TRAVELS WITH MY FORK

San Esteban at Mar Blanc

2011-12-30T16:39:00.006Z

For those of you who haven't heard yet, we've moved (yes AGAIN!) -- this time to Spain! Our new home is in the town of Castelldefels which is a short commute to my new job at Xing in Barcelona. I'll save you the story about all the stress and angst of leaving Berlin and moving here. Suffice it to say that we are glad it's over and that we're here.

We're really loving it here already and are starting to explore our new surroundings. A big plus is that it's a mere 1.25 hour flight between here and where my parents live. So much closer! We invited them over for a few days to celebrate Christmas and had a wonderful meal on Christmas day.

To close out the visit my parents wanted to treat us to lunch and asked for us to choose some place special. We chose Mar Blanc for a few reasons: 1) it sits right on the beautiful beach of Castelldefels; 2) they had Lobster Thermidor on their special San Esteban menu; and 3) most of the review we read on TripAdvisor were complentary of the food and restaurant.

The restaurant has three separate eating areas -- an outside terrace which would be fab in the sprint or summer but would have been too cold on this particular day, a downstairs dining room which is where we sat, and an upstairs dining room. When you walk in the front door you immediately face tanks where the live lobsters are kept before being cooked for you. The dining room is decorated with seaside paintings and other nautical adornments.

Here is the view from our table in the restaurant.

For a starter we were served hollowed out oranges filled with a salad and gulas. We accompanied this with some lovely cava.

Our first course choices were either seafood cannelloni or langostines. The cannellonis were flavourful and very rich, and the langostines were succulent and sweet, though a bit of work to remove the shells. Btw -- the best part of eating the langostines was sucking all the juice out of their heads. Yum!

For the second course we mostly went for the lobster thermidor, while my father decided to tackle the cochinillo (suckling pig). We were unanimously underwhelmed by the lobster -- it was dry and lacked flavour and the rich sauce you'd expect with a thermidor. On the other hand, the cochinillo was tender and flavoursome and served with a nice side of potato gallette.

Dessert was the traditional yule log, followed by an assortment of turrons.

Overall we loved the location and everything but the lobster which we felt should have been the star of the meal. I'd like to go back again and order things a la carte to see if it's any better.

Details
Mar Blanc
Ribera de Sant Pere, 17 08860 Castelldefels
Map
Web site

A Visit to the Thermomix Test Kitchen

2011-08-31T06:23:00.003+01:00

One of the repeatable 'discussions' Kelsie and I have is about the amount of kitchen equipment I've accumulated over the years. There was definitely a point in time when I'd regularly bring home something new that I 'needed'. Some of these aquisitions have still not been used: i'm thinking of the iron disc i got in Barcelona that is heated and then used to make a perfect burnt sugar crust on crema catalana. and i'm thinking of the tortilla press that's still in the box waiting to be used. And there are some acquisitions that only get hauled out once or twice a year: the iddli cooker that i finally used last christmas, the individual sized pudding moulds (set of 8) that i've used a few times for dinner parties, and the sugar thermometer.

A lot of these are packed away in one of many plastic tubs that are down in the cellar. Somehow i keep track of what is where. Then we get to the bigger equipment: my Magimix which i definitely use at least 1x week, the blender which K has been using every day for her smoothies, the ice cream maker which has lately been taking up room in the freezer while i deliberate on whether Schlagsahne will work in place of whipping cream, the toaster and the filter coffee pot. We're probably going to bin the coffee maker. it's not been used since we started making cappuccinos in the morning with a 3-cup espresso maker and hand powered milk frother.

These days i more often than not say no to myself before indulging in another piece of kit. But I do know of some things i still want/need: a 28-32 cm stovetop casserole pan; a bigger than 10" cast iron frying pan, and i'd love one of those oval shaped le creuset pans that fit a whole chicken or a tiny pan just for blinis. I'm doing pretty good on the saying no front. Mostly because i'd rather get rid of my debts before adding to them.

I got to exercise my restraint a couple of weeks ago when i was invited by Jill to the weekly meet-up at the Thermomix test kitchen in Alt Tegel. At the last Berlin Cooking Club, Jill brought her 'magic' machine. Magic in the sense that while the rest of us were furiously chopping and stirring and competing for time to cook on the two induction hobs, Jill quietly produced her two dishes -- sweet potato salad and veggie jambalaya with farro -- before any of us had finished. Both dishes were prepared in the Thermomix that she had brought with her.

The Thermomix kitchen sits on a quiet street right near an industrial park. When we arrived, the cooking was already underway. Each week a different sales group takes turns cooking for the team, with most of the dishes being prepared in the Thermomix machines.

Jill expertly took the machine apart to show me the parts -- a 2ltr stainless steel bowl, a removable 4 blade chopper (removeable makes it really easy to clean and the blades are staggered in height and position to ensure uniform consistency, a stirring attachment, a lid with a 100ml stopper for adding in ingredients while the machine is working, and a 2 tier steamer attachment which allows you to steam other things (veggie, fish) while you are using the main machine to cook. There is a temperature adjuster, a speed adjuster to control how fast the machine works, a reverse stir feature, and a pulse feature for extra strong bursts of chopping and a timer.

Jill has been using this machine as her primary cooking apparatus and these days rarely goes to the trouble of cooking things on the stove. She says that this machine has dramatically changed the way she cooks. She even prepared pizza dough in it the other day -- yes, it also does bread dough.

On this particular day the cooks were making a rocket risotto in the Thermomix. I watched the finishing stages where the pre-chopped rocket was added along with grated parmesan. The end result was a bit on the wet side of al dente for me, but certainly acceptable as a risotto. And i can attest to the nice consistency of the farro that Jill used in her jambalaya.

The Thermomix has been around for about 27 years. And there were a couple of older models on display at the test kitchen.

They also have a variety of different cookbooks at the test kitchen which are geared towards using the machines.

The price of the Thermomix is about 1,000 euros which isn't surprising given all the things it does. They have financing plans that help spread the payments out over several months.

For me, i'm going to wait to get one. It isn't just the price that is holding me back, or that I have been pining for one of those candy coloured kitchen aids. It's that I don't really need to worry about time-saving equipment. If i was cooking for large groups of people and had to get a lot of dishes out then I probably would consider it. But for now i actually enjoy the manual part of cooking. i like chopping and stirring and adjusting the temperature myself and kind of feel that the machine would take that away from me.

Sources:
Thermomix website
If you are in Berlin you can contact Jill to arrange a demo.

Meatless Monday: Rigatoni ai peperoni

2011-08-29T05:52:00.001+01:00

The saga of the sodden summer continues. The days have been filled with a dull kind of humid heat. And while the sun has poked itself out, inevitably i've found myself riding home from the train station in a late afternoon rainshower. Last week we even had hail.

All this unpredictability has made me keep the barbecue and briquettes covered until i'm sure they won't get soaked. Which means, when i buy bell peppers to grill on the barbecue so that i can make some antipasti, i have to end up doing something else with them.

I found this simple recipe in the book Twelve by Tessa Kiros. The August chapter mostly features exquisite photos of bright blue sunny clear days and lots of recipes for the barbecue. And it's got a good selection of recipes included peppers: this one, Pappardelle con melanzane e peperoni, Trota in forno con peperoni (i am definitely going to make this soon esp. with all the trout that's available right now), and Peperonata.

Rigatoni ai peperoni Serves 6
from Twelve by Tessa Kiros

2 medium sized red peppers
1 medium yellow pepper
4 Tbs olive oil
1 med red onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned and pureed
handful freshly chopped parsley
500g rigatoni, penne or similar pasta
4 Tbs thick cream
6 basil leaves, roughly torn
120g freshly grated parmesan

cut peppers into small chunks

heat olve oil in large saucepan and add onion and garlic. sautee few minutes until softened, then add the tomatoes. when they begin to bubble up, add the peppers and half of the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. add about 250 ml water and simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes or until the capiscum is very soft. add a few more drops of water to prevent the sauce from drying out, if necessary.

meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil for the pasta.

remove the suacepan from the heat. puree haf of the peppers sauce and return to the saucepan, leaving the rest as they are. add cream and heat through.

cook the pasta in boiling water folowing the packet instructions. drain and quickly toss into the sauce. mix hrough the remaining chopped parsley and basil and serve immediately sprinkled with parmesan.

