MATRYOSHKA DOLLS
Matryoshka Dolls, or Babushka Dolls, are wooden stacking dolls. Also known as Russian dolls, nesting dolls, Russian tea dolls or stacking dolls, they are a set of dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. They are called Matryoshka nesting dolls in Russia, where they originated.
Thought to be first made in 1890 the original designer is disputed but most often the first set of dolls is linked to wood worker Vasili Zvyozdochkin and toy painter Sergei Malyutin. Their popularity quickly spread across Europe after the original set was displayed at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. The toy won a bronze medal and they became the “must have”toy!
No longer really considered toys, the Russian nesting dolls now made in the image of politicians, religious deities, a royal family, celebrities, even animals. Many are collectables. I like my traditional “matron” design with its links to fertility. This design portrays an old woman, a grandmother, generally associated with a headscarf tied under the chin. Probably because it was easier to say, my nesting dolls were called “Babushka Dolls” although this always reminds me of Kate Bush singing “Babooshka”, released in 1978.
Like so many people, our travel plans for 2020 were cancelled. We were going on a cruise which included a few days in St Petersburg. Apart from a planned visit to the Hermitage, I’d been looking forward to seeing the architecture. My other goal was to buy another Russian nesting doll. Instead I included my stacking doll with some Easter decorations. I’ve searched on the base and inside my dolls but cannot find where they were made.
The Russian nesting dolls can have five, six or seven dolls in each set. The smallest one is made first, then the others, getting bigger and bigger.
eating
TOMATOES
Tired of salads? Me too. Tomatoes still taste of sunshine so we keep eating them but needed some variety. These roasted tomatoes are so easy. I washed, dried and quartered some same sized tomatoes, taking care not to cut all the way through. I’d already drizzled olive oil in the glass baking dish. Used a teaspoon to put a little chopped garlic in the cut tomatoes, then sliced a leek and scattered it around them. Drizzled some more olive oil over the tomatoes. Added ground black pepper and sprinkled sea salt on them and roasted them 45 minutes at 190°C F/Forced ( 375ºF) . The hardest part is getting all the grit out of the leek.
Scattered some fresh basil on top. Delicious. Sweet and sticky and the flavours blended well. Light, easy end of summer food.
SALSA VERDE
Salsa verde is a green sauce. There’s so many recipes for it because the herbs you have available in abundance at the time will dictate your recipe. I like to add anchovies for depth of flavour but not all recipes do, and I add chopped, small gherkins, too. Originally this was based on a Jamie Oliver recipe but I have changed it to suit our tastes. The actual flavour can be different every time you make it depending on the ratio of herbs.
I used about four handfuls of basil, mint and common parsley, 1 tbspn chopped capers, 1 lge chopped gherkin, 6 anchovy fillets, 1 tbspn Dijon mustard, 20ml red wine vinegar and 60ml EVOO.
Pick over the herbs. It is easy to strip the mint and basil holding the top of the stem and running your fingers down, parsley takes longer. This part takes a while but the aroma of the herbs is lovely. Wash the leaves and leave to drain. Chopped the gherkin and capers if they’re large. I mash the anchovies with a fork in the jug later with the other ingredients.
Dice the herbs. Usually I chop them finely but this sauce is to go on turkey breast which is quite mild so I wanted a robust sauce. Mix everything together in a jug or serving bowl. Leave to amalgamate for an hour. Serve on meat, poultry, fish or stirred through salad leaves.
The basil is going to seed. As I picked it I stripped off the seeds and dropped them back in the soil for the next crop. I served this luscious sauce with turkey breast and oven roast sweet potato and Brussels sprouts. It was very good!
reading
One of the designers featured in the “British Designers At Home” book which I reviewed last week was Kit Kemp. Her own house was featured in the book and the vibrant designs led me to borrow her book “Design Thread” from the library.
Kit Kemp, with her husband Tim Kemp, is the founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels. They have a collection of eleven hotels in London and New York. She has won many awards for her work. Her interiors are vibrant and witty. She’s known for mixing antiques with junk shop treasures, bespoke wallpaper with simple finishes. Her interiors are individual and personal.
Kemp discusses the aspects of each room featured and talks about the decisions she made which result in the final decor. Each room is different and items are individually selected. She also talks about her holiday house and the influences which decided how it was finished.
Kemp’s style is bold, quirky and individual but also comfortable and welcoming. She cleverly mixes old and new, luxurious and the everyday plus classic and modern styles. Gorgeous rooms and an inspiring book.
Did you know it probably takes an aluminum can 200-500 years to decompose? They are easily and cheaply recycled. In some countries they attract a small refund when you drop them off at a recycling point.