slowfoodfast

You see that I have moved to DC, I see and taste Delicious Crumbe

2011-05-19T22:23:00.008+01:00

Jet lag follows us around haunting our foggy minds. I seem to look for my local East London urban farm raised root veggies around every Northwest DC corner. And the smells and look of Rock Creek Park trees and leaves confuse my chili and cumin stuffed nostrils from this past winter spent in Sylhet, Bangladesh...

Jet lagged? Maybe. More likely longing for friends and food from what was foreign and soon became familiar. After many years as a chef in upstate NY I soon was creating trainings in London for chefs in how to cook “their” historical foods; Sunday roasts and shepherds pies becoming my foods as well. Sharing food with neighbours in Sylhet, Bangladesh...”their” home made curries for “my” fresh rolled pastas, and rice pastries for layered non-alcoholic cocktails became a nightly treat.

Do we miss those we are no longer near? Of course! Was I being mocked by East London friends about moving to D.K (District of Khaki)... of course!!!

The truth is that in a couple weeks so far living in D.C. I have seen so many wonderful glimpses into its food world. And so many people willing to chat, to connect me with other people and to give me the key tips...

No, this is bigger than all the job search tips...I am talking about the real keys to life in DC that people have schooled me on: the farmers markets (had wonderful ashed goat cheese at Mt.Pleasant), the amazing supplies of bulk goods at Takoma Food Co-op, which CSA to join, best bicycle routes, where to help make a difference in my new community,etc...

I get so excited talking to people about work, community, and food in the area as I unpack my boxes and find my way I can only start by give back a little bit...the last plate of crumble!!!

Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market Fruit Crumble

WHAT YOU NEED

FILLING

4 apples, washed, cored and thin sliced

6 stalks rhubarb, washed and chopped

Lime, zest and juice

2T raisins

1 t Cinnamon, to taste

2T sugar

CRUMBLE TOP

75g(1/3cup) Sugar

75g (1/3 cup) Butter

100g (2/3cup) Flour

50g (1/2cup) Oatmeal

1t Cinnamon

WHAT TO DO

Heat oven to 190 C/375 F.
Toss apples, rhubarb, raisins, lime zest, lime juice, cinnamon and 2 t sugar in you baking tin.
Rub butter into the flour, stir in sugar, oats, and more cinnamon and rub till crumbly.
Cover rhubarb apple mix with crumble mix and press firmly into place to create sealed layer over the fruit.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes until browned and let rest 10 minutes, if you can, before eating.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Serve this with some natural yogurt instead of ice cream or custard.
Use whatever seasonal fruit is available.
Add in some dried fruits or other citrus zests to change the flavours.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

2011-03-19T10:05:00.006Z

One half kilogram of beef rib, freshly cut, at my local Kajitula market.

OR

One kilogram of tomatoes, One kilogram of carrots, one kilogram of onions, one kilogram of flat beans, one half kilogram of potatoes, 2 bunches of coriander, 20 chilli peppers, 2 unknown to me variety of cucumberesque vegetables.

150 Taka is the total cost of the contents of both photographs.

This is about 2 American dollars or 1.50 British pounds. It might seem pretty cheap, but in a country where a labourer makes 150 taka a day and a child labourer makes 100 taka a day...it’s pretty steep.

The same 150 taka will get you 2 kilograms of rice and 1 kilogram of lentils.

So many choices for us, so few for many others. We have the option to actually follow what often seem to be crazy food guidelines in the U.S. or U.K. Just look at these two pictures and we see a Eat well plate, Food pagoda, Food pyramid or whatever pictorial device your country uses to show proportions of food.

I am not being scientific here, simply realistic. We need to decrease our animal protein intake dramatically in order to become healthier, save money, and decrease environmental degradation due to the present system of animal protein production.

A bit of red meat aint gonna kill anyone, a big ole pile of cooked vegetables and salads will help you out alot nutritionally and focusing your meals around cheap and healthy whole grains and fibre rich vegetable proteins such as lentils and beans will not only add to your health, but keep lots more money in your pocket.

I love my breakfasts of hard boiled egg, a bit of cheese, tea, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers that can be quickly assembled for an on the go breakfast here in Sylhet and sometimes I simply crave a bit of roti and tea at the end of the day. We all need to eat a bit more like one elder lunch lady from East London said while she was participating in public sector cookery training “... like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for supper...”

In the end, we don’t simply buy dinner at the market, we are paying for our family’s health and well being...and as the adage goes....You get what you pay for!!!!

THE WORLD IS A VERY SMALL PLACE...especially in terms of childrens food choices

2011-03-19T09:53:00.005Z

Spending these winter months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh continues to be an eye opener. Sometimes its as simple as reminding me that the world is the same all over...

Ice cream and fried treats for sale outside the school gates

The Maggi “chef” visits a Sylhet town primary school to teach children how to "cook" their “healthy” instant noodles!!!!

The school tuck shop selling processed foods with long enough ingredient lists that they could teach a spelling lesson through label reading!!!!

How much different is this from the U.S. with school pouring rights issues, sponsored TV shows at school, and low fat but high sugar items created for the public sector market at every turn...And U.K. schools with their dozens of fried chicken and chips shops surrounding every school...

Our world is getting smaller, and with the ability to communicate, share ideas, and get to know one another this makes me very happy...but our tasteless processed foods are becoming more prevalent the globe over....

Seeing fields of rice, pineapple, tea, limes, and bananas less than ten minutes from town refreshes me but then I am stupefied when I then see processed bagged food products being marketed to children in and around schools that seem to be made of nothing but wheat or soy flours, soy or corn oil, and some form of sugar derivative.... I think we all can be a bit more imaginative with our food, caring to our kids, and helpful to our health....

LET THE MARKET MAKE YOUR MENU

2011-03-19T09:24:00.007Z

In a town like Sylhet in Northern Bangladesh, it’s quite easy to eat locally.

I have my pick of locally grown and processed rice’s at every shop in Sylhet...whether I want highly polished basmati, baby basmati, short grain aram, or my favourite hand milled “almost” brown boro!!!

I adjusted the menus of all my restaurants to the seasonal bounty of the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. I work with schools and social enterprises in London to hit their price points by purchasing local meats and vegetables from their own community. In Sylhet, we cook rice for our main meal most days, eat local eggs, chickens, and river fish, use mustard oil and have learned local sweet desserts made from rice, carrots, and sweet potato.

I say this not to gloat. Of course I should be able to come up with great dishes to eat...I am a professional chef. That is not the point. It’s actually irrelevant for great cooking. Let the market write your home food menu, as I did with my restaurants. This is the secret trick of simple great food.

We have seen in the last few weeks laal saag (a bit like red swiss chard) overflow in the markets, which pushed us to make lots of greens and beans or saag paneer when the paneer cheese man walks by our house. Now spinach is coming to town and this will be the centre piece along with baby eggplant for pasta that we will roll out this week as we have dinner parties for local friends before we return to London and then Washington...

Let the market (not the supermarket or tv advertisements) write your menu.

It may sometimes seem like a bit of a hunt to get your food supplies...and yes it will be very rare that every item on your plate is from the local market place, but every meal can have some item from the local food shed. And in time you will find many a wonderfully tasty surprise...and maybe just maybe as it takes a bit longer to find these wonderful items, we may learn again to appreciate food and those who toil to grow it for us.

SIZE MATTERS

2011-02-27T05:11:00.004Z

Spending these winter months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh is turning out to be an ideal time to focus slowfoodfastcookin on some bigger ideas of cookery and food. Each week I have been exploring a cookery mantra that will help you in the kitchen. With a photograph and a bit of global perspective, I trust you will find each entry helpful and thought provoking.

I love to cook. I hate waste. Whether it is rotting vegetables in the refrigerator or time cooking too small a batch of food. I truly detest wasting good food or precious time.

Many people complain that cooking is too difficult to do every night. Its too hard to plan so many meals for a week, with kids lunches to make, community events to attend, cookery shows to watch(hmmm?), cleaning to finish, not to mention simply relaxing with friends and family...

Don’t cook food every night. Yes, I said it. You do not need to cook a masterpiece of variety, flavour, and artistry every night of the week. What you simply need to do is understand how the size and timing of your cooking can make life easier

Think about more than one meal when you cook. Maybe steam the entire kilo of broccoli, knowing you will want to bring some for lunch during the week. Why not chop onions for tonights stir fry with rice and the mid week fried rice (hmm...same rice two ways as well)
Cut your products the same size for even cookery. The point of cooking is not to cook everything to death so that you know its DONE.... trust me it was five minutes ago!!!
Use the correct size pan for the job...why break out the giant stock pot and waste gas boiling five gallons of water to simply cook one pound of pasta...what else can you cook with same water...and what are you doing while its boiling???
Double and triple the recipe size. This will save you time when you simply have to reheat or defrost that wonderful soup, sauce or casserole you made previously.
Buy real whole food and buy in bulk. Simply put... shop less, save more, and know what is actually in your food besides the salts, sugars, fillers, and preservatives!!!!
If you make a big batch and it does not taste perfect...fix it and forget about it!!!! This is dinner, not the end of the world, we all have bigger issues to worry about then if the onions are slightly over caramelized or the paneer is a bit too cooked!!!!

Remember that there are about seven billion people on this here planet...one billion are undernourished, one billion overweight or obese and most of us are just trying to stay “safely” somewhere in the middle.

Am I recommending you buy a giant chest freezer and attempt to cook a months worth of meals on a 24 hour cooking bender, as my friend’s mother did when I was a child. Hardly. I simply want you to make the right choices. Our present belief in the necessity of unlimited choice is an unnecessary and unsustainable luxury. Making meals at home should not be.

Size does matter, and so does our time, our health and our food.

ADDING SPICES FOR A WHOLE LOTTA FLAVOUR

2011-02-19T06:38:00.005Z

More and more we are observing a call to cut back on salt, fat and processed sugars. Many try and often find the end result of their “healthy” cooking to be both bland and less than inspiring. Some would say, SO WHAT, its for your health, learn to live with it. I say, no £$£@%? way!!!

Tasty food is about quality cooking and seasonal and fresh ingredients, period. It’s not about excess and the heavy hand of fats, salt, and sugary products. As we have spoke of in recent blog posts, one needs to use a variety of techniques to flavour your food. Many people ask me how they can, “...spice up their food?” The answer is in the question!!!

The liberal use of spices, is not merely a substitute for fats and salts, but actually can increase the taste of your dishes. I am not talking about the season salt, supermarket blends of spices; I mean individual spices used with what is almost, just almost, reckless abandon...

Toast whole spices such as cumin or coriander seeds to bring out deeper flavours before you toss with roast
Crust a piece of fish, beef, or tofu with crushed fennel or smoked paprika before searing in a pan
Braise vegetable or meats with a small handful of whole spices such as peppercorns, dried chilli’s, or cinnamon sticks thrown in ( blog post 4 May 2009).
Toss a handful of black onion or mustard seeds in the pickling liquid when using up leftover seasonal vegetables (blog post 17 June 2009).
Use a mortar and pestle or a clean coffee grinder to grind your own spices, as you need them, for max flavour.
Buy spices in bulk, keep them sealed and out of the light, and use them with a heavy hand.
Taste what you are cooking !!!!!!!

FINALLY.... Don’t add one grain of salt to your food till the end of cooking process... then and only then add and taste again.

And this is how you will end up with tasty food flavoured by your cookery and a whole lotta spices!!!

MINIMAL INGREDIENTS FOR MAXIMUM FLAVOUR

2011-02-10T07:59:00.002Z

That sounds like a mouthful, and it is. A real mouthful of flavour. Any chef, cook, parent, friend, who tells you a list of twenty ingredients for their special sauce or recipe better go back to the stove and try again. I am not saying don’t flavour your food but that folks should put a lil thought into what to actually add to the food that you purchased with hard earned money from the hard working farmers who keep us fed.

When it’s the time of year for a specific seasonal product, then I say use it. Again and again. I ate mangos all day long during the hot season when I lived In Mali. Raw, juiced, dried, mixed with greens, cooked with peanut sauce, stewed, and chomped on like an apple!!! And they were dreamlike. Eating a wonderful piece of local Pabda fish here in Sylhet I find the slow cooked pile of sweet onions that have just come to market are amazing!!!! In Sylhet the winter crop of onions are worth savouring as the price has almost doubled in the last year for consumers along with rice, oil, and wheat, and at the same time the farmers are making half the amount of money...that is food for thought my well fed friends!!!!

Want to add cumin into a nice meal of roasted vegetables, with salmon and a sauce? Why not roast the vegetables with cumin seeds, crust the salmon with cumin and then make a puree like sauce of some of the roasted cumin flavoured beets. Now we have added flavour, doubled texture and simplified the number of ingredients.

Think carefully of what type of fat you may be cooking with: a strong olive oil, a dollop of butter, a bit of bacon...all can go along way if used correctly.

What are the one or two spices/herbs you want to flavour your dish? Got ‘em? Now don’t be afraid to use them in a few differently ways (roasted, toasted, powdered, fresh, etc)

Is the cooking technique you are using the best for the job? Maybe its worth firing up the grill even in winter, to get a great flavour on those root veggies or a steak as opposed to putting the magic combination of every spice in the cabinet on them!!!

What are the complimentary dishes? Can the tomatoes in the tomato sauce also have some roasted tomatoes as a garnish? Maybe the fennel puree can be served with pickled fennel and crushed fennel seeds on your roasted tofu?

Can you change your main dish with a new twist? How about a puree of your favourite black beans under your standard white rice and served with a center of plate attraction of grilled or roasted seasonal vegetables...

This is not rocket science...this is having fun in the kitchen and not burying flavours in the bottom of a shopping list of random acts of seasoning unkindness....

We all want to eat well. We all want to have fun. We should be able to achieve both in the kitchen each and every day.

REAL FOOD FOR REAL FLAVOURS

2011-02-05T17:59:00.004Z

Two nights ago I passed a fever filled night of chills and shakes. Last night I started writing this blog entry only to be jolted by the shaking of our building during an earthquake. Two nights ago was man made and last night was nature. Both were real. The reality of life should be awakening...

The food we eat needs a wakeup call. I was told by a man on the street, as we all fled out of doors during the shaking of buildings, ”Life is but an instant, Life is nothing...” And it made me think of what most of us humans actually eat. We eat as if nothing matters; like a prisoner on death row awaiting their last meal. Globally, with an obesity rate of 10%, UK/US rate of overweight at about 40% and increase heart disease, diabetes, and various cancers we are not far off!

In truth what we want in those moments, whether after an earthquake, on death row, or just returning home are memories through flavours, a last taste of a reality we may never know again. Some ask how to get to that place???

When I want to eat something fruity, I want the juice of the mango on my lips, not that of corn syrup sweetened candy.
When I desire the flavour of tomatoes bursting in my tomato sauce, I want them from real farm fresh seasonal tomatoes not from powdered pulp mixed with thickeners, sugars and fillers
When i want to eat a roast chicken, I want to taste the crispy skin and the juicy meat. I want to savour the flavours of the fields the chicken found food in, not the extrement of the pen it was stuffed in with thousands of others as they wait to become proccessed fried chicken products.
When I have a cup of tea each morning, I want reality as well. The real price paid for the real labour of all the south Asian migrant labourers up here in Sylhet, slaving away in the hot sun, the stifling humidity, and often the torrential flooding all to pick the worlds tea leaves.

We in the U.S. and U.K. currently pay less for food than at any other time in our collective histories, and the ones paying the price are the billions of poor producers, labourers, and the environmentally deteriorating planet!!!

I will keep writing blog posts with cooking ideas, but we all need to remember to eat real food. Don’t eat marketing. Don’t eat labels, They just don’t taste good. Simply eat real food. It does not matter if you are a manager of a school food division or managing your kid’s lunch, take a second to think of the big picture and what real food really means to you and the people you serve. Buy if you can from a real grocer, butcher, fishmonger, fisherman, and farmer. Find out where your food really comes from and then try to pay a real price. And most important, have some real enjoyment with friends and family.

LET IT REST

2011-01-27T13:10:00.011Z

Spending the winter months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh I thought it would be a good opportunity to refocus the blog on some bigger ideas of cookery and food. So each week I will explain a cookery mantra that will help you in the kitchen. I will relate this through a photographic item of note from my present time here in Bangladesh, which I hope helps to frame our cookery mantra towards some other larger food issues.

LET IT REST

There is a battle waging in people’s kitchens. Day after day, year after year, people sweat and are stressed in front of the stove. WHY? To cook well one needs firstly to relax!!!

One attempts to cook a beautiful piece of sustainable fish in a pan and it never seems to brown no matter how much they move it around? All one needs is to have a hot pan, pour in a splash of oil, and then slide in the piece of seasoned fish over the oil. Next shake pan one to make sure the fish (if multiple pieces do not crowd the pan) is not sticking and then.... LET IT REST. Do not touch it, I repeat, do not touch it. Let it cook; and when browned, then and only then flip it. The same idea holds for roasting vegetables:spread out on a tray, let cook, then flip(see blog post 23 April 2009).

Ah, the BBQ ...Flipping every item on the BBQ as if you are gymnast doing your Olympic floor routine. NO. NO. NO...Let each side cook till nice marks appear before you turn them and not before. How do you think restaurants get the perfect grill marks on an grass fed steak that should be a "rare" treat? Easy, place seasoned steak on very hot grill and turn steak after 2-3 minutes to a 90 degrees angle, then after 2-3 more minutes flip/turn 90 degrees more, and then after 2-3 more minutes turn 90 degrees again and depending on temperature desired you should be complete (see blog posts on grilled pizza 10 July 2010 and grilled sardines 10 July 2010)

Lastly, lets remember what to do after cooking a wonderful piece of sustainable fish, grilled grass fed steak, or a nice free range carving bird.... LET IT REST. Before slicing the occasional steak or serving a piece of fish, let the hot item relax a few minutes (for a large item such as a turkey or large joint of meat one can let it relax for ½ hour covered in foil).

Resting a piece of meat allows its juices to evenly redistribute from the center across all the product and you end up with a more tender/flavourful food on your plate!!! Also, the residual heat in the product actually continues the cooking, so when you think a piece of meat is finished cooking, remember, it will continue cooking as long as it’s hot!!! This is the same for a nice casserole, lasagna, loaf of bread or cake...calm, relax, and let it rest (See blog post 29 July 2009))!!!!

In short, cooking should be relaxing, it should not be a stressful act that looks like karate or gymnastics...if you see yourself or your family member acting as such then you are working to hard and more importantly you are working your food to hard and it will let you know in drier, less tasty meals...

I know many of you may think these steps are nice, but you are also saying, I DON'T HAVE THE TIME!!!! I have to admit, cooking does take time. Fortunately, studies have show that the time we spend at restaurants, drive thru and take away shops is actually more then people previously spent actually cooking real food!!!! So don’t succumb to the billions of marketing dollars the food industry spends every year to convince you that good nutritional health and fiscal freedom comes out of a box. It does not!!!! It comes from you and you can help put it on your plate. Just cook, and remember ... LET IT REST

THE secret kitchen ingredient

2011-01-21T04:50:00.003Z

Spending the next few months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh I thought it would be a good opportunity to refocus the blog this winter on some bigger ideas of cookery and food. So with each post I will explain a cookery mantra that will help you in the kitchen.

WATER, the one ingredient used in every meal!!!

How would we survive without the hydrating force of water? How do we wash our vegetables, let alone our hands and surfaces we cook on without a bit of soap, bleach, etc and a whole lotta water??? I must confess, that water is the real secret ingredient used in every restaurant kitchens across the planet, even if the most chefs don't know it!!!

How do we thin out an over reduced sauce?

How do we rinse off salt we have put on vegetables for pickling?

How do we wipe off our knives between uses?

What do we steam our vegetables over?

How should we refresh ourselves while we cook?

Often restaurants use stock to flavour soups, sauces or braises. A stock is basically cooking a flavourful ingredient such as veal or fish bones, with aromatic vegetables (usually onions, garlic, fennel, celery, carrots, etc) in a large quantity of, hmmm...you guessed it.... Water!!! Allowing the heating of water to pull out flavours from ingredients over a low and slow cooking process brings out flavour from often discarded ingredients such as bones, vegetable trimmings, and leftover carcasses. (See blog post from 29 july 2009)

When one wants to slow cook meats in the oven until they are mouth wateringly fork tender (braising); what is usually the liquid beyond stock (mostly water) used as the cooking medium? Its water! Allowing the meat to cook in its own juices, along with aromatics, and just enough water to cover the product a braise (see blog post 4 may 2009) is a cheap and tasty way to gain flavour.

Serving a gravy and you realize it’s a bit thick and you wonder, what did you do wrong? Unfortunately you have most likely reduced it too much and the water vapour escaped. This is no problem, just return the missing ingredient by splashing in a small amount of water.

Making flatbreads (10 july 2010 blog post) and the dough is a bit too tough and not very pliable then simply splash a bit of water on your hands or on the dough and get kneading!!!