Just Dim Sum

2011-08-24T01:00:00.001+01:00

The formula is pretty simple:

1 grey and drizzly Sunday
+
1 relatively empty fridge because we didn't do our weekly shop the day before and all* the shops are closed
x
2 hungry Travels With My Fork wanderers
= an afternoon meal at newly discovered Just Dim Sum restaurant

Just Dim Sum sits on a quiet street, just around the corner from Tauenzienstrasse. When we got there at 1 pm it was not as crowded as it had been the week before when we discovered it. As we walked in our hostess ushered us to the section on the right side of the restaurant.

The restaurant is decorated with idiosyncratic furniture -- high backed chairs with extremely low seats (they have cushions on hand to boost you). There is a view to the kitchen from the eating area. The lighting was nice -- brightly coloured shades that were arranged like a constellation around the ceiling.

We had a quick scan of the menu. There was a section at the front with dim sum items (about 20 or do) and other main dishes. We decided to stick with the dim sum and ordered two each. The dishes came out as they were ready.:

Steamed shrimp and pork dumpling shao mai (3,80)

Exactly what it says on the tin. The wrapper had a nice consistency, not too chewy. The filling could have used a bit more seasoning but was fine. These were good dipped in the soy-vinegar sauce they ahd on the table along with plain soy sauce and fiery chili sauce.

BBQ pork rice noodle roll (3,80)

Silky smooth rice noodle rolls filled with carnita-like bits of barbecued pork. The pork was a bit dried out, the noodles were a nice consistency and the sauce was good. This one was my favourite of the meal.

Shrimp rice noodle roll (4,20) -- this was just like the pork one only with shrimp.

Fried pork dumplings (3,80)

The dumplings were just the right kind of crispy where they had been fried on one side. The pork filling was also well flavoured. This was Kelsie's favourite one.

Still hungry we decided to order two more dishes:

Lushui tofu (2,80)

This was marinated and braised tofu on a bed of raw peanuts. Being allergic to peanuts Kelsie didn't try this. I really like the peanuts but the tofu was chewy and could have used even more marinade.

Roasted duck (6,80)
Crispy pieced of roast duck with lots of flavourful crackling. We really enjoyed finishing off the meal with this dish.

On the day we came the EC card machine was kaputt so i had to dash down the block to a Deutsche Bank to take out some cash.

I really want to say that Just Dim Sum was outstanding, but it wasn't. It certainly can fulfill a craving for dim sum but I don't think we'll be regular visitors here. When we tweeted about our recent discovery more than one person tweeted back -- is it good? is it the real thing? It wasn't like here. By a long stretch. And in retrospect I'm wondering if maybe we got the Western menu instead of the Chinese menu. I'm willing to give it another go and find out!

Just Dim Sum
Ansbacher Straße 8, 10787 Berlin, Germany
Tel: 030 54856678
Website
Map

* actually on the same day we discovered Ullrich right across from the Zoo station. it's open on sunday's until 10 pm! our new favourite :-)

Tastes Like Summer Fish Tacos

2011-08-17T12:33:00.004+01:00

I'm willing, wishing, and doing magic dances to get the sun to shine in Berlin for more than 3 hours. Right now it's humid and muggy and grey. Not a patch of blue sky anywhere. Maybe if I write about summer food the sun can be coaxed out?

Back in June when it was sunny, and hot, I fancied some fish tacos. We could have gone over to Prenzlauer Berg to have the great fish tacos that Maria Bonita serves up, but instead I dug out a tin of chipotles in adobo sauce that was lurking in the back of the cupboard, took out a packet of corn tortillas that had been deep-sixed in the freezer, and pedalled down to our local Turkish market that has a fairly decent fish counter, to see what they had.

I came back with some Viktoria Barsch fillets. Not sure what they are in English? Kind of cod or haddock like.

Anyways, I made some chipotle mayonnaise, batter for the fish, and some shredded veggies for the garnish. I used some radishes, iceberg lettuce and red onion. Kelsie made a batch of her marvelous margaritas and our wee garden in Spandau was temporarily transformed into a Baja oasis. :-)

FISH TACOS
chipotle mayonnaise recipe from: All Recipes

for the chipotle mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor.

for the batter:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 cup beer

Mix together the dry ingredients. Then whisk in the beer. The batter will resemble pancake batter.

for the tacos:
500g firm fish fillets (we used Viktoria barsch)
canola or sunflower oil
wedges of lime
corn tortilla

To make the tacos:

Make the chipotle mayonnaise and set aside.

Make the beer batter and set aside.

Make the garnish -- shred iceberg lettuce or white cabbage, some radishes and finely slice some onions.

Heat 3 inches of sunflower or canola oil in a large saucepan.

Pat the fish fillets dry with kitchen roll. Slice into 2-inch strips. When the oil is hot, coat the fish in the batter and fry in the oil until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.

Heat the tortillas in a dry frying pan until supple.

To assemble the tacos, put a piece or two of fish in the tortilla, drizzle on some chipotle mayo, top with shredded veg to taste, and finish with a squeeze of lime.

Best accompanied with an ice cold beer or a margarita!

15th Annual Berlin Beer Festival 2011

2011-08-14T13:12:00.004+01:00

It's that time of year again, and despite the muggy day, we made our way down to the annual Berlin Beer Mile.

Last year the theme was Beer Makes Us Friends. This year the theme was focused on gaining a world record for the largest beer garden. They made the attempt on the last day of the festival. I'm not sure if they got the world record or not as we were at the festival on Saturday.

In many respects it was exactly like last year's fest and I suppose we're a year more wise to how these kinds of things are run. We were sad to hear that one of our favourite breweries BrewDog from NE Scotland was not going to be here this year.

Wandering up and down the mile we remarked to ourselves that it's a lot like the Christmas markets only much warmer -- same food (grilled bratwurst, nackensteak), same gingerbread hearts on sale, and plenty of good stuff to drink (beer of course, instead of Gluhwein and Eierlikor).

Our first stop was the Astra stall for a krug. This was followed by Derer Schwarzbier by which time we were hungry.

Our first snack was from a busy stall selling thick slices of rye bread slathered with schmalz. Think lard with bits of crunchy crakling in it. It works great with beer and I finished my slice in no time.

We moved on to try some Dunkel beer, and then some Delirium cherry beer which apparently is the best beer in the world.

By this time we were ready for our next bit of food. This year we went for the American style burgers which were a bit light on the meat side (125g burgers) but pretty generous on the toppings -- lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and special sauce.

Hot, bloated and tired we said goodbye to this year's festivities and made the long journey back up to Spandau.

Sunday comfort: Roast chicken dinner

2011-08-06T08:07:00.006+01:00

Last week i came down with a stinking cold. The kind where your head is all fuzzy, your voice goes croaky and riotous sneezes take over your whole body. yuck. All i really want to do when i have this kind of cold is stay home, curl up on the sofa and listen to FIP radio while i read my cookbooks.

Oh, and take a few minutes to pop a chicken in the oven to roast for our dinner. This recipe really can't be easier to make and delivers on what little effort you expend. This time round we had half the chicken as a roast dinner and the next day i made a big batch of chicken salad for sandwiches the rest of the week.

Roast Chicken
based on the recipe in Bistro by Laura Washburn

1 chicken
4 bay leaves
1 onion
2 lemons
lots of garlic cloves
mixture of dried thyme, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
glass of white wine
fresh thyme and sage

Preheat the oven to 200C

Cut the onion and one lemon into rounds and place on the bottom of a roasting tin

Rub the inside of the chicken with the thyme-salt mix. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil and the rest of the thyme-salt mix.

