We did consider going for a picnic in the Botanical Gardens, but concluded that it would be far too much effort and easier, not to mention just as pleasant, to have lunch outside our flat. Not only did this capitalise on the fab weather, it also dealt with some leftovers, "European Style." We had the minestrone and crepes-canneloni from the other night, and I whipped up a quick pasta salad. It is based on one I have eaten at Tim's place a few times, (I believe it is his Mum's recipe and a family favourite.) I can't say that mine was as good as the original, but still pretty moreish. I boiled up some pasta spirals, ran them under cold water, and then added sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil and chopped celery. I also made a batch of rhubarb muffins from Nigella's Feast, which made a small dent in my enormous bunch of the stuff.
Above: The chopped rhubarb for the muffins - look how pink it is!
The muffin recipe is very easy, as most tend to be. While they were baking, we had our lunch, with a table fashioned from Stefan's chilly bin.
Above: Pasta Salad, Minestrone, Crepes-Canneloni...
Can I just say that the Minestrone tasted a trillion times nicer after its time in the fridge? Make it before you even think you might want it, is my advice. We managed to put away quite a lot, and it was lovely sitting out there in the sun. We had Rufus Wainwright on the stereo because we are seeing him in concert next year (am Very Excited about it - for those of you who don't know, he's the guy who sang Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for the movie Shrek) After eating all that, plus wine and beer (European Style!) I wasn't sure we'd have room for muffins but...look at these babies.
Above: These muffins were awesome - soft and warm from the oven, with a great sweet-sour contrast from the brown sugar sprinkled on top and rhubarb encased within. What a great day...back to work tomorrow though!
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