And of course when you are sautéing some fresh, local, seasonal and healthy vegetables in a pan and you have only used minimal oil to cut down on the fat, there may often be a problem. The vegetables seem to be drying out and possibly burning???? Well besides turning down the heat and making sure you don’t have too many vegetables in the pan for a good sauté (Saute translates literally as, jump!!!), just add a splash of water to finish the cooking. This not only unsticks the product, releases the nice browned bits from the pan, helps to pull all the flavours together, but even makes clean up a bit easier.

Water is the secret ingredient for easy and healthy cooking. So important for the 6 billion people on the planet and yet we still waste it!!! Do you cook and brush your teeth with tap water? Then why not drink It.? Why use bottled water that has absolutely no extra nutritional value? Are you living in a place with no access to clean, reliable water? That is what I thought. Besides being a secret ingredient in your cooking, did you know it takes nine litres of water in the process of producing 1 litre of bottled water for you to purchase? That my friends is a waste of the secret key ingredient in your cooking, and more to the point a waste of a scarily not so secret scarce commodity for the majority of our planetary residents!!!!

BALANCE IN THE KITCHEN

2011-01-15T10:18:00.008Z

BALANCE FAT AND ACID

It takes alot to balance your flavours in cookery. When you make a soup, stew, sauce, or gravy often it tastes a bit, shall we say... off, missing something, or in need of a certain je ne c’est quoi!!! So what to do?

Have you made a soup that tastes a bit sharp and acidic; then add a splash of olive oil. If you are feeling a bit naughty, a pat of butter swirled into the soup just before serving will give the roundness and mouth feel that makes a good soup taste great. Often the big change, the real help, is a lil' bit of acid. And what do we mean by acid: lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice or a flavoured vinegar to cut through the richness and fat of a dish.

For example, when making pan gravy to go with your Sunday roast it often is quite fatty, even after skimming the fat off the top, and it may be missing a bit of spark. One can simply squeeze a bit of lemon or lime into the final product to brighten the flavour before everyone starts dumping salt on his or her food.

A few other examples of how this can work:

If making a lentil soup use lime to brighten up final flavour before thinking of salt.
When making a marinara sauce a finishing splash of balsamic vinegar or olive oil may be necessary depending on the freshness of the tomatoes and the length of cooking.
A beef stew can go in so many directions: lemon juice or red wine vinegar can both help to balance the richness of the final product.
Here in Sylhet all of our curry meals have been served with wedges of lime, chili's and cucumber which all help to balance and give depth to the meal.
Often we here of “oddball” ingredients in recipes, secret tips, that in truth are just mechanisms of balance: bitter chocolate in regional Mexican dishes, coffee in chili con carne, preserved lemon in a tajine and chutneys with a cheese ploughman's are all methods to balance the fat and acid that make a boring meal into a masterpiece.

The key is in using only what is necessary and tasting as you make adjustments. These are simple ways to adjust, enhance, or change up any dish you make without adding the unhealthy and uninteresting option of salt. As well, use fresh/seasonal ingredients which have more natural flavour and sugars that don’t need much enhancement by extra salt, sugar, or fat.

It is simply a question of balance.

The purported balance of the new “natural” Frito’s, recently trialed vitamin fortified Pepsi, or fadtastic Omega-3 fatty acid pills are a cheap ploy to sell products to a population with an unbalanced diet, just as splashing salt on your food is simply masking a lack of balance in your cooking. Eating a couple pieces of fruit a day for a snack, a piece of omega rich fish once a week, or drinking some good old fashion water might help bring back some balance not only to the vitamins and minerals you want, but the sustenance and joy in eating that one needs.

In short, a bit o butter once in a while will not kill you, a bit of acid may help you cut back on salt, and a bit of thought about the food we cook and eat will go along way in creating a balance that is long overdue in how all of us enjoy sustainable and nutritious food with our co-workers, friends and family.

OH $£@?% I FORGOT THE SPROUTS

2010-11-25T09:09:00.003Z

Every year it happens to us. We make a holiday meal such as the one you are stressing over today in America: the turkey is in the oven, the potatoes are a roasting or mashing or sweet and under the marshmallows, and then it occurs to us? What do I got to do with those sprouts? Well for sprouts or cauliflower or any of those root veg such as beets, carrots, parsnips or sun chokes here is an easy, heavenly treat....

What you need

250g ( 1/2 pound ) streaky bacon, large dice

1.5 kilogram ( 3 pounds) Brussels sprouts, washed, ends trimmed off and cut in half

salt and pepper

spice of choice ( fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black onion seeds, etc)

What to do

Turn oven to 200 degrees Celsius ( 385 F)
ON large baking tray spread out bacon and place in oven till fat is rendered and bacon starts to crisp slightly.
Toss Brussels sprouts on top of bacon ( add splash of olive oil if you have been skimpy on the bacon)
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices
Roast in oven till lightly browned ( 1/2 hour)

More dishes to wash

Substitute in small rough chop of carrots, beets and turnips for a colourful change.
Sprinkle some Stilton or other blue cheese over vegetables just before serving.
Try this recipe with cauliflower, and toss hot vegetable quickly with spinach for a seasonal wilted side "salad" dressed with a squeeze of lemon and a few pomegranate seeds

Celebratory leftovers...rice and beans

2010-11-04T19:40:00.010Z

After spending all of todays sunlit hours sitting at my kitchen table writing a policy paper on national anti-obesity campaigns such as EPODE, Lets Move and Change4Life I realize that so much is written, so much ss theorized, so much has already been said, so much has led me to... hunger dammit!!!! We don't need to reinvent the wheel or even always make a new dinner, I need F-O-O-D. Nothing fancy, but a simple meal to commemorate finishing the draft of the paper....

I just want some simple leftovers, easy food, healthy and tasty...is that so wrong. Must I create a policy memo/five course meal for this or can we just get down to business and start enjoying what's left in the refrigerator? Yes, I know the truth...you got lots of strange stuff hiding on those shelves;turning colours;changing textures...well use em or lose em I say.

We have enough food waste and food want in the world so for me, today, its time for rice and beans. And since its autumn and my box of veg is filled with cabbage, carrots, and onions well we need to have that just about every night as well. So as I type and eat the last remnants of the weeks bacon, rutabaga( swede) and red cabbage soup I will toss together the following great recipe for Rice and Beans stuffed in cabbage rolls...

WHAT YOU NEED

1 T olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and fine dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 carrot, peeled and fine dice

1 pepper, seeded and fine dice

1 hot pepper, seeded if desired, and fine dice

2T tomato puree

1/2 bunch cilantro, cleaned and stems and leaves separated

2T paprika , hot

1T cumin seeds

2 cups leftover brown rice

2 cups leftover beans

salt, pepper

fresh lime juice at end

12 large outer cabbage leaves, boiled or steamed till soft

WHAT TO DO

Heat large fry pan over medium high heat and add 1 T olive oil.
Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes till softened and browned.
Add carrot, hot pepper, cumin and pepper and cook down further five minutes, deglazing pan with water, beer or wine as necessary to prevent burning.
Add tomato paste, paprika and cilantro stems to pan and cook down two minutes.
Add rice and beans to pan and heat thoroughly.
Season with salt and pepper, taste.
Finish with fresh cilantro( coriander) and lime juice.
Wrap in cooked cabbage leaves and serve.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Serve with home made salsa and/or guacamole.
Use as a stuffing for peppers, courgettes or onions and top with melted cheese.
Served open faced and topped with a fried or poached egg for a tasty Sunday brunch treat.
Yup your right I did not in the end reinvent the wheel, i just changed my normal vegetarian stuffed cabbage to cabbage stuffed with rice and beans and smothered with salsa and feta cheese!

Apple Fest Chutney

2010-10-24T08:32:00.004+01:00

As the days become shorter and the air gets a bit colder, autumn is a wonderful time to shift gears. Yesterday at the Portobello Road Apple festival we did just that. As the sun and temperature began to dip we shifted away from some apple based salads and into sampling of our preservables: pickled fennel made with apple cider vinegar and the crowd favourite camelized fennel and apple chutney. We served the chutney on slices of award winning Braeburn, Gala, Jonagored, and Cox Apples from the National Fruit Show. Serving up a nice chutney was a great way to strike up a conversation with some of the thousands of people who tasted our food at the Festival. A chutney elicits strong reactions from its often strong flavours. Strong memories of grandmotherly made jars of chutneys, pickles, and compotes from years gone by. Try this chutney, can a few jars, and get prepared for enjoyable meals during the cold dark and cozy months ahead...

CARMELIZED FENNEL AND APPLE CHUTNEY

Serves ALOT ( be prepared to can and/or give to neighbors and friends)

WHAT YOU NEED

2 T English rapeseed (vegetable) oil

7 Fennel Bulbs (or onion), stalks and core removed, thinly sliced

15 Bramley apples, washed, seeded, and sliced

125g brown sugar

1 t

2 lemon, zested and juiced

2 lime, zested and juiced

1T cumin powder ( or toasted cumin seeds)

50g fresh ginger, grated

1/2 bunch mint leaves, washed and finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT TO DO

Heat large saucepot over medium heat, then add rapeseed oil.
Add fennel to pot and slowly cook down till wilted and well browned, adding splash of water as necessary to prevent sticking.
Add sugar to sauce pot and melt. Then add sliced apples and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add all other ingredients except mint into pot.
Put on very low heat and stir carefully/occasionally until apples are cooked.
When ready mix in mint and adjust Seasoning.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

· Serve this with your favourite roast pork or turkey dish.

· Can or freeze the chutney to preserve for the months ahead.

· A great accompaniment to your Ploughman’s!!!!

GETTIN THE LAST CRUMBS FROM OUR APPLE CRUMBLE

2010-10-21T21:01:00.007+01:00

Day one of the Portobello Road Market Apple Fest is over and what a wonderful day. Needless to say we ate a few apples, served thousands of people samples and cant wait till tomorrow to try out a few more recipe surprises. Hats off to all the volunteer, from cooks from Flavour Gateway in Tower Hamlets ( check out their food at Weavers Field in Bethnal Green) to Masters in Food Policy students at City University who helped make it all happen.

Today was not just about apple and squashes. It was actually about saving local jobs, local fruit and veg, local cultural history, and reconnecting people with the flavours of the season. Not the flavour one finds in the freezer aisle of the supermarket, or the jarred apple sauce we feed our infants. No. I am talking about the flavour of home made food that is made with skill, but more importantly with lots of love.

Below is a very simple recipe for a wonderful dessert that anyone can make for their friends and family. Give it a try; cook with your loved ones both young and old, and enjoy the process and the "fruits" of your labour!!!!

Apple Crumble

Serves 6

WHAT YOU NEED

Filling

4 large Bramley apples (or other apples/stone fruit) washed and seeded

1 lime (or other citrus) zested and juiced

4 T raisins (or other dried fruit)

1t mixed spice (or just plain Cinnamon)

Crumble

75g whole meal flour

25 g oats

50 g sugar

50 g butter

1 t mixed spice

WHAT TO DO

Heat oven to 190 Celsius/375F/Gas mark 5
Thickly slice apples and toss with zest and juice of lime, raisins, 1t mixed spice, and place in baking tin.
Rub butter into the flour, stir in sugar, oats and mixed spice and rub till crumbly.
Cover apples with crumble mixture and press firmly to create a sealed layer over the fruit.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes until brown and let rest 10 minutes before serving

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Try serving this with natural yogurt instead of custard.

Try to make a different fruit based crumble for each season.

Mix up your dried fruits, your spices, and your citrus with each crumble.

PORTOBELLO MARKET APPLE FEST PREPARATIONS!!!! THE MAKINGS OF TEN GALLONS OF HARVEST SOUP

2010-10-21T20:49:00.006+01:00

One day till the Festival and we began the big preparations. What does that mean? It means dozens of squash to roast, onions and apples to sweat down, seeds to season and roast, vegetable stock to simmer...and generally speaking playing with lots of wonderfully local and seasonal English produce.

If you are in London tomorrow or Saturday, stop on by the Portobello Market and get some free samples of the luscious fruits of our labours...apple crumble ( tomorrows blog recipe), Harvest Squash soup (recipe below), baked apples (yesterdays blog), and of course lots and lots of award winning apples to sample....

HARVEST SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP

Serves 6

WHAT YOU NEED

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

1 acorn squash, halved and seeded

50g honey (maple syrup or brown sugar can substitute)

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

1 shallot, peeled and finely diced

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

2 English eating apples, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

200ml white wine (or substitute apple juice or apple cider)

1 Litre vegetable stock

1 T English rapeseed oil (or other vegetable oil)

Cinnamon and Salt

WHAT TO DO

Heat Oven to 190 C/375 F.
Place squash in a roasting pan cut side up.
Pour 250ml water in bottom of pan. Pour honey and salt in cut side of squash.
Cover pan with aluminum foil or lid and roast till cooked (roughly 1 hour)
At same time, sweat onion, shallot, garlic and apple in oil till translucent.
Add white wine to onion pan and cook till almost evaporated
Peel cooked squash and put the flesh in with the onion mixture.
Add enough vegetable stock to cover the squash
Simmer for 30 minutes
Puree soup till absolutely smooth
Finish with cinnamon and salt. Add a splash of lemon juice if necessary.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

· Try making your own stock by cooking down clean trimmings from vegetables and fruits for an hour in a large pot of water...strain and use the liquid for soups and sauces!!!

· Try using different types of squash and pumpkins for this recipe

· Lemon juice and other acidic ingredients can often help balance the flavour of a soup or sauce!!!

APPLE FEST and early am oat inspired confessional

2010-10-18T20:56:00.009+01:00

Easy...tasty...and worthy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!!! What could it be but baked apples...

WHAT TO DO

Cut some big ole bramley apples in half...Toss with a bit of mixed spice, a pat of butter and sprinkle of honey or sugar and bake for 1/2 hour at 375 F in a pan spread with 1/2 inch of water or cider. That's it...have with ice cream for dessert. Have with yogurt and walnuts for breakfast. Mash with chopped pickled onions and have a bit on whole meal bread with mature cheddar cheese for a cheese and quick chutney sandwich!!!!

All week I will be blogging apple based recipes. Why? Well come on down to the Apple Fest at Portobello Road market that I am helping to run this weekend and find out how eating apples and other local produce can help your local economy, save a farmer, better your health and enjoy the wonders of local and seasonal products!!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH ( AKA early morning confessional)

Alright, I only put my soaked oats, yogourt, and baked apple on that nice plate for the photo...I then foolishly tossed it all in a bowl to have as i normally do with a cup of tea and the nytimes online before I ride my bike to work. The truth is good food is worth a bit of effort. But usually like these tasty apples, it takes hardly any effort at all. The only effort is when we all try to get a bit poncy with our food...so slow down, enjoy the apples, eat em if ya got 'em, and if you dont come on by the Portobella Road Market this weekend to get some!

FLAT BREAD PIZZAS

2010-07-10T09:52:00.019+01:00

So often what we need is right in front of us. So often our cravings take us to eating that which is unhealthy. The unhealthiness is not of function of the food, but the process and processing that takes place in making the mass produced variety of it...think burger, think kabob, think chicken and chips. Do they all need to be unhealthy, are they by nature unhealthy....NO.

I need pizza. Not the cardboard and canned variety so often seen across my present city, but a healthy one with home grown veggies and a bit of flavour. I live in the U.K.. Don't get me wrong, I love London and its amazing farmers markets, the bounty of seasonal food, the temperate climate. But pizza....NO. Not a fan of the things that pass for pizza here.

I crave thin crust, I crave a bit of homemade sauce. I crave it now. What I crave often leads to late night bad food choices here in London, but this pizza craving is so easily taken care of.

We are talking about flat bread pizza. No fiddling around with rising doughs... just quick simple kneading dough since i need pizza!!!! Flat breads can be made in a pan, in your oven, or as we do on the BBQ. Combined with a BBQ inspired sauce and some cheese and you have pizza faster than it takes for your family to decide on a pizza to order and have it delivered!!!

WHAT YOU NEED

200g ( roughly 1 and 2/3 cups) strong whole-wheat flour

200g (roughly 1 and 2/3 cup) strong white flour

2 pinch salt

60ml ( 1/4 cup) olive oil

240ml (1 cup)water

1T dried mixed herbs

WHAT TO DO

Heat pyramid pile of coals in your BBQ and continue recipe (Do not cook over BBQ till coals are glowing grey and you have flattened the pyramid out, banking coals to one side to create a high and low heat area in your BBQ area so you can control your cooking).
Sift flours into bowl, add salt, and make a well in the middle.
Add oil and water into the “well” and slowly incorporate into dry ingredients.
Shape dough into a soft (not sticky) ball, adding bit of water or flour as necessary.
Knead on floured surface (or in mixer with dough hook) till smooth and elastic (5 minutes)
Let rest for 30 minutes (if you have the time and are not in a pizza frenzy as i can be).
Roll out ½ cm/ 1/4 inch thick.
Clean and oil the grill rack.
Place dough on BBQ for 30 seconds to 1 minute till lightly browned on one side.
Flip dough over to uncooked side, quickly brush with sauce and toppings, and cook covered for 30 seconds to one more minute.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

For softer pizza: Place toppings on pizza once dough is placed on BBQ during step 9.

For indoor pizza, crank up your oven to 200 Celsius ( 400 F) and cook with same method albeit a longer cooking time.

Funky summer pizza: roast whole beet root bulbs with fennel seeds, splash of olive oil, and dash of balsamic vinegar. When finished, peel and puree. Saute the beet root greens. On your flat bread pizza spread the beet sauce, layer the greens and then sprinkle with Stilton cheese...

Having a curry, make some of this flatbread pizza better known as Chapatis!!!

Are you gluten free...easy, sub gluten free flour and add a teaspoon of xantham gum to the liquid mix.

Toppings...come on of course use the grill...meatballs, portabella's, courgettes, peppers...you name it...

We almost forgot the easiest sauce ever....on the grill while you are rolling out your dough place a half dozen halved tomatoes ( a splash of olive oil and a crack of black pepper never hurts), and one large onion...cook till charred and soft. Puree this with a garlic clove, a couple tablespoons of tomato paste ( puree) and some fresh herbs...DONE and ready for the BBQ again!!!

So the truth of the matter is in summer, its hot ( okay warm here in London) and I seem to crave real flame focused food. Often beer induced, charcoal crusted cooking outside on the BBQ. No pots to wash, no pans to clean up, just me and the BBQ cooking everything from sauce to dough, side dishes to desserts ( have you marinated a peach ever with lime and lime zest and grilled it??? Try it and serve with some Greek style yogurt with mint!!!!) Crank up the heat and enjoy the BBQ now, today, before the air turns chilly and your cravings turn to the hearty fare of winter....

"GET AT DEM BEANS"

2010-07-10T09:52:00.014+01:00

After the fourth of July has passed and its shocking lack of festivities here in London...I started thinking about "American" foods and my brain turned to thoughts of sustainable food staples from other times and places.

Humble foods like Bangladeshi dahl with rice (see blog post from June 2009) or Malian peanut sauce with millet ( see blog post august 2009). Simple, tasty and good old fashion black beans came to mind and all their south of the border convoluted and maladapted influences made me really hungry. The end result was me making one of my favorite summer comfort foods.....black beans served simply with tortillas, salsa and guacamole.

WHAT YOU NEED

2 slices of bacon, fine diced

1 carrot, peeled and fine dice

1 bulb fennel, trimmed and fine dice ( use extra onion if you don't have fennel)

1 stalk celery, washed and fine dice

1 onion, peeled and fine dice

1 pepper, washed and fine diced

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2T tomato paste( puree)

2T cumin seeds (toasted if you can)

1 chile pepper, seeded and fine diced

1 tomato fine diced

1/2 bunch coriander, washed and separated into fine diced stems and fine diced leaves

2 cans black beans ( or 2/3 cup dried and then soaked and boiled till soft)

1/2 can or bottle of beer

1 lime

2 stalks, spring onion, washed and finely diced

WHAT TO DO

In a sauce pot, sweat bacon over medium heat till fat renders out and bacon is crispy.
Add carrot, fennel, celery, onion, pepper, bay leaf and garlic to the bacon and sweat down slowly for 10-15 minutes till soft and translucent. If pan starts to brown donate a splash of beer to it!!!
Add the tomato puree and cumin seeds and cook further 3 minutes.
Add chile pepper and chopped tomato and cook further five minutes.
Add coriander stems and let simmer till this mixture is very dry, soft and roasty looking.
Add cooked beans and beer and let simmer 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper if necessary, a squeeze of lime and garnish with the reserved spring onion and coriander leaves.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

As I eluded to at the beginning...beans are a great staple item...cheap and plentiful, and if you do your homework or care to wonder...they are very sustainable in comparison to that big old feedlot beef many think is a staple to their diet. So make them a integral part of your weekly menu is a variety of ways...

