Tea with Gabrielle…

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting some more. It’s been a weird old weekend, with Cyclone Gabrielle bearing down on Aotearoa. I felt like I was in holding mode, restless, and unable to concentrate. Like Covid lockdown but with more candles and crappier weather. Well, Gabby’s well & truly arrived, its raining, grey as heck & the wind is REALLY picking up. I normally love all the trees on my little street, not so much when you worry they might be coming to join you on the sofa. I try not to bang on too much about the weather, but suffice to say this summer has been pants!

A lot of the area is still getting over the flooding from a few weeks ago, so not best pleased about more rain, plus storm force winds to boot. We have moved all the outdoor furniture to safety , stocked up on food, candles, water and wine (priorities people!) , not much to do now but drink tea (then wine when the non existent sun makes it over the yard arm…) and wait.

So to divert my mind from the precarious state of my neighbours gazebo (which I very much hope does not end up in my garden later this evening) lets talk sewing, much less stressful.

This is The Assembly Line Cuff Top pattern . Now you may be noticing the lack of a cuff? Well yes, several choices there. One, I didn’t actually have any appropriate elastic (kind of a game changer on this one) but also, the width and structure of the fabric. I brought this beautiful Japanese linen cotton blend from Miss Maude without paying much attention to the width , a measly 109 cm. Hmmm, what could inattentive, and lets be honest not teeny tiny Kristina make using 1.6 m of not terribly wide fabric?

I have made the Cuff Top before, but obviously had to make a few adjustments for my lack of elastic/ability to measure fabric so we ditched about 10 cm of sleeve length and the cuff. As you can see, due to not having to encase the elastic the sleeves are still a totally acceptable length. I actually like the heft the linen cotton provides, giving more of a structural shape to the sleeve. A win in my book.

It’s also been a useful exercise in thinking a bit more laterally, I have some lovely vintage fabrics and silk in my stash that are quite narrow widths, I need to think about how I can use them with my existing patterns.

As you know I do love a good brooch, this is one I found in Melbourne back in 2009 , I remember because we were on hols for a long weekend and it was the day Michael Jackson died . Mr D had gone to watch the first half on an AFL game at the MCG* and I stayed behind in our hotel watching endless media coverage of Michaels death and remembering how much I loved the genius of Thriller and how sad his life had become. I’ve never had a TV in our bedroom so watching anything sitting in/on a bed is such a novelty! Yes, I should get out more 🙂

Anyway, at half time we had organised to meet at Greg Malouf’s fabulous Lebanese restaurant Momo for dinner. I remember being so pleased wearing my lovely new brooch, brought at a little antiques shop near the Hill of Content bookshop, where we spent a very happy hour browsing. I brought a book on French embroidery which I still have. I’m not a huge shopper, but I do love when I’m on hols buying something I know will last, and remind me of the place I’m in every time I use/look/smell it. Every time I wear my little Bakelite flower brooch I think of that lovely day, and the amazing meal we sheared. Ok and Michael Jackson. Can’t win them all.

Speaking of amazing meals (did you like that seamless segue?) , here is one I prepared earlier. Ok amazing is pushing it, but comfort food par excellence and healthy to boot .

This is a Rick Stein recipe, from his wonderful India cookbook. Obviously I can’t speak to authenticity, but it’s flippin tasty and just the ticket for my Mum and three sisters who all had Covid, boo! Lentils are a great source of protein, and I know if I’m feeling a bit rubbish, soup seems easier to manage than a full meal. A tarka is just a garnish that is fried at the last minute then topped/stirred into a dish, I stirred mine in as I was delivering this to eat at a later date.

200g yellow tur dal, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 green chillies, slit lengthways (I used one as Mum isn’t a chilli fan)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
small handful fresh curry leaves (or from the freezer…)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric

For the tarka

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 shallots, finely chopped (could also use a small red or white onion)
4 dried Kashmiri chillies, each broken into 3 pieces (or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes)
about 15 fresh curry leaves (again, from the freezer)
handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
Method

Put the dal into a large saucepan and add water to cover by about 4cm. Add all the remaining dal ingredients, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 45–60 minutes. The dal should be soft but still with a little bite. Use a potato masher to break up about half of the lentils, being sure to leave plenty of texture.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they pop. Stir in the shallots, Kashmiri chillies and curry leaves and fry for 2–3 minutes until the shallots are softened and golden.

Spoon the tarka on top of the dal, sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

I packed up the soup for the whanau, I had mine over rice with a boiled egg, a dollop of yogurt and some pickle for lunch, really tasty and sustaining. Vege soup and Butter Chicken completed the trio .

I hope where ever you are its safe and dry, we shall ride out a bumpy night and see you on the other side friends x

Kristina x

P.S. AFL is Australian Rules Football, a descendant of Gaelic football, played on a huge field by impossibly fit blokes with impressive biceps (just an observation) . The MCG is the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the worlds great stadiums, highly recommend the tour.