The Me 'N' You at Chez Apollo

 The Me 'N' You At Chez Apollo

 

ME ‘N’ YOU

 

INCREDIBLE MUNCHES AT 

CHEZ APOLLO

 

FISH (AGAIN, COLIN)

 

Cod in Crumb

Plaice in Crumb

Cod in Butter Sauce

 

MEAT

 

Bangers and Cash (and gravy)

Sliver and Snunions (also with gravy)

Chicken with Auntie Bessie’s Yorkshire Puds

 

PIES

 

Cumberland Poi… with Naughty Sautees…

Cottage Pie with pots and veg

Shepherd’s Pie also with pots and veg

 

Beef Casserole with dimples (and pots and veg)

Dick Dastardly’s Paarstie (also with pots and veg)

 

HOUSE SPECIALTIES

 

Alexandra's Amazing Stew (with everything in it!)

 

Spagghie Bol

 

(These two dishes require 24 hours’ notice)

 

AND WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS…        

 

Beanies on Four Slices of Toast, with Lashings of Butter…

Christmas Day (and Boxing Day)

Christmas is the time for roast turkey, with my incomparable (so I am reliably assured) roast potatoes, and cranberry sauce, accompanied by carrots, peas, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, swede and broccoli. I also prepare Yorkshire puddings, and gravy; no-one overeats, but everyone has a choice of something they really like!

 

AND DON’T FORGET:  SUMMERTIME BRINGS SALADS!

 

Anyone trying to read one of our shopping lists would surely become a tad confused. We use imaginative words; made-up words; words that rhyme; words perhaps inspired by the lyrics of a song from the film, Mary Poppins; and occasionally, just plain English, which probably sends anyone trying to decipher our lists into some sort of hyper spin. 

Here are a very few examples - followed by their translations:

1. Cuedelidowndicumbles (try saying Cue-deli-down-di-cumbles - you'll soon remember it! And then try it backwards, which is Cumbles-di-down-deli-cue... which is, of course quite ridiculous!)

2. Follycowers

3. Sven (inspired by the late Football Manager, Sven Goren Ericson)

4. Snarpips

5. Snunions

6. Kitchen tiles

Well, that's probably quite enough for now... And the answers are:

 

1. Cucumbers  2. Cauliflowers 3. Swede (Well, Sven was from Sweden, wasn't he?) 4. Parsnips 

5. Onions 6. Kitchen towels. (A take-off of ultra-well-spoken people who pronounce towels as tiles)

And now to my Me'n'You - Menu...

"Fish Again, Colin..." recalls an ad on the telly from yesteryear; the poor man of the house looking sadly at his dog, uttering the memorable line: "Fish again, Colin..." (How many times had he had it before?)

Bangers and Cash - Sausages and mash potatoes (There is also a programme on T.V. called Bangers and Cash - selling old cars at auction, but that's another story entirely.)

Sliver and Snunions - Lamb's liver and onions

Cumberland Pie (pronouncing Pie as "Poi" is really more to do with Cornwall! but that's poetic licence for you...) and they are only "naughty sautéed" because I shallow cook them very slowly, in lots of butter, turning them constantly, until they are golden brown and crisp and delicious - and no, frying them in oil is not the same!

Beef Casserole with dumplings (dimples are much prettier, don't you think?)

Dick Dastardly, along with his canine sidekick Muttley, is a wicked character from the Wacky Races; and because a Cornish pastie is from Cornwall, it is best pronounced with a good west country accent: Cornish Paasrtie!"

My amazing stew (call it Lancashire Hot Pot, if you like!) and Spaghetti Bolognese, are all made slowly, and simmered for a long time over a low heat. I do not use a Microwave; you cannot hurry a proper north country stew.   

Beans on Toast - brought gently to bubbling point, and then poured over 4 slices of well-buttered toast, with extra butter dotted on top. Delicious. (These dishes are special treats; I'm not suggesting lashings of butter on everything we eat!)

And then the healthy summertime treats: Alexandra's Super Salads. A bed of lettuce, with diced carrot and celery; peppers (of various hues - yellow, red and orange), cucumber, tomatoes, radishes and beetroot, all topped off by a couple of sliced hard-boiled eggs. This is not a "side dish." This is a platter that has to be eaten slowly, savoured and enjoyed. It is not to be rushed!

I have never liked the idea of a chef in the kitchen, however famous, talented and creative, stressed out and screaming at his staff. Everything I make is prepared with forethought, with care, and with love. 

Thanks to my Grandma, and my Mum, I like cooking properly; please savour the results!