Served cold and tossed on your salad and eaten with some tortilla chips,
Old school London style beans on toast( maybe add 1 T molasses to the finished product)
Fry up the leftover beans and mash up for refried beans
Roll beans up into a burrito with rice, shredded fresh carrots and onion, salsa, and a splash of cheese
Use as a healthy side dish for your grilled pork or lamb chops
Serve with some grilled corn and a fresh salad
Add some vegetable broth and fresh spinach to the dish and turn into a hearty healthy soup
Served with salsa, guacamole and some fresh tortillas

In other words, in the immortal words from Cool Hand Luke....GET AT DEM BEANS!!!!

FRESH and SIMPLE SARDINES

2010-07-10T09:15:00.009+01:00

If you are lucky enough to be close to the sea then this is another season to enjoy. Close to London, in Cornwall and elsewhere, the sardines are coming in plump and tasty. This is what I cherish, nice local fresh and tasty fish that gives me all the omega fatty acids i need without buying a silly fish oil pill!!! Sorry, but its true, the fish cost 4 pounds for a kilo, which is ridiculously cheap, and if you buy the pills shipped in from New Zealand or wherever, they cost much more and you still need to cook yourself some dinner...I prefer to swallow my medicine one forkful at a time!!!!

So as part of a nice fresh Friday night meal all on the BBQ, as it was too hot to cook indoors,we made two fish courses...firstly, grilled/BBQ sardines with herbs and then we threw a big ole squid, some peppers, and mushrooms on the BBQ and served that with grilled feta, home made tortillas, and a salsa vinaigrette...

Below is the simple method for grilling sardines on your BBQ:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 kg( 2 pounds) fresh sardines, gutted and rinsed ( head and tail on please)

4 T olive oil

2 sprigs green onion ( or fresh onion and garlic)

1/3 bunch coriander ( or your favorite fresh green herb)

1 lemon ( or any other citrus you desire)

salt, pepper

WHAT TO DO

Heat BBQ till mound of coals are grey and hot, push them to one side to form a hot side and a cooler side.
While BBQ is heating, rinse sardines, pat dry and sprinkle liberally with salt.
In mortar and pestle (or food processor) add chopped up green onion( stems and bulb), coriander, juice of half the lemon and 2 T olive oil...blend till rough paste.
After grill is ready, rinse salt off sardines, drizzle with olive oil and fresh salt and cracked pepper.
Make sure grill is clean ( with a wire brush or wad of aluminum foil!!!) and then rub some vegetable oil over grill rack to prepare for the fish.
Place fish on a moderately hot section of grill and let cook for 2-3 minutes depending on sizes of fish.
Flip each fish, brush with a bit more olive oil and finish cooking for 2-3 more minutes.
Place on platter with fresh lemon and herb relish and serve immediately.

MORE DISHES TO NOT WASH

These are small fish and the spine should pull off in one flick of your fork.
Try this method with lots of fish this summer....grilling/bbq with simple fresh herbs and citrus is a great way to enjoy a hot summer.
Think ahead and BBQ some veggies as well...asparagus, peppers, bok choy, tomatoes....and serve with a simple vinaigrette ( lemon, herbs, olive oil, s,p)
We made fresh tortillas and often make flat breads on the grill...i will save this for an upcoming post...but any bread on the BBQ/grill with a splash of olive oil is a wonderfully easy treat!!!

GOOSE BUMPS

2010-06-29T19:04:00.011+01:00

WHAT AM I THINKING???
I hide away for nine months, incubating food thoughts, training hundreds of school chefs, young moms, nutritionists, social enterprise managers, and the like, and I return to the blog with a picture of goose fat taken on a vacation last month in Budapest ?!?!?!?!

Am I having recollections of the goose that laid the golden fat...or am i trying to remind us of the real look of what we love( deep deep down within). Admit it, we all have a bit of a vice ... we all love it...saturating our cheese, creating our mayonnaise, layering our cakes, filling our sundae's, oiling even our omega favoured fish, scooped out of our avocados, and being used each and every day in hundreds of ways. So what gives?

I overdosed...yes...the fat was just toooooo much...the goose platter of goose cracklins, goose liver pate, goose fat spreads, and then the goose oozing out of me as I sat in the steam rooms of the Budapest spas...But even as we try to cut back, I am not cutting cold turkey(or goose) or attempting to eliminate fat nor flavour from food. But how to make a simple sauce, richly flavoured , creamy textured, but healthy with lower fat and lowered salt?

WHITE SAUCE/BECHAMEL/CREAM SAUCE... call it what you will, we will make a basic quick and easy, cheap and cheerful item that can be your goto pasta white sauce, your lasagna filling, fish or chicken finishing sauce and so much more. This is the recipe I have passed on to hundreds of chefs...not a new creation but a remembrance of old school methods long forgotten. Working with school chefs each and every week, not only teaching, but creating dialogue of what can be done with the food and the future generations that they feed, how to make it simple, tasty, cheap, and healthy. Making the sauce with no gluten, lowering the saturated fat, no added salt, and lots of added flavour all within five minutes...i may have O.D.ed on the fat, but i am not having hallucinations...trust me.

WHAT YOU NEED

2 Tablespoons corn flour ( corn starch)
300ml/½ English pint semi skimmed(2%) milk
50g/2 oz/ mature cheddar ( or your other strong cheese), grated
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (or less if too spicy)

WHAT TO DO
1. Put corn flour/starch in measuring jug
2. Add a little cold milk to make a paste
3. Add the rest of the milk and stir.
4. Pour into saucepan and bring to a low boil . Turn stove top to low heat, stirring sauce continuously with a whisk or wooden spoon. If the sauce thickens too quickly, add a few teaspoons of milk or water to thin out again. As it thickens, take off heat and continue stirring.
5. Add the mustard and grated cheese and cover with cling film (to prevent skin from forming)

MORE DISHES TO WASH:
This is a great simple white sauce to use with pasta and your tuna past bake( tuna noodle casserole for those on the west side of the Atlantic!), the binding sauce for a old school fish pie, for lasagna or with so many easy adjustments to use with what you have at hand, such as....

Follow Steps 1 - 4 of the recipe and then add one of the following to flavour the sauce:

carmelized onions and garlic
saute of mushrooms deglazed with red wine
home made pesto
simply fresh herbs and good grind of black pepper

Or for dessert, after step four of the recipe ...add 1 tsp vanilla essence and 2 Tablespoon sugar to make a vanilla custard sauce, add cocoa powder as well for a chocolate sauce...all with semi- skim milk !!! Great with crumbles, cakes, and cookies!!!

A lower fat sauce with no gluten, no annoying step of making a roux, no time, no problems and an ability to make sauce for dinner and dessert at the same time...that's a no brainer! Enjoy the new recipes, review last summers blog entries for ideas, and get into the summer swing of things with lots of slowfood and fast cookin...

FIVE A DAY FRUIT AND VEG.....CAKE

2009-08-28T07:24:00.012+01:00

Well yes, I know I have been absent lately. Like all of us I am busy busy...so busy i could not even take a picture of my lovely carrots i pick up at Hackney city farm each week...still dirty, still tasting of the earth, still in need of lots of cleaning... So yes you got a "stock photo" But with the carrots I get...so fresh, so flavourful, it would be a shame to just make veg or chicken stock out of them...no not these carrots...with these I have been working on a fab gluten free, low fat recipe for carrot cake!!!

I know, its summer, we all try to get outside, do all sorts of activities and pack everything in before the suns goes away till next May...so why bake cakes inside when i could just eat fresh fruit and make trifles and stay in the sun...Not sure!!! I love fresh fruit, and please buy and eat as much as you can while its ripe, local and cheap...but i must say...I felt inspired to make a cake for the courses I teach...I need to do a bit of baking that not only is fresh and healthy but portionable, packable, and very kid friendly!!! So before i have my last lil bit of summer with a trip to southwest France with friends, I wanted to pass on this great, simple, and healthy carrot cake recipe that I have been working on for some of the communities I cook with/for. And how do you know its good...its been eaten too fast to take pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PREP

400g ( 3 cups) flour ( we use gluten free) SIFTED PLEASE

1.5 t baking soda ( bicarbonate of soda)

2 t baking powder

1 t salt

2 t mixed spice powder

250 g (1.5 cup) sugar

4 eggs, beaten

100 ml( 1/3 cup) vegetable oil

250 ml(1 1/3 cups) applesauce

300g ( 3 cups) carrots , peeled and grated

250g ( 1 cup) pineapple chunks, fresh

75g ( 1/2 cup) chopped nuts ( pecans or walnuts will do)

150 g ( 8oz) low fat cream cheese

150g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar

low fat yogurt

WHAT TO DO

Preheat oven to 190 C ( 375 F)
Grease two round ( or one large rectangle) baking tins.
Sift dry ingredients ( flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mixed spice) in a bowl with sugar.
Mix eggs with applesauce, oil, pineapple, carrot and walnuts in a large bowl.
Add dry ingredients to wet and fold gently. Do not over mix
Pour cake batter into baking tin and bake for 40 minutes in center of oven.
Check if cake is done by putting a thin wooden skewer into cake and observe if batter sticks to skewer, if so the cake is not done. If skewer comes out dry then you and the cake are golden!!
Remove cake from oven and let cool in tin.
Combine cream cheese and sugar into your icing and you may sub in some low fat yogurt for some cream cheese to this if you want a thinner and even lower fat icing that will be looser less hard.
If you want to layer the icing between the cakes, let cake cool completely, make sure icing is quite stiff ( refrigerate for an hour) and then spread thoroughly, refrigerate again and then enjoy!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Need a quick dessert while having a bbq...grill some peaches and then serve with honey and mint tossed yogurt.

Or as we did in our Dad BBQ cookery that I teach...slice a banana down the middle (in the skin) toss in some chunks of dark chocolate and put it on your still smoldering bbq/grill and cook till soft and gooey on inside and charred black on the skin ( I got this recipe from a friend I must confess,...but its too easy and good to not pass on!!!)...

Simple...fresh fruit and veg my friends...tis the season...eat them while you can...and can them for when you cant!!!

Old School Comfort Food ...MALI STYLE

2009-08-15T07:28:00.009+01:00

TIGA DIGA NA...,Most of you out there are already confused, but let me enlighten you on another joy of the peanut. It is a survival food for many folks in West Africa, that which is eaten raw, roasted, made into oil, and after having spent a couple years living in Western Mali, I at times besides yearning to be back there living... simply crave my staple food...Tiga Diga Na...which translates to Peanut butter sauce. Its what I often ate twice a day, and sometimes in the village of Manantali where I lived, during Ramadan (which is what spurred this memory food) we would even have it for a quick pre sunrise breakfast.

This is a very simple protein rich meal that can be served over rice or creamy polenta( a western version of a corn meal mash called Kaba toh), but mostly I ate it every day over millet, not the wonderfully light couscous like millet we all should be eating each and every day/week since its a grain that also gives you super amounts of protein, but whole millet, unhusked and cooked down to a thick porridge consistency. Please try this recipe and serve it with whatever whole grain you have. And unlike most people eating this in rural West Africa, try to serve it with some extra veggies!!! Because unlike the folks living there, you have access to all the vegetables you NEED, and simply most of us don't WANT to eat them.

WHAT YOU NEED

1 T vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 inch fresh ginger, smashed

1 T Tomato paste ( puree in the UK)

1 tomato chopped

1/4 of a small cabbage, sliced

1 cup peanut butter ( all natural, no added sugar or anything...just smooth nuts friends!!!)

3 cups vegetable stock ( depending on consistency desired)( can use bouillon cube with water for ease of use and its actually what everyone does in the village!)

1 Habenero chile pepper ( whole, uncut)

1 dried fish ( I actually used a smoked herring) but you could use any fish or try 1-2 cups stewing beef, lamb or chicken

Fresh lime

s,p

WHAT TO DO

In hot pan over medium heat add oil and then sweat down onion, garlic, ginger for 10 minutes till translucent ( add water if necessary to prevent burning...50 ml at a time)

Once very soft, add tomato past and cook this down for 3 more minutes.

Add tomatoes and cabbage and cook 5 minutes till softened ( again, add a bit of water as necessary)

Add dried fish to pan and coat with flavours.

Add warm vegetable stock to pan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add peanut butter to pan and use spoon or large whisk to dissolve it into the liquid.

Bring to simmer, add Habenero and cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until oils from your peanut butter start to separate onto the top of your sauce...

Taste sauce and finish with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lime and a dash of chili powder if you like.

Serve individually or as the photo above shows, communally with cleaned fingers ready for steaming hot goodness!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Serve this dish over your whole grain and use the habenero like a sponge in reverse ( squeeze it into your area of food and push the heat onto the grain)

Often people serve with greens ...like fengruk, but you could try shredded kale or chard added in before adding the peanut butter and letting it simmer till really really soft.

One could add a small portion of dried or smoked fish to the sauce and then serve sauce with a grilled/bbq fish as well.

IF you want to use unhusked millet, soak it over night, then drain, toast the kernels and simmer one part millet to 3 parts water, until cooked and softened to your liking (you can always drain it if you don't want it too creamy and desire it more like a fluffy rice texture).

If desirous of using meat, I would add the meat (seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder) first to the pan, get it nice and browned and then continue with the recipe. The smaller the cuts of meat, the faster it will cook, the larger, the longer it will take ( this may necessitate a bit more water in your sauce to keep from burning). The key is to allow the meats to cook till fork tender, so slow and low is the tempo!!!

Na Duminike!!!!

Millet stuffed portabellas

2009-08-08T07:12:00.000+01:00

I love millet. There I said it. Not many people love this amazing grain; and me, i am damn proud of my love. I guess a couple years living in a small village in western Mali eating it every day converted me. So honestly, I really love my millet...big millet with the husk on it cooked forever until its sticky like risotto, small lil millet that cooks like rice, fonio ( the lil -lil guys i can only find in Mali), etc.....so the other day i was searching for big old millet and no one had it ( i should have checked at a shop selling bird food a friend said!!!), except for an Indian grocer who said they sold this type to grind into flour for a type of chapati...well well...millet chapatis...soon enough soon enough...but for now let me make an new foray into millet for the non lovers of this amazing, super protein dense whole grains!!!!

PREP

1 cup pearl millet ( large grains with husk/shell still on) soaked over night in water. (or use any other leftover cooked grain such as rice, quinoa, millet, barley, and skip the grain cooking steps!!!!)

4 portabella, stems removed ( save for stuffing)

1 small head fennel, fine dice

1 red pepper fine dice

portabella stems, small dice

1 zucchini, fine dice

2 cloves garlic

2 T tomato paste

4 T Grana Padana, or any other hard cheese, grated

EVOO

s,p

1 T toasted fennel seeds, ground

1/2 t toasted chili flakes, ground

WHAT TO DO

Preheat oven to 375 ( 190 c)
Drain your soaked millet and put in a medium sauce pan over high heat.
Heat 4 times the amount of water as you have millet and pour over millet( let millet get a light toast on it before adding water) cover, simmer over medium heat, and cook till water has evaporated
In hot saute pan add oil then sweat down the red pepper, fennel and mushroom stems.
After vegetables have softened, add courgette ( zucchini) and garlic and cook a further five minutes.
Add dried spices and toss to coat.
Add tomato paste and cook a further 2 minutes .
Check the millet, are the kernels fully cooked through ( is there still water, then drain, not enough water then add a bit more...its that easy)
Toss vegetables with millet. Then add in cheese and season with salt and pepper and a splash of extra virgin olive oil ( EVOO).
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes ( more if using unheated leftover grains) until warmed through and a bit toasty on top.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

I served this with a roast cauliflower puree (recipes on the blog, 28 June 2009) that was a combination of the recipe for roasting the cauliflower, then pureeing!!! That and a nice green salad will give you a healthy vegetarian summer meal with more protein than you could have believed ( millet truly is a super grain).

Use regular millet as you would rice. I simply heat a pan, add 1 part millet( of the yellow variety more common to your supermarkets) and once toasted, pour over just under two parts boiling water, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Then fluff the grain with a fork and you have a substitute for couscous that actually is a whole grain ( couscous is merely a very small form of pasta) and so tasty.

Get your five a day...in your pancakes!!!

2009-08-03T20:15:00.008+01:00

I have been trying so hard to get my five fruit and vegetables each and every day...and most days its not so bad...fruit with cereal for breakfast, some veg at lunch, fruit for a snack...and a couple bits for dinner...but sometimes you find a nice way to get a bunch a 'dem veggies in a way you are not expecting...in some crispy, spiced pancakes!!! Oh, so easy, so tasty...zucchini, carrot and corn pancakes...

PREP

400 grams ( 3 cups) shredded courgettes ( zucchini)

300 g ( 2 cups ) shredded carrot

200 g ( 1 cup) grilled corn kernels ( char the whole ears either by grill under your broiler, or on bbq and then slice em off...)

1 red onion shredded

1 bunch green onion, fine diced

8 T flour

1 t baking powder

3 eggs

1 T fennel seeds, toasted and crushed

1/2 t chili flakes, toasted and crushed

s,p

2 T vegetable oil

WHAT TO DO

Combine zucchini, carrot, and red onion and leave in a colander with a weight over it (plates with a can of beans, anything to help press out liquid) until the vegetables release some water (30 minutes is fine, 2 hours is fantastic)
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, spices, baking powder, and eggs. Mix to a smooth paste.
Add in all the corn, green onion and other vegetables and mix to coat.
Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat and then add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of pan.
Fry vegetable pancakes (you can make very small ones, or one super size pancake...but eight average size cakes can be made from this recipe) 2 minutes on both sides till well browned.
Remove browned pancakes from pan and place on a baking sheet.
Finish cooking in a warm oven at 375 F ( 190C) or let cool, freeze and finish cooking in oven next time you are in need of a helping hand toward your five a day!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Of course any vegetable that shreds can be used in these pancakes...beets would be colorful and well served to serve with a saute of beet greens...spinach can be fine chopped and tossed in and be a tasty addition to any meal...wow, you could even go back to basics and throw some potato in 'em!!!

I say, Load up the veg and serve these pancakes with a quick stew of chickpeas and Swiss chard or under a seasonal ratatouille!!!As well no one would complain if you made some roasted red pepper and chive flecked sour cream to dollop on top.

Or have them with what we had sunday night...fennel and chili crusted lamb chops on the bbq, asparagus, and a roasted pepper, corn and pickled fennel salsa. And with that you would be as happy as we were Sunday night sitting out overlooking the streets of East London and savoring our sunday pancakes for dinner!!!

Sunday chicken and a citrus jus...Part II

2009-07-29T18:25:00.006+01:00

Now that we have made the braising liquid ( see blog post part 1 of Sunday chicken and a citrus jus) its time to cook our chicken two ways, from Sunday.

We will be using two simple techniques: braising (cooking of a product in a flavoured liquid) of the chicken legs and pan roasting (searing a product in a pan and then transferring it to the oven to cook by the dry heat of the oven) of the breasts.

The two techniques work wonderfully. Braising is one of my favorite things to do. With braising one puts a tougher cut of meat or veg: lamb shanks, pork shoulder, endive, fennel, bone in fish steaks such as salmon, med sea bass, etc...in a liquid and when it finishes its tender as can be. With pan roasting one gets a nice sear ( you can also simply put your oven really high at first and then lower it after the item is browned, but i like the control of browning the product in a pan) on the fillet of snapper, pork chop, lamb tenderloin, NY strip steak, etc...and then finish it in the oven for a perfectly cooked piece of meat to your exact temperature desires!!!!

But lets get the bird in the oven!!!!

PREP

1 Chicken, quartered (see previous blog posts on how to perform this)

Chicken stock, heated and prepared from chicken trimmings (see previous post)

1/4 of an onion, medium dice

1/4 of a carrot, medium dice

couple celery tops, large dice (as you can see we need scrap bits, so use what you got)

1 T tomato paste

1 t whole spices, you choose your mix, fennel , peppercorns, cumin, etc...

