@Margaret63 - Wow - Black Opium: You are some woman!!!
"Confident & bold, the BLACK OPIUM woman embodies the new Yves Saint Laurent spirit. She expresses a femininity glamourous yet impertinent. Always searching for new experiences, nothing will stop her. THE FRAGRANCE The electrifying energy of black coffee meets the assertive femininity of white flowers. A vibrant, sensual and addictive contrast of light and dark. Black coffee accord - Orange blossom - Cedarwood - Patchouli "
Which got me searching for a perfume - again - I do have the tiniest bottle of pure rose scent, which I use at times just in dots round my body - but am running out of. Trouble is, I cannot remember where or how I got it - I do tend to buy on-line, but sometimes rummage in those 'Indian' shops where they sell strangely printed materials (from India, or Indonesia etc.) but there are fewer of those around now.
Good luck - re 'Marinara' recipes - easy to do, mine is a bit complex (I like complex!) but it is easy to throw together when in a hurry.
When I have chicken soup (also home-made) I use that as a base, not fish. approx. same amount in weight of veggies as Marinara, (Woolworths fish counter) the actual fishy bits are fried separately - only lightly, but also flavoured.
The harder vegetables like beans or carrots, I usually cook over hot water in a sieve, until just biting consistency.
The little yellow pumpkins, are purely for decoration, because they are expensive. The kernels from 1 or 2 cobs of corn.
The original uses a lot of fresh tomatoes, I use the Italian straight pasta sauce in bottles (1/2 bottle), or the small concentrated square container ones.
So marinara (which is a mix of various kinds of shellfish mussels and prawns and also fish, I add an extra bit of fish to it) is fried in pre-fried onions, garlic, then dusted with paprika and curry powder - put aside.
Veggies can be cooked in one pot, I cook them separately, also like to use some asparagus, then combine with the cooked marinara, add more liquid, add coconut cream or just coconut milk, mix in some thickener (I use 1 tblspn of arrowroot flour) - adjust taste, maybe add a touch of brown sugar, salt, a squeeze of lime and finish off with finely chopped Cilantro - some people don't like this herb, I love it.
The final taste should be a little bit (or a lot, if liked) spicey, but refined. The coconut flavour softens it. Play around with the sweet-sour, hot-spicey to mild tastes at the end. Your tools: lime, brown sugar, salt, curry.
and if you don't have chicken stock, you can use those flavour cubes, Massel make (I use Massel, because they are gluten-free)
I always use fresh everything, except for the tomatoes - but you can use canned corn.
when I have guests, I usually have a few extra-large prawns which get fried quickly and then put on top of the soup.
Bon apetit
Taurisk
) funny enough , the family had dinner at our local Sarba's a week or so ago and I actually ordered Spaghetti Marinara...all I can say is there was shells with yummy little bites in them ?, I was too busy devouring the rest of this delicious dish ....compliments to the establishment in all area's of satisfaction and service.....look forward to returning again ....
