Following my previous post on unimportant trivia, today's musing of mine might be equally boring to you. I've been thinking about light bulbs recently. Turn to some other website if you are not interested in light bulbs.
Every time a light bulb pops (goes off, I mean) in my house I get truly depressed. I have to go to a hardware shop or a lighting equipment shop. I have to stand in front of a vast collection of light bulbs and make a decision. I don't know if it's just in the UK, but choosing a right light bulb is a nightmare. I didn't even know that a standard light bulbs are called "incandescent light bulbs". How the hell do you pronounce that?! I know that they are banned because of EU law, but they are still sold for some reason.
Then there are CFL, LED, GU10, Energy Savers, Halogen, to name a few. Each has at least 3 to 4 different colours, shapes, fittings, wattage, voltage, and price. How many choices does this make? 144. OK, one shop might not have all the collections, but I always stand in front of the shelf for good ten minutes inspecting the differences, by which time I can't remember which type I actually needed.
I realise that the ban on 'incandescent light bulbs' has a good reason. It's an environmental issue. But when an authority decides to change a law or a system, they have to explain thoroughly the differences between the old and the new. Of course I search for the answers on internet. They are still un-understandable. My concluding decision is always to buy the banned ones...
p.s. Why don't I buy the same one which I bought previously? I throw away the package and I don't know which I have, plus shops tend to re-arrange their shelves too often for my liking.
This recipe is Jamie Oliver's. I think he is a genius. If you can't get hold of Lancashire cheese, which is sharp and crumbly, you could use feta :)
Ingredients (for 20cmx30cm tin):
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
500g asparagus, woody ends removed
200g filo pastry
100g butter, melted
100g freshly grated Lancashire cheese
100g freshly grated Cheddar cheese
3 large eggs
1x284ml pot of double cream (I used crème fraîche)
1/4 of a nutmeg (I didn't use this)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 190C.
Put your potatoes into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile blanch your asparagus in a separate pan of boiling water for 4 minutes, and drain in a colander.
Layer the sheets of filo pastry in the tin, brushing them with melted butter as you go and letting about 2.5cm hang over the edge. You want to get the pastry about five layers thick. Put a clean, damp tea towel over the top and put to one side.
When the potatoes are done, mash them with the cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and cream and stir into your cheesy mashed potato. Grate in the nutmeg, season well with pepper and mix together.
Spread the mashed potato over the filo pastry, then bring up the sides of the filo and scrunch them together to form a rim. Take your blanched asparagus and line them up across the filling, making sure you cover it all. Brush all over with the remaining melted butter and pop into the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.