1 clove garlic, smashed

1/2 inch ginger, sliced

Splash of wine or water

1 piece of citrus sliced up thinly

Fresh herb stems(parsley, coriander, thyme, rosemary...whatever flavour you want to impart, and that's in your fridge)

WHAT TO DO

Turn oven on to 375F ( 190C) and heat up a large frying pan (oven safe if possible) over high heat.
Season your chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add 2 T oil to the pan.
Sear chicken pieces on all sides (as in picture above) to golden brown.
Remove chicken pieces from pan and add in the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for two minutes to start browning.
Add dry spices and toast for 30 seconds and then add tomato paste and 1/2 the citrus slices and stir to coat all ingredients.
Cook for one more minute, browning, not burning (if need be turn down stove top) and then add a splash of liquid (leftover wine, beer, water) to help scrape up any of the wonderful flavours in the pan.
Add this all to the bottom of a small casserole dish and place the chicken legs on top of them ( see the photo above showing a nice small casserole that is a perfect fit for the amount of product to be cooked) and pour over enough stock to almost cover the chicken legs.
Cover the casserole with tin foil and put in oven for roughly one hour ( this depends on size of legs, amount of stock to chicken, size of casserole,etc...so the key is to check after a half hour or so and keep cooking till the legs are fork tender. We want a leg that almost, just almost falls off the bone it is so tender, but stays together for appearance sake!!!!)
After 1/2 hour in the oven add slices of citrus to your original pan ( or any oven safe sheet tray) and place your two chicken breasts on top ( place them on top of the citrus slices or any random bits of fennel, onion, or other flavour enhancer you want out of your refrigerator).
Cook the breasts till the juices run clear which should be about 15 minutes ( depending again on size of breasts but also how long you seared them for...the longer you cooked them on the stove top, the shorter time in the oven)
Hopefully if its a perfect world, your chicken breasts will finish cooking and then be allowed to rest for 5-10 minutes ( redistributes juices) before you pull out the legs. And thus you will have a perfectly timed full chicken.
The big final step is to strain the now uber flavourful chicken braising liquid into a fry pan and reduce it by half to help thicken the jus ( no need for flours, starches,etc) and concentrate the flavour. Taste the sauce, does it need a pick me up ( add a squeeze of citrus juice), a touch of salt, a grind of pepper?
Now cut your chicken up into smaller pieces ( separate drumstick from thigh along the joint, and also cut the breast in half as well) and serve.

You now have a wonderfully whole chicken to feed your family and friends with a tasty jus made from all the scraps!!! So toss a bird in the oven and enjoy the simple and economical pleasure of cooking from scratch!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Many people remove the bone from the breast plate after cooking so the lower half has no bones and the upper does. The same goes for removing the thigh bone. This is the way some restaurants then serve the chicken..each person receiving a portion of light meat and dark meat and one having bone and one without...ah screw it...bone in flavour is where its at!!!

Another quick tip is to make this meal ahead of time, but stop at the part of putting the chicken breasts in the oven. Simply sear the breasts and cook the legs as directed above. Then strain the finished jus, cool the cooked legs and refrigerate till needed. When guests or family are ready for dinner simply pour your finished warm jus over the chicken legs and put them in the oven for 15 minutes and return as well the seared breasts to the oven. This is how to have friends over for a roast dinner and not be sitting in the kitchen all night fussing and cleaning!!! Put your roast veg in the oven as well and all that you should need to do is toss a salad and maybe saute some fresh veg!!! Simple, easy, and time saving...that's what cooking should be...oh yes i almost forgot...TASTY!!!!!

Sunday chicken and a citrus jus

2009-07-29T17:07:00.013+01:00

So you want to make a really nice, simple roast chicken dinner for Sunday, but with a little twist...I say...make one chicken two ways, but....

FIRST

THE JUS

So simple but so often neglected!!!

Before we can braise the chicken legs, we need a nice liquid to braise them in and serve them bathing in!!!

We must hearken back to the previous blog session and now use our scrap pieces of chicken( the back, wings, etc...not the fat), along with the following...

PREP

Scrap bits from one chicken, cut up in large chunks

1 onion, medium dice ( reserve 1/4 for later)

1 carrot, medium dice (reserve 1/4 for later)

1 celery rib, medium dice ( reserve tops for later)

1 piece of citrus sliced thinly ( reserve 1/4 for later)

1 T tomato paste

1 t dried whole spices, you choose your mix...fennel, peppercorns, cumin, etc...

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 inch chunk ginger, sliced ( reserve 1/2 for later)

1 cup leftover wine or vegetable stock

water

WHAT TO DO

In a heavy bottom pan, add a splash of oil and then sear your scraps of chicken over high heat.
When nicely browned, add the celery, carrot, onion, ginger and garlic and continue cooking over high heat to brown( not burn) your veggies.
After 3-5 minutes, add your tomato paste and cook a further 2 minutes.
Add the wine to the pan, and using a wooden spatula, scrap up all the lovely brown bits in the pan.
Add cold water to just about cover the chicken, then add your spices and bring to a simmer.
Let simmer for one hour, skimming any foam or fat that appears on the top.
Strain the solids away so you are left with a beautiful chicken stock that we will now cook our chicken legs in and in so doing produce a lovely Sunday jus.

So the easiest way to do this is to make the chicken stock the day before or the morning before you want to make your chicken. And then you will be an hour away from heaven...and what is heaven...

Ah the legs, I must truly admit it, i am as they say, a leg man...i mean when the choice is between a succulent piece of braised chicken leg that is fork tender, rich and juicy and a big ole breast, I gotta speak the truth...I don't care that it has a little more fat, 'dem legs have got mo' flava, and that is why I am braising in tomorrows blog...to pull out more flavour that will taste amazing on its own, but even more so the legs will be a compliment to the roasted breasts of the chicken...so have it your way...both ways, leg and breast, roast and braised...check it out tomorrow...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

OKAY I know...some of us have issues with simply roasting a whole chicken...for this i have a simpler recipe that goes a little something like this...

Buy the chicken whole and turn your oven on to 375 F or 190 C.
Wash the Chicken inside and out, pat it dry, and season with salt and pepper.
Cut up an onion, carrot, celery rib, couple two three cloves garlic, citrus or apple and put 2/3 on a baking dish or any oven ready pan. Place the other 1/3 s of veggies/fruit inside the chicken and place the chicken on top of the veggies.
Drizzle a lil olive oil on top, some of your own special spices, and stuff a little bit of fresh or dried herbs inside.
Pour a cup of leftover wine or beer in bottom of pan and toss the whole thing in the oven.
Roast till internal temperature of bird ( fleshy bit) is 185 F (85 C) or juices run clear.
Let rest, covered with a bit of aluminum foil for 10 minutes and then cut up.

Of course there are a myriad of ways to make a roast chicken more complex and difficult, and you can take your chances on cooking temperatures, etc...but nothing is simpler and tastier than a roast chicken... served up with the pan juices and some locally sourced roast root veg and a peppery green salad...so if you never have, try this, even just once and then move on to the recipe at the top and that follows soon in the next blog entry.

Chop up that chicken!!!

2009-07-26T07:32:00.000+01:00

As promised, its chicken time. First things first, how to save lots of money and learn to love your chicken at the same time. Buy it whole and learn to cut it up!!! Cutting up a chicken may take you a bit of time at first, but once you get the hang of it, it truly is less than a five minute job, so practice on a few birds and get ready to enjoy...But a few things to discuss before butchering the butchery of your chicken.

Firstly, make sure you have some time to do this. This is a job that should be done before you start your other cooking for the upcoming meal. The main reason you need the time? So that you can cut up the chicken, and then clean the knife, the counter, the cutting board, etc. before you move on to salads and veggies.

Secondly, make sure you have purchased your chicken from a reputable source. I try to meet my butcher so we are on a first name basis and usually they become even more helpful. If you are simply heading to the supermarket, well then, by all means, check the use by dates. I am not here to give the full lecture on the importance of how your chicken lives and what this means to what you will be eating and tasting...simply put, you are what you eat...caged or free...you decide!!!!

Now, lets get set up. You will need a good sharp knife. I use a "boning knife" as shown below, but any sharp, sturdy, not flexible blade will do. You should clear off a section of your counter where you can place a damp cloth or damp paper towel (this keeps your cutting board from moving around on you), a cutting board on top of this, and also have a few small and one large bowl ( the small bowls are for garbage and usable scrap, the large bowl for your cut up chicken pieces)

Last step before beginning is to make sure your sink is clear so when you are washing up the knife, cutting board, etc from this butchery you don't get it all over other clean or even dirty dishes. Better safe then sorry with raw meats!!!

Below will be a somewhat detailed/exhaustive series of photographs i took the other day as I was cutting up a chicken. I suggest you get a couple friends and a few chickens and do this task together, and then have a big ole bbq. This way you can all learn from one another and share in the tasty rewards!!!

Set your chicken ( rinse inside and out and then pat dry) on the cutting board and take a good look at it. Observe the legs, wings, breasts, etc...

Introductions are always nice, so shake hands with your chicken and at the same time check out its wing, and where the joints are.

Cut through the joint with minimal pressure, as you are finding the space between two bones, not needing to actually cut through any bone. This takes practice, but just let your knife feel around the area for the spot where it can easily cut through the wing joint.

Now that both wings tips are cut off and saved in a bowl for "good scraps" , we can cut off the fatty "butt" bit of the chicken and throw that in a garbage bowl

Now is the slightly tricky part of separating the wish bone. You need to turn your chicken around, and looking through neck cavity, pull up the skin slightly and feel around for the wish bone ( you know the shape "y") and using a small paring knife, try to trace an outline around it to loosen it ( but be careful to not cut too much into the breast meat).

Now you should be able to reach up further to the apex of the wish bone and pull it out . We pull the wish bone out in order to make cutting the breast pieces off easier at a later point in the process.

Now is the time to give a nice massaging pull to those lil chicken legs. A few gentle pulls, back and forth, and again. We pull on them to loosen them from the skin a bit and gain a better view of where we will be cutting next.

As you stretch the leg out from the body, cut through the skin, and as the flesh gives way, you will see the "seam" that you are to follow ( you can actually do this part without a knife, the object is to simply dislocate the hip bone)

Continue to cut/pull the leg away from the body. The cutting action should be very light and delicate, there is no need for force, unless you want to not use a knife and simply yank the leg away from the body.

Make sure to cut the sinew holding the leg onto the body.

Keep pulling/gently cutting along the muscle "seams" making sure not to cut into the meat, but simply follow the lines.

Voila, Nice leg!!

Cut any excess fat away, and repeat on other leg.

Observe you now have two legs, two wings, and its time to take of the breasts. First,smooth the breast skin over the breasts to make sure it stay s in place.

Stand the chicken on. its headless head..

Using a stiff/strong knife, make a cut to separate the top ( breasts) from the bottom( back) sections of the bird.

Once the cut is started, you will cut through the ribs and you will be able to open the two sections of the bird up, like crocodile jaws!!!!

Now once fully opened up, cut the back away from the breast plate.

Save the back for use in chicken stock ( remove the fat).

Again smooth the skin over the breasts so when you later trim it you have the correct amount of skin to roast nicely.

With the breasts skin side down, press your knife into the white sternam area until you push into it a couple millimeters.

Put your knife down and using the palms of your hands, push the two sides of the breasts down and away from each other and the breasts should easily separate. And then use your finger to slide the flesh away from the bone

Use your finger to slide down the middle portion of the breasts bone to separate the breasts from the bone.

Two bone in/skin on breasts!!!

Our chicken...ready for cookin!!!!!!!

Next blog post i will give some easy recipes for cookin this chicken, but before then, make sure when you are finished cutting and before you start cooking that you bleach/sanitize your knives, cutting board, work space, and anything else used during the butchery of the chicken. And remember to save the backs, and any other bones for making a nice stock that is always wonderful for a base for soups, risottos, braising chicken,etc...

KFC, PFC, RFC,FFC

2009-07-19T07:37:00.000+01:00

Ah yes, chicken, here in London as you can see from the sign outside my terrace it is readily available in so many forms, KFC (from our grocer Kivre Food centre), PFC next door( Perfect fried chicken), FFC (I guess thats Fried fried chicken), RFC ( Real fried chicken) and so many other places where you can get unfresh and tasteless chicken. Or maybe you simply want to wander the supermarket aisles to find "fresh" "healthy" breaded, stir fried, marinated, shredded, or ground chicken versions of the overly processed un healthy lil buggers. I walk through aisles at the grocery store and realize one thing, and one thing only. The only way to buy a chicken is WHOLE, uncooked, frozen or fresh, but whole. Buy the whole damn thing, its just a lil chicken. Whether you are simply feeding yourself or your whole family...buy it whole, buy it free range (its a flavour and environmental must), buy it locally ( if you can find them), buy it organically ( if you can afford), but just buy it whole.

What could be easier than sticking a bird in a pan in your oven with a little salt and pepper... What could be tastier than slow cooked chili smacked chicken legs for your next plate of tacos to compliment home made tortillas and salsa. What is more satisfying than making a stock/broth from the leftover bones and then using that for risotto on a rainy evening.

I walked through the aisles of a major supermarket this morning as I was purchasing items for a cookery course that I teach, and i would have to be more of a genetically modified misfit than the chicken products I saw to have enough fingers and toes to count the number of ways you can buy chicken things. Frozen nuggets, marinated breasts, pre-cooked legs, pre-roasted, deli sliced, drumstick shaped pre-baked frozen snack bites, stock, broth, oven ready. Oven ready,what is that? A sprig of fresh herbs on top, salt and pepper, a bit of butter, a few slices of carrot, onion and celery inside, wow that's a bargain they are really saving me time and effort, no one could have done that in their own home!!!!

Why not buy a whole chicken? Do people like paying more for less? Is the economy that great? Do people enjoy unflavourful food with lots of additives?

That is my rant and over the next couple week I will be following it up with some posts with recipes and methods all in regards our lil friend the chicken... and lest i forget how pervasive chicken is in my lives....the photo from my roof terrace says it all...

So let me know if you have any specific chicken questions and I will incorporate them with the blog entries that shall be coming out alongside other, non chicken posts...

RAINBOW OF FLAVOURS

2009-07-18T07:46:00.012+01:00

Tis the season, well not "that" season, but for me its the season of amazing colours in our foods. I am a huge fan of all hearty greens: collards, kale, spinach, bok choy, etc...but i have the softest spot for Swiss chard, especially of the rainbow variety.

I find a simple saute of Swiss chard with garlic and onion is a fantastic side dish with meats, a great filling for a fritatta, or a meal in itself with the help of some white beans and Parmesan cheese.

In the recipe that follows, as in the picture, I have used rainbow Swiss chard, but feel free to use any hearty green from spring cabbage to late season kale to enjoy this easy dish throughout the growing seasons.

WHAT YOU NEED

1 bunch Swiss chard, clean and then separate stalks from leaves

1 T olive oil or rapeseed oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 dozen mushrooms, washed, and sliced thinly

s,p

WHAT TO DO

Wash the Swiss chard again, it always has lots of dirt, so soak it in a few changes of cold water till no dirt is in the water.
Thinly slice the stems and thickly slice the leaves, keeping them separate.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and add vegetable oil ( or olive oil)
Add onions and garlic and sweat them down till translucent
Add chard stems and cook them till soft ( roughly 3-5 minutes) adding a touch of water or white wine if necessary to prevent sticking.
Turn up heat, add chard leaves and cook over medium high heat till wilted.
Add mushrooms and cook quickly till softened.
Season with salt and pepper

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Please remember...if you make bigger batches of food you have leftover and if you have leftovers you can have more options such as all the ideas below...

Why not use the cooked chard as a base for a breakfast fritatta, by simply cracking a few eggs, scrambling em up and pouring them over the cooked greens ( use a small pan that just fits the eggs and greens so you have a taller fritatta) and cook over low heat till bottom is set and then toss it in the oven to finish.

Or toss with some fresh pasta and broad beans for a great mid week meal ( yes another chance to shave some nice Parmesan or manchego over the top!!!)

I also have chopped the finished greens very finely and used them as a vegetarian stuffing for dumplings or raviolis ( with a greater proportion of mushrooms that i have pureed for added body).

Another idea is to chill the cooked chard and toss with leftover cooked whole grains( millet, quinoa, brown rice) and a bit of vinaigrette for a great lunch salad.

So go out to the grocers, the markets, your garden and get some chard and make this nice and easy, quick and healthy dish.

ROAST BEETROOT AND THEIR GREENS

2009-07-08T19:43:00.000+01:00

Okay, I know you may say yuck...you hate beetroot...Well I hate canned veggies also!!! Okay so lets start over...How many of you cook your beets and then have the pleasure of serving them in a multitude of ways??? Well lets start now!!! Lets go to our farmers market and ask for the beets...red ones, candy striped ones, orange ones... wonderfully delicious one and all...

HOW TO COOK BEETROOT:

I like to put my oven at medium heat and put washed beets( not the beet greens, just the beetroot) in a shallow pan with a few ounces of water, a few shakes of pepper, a pinch of salt, and a couple bay leafs...cover with foil and toss them in the oven for an hour( depending on size of beets) and take out when a small knife penetrates into the root easily.

WOW that was easy. So what to do with our cooked beets, besides first peeling them with either a sharp knife, or a dry towel to rub the peel off ( this towel will be stained, so don't use a fav tea towel!!!)

I like to take my beetroot and cook it with their own greens for a tasty accompaniment to the broiled mackerel recipe from the last blog post or in numerous other ways I will describe at the end of this blog...

PREP

4 beetroot, roasted, peeled and large dice

Beetroot greens, washed and separated leaves( large slices) from stalks( diced small)

1 red onion, washed, peeled and thin sliced

2 clove garlic, fine dice

2 T ginger, fine dice

1 T Fennel seed

4 ounces white wine ( or vegetable broth)

1T vegetable oil

s,p

Zest and juice of one lime

EVOO

Fresh coriander ( cilantro)

WHAT TO DO

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and then add oil.
Sweat onion, garlic, and ginger till softened and add a splash of water or white wine if it starts to stick ( This is a way to decrease your oil consumption and lower your fat intake)
Add fennel seed and let brown for 1 minute
Add diced beet root stems ( not leaves) and wine ( or vegetable broth)and cook down for 3-4 minutes
Add diced beet root and let cook for five minutes till liquid is fully evaporated.
Add beet greens and toss till wilted.
Finish dish with zest and juice of lime, salt, fresh ground pepper, a drizzle of EVOO, and fresh herbs.

MORE DISHES TO WASH
As stated earlier, this is a great paring with the Mackerel dish from my previous blog entry.

One can really make a meal of this by serving this alongside some refried white beans ( as in the picture above), and cumin lime brown rice.

Of course one can always cool the roasted beetroot, and after peeling simply slice them thinly and serve with some nice goat or feta cheese, fresh salad greens and a herb lemon vinaigrette.

Lets not forget borscht...the cold or hot, pureed or not, meaty or vegetarian soup that no soup can compare to in terms of colour and flavour!!!

Did I mention I love beetroot...the colour, flavour, texture, ability to adapt to all seasons...how they are never forgotten( yes the stains are there as reminders on the wall!!!)...so please, support your local farmer, buy fresh beetroot ( not canned, not cryovacked pre cooked) and enjoy!!!

BROILED MACKEREL

2009-07-07T19:06:00.004+01:00

Ah Mackerel. Let me count the ways that I love thee...How many fish can be considered not only sustainably sourced, great for your health, and cheap??? Not many that are as tasty, beautiful, easy to prepare and readily available. Here in the UK from way up Newcastle way to down here in Londons east end I have never had trouble finding fresh caught wonderful mackerel.

So next time you are thinking of a quick meal, head to your fish counter and pick up a few fresh mackerel. I find that one small mackerel per person works well and since they cook in less than ten minutes, you may want to think about putting some rice and saute of fresh summer veg on right now.

PREP for 4 people

Oven set to broiler(or grill setting) medium setting.

8 Mackerel fillets/or 4 whole fish( ask your fish monger to fillet them for you, or do it yourself. Come on and try it, its even cheaper and not that difficult...just ask me!)

Zest and juice of one lime ( or lemon)

2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste

1 T fresh ginger, mashed to a paste

2t vegetable oil ( I use rapeseed as its cheap, healthy, and locally grown here in the UK)

1T turmeric powder

salt

pepper

WHAT TO DO

Mix citrus zest, citrus juice, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, turmeric, salt, and pepper in a bowl
Lay mackerel fillets out, skin side down, on a tin foil lined broiling pan( or baking tray).
Drizzle the marinade over the fish and let penetrate fish for 10 minutes.
Place tray of fish in oven under the broiler/grill and let cook for 5-7 minutes until starting to brown and fully cooked through. ( You may want to try starting it skin side up to crisp the skin, but be careful as this is a very delicate fish and could fall apart on you!!)

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Many people love an nice Asian type slaw with this dish such as a couple types of cabbage, red onion, and cucumber, fine sliced and tossed with rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame seeds, pinch of sugar, sesame oil and coriander( cilantro).

You can serve this over rice with simple saute of asparagus drizzled in same marinade and save some of the marinade (or make extra) for a sauce.

Baste fish with a bbq sauce ( thinned out with a bit of lime juice if you like) and serve over creamy polenta or with spicy cornbread and ginger garlic kale.

Leftover mackerel...its Kedgeree time...saute some onions and garlic, add leftover rice, and curry powder, then your leftover chunked mackerel and serve with some hard boiled egg and you have your old school Raj era colonial leftover meal!!!

And try it with a ragout of roast beets and their greens...to be described in the blog to follow...

CAULIFLOWER TWO WAYS

2009-06-28T12:01:00.003+01:00

Many of us look at cauliflower as a big ole, giant, over sized head of food that we use a bit in salads or boil for veg, but usually watch turn brown in the refrigerator or on the counter. It’s shocking how easy it is to turn a whole head of cauliflower into an elegant quick side dish that will wow your taste buds. So below are two very easy and quick recipes to expand your repertoire of ways to use this sadly sterile head of “flowerless” but tasty flowers!!!

