Janice Tripepi

The sun is shining brightly in Durban today and I can guarantee you that the Fan Park down on Durban’s Golden Mile will be overflowing with happy smiley football supporters – like champagne from a shaken magnum of Moet at a Formual 1 Grand Prix prize giving!!!   Argentina vs Germany is gonna rock!!!  I could cry for Ghana though – oh for heavens sake!!!!  Max has the right idea – football !!!(the beautiful game???) should have such a disciplinary action  as a penalty goal.  Uruguay pushes the ball out of the goal – Ghana gets a penalty – AND MISSES ……….. this is just ludicrous!!!  The original infringement should constitute a “penalty goal” to the opposition.  BASTA!!!! FINITO!!!!   Africa was the loser in that game – THE WHOLE CONTINENT LOST!!! ………… porca mizeria.  I do believe that the sale of Panado’s and such must have gone through the roof this world cup.

So – the William twins are being fined $4000,00  EACH – for missing the press conference after they lost the Wimbledon doubles quarter final !!! Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaa – naughty naughty!!!  They clearly don’t cope too well with losing do they!!!!  Paris Hilton  was allegedly escorted from the Nelson Mandela Stadium in PE – for either being in possession of or  smoking marijuana during the match and later released.    Now PARIS DARLING – stop making the ENTIRE BLONDE WORLD look like a bunch of dooses.  I guess we know what fills up at least 1 of your 13 Louis Vuitton cases that you drag around the world with you…. hehehe!!!  Check the full story here on News24

Today see’s the Ladies Final @ Wimbledon.  I just love this titanic tennis tournament!  The late Tripepi Nonni  eagerly awaited Wimbledon every single year.  They would ready themselves in the lounge – drinks ready  - lunch ready and waiting in the kitchen – strawberries (her simple  recipe for these ruby red beauties is AMA-ZING!!! I  promise to post it as soon as i can find some tasty juicy strawberries!) ready and  soaking up their boozy marinade. 

The Nonni didn’t move!!! Fow two whole weeks they plonked themselves in their lounge for a fiesta of tennis.  When they lived in the Belgian Congo they both donned their whites and played tennis at the local tennis club and enjoyed a whisky or two afterwards.  Ever the socialites and colonials.  They would regale us with fabulous stories about those wonderful days in the Belgian Congo.   I shall have to see if I can dig up some photographs and post them!!!  What a laugh!!

How sad is the news of poor Jennifer Capriati?  She was just too young when she shot (scuze the pun) to fame.  I hope that she gets a grip (oh stop Janice) on herself soon.  Rafael Nadal faces Tomas Berdych in the final on Sunday and Serena (the titanic) Williams faces the poor Vera Svonareva ………. Haibo!!!!! in the Ladies final this afternoon –  I would be scared if I were you, Vera!!  Go VEra Go VERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA …….. give it you best shot!!!!

I searched Woolies and Everfresh etc. for some juicy strawberries to celebrate Wimbledon and show you Nonna’s recipe.  No luck I am afraid!!!!  So my second best – and just a tasty – is this recipe that celebrates another English icon, Rhubarb.  I really love rhubarb and bought this plump fresh bunch at the Shongweni Market last weekend.   I had intended it to be stewed in champagne for a rhubarb crumble but one can hardly serve that in the middle of the afternoon with a glass of champagne whilst watching Wimbledon.  These dainties will go down very well whilst watching a Wimbledon Final !!  So in memory of dear Nonna and Nonno – two of Wimbledon’s most devoted supporters  (they pronounced it – Wimbly – don) – I proffer this quick and easy Rhubarb & Ginger Dainties recipe. 

For all of the tennis match times, statistics  and goola around the Men’s and Women’s Wimbledon Finals check out Sport24 here.  If you are in need of some a lot more heart warming pop over here to get my recipe for a  hot crumble with rhubarb and berries poached in a fab Woolies Noble late harvest and ginger – slathered in hot custard or cream. 

Ingredients

1 large bunch of rhubarb washed and quartered

3 LARGE  ginger biscuits (bashed to make crumbs in a plastic bag)

I used Woolies ginger biscuits which are huge – so i would say 6 - 8 normal little ginger biscuits.

3 tbl Woolworths thick cream

3 tbl creme fraiche or marscarpone

3 tbls of icing sugar

Wash your rhubarb and cut into quarters (as you can see I cut mine into 1/3′s – quarters

will be much better)

lay them in an oven-proof dish and sprinkle them with vanilla or plain castor sugar

and bake at 180d for 30 minutes.  Don’t add any liquid – this way your rhubarb – which will leech out

some lovely juices will remain whole and not end up a bowl of stringy bits in juice.

When you remove the rhubarb from the oven – turn the rhubarb over with

a spatula and cover the dish with tin foil and leave to cool for about 30minutes.

This allows the rhubarb to rest and release all it’s pretty pink juices.

Voila!!!!

Line up your glasses – i used Turkish Coffee glasses, you could use wine glasses or brandy

bowls – just adjust your quantites accordingly as you will need more filling if you use

larger glasses.

In a plastic bag – bash 3 – 4 large ginger biscuits (6 small ones) until they are crumbs of varying sizes.

In a glass bowl – place 3 tbls of Creme Fraiche and 3tbls  of Double thick cream

and 3 tbls of icing sugar and combine – the mixture is going to go a bit runny when you do this

but put it back into the fridge for 20 minutes and it thickens up again nicely.

Now for the assembly of these little dainties

First – 1 tsp of ginger biscuits

Second – pipe in some of your cream mixture

Third – some rhubarb and some of the sweet pink juices

Four – pipe in another layer of cream

Lastly – garnish the top with a sprinkle of ginger dust!!!

This recipe makes 6.

Yummmmmm …..

Refrigerate and bring them out during the tennis or soccer for

a sweet treat!!!!

Enjoy Wimbly-don!!!

Buon Appetito!!!

xxxx

jan