Stick a bayleaf under the skin of both legs and breasts

Cut the other lemon into quarters and stuff in the cavity of the chicken, along with lots of peeled garlic cloves (i use a whole head), and the fresh herbs.

Lay the chicken on one side on top of the onion-lemon layer and pour a glass or two of wine into the tin.

Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, then turn over on it's other side and roast for another 40 minutes. Check to see if it's done by piercing the flesh of the leg and seeing if the juices run clear. If they are still a bit pink or bloody pop back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so.

remove the chicken from the pan and rest for at least 15 min. Make a gravy from the juices in the pan. While the chicken is resting make your sides. this time i did parsleyed mash and sauteed courgette.

eat and feel better instantly.

Sage Shortbread and My New Favourite Food Porn Site

2011-08-02T13:27:00.004+01:00

July was for the most part a total washout in Berlin. Day upon day of grey skies and rain, interspersed with the odd day here and there where the sun was able to poke through.

The good thing about it was all our herbs that were suffering from the dry spell in June, got some respite, and some much needed rain water. In the span of a few days they all burst back to life. The sage in particular has been over the top, and has started to crowd out the thyme on one side and the parsley on the other.

The other good thing about all the rain was that it triggered more inside pursuits like baking, which should have been the last thing on our minds in any other July but this one.

So, imagine the serendipity when I decided to give this new site Gojee.com a try and sent the link over to Kels. Gojee seems to be an aggregator of recipe from different food blogs. It's got a really simple interface where you type in what you crave, or what you want, and then a gorgeous slideshow of matching recipes comes up for you to browse through. The full screen page features mouth watering photos of the recipes and I admit to just randomly typing in ingredients to satisfy my food porn appetite. (note: not all ingredients have found their way into their search engine -- i tried venison the other day and came up with zilch.) The site definitely has more of a N. American focus, with ingredients and measurements being in US format. Each recipe links to the blog post where it originated, which for someone like me is a rabbit hole of further discovery.

Kelsie typed in Fresh Sage and came up with a lovely recipe for sage shortbread. It was the perfect kind of crumbly, and a good balance of sweet with a hint of salt and definite notes of sage. Perfect with a cup of tea on a cold rainy July day.

Sweet and Salty Herbed Shortbread
from Food52.com
SERVES ABOUT 27 PIECES

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, etc.)
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

Put a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, use your fingers to gently rub together 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the chopped herbs (this will help release the oils). Whisk this mixture into the flour.

Cut up the butter into chunks and add it to the flour, stirring with a fork to make a soft dough. Gently pat the dough into a 9-inch round or square baking pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of sugar evenly over the dough.

Bake the shortbread for 20 to 30 minutes, until it is golden and no longer looks at all wet. Using a very sharp knife, score into fingers, squares or wedges while it is still quite warm, and let it cool completely in the pan before separating the pieces.

Berlin Cooking Club does Cajun/Creole

2011-08-01T12:05:00.007+01:00

Last weekend, on an extremely wet Saturday night the Berlin Cooking Club got together for another cookup. The theme this time was Cajun/Creole. We had quite a few new faces cooking this time: Suzy (@Foodieinberlin); Jill (@CHEFinBERLIN) and Caroline (@ThymeSupperclub). And some familiar faces too: Stefan (from the first berlin cooking club meetup) and Rene (@coachz_beta).

When we first arrived we did a bit of juggling around until everyone had a corner to work in. Everyone was hard at work getting their dishes ready and the place was filled with an intense quiet.

As guests started arriving and Kelsie's cocktails started to make the rounds the hum of activity grew. Now we had to figure out in what order we'd get to use the two induction rings. The dishwasher was starting to do it's work on all our prep bowls and boards and things started speeding up for dinner time. We all helped each other out with advice, an extra pair of hands, and lots of tasting.

First up was Suzy with a trio of canapes: the lightest, cheesiest cheese straws that would crumble just right in your mouth, a roasted tomato consomme and her famous devilled eggs.

Next was Rene with his Cajun pasta with a spicy cream sauce, chicken and crawfish.

Meanwhile, Jill dry-fried some okra that ended up being like a green kinda popcorn. I tried mine on top of a devilled egg and it was marvelous.

By this time we had joined all the tables up to make one long table in the space. It was tight seating but did the job perfectly. Wine and conversation were flowing.

We brought all the rest of the dishes out at the end: Stefan made some lovely manioc fritters with two types of sauce -- a punchy horseradish/lime sauce and a papaya-chili sauce. Both were a great foil for the creaminess of the manioc which he formed in patties, paned and fried in butter. Special mention goes to Jill and her "magic" Thermomix machine which saved Stefan from labouring over removing all the fibred in the manioc. Stefan also made a gorgeous Creole themed salad, with tuna and papaya -- light and zesty.

Jill had some novel dishes -- a raw sweet potato salad and a veggie jambalaya made with farro. I loved the nuttiness of the farro and that salad would go great with jerk chicken..

I brought out my meat jambalaya. It's supposed to have Andouille sausage which i couldn't source here in Berlin. so i substituted some intensely smoked polish sausage, some bretonne sausage, and some chistorras i had in my freezer. The recipe i used originally called for 4 dozen shucked oysters. I would have happily complied but knew it would break the bank, so went for shrimps instead.

More wine, more laughter, more stories and it was time for dessert: Caroline made decadent spiced chocolate pots topped with candied nuts and fresh redcurrants. We were stuffed. I couldn't have eaten a bite more.

Everyone, guests and cooks, pitched in at the end to get the restaurant cleaned up, and off into the rainy night we went. I can't wait for the next one! Stay tuned at the berlin cooking club site for more details!

Another round of special thanks to Shannon for kindly letting us use The Dairy to host this event.

And check out Suzy's blog post about the night here.

Berlin Cooking Club: July Meetup

2011-06-27T14:09:00.007+01:00

Photo by Alex Trebus

Last Saturday, Berlin Cooking Club got together for another meetup. This time we were fortunate that Shannon, owner of The Dairy, graciously offered us the use of his kitchen and space for the night. We met a few days before the meal to finalise our menu and plans. Here's what we ended up with:

Cocktail (Kelsie): Negroni
Antipasto (Xesus): Bruschetta
Primi (Felix): Mussels in tomato broth
Secondi(Rene): Wild Boar with polenta
Dolci (Mel): Pine Nut Tart

Here's some photos of the evening.

Slideshow

For more info about Berlin Cooking Club visit our posterous page, or email berlingcookingclub@googlemail.com

Sources:
The Dairy
address: Raumerstrasse 12, Berlin 10437
Map
Web

Mitte Meer
address: Gotlandstr. 6-10, 10439 Berlin
Map
Web

Strawberry Risotto (Yes, it's savoury)

2011-06-27T12:05:00.003+01:00

June is almost over and i can't let this month pass without a nod to the current Berlin food obsession: strawberries. All the Beelitzer spargel stands have been replaced by cute Erdbeer huts selling local strawberries. These are definitely strawberries worth waiting for. These aren't those huge but tasteless things your local supermarket tries to pass off as a strawberry. These are the real thing. Every bite gives you that strawberry taste you remember from your youth but never found again....until now!

You can buy generous 1kg crates from a hut for 4.50Euro Not a bad deal at all in my opninion.

So what to do with all these strawberries? Make Strawberry Risotto of course! People's first reaction when i mention strawberry risotto is to ask -- is it a dessert? When i tell them no, it's a savoury dish they still look skeptical. But trust me, this dish definitely works as either a nice starter or even as a main. I used Tessa Kiros' Strawberry Risotto recipe from her fabulous book Twelve.

Risotto alla Fragola
from Twelve by Tessa Kiros
serves 6

1.5 litres meat or chicken stock
60g butter
1 medium French shallot, peeled and very finely chopped
250g ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
3 Tbsp good quality brandy
500 risotto rice
50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving

Heat the stock in a large saucepan and keep it on a gentle simmer.

