Hot Caramelised Red Onion Chutney (Hot CROC)! A Somerfield wonder! I mentioned this stuff a while ago during a particularly bad week I had (I didn’t get to eat it then as I dropped and smashed the jar!) But recently I managed to get my hands on it again and so the Welsh Rarebit with Attitude ensues!
I’m not a food buff and anybody who knows me knows I don’t cook well, nor am I into buying gourmet items, but after living with my house mate Louis for some time I’ve gradually picked up ideas and some kitchen know-now. One of the recipes we tried from a Jamie Oliver book involved making Welsh Rarebit (cheese on toast for most of us), but using chutney to give it a little ‘attitude’. We didn’t even follow the recipe closely, missing out some ingredients, but the simple combination of this special chutney with some melted cheese on toast is incredible! I highly recommend it, and definitely advise getting hold of this particular chutney. I’ve tried others, but they don’t cut the mustard, so to speak. So, down to a nearby Somerfield for some Hot CROC!
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I should mention, apologies for the lack of updates recently, but I’m a little behind on University work. Hopefully I’ll be back on top of it soon. On another note, I recently heard this song one night bouncing from Louis’s laptop speakers. ‘Rasputin’ by the band ‘Boney M’, released in 1978. Apparently it was officially banned by the Soviet Union, according to the Wikipedia article on the band.
Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic who had an influence on the Russian emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. There were apparent rumours that Rasputin and the Emperor’s wife were intimately involved, rather than her just seeking Rasputin’s help as a friend. I guess this is what the song lyrics are referring to by ‘lover of the Russian Queen’ ^_^;. It is also said that Rasputin practised and preached that one can attain salvation through sin itself. I.e. Only once you have sinned can you begin the process of fully confessing and repenting, thereby becoming humble. As such, Rasputin is said to have indulged in the sinful practices of sex and alcohol with women who sought his ‘private’ blessings. I can only assume these practices are what the song refers to.
Anyway, without getting into a history lesson. Here it is. I just like the amusing lyrics and tunes, one of which sounds distinctly Monkey Island…
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More information about Rasputin (the man) here.
Rasputin
BONEY M
There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
Most people looked at him with terror and with fear
But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear
He could preach the Bible like a preacher
Full of extasy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire
Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra Ra Rasputin, Russian’s greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on
He ruled the Russian land and never mind the Tsar
But the kasachok he danced really wunderbar
In all affairs of state he was the man to please
But he was real great when he had a girl to squeeze
For the queen he was no wheeler dealer though she heard the things he’d done
She believed he was a holy healer who would heal her son
Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra Ra Rasputin, Russian’s greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on
But when his drinking and lusting and his hunger for power became known to more and more people the demands to do something about this outrageous man became louder and louder
Hey, hey, hey, hey….
This man’s just gotta go, declared his enemies
But the ladies begged, don’t you try to do it please
No doubt this Rasputin had lots of hidden charms
Though he was a brute they just fell into his arms
Then one night some men of higher standing set a trap, they’re not to blame
Come to vist us us, they kept demanding, and he really came
Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen
They put some poison into his wine
Ra Ras Rasputin, Russian’s greatest love machine
He drank it all and said I feel fine
Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen
They didn’t quit they wanted his head
Ra Ra Rasputin, Russian’s greatest love machine
And so they shot him till he was dead
Oh those Russians