The peacock orchid, or Acidanthera bicolor, is actually not an orchid at all. It's a close relative of the gladiolus, native to Ethiopia, and it takes a very, very long time to flower. I planted these in early May, and the first few have finally started to bloom!
Plant them under a window, so that their sweet fragrance wafts through when the wind blows.
This year, we decided to indulge in a few small pots of hot peppers for the container garden. I went for a varied collection and ended up with Habañero, Hot Portugal, Thai Dragon, and these:
The peppers took weeks to grow tiny blossoms...
... and then, in the blink of an eye, we had plump little peppers everywhere! The weather here has vascillated wildly between searing heat and cooling thunderstorms, and it seems that the peppers have enjoyed it far more than we have.
We have been trying to use up these little pods of fiery goodness as fast as we can, since they can be eaten at any stage. If you let them grow long enough they turn yellowish-green, then bright rusty orange, and finally a sizzling shade of red.
These chilis work especially well in one of our favourite curries (original recipe courtesy of Gourmet). This is the first curry I ever made, and my paper copy is now smudged and well-worn. Because I can't leave recipes alone, I offer my own tweaked version here. If you have the time or a willing friend/sous-chef and can make two curries, this goes very well alongside a tomato-based jhalfrazi or a creamy yogurt-based korma.
Coconut Chicken Curry
Serves 6
3 medium-sized yellow onions, diced
6 shallots, peeled
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
one 2-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled
3 tablespoons curry powder or curry paste
one 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons safflower or other high-heat-tolerant oil
one fresh chili , chopped (optional)
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1 star anise
1-2 teaspoons salt + more to taste if needed
3 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
In a food processor or with a knife, mince shallots, garlic, and ginger.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt just before browning. In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot and brown chicken, transferring to a large plate when done. You may need to do this in a few batches.
When the chicken is done, add onions to the pan and saute until translucent and golden, stirring frequently. Add shallot paste and curry powder and and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chicken (with any juices that have accumulated on the plate) and remaining ingredients, and turn the heat to low. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Taste and correct for salt.
Discard cinnamon stick, clove, and star anise. Serve over rice.
The first oriental lilies have bloomed, vivid pink and sweetly fragrant. It looks as though we will see many more blossoms this week!
When I said (yesterday) that our snapdragons were going to bloom soon, I had no idea that we would have 12 blossoms this morning!
I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so there's not much cooking going on around here at the moment. Perhaps L and I will be up for making something later today. Given the cool weather and my icky state, I'm thinking that some comforting soup might be in order.
Freesia
The humid heatwave we experienced last week (ugh!) seems to have encouraged all the plants on the porch to grow exponentially (hooray!). We somehow managed to keep up our watering schedule, even though it was so hot that we found ourselves watering the thirstiest plants twice a day. I was, naturally, most worried about the spicy peppers, but they seem to have pulled through just fine.
Thankfully, the weather has cooled down a bit for the weekend, and we can turn off the air conditioners and open the windows again.
The freesia- a favourite in bouquets (and high school prom corsages) because of its heady fragrance and long cut-flower life- produced its first blossoms this morning. A mix of hot orange, bright red and wine colours, they're already attracting the neighborhood bees and butterflies!
Freesia
The Matsumoto Asters have started to bloom, too, and it looks as though the snapdragons aren't too far behind. The gladiolus and oriental lilies still have a few weeks to go.
Matsumoto Aster
I am feeling refreshed after a blissfully lazy weekend. We didn't do much of anything, and though we didn't make it to the Greek Festival held yearly at a nearby church, we did get takeout from my favourite Greek restaurant. I do love to cook, but taking breaks and enjoying the unusually cool air in our kitchen are welcome treats.
The poppies on the porch are blooming like mad. Their vivid colours remind me of summer fruit, and perhaps they will inspire me in the kitchen!
