chapter XXIV - holidays 03

My only other memories of any childhood holidays involves my father's brother; my Uncle Vic. He was an RAF Officer. As such he was posted all over the world; my cousins therefore I always considered to be very lucky as they were brought up all over the place. 

On a home posting though, I remember we visited them in either Hemel Hemstead or Shrewsbury. I remember that trip because it was there and then, that I had a few memorable culinary moments.

butter with peanuts in it?

Maybe the first morning of our stay, we were sat at the table with our toast and cereal and amongst all usual spreads and toppings for the toast was thing called peanut butter. Peanut butter? Quite a commonly seen product now, but in the late 60's it was quite 'exotic' and American; only seen in American TV shows and movies. What was it? What was peanut 'butter' was it butter with peanuts in? I had no idea, and I remember not wanting to ask be shown up in front of my cousins. So I just stuck to my jam and waited with baited breath, waited in hope one of my cousins would have this intriguing product. It was that very morning I fell in love with this yummy spread. Although I think it might have been years before I saw it again. 

a buffet by any other name

That was the introduction to our stay. Literally, the grand finale was just as memorable. For our final evening meal of that stay, my Aunty June put on a Mezze. Again, quite a common place thing now. But who the hell had heard of a buffet meal at home back then? What was the point of putting lots of different foods out on lots of plates, and just causing all that extra washing up? (he types hearing his mother's voice whispering out those very words) After all meals were just one plate, with all the food put onto it in the kitchen and put in front of you! 

Especially when it had an exotic, foreign name. And even more especially, when it had exotic, foreign foods in it. Foods like melon. There were no doubt other foods, but I re ember that meal for melon. Like peanut butter, I had never had melon before. Yellow skinned, large and soft fleshed; all cut into the wedges they sat there on the plate like little boats all afloat. 

But I still remember that first bite into it. The juiciness, the sweetness, the juice dribbling down my chin. The way after two more slices, the corners of my mouth became quite sore from the melon skin cutting into them.

malta 

In my early teens, my mother, myself and my younger sister went to Malta for 2 weeks. Again to visit my Uncle Vic, I am not sure but I suspect at the generousity of my Uncle, because I can't imagine my mother being able to afford the air fares. 

You would think given it was our first time flying, our first time going overseas I would remember it so vividly, that I would remember the flight minute by minute. Sad to say though, I only remember two things about the flight out and back. Firstly we hit some turbulence and while I thought it wildly exciting, my mother went as white as white with fear. Mind you this is the same lady that would wake us up at night if there was a thunderstorm, "to make sure we weren't scared" and to let us know we could sleep in with her if we wanted!

olives and green sweets

The second fond memory is that of a meal served. Amongst it all were these little round, green things stuffed with some other red stuff. Yes olives! My mother and sister hated them, I loved them. Actually I am torn now between whether I did actually like them, or whether it was just a case of "more free food for me". Whatever it was it started my love for olives. 

It was through this latter form of thinking that formed my love of all green sweets. Green sweets? Aye, well every kid loves the red or purple ones first and always the green one's (lemon/lime) last. Buying learning to like them, I always got free sweets! ;-)

The picture here is bit of "a had". Olives do not grown like grapes in various colours. They all start of black and from there it is basically a case of stages of ripeness (and to some degree processing). Did you know that they use caustic soda in the process?

tapenade
An olive puree by any other name would taste ..... But did you know the name is actually derived from an old French word for capers; tapenas?!? So, any good tapenade recipe must include capers, or it is just an olive puree not a tapenade. Great as a dip, as a spread or to form part of a stuffing or filling. If, like me, your an olive-itte, there is nothing better. For me, it has to be the purplish olives though, the stark black ones lack flavour and the flavour of the ripened green ones just do not cut it.

My recipe is a guideline only. Each ingredient is best adjusted to suit one's own taste buds.

recipe - tapenade
001 cup pitted olives  (purple)
002 tbs  capers
004 pc   anchovy fillets
001 pc   garlic clove   (large)
001 pc   lime 
              French mustard
              parsley
              e.v.olive oil

recipe - method of preparation
Chop the olives and capers to a chunky paste (or pulse in a food processor). Place into a bowl and add the chopped anchovy fillets and pureed garlic clove. Stir to combine thoroughly. Loosen up the mixture by vigorously stirring in some olive oil. Squeeze in a little lime juice to taste and a little mustard. Add some chopped parsley, taste and adjust with more lime juice and mustard if required. 

coca cola

In a previous chapter I blogged about what we tended to drink as kids, and how fizzy pop in our house was a rarity. None more rare that Coca Cola. I don't remembering encountering coke really until that trip to Malta. 

I remember how amazed and impressed I was, that in my Uncle Vic's fridge was not only bottles of coke, but also bottles of 7Up. Not only that they were in small individual bottles! Seems so strange now, but small bottles were a rarity in the UK, fizzy pop usually came in large 1 or 2 pint bottles. I remember how amazed and impressed I was ..... I remember further how lucky my cousins were to have fizzy pop like this whenever they wanted. 

There has always been this thing about how the British drink their beer warm. Compared to the USA, NZ and Aus, I suppose they do. In reality though, it's was not so much warm, as just not refrigerated or chilled to an inch of its life (just how I prefer my beer to be honest). The same can be said for the fizzy pop, no one in the UK kept it in the fridge, including the shops. So drinking ice cold coke and 7Up was quite a revelation to this young teenager. I remember when we went out in Malta how cheap it was too.

To this day, I am addicted to olives, peanut butter and coca cola.

Next week - I start my "cooking with mamon wellman" blog ......