Heat half of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Saute the French shallot on a low heat until it has softened and add half of the strawberries. Cook gently for a couple of minutes, then add the brandy. When it has evaporated, add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to coat all the rice. Season with salt and pepper and add a ladleful of hot stock, stirring almost continuously to prevent the rice from sticking.

When the rice has absorbed the liquid, add another ladleful and continue stirring, making sure you move all the rice at the bottom of the pan with the spoon. After about 20 minutes, taste the rice. It should be soft yet firm, and the texture should be creamy and slightly liquid. You may have to continue cooking it for a few more minutes.

Add the remaining straweberry halves, the butter and the 50g of Parmesan cheese and stir in . Serve immediately with a grinding of black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese.

Meatless Monday: Megadarra (or what to cook when your fridge is empty)

2011-06-18T09:55:00.005+01:00

We had a short 1-week holiday in Scotland last week. Prior to that, most of Northern Germany was in the grips of E.Coli paranoia and we were no exception. After days of no progress on finding the source we decided to play it safe and ditch the fresh lettuce, cukes, tomatoes and other vegetables that we had in the fridge. When we returned the source was somewhat inconclusively nailed down to a bean sprout grower. Our fridge however was still relatively bare, and, it being a holiday weekend, we had limited options for stocking up. (Note: as of today the E.Coli has been traced back to a stream in Frankfurt.)

What we did have was a bag of onions, some lovely brown lentils that I picked up on our trip to Spain, and rice. Being an ex-vegetarian I knew I'd get a proper protein with the lentil-rice combo and a garnish of lemon/garlic/cumin spiked yoghurt would help in that regard too.

I used Claudia Roden's recipe featured on Food&Wine online. It's pretty straightforwards and quick to make. Perfect for a mid-week meal and great as leftovers for lunch!

Brown Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions
from Claudia Roden in Food & Wine online

5 Tbsp olive oil
750g onions, thinly sliced
265g brown lentils
5 cups water
255g long grain rice (i used basmati)
salt
pepper
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin (i used about 1 tsp cumin + 1/2 tsp cayenne)

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the lentils are partially cooked, about 15 minutes. Stir in half the onions, the rice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add more water if needed to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, cook the remaining onions over high heat until dark brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir the onions frequently so they don't stick to the bottom of the skillet and burn.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with the garlic, lemon juice and cumin. Transfer the lentils and rice to a shallow bowl and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over them. Sprinkle with the caramelized onions and serve. Pass the yogurt separately.

Northern Spain: New Discoveries Part 2

2011-05-23T18:00:00.008+01:00

When we first planned this trip we thought we would take 5 days to do a mini-tour in Northern Spain. However, we changed our minds and only did a one day/one night stint in Pamplona.

I've always wanted to explore Pamplona. I wanted to see the setting for The Sun Also Rises and, while I don't really fancy the San Fermin festival I did want to wander the narrow streets and just imagine the thick crowds of people outrunning the bulls.

We went on a cool rainy day, leaving from San Sebastian. We took the Alsa bus which leaves from the bus station near the Euskotren station. The journey takes just over an hour and return tickets are only 14,14€.

I did a bit of preliminary research at the Todos Pintxos site and found Casa Otano. This place also has a restaurant and pintxos bar, and there were a large concentration of bars/restaurants in the area that would provide plenty of opportunity for exploration. The room was basic in all ways and cost 45€ per night.

Since we arrived just after lunch, most of the local bars were empty. Still, we managed to find Bar Baserri. I've been making one of their signature pintxos called 'Pintxo de la Foto' for some time now, having first discovered it in New Tapas by Fiona Dunlop. And i was thrilled to see that it was on display that day. It's quite a mouthful of flavours: marinated anchovy wrapped around smoked salmon, covered with piquillo pepper and doused in a sharp vinaigrette. It tasted just like mine (or is it mine taste just like theirs?)! Kelsie had a lovely smoked bacalao, topped with a tomato vinaigrette and drizzled with black olive oil.

We left Baserri and decided to have a wander around more of the Old Town and surrounding area. We found a lovely park with a sculpture garden.

After a mini-siesta in the room, we headed back out to the Old Town for some more food and drink. There were more than a few bars with gorgeous jamons hanging from the ceilings. This one particularly stood out for me.

We stopped at Bodegon Sarria where we had alachofa rellena de jamon y queso con salsa de piquillos.

Next was Mesón Pirineo where i tried pintxos with jamon fried quals egg piquillo and chistorra.

Our last stop was at La Mandarra de la Ramos where i finally gave in and ordered manitos de cerdo which, it seemed every bar/restaurant had on its menu. It was exactly what i expected, bony bits of porky foot with lots of gelatinous fat and meat. In retrospect it probably wasn't a great idea to try this last, but i'm glad i did and i probably would try it again. La Mandarra is a great bar with some nice decorative features, like the imprint of some San Fermin runners on the floor (see photo above).

Suitably stuffed, we headed back to our room, had a good sleep and headed back to San Sebastian the next morning. I enjoyed the contrast between Pamplona and San Sebastian. They each have their own specialities and fair share of award winning dishes and restaurants. Next time i hope we do the mini-trip we originally planned and discover even more!

Details
Casa Otano
San Nicolas 5 . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Bar Restaurante Baserri
San Nikolas Kalea 32 . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Bodegon Sarria
C. Estafeta 50-52 . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Meson Pirineo
c/ Estafeta, 41 . 31001 Pamplona
Map

La Mandarra de la Ramos
San Nicolás 9 bajo . 31001 Pamplona
Map
Website

Northern Spain: New Discoveries Part 1

2011-05-09T18:27:00.006+01:00

As you may know from here and here, we frequently travel to sw france to visit my parents. Inevitably we cross the border on the EuskoTren to visit our favourite haunts in San Sebastian. This trip was set to be more of the same but we had the advantage this time of a) having more holiday time (2 whole weeks thanks to very generous German holiday allowances!); b) finally figuring out how to make the most of the limited public transport options on offer in that part of France; and c) absolutely gobsmackingly gorgeous weather.

At the start we had intended to do a mini-tour of Northern Spain, making stops in Pamplona, Logrono, Santander, Laredo, Bilbao and finally San Sebastian. We got as far as Pamplona, which you'll read about in Part 2, before turning around and heading back to the sea.

Our first discovery was the town Hondarribia which lies just across the water/border from Hendaye in France. We've been there a couple of times before, but never really took the time to get to know if properly. Having done some research beforehand, we learned that more than a few bars there were taking top prizes in the annual pintxos competitions. My parents go there frequently and they also had some new discoveries to share.

To get to Hondarribia the scenic way, you catch a little navette at the marina in Hendaye. 1.60Euro gets you across in about 10 minutes or so. Once you step off on the Hondarribia side, it's a short 2 blocks to the main drag where most of the pintxos bars and restaurants are. Our first visit there was on a Friday and we had made plans to meet my parents' friends for lunch in their favourite restaurant, La Kupela. Beforehand we managed to convince them to first make a stop at award winning pintxos bar, El Gran Sol.

We lost no time in picking out 4 pintxos to try. It was still fairly early for lunch and we were able to sit at a table. As 2 pm approached it started filling with people and Kelsie and I made a mental note to come back another time to explore the menu. Lunch at La Kupela was a long, leisurely affair and we had wonderful, fresh, simply prepared seafood dishes. It's the kind of place my parents like: comfortable but a bit conservative.

To start, we shared a starter of a beautifully composed mixed salad, as well as confit of artichoke hearts with jamon.

The mains were: Txangurro (spider crab) soup,

Txiperones en su tinta (calamares in a squid ink sauce);

Merluza a la parilla (grilled hake)

; and brochettes of monkfish and prawns.

We finished with ice cteams for dessert.

The very next day we headed back with the sole aim of checking out as many different pintxos bars as we desired. When we got off the navette we decided to have a wander along the promenade towards the beach. The walkway is dotted here and there with cafes and restaurant, and by the time we reached the end of the walkway we were ready for our first snack. We had some excellent rabas (fried calamares) washed down with a beer.

