jokes...
Friday 16 December 2011
Monday 21 November 2011
Forget Angry Birds, make Angry Eggs (Video)
Following the 'angry' theme here is a nifty idea to spice up what would otherwise be bog standard hard-boiled eggs. Simple and seemingly delicious, I will also be adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the mix...
Monday 14 November 2011
'Pissed Off' Pasta!
Whilst 'angry' is definitely a more accurate translation of arrabbiata, temperament is ultimately determined by the amount of chili that you wish to use in this ridiculously simple pasta dish. So, if like me you too are a chilli fiend, then 'pissed off' is a far better suited term.
As with any pasta dish there is a lot of debate as to where its regional origins lie, however many seem to agree that Central Italy (Rome) is the true home of 'penne all'arrabbiata'.
Irrespective of where the recipe comes from one thing is for sure, the list of ingredients really does not vary - garlic, chilli, tomatoes, parsley and penne. Here's how I do mine...
Serves 2-3:
approx 300g of penne rigate
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1-2 large dried chilli (finely chopped)
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 big handful of flat-leaf parsley
Before you do anything get a pan of salted water on the boil and drop in your pasta. Of course you can use any type of pasta but penne rigate is the winner. Rigate means lined/striped which is an important distinction from ordinary penne as the sauce tends to cling better to the former.
Add the garlic and chilli to a frying pan with a little olive oil. Key here is to control the temperature, you really don't want to burn the garlic.
When it begins to take on a little colour chuck in your cherry tomatoes, these will naturally release water bringing the overall temperature down slightly. If you've been distracted and the garlic is turning too quickly then just add a splash of water.
Once the toms have softened a little pour in the tin. Most of a bottle of passata will also do, it just depends on what you have available. Stir and season well.
Your pasta should be pretty much ready by now, drain reserving some of the water and add it all to the sauce. Finally throw in your chopped parsley (never basil), stir well and serve.
As with any pasta dish there is a lot of debate as to where its regional origins lie, however many seem to agree that Central Italy (Rome) is the true home of 'penne all'arrabbiata'.
Irrespective of where the recipe comes from one thing is for sure, the list of ingredients really does not vary - garlic, chilli, tomatoes, parsley and penne. Here's how I do mine...
approx 300g of penne rigate
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1-2 large dried chilli (finely chopped)
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 big handful of flat-leaf parsley
Before you do anything get a pan of salted water on the boil and drop in your pasta. Of course you can use any type of pasta but penne rigate is the winner. Rigate means lined/striped which is an important distinction from ordinary penne as the sauce tends to cling better to the former.
Add the garlic and chilli to a frying pan with a little olive oil. Key here is to control the temperature, you really don't want to burn the garlic.
When it begins to take on a little colour chuck in your cherry tomatoes, these will naturally release water bringing the overall temperature down slightly. If you've been distracted and the garlic is turning too quickly then just add a splash of water.
Once the toms have softened a little pour in the tin. Most of a bottle of passata will also do, it just depends on what you have available. Stir and season well.
Your pasta should be pretty much ready by now, drain reserving some of the water and add it all to the sauce. Finally throw in your chopped parsley (never basil), stir well and serve.
Thursday 3 November 2011
and the 'WORST AD OF THE YEAR AWARD' goes to...
...Casillero del Diabloooooooooooooooo, 'Official Wine Partner' of Man Utd apparently...
I just wish they'd managed to get Rooney to pronounce the brand name, that alone would have been enough to make the video go viral.
I just wish they'd managed to get Rooney to pronounce the brand name, that alone would have been enough to make the video go viral.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
"There's a No Taste Like'a Home!"
For anyone that missed Harry Hill's TV Burp on ITV the other night here is a hilarious extract showing Gino D'Acampo in FULL Italian stereotypical glory.
Toooooooooo funny!
Toooooooooo funny!
Tuesday 25 October 2011
Lemon Ice Ice Baby
Sicily, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast in particular, boast some of the best (if not the very best) citrus fruit in the world. Lemons and oranges can be found practically everywhere and are used locally in a whole range of ways - perfumes, soaps, liquors, sweets, and of course the local cuisine.
The differences between what grows over there and what we have in the UK are noticeable immediately. They're much bigger, more perfumed and far far sweeter with none of the sharp bitterness usually associated with lemons. These badboys are so special that the 'Sorrento Lemon' was even granted it's own IGP recognition (Protected Geographical Indication) in November 2000, something more usually associated with the production of wine.
Other than squeezed over fish, my two favourite uses of these prized assets are in the production of 'limoncello' (a local liquor that I'm sure everyone has drunk at some point, usually excessively) and 'granita di limone' (a semi-frozen treat now available in all sorts of flavours).
One will get you pissed, the other will cleanse your palate. You can always mix them both together like I drunkenly did with some friends on Saturday night, I think I remember it working...
Anyway, if you want 'limoncello' get yourself to Sorrento. But if you want granita, here's a really easy recipe to make the original lemon version, and damn refreshing it is too.
Serves 4-6:
600ml of water
300g of sugar
500ml of lemon juice (approx 8-16 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
Bring the water and sugar to a light simmer and reduce until you have a slightly syrupy consistency, this shouldn't take much more than 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Strain the lemon juice through a sieve straight into the cooled syrup, mix well and leave to rest for 30 mins. Add the grated zest (and ribbons of very finely shredded mint if you fancy) and pour into a plastic container with a lid.
Pop this into the freezer for 4-5 hours stirring (and eventually scraping) the mixture well every 30 mins with a fork. That's pretty much it.
Get stuck in or just keep in the freezer until you're ready. If it solidifies a little too much over time just fluff it up again with a fork before serving in a glass. Enjoy!
The differences between what grows over there and what we have in the UK are noticeable immediately. They're much bigger, more perfumed and far far sweeter with none of the sharp bitterness usually associated with lemons. These badboys are so special that the 'Sorrento Lemon' was even granted it's own IGP recognition (Protected Geographical Indication) in November 2000, something more usually associated with the production of wine.
Other than squeezed over fish, my two favourite uses of these prized assets are in the production of 'limoncello' (a local liquor that I'm sure everyone has drunk at some point, usually excessively) and 'granita di limone' (a semi-frozen treat now available in all sorts of flavours).
One will get you pissed, the other will cleanse your palate. You can always mix them both together like I drunkenly did with some friends on Saturday night, I think I remember it working...
Anyway, if you want 'limoncello' get yourself to Sorrento. But if you want granita, here's a really easy recipe to make the original lemon version, and damn refreshing it is too.
600ml of water
300g of sugar
500ml of lemon juice (approx 8-16 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
Bring the water and sugar to a light simmer and reduce until you have a slightly syrupy consistency, this shouldn't take much more than 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Strain the lemon juice through a sieve straight into the cooled syrup, mix well and leave to rest for 30 mins. Add the grated zest (and ribbons of very finely shredded mint if you fancy) and pour into a plastic container with a lid.
Pop this into the freezer for 4-5 hours stirring (and eventually scraping) the mixture well every 30 mins with a fork. That's pretty much it.
Get stuck in or just keep in the freezer until you're ready. If it solidifies a little too much over time just fluff it up again with a fork before serving in a glass. Enjoy!
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Look Mum, No Hands!
As much as it pains me to say this, smartphone apps and the internet in general are unquestionably eating into (excuse the pun) the cookbook market. I still get a lot of enjoyment flicking through the Silver Spoon for inspiration but books like this are bloody heavy, take up a lot of space and make it comparatively harder to bookmark, refer back to and ultimately find what you're looking for.
With that in mind it's not surprising that one of the most popular categories in app development is indeed 'cookery'. The only problem with recipe and food related apps is the fact that you don't always want Moroccan Chicken Rub fingers swiping across your shiny touchscreen.
To combat this terrifying dilemma the geeks over at Random House Group and Ebury Publishing have come up with a nifty solution – the 'My Kitchen Table' app.
Using what it calls ‘pioneering Touch Free technology’ you can swipe through a recipe - you guessed it - without touching your screen.
It's free to download but only works on fourth-generation devices. Stop hating and upgrade...
See the app in action below (warning, the video is mildly annoying but Antonio Carluccio features so that's ok):
With that in mind it's not surprising that one of the most popular categories in app development is indeed 'cookery'. The only problem with recipe and food related apps is the fact that you don't always want Moroccan Chicken Rub fingers swiping across your shiny touchscreen.