ROAST CAULIFLOWER

PREP

1 head cauliflower

Splash of olive oil

Pinch of salt

WHAT TO DO

1. Wash and trim the head of cauliflower.

2. Cut into 6-8 large segments and toss in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and salt.

3. Place in a preheated oven (200 C or 395 F) in a roasting pan & cook till browned (20-30 minutes).

4. If still not fully cooked, cover with tin foil and cook in oven a further 10-15 minutes.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Try adding 2 T garam masala or fennel seeds to mixture to add some other depth of flavour. Or if feeling like a sinful treat, why not sprinkle some mature cheddar or Parmesan over the cauliflower after cooking and putting it under the broiler/grill.

CAULIFLOWER PUREE

PREP

1 Head cauliflower

1 onion, fine diced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 to 1 cup milk (more or less can be used depending on consistency desired)

1T EVOO or butter

WHAT TO DO

1. Wash and trim the head of cauliflower

2. Cut into small bite size segments (smaller the pieces, the faster it cooks)

3. Place cauliflower, onion, and garlic in small pot, adding just enough boiling water to cover and medium high heat cook roughly ten minutes or till soft (adding a touch more water if necessary).

Drain vegetables, return to pot, and off heat, add ½ of warm milk and quickly puree with stick blender or in a food processor (with all starchy puree’s, if you puree to long you will start making a very glue like substance that you will not enjoy).

Add a bit more milk if a smoother or thinner puree is desired. Be careful as you could quickly end up with a thin cream of cauliflower soup.

6. Remove excess food bits from equipment, and finish puree by folding in butter or olive oil, and seasoning with salt and pepper.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Last week I added a Tablespoon of harissa (north African hot pepper paste) to the onions and garlic and cooked this down before adding the cauliflower and water for a bit of spice and then served it with a fennel-crusted pork tenderloin and roast asparagus. To make the pork and asparagus do as follows:

1. Roll the pork in toasted crushed fennel seeds and salt.

2. Brown the pork on the stove top and then toss it in oven with asparagus spears drizzled of EVOO and salt.

3. After 15 minutes, brush pork with a couple spoons of Dijon mustard and finish cooking.

4. Cover pork and let rest out of the oven for 5 minutes and then slice thickly on a bias and serve with your cauliflower puree or roast cauliflower (or both), and roast asparagus.

FAVA -rite BROAD beans with BUTTER and LIMA

2009-06-26T12:00:00.001+01:00

I finally think I have it figured out. With moving across the pond I seem to have lost a few beans in translation... Broad beans and fava beans are actually the same thing. Butter beans and lima beans are the same bean as well. Still working on the different terms for kidney, black, navy, and others!!!
We are getting broad beans in our weekly vegetable box, and I use them in all kinds of way. When small I chop them up, shell and all, and sauté with a touch of olive oil and garlic. When older/bigger I have shelled them and tossed them in a simple ratatouille. But after a little research I realize these are also my ole favourite beans that I always knew as a bean of another name, namely...fava beans.
In my restaurants, I occasionally went through the pain of dealing with fava beans...shell em, blanche em, skin em and then cook em. What was 1 large box ends up as two pints of beans, beautiful, velvety and tasty, but only two pints...I had a whole bushel in the shell a half hour ago??? So I developed a love hate relationship with one of the most complex and wonderfully tasting beans in the field. Today I did my old standby and shelled, blanched, skinned, etc...and made a wonderful easy dish in honour of my bean confusion.

PREP
Fresh broad/fava beans in shell (at least enough to fill a reusable shopping bag 2/3 full at the farmers market...)
1 glass wine ( or a nice glass of cool mint tea)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, super fine dice ( or sub leek or onion) water
juice of 1 lime
butter to taste ( or sub evoo)
fresh mint
s,p

WHAT TO DO

1. Ready a small pot of boiling water.
2. Shell all beans and then place them all in boiling water for 1 minute.
3. After 1 minute, drain beans and strain into cold water to stop cooking.
4. Squeeze beans out of tough outer skins and save beans.
5. Okay...its amazing how little actual beans you now have left (I told you to buy a lot)! You will be rewarded in the wonderful flavour of this puree or you may decide the other options I give in the “more dishes to wash” section are less time consuming and more up your alley.
6. Did I mention you might want to drink a nice glass of wine ( or cool mint tea) while doing this easy but slightly time-consuming prep work for the dish???
7. Heat a small sauce pan on medium high heat
8. Sweat garlic and shallot in oil till soft and translucent.
9. Add beans and just enough water to cover them, to pan and cook till soft, 5-10 minutes (depending on how long they were blanched, how big they are, etc)
10. Add water as necessary to keep beans from drying out. When beans are soft and liquid is fully absorbed add juice of lime and smash this mixture with potato masher or stick blender.
11. Add butter to finished product and season with salt and pepper and freshly chopped mint ( or any other fresh, tasty herbs you have in the garden).

Serve this as a nice side to grilled lamb chops, as a nice change under some grilled chorizo sausages, a healthy puree to go with roast chicken, or use it as a fresh seasonal stand in for refried beans next time you are making blackened fish tacos...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Use the blanched beans tossed in a vegetable salad of arrugula, radish and manchego cheese tossed with a simple citrus and olive oil dressing.

Cook dried fava beans till soft, mash em up good with olive oil, garlic and lemon and serve with roasted shallots, a little bit of tomato parsley salad, toasted pita and poached egg for a modern take on Ful, a staple food of old Cairo.

Sauté simply with garlic and onion, add a dollop of olive oil and serve over pasta with Parmesan, lemon zest and fresh herbs.

Whatever way you decide to use them...use them up because they only are available a couple months a year (roughly early June to late July) so when they are gone, they are gone and you can spend the next ten months forgetting how much time you spent getting them ready and simply remember their vibrant fresh silky flavour!!!

LAURENS BEST BANGLADESHI DAHL

2009-06-24T13:36:00.001+01:00

As promised, albeit late (please blame the telephone company bureaucracy for my 4^th week of living without a phone line...I could write a blog about what I think happened at the Boston tea party and let me tell you, it was not a tax issue...it was waiting for a cup of tea most likely and the bureaucracy associated with all shipments...whether tea or a phone line!!!) But anyways, I have found the time and energy to write about the only meal I eat every week without fail, and today was actually the first time I ever made it!!!

My partner, Lauren, studies Adolescence among Bangladeshi and British Youth (The Abby Project) and due to this topic of study, she has spent time in Sylhet, Bangladesh and with many Bangladeshi migrants in East London. This is what makes me very lucky. I eat perfectly cooked, wonderfully healthy, absolutely flavour packed dahl (lentils) each and every week. We usually make the dahl along with brown basmati rice (sometimes we sub in millet or quinoa), some raita, a quick cabbage and cumin sauté and some spicy chutnies. Today, I finally got Lauren to dictate the recipe to me so I could try it out and give you all this incredibly tasty and healthy treat!!!

The recipe makes enough for about 6-8 main course servings, so make the whole amount, and use the leftovers for a nice soup!!! One very different technique that most people are not used to is that of tempering. Tempering is the process where in we heat flavour elements (in this case cumin seeds, onion, garlic and ginger) in oil just before serving, and add the main ingredient (in this case lentils) to the sizzling pan.

PREP
2 cups red lentils, rinsed thoroughly till water runs clear

5 cups fresh water (not water from rinsing lentils)

1 onion, fine dice

6 cloves garlic, fine dice

2 T fresh ginger, fine dice

2t turmeric

1t salt

2t garam masala

1t cumin powder

2 hot chile peppers, sliced in half (seeds removed if desired)

1T cumin seeds, whole

1 T vegetable oil

Fresh coriander (cilantro)

Salt

Lime wedges

WHAT TO DO

On stove top bring lentils and fresh water to a boil in an uncovered large saucepan.
As it heats, skim off any foam that forms on the top of lentils.
Just before lentils are boiling, add ½ the onion, 1/3 of the ginger, 1/3 of the garlic, and all the dried spice powders (not the cumin seeds) to the pot and let cook at a high simmer till lentils are just “al dente” (like pasta, we don’t want the lentils to be mushy, but simply cooked with the slightest give to the middle).
Add the chili pepper to the lentils and let rest, in the pan uncovered, off the heat.
Now you can cool these lentils and we will fast forward to the moment you want to eat your lentils...
To temper ½ of your cooked lentils, you will need to heat a large sauté pan on your stove top over medium high heat.
Add 1 T vegetable oil to pan and then heat 1T cumin seeds in the hot oil.
Add the rest of your onion, garlic, and ginger to the hot pan and over a medium heat, cook the tempering mixture till caramelized (sweet and brown).
IN one pour, add the quantity of lentils you desire to eat (in this case ½ the recipe) and stir.
Any excess liquid will quickly reduce and the flavours will incorporate.
Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro
Taste the lentils, adjust salt if necessary and serve with lime wedges.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

This dish will give you a healthy, cheap and flavour packed couple of meals. With your leftover you can easily make a hearty soup with any scraps of vegetables, the lentils and a bit of spiced water or vegetable stock.

For another way to cook your lentils, use the risotto recipe on last weeks blog, but sub the lentils for the rice and you will have a healthy, and hearty side dish that can then be turned into a nice cold salad as well for lunch!!!

Try making a simple chutney of one part dates, two part red onions, one part sugar, one part water, the zest and juice of a lime, 1 t black onion seeds and 6 chopped dried chiles...simmer this till thickened and adjust seasoning and be prepared for some serious heat!!!

And if you make the chutney you will most likely need the raita: 1 cup yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and sometimes I add some cumin and lime zest...a cooling burst of flavour to mellow the mouth after hot chutneys!!!

SO try the lentils, enjoy the flavours and have a great meal with family and friends!!!

ROOFTOP GARDENS AND GOURMET EAST LONDON RATS

2009-06-18T11:30:00.000+01:00

ROOFTOP GARDENS AND GOURMET EAST LONDON RATS

Okay, first of all, none of us want to see the word rats in the title of a food blog. But the truth is, these creatures exist, and I am now witnessing that some are very picky eaters. This past Sunday we planted our nice little patio with flower baskets, some palm like trees, and of course lots of herbs (coriander/cilantro, basil, lavender, chive, and mint) and salad green seeds (rocket/arrugula, spinach, and red leaf). Seemed like a great idea.

Living in East London is wonderful, we are near canals, parks, organic markets, Brick Lane, all that we desired for cultural enjoyment and of course we are in the heart of the area of study for my partner’s medical anthropology PhD fieldwork project titled ABBY (Adolescence among Bangladeshi and British Youth). I wake up each morning, and look out over our street and shockingly; the sun has been shining down upon us each and every day. But back to the garden.

We planted the garden on Sunday and when I woke up to head to west London to teach one of the community food courses that I am a instructor for, I found quite a shock. I was drinking my tea on the terrace amidst our new garden...and the flowers were beautiful, the plants were shady, the basil, lavender, mint and chives were looking great...but my coriander...my coriander...where had it gone.

All that was left of our coriander was a few unnibbled stalks...every leaf and green shoot had vanished!!! I was absolutely shocked...was it mice, moles, ants, slugs, or rats..??? I was not sure...but I knew that something had to be done...we love our coriander...mixed into our cucumber yogurt raita( 1 cup yogurt, ¼ cucumber, chopped coriander, lime zest, ½ lime juice, cumin, grind of pepper, pinch salt...all mixed together and let to set in refrigerator...and the perfect foil for spicy curries!!!), tossed in our Bangladeshi dahl ( Check this weekends blog, I promise!!!) just before serving, in our salsa ( 2 tomato, 1 garlic clove, ½ red onion, ½ jalapeno, lime juice, chopped coriander, salt, peppe...all chopped and a quick stir), truly a staple for us.

I also noted that during the hard rain of the night all our row of seedling pots of salad greens had fallen over...wow, what a rain. I decided I needed to head to work, I got on the tube, then to the train, and waited for my ride. Outside the station at a garden centre I spoke with an attendant who assured me it was most likely ants that ate the herbs.

At work, I spoke with my co workers who listened to my coriander story and relayed similar issues in their gardens and how they had combated slugs, with a variety of remedies ( salt, Vaseline, natural pellets, etc.) I thought about all these things as I returned from work and as my partner was making rice, dahl (lentils), and cabbage for our dinner. When she asked me to run to the store for coriander, I decided, then and there...I would solve the coriander quandry.

After a wonderful meal of rice, dahl,cabbage and coriander-cucumber raita we relaxed and eventually went to sleep. We spoke of waking up in the middle of the night to see the ants or slugs in action and I had the evil though of using more than my individual nutritional portion of salt upon them!!!

At midnight, I crept out of bed, walked over to the window where the herbs were visible, and waited...and what did I see., not a slug or an army of ants but a gigantic east London rat, staring at my/his coriander stems!!! He was as shocked as I, and scurried away, once again knocking over salad green seed holders, and I guess he, like I was a bit upset to be forced to go elsewhere for his coriander!!!

So sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoyed yesterdays quick pickle bit, and the present ramble. I will give you Laurens amazing Bangladeshi Dhal recipe for your weekend enjoyment (serve with a nice spicy quick pickle that you can find in the previous days blog, basmati rice, and the simple raita we described above.)

THE QUICK PICKLE

2009-06-17T14:10:00.003+01:00

Pickles are one of those items we all have eaten at some time or other. Sometimes we get them at a restaurant as a garnish, sometimes we just crave them, but who makes them? I love to! Not long term type pickles (I don’t have the space or the patience today), but quick pickled items...Like what you may say? Well what about pickled samphirre with your mackerel, pickled shallots to serve with a block of warmed feta cheese as an appetizer, pickled eggplant and cumin sealed with EVOO for your grilled lamb kabobs, pickled red onion with black onion seeds to serve over some nice salmon and fennel puree...the list goes on and on...and these are all basically the same idea...the same quick pickle...

PREP for BASIC PICKLE ...

PICKLED FENNEL ( or sub red onion)

2 fennel bulbs thinly sliced ( toss out core but save long dark green stalks for stock and use frond ends as a garnish for pickle or other dishes...) (or any other veg you fancy...or a mix...adjust sizes of cuts as well...the bigger the chunk the longer it takes to infuse the flavour. If trying to use whole items like green beans, you make want to blanche them is boiling water for 30 seconds to aid the process)

2 T fennel seeds (or any other spice you fancy)

1 cup white wine vinegar (again you choose the vinegar)

½ cup water (you can omit water and add more vinegar for stronger flavour)

¼ cup sugar (try with different sugars, honey, etc.)

2 T salt

WHAT TO DO

In a mixing bowl place fennel and toss with 2 T salt. This helps to pull excess water from the inside of the vegetable (Don’t worry, we will clean off the salt in 10 minutes!!!)
In a sauce pan heat up vinegar, seeds, sugar and water till sugar dissolves (place bitter or less edible spices like peppercorns in a disposable paper tea bag holder to add more flavour as well)
After ten minutes take fennel and immerse them in bowl of water. Empty first mixing bowl, fill with clean water and now place fennel back in this bowl. Perform this transfer one more time, or until most of salty taste has left the fennel.
In a clean, dry storage container, add fennel and pour vinegar mixture over the onions.
Mix fennel and make sure they are submerged in the liquid. Place closed container in refrigerator and eat in a few hours or days

MORE DISHES TO WASH

The idea is that the quick pickle can be made in advance and you can keep a variety of them for a long time in your cooler. This gives you a variety of condiments for your impromptu guests, midnight snacks, or last minute funky garnish...

Try pickled asparagus spears or green beans with your Bloody Mary

Make the best Gibson martini ever with home pickled ramps or baby onions

A simple thin sliced cucumber, radish, and carrot pickle using rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds for your next sushi night...

Cabbage, carrot, radish, and garlic with cumin seeds with your tacos and margaritas

OR for the hardcore...pickled jalapeno slices with toasted fennel and shallots in balsamic vinegar and a few cold beers to chase them with!!!

So many combinations...all you need is some veg, some vinegar, some sugar and some salt...enjoy!!!!

2009-06-15T14:54:00.004+01:00

MUSHROOM AND ARRUGULA RISOTTO

I often here people speak of risotto, as if it was equivalent to crossing the Sahara or climbing Mt Everest.... the pain, the trouble, the time. Bollocks...its simple, its elegant, its what I love to make at all times of the year with all kinds of ingredients...Lovely red risotto with beets and green garlic, roast tomato and grilled corn risotto...lets not forget bacon and ricotta risotto for those who don’t find the amazingly rich mushroom risotto fatty enough. Below I have a simple recipe for risotto with a quick trick to allow you to make risotto in advance (yes its possible, no its not a sin, and yes it will be perfect!!!)

PREP

2 cups Arborio rice

2 T vegetable oil

1 large leek (white and yellow only, save green for stock) or 1 large onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, fine dice

1pound mushrooms, stems and caps separated and chopped

4 cups fresh arrugula, washed and dried

2 cups white wine or use mushroom stock below

4 cups mushroom stock (plump some dried mushrooms in 6 cups boiling water with any vegetable scraps such as garlic, leek greens, carrot peelings, etc.after ½ hour, remove the tender mushrooms and strain the stock)

Butter or EVOO

Parmesan cheese, grated

S, P

Fresh herbs

Lemon

NOTE: Usually you can find cheap dried mushrooms at most Asian grocery stores, use them to add flavour to your favourite soups, stocks and sauces (even try grinding the dried mushrooms in your coffee grinder for a tasty garnish or seasoning).

WHAT TO DO

In a large sauce pan, heat to medium, and add 2 T vegetable oil.
Add leek (or onion), ½ of garlic, and chopped mushroom stems.
Cook over medium heat till onions are translucent (add touch of water if necessary)
Add rice and toss to coat.
Add white wine to pan and stir often, cooking over medium-to-medium low heat till wine has evaporated.
Add 2 cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock, or vegetable cube induced water) and again stir often and cook till stock has evaporated.
Taste rice...is it cooked...if so then stop now. Most likely it is soft on outside and hard in the middle. If you want to use the risotto tomorrow or the next day, then stop here. You can spread the rice out on a baking tray to cool, then set it in the refrigerator in a sealed container and continue with the next step when you want to have dinner (This is how we avoid spending an hour in the kitchen when friends are coming for dinner!!!) But if you want to simply continue cooking then here we go...
Okay, we are back to the stove...now we can add more of the mushroom stock and continue stirring being careful not to add to much stock, as we do not want soupy risotto. I like risotto to be a touch “al dente” in other words, with a slight bite to each kernel of rice (not mushy).
Once the consistency of the risotto is where you want it, then we can sauté the rest of the garlic with the mushroom caps and leftover mushrooms from the stock. This can be done simply in a hot pan, with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.
In the risotto pan we now want to add a splash of olive oil (or butter), a good handful of Parmesan...fold this in and then taste.
Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon (to brighten flavour up if you like) or lemon zest.
Now taste again...the risotto should taste rich, creamy and still have a visible texture of individual kernels of rice that seem to be stuck together simply with their own starchy goodness.
The last step is to toss in the fresh arrugula, making sure to gently fold it into the rice so it wilts slightly, but does not get crushed. This will give your risotto an extra bit of colour, peppery flavour, added vegetables and a nice crunch.
Plate a nice mound of risotto, add a healthy portion of the sauté of mushrooms, a final sprinkle of Parmesan and fresh herbs...enjoy!!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH

You can serve this risotto over oven-roasted portabellas and a side of the sauté of mushrooms. As well you could serve the sauté of mushrooms and arrugula together under the risotto...or maybe add some pesto (see 25 MAY blog about ramps) to the portabella caps (then roast in 200 degree C, 390 F oven for 15 minutes) and serve along side a garnish of Parmesan and pesto...

You are not bound to mushrooms...use the seasonal produce available...courgette and tomato risotto, grilled sweet corn and carmelized onion, roast beet and green garlic, simple parmesan risotto with a poached egg...etc.etc...and leftover risotto...make little risotto cakes stuffed with cheese and one can coat with bread crumbs and bake/fry them and serve with leftover pesto or marinara sauce!!!

WILD BASS AND SPRING VEGETABLES

2009-06-11T12:34:00.005+01:00

Well we finally picked up our box of organic veg and fruit and have realized quite quickly: people must not cook in London!!! How could our regular size box of veg and bag of fruit cost so much and have the ability to last me most likely 2-3 days??? Maybe its that people use the organic as a supplement to their supermarket run??? Should we not be able to buy direct and get enough food to survive on for a week( it is a weekly veg box)...maybe i am a bit naive, or maybe I was spoiled up in Durham where the vegetables were still fresh with dirt and I had trouble finishing the box each week!!!

Let me stop my ranting and start cooking. Let me be happy that I have access to an organic box of vegetable and a farmers market as well. Let me be thankful that its sunny and i have a nice old marble cafe table on our roof garden for us to have eaten a breakfast (yogurt, fruit and nuts) upon this morning!!!!

