Ah Scotland!

SCOTTISH REFERENDUM
I am torn between disappointment at being deprived of the spectacle of the biggest change in the politics of our islands since 1922 and relief that it actually was a 'No' vote. Having spent a lot of time reading the economic arguments for independence, they never really added up and, while as a fellow Celt I can well understand the impulse to say 'F*** off England', especially when the government is a Tory one (Alfred: Don't forget Nick. Nick Clegg? You know, the other ... ah, never mind.) I can't see any way Scottish people would have been even as well off let alone better. And anyone who thought an independent Scotland could just waltz straight into the EU obviously knows nothing whatsoever about Spanish politics.

Even as it is the ramifications will be fascinating. If Cameron and Milliband and, yes, Clegg keep their last-minute promises re extra powers for Scotland, it will have to come up with similar structures for excluding Scottish MPs when matters not affecting Scotland are being voted on (the so-called 'West Lothian' question, so beloved of history teachers). If you are really, really (Alfred: REALLY!) interested in this, follow this link which also has a great analysis of the Barnett Question (how relative funding between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland/Northern Ireland was and is calculated.

The unexpected comic spin-off is Russia's howls of protest at the undemocratic nature of the poll - unsuitable count centres, insufficient verification of the origin of ballot boxes and a turnout level only usually associated with voting in North Korea!  But one can understand their upset - they really were hoping for a 'Yes' vote as a means of justifying what happened in the Crimea and as a justification for a future vote in Eastern Ukraine (see more in the Guardian here).


MORE FOOD 
Having appalled Maurizio with my cavalier treatment of Italian culinary traditions (Alfred: Not to mention not turning up for his birthday dinner where you missed out on lasagna and roast lamb!) I have mended the bridges somewhat by cooking him lunch but decided (Alfred: On Martine's advice, I'm sure you were going to add) not to compete in the Italian arena! So I made hummus (my eternal but always welcome standby starter) and spicy fish soup, which has become my and Martine's favourite dish here.

Now, I have always been a bit bemused at how excited people get about hummus because it is disgustingly easy to make (especially if you don't make your own tahini and even Lao supermarkets sell tahini (Alfred: Well, those that cater for falang/foreigners maybe - not exactly part of your average Lao citizen's  diet)). Maurizio mentioned that Alberto also loves hummus so I made a batch as he was leaving - it took four minutes.

Get your blender. Add one drained tin of chickpeas, juice of half a lemon, two chopped cloves of garlic (or more or less depending on what you like, but two is quite a lot already), salt (not too much, you can add more later) and a good glug of olive oil. Blend. Add more oil - and maybe a little water - until you have a mixture that is a little runnier than you want hummus to be. Then add between a half and one teaspoon of tahini, blend briefly and ...done! It will taste a lot better cold (I think) so fridge for an hour is a good idea, but not at all vital (Alfred: And some people prefer it not chilled anyway).

For spicy fish soup, the secret is in the stock. I use two stock cubes in a litre of water (they are red ones used for fish soups here, no idea what's in them). I add two stalks of lemon grass, split lengthways and chopped into longish lengths, a handful of kaffir lime leaves, 6-8 slices of ginger, a few slices of dried galangal (or use fresh or leave it out) and as many chillis as you want (I use 6-8). Split the chillis down the middle but leave them attached to the stalk. Simmer all this for fifteen minutes and then turn off the heat and leave it there for as long as possible, preferably at least a few hours. But you can use it sooner than that if you have to. I then strain the mixture and throw away all the solid bits.

Then add whatever you want. I tend to add white fish, potato cubes, corn, mushrooms, some julienne of carrot (for colour), coconut milk and fresh coriander (taste and colour). First the potato until nearly cooked, then corn and mushrooms and carrot, then fish until just cooked, and add the coconut milk right at the end. Sprinkle on the coriander when serving. The potato can be left out but it does give it a bit more bulk especially if it is going to be a main course.