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Boss left yesterday, by car -- we had to meet one last time, so he could hand over the keys to the residence, phone etc.
It's funny, really, what with him being such a private creature, that he gave me the phone (which belongs to the Embassy not to him) and asked me to delete all the messages, contacts etc., since he hadn't had the time to do it himself. Plus, he asked to salvage the pictures if possible (it was) before deleting those, too.
Then a final bear hug, and he said, "But we were good together, weren't we?"
"We were effing brilliant," I said. (Fortunately I'd already cried my eyes out on Friday, so I was able to retain my composure)
Then I toddled off to do some grocery shopping, went home, lazed the afternoon away reading and cuddling the Critters, and for dinner I made stuffed peppers. Slightly different from how my mother made them, but very yummy. Here's the recipe:
Two bell peppers per person -- if you choose green ones, the taste will be a bit more pungent
Boil a handful of rice in salt water
Meanwhile, chop two onions and blitz three or four carrots (raw) in the blender, fry both in oil at medium temperature and, after about 10 minutes, add chopped tomatoes (or tomatoes from the tin, or both). Add salt and -- if you like it spicy -- a bit of cayenne pepper, reduce the temperature, put a lid on the pot and let simmer till you're done with the rest. The lid is important, because the liquid shouldn't evaporate -- that happens later, in the oven. (Feel free to further enrich the sauce with courgettes and/or mushrooms; herbs like basil or thyme would also be nice)
Take the stem and upper bit off the peppers, clean of seeds and white bits. Very carefully cut a little bit off the other end, without cutting them open -- just enough so they remain upright.
Mix minced meat with the boiled rice, chopped parsley, two cloves of garlic, pepper and salt. Stuff mixture into the peppers.
Pour the tomato sauce into a lasagna dish and put in the stuffed peppers, standing upright. They ought to be in the sauce up to the middle, or a bit higher. If you have more stuffing than you need, form meatballs and put them in the sauce.
Put the pan into the oven at about 180°, reduce to 150 after about 40 minutes. Total oven time 1,5 hrs. If you feel particularly decadent, sprinkle the peppers with grated cheese about 10-15 minutes before you take them out of the oven.
About 30-40 minutes before you want to eat, prepare the rice (I know some people eat this dish with boiled potatoes, but I think it's a lot better with rice)
And that's it.
The good thing is, if there's leftover sauce and/or meatballs, you can either eat it the next day (gets even better), or, if there's too little for a full meal, boil some spaghetti and top them with the sauce (and meatballs).
It's funny, really, what with him being such a private creature, that he gave me the phone (which belongs to the Embassy not to him) and asked me to delete all the messages, contacts etc., since he hadn't had the time to do it himself. Plus, he asked to salvage the pictures if possible (it was) before deleting those, too.
Then a final bear hug, and he said, "But we were good together, weren't we?"
"We were effing brilliant," I said. (Fortunately I'd already cried my eyes out on Friday, so I was able to retain my composure)
Then I toddled off to do some grocery shopping, went home, lazed the afternoon away reading and cuddling the Critters, and for dinner I made stuffed peppers. Slightly different from how my mother made them, but very yummy. Here's the recipe:
Two bell peppers per person -- if you choose green ones, the taste will be a bit more pungent
Boil a handful of rice in salt water
Meanwhile, chop two onions and blitz three or four carrots (raw) in the blender, fry both in oil at medium temperature and, after about 10 minutes, add chopped tomatoes (or tomatoes from the tin, or both). Add salt and -- if you like it spicy -- a bit of cayenne pepper, reduce the temperature, put a lid on the pot and let simmer till you're done with the rest. The lid is important, because the liquid shouldn't evaporate -- that happens later, in the oven. (Feel free to further enrich the sauce with courgettes and/or mushrooms; herbs like basil or thyme would also be nice)
Take the stem and upper bit off the peppers, clean of seeds and white bits. Very carefully cut a little bit off the other end, without cutting them open -- just enough so they remain upright.
Mix minced meat with the boiled rice, chopped parsley, two cloves of garlic, pepper and salt. Stuff mixture into the peppers.
Pour the tomato sauce into a lasagna dish and put in the stuffed peppers, standing upright. They ought to be in the sauce up to the middle, or a bit higher. If you have more stuffing than you need, form meatballs and put them in the sauce.
Put the pan into the oven at about 180°, reduce to 150 after about 40 minutes. Total oven time 1,5 hrs. If you feel particularly decadent, sprinkle the peppers with grated cheese about 10-15 minutes before you take them out of the oven.
About 30-40 minutes before you want to eat, prepare the rice (I know some people eat this dish with boiled potatoes, but I think it's a lot better with rice)
And that's it.
The good thing is, if there's leftover sauce and/or meatballs, you can either eat it the next day (gets even better), or, if there's too little for a full meal, boil some spaghetti and top them with the sauce (and meatballs).