So as I walked to pick up my veg box last night, I let some red quinoa steam away with white wine and leftover onion trimmings and thought about what would hopefully be in the box to make a nice meal with the quinoa and the nice wild bass i picked up at the market I was at.

Hmm... our veg box had cabbage, tomato's, onion, garlic, pepper, carrots, zucchini, and spring green onions...so in the 10 minutes walk back to our flat i came up with... Simmered wild bass over spring veggies and red quinoa.

PREP

1.5 pounds wild bass filet ( 2-3 pound whole fish), cut into four portions

s,p

1 T paprika

1 T turmeric

2 T vegetable oil ( I use rapeseed here in England)

1 zucchini, halved length wise and sliced thinly

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 green onion stalks, thin rounds

1 cup white wine

EVOO

Lemon

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat large saute pan over high heat and then add oil.

2. Season fish liberally with s,p, turmeric and paprika.

3. Sear fish fillets in pan ( set in pan away from you to minimize oil splatter)

4. Shake pan as fillets are placed in it, to assure there is a layer of oil between fish and pan.

5. Sear fish only to a golden brown on each side and remove to a plate to rest( middle should be raw.)

6. Turn pan down to medium high and add splash of oil, and then garlic and onions.

7. Cook onions and garlic for one minute and then add zucchini and peppers.

8. After vegetables start to wilt, add 1/2 cup white wine and scrape up any brown bits.

9. Reduce heat to medium and add tomato's and green onions. Cook for two more minutes.

10. Add rest of white wine and place fish slices on top of vegetables.

11. Cook fish, covered for 3-5 minutes ( depending on thickness).

That's it. Simple and nutritious. But wait...does it have enough flavor??? Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to the finished dish, some lemon zest, maybe some chili flakes...you decide...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Why not dress this dish up even more with some saffron in the simmering liquid, or use a whole fish roasted in the oven and stuff the finished product with the vegetable from the dish above.

What to serve this with??? I would try some nice whole grains such as quinoa, millet, brown rice...or for summer serve with fried plantains and saute of garlicky kale or spinach!!!

One other thought...play around with different ways of cooking your fish...skin on, bone in, whole fish, etc...dont be afraid, enjoy!!!! AND AS USUAL...YOU GOT QUESTIONS...I GOT ANSWERS...

HAPPY COOKING!!!

Awaiting my box of veg and internet connection

2009-06-10T16:36:00.003+01:00

Well sometimes life does not move as fast as Ferris Bueller says. Sometimes the vegetables grow fast and the internet connection takes months to be installed. Such is life when we move down to East London. We pick up our box of local organic vegetables today and look forward to eating fresh, local, and seasonal week after wonderful week.

I have started work as a community food worker in west London teaching low income young mums and dads cooking and nutrition skills. The focus is to help these young parents gain cooking confidence, to eat healthy, to feed their children nutritiously, and to do all this as frugally as possible.

So as I work on recipes for the courses, i think of ideas for this blog, and will get back to posting a few times a week as i find closer internet cafe's and someday, someday soon I hope, a home internet connection!!!

Thanks everyone for emailing me with your cooking questions...feel free to keep em coming as I should be able to start checking my email more often...I am off to get my first organic London box of veg now and promise to follow up tomorrow with what we cooked for dinner with it!!!

Happy eating!!!

WILD GARLIC...Do I smell ramps????

2009-05-25T17:45:00.010+01:00

For those of you who worked with me at Olivia or Stella's restaurant, ate at the restaurants, or came over for dinner at my home, you well understand that I am obsessed with ramps. Ramps you say, what are they? Some call them wild onions or wild leeks, a southern buddy who cooked at the restaurants once said, "Your cookin with yard onions???" To me and many others they are simply an amazingly flavourful wild plant, with beautiful garlicky greens that is available in spring time for just a few weeks.

Living in Northern England has had many pleasures, but after visiting an ex Stella's chef's restaurant in the D.C. area this spring and being sent out amazing appetizers including ramps...i was heart broken. No ramps for me to cook with this spring...no ramp pesto, no pickled ramps in Gibson martini's, no ramp risotto, no grilled ramps over short ribs with ramp infused jus, no three way ramps with a nice piece of seared fish, no, no, no...

I came to appreciate Ramps while working for Dan Barber, at Blue Hill in NYC back in the turn of the 21st century ( I like saying turn of the century, don't you...don't feel old, feel new!!!). Dan got fresh ramps from foragers who showed up to the restaurant in the morning, and by afternoon we had ramps all over the menu for days to come. It was amazing to see farm to table eating move all the way from picked to pickled in a matter of moments, from a "weed" in the woods to a green on the plate of one of the finest restaurants in NYC within hours. Of course this is what happens when you work for an amazing whirlwind of a chef (and recently voted the James Beard best chef in the United States)... he rubs off on you like turmeric on your hands, or ramp shoots on your breath...it lingers and you end up with the same obsession for fresh, seasonal,simply prepared food!!!

Unfortunately, here in the north east of the UK, I had not met anyone who knew of ramps. But while enjoying a wonderful bbq the last week, a friend showed me their lone shoot of wild garlic in their yard. Hmmm...looks a bit like ramps, tastes like ramps, wow...a long lost family member. I am so happy that they exist ( albeit in a form with lighter leaves, thinner shoots, and more beautiful flowers), but am again saddened that this is the only leaf i may eat this year.

So sad, what to do, but go on a nice hike to take in the beauty of spring time in Durham. We walk, we sniff, we look around... wondering where this potent garlic smell is coming from??? We look and see a patch of wild garlic, like manna from Heaven!!! So we went home, grabbed some bags and scissors, and headed to the forest floor to do some shopping.

Hopefully you too may be able to find wild garlic or ramps at your farmers market or food stand, in the woods, or maybe in your veg box/csa box.

Unfortunately I cant give a lone ramp/wild garlic recipe. There are just to many options, too much green, too much fun and flavour. So let me give just a few ideas of how one can enjoy the bounty of the season as we did in our restaurants in years past, and how my partner Lauren and I are doing so with our fresh picked wild garlic this week...

NOTES OF CAUTION

Firstly, if you are going foraging for ramps, wild garlic or any other product, please do your research, take along a guidebook and a knowledgeable friend. Don't plunder all the produce of the forest, as their are lots of shoppers besides you ( deer, raccoons, fox's, etc) and try to leave the area as you found it.

Secondly, make sure to wash everything before you eat it, as you will invariably encounter lots of dirt.

Thirdly, use your imagination and cook seasonally. Ramps/wild garlic is a great example of how you can use one product in 1001 ways.

RAMBLING WILD GARLIC ( RAMP) RECIPE THOUGHTS

Ramp Pesto

What better way to use ramps then to blanch the cleaned leaves for 10 seconds in boiling water, refresh in iced water and then puree in a food processor with evoo, salt, and some toasted almonds ( cheaper then pine nuts)...the ratio should be a couple cups ramps, a pinch of salt, a 1/2 cup almonds, and enough oil to keep the ramps moving in the food processor/blender. Often times I also squeeze a touch of lemon juice in for a brighter flavour, fold in Parmesan for added body, or mix in arugula or basil for an even deeper balanced taste.

Ramps and eggs

A nice way to start the day. Saute some ramp leaves, and serve on some toasty bread smothered with ramp pesto and then slide a couple poached eggs on top.

Roasted potatoes and ramps

I like to roast small pieces of potatoes ( tossed in evoo and a bit of s,p) in the oven till browned and then simply toss in a pan of just lightly sauteed ramps and serve this with a nice hunk of roast anything ( we had roast pork belly with it last night...)

Rhubarb and ramp compote

A perfect topper for the pork belly last night. Simply cook down a finely chopped large stalk of rhubarb( 1 cup) in a saute pan till soft, but not mushy, add a diced shallot, a splash of white wine, and 1/4 cup sugar and let thicken. Toss in 1/2 cup fresh diced ramp leaves, fold in and let set off the heat. ( Some people like to add some chili peppers to balance the sweet and sour, your call)

Ramp and potato salad

Boil up some new potatoes and when cooked, toss with your ramp pesto and some fresh diced ramps.

Ramps and rice

Spice up your plain old brown rice or any other grain by tossing in some fine diced ramps just before serving.

Ramp Risotto

Again simply toss some fresh chopped ramps into your finished risotto( check upcoming blog posts for in depth recipe of how to make risotto) , garnish with wild garlic flowers, and serve with a nice roasted portabello mushroom that is glazed with the wonderful wild garlic/ramp pesto.

Grilled Ramps

With your heartiest toughest stalks of ramps ( wild garlic here in the UK seems a bit more spinach like and not hearty enough for this) drizzle with a touch of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and throw on the bbq for a few seconds, turn, and then serve as a side to whatever is coming off the Q.

Wild Garlic Salad

The UK wild garlic is so tasty and delicate one can simply tear up some leaves, toss in some of the flowers, mix with your regular salad greens, a few fresh veggies, a vinaigrette made of ramp pesto thinned out with a bit of lemon juice and thats it.

Scallops wrapped in ramps

Yes simply blanche your ramps/wild garlic and then tie a nice "rope" of a ramp around each scallop, season, sear and serve on top of you guessed it...ramp pesto, ramp mashed potatoes, saute of ramps...or serve with a nice hunk of pork belly for the ultimate take on scallops wrapped in bacon!!!

Tis the season. Like all seasons, to enjoy what is fresh, local, and abundant.

Yes I could keep going, but I just wanted to give you a taste of simple things to do with your seasonal produce. Of course, by all means toss the ramp pesto and saute of ramps with your pasta. By all means slather your burger with ramp pesto, fresh grilled ramp greens and some Parmesan shavings. By all means pickle the root ends and toss in a martini on a nice hot day. Most importantly, invite some friends over and enjoy the bounty of spring with others!!!

GET YOUR VEGGIES

2009-05-22T14:28:00.006+01:00

Okay, we all know we can saute, steam, roast and bake our vegetables, but some times I just don't want to cook, ( maybe its that we just moved to east london and are still finding the farmers markets...i will be there today!!!) but I don't want a pile of carrot sticks for dinner either! What I have been doing lately is making very simple marinated vegetable salads that are flavourful, have all their nutrients intact and are great additions on top of fresh greens, under a nice piece of grilled fish, tossed with a saute of shrimp, or just served alongside some lentils and rice ( no I don't make Lentils and rice very often, but my partner does make them for us almost weekly, and they are amazing, just wait, i will give away her recipe soon enough!!!)

PREP

1 zucchini, small, and sliced into super thin rounds

12 radish, sliced into very thin rounds

12 cherry tomato's, halved

6 button mushrooms, sliced very thinly

2 oz red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 c fresh herbs

2 oz EVOO

s,p

WHAT TO DO

In small bowl whisk olive oil into the vinegar, garlic and herb mix until well blended.

In large bowl mix all other ingredients.

Gently mix dressing and bowl together and let marinate in refrigerator until ready for meal.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Obviously you can adjust the vegetables to what you have lying around your house or garden,just attempt to cut all to the roughly the same size ( i left tomato's much larger so they would not fall apart, and they have a different consistency) and look for a great compliment of colors, flavours and textures.

Here are a few other takes on this simple marinated vegetable salad...

Bread Salad...toss some stale bread chunks into the salad moments before serving for a fresh picnic snack

Change the vinegar to fresh lemon zest and juice and add a fresh fennel and tarragon and serve with your cured salmon or grilled salmon.

Use lime juice, vegetable oil, ginger, garam masala, and black onion seeds for a curry compliment.

Mix toasted cumin seeds, more garlic, lime juice, cilantro and olive oil to help spice up your summer grilling of fajitas.

I HAVE THE CURE...for salmon that is

2009-05-22T13:52:00.005+01:00

Okay, I am no doctor, but i can cure a mean side of salmon. Its so simple and amazing. One simply uses a great piece of sustainably, caught or farmed salmon a few ingredients, and waits 12 hours and you have perfectly cooked fish...cured that is. This is a process of "cooking" a piece of fish with salt. The recipe is technically a form of gravlax, which is a northern European method of curing fish. Often times people make this recipe and let it cure for many days, which is fine, and the fish will last longer, but the beauty of a 12 hour cure is the flavour of the salmon cure is complemented by a soft perfectly cooked piece of fish.

Before you begin, please realize there is no "cooking" involved here, the salmon is cured simply by the act of salting it...don't be afraid, its perfectly healthy, please just use super fresh fish, not frozen!!!! You may also be asking why do this??? Just try it, and you will soon realize how wonderful gravlax is, and how easy it is to make little appetizers of gravlax and herbed cream cheese on cucumber rounds, gravlax and eggs for breakfast, a nice filling for sandwiches, a wonderful protein rich addition to salads,etc...

You may also be thinking...12 F!$?!$ ing hours i don't have the time...hold on...read below and realize that it takes all of about five minutes of active work and 12 hours of sitting in the refrigerator. So please, just trust me, and get ready to find the cure...

PREP

1 pound of fresh salmon, skin and bones removed (tail sections will cure faster as they are thinner)

1 Cup kosher salt ( i like the feel and taste of a slightly gritty salt)

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lime

zest of 1 orange

couple 2 -3 sprigs of fresh dill or fennel fronds

2 T fresh grated or super fine diced ginger

1 T coriander, toasted and ground

1 ounce gin

saran wrap

a heavy object?!?!?!?

WHAT TO DO

Mix the cure: salt and sugar, zests, herbs and spices in a large bowl

Lay out a large piece of saran wrap and spread 1/2 the cure mix on the saran wrap in an shape that mimics the size of the salmon piece (or pieces...yes you can use scraps but they cure much faster)

Add the piece of salmon gently on top of the cure.

Sprinkle gin evenly over the top of the salmon.

Add the rest of the cure on top of the salmon in an thick even coating.

Place another piece of saran wrap over the salmon and seal into a packet.

A couple more layers of tightly wrapped saran wrap around the fish curing packet will help to hold in the juices( as the salmon cures, the juices will leach out from the salmon).

Place fish packet in a shallow flat dish and weigh it down with a heavy object (bricks, canned food, etc) and let sit in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Remove the fish from cooler, unwrap, gently rinse off the salt cure and voila....you have grav( grave) lox (salmon)!!!

I suggest slicing with an incredibly sharp knife with long slow, angled slices.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

First of all, their really were no dishes to wash!!!

So many things to do with cured salmon...diced in a cured salmon tartare ( with lots of fresh herbs, EVOO and fresh lemon juice), wrapped around blanched asparagus, tossed in scrambled eggs, used as a garnish on top of grilled salmon, did i hear bagels and cream cheese...on toast with tomatoes and sour cream.

So as it gets warmer out we should all start thinking about these types of no stove dishes. Why heat up the kitchen everyday when you could stay cool, go to sleep, and wake up to a nice piece of cured salmon. And check out the next blog post for some other non cooked dishes...

Me and my Mussels

2009-05-22T12:14:00.006+01:00

Living in the Northeast of England has been wonderful with its plethora of fresh cod, sole, scallops, Scottish salmon, samphirre and mussels...oh how I love mussels. I want to explain how easy it is to make a quick( they cook in a few minutes), healthy ( high protein, rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, and low in saturated fats), Eco friendly ( sustainably farmed), and cheap ( go to your fish monger, you will be amazed) meal with mussels...

PREP

Broiler on high

For this meal you simply need to prepare a nice big salad, grill some bread, and make a big ole bowl of mussels. So check out the salad dressing blog post for hints on vinaigrette's, and buy some nice crusty bread...and leave the rest of the work to the mussels.

Mussels, 3-4 pounds, rinsed in cool water and beards removed ( The connective fiber that sticks out of some mussels that you can quickly pull off with one smooth yank...but if you don't fancy that bit of work and want a bit more rustic of a meal then leave them...don't worry it wont hurt ya)

2 onion, peeled, and thin sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled, and fine dice

1 leek, thin sliced whites

1 cup white wine

1 head of arugula, cleaned and chopped

Fresh herbs

Baguette, long thin bias cuts

Olive Oil

s,p

WHAT TO DO

Once you have your salad veggies cut, salad dressing made, baguette slices drizzled with oil, s, and p then you can grab a big pan /pot (with a lid) and heat it up over medium high heat on your stove top.

Add a bit of butter or oil to the hot pan.

Add your onion, garlic, and leeks and let sweat( cook with out browning) down for one minute.

Add all your mussels to the pan along with the cup of wine, shake the pan, put on the lid and let steam till mussels are all open...shaking occasionally.

At same time placed your slices of bread in broiler and let cook till a golden brown.

When bread is done and mussels have opened, toss arugula and fresh herbs in with mussels, taste the broth for any issues ( need some salt, a touch of olive oil, maybe a squeeze of acid in the form of lemon juice???) place in serving bowl and serve with salad and bread.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Okay, so that was easy right??? Now how many ways can we make mussels? Thousands, just use your imagination...here is just a few other ways to enjoy them...

Make some fries/chips and some home made aioli ( garlicky mayonnaise) and serve alongside the mussels.

Cook some pasta and serve your mussels over the pasta with a little of the reserved mussel liquid ( strain the liquid and quickly reduce it by half over high heat, to strengthen the flavour)...add some tomatoes to the initial vegetable saute, finish with some basil and maybe a nice sprinkle of Parmesan.

Add curry paste to initial onion mix, add some lemon grass, ginger, fresh chiles and kaffir lime leaf for steaming and then toss in some coconut milk( in place of most of the wine) and you have a simple Thai curry flavour

Add fennel and fennel fronds to onion mix, deglaze with Pernod, finish with tarragon and you have a nice anise feel.

Make a nice pesto ( simple puree of fresh greens traditionally made to a paste with garlic, olive oil, s, and Parmesan cheese) with any nice fresh green or herb...ramps, spinach, arugula, basil, etc., and toss the cooked mussels with a few heaping spoonfuls...and happy days are here again... added point...never cook pesto you will lose the wonderfully vibrant bright green color faster than you can swear about it!!!

Saute off some zucchini and yellow squash with any of your onion family, toss in some thinly slice wedges of citrus ( rind and all)...follow same directions...

Want to save em for later...cook the mussels as described above, strain the liquid ( freeze and use at later date for many a nice fish soup), chill the mussels in the fridge and toss them in a nice salad, or in your next simple pasta dish.

I could go on and on, but simply put, mussels are a cheap way to make a fun meal fast. So buy some fresh mussels, use them that day, invite some friends over, and show off your mussels...

MEAT COUNTER MAYHEM / Please check out THE MEAT SHEET at bottom of the blog

2009-05-16T10:08:00.010+01:00

Oh yes, I know all about it, people having friends over for dinner, a bbq, a Sunday roast, and they head to the grocers meat aisle and their eyes glaze over. So many choices, so many names, and in the end you go with old faithful...burgers, or tenderloin, or chicken breasts. Not to say their is anything wrong with these cuts, but there is so many choices, so many options, everyone just needs a lil help in deciphering the coded language of an animals big old body!!!

I think we need to think of the cuts of a beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc as what they are, parts of a living, breathing animal. What does this mean?

If a part of an animal works hard, such as the legs it walks on or the belly that holds in all its innards...these are strong, tough items and they may need a bit more Tender Loving Care to make them Tender and Loving to Eat. If a cut of meat gets no workout all day, such as the tenderloin protecting the spinal column, then it will start out very tender...but watch out...as quickly as it starts tender it can become the most hard and unfriendly piece of meat you ever tried.

Why is this??? The more tender cuts of meat from the tenderloin, rib roast, etc..have less connective tissue and sinews, where as the hard working muscles of the legs, shoulders, belly, etc...have tougher, more dense strands of muscle. Just think of what happens when you go for a long run and feel those calve muscles ( shanks in cookin terms)...lots of tension due to lots of hard work. Even more so is the strongest muscle of all, the heart, pumping all day long for a life time. If you ever have a chance to cook one you will realize the density and darkness of this muscle mass ( and yes the darker the meat the more tlc it may need...this is not some issue of it being filled with blood and such...its due to use. The non flying chicken walks on its legs, but the duck can fly...this is one reason a duck breast is much darker than a chicken breast...but I digress)

Please check out the bottom of the blog for the little chart "THE MEAT SHEET" that I made which I hope will help clarify your meat selections at the butchers counter next time you are there. I have tried to simply organize all the major cuts of meat into categories of cooking as follows...

HIGH AND DRY: grilling, broiling, pan frying techniques that are cooked rather quickly at high and dry heat. High is the temperature, and dry means it is not cooked in a liquid. These cuts usually are not in need of marinades to tenderize, but of course you can do so for flavour purposes, but often the dry rub of spices works wonderfully on these cuts.

ROASTS: Longer cooking techniques, often on a high heat to start ( whether initially seared in a pan, high heat in your oven, or on the hot part of your bbq) but then once your initial browning/searing has occurred its time to lower the heat ( in oven or cooler section of your bbq) and let the meat slowly cook to the temp you desire.

