Is it a sign that I’m getting old? I’ve wasted my entire day yesterday, trying to catch up on the latest social media world, which frustrated me so much that I almost got to the verge of giving it up. However, I’m the type that once I’ve set my mind to something, I become very single focused and it has to be done. You can call me ‘obsessive’, yes, but it can be put more nicely such as ambitious, driven and passionate, no?

While reluctantly trying to absorb as much information as I could, I was amazed at how far behind all that technologies I was. I wondered why people want everything done so quick and to be the first all the time. Doesn’t it make more sense nowadays that we need to slow things down because we live longer? It’s one of modern dilemmas.

After poring over a laptop screen for over three hours without a minute’s break, reading, trying, failing and retrying, the growling in my tummy finally had me pull myself away from the screen and grab a little bite, fuel for my exhausted, tortured brain.

I looked in the fridge for something quick and light and then, I saw pickled red cabbage salad made by my guest, Julien, which I transformed the next day by adding more shredded cabbage and let it sit for another day to soften and infuse. So I ate that with some bread and cheese. While eating it, I thought to myself, isn’t it just as good to pick at cheese, bread and some veggies individually?

This fresh goat cheese had been left on the kitchen bench for a couple of days and formed that typical yellowish rind, in other words, mold or bacteria, which gives the cheese the stinky smell and taste that I love in French cheese. The amazing thing about raw milk cheese is that it can keep forever and you get different tastes as it ages. I had one fresh goat cheese in the fridge given by my previous cheese smuggler and forgot about it. Then I found it about two months later and ate it even though it had become all hard and yellow. Wow, the taste was very sharp with intense, tangy ammonia taste at the end but it was so good.

Food relieved some of the stress I was having minutes ago, making me think feel glad rather than annoyed that I’d taken time to actually look into how far the social media had come. It was scary but I got a better understanding of the new way of communication and networking.

So here you go, the shortest recipe and the quickest posting from me today. You can eat it over a month’s period. It’s a refreshing addition to a meal. The crunchy sound is a bit noisy but fun and it’s a good exercise for chewing and getting rid of stress, too.

Pickled Red Cabbage Slaw in vinegar and capers

Ingredients

1 red cabbage, shredded or grated
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup capers
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
cracked sea salt and  black pepper

Cut the cabbage into quarters and shred it as finely as possible with a sharp knife or with a grater.

In a big bowl, mix the vinaigrette ingredients, and add cabbage, onions and capers,season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Tuna Dip (Tuna Spread )

I used to make it with canned salmon as a party snack and serve it with pita bread or crackers. When it’s made with more versatile tuna, it can be spread on toast for a simple lunch or snack. So keep the dip in the fridge and use it whenever you want for up to 3 days. You can also add a boiled egg and olive oil to the mixture instead of cream cheese for a different taste. There are many different variations depending on your taste.

Of course, mayonnaise is the easiest one instead of going out to get cream cheese just for this; it’s meant to be a quick snack. In my case, I don’t keep mayonnaise in my fridge because I don’t like the taste of commercial mayonnaise; I think it taste horrible, so different to the home-made one with fresh egg yolk. So I no longer buy mayonnaise and make it when I need it as it’s so easy to make, which is something I had learned during my stay in France. mayonnaise was so readily made in a mortar in just a few minutes on request.

To make the dip

You need:
185g can tuna in springwater, drained
125g cream cheese
1 tsp mustard (grain or Dijon)
½ small red onion, very finely chopped
juice 1 lemon
sea slat and cracked black pepper
smoked paprika (optional)
dill tips

What you do:

Soften and mash cream cheese in lemon juice
Mix all the ingredients
Taste and season to your preferences. I sometimes add smoked paprika or chilli depending on my mood.