By the time we got back to the main pintxo bar strip the entire street was hooching. Everyone and their grandchild, sister, unlce, great grandfather seemed to be out, with people spilling out from the bars into the street. We started off in a bar that had wide wooden tables and benches. The football was on and we had a simple pintxo of grilled chistorra on bread (plus another beer)

We poked our heads in El Gran Sol but it was at least 6 people thick to even get to the bar, so we decided to wander back later in the afternoon. Our next find was maritime themed, Txantxangorri. Compared to the bustling energy of the other pintxos bars we poked our heads into, Txantxangorri was a sea of calm.

We had a couple of glasses of chilled rosado and scanned the beautifully composed pintxos before settling on these spoons of smoked salmon and smoked cod(or halibut) simply garnished with a dollop of mayonnaise.

We had another two glasses of rosado and watched the effortless ballet of the three people behind the bar, move around each other to serve their customers.

Back outside we tried El Gran Sol again, and by now the crowd had thinned a bit inside. The main barman was in full form, using a microphone to call outside customers in to pick up their orders inside.

We tried two pintxos:

Rabo de buey con foie (oxtail with duck liver)

and a Confit of bacalao. Both were delicious and elegant.

Finishing up the afternoon of indulgence, we headed across the street to Vinacoteca Ardoka. There we had a lovely pintxo of salmorejo and another one of foie. By this time the crowds on the street had disperssed and thing were quieting down.

This wasn't to be our last visit to Hondarribia. We went a few days later with my parents for lunch at their new discovery, Arroka Berri, which is a bit on the outskirts of the main town. The restaurant is situated in a mostly residential area, and is in a traditional looking Basque building. Inside, the restaurant has a modern, light and airy design, with plenty of room for any size dining party. The tables are laid out nicely and there are picture windows all around the dining room. The wait staff, dressed in all black were attentive and friendly.

We were first presented with an amuse bouche which was a vegetable tempura ball and a puree of leek. The balls looked like lollipops in the special presentation plate.

We shared two starters, one of exquisite lobster ravioli and also of seasonal grilled vegetables.

For mains my parents shared a grilled monkfish, and i had grilled hake, garnished with clams. Kelsie went straight for the clams, which, when brought out were raw and served with wedges of lemon. She asked for them to be cooked which was done quickly and without any fuss.

Desserts were fanciful and fantastic. I had a passionfruit 'ecstacy', my father had a trio of chocolate puds, kelsie had gorgeous mini cheesecakse with raspberry and my mother had a citrus mango granita.

By the time the meal ended we were all in need of a siesta. We took our naps in the garden, on comfy sofas. Our waitress came out a few times to check in on us and ask if there was anything we needed. Really thoughtful service!

And on our final visit we went back to the upstairs restaurant at Txantxangorri for their lunch menu del dia, a bargain at 13euros for 3 courses. The highlight was a light almondy Pastel Vasco, basque cake.

So, if you're looking for something new that's a bit smaller than San Sebastian and has all the charm and excellent food you could wish for, think about visiting Hondarribia. They even have an annual Blues Fest which has an amazing lineup this year. I bet it's a great atmosphere and music and fully intend to try it out myself! There are connecting flights to Hondarribia airport from Madrid and Barcelona via Iberia, so easily reachable as well.

Details
Bar Gran Sol
San Pedro 65 . 20280 hondarribia
Map
Website

La Kupela
Zuluoga 12 . 20280 hondarribia
Call for reservations: +34 943 644 025
Map
Website

Restaurant Txantxangorri
San Pedro 27 . 20280 hondarribia
Map

Arroka Berri
higer bidea 6 . 20280 hondarribia
Call for reservations: +34 943 642 712
Map
Website

My Ma's Chicken Adobo (my way)

2011-03-27T12:14:00.003+01:00

When i was a young girl, one of the dishes i'd always ask my ma to cook was chicken adobo. it would inevitably be on the menu for my birthdays, usually followed up by a german chocolate cake for birthday cake.

when i'd come home from school i'd know instantly that we'd be having it for dinner, and i'd look forward to it with anticipation. the smell when it is cooking is kind of vinegary, but with a definite cooking chicken aroma.

i remember the first time i tried making it myself. i was at uni in texas. i phoned my mother up and she rattled off the recipe quickly while i tried my best to write everything down. i wasn't very good at gauging temperature and had the heat on way too high. before i knew it, all the marinade cooked away to a sticky mess with still underdone chicken starting to char on the outside. i think the next time i cooked it i made sure my mother was there to coach me and the results were much better.

like any adobo the meat is cooked in its marinade. you can find mexican adobo recipes using this same technique, but this is a definite filipino combination of flavours -- the marinade ingredients being grated white onion, garlic, lots of soy sauce, bay leaf and vinegar. it's that sour-salty combination that makes adobo adobo to me. most online recipes you find for chicken adobo usually specify white vinegar for the sour, but my mother uses lemon juice instead, and i of course follow her lead on that. she adds an extra step at the end, by moving the chicken and it's marinade to a hot oven so that the chicken skin browns and crisps up. my variation on that is to just broil the chicken under the grill. on the phone with her today i mentioned that i had also added grated ginger which she said is definitely not what she does in her adobo!

adobo should always be served with steamed white rice. my mother prefers Jasmine rice while i usually just stock up on basmati. jasmine rice is much more aromatic and more sticky than basmati, and when you drizzle the marinade over it becomes the perfect counterpart to the chicken. to keep things on the healthy side i usually steam up some broccoli to accompany it, or, when it's warmer out just have a crisp green salad.

the recipe below should be taken as a guide. i don't really measure out quantities for this one.

My Ma's Chicken Adobo (serves 4)

4 chicken legs. (you can joint them between drumstick and thigh or keep it all in one piece)
soy sauce
lemon juice
grated white onion
smashed garlic (i use about 6 cloves)
bay leaf
olive oil
salt and pepper

Make the marinade. Combine the onion, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil in a large casserole. Note on quantities below.

Season the chicken pieces and add to the marinade. You should have enough marinade for the chicken pieces to be partly covered. If not enough, add more soy sauce and lemon juice.

Add the bay leaf, cover and put on medium heat for about 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. From time to time, turn the chicken in the marinade so that all the sides are coated.

Heat the grill. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place under the grill until well browned on all sides.

Meanwhile, keep cooking the marinade, if it's too thick you can thin it down with some chicken stock, but it shouldn't be too thin.

Serve the chicken with some steamed white rice and the adobo marinade (gravy) drizzled over everything.

This week's lunch: Pasta e fagioli

2011-03-21T05:32:00.003Z

Spring in Berlin is a topsy turvy affair. A few days of stunning warmth followed by another few days of grey wet cold. Last week it was more of the grey and i chose to make this recipe for my week's lunches.

I used the recipe from one of my favourite books Twelve by Tessa Kiros. I've been slowly building up my collection of her books. Each one is a treasure trove of gorgeous photos, mingled with personal recollections and reflections, and an abundance of great recipes.

This is one of those dishes that is a store cupboard staple, using ingredients that I usually have to hand: beans, pasta, tomato paste, carrots, celery, onions and garlic. I cut the recipe below in half when i made it, and it made 4 lunches worth.

Pasta e fagioli serves 6
from Twelve by Tessa Kiros

300g dried cannellini or other white beans, soaked overnight in cold water
1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, trimmed and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
200g ditalini or other similar small pasta
6 Tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 small dried red chilli, crumbled
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Drain the soaked beans. Put them into a saucepan, cover abundantly with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim the surface of any scum, lower the heat and add the carrot, celery and onion. Cook for about 1-1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. Add more water during cooking time if necessary to keep the beans well covered and, towards the end, season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, following the packet instructions. Drain and put into a bowl with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta sticking together.

Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a separate large pot. Add the garlic, the rosemary, the chilli and the tomato paste. Saute gently to flavour the oil until the garlic is lightly golden. Remove the garlic and rosemary branches and discard.