To combat this terrifying dilemma the geeks over at Random House Group and Ebury Publishing have come up with a nifty solution – the 'My Kitchen Table' app.
Using what it calls ‘pioneering Touch Free technology’ you can swipe through a recipe - you guessed it - without touching your screen.
It's free to download but only works on fourth-generation devices. Stop hating and upgrade...
See the app in action below (warning, the video is mildly annoying but Antonio Carluccio features so that's ok):
Thursday 13 October 2011
How to piss off the French
This is brilliant. A hidden camera, an English actor and a fake product hit a local market in Castelnaudary (capital of the infamous 'cassoulet') to sell a British take (mint, sweet & sour, curry) on the quintessential French dish.
To put this into context 'cassoulet' is the French's 4th favourite meal and a source of immense national and gastronomic pride. It is also utterly delicious.
Needless to say the concept does not go down very well with the locals. One even tries to sabotage the stand. Watch the full video below, genius...
To put this into context 'cassoulet' is the French's 4th favourite meal and a source of immense national and gastronomic pride. It is also utterly delicious.
Needless to say the concept does not go down very well with the locals. One even tries to sabotage the stand. Watch the full video below, genius...
Tuesday 27 September 2011
A Glass of Sicily
Here's a tidy clip that makes me want to run as fast as I can to Sicily. Curiously the video is as much about the island as it about the brand being advertised, winemaker Tasca d'Almerita.
Created by Italian "viral media company" Mosaicoon, the 80-second video, called "A Glass of Sicily" is a nice display of visuals and sound design.
The campaign also includes a photo gallery and an interactive map on Flickr, with a range of content and images from across Sicily.
Time for me to get over there me thinks...
Created by Italian "viral media company" Mosaicoon, the 80-second video, called "A Glass of Sicily" is a nice display of visuals and sound design.
The campaign also includes a photo gallery and an interactive map on Flickr, with a range of content and images from across Sicily.
Time for me to get over there me thinks...
via AdWeek
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Forking Hell
Do you regularly struggle to eat pasta? Are you utterly incapable of feeding yourself?
If you answered yes to those questions then fear not, 'Inventor' Bob Balow demonstrates how to use his 'Original Pasta Fork' so that you needn't eat your Spaghetti Bolognese with your hands any more.
Gold plated forks also available, no seriously, see here.
Genuinely don't know whether to laugh or cry...
If you answered yes to those questions then fear not, 'Inventor' Bob Balow demonstrates how to use his 'Original Pasta Fork' so that you needn't eat your Spaghetti Bolognese with your hands any more.
Gold plated forks also available, no seriously, see here.
Genuinely don't know whether to laugh or cry...
Friday 16 September 2011
Filthy bitch
I love it, you love it, she unquestionably loves it.
Wishing you all a very happy Friday and a dippolicious weekend.
Wishing you all a very happy Friday and a dippolicious weekend.
Thursday 15 September 2011
Green is the colour, Sauce is the game
The Argentinians call it Chimichurri, the French Sauce Vierge (Virgin Sauce), the Italians and Mexicans Salsa Verde (Green Sauce).
Regardless of where you believe it to have originated from (unquestionably Italy :P) there is no denying that this dressing is one of the most simple yet versatile ones around.
Its beauty lies in its simplicity and whilst there are indeed many variations you'll be hard pushed to find one that doesn't taste great. Usual accompaniments are fish, shellfish, white meat, red meat and grilled or raw vegetables (so everything except cheese and fruit).
Furthermore, not only is it excellent in its own right, it's also a perfect base for many other flavourings from citrus to chilli, herbs to spices and so on. Having said that, try to keep aromatic herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano down to a min - they're a bit too strong.
In Italy Salsa Verde is seen as a cold rustic sauce usually made with some combination of parsley, basil, vinegar, capers, garlic, onion and olive oil. Ocasionally, anchovy paste is added when used over veg like broccoli or with pasta. A well-known version in fact is gremolata; the usual accompaniment to the ridiculously tasty ossobuco alla milanese.
Although parsley is most commonly used you can really go to town with any tender herb available: coriander, basil, fennel, tarragon or dill for example are perfect with fish and seafood. Celery leaves, while technically not a herb, are also a tasty addition to the sauce. Often discarded these are more than just a garnish for bloody marys, they add a lighter colour to the sauce and are mild enough to go unnoticed by celery-haters.
Beyond the Mediterranean, green sauces are of course also very common in Central and South-American cuisine. In these instances you'll usually find puréed tomatoes (cooked or raw), with chillies, white onion, cilantro, and lime. So whilst in Mexican-American cuisine they're frequently associated with dips for tortillas, tacos, grilled meats and fish - in Argentina they're mainly used for roasted meats, steak and sausages.
Christ, I'm starving now. Anyway, my version is a bit of blend of styles but tastes great and works with pretty much anything.
Enough for 2-3 dishes:
1 large tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
1 shallot, very finely chopped (1/2 a red onion will do)
1/2 lime, squeezed
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley
1 smaller handful of basil leaves
5 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
To prepare simply fry the shallot in a pan with some oil for a minute or until slightly translucent, then mix well with all over ingredients and add a pinch of salt and pepper. If it needs a loosening just a glug more oil.
Pretty damn easy for something so tasty, get involved.
Regardless of where you believe it to have originated from (unquestionably Italy :P) there is no denying that this dressing is one of the most simple yet versatile ones around.
Its beauty lies in its simplicity and whilst there are indeed many variations you'll be hard pushed to find one that doesn't taste great. Usual accompaniments are fish, shellfish, white meat, red meat and grilled or raw vegetables (so everything except cheese and fruit).
Furthermore, not only is it excellent in its own right, it's also a perfect base for many other flavourings from citrus to chilli, herbs to spices and so on. Having said that, try to keep aromatic herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano down to a min - they're a bit too strong.
In Italy Salsa Verde is seen as a cold rustic sauce usually made with some combination of parsley, basil, vinegar, capers, garlic, onion and olive oil. Ocasionally, anchovy paste is added when used over veg like broccoli or with pasta. A well-known version in fact is gremolata; the usual accompaniment to the ridiculously tasty ossobuco alla milanese.
Although parsley is most commonly used you can really go to town with any tender herb available: coriander, basil, fennel, tarragon or dill for example are perfect with fish and seafood. Celery leaves, while technically not a herb, are also a tasty addition to the sauce. Often discarded these are more than just a garnish for bloody marys, they add a lighter colour to the sauce and are mild enough to go unnoticed by celery-haters.
Beyond the Mediterranean, green sauces are of course also very common in Central and South-American cuisine. In these instances you'll usually find puréed tomatoes (cooked or raw), with chillies, white onion, cilantro, and lime. So whilst in Mexican-American cuisine they're frequently associated with dips for tortillas, tacos, grilled meats and fish - in Argentina they're mainly used for roasted meats, steak and sausages.
Enough for 2-3 dishes:
1 large tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
1 shallot, very finely chopped (1/2 a red onion will do)
1/2 lime, squeezed
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley
1 smaller handful of basil leaves
5 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
To prepare simply fry the shallot in a pan with some oil for a minute or until slightly translucent, then mix well with all over ingredients and add a pinch of salt and pepper. If it needs a loosening just a glug more oil.
Pretty damn easy for something so tasty, get involved.
Wednesday 24 August 2011
EAT
This is wonderful. 3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful short films.....
Embedded below is 'EAT' however I strongly suggest you view 'MOVE' and 'LEARN' by clicking on this link or by visiting Ricky Mereki's Vimeo profile.
Huge creds to Rick and Tim White for putting it all together.
Paddy, thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Embedded below is 'EAT' however I strongly suggest you view 'MOVE' and 'LEARN' by clicking on this link or by visiting Ricky Mereki's Vimeo profile.
Huge creds to Rick and Tim White for putting it all together.
Paddy, thanks for bringing this to my attention!
EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.
Sunday 21 August 2011
The BIGGEST Mac (Man vs Food)
Adam Richman is a living legend just for trying this. Not even the help of 40 regional eaters could defeat this 190 pound MONSTER! That's 86Kg!!!