SLOW AND LOW: my favorite...braising time...check out the lamb shoulder blog entry from last month for an example. but this is a slow cooking of a tough ( and usually cheap) cut of meat in a liquid until so tender and succulent that you would think there was never a need to invent the knife.

QUICK TIPS:

1. Relax. Sounds simple, but every time you move your steak around on the grill, keep turning your browning short ribs in the pan, all you are doing is slowing down the meats efforts to get a good sear and cook itself. So the golden rule on the grill for example when cooking a nice steak...season it liberally with salt and pepper, clean your very hot grill, and set the steak down...after two minutes turn it 90degrees...in two more minutes flip it, in two more minutes turn again 90 degrees...more time between each turn for more well done, less time for more rare. The idea is getting some good char marks. Same goes for a piece of fish in a pan...please stop the endless shaking of the pan for 5 straight minutes, it does not help...simply make sure the fish does not stick and then relax...

2 REST. Again sounds simple, but everyone sees food come off the grill and wants to eat it...STOP . Let the meat ( any meat, fish , bird, etc..) rest for 5 minutes to redistribute the heat and juices. You do this with your turkey for thanksgiving, why don't you do it each and every other time you eat...

3. REWARD YOURSELF. Remember that the act of eating is not simply about physical nourishment, and each and every time you cook for friends and family you should remember how important this simple act is for you and those around you...the friends, the farmers, the grocers, the ranchers, the list goes on and on...but truth is that you are never cooking alone...so cheers to you!!!

SALAD TIMES

2009-05-15T11:07:00.010+01:00

After spending a long but fruitful week in London, looking for a flat, a job, and some sunshine all i have wanted to do was cook a nice salad with a simple vinaigrette. The salad dressing or vinaigrette is one of the easiest things to master in your kitchen, but everyone has powdered mixes, bottles of store bought chemicalized dressings, and for some an absolute fear of the simple salad dressing...

The idea of a salad dressing is very simple. Its an emulsion of acid and fat. What that means to you and me...vinegar or citrus juice and oil. The ratio is the important part, and unless you want you greens to taste like straight vinegar, then hold to the rule of a minimum of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar!!! Some people push it all the way to five parts oil to one part vinegar, but I think you get the gist...its not all vinegar with a splash of oil...no matter how healthy you are trying to be. Being healthy is no excuse for bad food...neither is eating a fat free salad dressing an excuse to drown your lovely salad greens!!!!

So below is a quick recipe for a basic salad dressing with very standard quantities of an acid (lemon juice), a fat (olive oil) , and a binder (mustard and garlic) that can be altered in hundreds of ways...and i will describe a few after the recipe...

Basic Vinaigrette

PREP

1 lemon, juiced ( about 4T)

1 garlic clove, smashed to a paste

1 t Dijon mustard

s,p

3/4 cup EVOO ( use less extra virgin and more vegetable oil for adjustments in cost and calories)

Fresh herbs, fine dice

WHAT TO DO

1. Mix all ingredients but olive oil in a large bowl.

2. Slowly drizzle in oil as you whisk the dressing ( circular motion, back and forth...fast, fast)

3. Continue slowly drizzling oil into the dressing until emulsified (creamy texture).

4. Taste the dressing by drizzling a bit on some salad greens...does it need more fat, s,p...

That's it!!!

But now the key part is to toss your freshly washed salad greens( and dried) in some of the dressing. Use just enough to coat the leaves...no leaves swimming in a pool of dressing.

The mark of a great salad is that the dressing is there to assist the flavour of the vegetables, not the reverse. So buy fresh vegetables, wash them, cut them with care, and toss gently in the vinaigrette so as not to smash em up before you eat them...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

With the above recipe you have the base for many items, below are a bunch of lil ideas that you can test out...

Add an egg yolk to the beginning mix, and follow same steps and you will have mayonnaise.

Or...Temper the egg yolks ( slowly heat over a double boiler till change color but don't let em scramble), eliminate the mustard and garlic and lemon juice, change oil to clarified butter and you have the basis for a simple hollandaise sauce.

These are the simplest sauces, that seem to cause such anxiety...so next time you want to make salad dressing follow the directions above and then think of some changes such as...

Change the acid component to soy and rice wine vinegar, add fresh ginger and green onion, use sesame oil and veg oil...and you will have an Asian inspired vinaigrette

Use lime and cilantro with dash of cumin for your fajitas veggie salad...

Want the dressing creamy...use a bit of the h0me made mayonnaise as a base, or try roasting a tomato, puree it, and use this instead of the mustard...

Light and creamy...use yogurt, with fresh mint, lemon juice, and puree of cucumber and then the same ratio of EVOO...or mix tahini with yogurt and hit it at end with fresh toasted sesame seeds...

Just remember: acid (vinegar, citrus juice), fat (veg oil, olive oil, sesame oil, etc), binder (such as egg yolk, mustard, garlic puree, roast tomato puree) and some salt, pepper, and fresh herbs...

So take the 2 minutes to make your own dressings...buy some good olive oil, some fresh citrus and herbs, and stop buying jar after jar of processed dressings...you can make them cheaper, faster and healthier...

p.s. Next time you are at your favorite restaurant, ask if they make their own dressings. Its so cheap and easy, if they don't you may want to ask for oil and vinegar instead. And then think about what else they either don't know how or don't care enough to make themselves!!!

MILLET, TOFU, and spring Greens...Three things that should be your good friends!!!

2009-05-06T20:27:00.010+01:00

Tofu

Okay friends, I know, many of you are afraid of tofu ( its nicer than saying your a hater!!!) I was to, but after having lived in Ithaca ( yes its where the moosewood is) and having wonderful tofu loving kitchen staff to work with, I became a convert.

Millet

I know that you only put it in your bird feeder. Well if you spent a couple years living in western Mali you would love it as much as I do. Now I find it to be the easiest, healthiest, quickest protein rich whole grain I can make morning (who needs oatmeal), noon (yes take a break and eat a meal sitting down), and night ( make a double portion and save for morning)...

Spring Greens

Here in northern England we are getting what i think is babyish collards that saute up real quick and are great as a healthy side that lets us all get our meals well balanced and on the table in less than an hour, with leftovers and time for a glass of wine!!!

ROAST FENNEL CRUST TOFU, HERBED MILLET, AND WILTED SPRING GREENS

PREP

OVEN AT 350 F ( 175 C)

TOFU:

1 pound tofu( extra firm), cut into 1/2 inch deep slices and then pressed in a dish cloth to remove moisture. Yes you can press it overnight at well, but i have a very small fridge and it likes to keep space for legs of lamb and such, not pressed blocks of tofu ( sorry...its true!!!)

2 T fennel seeds ( toasted then crushed in coffee grinder, mortor and pestle, or ziploc bagged and hammered!!!)

2T tomato paste ( or harissa, or ketchup in a pinch...or turn it more to the east with some hoisin)

4 T sugar ( we are trying to get a glaze...so anything sweet...sugar, honey, maple if you want that feel)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T fresh ginger ( 1 inch piece) , minced

s,p

MILLET

2 cups millet

s,p

EVOO

3 cups water, boiling

Fresh herbs, fine dice

SPRING GREENS

1 head of greens, washed, and then cut super thin ( roll up the leaves together, real tight like a cigar and then cut across the grain into super thin, shreddy strips...this is a nice way to cut up basil as well)

1 onion , peel, halve and then cut in super thin slices ( as usual...red onion, white onion, lots of shallots, leeks, you choose)

4 garlic cloves, smash and chop

2 tomatoes, halved, seeded ( if you must), and large dice ( 1/2 inch)

1 cup white wine ( or veg stock, or water laced with some spices...paprika, s,p, for example)

WHAT TO DO

Firstly as we will be cooking three items at once, i will give instructions in the order they all should be done to maximize time, as opposed to each item separately. Obviously as you get faster, I would always suggest chopping vegetables as your starch is cooking ( Millet can simmer as onions are being chopped for example and a baked potato always will take longer then all the slicing and dicing you need to do). As we want to make this dish in under an hour and we want slow roast tofu... we will be searing it on the stove top and then tossing it in the oven and letting it slowly cook down ( if you have more time...lower the oven temp and cook for longer depending on how dense you want it)

Liberally sprinkle both sides of tofu slices with s,p, and powdered fennel.

Boil 3 cups water.

Place 1 sauce pan on stove top over medium heat with millet in pan...let grains toast slightly as you are waiting for water to boil. When boiled, pour over the millet, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover and let cook.

Place a saute pan on stove top over high heat, and when good and hot...add 1 T veg oil( GOLDEN RULE...HOT PAN THEN COLD OIL...WHY...you want to cook your food with oil, not cook the oil for its own smoky sake..), make sure it coats the pan evenly...and then gently add the tofu to the pan making sure you set each piece in the pan AWAY FROM YOU, not toward you for maximum hot oil splatter effect. Make sure they all have space and are not crowded. One layer only as we want to get a good golden sear, not a mushy steaming tofu mush. When after a couple minutes they are nicely browned, then flip em...

Repeat cooking till tofu is browned and then turn down burner to medium and add tomato paste, ginger, garlic, sugar, and a few spoonfuls of water if necessary...gently shake pan and make sure as sugar is melting that tofu is getting an even coating ( you can move east again by adding hoisin and soy sauce instead of tomato paste and water/white wine)...

Once your have golden tofu and a syrupy sauce...place either the pan ( if oven proof) in the oven, or transfer to a baking sheet and let roast in oven. After twenty minutes flip tofu and spoon ever thickening sauce glaze over the top.

Back on the stove

Check your millet and heat up another saute pan on medium high heat. (Has the millet soaked up all the water, is it starting to dry out a bit and stick to the pan...turn off the millet, recover and let steam while you wait for the tofu to cook)

Now for the spring greens...in the hot pan, add 1 T oil, spread around pan and then add garlic and onions and cook till golden and slightly wilted ( about 2 minutes).

Add tomatoes to pan and let cook down for another minute and then deglaze pan with white wine and let this reduce by at least half...

Now add the whole of the spring greens, and toss around a bit to coat with the oil and wine. While you are at it, i would give it a good pinch of salt.

Keep stirring as the greeens begin to cook down. Turn down heat a touch, adding a bit of water as necessary to prevent sticking ( yes, water is your friend in the kitchen...speaking of that...its tiring cooking...drink a glass!!!).

Okay...so now we have our greens wilting, our tofu roasting, and our millet steaming...whats next...

Seasoning...

Millet: fluff with a fork, taste em, toss in some fresh herbs, a grind of pepper, a shake of salt and i like a drizzle of EVOO...taste...DONE

TOFU: take from oven, scoop up any extra glaze and spoon over tofu...DONE

GREENS: taste, add salt, pepper, and EVOO and taste again...

FINISHED and I think it takes longer to write this blog then cook this healthy meal.

so please try it this week as you search for good midweek meals to sustain you...

...and if that's not enough to do...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Okay, so for breakfast I say use some of your leftover, unseasoned millet and simmer it in milk to make a porridge. I like to have this with in-season berries and sunflower seeds , a quick saute of local apples with walnuts, or caramelized bananas and pecans for a real treat.

Leftover millet. Hmmm, lets think Fried rice but use millet for a healthier option. I say saute up some veggies: carrots, onion, leftover spring greens, zucchini, whatever you got, add some ginger and garlic...then the millet...finish with a bit of soy and garlic-chili paste...give it a wok fried egg...and that should help empty out the fridge.

And lastly, why not cube up your leftover tofu really small, and toss with a simple vinaigrette (I will deal with this next blog...and then we can all stop buying powdered dressing packets, corn syrupy salad dressings, and absolutely gooey and over priced bottled vinaigrette's!!!), some fresh lettuce, a bit of your leftover millet, and any chopped fresh veg that's around...that's lunch!!!

I hope you enjoy the food and take all my recipes as they are meant to be...guides to help you enjoy your food as opposed to hard fast rules to live by. I say you should read these recipes, like I read cookbooks...like novels that have great ideas that i keep with me, but not ever in need of memorization or quoting. We need food to live, we should enjoy it and allow it to be a source of relaxation, enjoyment and good fun...dont take it too seriously. This is cooking, not rocket science. Let cooking, eating and relaxing with the finished product be fun, and put it in the perspective that it should be...its not the end of the world if you burn your tofu or set off the smoke alarm, but it would be a truly sad day if you cant laugh at it, move on, and not enjoy the now HERB SMOKED TOFU!!!

BRAISIN LAMB AND BLOGGIN

2009-05-04T08:10:00.004+01:00

There is something beautiful about braising. One just puts a large joint of meat, from a hard working part of an animal ( think lower legs and arms...shanks, oxtail, shoulders, short ribs,etc) in the oven...decide to format your new blog...forget about the meat...and three hours later... Voila...its not burnt...its not overcooked...no...3 hours without opening the oven...and about to go to sleep...and that lamb shoulder is absolutely perfect!!!

But seriously, I do usually check on it at least once...but putting the blog up into the world got the best of me...i kept writing and changing colours...and luckily my lamb shoulder just kept getting softer and softer, more tender, developing richer flavours...and now this week i have a nice shank to serve whole, and i decided to shred some of the shoulder to maybe serve later in the week with a nice warm hummus, and i will make a nice soup as well...its that easy...okay...i don't think its good to forget about your food in the kitchen...but with a braise of a big joint of meat...you are in the land of forgiveness...

Basically braising meat is cooking a very untender cut of meat covered in a liquid, at low simmer, for a long amount of time to break down the product and increase the tenderness. One begins with a sinewy, bony, fatty cut of meat that you wonder why you bought...and end up with the most flavorful and tender meal ever ( and you wonder why the butcher sold it to you so cheap...yes the braising cuts are the cheapest you can buy...why...because they don't cook in five minutes!!!)

PREP

Oven at 360 F( 180 C)

1 lamb shoulder ( mine included the shank, and some ribs, but you can do this as said above

with any hard working cut of meat...shoulder, shank, spare ribs, short ribs, tail, neck, etc...don't forget the wonderful coq au vin...braising an ole chicken works the same way...)

s, p, dried ginger and paprika ( spices to coat your meat with...sometimes i toast off fennel seeds, and then crush em in my mortar and pestle...some people like crushed thyme.. just use that coffee grinder if need be to get the right consistency...find a theme and go with it...repeat the same spice and flavor themes throughout your meal)

1 large onion, skinned and quartered

1 large carrot, peeled and cut in a 2 inch chunks

1 large stalk celery, cut in 2 inch chunks (These last three elements can be cut very small as well, but they will then be mush by the time you are finished cooking...which is okay if you are just using them for flavouring, as we often did in the restaurants, but if you want them to hold shape and be edible after 2-3 hours of cooking...then leave them quite large, as well, as always...if you don't have one of these ingredients, think of substitutes...leeks for onions, parsnips for carrots, fennel for celery...please, just cook...)

1 Head garlic, sliced in half through the middle

2 T tomato paste ( or one large tomato, diced)

Ginger, 1 inch peeled and quartered

herb stems, 1/4 cup ( parsley stems and leek greens i never toss away, i toss in the freezer and save for stocks and braises)

1 T Cumin seeds ( or fennel, or peppercorns...whole) these are for adding a bit of depth of flavour

Red wine ( or white, or beer, or ole school coca cola...not diet, the fake sugar really shows its true colors in cooking!!!!)

Water ( or veg stock, or veal stock)

WHAT TO DO

Firstly, you will need one large saute/fry pan to brown your meat and a somewhat deep casserole that is capable of holding all the products mentioned above ( they can be somewhat snug, but not jammed up).

Dry off the meat with some paper towel and then season the lamb shoulder ( you can brown the entire joint, or ask your butcher to cut it into manageable portion sizes) with the s,p, dried ginger and paprika ( or any other s,p and spice combination you like)...don't be shy...these spices will help develop the flavour and colour on your meat.

In the very very hot fry pan, add a thin coating of oil and then add your lamb shoulder. The meat should never crowd the pan if you are trying to brown it...and we want brown...to sear in flavours, moisture, and it looks beautiful. Crowding the pan will give a more steamed effect as opposed to searing...SO set the meat in the pan, setting it in away from you to keep hot oil from splashing onto you...and now let the meat and the pan do their work...don't start moving the pan and meat around...let them just do their thing...after 1 minute or so...take a look at the underside...is it getting brown( then if you like the colour flip it over ) ...is it burning ( yes, turn it over)...is nothing happening ( oops, wrong burner???)
Once the meat is browned, transfer it to the casserole dish.

In the same pan, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds to the still hot pan. ( Let these as well brown up, turning as needed)
After 2-3 minutes, add your tomato paste and stir it around with a ole school wooden spoon.

Now deglaze the pan ( which means to add a liquid into the pan to get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and also to add another layer of flavour) with a nice full glass of red wine.

Pour all the veggies, wine, etc over the lamb shoulder in the casserole pan.
Put the pan back on the heat and add water or stock ( the amount should be enough to come up about 2/3 of the way to the top of the products in the casserole...for this i am assuming 2-3 cups...as well some people keep this hot on another burner of the stove during this process)
Pour the boiling liquid over the lamb...cover the casserole with lid or foil...and put in the oven

After an hour, take a look in the pan, flip meat over, add a bit of water if none left...just make sure liquid is at a low simmer ( small sporadic bubbles are good), and the meat is cooking ( the meat will contract in the early stages of cooking...no don't worry...you did not over cook it...let it go...over time you will start to see it in another hour begin to stretch out like some type of salutation to the sun in yoga...the meat will begin to come away from the bone, the fat will melt into the liquid, and you will be left with a fork tender piece of meat...and remember...you can do this for cuts like chicken thighs, in about an hour...but same general process...)

Remove meat from pan, take out any vegetables you want to save and then strain the liquid into a small sauce pan (Throw away whats left in strainer). Only remove the meat from oven when it is fork tender. We want it to have the ability to fall off the bone, but not having fallen already off!!!

Simmer the sauce on the stove till you start seeing the fat lightly bubbling along the top. This is the time to skim the fat.

Fat skimming...Stir a spoon or ladle in a clockwise direction in the pan while it is still at a very low simmer. Second, use the whirling action of the liquid and now skim layers of fat liquid from the top in the reverse direction ( counter clockwise, eh)...Another option if you have time, is to chill down the liquid, the fat rises to the top, let it get cold in the fridge and scoop off the hardened fat later ( I would suggest using it as added flavoring for cooking, but many people find lamb fat a bit strong tasting, and not the healthiest option i could give)

Reduce the defatted liquid... braised dishes are great the next day...so i say, keep your sauce on the stove top and reduce the liquid by half by letting it simmer for a while...and when it is done it will be a bit thicker, and stronger tasting...yes taste it...after it has reduced to your liking...does it need salt...maybe a nice squeeze of lemon to pick it up ( you will be amazed what a little acid does to sauces and soups...at end of cooking)...now you can either cool the sauce and use it tomorrow or pour it over your lamb and serve...

Reheating braised meats... simple...put your oven back on a medium heat, and in a pan heat up a bit of the braising liquid, add the meat and when the liquid is hot, put the covered pan in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the meat is nicely hot and even more tender. If you want you can toss it under the broiler at the end of this heating process to crisp it up, swirl a lil pat of butter into the sauce to give it a nice gloss and shimmer, toss some fresh herbs in, or thin out with a touch more water if necessary...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

As written above, I most definitely left my lamb in the oven for hours and that was fine. I have wrote previously, i am trying to cook slow food, but fast. Once a week I spend the extra time braising something that will give me food for a few days...turkey legs, lamb shanks, pork belly, oxtails...but the key is that these seemingly long cooking times require no observation or time in the kitchen...Once you got it in the oven...clean up, walk away, read a book, play with your kids, take a nap, whatever...it is done... and you are not bothered.

And what did we do while cooking the lamb??? We made Red Lentil Dal, steamed brown rice, broccoli, and raita. Okay, I confess, Lauren made dinner tonight , I didn't... one of us makes this every week...its our favorite comfort food dinner and also we make enough for the next few lunches.(Don't worry you will get her Bangla recipes soon enough...the techniques are shockingly simple, the flavours have infinite layers, and the taste is amazing) Besides making a wonderful dinner, we read the NY Times, we ate dinner, we marinated some steaks in chimmichurri for Cinqo de Mayo, we formatted the blog, we just relaxed to the point that we forgot about the Lamb...poor lamb...we forgot you, and you still come out of the oven tasting like heaven...its almost not fair...

So now for the next few nights we can just whip up quick sides ( mashed root veggies, warm hummus, rice...saute spring greens, crisp salads...)...thats it...you now have meals that can be ready in no time at all...

Some say time is money...but in the case of the cheap cuts of meat ( needless to say all the cuts i speak of I buy from a local farmer...ask them what cuts to braise, ask me...) the time spent in the kitchen is low, the money is half what you pay for steak...and the result...well, you tell me!!!

