Sunday lunch – in new surroundings

Today I'm cooking my first Sunday lunch in my new kitchen. Last Sunday was actually the first one I spent in my new home, but both my mother and I decided that we deserved a break after the stressful move. We therefore had lunch at our usual Italian restaurant, where we met up with my uncle and aunt. .They’re both almost ninety and live in a complex of service flats for senior citizens, which is located some 500 metres from my place. The restaurant is just halfway, which is handy for all.

We had a very nice lunch, enjoying the food, which was excellent, the wine and the company. The main conversation topic was … of course … my recent move.

But today it’s back to reality. As some of my pots and pans are still in packing cases, I decided to KISS = Keep It Simple and Stupid! Hence, I got a nice plump chicken from my butcher, some green beans, and organically grown potatoes. I rummaged through some of the boxes carrying the label ‘kitchen’ and after a while found my faithful chicken brick.

Sunday lunch ingredients.
Don't you just love the tiles? ... They look fabulous with my new red wall!

Yesterday I cleaned and parboiled the beans. I also soaked the chicken brick in water, where I let it sit overnight, so that it could gorge itself with H2O, the main ingredient to obtain a nice and juicy braised chicken. I also managed to locate my jar of mild paprika powder. So there should be no reason for the chicken to taste any different from what it used to taste in the old apartment!

The new stove takes a bit of getting used to … In fact; it’s a case of back to basics. I used to have a similar electric stove in my first apartment, where I lived from 1980 till 2001. In my former kitchen I had made a leap into the future and for ten years enjoyed cooking on a vitro-ceramic top. It’s so much easier to control the heat on these tops, as there is almost no residual heat.

My 'new' dining room, with the famous sideboard
and old dining table and chairs.

Oops ... I forgot to put out the bottle of wine!

But never mind. The advantage of the vitro-ceramic top could no longer weigh up against the ugly damp stain that has been haunting me for the last 18 months. I bet that that classic paprika chicken, baked potatoes and green beans with mayonnaise and a nice bottle of Côtes-du-Rhône will taste delicious in my new surroundings.