Food unquestionably won this epic battle, there were roughly 30 pounds of burger left at the end of the challenge...
Food unquestionably won this epic battle, there were roughly 30 pounds of burger left at the end of the challenge...
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Spanish Sharing Bowl (of Greatness!)
It's mid August and the end of English 'summer' is nigh - this can only mean one thing - the return of the football season!
So after a long day at work the last thing you want to do before a Champo League encounter is slave over the hob all night. What you need is a quick fix to sort you out with plenty of time to sink a couple of nelsons.
Serves 2 hungry people or 3 as a snack:
1 medium red onion (cut into fine strips)
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 red chilli
200g of chorizo roughly chopped (cooking or standard will do)
a squeeze of lemon
2 roasted peppers (coarsely chopped)
1 jar of alubia beans
1 tsp of paprika
handful of chopped flatleaf parsley
Heat up a pan with a splash of olive oil and chuck in your chorizo. Cook this off for a couple of mins to extract some colour, then add the onion, garlic and dry chilli.
Keep the pan on a medium heat stirring regularly for 5-8 mins then add a squeeze of lemon and the peppers.
Keep on the heat for a couple of minutes before adding the beans (if you can't find alubias beans cannellini ones will do).
Season well and cook this off for a final 2 mins before stirring in the parsley. That's it.
The whole thing shouldn't take more than 15 mins. All that's left to do is spoon the lot into a large bowl and serve with grilled/toasted bread rubbed with olive oil.
Oh, and don't forget the cervezas!
So after a long day at work the last thing you want to do before a Champo League encounter is slave over the hob all night. What you need is a quick fix to sort you out with plenty of time to sink a couple of nelsons.
Serves 2 hungry people or 3 as a snack:
1 medium red onion (cut into fine strips)
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 red chilli
200g of chorizo roughly chopped (cooking or standard will do)
a squeeze of lemon
2 roasted peppers (coarsely chopped)
1 jar of alubia beans
1 tsp of paprika
handful of chopped flatleaf parsley
Heat up a pan with a splash of olive oil and chuck in your chorizo. Cook this off for a couple of mins to extract some colour, then add the onion, garlic and dry chilli.
Keep on the heat for a couple of minutes before adding the beans (if you can't find alubias beans cannellini ones will do).
Season well and cook this off for a final 2 mins before stirring in the parsley. That's it.
The whole thing shouldn't take more than 15 mins. All that's left to do is spoon the lot into a large bowl and serve with grilled/toasted bread rubbed with olive oil.
Oh, and don't forget the cervezas!
Thursday 4 August 2011
Sunday 24 July 2011
Fancy a tart?
Welcome to a first for dippolicious. That's right followers, a special guest post from yours truly - because some of us bake better than your regular contributor! Now, I must admit that this is not my own recipe but taken from one of my most favourite chefs, Monsieur Raymond Blanc, whose mother actually taught him how to cook this.
So in honour of Maman Blanc, the key stages of the recipe have been put together in a short video (Flixlab is an awesome app - get it if you haven't already and your photos will take on a whole new lease of life):
But remaining true to the dippolicious style, and so you can make it yourself, scroll down...
For the pastry you will need:
250g plain flour
125g butter at room temperature
1 pinch sea salt
1 egg
And for the filling:
3 or 4 apples - Cox, Worcester or Braeburn (the best) just not Granny smith if you can help it
15g melted butter
Half a tbsp of lemon juice
15g caster suger
Half a tbsp of Calvados (this is optional but SO worth it)
Icing sugar to dust
Start with the pastry, your apples will go brown if you cut them too early. Rub together the butter, flour and salt with your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb type texture, then create a well in the middle and add the egg. Work the egg into the mixture and make a ball, then knead it with the palms of your hands for about 30 seconds. Wrap it in cling film, flatten it to 2cm thickness and put it in the fridge (it makes it easier to work with when you come to rolling it out).
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C and slide in a baking tray. Now you can start on the apples - peel and core them before cutting them into rings, and if you can get hold of one use a mandoline (not of the muscial variety!) to get an even thickness on your apples. Set it to about 3mm and slice away! So easy, but be careful if you're using a knife - you might want to cut into segments first and use half circles instead for your filling. At this stage melt the butter in a small pan, add the sugar, lemon juice and Calvados - you'll use this to glaze the apples in the tart tin.
Set your apples to one side, a squeeze of lemon juice over them will help keep their colour, and take your pastry out of the fridge. Spread a new piece of cling film on the work surface and unwrap the 2cm thick pastry and cover it with another (!) piece of cling film. Roll out the pastry to 2mm sandwiched between the two layers - it sounds like a lot of cling film but it means you don't dry out the pastry with extra flour and it helps when you come to lining the tin.
Still with me? Good. Remove a layer of cling film (you don't want this going into the oven) and line an 18cm diameter tart tin with the pastry. Push it into the sides of the tin, remove the cling film, trim the edges and pinch the sides up 2mm above the edge, not forgetting to prick the base. Now add your apples by laying them in a circular fan shape around the base of the pastry case. Build them up and fill in the gaps with spare segments so you have a packed tart tin. Brush them with the Calvados glaze, dust with icing sugar and put in the oven on the baking tray.
After 10 minutes, turn down to 200 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes to caramelise the apples and turn your pastry a golden brown colour. You can eat it like this but I prefer to finish with a custard topping - simply mix 1 egg with 100ml of cream and 50g caster sugar then pour over the top and bake for another 10 mins.
Delightfully tilleylicious x
So in honour of Maman Blanc, the key stages of the recipe have been put together in a short video (Flixlab is an awesome app - get it if you haven't already and your photos will take on a whole new lease of life):
But remaining true to the dippolicious style, and so you can make it yourself, scroll down...
For the pastry you will need:
250g plain flour
125g butter at room temperature
1 pinch sea salt
1 egg
And for the filling:
3 or 4 apples - Cox, Worcester or Braeburn (the best) just not Granny smith if you can help it
15g melted butter
Half a tbsp of lemon juice
15g caster suger
Half a tbsp of Calvados (this is optional but SO worth it)
Icing sugar to dust
Start with the pastry, your apples will go brown if you cut them too early. Rub together the butter, flour and salt with your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb type texture, then create a well in the middle and add the egg. Work the egg into the mixture and make a ball, then knead it with the palms of your hands for about 30 seconds. Wrap it in cling film, flatten it to 2cm thickness and put it in the fridge (it makes it easier to work with when you come to rolling it out).
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C and slide in a baking tray. Now you can start on the apples - peel and core them before cutting them into rings, and if you can get hold of one use a mandoline (not of the muscial variety!) to get an even thickness on your apples. Set it to about 3mm and slice away! So easy, but be careful if you're using a knife - you might want to cut into segments first and use half circles instead for your filling. At this stage melt the butter in a small pan, add the sugar, lemon juice and Calvados - you'll use this to glaze the apples in the tart tin.
Set your apples to one side, a squeeze of lemon juice over them will help keep their colour, and take your pastry out of the fridge. Spread a new piece of cling film on the work surface and unwrap the 2cm thick pastry and cover it with another (!) piece of cling film. Roll out the pastry to 2mm sandwiched between the two layers - it sounds like a lot of cling film but it means you don't dry out the pastry with extra flour and it helps when you come to lining the tin.
Still with me? Good. Remove a layer of cling film (you don't want this going into the oven) and line an 18cm diameter tart tin with the pastry. Push it into the sides of the tin, remove the cling film, trim the edges and pinch the sides up 2mm above the edge, not forgetting to prick the base. Now add your apples by laying them in a circular fan shape around the base of the pastry case. Build them up and fill in the gaps with spare segments so you have a packed tart tin. Brush them with the Calvados glaze, dust with icing sugar and put in the oven on the baking tray.
After 10 minutes, turn down to 200 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes to caramelise the apples and turn your pastry a golden brown colour. You can eat it like this but I prefer to finish with a custard topping - simply mix 1 egg with 100ml of cream and 50g caster sugar then pour over the top and bake for another 10 mins.
Delightfully tilleylicious x
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Thursday 16 June 2011
Meat Glue...
...aka Transglutaminase enzyme. A dirty secret of the meat industry, so clever not even an expert can tell...