Pass half of the cooked beans through the fine-holed disc of a food mill, or puree in a blender and add to the saucepan with the flavoured oil. Add the whole beans as well and about 1 ltr of their cooking water. Return to the heat and simmer for a few more minutes to mix the flavours./li>
Add the cooked pasta and stir through. It should have the consistency of a thick, creamy soup. add a little more hot water if it seems too thick. Serve hot, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Berlin Cooking Club #1

2011-03-15T12:27:00.008Z

Back when we were in London, Kelsie and I had the good fortune of connecting with The London Foodie at a few food events. At a most incredible dinner party hosted by him we hatched the idea together of forming a London Cooking Club. The format was pretty straightforward, every month interested people would convene at his home, each person contributing a course and a bottle of wine. Each month the theme would change. I'm happy to see that London Cooking Club is still doing some amazing meals and wish i was still there to participate.

But, we're in Berlin now and slowly making connections. So why not start up something similar here? We had a first meeting last Saturday with four of us at Stefan's lovely flat in Kreuzberg. There was myself, Kelsie, Stefan, and Rene.

We met in the afternoon to shop for ingredients, most of which were purchased at Marheineke Markthalle. Stefan took us on a nice tour of his kiez and our last stop was his favourite Weinhandlung just around the corner from his house. It is called "Paasburg - Wein aus Leidenschaft" and definitely worth a visit.

The menu was planned via email during the week prior to us getting together:

Baked ricotta flan with a green olive/tomato/lemon salsa

Ravioli two ways: Blutwurst and apfel with sauerkraut sauce and Spinach ricotta in brown butter with sage

Lemon meringue pie

Back at the flat we got started with the pastry for the tart. The great thing about having the meet at Stefan's house was he's got all the gear and a fabulous 6-burner gas smeg cooker. *sigh* Making the dough was so easy with his super duper Kitchenaid mixer.

After making the pastry Kels and I had to dash back up to Spandau to walk and feed the dog. By the time we got back down to Kreuzberg, Rene and Stefan had done the pasta dough, got the starter in the oven with the salsa already prepped, and also had the spinach ricotta filling prepped as well.

We got to work on the blutwurst filling, using this recipe.

And the lined the tart ring with the pastry prepared earlier in the day. Once this was done we settled to our first coures. This was paired with a sparkly Johanninger Blanc de Blancs Brut. The flan was light and i really enjoyed how the zinginess of the lemon in the salsa complemented it.

Back in the kitchen we set about making the raviolis. Stefan rolled out the sheets while Rene and I filled them. The sauerkraut sauce recipe was a bit confusing. And the end result looked like rice pudding. (*NOTE -- the next day Stefan had another go at the sauce, this time sieving it into a smooth puree. It came out much better.) Because there was not a lot of colour variation in the dish, we decided to do a garnish of carmelised red onions in balsamic vinegar.

Meanwhile i blind baked the pastry and prepared the lemon curd filling for dessert.

We decided to start the main course with the blood pudding ravioli. This was paired with a bottle of Rainer Sauer Silvaner, Kabinett trocken and a bottle of La Motte Sauvignon Blanc. I thought the sauce was a bit bitter, but the ravioli came out perfect. Nice thin pasta with the rich filling of the blood pudding and apple.

Then, Stefan and I dashed back to the kitchen to finish off the spinach-ricotta raviolis in the brown butter. It was a well-executed classic. We drank more wine and listened/talked about music and food. By this time we were well full, and it was already close to 11 pm.

Unfortunately Rene had to leave before dessert was served. I finished assembling the pie and popped it in the oven. The results were spectacular and i only wish now that i had two pieces of pie instead of just one! We had this with some well chilled Limoncello that Stefan had hiding in his freezer.

As a first try at cooking together i thought it went well. Probably because we all work together, there wasn't as much uncertainty about sharing cooking tasks as one would expect. In truth, that's the best part about cooking clubs -- the cooking together. Ok, the next best is of course eating together too. I like how we could bounce ideas off each other and talk about what we thought of the dishes. There was pretty much of a consensus between us of what we liked/disliked.

We've got a few more people who are interested but couldn't make it on the first night. If it grows, we'll probably have to find a bigger space. Let me know if you have a well equipped LARGE kitchen for us to use or if you're interested in participating.

Meatless Monday: My Favourite Stir Fry

2011-03-07T12:16:00.008Z

When Kelsie and I met we were both vegetarians, and had been for about 10 years prior to that. It was only until we moved back to the UK and i could trace my meat from the local butcher (Aberfoyle Butcher) back to the farm, that we began eating meat again.

During my vegetarian days and even now, one of my favourite comfort foods is a big bowl of stir fry over brown rice. I tend to use the same ingredients these days, and the main thing that changes is the green. I go for what's in season and available at the market.

Here's a quick guide to how i prepare veggie stir fry. The 'recipe' below easily serves 4 hungry people.

Start by getting the brown rice cooking. it takes about 40-45 minutes for it to cook, so by the time you've finished prepping the veg and stir frying it, the rice should be ready. I cook 1 cup raw brown rice to 2-1/3 cup water. bring to the boil, then cover and whack the heat way down. oh, and add a pinch of salt to it as well.

prepare the 'hot' ingredients. i use 1 habanero seeded and minced, a 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced, and about 5 cloves garlic minced. i also add in 1 Tbsp black or white sesame seeds.

Mushrooms are ever present in my stir frys. I love fresh shitake, but if i can't get any my fallback is chestnut. I've even used reconstituted dried shitakes on occasion. Mushrooms, for a vegetarian, are a good source of Vitamin B. For a big batch of stir fry i use about 400g mushrooms, sliced.

Tofu is another must-have. I get fresh cakes of tofu from the local Asiamarkt. I prefer to use one big firm block for my stir fry. Cut it up into 1/2 inch cubes.

Seasoning: tamari or soy sauce, dried basil, rice vinegar and sesame oil. I don't really measure these, but go by sight and smell and taste.

Greens: One big or two small bunches of whatever you fancy. Back in the states i used a LOT of mustard greens, kale, and rainbow chard. also, purple sprouting broccoli, cavolo nero or broccoli rabe are nice. lately in Berlin i've been getting ginormous bunches of mangold (white chard) in the local market. keep the cut up stalks separate from the cut up leaves as the cooking times vary. if you're using kale leave the woody stalks out.

To cook: in a very hot wok heat up a couple tablespoons olive oil and add the HOT ingredients. Once brown, add the sliced mushrooms until most of the liquid has cooked away from them and they are starting to brown. add the tofu and season with dried basil and a few splashes of soy sauce. next up add the green stalks and let it cook until they start to become tender. finish up with the greens leaves and a few dashes of rice vinegar. stir fry until everything is cooked and finish off with a couple splashes of sesame oil.

serve over brown rice in bowls. i like to garnish my stir fry with Nutritional Yeast, another relic from my vegetarian days. it also is a good source of Vitamin B. And, if the habanero i used happens to be killer hot, i soemtime add a dollop of yoghurt as well.

Note on additional ingredients: i've sometimes added in plantain, or steamed winter squash, or diced cooked beetroot, both for the visual contrast and the variation on the standard recipe.
Hint: one of my fave breakfasts is reheated stir fry from the night before. :-)

Thyme Supper Club

2011-03-06T16:05:00.004Z

When Kelsie first announced to the blogosphere that we were starting up a supper club in Berlin, one of the first people to contact us with supportive encouragement were the folks who run the Thyme Supper Club. They were just starting out too, and through emails and tweets and following each other on facebook we saw how each other have been progressing.

It's fairly well known and documented now that Thyme Supper Club is something special and having finally made it over there I can see why. The whole evening from start to finish was a memorable experience and both Kelsie and I felt that C&T from Thyme really know how to make it so for each and every one of their guests.