RATATOUILLE

2009-05-01T12:28:00.000+01:00

To have with your wonderful lamb meatballs, as a fresh and tasty sauce over some pasta, or just as a nice chunky bowl of soup like goodness…ratatouille always hits the mark…Its a simple preparation that can be done with huge chunks, or small dice…three veggies…or thirteen…strong or subtle…hell…left chunky, or whirled in you food processor if you really have something against wonderful arrays of color and texture?!?!?!?

Below will be a simple recipe based on what was in my fridge the other night…most times I would add eggplant to the mix, but I did not have any ( if you are very insistent…then go buy some…but remember to salt your chunks of eggplant after cutting to pull out the bitterness and excess moisture, wait about ten minutes, and rinse off the salt…counter intuitive, but it works…)

WHAT YOU NEED…OR WHAT WAS IN MY FRIDGE the other night…

I cut the veggies small in this dish to quicken the time of the recipe, make it more of a sauce then a stew, and for the visual effect…feel free to make it chunkier, but obviously adjust the amount of time it takes to cook.

Olive Oil

1 LEEK ( No dark green bits, cut in half length wise and then finely slice)

3 SHALLOTS ( or one onion, either way…cut very fine…)

4 cloves garlic (smashes, crushed, diced, whatever you like…smaller is stronger, bigger chunks cooked slowly will have a deeper softer taste)

1 carrot, peeled and fine dice

2 SMALL ZUCHINNI, fine dice ( 1/4 inch cubes roughly…just make sure everything is same size!!!)

1 green pepper, seeded, and fine diced

2 portobello mushrooms, chopped fine

4 TOMATOES, fine dice

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Balsamic Vinegar ( sherry, red wine vinegar, use what ya got)

Fresh Herbs, finely chopped ( basil, parsley, green onion, chives, etc)

s,p

BOLD METHODS

Heat up one large saute pan ( medium heat) and one small saute pan ( high heat) on stove top

Add a small amount of olive oil to both pans

In large pan add garlic, leek and shallots and let cook down slowly without browning

In small pan saute carrots till tender…and then toss them in large pan

In small pan continue cooking each vegetable in the order they are in the recipe till just tender, and then transfer into large pan ( Yes, if you like you can do this in one large pan, but you will have less control over the exact cooking of each product…you can also use four pans and make yourself very very busy in a short amount of time.) But remember, take your time, and enjoy the cooking.

Once all veggies are cooked and in large pan, allow them to cook down a bit till soft and incorporated…you may need to add a splash of white wine or water to the pan to deglaze the bottom if it is sticking…this is okay…its all helping to develop the flavours…

Now is the time to add the zest of lemon, a squeeze of the juice, and a splash of balsamic…taste…what does it need…more acid, some salt and pepper, a nice drizzle of olive oil…don’t be afraid to add things slowly and in small amounts, this way you can keep correcting the flavours…until they are how you want them.

Take the ratatouille out of the pan…put in a bowl, fold in your fresh herbs …and enjoy with the lamb meat balls, or however you like.

…this recipe freezes very well, and can easily be a soup if thinned out a bit with vegetable stock and served a nice grating of Parmesan, and with some crusty bread …but simply put…use what you have around the house, this is something that can be easily made while working on rolling meatballs, cutting veggies, preparing some sangria, or cleaning the kitchen ( i know i know…why clean when you are still cooking…because its harder to cook with all kinds of shit around…keep some hot soapy water in the sink( or in a large bowl next to sink) while cooking and all gets done before and not after cooking)…this way people are happy you cooked, and not worried about the mountain of dishes they will be forced to clean as payment for your wonderful prepared meals…

LAMB (its aint just any meat) BALLS

2009-04-30T12:26:00.000+01:00

Lamb is my favorite meat, period. Yes, I know, pork has more cuts and fat;that i can cook it and all its bits in so many ways…but i love all things lamb…spicy sausages, charred chops, braised shoulder…too me man can live on lamb alone…

As we here in the UK are already having wonderful late sunsets that keep us outside till almost nine pm…there is nothing better than a light dinner of meatballs and sauce and a salad on the side after a great day in the sun…Why, because they can be made ahead of time, grilled if you want, baked, and fit my craving for something i can pick up and pop in my mouth while drinking a nice chilled rose as the sun is fallin!!!

The idea here is you can simply make the mix and do a variety of things from that point. One, you can put them in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes and they will be happily medium rare, and be ready to eat. As well you may take these and freeze on a flat surface in the freezer now and then when frozen, toss em in a storage bag…and take out whenever you like for quick snacks. As well you may pass on the healthy baking option and get even more flavour by firing up the grill and finding a nice warm spot ( and one that is very clean and oiled) place the meatballs on the grill and enjoy as a nice appetizer at a bbq or with some nice garlicy grilled bread and the sauce that will follow in next entry…

You may be wondering why I am not frying my meatballs in a pan…yes they taste great that way…but to me…there is enough fat in the meatballs, so to keep it a bit healthy and to lessen the number of pans in use…i go for bake or grill. As well most people add a bit of bread crumbs to the mix…usually I add a bit of panko (Japanese style bread crumbs), but I have been trying to always incorporate whole grains, so this time i tossed in some leftover cooked millet to add body, balance, and a great texture.

WHAT YOU NEED

OVEN AT 395

2 # GROUND LAMB (or any other meat, or mix)

2 Eggs ( helps binding process and adds moisture)

4 CLOVES GARLIC( can mix half and half with ginger or shallots as well for more spicey feel) ( smashed with side of knife to lose the skin, then keep smashing till you have a paste…sprinkle salt on crushed cloves of garlic to help them crush better…kind of like sand paper effect…as you smash garlic with side of knife drag the knife across the cutting board…dragging ever finer bits of garlic with you…)

1 large red onion ( any color onion will do…dice as fine as you can…or pulse in a food processor, pulse lightly a few moments to do the equivilant of lots of chopping, not puree!!!)

1-2 cups MILLET (Or cooked rice, quinoa, etc…As much as you like to balance the meat and texture)

1T SALT

1t PEPPER

1t spices ( this is where you can have some fun…spicy blend add chile powder, cumin, and cayenne…or add crushed cumin, coriander, turmeric and chile powder for more curry esque flavour…or simply add some paprika)

1/2 cup fresh herbs(parsley and or cilantro preferred), choppedfine

BOLD METHODS (and commentary)

In large bowl mix meat with garlic and onions till incorporated ( over mixing is not only unnessary, but will lead to a heavier meatball).

Add egg and dried spices ( quick mix…only a few stroked of spoon, or smashes with your clean hands)

Add millet and fresh herbs ( again only a few gentle squeezes with your clean hands…this is not one of those finger licking recipes, sorry)

Heat a small frying pan on stovetop

Make one small lamb-ball, flatten and heat in oiled fry pan till cooked (this is your tester, since you cant taste the mix raw to know if the final product is correct…so try one, if it is to your likin…rock on…if not…add what you like…more salt, more herbs, other spices…and then fry another one…NO…dont keep eating meatballs all day…now you know why they say, never trust a skinny chef!!!)

Lightly oil a large baking tray ( or any vessel you can fit into your oven) or heat up the grill!!!

Clean up your workspace: all you need is your bowl of lamb, a small bowl of water, and your baking sheet.

With clean wet hands start taking large spoonfuls of lamb mix (i suggest 2oz portions which should be about two bites, or small enough to still be toothpick friendly for a fancy appetizers, and two finger pick up for more of a friends free for all!) and lightly rolling them between the palms of your hand to make a smooth ball…and place on baking sheet…repeat…again and again ( washing hands as necessary to keep clean and wet so the meatballs do not stick to your hands).

Place meatballs on greased baking sheet (Dont crowd them…we all need space to breath) in preheated oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, turning one time ( 5 minutes will give you just cooked ones so you can freeze and then reheat, chill and reheat, or let rest and they will still be medium rare…10 minutes should make them perfect to eat straight from the oven…)

take em out…pop in yer mouth and enjoy…with the upcoming sauce recipe…

beet threesome

2009-04-26T12:24:00.000+01:00

I love em i really do…beets beets beets i can eat em all day and all of the night. In the post regarding sole the other day, I roasted some beets and boiled some beet stems ( not the greens…save for a bit later)…so check that post to see how to roast em properly and boil the stems till they are pasta like. I also had another chorizo sausage left over so i decided to make a nice “pasta” dish with my sausage and a threesome of beets…threesome you say…whats the idea…to use one ingredient in multiple of ways to taste new flavours and cooking ideas from the same ingredient …

Pasta with red sauce with greens and sausauge…what could be simpler and tastier than making it all with beets…the sauce, the pasta, and the greens…all from one bunch of beets and in less than one hour ( if you roasted and boiled previously…its all about doing things in advance..)

STUFF

6 medium sized Roasted beets ( peel if not scrubbed)dice

1 onion, peeled and small dice

1 shallot, peeled and small dice

4 clove garlic peeled, smashed and chopped( reserve 2)

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

Parsley, cleaned and chopped ( or any herb you have around)

3 oz red wine vinegar

liquid to cover ( veg stock or water with a splash of EVOO, or add more wine and reduce)

beet greens( from same bunch of beets) or use spinach, chard, kale if your beets had no greens

beet stems ( from same bunch of beets) or use chard stems, etc…

s,p

EVOO( extra virgin olive oil)

2 sausages (cooked and sliced thinly) or some pan fried spicy tofu, grilled shrimp, etc

BOLD METHODs and commentary

1. Heat pan over medium high heat till very hot ( sprinkle some water in to test…pop, pop, sizzle YES)

2. Add a small amount of oil to coat pan, swirl it, and then add onions, garlic, and shallots

2. Sweat these down ( cook down till translucent, no browning…so stir, and add a touch of water if necessary)

4. Add your chopped beets, tomato, red wine vinegar and enough liquid to just cover top of beets.

5. Simmer (liquid slightly bubbling) till beets have softened considerably.

6. Using a blender, food processor, stick blender, or not ( if not available then skip the excess liquid and keep veggies chopped even finer to have a chunky sauce), add all product including the parsley into blender and quickly pulse to get everything moving.

7. Once you have a somewhat saucy mix and no beets all over the ceiling, then drizzle a little bit of olive oil into the blender as you mix on a low setting…it should nicely emulsify (incorporate into a silky sexy sauce) and you can add a bit of water if its too thick or more EVOO for more richness…now you can taste it...does it need salt, pepper, some acid ( squeeze a bit of lemon juice, zest some lemon in it or a splash of vinegar)...this is when we season and finalize...

8. Place sauce in a closed container, wash out your blender and get ready to eat in five minutes!!!

9. In the same clean sauce pan, heat over medium high heat, add small coating of oil, and then add your beet greens and saute for 1 minute.

10. Add your sliced sausage and beet stems to the mix and stir till warmed. Taste, season and turn off stove.

11. One each plate pour a nice circle of the beet marinara, with tongs spiral up a mound of beet pasta, greens and sausage…and serve as is or add some shaved parmesan, some crusty bread, a nice simple salad, and whatever feels right…and to me making an entire meal out of one bunch of beets and two sausages feels very very right!!!

MORE DISHES FOR WASHING

While making this dish i boiled off some chick peas ( soaked day before) and used some of the garlic, lemon juice, and parsley that we chopped for the beet dishes, to make a nice batch of hummus ( 1 cup chick peas, 2 cloves garlic, 2 T tahini, juice of 1 lemon, s,p, drizzle of olive oil) and also have a cup of chick peas cooked in the fridge for a nice salad tomorrow…speaking of emulsions… and my favorite pasttime … whisking dressings!!!

One should never worry about having extra of your herbs, onions, veggies, etc…it will always get used another day, another way, and will save you time and effort and allow for quick morning omelettes, easy salads, simple dressings and like this evenings threesome…a sexy sauce…

Harissa fried rice, fried chorizo and cumin roast zuchinni

2009-04-25T12:23:00.000+01:00

So sometimes in the immortal words of Ferris Beuller, “Life moves pretty fast…” and we change our food plans…and i was in a bit of a rush tonight so did not feel like playing with my big old beets…nope i did it quick and easy…and it tasted like Tina and Ike said…Slow and Easy…….so save the beets from yesterdays meal and I will do em 3 ways this weekend ( thats why some nights we cook more, to have things ready for other nights…1 hour cooking max per night thats all you need to prep, cook and clean up)

WHAT YOU NEED

Oven at 375

4 Chorizo sausages ( or any type you like…but i like em fatty and spicy)

2 small zuchinni cut into big half circles, trapezoids, whatever you like, just cut them all the same size so they cook in the same amount of time.

1 T Cumin seeds( i would toast whole seed and then toss em in your coffee grinder, mortor and pestle or put in a bag and wack em with a can of tuna!!) Do you know how much you pay for little bottles of old tastless powdered spices…a handful of toasted whole spices served whole or crushed will make a world of difference…buy bulk!!!

1 yellow onion ( or red or leeks, or lots of shallots)sliced thin

2 green peppers ( or red or yellow…you get the idea)sliced thin and same as peppers

2 clove garlic smashed and chopped roughly

2 T harissa paste ( spice up some tomato paste w/ cumin & chili powder in a pinch)

Leftover rice ( or leftover taters for a more bangers and mash feel)

1 lime

handful of green onions chopped ( or cilantro or parsley)

oil

METHOD ( with lots and lots of extra thoughts and hopes of your own culinary meanderings)

On a sheet tray ( cookie tray, pyrex, whatever fits in the oven) drizzle some oil and place the sausages on top…

Toss chopped zuchinni in a bowl with a splash of olive oil, cumin , s, p and then toss them around the sausages and throw the tray in the oven for 20 minutes( Depending on size of sausages and cut of zuchinni time will change…so taste a piece of zuchinni, if you think they are done…take em out).

Get a saute pan that is big enough to place veggies in it without crowding them and get it nice and hot…then place some cold oil in the pan…swirl and add onions and peppers(if you cook them slower at a lower heat you can carmelize them, if you want them more crunchy…then saute ( jump veggies jump) them for just a few minutes), but dont forget to add the garlic ( the longer you wait the stronger the flavour…which can be nice with the chorizos and harissa)…taste em…add a touch of salt…if you want you can take veg out of pan now…or you pour a couple ounces of white wine or beer or water in the pan over high heat to loosen up the sucs( goodness stuck to the pan) with a wooden spoon...take veggies off heat and let rest in a covered bowl…save pan

wait for sauasges to be finished cooking and take out of oven, let rest and then slice or serve whole…( save juices/oil from zuchinni and sausage)

In same pan, turn up to medium high, add some of the accumulated chorizo oil ( or fresh veg oil if you want a less fatty option) add a couple T of harissa to pan and stir with wooden spoon to soften flavour ( some people would add some shallots or onion here…its your time) now add your leftover rice( or add some smashed leftover potaotes and milk/butter and/orveg stock to soften them) and stir fry for a minute to heat up…toss in some fresh herbs, squeeze over some lime ( and grate some lime zest in if you want) and put in a serving dish with sausages and zuchinnini and garnish the top with the onions and peppers

Obviously you can easily increase quantities to have leftovers…you an substitute some paprika and cumin dusted tofu or salmon seared hot in a pan or roasted in your oven…

But the main idea is the flavours should be fresh and the meal should take very little time to prepare and much more time to savour sittin down, sippin some rioja, drinkin a nice pilsner, or doing what we should all be doing…drinking water all the damn day long…

SOLE ful dinner and contemplative tomorrows

2009-04-23T12:20:00.000+01:00

So Sole it is…I flew back from a vacation with my friends and family in the U.S. and slept soundly last night. This morning I was up and out early to spend a day working for the local Oxfam shop here in Durham, UK. By the time I took a lunch break, I knew it was time to hit the fish stand…so i bought a lil sole that was fresh and some sampphire ( sea asparagus) and then hit the produce stand for some essentials to stock my fridge till my weekly veg box gets delivered next week. I bought some carrots, fennel, parsley, beets with their greens, huge leeks, potatoes, etc…

When the day ended and the sun was still shining, I knew it must be spring here in England

…and it was time for a bit of Soulful Sole...

INGREDIENTS

6 cups boiling water

oven at 375

2 cups brown rice, rinsed

1 leek, cleaned and slice the white into thin rounds ( save dark green in freezer for stocks)

1 cup samphire ( soaked in cold water for 10 minutes)

1 bulb fennel-core removed, bulb cut in half, and sliced thinly

s,p ( salt and pepper)

2 T veg oil

Flour ( wheat, corn, soy…any that is in the cabinet)

lemon (use any citrus you desire)

parsley( use any fresh herb).. cilantro with lime, parlsey with lemon, orange with dill, etc…play around

tabasco sauce

METHOD

1 Sole ( 4 filets, i suggest learning to filet the fish yourself to save the bones for a soup base…but email me if you want that next level of info)

So the idea is to always get the longest cooking items started first…

1. Pour boiling water in pan, and add a touch of salt and the rice…bring to boil and simmer uncovered till cooked (depending on rice type time will change…I would give 30 minutes for brown…this style of cooking rice is as if its pasta…lots of water, lot less rice) and then strain rice into a colander and put back in pot off heat to steam for 10-20 minutes.

2. While rice is starting to boil, simmer sammphire in a small pan of water for 2-3 minutes until less salty and still crunchy…Drain and rinse in cold water till chilled ( or place in bowl of ice water to chill).

3. ONce rice is steaming it is time to heat a saute pan ( i prefer black steel, but non stick is easiest, and any any any pan will do) over medium high heat. Sprinkle the fish with salt, pepper, and a lil flour .

GOLDEN RULE: HOT PAN AND THEN COLD OIL

4. Add small amount of veg oil to pan. Take one filet in your hand and while holding the pan in your other hand, set the fish in the pan by brushing it AWAY from you into the pan as you move the pan to make sure the fish does not stick…then continue setting this piece of fish in the pan and shake the pan to again make sure it does not stick…once you get the hang of it you will find this proccess to be one continuous motion…as if you were painting the pan with your piece of fish (AWAY FROM YOU ALWAYS TO KEEP OIL SPLATTERS FROM HITTING YOU)…so then repeat the proccess with the other pieces of fish and cook for about 1 minute on each side if very small fillets (less than a few ounces) or a bit longer if necessary…then with a spatula, gently turn the fish filets over, again making sure not to do this in the direction that would cause sizzling oil to hit your wrists!!!

5. Welll that was a bit wordy…but now that you have cooked the fish without it sticking…place them on a platter and cover it off the heat. IF you have not burned your pan, add a bit more oil if necessary and toss in your veggies ( fennel, leek, sammphire or any other veg you got) and saute ( which means to JUMP…so shake that pan) for a minute and the veg is still crunchy…add a few drops of tabasco, a grind of pepper ( no salt if you have samphire…as its already salty) and then remove from heat

6. Throw the veggies on top of the fish filets…sprinkle with fresh herbs, add a squueze of citrus and serve with your brown rice…

CONTEMPLATIVE TOMORROWS…making leftovers while the main meal is cooking…and yes we will still be done in an hour

While the rice was simmering …i washed 8 small potatoes, tossed them in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and placed them in the preheated oven…always nice to have some baked lil potatoes to use for a snack( baby stuffed potatoes), smashed, or to bulk up a soup

I also took a bunch of beets, washed them, and put them in a small casserole with s,p, red wine vinegar and olive oil ( just enough to cover bottom of pan)…put tin foil on it and placed in oven as well……they will take about an hour depending on size of beets ( test by inserting a small knife in one…if the knife can enter the beet easily…they are done)

As for the beet greens, I saved the leaves and blanched ( quickly boil till softened but not soft) the red beet stalks

And i soaked some dried chick peas in water for the next couple days ( hummus is always a good snack food to have around, as well chick peas are great in simple salads to add a bit o protein)

What is the plan…not sure…but i love eating beet stems as if they were pasta..and maybe i will pull some local sausages from my freezer, and make a nice lil dish of beets three ways ( stems blanched, saute of leaves, bulb made into a quick sauce) with spicy lamb or pork sausage????

HOW TO USE THE RECIPES

2009-04-21T12:18:00.000+01:00

ANY WAY YOU WANT…i write these recipes for me and my friends…change things as you like ( but please email me with questions)…dont wait to cook…cook now…you dont need new pots, knives and any silly gadgets that unskilled tv personalities are trying to sell you…all you need is a desire to enjoy food...appreciate your effort…cook with those you love…cook enough for the next couple days…relax, its not rocket science its a craft ( I am a professional chef…and i am letting you in on a secret…cooking can be artful…it is not art!!!)…taste a local veg and one from half a world away...”so thats what a carrot tastes like… Please take time to cook…you take time for tv, reading, jogging, napping…

i want to help people make amazing food in an hour…thats what you need…i cant find you extra time, save time, borrow time or make time… if enjoying real food that is healthy, sustainable and truly edible is actually worth one hour of time…then no worries…but if its more important to watch tv then feed your friends and/or family real food then by all means continue with the take out food, frozen meals, canned soups, proccessed, salt soaked, artificial sugar laden products that must really be hitting the spot ( wallet, heart, belly, etc…)…

The point…eat real food…cook with and for those you love…enjoy!!!