Flavour of the Week - Issue #6

September 16, 2022

Welcome to Newsletter #6. This week has an exciting new feature: our dog Dora. (Mostly because I haven't watched anything new for a film review and needed something to fill the gap).

Food

Another week of playing 'How else can I cook a courgette?' has lead to an improvised satay dish which hit the spot.

Pork and Courgette Satay

Earlier in the week I roasted a pork joint and using the leftovers, along with a fried courgette and simple satay sauce recipe, created a hearty supper.

Sliced onion cooked in a little vegetable oil, on medium heat until starting to brown. Add sliced courgette and diced roast pork, to cook for a further 5 minutes.

The satay sauce can be made ahead of time and the quantities below make enough to last a few meals. Or if you're like me, you'll scramble to make it while cooking the other ingredients and washing up last night's dishes to make sure you're nice and stressed, ready to eat your freshly cooked meal.

Combine 3 heaped tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 200ml coconut milk. Heat in a small pan over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Add the juice from one lime once the heat is off, or just before serving.

I served with rice and added sesame seeds as a topping. You could alternatively add finely chopped peanuts if your heart desires and on reflection would arguably be even better with noodles as your carb of choice.

Dora

Dora is our rescue pup from Romania. We haven't had her DNA tested so have no idea what mix of breeds she is, but she's small to medium sized, with bundles of energy. Her mission in life is a 50/50 split between eating anything vaguely resembling food and guarding the house from anyone coming within a strict ~30 metre radius.

This week, following a 3-year hiatus, I decided to try running again, choosing to venture along the old railtrack route in the village. I've taken Dora with me and she's so excited/confused/surprised by my movements that she launches herself at my head every few seconds while we're running along.

Dota

The International is the biggest and most prestigious annual event on the Dota Pro Circuit, with the largest prize pool in e-sports. Last year was $40m and expectations are this year will once again surpass it.

Teams compete throughout the year to win DPC points in an effort to earn their place. The top 12 teams get an invite and the remaining 8 spots are decided by 6 regional qualifiers and then 2 last chance qualifiers.

Regional qualifiers have been contested all week, with China and North America competing last weekend, whilst Southeast Asia and Western Europe are ongoing.

I discussed the recent patch in Issue 3 and the meta has continued to evolve as teams figure out which heroes have the edge. Faceless Void, Marci, Chen, Batrider, Undying and Lina feel like the must-pick or ban heroes, but that could all change as their counters are established.

Congratulations to RNG (China) and Soniqs (North America) for securing their places and I'll be keenly watching to see who takes the remaining spots.

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If you have any feedback, please get in touch and I hope to see you again for next week’s newsletter.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

Adam

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