When I went to the countryside last time, during one of those humid and foggy days, I was wearing my brown suede shoes. It was a big mistake. I really regret I haven't bought black rubber boots! When I was a child I did have them, ohhh yes, every child used to wear black rubber boots during rainy autumn days. Then we were free to jump in every puddle on our way to school...untill one small, quite invisible abyss started to filter the liquid and the puddle suddenly started to grow inside the boot!
That day was foggy, but I didn’t imagine that the river bank would be so full of wet rot. I couldn’t put my feet everywhere, the ground was very soft and muddy, all over covered with last yellowed and grey leaves. Even naked bushes were spotted with light grey spurts. I was walking on my tiptoe examining how solid was the ground beneath my feet. The atmosphere was mist-shrouded and the damp was fluctuating between trees and shrubs. I could only hear rumors of hidden birds, nothing I could see clearly. The day light was dull and milky white.
When I went our from the bushes with my semi-frozen hands full of rose hip branches, my shoes were not clean at all. I felt the weight of pasty mud stuck on the rubber sole. At least I haven’t dunked into cold mud, but I can still see few white traces of dry mud on the stitching that I couldn’t clean with the brush.
The very next day the sun was shining again and I didn't think about black rubber boots anymore. It happen often during winter months in the countryside that the fog disappears all of a sudden and the air became crisp and dry. I didn't went back to the river since that day. Probably the wild rose bushes are full of tiny joung buds now and the ground is less humid, but who knows, I still might need to wear rubber boots during my scouting near to the river.
That day was foggy, but I didn’t imagine that the river bank would be so full of wet rot. I couldn’t put my feet everywhere, the ground was very soft and muddy, all over covered with last yellowed and grey leaves. Even naked bushes were spotted with light grey spurts. I was walking on my tiptoe examining how solid was the ground beneath my feet. The atmosphere was mist-shrouded and the damp was fluctuating between trees and shrubs. I could only hear rumors of hidden birds, nothing I could see clearly. The day light was dull and milky white.
When I went our from the bushes with my semi-frozen hands full of rose hip branches, my shoes were not clean at all. I felt the weight of pasty mud stuck on the rubber sole. At least I haven’t dunked into cold mud, but I can still see few white traces of dry mud on the stitching that I couldn’t clean with the brush.
The very next day the sun was shining again and I didn't think about black rubber boots anymore. It happen often during winter months in the countryside that the fog disappears all of a sudden and the air became crisp and dry. I didn't went back to the river since that day. Probably the wild rose bushes are full of tiny joung buds now and the ground is less humid, but who knows, I still might need to wear rubber boots during my scouting near to the river.
In last years I'm discovering so many different "old" varieties of fruits and vegetables, so it happened with these pears. I've found an old Italian variety of pears called "Maderna" from Piedmont. Its sweet fruits are very solid and has white pulp. It's perfect to be consumed boiled. I've combined it with the red pomegranate syrup to give to the pears some colour without adding any alcohol like red vine or other kind of red spirit to it.
PEARES POACHED IN POMEGRANATE SYRUP
For the syrup:
2 big pomegranate fruits = 700 gr of clean grains
350 gr of sugar
350 gr of sugar
1 lemon, only juice
6 small pears
Clean pomegranates with care, eliminate all skins, because are bitter.
Press the grains, drain the juice and eliminate all seeds.
Add sugar and lemon juice.
Put to boil on low heat.
Peel the pears leaving the stalk, put the pears in the syrup and boil on very low heat for about 30 min. until the pears get soft.
Do not overcook the pears.
Press the grains, drain the juice and eliminate all seeds.
Add sugar and lemon juice.
Put to boil on low heat.
Peel the pears leaving the stalk, put the pears in the syrup and boil on very low heat for about 30 min. until the pears get soft.
Do not overcook the pears.
*I like to eat still warm, but I find them very tasty even cold.
Per lo sciroppo:
2 melagrane grandi = 700 gr di chicchi puliti
350 gr di zucchero
1 limone, solo succo
6 pere piccole
Pulire le melagrane con cura eliminando tutte le pellicine bianche perché sono amare.
Schiacciare i chicchi, filtrare il succo ed eliminare i semi.
Aggiungere lo zucchero e il succo di limone.
Far bollire a fuoco lento.
Pelare le pere, ma lasciare il picciolo attaccato, immergere le pere nello sciroppo e continuare la cottura a fuoco molto lento per circa 30 min. fino a quando le pere non diventeranno morbide.
Non cuocere troppo le pere.
*Mi piace mangiarle tiepide, ma sono altrettanto buone fredde!
Schiacciare i chicchi, filtrare il succo ed eliminare i semi.
Aggiungere lo zucchero e il succo di limone.
Far bollire a fuoco lento.
Pelare le pere, ma lasciare il picciolo attaccato, immergere le pere nello sciroppo e continuare la cottura a fuoco molto lento per circa 30 min. fino a quando le pere non diventeranno morbide.
Non cuocere troppo le pere.
*Mi piace mangiarle tiepide, ma sono altrettanto buone fredde!
Za sirup:
2 velika nara = 700 gr čistog zrnja
350 gr šećera
1 limun, samo sok
6 malih krušaka
Pažljivo očistiti nar i odstraniti svu bijelu kožicu, jer je gorka.
Zgnječiti zrnje, procijediti sok i odstraniti sve sjemenke.
Dotati šećer i sok od limuna.
Zakuhati i ostaviti da vrlo lagano vrije.
Oguliti kruške, ali ostativi peteljku, potopiti kruške u sirup i nastaviti kuhati na vrlo laganoj vatri oko 30 min. da kruške omekšaju.
Netreba prekuhati kruške.
*Ja volim pojesti kruške dok su tople, ali su isto jako fine hladne!
Prekrasne fotografije, topla, draga priča, izvrstan recept :) hvala ti, draga Aleksandra, obasjala si mi jutro!
RispondiEliminaDraga Marija, ove riječi mi puno znače! Odmah je i meni dan osunčan. A recept i je i nije, u zadnje vrijeme imam onu takozvanu "umjetničku blokadu"!
Elimina