Sunday 15 May 2011
The Vegan Black Metal Chef
The word 'vegan' is not one that you can expect to find mentioned here very often. I have however made an exception this evening for what is unquestionably an 'exceptional' spot of cooking. Turn the volume down and enjoy the Vegan Black Metal Chef (can't believe such a thing actually exists...)
Sunday 8 May 2011
Play your chard right
Why Swiss chard is called Swiss chard I really do not know. It isn't native to Switzerland nor is it used in Swiss cooking. Its true homeland is in fact further south in the Mediterranean.
Personally I've always regarded chard as a bit of an odd leafy vegetable; shiny green ribbed leaves, stems that range from white to yellow to red, a distinguishable bitter taste and yet another example of something you don't tend to see in a supermarket.
Wonderfully nutritious it can be eaten fresh, steamed, braised, juiced, sautéed, frozen and dried. There are loads of delicious recipes, I used mine to help jazz up a humble omelette.
Serves 2:
1 bunch of Swiss chard
2 chorizo sausages
6 eggs
dash of Tabasco
Roughly chop your chorizo into small chunks and crisp them up in a small frying pan for a couple of minutes.
Snap the stems off the chard, roughly chop these and the leaves. Add to the pan and stir well with the chorizo for around 5 mins.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl, season well with salt, pepper, and a cheeky dash of Tobasco and pour the lot into the pan. Leave this on a medium heat for couple of minutes before sliding into a pre-heated (200 degrees) oven for 10 minutes.
Loosen the omelette around the edges using a knife, place a plate on top of the pan and turn it upside down, it should fall out looking something like the below. Scrum.
Just make sure you don't forget that the pan has been in the oven when you do this bit - there is literally a dent in my kitchen floor from where I've dropped it so many times...
Serve up with a light salad, some olives and a cold beer. Job done.
Personally I've always regarded chard as a bit of an odd leafy vegetable; shiny green ribbed leaves, stems that range from white to yellow to red, a distinguishable bitter taste and yet another example of something you don't tend to see in a supermarket.
Wonderfully nutritious it can be eaten fresh, steamed, braised, juiced, sautéed, frozen and dried. There are loads of delicious recipes, I used mine to help jazz up a humble omelette.
Serves 2:
1 bunch of Swiss chard
2 chorizo sausages
6 eggs
dash of Tabasco
Roughly chop your chorizo into small chunks and crisp them up in a small frying pan for a couple of minutes.
Snap the stems off the chard, roughly chop these and the leaves. Add to the pan and stir well with the chorizo for around 5 mins.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl, season well with salt, pepper, and a cheeky dash of Tobasco and pour the lot into the pan. Leave this on a medium heat for couple of minutes before sliding into a pre-heated (200 degrees) oven for 10 minutes.
Loosen the omelette around the edges using a knife, place a plate on top of the pan and turn it upside down, it should fall out looking something like the below. Scrum.
Just make sure you don't forget that the pan has been in the oven when you do this bit - there is literally a dent in my kitchen floor from where I've dropped it so many times...
Serve up with a light salad, some olives and a cold beer. Job done.
Friday 15 April 2011
Pass chapati to the right
I get the feeling he's been doing this a very long time...
Chapati's are dead easy to make, all you need is:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 a cup of warm water (you can use milk)
a pinch of salt
Mix the ingredients together to make a dough, divide into small balls, roll out and fry in a pan with a little vegetable oil for a couple of minutes on each side. Finito. Now get tossing the things.
Chapati's are dead easy to make, all you need is:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 a cup of warm water (you can use milk)
a pinch of salt
Mix the ingredients together to make a dough, divide into small balls, roll out and fry in a pan with a little vegetable oil for a couple of minutes on each side. Finito. Now get tossing the things.
Sunday 27 March 2011
No processed egg breath here...
I’ve always been a bit suspicious of the cress family, probably because of its regrettable association with the frankly revolting egg & cress motorway sandwich (I mean seriously, who the f*** eats those!?). When I go about my lunch business therefore, processed egg sandwiches are never high on the agenda; apart from the fact that they look so wrong I’m also deeply paranoid of what they may do to my breath...
Over the years this justified fear has resulted in a lack of enthusiasm for all things 'cress' related; watercress has no doubt suffered, excluded from shopping lists and made to mingle with other types of salad in mixed leaf bags, in its purest state it isn't even that easy to find. Ironically it’s one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by humans, at least according to Wikipedia anyway.
So what to do when you get hold of a big bunch of the stuff? I pushed the eggs to one side and made a soup.
Serves 4:
300g of watercress
A few big handfuls of spinach
1 celeriac (or 3 medium potatoes), peeled an chopped
1 white onion, chopped
25g of butter
500-600ml of stock (chicken or veg)
Double cream
Pancetta
Melt the butter in a deep pan and add the chopped onion, fry gently for a few minutes before adding the peeled and chopped celeriac. Stir well and fry for a further 3 minutes or so.
Pour in the stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the celeriac begins to give. Chuck in the watercress and spinach, stir well and leave for a minute or two.
Take the pan off the heat and blend. The colour will be amazing. Taste and correct the seasoning.
Slice the pancetta into wide lardons and fry in a hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen towel.
Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl a tbsp of double cream into each one (a dollop of crème fraiche works a treat too!) and position your lardons in the centre. A twist of pepper, some crusty bread and you’re done.
Delicious, filling and bright green! Oh and it goes really well with a glass of Chablis. You can also serve the dish as a mini appetizer by pouring into individual espresso cups, a bit poncy but it works under the right circumstances. And no processed egg breath...
Over the years this justified fear has resulted in a lack of enthusiasm for all things 'cress' related; watercress has no doubt suffered, excluded from shopping lists and made to mingle with other types of salad in mixed leaf bags, in its purest state it isn't even that easy to find. Ironically it’s one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by humans, at least according to Wikipedia anyway.
So what to do when you get hold of a big bunch of the stuff? I pushed the eggs to one side and made a soup.
Serves 4:
300g of watercress
A few big handfuls of spinach
1 celeriac (or 3 medium potatoes), peeled an chopped
1 white onion, chopped
25g of butter
500-600ml of stock (chicken or veg)
Double cream
Pancetta
Melt the butter in a deep pan and add the chopped onion, fry gently for a few minutes before adding the peeled and chopped celeriac. Stir well and fry for a further 3 minutes or so.
Pour in the stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the celeriac begins to give. Chuck in the watercress and spinach, stir well and leave for a minute or two.
Take the pan off the heat and blend. The colour will be amazing. Taste and correct the seasoning.
Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl a tbsp of double cream into each one (a dollop of crème fraiche works a treat too!) and position your lardons in the centre. A twist of pepper, some crusty bread and you’re done.
Delicious, filling and bright green! Oh and it goes really well with a glass of Chablis. You can also serve the dish as a mini appetizer by pouring into individual espresso cups, a bit poncy but it works under the right circumstances. And no processed egg breath...
Friday 11 March 2011
Wednesday 9 March 2011
Tasty but no night vision
Unquestionably underrated, carrots are one of hell of a versatile food. Whether used in cakes, stews or just eaten raw they are full of flavour and very good for you too. I use them a lot, mainly because Able & Cole keep relentlessly delivering the damn things to me each week but that's no problem as here is a ridiculously easy Italian side dish that I will never get bored of. My mum makes the best version but no matter how many times I make it it never tastes the same.
Enough for 4
10 carrots
2 cloves of garlic (or 1 large one)
2 tbsps of white wine vinegar
olive oil
a handful of flat-leaf parsley
salt & pepper
crushed fennel seeds (optional)
First bring a pan of water to the boil. Peel the carrots, slice in half lengthways, then slice each half into diagonal strips and chuck into the pan. Simmer for 8 mins or until tender but still with some bite.
Slice your garlic razor thin (seriously, do it as thin as you possibly can like Paulie in the jail scene of Goodfellas) unless you really like chunks of raw garlic!
Drain the carrots, tip into a bowl and whilst still hot add the garlic, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (in that order, you want the vinegar to be absorbed). Season to taste, add the chopped parsley, toss well and leave to cool.
Easy, delicious and frighteningly moreish. You can also spice it up a little by adding dry chilli flakes or toasted fennel or cumin seeds. It's no surprise that these combinations work, as carrots were originally grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Some relatives of the carrot are still grown for this, such as parsley, fennel, dill and cumin.