It's the subtleties that struck me throughout the evening. From the intercom welcome when we buzzed at the street, to T calling out to us from the stairs that there was just one flight more. We were warmly welcomed into their beautiful home and T gave us a quick tour of the house. I was particularly struck with how welcoming C was to have us linger in the kitchen while she was still doing some last minute prep. I know it's sometimes hard to focus on the task at hand and chat with guests so I appreciate that she did it with ease. Other special notes were the printed menus (in english and german) with wine tasting notes along the side. The pens laid out alongside the other cutlery, welcoming guests to doodle or amuse themselves. (more on that later)

In the span of about 15 minutes the rest of the guests arrived. A couple from the southern end of Berlin who had read about the growing popularity of supperclubs in an airplane magazine and decided to give it a try (much to their friends' amazement). A group of two couples, one of which were already friends with C&T, a literary magazine publisher and another couple. There was supposed to be one more couple but they never showed up. (NOTE to readers who plan on visiting supperclubs: please please please, if you can't make the date, phone up and cancel the reservation!)

T quickly offered each arriving guest with a welcome prosecco and there were 3 tasty canapes to choose from: Galloping Horses (carmelised shallot, satay sauce and pineapple); goat's cheese, thyme and honey crackers, and smoked salmon and creme fraiche toasts. More glasses were filled and emptied and we made our way to our seats at the beautifully laid table.

For the evening Kelsie and I chose the paired wine tasting with the food. An amuse bouche was brought out which I quickly gobbled up whilst talking to some of the english speaking dining companions. The first wine was a Riesling Spätlese.

The starter was a silky smooth parsnip soup topped with crispy lardons and a croute, and garnished with a bright green grassy olive oil. As each course was brought out the chatter would fall away and all that could be heard was the music playing in the kitchen and cutlery against bowls and plates.

Next up was a gorgeous sashimi grade tuna ceviche served with an avocado salad. The fish was impeccable and i loved the zingy citrus of the dressing.

One more small plate was brought out, this time a lovely caponata accompanied with garlic sprouts and mini pastries. For this dish the accompanying wine was a Pinot Noir.

The highlight of the evening for me was the main course. An absolutely beautiful piece of roast beef fillet served with a red wine sauce and accompanied by mushroom pastries and sweet potatoes.

I made a mental note about how wonderfully C fulfills the concept of less is more. Each plate had just enough to wake up your senses and the whole progression of course to course was more than satisfying.

The pudding a delightful whipped cream and red berry tartle was a delight. For this T brought out some dessert wine.

By now the guests were more at ease and we started mingling more. I chatted with the first couple that had arrived and C was able to come out and mingle with the guests too. Coffee and a trio of gorgeous chocolate petit fours were brought out. Time flew and i really enjoyed talking to C about the cooking side of things and what our plans were for the future. A mini art project began at one end of the table and K and I finally stumbled out the door at around 1 am.

I'm really glad we finally made it to Thyme and I think it's the first of many more visits to come. Thanks again to our wonderful, generous hosts C&T.

Wo isst man Phở?: Tran Pho House (17/15)

2011-02-20T14:18:00.004Z

Our second stop in our Pho quest took us to Tran Pho House in Charlottenburg. We went on a freezing sunday afternoon following a week of me being sick with bronchitis. A steaming hot bowl of noodles and beef seemed like the perfect antidote.

And it fulfilled it's promise on all fronts. We have no complaints and, compared to our last Pho venture we're now hopeful that there are more gems like this in Berlin waiting to be found.

On to the ratings:

Flavour of the broth: good body, color and flavour. it wasn't overly aromatic but had a well developed flavour. the flavours that stood out the most were fish sauce and star anise. Score: 3/5

Quantity of fresh herbs in relation to the soup: All that we wished for and more! Along with the bowls of soup we were given a plate heaped with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, chilies and lime. The herbs were thai basil, mint, something like watercress and another green that i'm not sure what it was. i kept topping up my bowl with more herbs throughout the meal. Score: 5/5 +2 because they were generous and it was what i was hoping for.

Price/Quantity: At 7.90€ for a huge bowl there was no argument that this was definitely good value. Score: 5/5.

Summary: Along with some excellent rice paper starters, a pot of fresh ginger tea and a saigon beer our two bowls of Pho kept us satiated for the rest of the day.

Service was attentive and the space had a really cool altar as well as open plan kitchen where you can see your meal being put together. Next time we go we'll get a shot of that as well. Our one and only complaint was the cheezy jazz that was being piped in.

Total score: 15/15

Details:
Tran Pho House
Kantstrasse 33, 10625 Berlin

map

My Big Fat Beautiful Burger

2011-01-31T12:01:00.003Z

When we moved to Berlin last may, one of the first places that was recommended REPEATEDLY by work mates, acquaintances, and a quick scour through the weeklies, was The Bird. How can so many people be wrong? we asked. So we went, to see and eat for ourselves. One 'Da Birdhouse' Burger later and I understood why it has the street cred it does. The reviews here, here, and here say it all. As does foodspotting. That's not to say there isn't controversy. Quite a few people on ToyTown have argued that their burgers are overpriced, and sometimes undercooked. And that there are better places in Berlin where a great burger can be had.

Fast forward to this past weekend, and both Kelsie and I were craving a bit of protein of the burger form. Being on a budget we were happy to recreate our own 'at home' bird experience. The results (see photo) were just what we had been craving: big, fat, beautiful boigers.

I've posted before about making burgers, and this time was a bit different:

Here are a few of my Big Fat Beautiful Burger Assembly tips and tricks:

Get the oven chips on before you do anything else. I like making my own oven chips, mostly because they taste really good, but also because they're cheaper than store bought ones, and they don't take up valuable freezer space. Cut washed, not peeled potatoes into 1 cm wedges, blanch in boiling water for 3 min, drain thoroughly. bung into a roasting tin with sunflower oil and sea salt and black pepper. toss around until well coated. roast in a 220C oven for 20 min or until golden brown on the outside. make sure you turn them halfway through cooking.

next, get some caremelised onion rings on next. cut an onion into thin rings, saute with olive oil and some s+p. make sure the heat's not too high. you want them to cook slowly.

toast your burger buns. i just get my cast iron skillet on a low heat, butter the buns and let them start toasting while i'm doing the prep. then, when the burgers are close to being done i turn the heat up to make sure they're a nice light golden brown.

For four burgers use 500g mince. That makes a generous 1/4 pounder per burger. The Bird makes 250g burgers which are massive.

Choose your mix-ins carefully. In this batch i used worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, generous grindings of black pepper, hefty pinches of NoMu cajun rub, one egg, and a small amount of ground stale jacobs' cream crackers to bind it.

watch the heat when you're cooking the burger and please don't overcook! these days i'm using an electric cooker. i preheated my cast iron skillet to medium high. i did one side of the burger for about 3 min. then, after i flipped it i topped with thick slices of mature cheddar and put the pan in the oven to finish for another 3 min. the oven was still hot from cooking the chips which by this time were out. i turned the heat down to 175 after taking out the chips.

Burger toppings make it extra special. we went for slices of garlicky gurkins, slices of beef tomato, crisp lettuce, mayo and mustard.

