Spring is coming

I'm glad I chose the easy day option today. With the weather in the hills I know it would have been a harder day than I'm up to.

Last evening I ate Pukeko for the first time. The myth is that you boil a Pukeko with an old boot for hours, throw the bird out and eat the boot. The myth being that Pukeko's are tough.

I can confirm they're not. I had it 3 ways. 

1. A clear soup where it was the stock. It was surprisingly peppery when no pepper had been added.

2. A thicker soup based on a roux and with shredded chunks of Pukeko. The roux part of the soup on it's own tasted like mushroom, and the meat was closer to duck.

3. Lastly I had it in a pie and without knowing it was Pukeko I would have guessed duck.

Each version was delicious, flavoursoume and the meat was tender. The meal started with spanish whitebait and they were the best I've eaten.

I'll never look at a Pukeko in quite the same way. Just for the record, Pukeko can be shot during the duck season (first weekend of May until the last weekend of August). It depends on where you live on the number your can shoot per day.

Today I've to St Luke's, caught up with friends, and this afternoon I had a nana-nap on the sofa. I wasn't expecting that but I wasn't going to fight it either.

Later in the afternoon I went to visit my latest neighbours. They're very cute :-)

Today's gratitude: To have the luxury of being able to take things easy.