Trivia:
We've all heard of the urban legend that says that eating large amounts of carrots will help one see in the dark but where does this myth come from? Well, it allegedly arose during the Battle of Britain when the RAF circulated a story about their pilots' carrot consumption as an attempt to cover up the discovery and effective use of radar technologies in engaging enemy planes. It reinforced existing German folklore and helped to encourage Britons looking to improve their night vision during the blackouts—to grow and eat the vegetable.
In some cultures the roots are also used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, and tonsillitis or constipation.
Enough for 4
10 carrots
2 cloves of garlic (or 1 large one)
2 tbsps of white wine vinegar
olive oil
a handful of flat-leaf parsley
salt & pepper
crushed fennel seeds (optional)
Slice your garlic razor thin (seriously, do it as thin as you possibly can like Paulie in the jail scene of Goodfellas) unless you really like chunks of raw garlic!
Drain the carrots, tip into a bowl and whilst still hot add the garlic, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (in that order, you want the vinegar to be absorbed). Season to taste, add the chopped parsley, toss well and leave to cool.
Easy, delicious and frighteningly moreish. You can also spice it up a little by adding dry chilli flakes or toasted fennel or cumin seeds. It's no surprise that these combinations work, as carrots were originally grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Some relatives of the carrot are still grown for this, such as parsley, fennel, dill and cumin.
Trivia:
We've all heard of the urban legend that says that eating large amounts of carrots will help one see in the dark but where does this myth come from? Well, it allegedly arose during the Battle of Britain when the RAF circulated a story about their pilots' carrot consumption as an attempt to cover up the discovery and effective use of radar technologies in engaging enemy planes. It reinforced existing German folklore and helped to encourage Britons looking to improve their night vision during the blackouts—to grow and eat the vegetable.
In some cultures the roots are also used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, and tonsillitis or constipation.
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Teppanyaki TEKKERS!
Eating out is all about entertainment, even more so when you're paying good money for it. Whether it's because of exceptional service or the fact that you have clouds of nitrous oxide wallowing out of your dessert bowl, we all want to leave a restaurant feeling well-fed and impressed. That will certainly be the case if the chef from this Teppanyaki restaurant is cooking for you, his egg-fried rice technique is NEXT LEVEL!!
The word 'teppanyaki' derives from teppan (meaning iron plate) and yaki (meaning grilled or pan-fried). The style of cooking was introduced in the 1940's and is now unsurprisingly associated with the 'show' put on by the ridiculously skilled chefs. There are loads of places around, some a bit hit and miss, if you know of a particularly good one in London let me know as this video has really made me want to go again!
The word 'teppanyaki' derives from teppan (meaning iron plate) and yaki (meaning grilled or pan-fried). The style of cooking was introduced in the 1940's and is now unsurprisingly associated with the 'show' put on by the ridiculously skilled chefs. There are loads of places around, some a bit hit and miss, if you know of a particularly good one in London let me know as this video has really made me want to go again!
Monday 21 February 2011
'Pick me up' before you go-go
Tiramisu is quite possibly my favourite dessert. If it's on the menu I HAVE to have it. The name literally means "pick/pull me up", more than likely due to the espresso coffee that it contains.
It is bloody easy (and cheap) to make and very adaptable too, in fact there are many versions most containing alcohol. I don't bother adding any to mine as I just don't think it's necessary. You can however add a splash of Tia Maria, brandy or dark rum. Just make sure you know where to find the 'Savoiardi' biscuits as they can be tricky to get hold of.
Makes 4-6 depending on how you serve
3 egg yolks (you'll need the white of the eggs too)
75g caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
250g tub of Mascarpone cheese
250ml of espresso coffee
cocoa powder for dusting
and a lot of whisking action!
Start by making the coffee and allow this to cool.
In a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then add the vanilla extract and Mascarpone cheese.
Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, I do this by hand because I still don't have an electric whisk......I should really sort that out.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture and you're almost done!
You'll need to decide how you want to serve this dish in advance, you can use espresso cups, cappuccino cups or just a perspex container. Whatever you choose just make sure it has some depth as you'll need to make a couple of layers.
Dip the Savoiardi biscuits in the coffee without letting them get too soggy or they'll just turn to mush. Carefully place a couple in your chosen serving vessel (you may need to break them up a little). If you haven't already eaten it all carefully pipe or spoon over the creamy mixture and then add a small splash of coffee, repeat the whole process again and just before adding a dusting of cocoa powder tap the dish lightly on a surface to achieve a level finish. Job done.
Seriously, if this doesn't rock your world you need help.
It is bloody easy (and cheap) to make and very adaptable too, in fact there are many versions most containing alcohol. I don't bother adding any to mine as I just don't think it's necessary. You can however add a splash of Tia Maria, brandy or dark rum. Just make sure you know where to find the 'Savoiardi' biscuits as they can be tricky to get hold of.
Makes 4-6 depending on how you serve
3 egg yolks (you'll need the white of the eggs too)
75g caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
250g tub of Mascarpone cheese
250ml of espresso coffee
cocoa powder for dusting
and a lot of whisking action!
Start by making the coffee and allow this to cool.
In a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then add the vanilla extract and Mascarpone cheese.
Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, I do this by hand because I still don't have an electric whisk......I should really sort that out.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture and you're almost done!
You'll need to decide how you want to serve this dish in advance, you can use espresso cups, cappuccino cups or just a perspex container. Whatever you choose just make sure it has some depth as you'll need to make a couple of layers.
Dip the Savoiardi biscuits in the coffee without letting them get too soggy or they'll just turn to mush. Carefully place a couple in your chosen serving vessel (you may need to break them up a little). If you haven't already eaten it all carefully pipe or spoon over the creamy mixture and then add a small splash of coffee, repeat the whole process again and just before adding a dusting of cocoa powder tap the dish lightly on a surface to achieve a level finish. Job done.
Seriously, if this doesn't rock your world you need help.
Saturday 12 February 2011
A weekend obligation
Saturdays and Sundays are the only days that really offer me the opportunity to fully enjoy breakfast. During the week it's all about a quick cuppa, a crumpet and a piece of fruit on the way to the station. The tea usually goes cold, the crumpet becomes too dry and the fruit I tend to forget in my pocket for the whole day.
On a weekend however it's a different story. Get up late, put the kettle on, check the headlines, watch TV for bit, realise how hungry you are and then prepare something ridiculously tasty to start a day of fun and frolics (drinking).
My cooked breakfasts have evolved over the years but the basic ingredients have always remained the same. Weekends just wouldn't be the same without eggs & bacon but simply frying everything doesn't always give the best results. Poaching and grilling are just as easy and can turn your "morning" meal into something much more rewarding.
Serves 2:
2 Portobello mushrooms
2 ordinary tomatoes
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 eggs
4 rashers of streaky bacon (smoked)
First of all fill a medium pan with water, add the vinegar, a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Vinegar is simply used to assist the coagulation of the egg white.
Halve the toms and season, brush the mushrooms with olive oil and place all of these onto a baking tray. Slide under the grill (200 C) for eight minutes.
Meanwhile fry the streaky bacon in a pan until crisp, no need for oil as the bacon is fatty enough. Leave to drain on some kitchen towel and demand another cup of tea.
Turn the Portobello mushrooms over and place back under the grill for a few minutes more.
While the mushroom are getting their last blast you can crack on (pun unashamedly intended) with the eggs. Using a spoon stir the simmering water until you've created a gentle whirlpool, crack your eggs one at a time into this, you'll see how the movement of the water will help the white of the egg wrap around the yolk to give you the perfect poached egg. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. When ready drain on a slice of bread or kitchen towel. Job done.
To plate up pop a mushrooom on plate (no need to season, the rest of the ingredients will impart so much natural flavour), position 2 rashers of the crispy bacon on top (these should be crisp and curly from frying) followed by a poached egg. All you need now is a twist of pepper and the toms. I sometimes also add a smear of brown sauce around the mushroom.
Breakfast done, just make sure you have someone on tea duty....
On a weekend however it's a different story. Get up late, put the kettle on, check the headlines, watch TV for bit, realise how hungry you are and then prepare something ridiculously tasty to start a day of fun and frolics (drinking).
