeler slice very thinly. Keep the different vegetable slices separate as the cook at slightly different times.

Pour about an inch of oil into a wok and get it very hot.

Starting with the potato slices scatter a few on to the hot oil ,turn them in the oil using a slotted spoon until they are as brown and crisp as you like them (we like ours quite dark,especially the parsnips) then drain off the excess fat and place them onto a tray covered with kitchen paper to cool.

Repeat the process until all the potatoes are used up ,next the parsnip followed by the carrot and lastly the turnip.

Line a bowl with kitchen paper and as the crisps cool transfer each batch on to the clean paper. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve.

If you use potatoes only sprinkle on a little onion powder and a little finely grated parmigiana, or black pepper and salt ,even dried herbs are rather nice ,see what you think.