My cooked breakfasts have evolved over the years but the basic ingredients have always remained the same. Weekends just wouldn't be the same without eggs & bacon but simply frying everything doesn't always give the best results. Poaching and grilling are just as easy and can turn your "morning" meal into something much more rewarding.
Serves 2:
2 Portobello mushrooms
2 ordinary tomatoes
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 eggs
4 rashers of streaky bacon (smoked)
First of all fill a medium pan with water, add the vinegar, a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Vinegar is simply used to assist the coagulation of the egg white.
Halve the toms and season, brush the mushrooms with olive oil and place all of these onto a baking tray. Slide under the grill (200 C) for eight minutes.
Meanwhile fry the streaky bacon in a pan until crisp, no need for oil as the bacon is fatty enough. Leave to drain on some kitchen towel and demand another cup of tea.
Turn the Portobello mushrooms over and place back under the grill for a few minutes more.
While the mushroom are getting their last blast you can crack on (pun unashamedly intended) with the eggs. Using a spoon stir the simmering water until you've created a gentle whirlpool, crack your eggs one at a time into this, you'll see how the movement of the water will help the white of the egg wrap around the yolk to give you the perfect poached egg. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. When ready drain on a slice of bread or kitchen towel. Job done.
Breakfast done, just make sure you have someone on tea duty....
Friday 11 February 2011
EPIC FOOD FAIL
Be afraid!!! I can't believe this is for real! Meatloaf is certainly not the most appealing thing at the best of times but this just takes the piss. Would love to know what it got served with! LOL!!
Tuesday 1 February 2011
Mamma mia! It's a Margherita!
Find me a person who doesn't like pizza and I'll show you a fool...A FOOL I SAY!
Pizza's have been knocking around for a long time now, the original interpretation allegedly dates back to 1889 when, during a visit to Naples, Queen Margherita was served one by a team of chefs who had been tasked with creating something original to honour her stopover. The flat, disc-shaped delight carrying the colours of the Italian flag was born and the name of the original classic lives on to this day.
As with most Italian cooking the success of the pizza is largely down to its inherent simplicity, it takes next to no time to make and only requires a handful of ingredients that are accessible pretty much everywhere.
Makes 6 pizza bases:
800g strong white bread flour
200g semolina flour
15g yeast
2 very generous pinches of salt
650ml lukewarm water
Stir the yeast in with the water, leave to rest for a couple of minutes then mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Work the mixtures with floured hands to prevent it from sticking until you have a nice ball of dough.
Remove from the bowl, place on a floured surface and begin to knead the dough for roughly 10mins in the same way as if making bread (see here). This will help ensure that your dough has a lovely elastic texture to it.
Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 15-30 mins for it to rise.
With your dough now ready you can do what you want with it; divide into six, freeze some, leave some in the fridge for the next day or just use them all. Whatever you choose to do you will need to make a basic tomato sauce:
1 bottle plain tomato passata
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 bunch of basil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (balsamic works well too)
1 small pinch of sugar
Pour a little extra virgin olive oil into a pan and throw in the whole clove of garlic (this will flavour the oil without overpowering the sauce). Finely chop the basil stalks and add to the pan. Pour in the passata, add the vinegar, season to taste and add the sugar, cook this for 10-20 mins max. Sauce done.
Now roll out your dough and ladle a little sauce from the middle outwards. You really don't need a lot just enough to form a thin layer. Oh and leave enough space to allow a crust to form.
Tear some buffalo mozzarella (don't use cheap shit) over your pizza, garnish with a few basil leaves, a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a twist of black pepper and unless you have a wood fired oven (I'm coming round if you do) slide into a preheated oven at 250 degrees for 7-10 mins, ideally on a pizza stone. It should come out looking pretty damn fine, if it doesn't just call this bloke! LOL!
Pizza's have been knocking around for a long time now, the original interpretation allegedly dates back to 1889 when, during a visit to Naples, Queen Margherita was served one by a team of chefs who had been tasked with creating something original to honour her stopover. The flat, disc-shaped delight carrying the colours of the Italian flag was born and the name of the original classic lives on to this day.
As with most Italian cooking the success of the pizza is largely down to its inherent simplicity, it takes next to no time to make and only requires a handful of ingredients that are accessible pretty much everywhere.
Makes 6 pizza bases:
800g strong white bread flour
200g semolina flour
15g yeast
2 very generous pinches of salt
650ml lukewarm water
Stir the yeast in with the water, leave to rest for a couple of minutes then mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Work the mixtures with floured hands to prevent it from sticking until you have a nice ball of dough.
Remove from the bowl, place on a floured surface and begin to knead the dough for roughly 10mins in the same way as if making bread (see here). This will help ensure that your dough has a lovely elastic texture to it.
Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 15-30 mins for it to rise.
With your dough now ready you can do what you want with it; divide into six, freeze some, leave some in the fridge for the next day or just use them all. Whatever you choose to do you will need to make a basic tomato sauce:
1 bottle plain tomato passata
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 bunch of basil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (balsamic works well too)
1 small pinch of sugar
Pour a little extra virgin olive oil into a pan and throw in the whole clove of garlic (this will flavour the oil without overpowering the sauce). Finely chop the basil stalks and add to the pan. Pour in the passata, add the vinegar, season to taste and add the sugar, cook this for 10-20 mins max. Sauce done.
Now roll out your dough and ladle a little sauce from the middle outwards. You really don't need a lot just enough to form a thin layer. Oh and leave enough space to allow a crust to form.
Tear some buffalo mozzarella (don't use cheap shit) over your pizza, garnish with a few basil leaves, a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a twist of black pepper and unless you have a wood fired oven (I'm coming round if you do) slide into a preheated oven at 250 degrees for 7-10 mins, ideally on a pizza stone. It should come out looking pretty damn fine, if it doesn't just call this bloke! LOL!
Friday 28 January 2011
Sunday 23 January 2011
Tea or coffee?
For me it has to be coffee, recently however I have found myself drinking more tea at home, probably because it's so bloody convenient but also because despite the choice it seems quite hard to find the good stuff, especially filter coffee. That was until this morning when I opened a stupidly good packet of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. I never really associated Jamaica as a source of high quality coffee, from now on I will always go out of my way to find it.
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica (funny that!). It is renowned for having a silky full body and none of the bitterness usually associated with coffee. The main reason for this is the location - at 7,000 feet above the capital Kingston the berries are shrouded in mist allowing them to ripen very slowly and develop their flavour to the max. The climate of the region is cool with high rainfall and the rich soil provides excellent drainage, ideal for coffee production.
It is precisely this combination that contributes to the smoothness and flavour that has earned Blue Mountain coffee the reputation of "best coffee in the world" (can't believe I've only just discovered it!!). It also happens to be one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world with over 80% of it being exported to Japan, clearly fans then!
Basically, if you see some just buy it, you really won't be disappointed. Oh and don't even think of adding milk or cream, you don't need anything other than a teaspoon of sugar if you like it a little sweet.
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica (funny that!). It is renowned for having a silky full body and none of the bitterness usually associated with coffee. The main reason for this is the location - at 7,000 feet above the capital Kingston the berries are shrouded in mist allowing them to ripen very slowly and develop their flavour to the max. The climate of the region is cool with high rainfall and the rich soil provides excellent drainage, ideal for coffee production.
It is precisely this combination that contributes to the smoothness and flavour that has earned Blue Mountain coffee the reputation of "best coffee in the world" (can't believe I've only just discovered it!!). It also happens to be one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world with over 80% of it being exported to Japan, clearly fans then!
Basically, if you see some just buy it, you really won't be disappointed. Oh and don't even think of adding milk or cream, you don't need anything other than a teaspoon of sugar if you like it a little sweet.
Sunday 16 January 2011
Chickpea this out!
Who doesn't like chickpeas!?? To me they are without doubt a "superfood" in that they go well with so many other ingredients. Have 'em with squid, Moroccan dishes, lamb, chicken, beefy stews, curries, falafel, salads, soups or even just hummus. If you don't like them you're a freak...
That many people don't associate chickpeas with Italian cooking has always surprised me as they do tend to figure in some really tasty dishes. Admittedly you don't see a lot of them in Southern Italian cooking (they tend be associated with the North) yet this is a really simple dish that takes me right back to Sorrento. Pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas) is a Tuscan dish but as a kid I used to get served a basic version of this at school once a week, school dinners needless to say, are far superior over there than they are over here...
Easily serves 3 (4 at a push):
1 small white onion
1 clove of garlic
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
1/2 dry red chilli
2 tins of chickpeas (drained)
700ml of vegetable or chicken stock
150g of Ditalini pasta (any small shell like pasta will do)
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of celery heart leaves
Parmigiano Reggiano
Finely chop the onion, celery, garlic and carrot and gently fry in a little extra virgin olive oil for 10 mins making sure that they do not take on too much colour. Add the bay, rosemary and chilli and cook for a further 5 mins.
Tip in the drained chickpeas, stir well and cook for a few minutes before pouring in the stock. Cover and leave for 25-30 mins until the chickpeas are nice and tender.
At this point remove the bay and rosemary then ladle roughly half of the broth into a separate bowl.
Blitz the rest with a hand blender and return the whole chickpeas to the pan, season, add the pasta and cook to your liking (I like mine with a bit of bite).
The last thing to do is to chop your parsley and celery heart leaves (these provide a refreshing bitterness to the final dish). A good tip is to never chop your herbs too finely, you'll leave all of their delicate flavours on the chopping board...
Grate over some Parmigiano, drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil and serve with torn crusty bread. Despite its basic appearance you will not believe bloody good this dish tastes! Oh and a nice glass of medium/full bodied white will go down a treat, try a white Burgundy. Sweet.
That many people don't associate chickpeas with Italian cooking has always surprised me as they do tend to figure in some really tasty dishes. Admittedly you don't see a lot of them in Southern Italian cooking (they tend be associated with the North) yet this is a really simple dish that takes me right back to Sorrento. Pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas) is a Tuscan dish but as a kid I used to get served a basic version of this at school once a week, school dinners needless to say, are far superior over there than they are over here...
Easily serves 3 (4 at a push):
1 small white onion
1 clove of garlic
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
1/2 dry red chilli
2 tins of chickpeas (drained)
700ml of vegetable or chicken stock
150g of Ditalini pasta (any small shell like pasta will do)
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of celery heart leaves
Parmigiano Reggiano
Finely chop the onion, celery, garlic and carrot and gently fry in a little extra virgin olive oil for 10 mins making sure that they do not take on too much colour. Add the bay, rosemary and chilli and cook for a further 5 mins.
Tip in the drained chickpeas, stir well and cook for a few minutes before pouring in the stock. Cover and leave for 25-30 mins until the chickpeas are nice and tender.
At this point remove the bay and rosemary then ladle roughly half of the broth into a separate bowl.
Blitz the rest with a hand blender and return the whole chickpeas to the pan, season, add the pasta and cook to your liking (I like mine with a bit of bite).
The last thing to do is to chop your parsley and celery heart leaves (these provide a refreshing bitterness to the final dish). A good tip is to never chop your herbs too finely, you'll leave all of their delicate flavours on the chopping board...
Grate over some Parmigiano, drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil and serve with torn crusty bread. Despite its basic appearance you will not believe bloody good this dish tastes! Oh and a nice glass of medium/full bodied white will go down a treat, try a white Burgundy. Sweet.
Wednesday 12 January 2011
Shankarama
Another often overlooked cut of meat, especially when it comes to home cooking, is the humble shank. It is basically the portion of meat around the leg bone beneath the knee, it's pretty tough so requires a long and slow cooking process. Not ideal if you're in a rush (I thought it would be a good idea to cook this on a Monday night - didn't eat till 11pm!) but if you have a couple of hours to spare on a Sunday evening it is one of the most delicious and rewarding dishes that you can prepare.
Ossobuco (veal shank) is a personal favourite of mine and one the most ridiculously tasty things around, especially when eaten with the traditional 'risotto alla milanese', but as veal shin is fairly hard to come across I'll talk about that another time.
For this particular dish all you need are a couple of lamb shanks, the rest of the meal is pretty damn straight forward to prepare.
Serves 2 hungry people
2 lamb shanks
2 shallots finely chopped (small onions will do)
1 stick of celery finely chopped
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1/2 a dry red chilli
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tbsp on tomato puree
250 ml of red wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
400ml of beef stock
1 tin of butter beans
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 140-150 degrees C.
Grab a tall pan and brown the shanks in a little olive oil for a few minutes before removing and setting to one side. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the same pan the lamb was in and cook on a medium heat until translucent. Throw in the whole sprig of rosemary, the dried chilli and stir in the puree - cook for a further 5 mins or so ensuring that the onions don't begin to take on too much colour.
Tip the shanks back into the pan, turn up the heat a little and after a minute or two pour in the wine, bring to the boil.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and butter beans, season, stir and add the vinegar.
Now add the stock (this should cover all the meat in the pan), bring to the boil one more time, cover and slide in the oven for 2 and 1/2 hours stirring every now and again.
That's it! The meat will literally fall off the bone...
I served the shanks on a cushion of olive oil and rosemary mash. To do this just bring a few spuds to the boil with a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary. When the potatoes are tender just pour in a few extremely generous glugs of extra virgin olive oil, season well and mash. If in doubt as to how much oil to add to just add a little at a time until you have smooth consistency.
Place a dollop of mash in the centre of nice plate, position the shank on top, pour over the sauce and garnish with chopped parsley. SHANKARAMA!
But best of all you'll end up with enough sauce to make a bloody fine pasta sauce for the following day! Plenty for more than two people.
Just bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add some nice hearty pasta like fettucine, tagliatelle or even tortelloni.
As the pasta cooks for the required time just heat up the sauce adding a little flour to thicken if necessary. Spoon the sauce over the pasta, grate over some fresh parmesan and sprinkle with some of the leftover parsley. Unbelievably good....
Ossobuco (veal shank) is a personal favourite of mine and one the most ridiculously tasty things around, especially when eaten with the traditional 'risotto alla milanese', but as veal shin is fairly hard to come across I'll talk about that another time.
For this particular dish all you need are a couple of lamb shanks, the rest of the meal is pretty damn straight forward to prepare.
Serves 2 hungry people
2 lamb shanks
2 shallots finely chopped (small onions will do)
1 stick of celery finely chopped
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1/2 a dry red chilli
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tbsp on tomato puree
250 ml of red wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
400ml of beef stock
1 tin of butter beans
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 140-150 degrees C.
Grab a tall pan and brown the shanks in a little olive oil for a few minutes before removing and setting to one side. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the same pan the lamb was in and cook on a medium heat until translucent. Throw in the whole sprig of rosemary, the dried chilli and stir in the puree - cook for a further 5 mins or so ensuring that the onions don't begin to take on too much colour.
Tip the shanks back into the pan, turn up the heat a little and after a minute or two pour in the wine, bring to the boil.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and butter beans, season, stir and add the vinegar.
Now add the stock (this should cover all the meat in the pan), bring to the boil one more time, cover and slide in the oven for 2 and 1/2 hours stirring every now and again.
That's it! The meat will literally fall off the bone...
I served the shanks on a cushion of olive oil and rosemary mash. To do this just bring a few spuds to the boil with a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary. When the potatoes are tender just pour in a few extremely generous glugs of extra virgin olive oil, season well and mash. If in doubt as to how much oil to add to just add a little at a time until you have smooth consistency.
Place a dollop of mash in the centre of nice plate, position the shank on top, pour over the sauce and garnish with chopped parsley. SHANKARAMA!
But best of all you'll end up with enough sauce to make a bloody fine pasta sauce for the following day! Plenty for more than two people.
Just bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add some nice hearty pasta like fettucine, tagliatelle or even tortelloni.
As the pasta cooks for the required time just heat up the sauce adding a little flour to thicken if necessary. Spoon the sauce over the pasta, grate over some fresh parmesan and sprinkle with some of the leftover parsley. Unbelievably good....
Thursday 6 January 2011
Curry your gran!
It's late(ish), you're tired, you left a bag of newly bought clothes on the train the night before, your football team is shit and you're hungry. There is only one thing that can help - a cuzza!!
Now on a night like this you'd be forgiven for dialling one in, but this is dippolicious we're talking about and so long as you have a few basic spices and ingredients to build your curry around, you'll have no problems in stirring one up in 30 mins or so. Seriously, you can pretty much use whatever you have available as almost all ingredients are interchangeable with other ones, just be sensible. I had no meat this eve so I used the vegetables I had to hand.
Serves 2 with loooooads left over for the next day:
1 and 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
2 cardamom pods (split and seeds removed)
2 tsp of garam masala
2 tsp of turmeric
mustard oil (vegetable oil will do)
2 medium white onions
1 garlic clove
2 carrots, finely cubed
1 hot green chilli (red is fine)
1 squash (peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped)
1 tin of chick peas (400g)
1 tin of coconut milk (400ml)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
200g of spring greens (400g of spinach will work)
A handful of chopped coriander
Coarsely chop your onions and garlic and add to a tall pan. Fry these in a little mustard oil over a medium heat for about 8 mins. Meanwhile grind your spices in a pestle and mortar until you have a combined powder.
Add the cubed carrot and chopped chilli (I kept the seeds in), tip in your spices and mix well for a couple of minutes before adding the squash. Cook for just over 5 minutes or until the squash begins to fluff on the outer edges.
Stir through the chick peas, season, cook for a minute and add the coconut milk. Stir well.
After a minute or two pour in the chopped tomatoes, stir, cover and leave for 15 mins or until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork.
At this point roll up your greens like a cigar and run a sharp knife through them, you'll end up with nice ribbons that can be just dropped into the pan and left to wilt for a few minutes.
Ladle into bowls, scatter with coriander and add a squeeze of lemon to finish the dish. Serve with rice or a folded chapati like I did. Get stuck in!
Now on a night like this you'd be forgiven for dialling one in, but this is dippolicious we're talking about and so long as you have a few basic spices and ingredients to build your curry around, you'll have no problems in stirring one up in 30 mins or so. Seriously, you can pretty much use whatever you have available as almost all ingredients are interchangeable with other ones, just be sensible. I had no meat this eve so I used the vegetables I had to hand.
Serves 2 with loooooads left over for the next day:
1 and 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
2 cardamom pods (split and seeds removed)
2 tsp of garam masala
2 tsp of turmeric
mustard oil (vegetable oil will do)
2 medium white onions
1 garlic clove
2 carrots, finely cubed
1 hot green chilli (red is fine)
1 squash (peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped)
1 tin of chick peas (400g)
1 tin of coconut milk (400ml)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
200g of spring greens (400g of spinach will work)
A handful of chopped coriander
Coarsely chop your onions and garlic and add to a tall pan. Fry these in a little mustard oil over a medium heat for about 8 mins. Meanwhile grind your spices in a pestle and mortar until you have a combined powder.
Add the cubed carrot and chopped chilli (I kept the seeds in), tip in your spices and mix well for a couple of minutes before adding the squash. Cook for just over 5 minutes or until the squash begins to fluff on the outer edges.
Stir through the chick peas, season, cook for a minute and add the coconut milk. Stir well.
After a minute or two pour in the chopped tomatoes, stir, cover and leave for 15 mins or until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork.
At this point roll up your greens like a cigar and run a sharp knife through them, you'll end up with nice ribbons that can be just dropped into the pan and left to wilt for a few minutes.
Ladle into bowls, scatter with coriander and add a squeeze of lemon to finish the dish. Serve with rice or a folded chapati like I did. Get stuck in!
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Sweet Soho
Personally I'm a savoury man through and through but I defy anybody to tell me that they don't like cake(s). Having said that it is quite hard to find good cake, even more so if you are looking for the Italian kind. There is however one place in London tucked away in the middle of Wardour St. that has quite simply the best stuff this side of Milan.
Princi is located at 135 Wardour Street, London, W1F 0UT and is a gem of a place. The first thing you notice when you go in are the pizza's, ignore these as pizza should ONLY be served straight out the oven. Further back however you'll see rows and rows of sublime looking cakes and wonderful looking sweet things, stop right there - that's what you want.
Don't expect anybody to explain how to order or get served though, this is a genuine Italian place after all so you are going to have to work hard to get noticed, and speak loudly too.
Get cracking and you might find yourself taking home a box of these badboys.
Oh and one more thing, it WILL be busy so don't expect a seat or a nice little table. Just get the cakes and get out. Sweet.
Don't expect anybody to explain how to order or get served though, this is a genuine Italian place after all so you are going to have to work hard to get noticed, and speak loudly too.
Get cracking and you might find yourself taking home a box of these badboys.
Oh and one more thing, it WILL be busy so don't expect a seat or a nice little table. Just get the cakes and get out. Sweet.
Monday 3 January 2011
Sorry Rudolf!
For some the idea of eating deer just seems wrong and misplaced in today's modern society, and if you have kids you couldn't pick a worse time than around Xmas to prepare a meal using this kind of meat. Either way it tastes absolutely divine, has a lower fat content than beef and can be obtained far more cheaply too, yet despite this it isn't very accessible in supermarkets and as result most people tend not to think about when it comes to cooking.
I love it and tonight I prepared a meal inspired by a recipe I found online.
Serves 3-4 people:
500g of diced venison (shoulder)
extra virgin olive oil
50g of unsalted butter
2 medium white onions
2 decent sized carrots
2-3 sticks of celery
1 swede
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 hot green chilli (I keep the seeds in)
2-3 bay leaves
3 tbsp of redcurrant jelly
1 bottle of red wine (cheap stuff will do)
a few sprigs of rosemary
400 ml of beef stock
250g of oyster mushrooms
1 handful parsley
Roughly chop all of the veg into small chunks and add to a heavy pan with a few glugs of olive oil, half the butter and the bay leaves. Fry this off gently on a medium heat for 10-15 mins stirring frequently. Remove from the pan and add to a large bowl
Lightly flour the venison (this will help it seal) and season with salt and pepper before adding to the same pan with a few more glugs of oil and the remainder of the butter. Cook the meat on a high heat until nicely browned all over (approx 5-8 mins).
Return the veg to the pan, add the redcurrant jelly and stir for a few minutes before pouring in roughly 500ml of red wine (pour yourself the rest!). Bring to the boil, add the rosemary and turn the heat down slightly for a few minutes.
Add the beef stock, place a lid on the pan and slide into a preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 1.5 hours stirring half way through.
Remove from the oven, place over a low heat and add the roughly chopped mushrooms. Cook for a further 10-15 mins, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley, season and serve with a glass of red (I had a Valpolicella Ripasso). Spot on.
Sorry Rudolf! Actually I'm not, I'm bloody grateful.
Trivia: the word venison derives from the Latin vēnor (to hunt or pursue) and originally described meat of any game animal killed by hunting.
I love it and tonight I prepared a meal inspired by a recipe I found online.
Serves 3-4 people:
500g of diced venison (shoulder)
extra virgin olive oil
50g of unsalted butter
2 medium white onions
2 decent sized carrots
2-3 sticks of celery
1 swede
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 hot green chilli (I keep the seeds in)
2-3 bay leaves
3 tbsp of redcurrant jelly
1 bottle of red wine (cheap stuff will do)
a few sprigs of rosemary
400 ml of beef stock
250g of oyster mushrooms
1 handful parsley
Roughly chop all of the veg into small chunks and add to a heavy pan with a few glugs of olive oil, half the butter and the bay leaves. Fry this off gently on a medium heat for 10-15 mins stirring frequently. Remove from the pan and add to a large bowl
Lightly flour the venison (this will help it seal) and season with salt and pepper before adding to the same pan with a few more glugs of oil and the remainder of the butter. Cook the meat on a high heat until nicely browned all over (approx 5-8 mins).
Return the veg to the pan, add the redcurrant jelly and stir for a few minutes before pouring in roughly 500ml of red wine (pour yourself the rest!). Bring to the boil, add the rosemary and turn the heat down slightly for a few minutes.
Add the beef stock, place a lid on the pan and slide into a preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 1.5 hours stirring half way through.
Remove from the oven, place over a low heat and add the roughly chopped mushrooms. Cook for a further 10-15 mins, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley, season and serve with a glass of red (I had a Valpolicella Ripasso). Spot on.
Sorry Rudolf! Actually I'm not, I'm bloody grateful.
Trivia: the word venison derives from the Latin vēnor (to hunt or pursue) and originally described meat of any game animal killed by hunting.
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