Jerk Chicken Just Like Yvette's (almost)

2011-01-10T18:09:00.004Z

So the temperature has creeped back up above 0. and slowly but surely the snow is melting. (slowly)

but still we're in the middle of the dark time. when the sunlight does appear it really feels magical. friends from here say we have a few more months of this and then it will be spring. I can't wait. Kelsie can't wait even more.

last week i couldn't think of a better way to beat the cold and grey, than with a batch of fiery hot jerk chicken, along with a side of rice n peas and of course, coleslaw.

a bit of background on our jerk experience. when we lived in London we had a good fortune to be just around the corner from 2Sixteen Restaurant. over the weeks and months Yvette, the chef-patron of 2Sixteen became a close friend and we spent many an evening talking food/drinking/testing her new experiments and basically hanging out with her. omnipresent was her jerk wings. it got to the point where, like clockwork, we'd both jones for it and need another fix of Yvette's jerk wings. if you haven't tried hers, and you live in London, it's well worth the journey up to Hornsey to try. you won't be disappointed!

the last week before we left, yvette and i had a cooking session in her restaurant kitchen. basically we agreed to show each other the other's favourite recipes. i showed her buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing, my 'El Taquito' salsa, and roast pumkin and chickpea salad with tahini dressing. she showed me jerk chicken, the batter she uses for saltfish fritters and escovitch fish. we have different cooking styles. i like the repeatability of measured ingredients as a basis for experimentation. yvette cooks by a well developed instinct. so, while at the time i understood what she was putting in the jerk, when i got to germany and tried to recreate it i had a list of ingredients, but no quantities.

enter the well documented jerk obsession of fellow London food blogger Food Stories. she's tried lots of jerk and has experimented and honed her recipe. when i read it it looked exactly like my list of ingredients from Yvette and so i decided to go with that, with some minor tweaks suggested by Yvette and taken on impulse by me.

the result was as close as i've yet gotten to reproducing Yvette's jerk. all that was missing was our good friend's company and laughter!

Here's Food Stories' recipe. I've added mine and Yvette's tweaks with asterisks *.

Jerk Chicken

1.5 tablespoons allspice
100g dark packed brown sugar
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 bunch large spring onions (about 5)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 scotch bonnet chillies, deseeded
Juice of 2 large limes
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
* generous dash of kecap manis
* juice of 2 clementines (because i had them in the fruit bowl)
* generous dash of fish sauce
* dash of 'seasoning'
* handful of raisins or sultanas

Chicken pieces (I used 2 legs and 2 breasts)

Blend all the marinade ingredients together and smother over the chicken rubbing well in. I use gloves for this, as I do when I chop the scotch bonnets. Refrigerate overnight.

Allow to come to room temperature and brush off most of the excess marinade before grilling on the BBQ. To set up your BBQ for the indirect method, light the coals in the middle in a kind of volcano shape then wait for the flames to disappear, leaving you with coals which have a light grey ash coating. Move them to the sides. This gets the indirect heat circulating around the kettle when you put the lid on. I find it helps to also brush the grill with a little oil. The chicken pieces will probably take about 30 minutes (although it depends on size) – always check the juices run clear.

To cook in the oven, place in a baking tray and cook at 190C for 30-40 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear.

* I of course did these in the oven and the instructions i received from Yvette were to cook the chicken covered with tin foil to keep it moist, and then, when ready to serve, whack up the heat and crisp up the chicken on a rack. Meanhile simmer the marinade to pour back over the chicken for a wetter jerk than you'd normally get.

Blog-Event LXIII - Gute Vorsätze für das Neue Jahr

2011-01-09T17:13:00.005Z

This is my first foray into German food blog events and in a slightly recursive way is all about resolutions.

The blog event theme is about cooking or food related resolutions and participating in it fulfills some other resolutions of mine:

Resolution 1: to re-energise Travels With My Fork (our blogging dropped off in 2010)
Resolution 2: to make more of an effort to network with German food bloggers, because, well, we live here now.

This post is also about Resolution 3 which is to eat healthier breakfasts in 2011. I go through phases with breakfasting. For a month or so I was fixated on vollkorn bread with a smear of leberwurst. Then I switched to cereal. And more recently I've been having a brötchen with sliced meat and cheese. I wait until I get to work to eat my breakfast so something transportable is a prerequisite.

Last year, when i was working down by London bridge, I went through a stint of breakfasting on simple miso soups that Kelsie would prepare in advance. Those were by far the most satisfying for me. I could stave off any elevenses cravings for a biscuit or sweet thing, if I had my bowl of miso soup in the morning. And the additional perk was that this soup is not heavy or carb-laden. Pluses all around!

The recipe I've used comes from Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking. It takes no more than 20 minutes to make and is flavourful and restorative at the same time.

Carrot and Miso Soup
100g carrots, peeled and cut into thick circles
200 ml water
1 chicken stock cube or 2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 rasher streaky bacon
1 celery stick finely chopped (i used celeriac)
1/2 tsp miso
salt and pepper
coriander to garnish (i used chopped spring onion)

Bring the water with chicken stock to a boil.

Add the carrots and cover with a cartouche. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender.

Take the carrots off the heat and mash in the stock until broken up into small bits.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Take off the heat and stir in the chopped celery.

Add the bacon and celery to the carrots and bring to the boil again.

Turn off the heat and stir in the miso until dissolved.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

This is what i love

2011-01-02T19:43:00.004Z

Happy New Year everyone! 2010 was a year of change and challenges and I'd like to think that the worst of it is behind us. We've moved twice this year, i've changed jobs in as many times and we're now living in a new country where we've only got rudimentary command of the language.

Needless to say the hardest thing has been leaving our friends behind and starting again. We're persevering though, and not giving up, and our hope is that by doing the TWMF Supperclub and jumping back into blogging we'll start meeting new people in Berlin.

I think the approaching holidays and the endless socialising that comes with them made me feel the distance from our friends all the more acutely. Which is why having our friends Cat and Naveen spend Xmas with us so special.

Cat, Naveen and I all used to work together in Aberdeen at a Spanish catering company called La Paella. We had a lot of fun in the kitchen then and our adventures together cemented our friendship. The week they were here we spent most of the time either cooking, eating, drinking, talking about food or all of the above at the same time. It was so cool doing just that, without any fuss about doing a traditional Christmas dinner.

Highlights of their visit were Cat unpacking her suitcase with a treasure trove of food that she brought from Florence where she's living now. It included: extra virgin olive oil made from olives that she helped harvest this summer, Vin Santo with Cantucci biscuits to dip in the wine, lovely prosecco, a milk frother and espresso coffee, orrechiette and bucatini pasta, incredible hazelnut flavoured chocolates, and more. Within minutes we were talking about food and what we wanted to cook during the week. On our way back home after picking her up at Schonefeld airport we made a beeline for the Spandau Weihnachtsmarkt and introduced her to Glühwein, EierLikor, and Nackensteaks.

And when Naveen arrived we were treated to hard to find favourites from Aberdeen: Crabbies ginger beer and rowies.

Our holiday eating was far from traditional. We decided to make iddlis with sambar and potato/cauliflower samosas on xmas eve. And on Xmas day we nibbled on grilled polenta with gorgonzola and had a feast of roast duck with Cat's peruvian coriander rice, glazed carrots and german style grünkohl (curly kale). At the height of preparations we were all squeezed into the kitchen stirring, chopping, washing up, refilling glasses and more.

And that my friends is what i love -- cooking with my friends, eating together and sharing our enjoyment with each other. I hope 2011 brings more of that our way and yours too!

Repke Spätzlerei: Total Winter Comfort Food

2010-12-23T06:45:00.009Z

One of the neighborhoods we're really excited about and love to go to for a wander is the criss cross of streets around Savignyplatz. Every time we go we are delighted by what we find, and yesterday was no exception.

Our friend Cat is visiting us this week from Italy and we decided to take her there. We had been wandering around the neighborhood and were sufficiently cold/hungry/thirsty to warrant a stop. It was already getting dark out, and the lights inside beckoned us.

The restaurant is simply decorated with spacious booths and tables at the front, and a bar at the back. Our server was very friendly and helped us decide what to order from the extensive choices.

Cat and I decided to give the spätzle a try, neither of us having tried it before. I kept it simple and ordered Käsespätzle with speck and onions. Imagine oodles of rough cut noodles boiled, finished off by sauteeing with butter, smoked bacon and onions and coated with melted cheese. mmmmm!

Cat went for a spätzle omelette. She went for the veggie version which was filled with spätzle and assorted vegetables and also served with a side salad.

Kelsie ordered Maultaschen with chilli and tomato. Maultaschen are the German equivalent of raviolis. they are triangle shaped and quite large. We weren't quite sure what the filling was but the chilli and tomato sauce was surprisingly spicy.

All of it was a carb-tastic winter comfort food extravaganza, and with the reasonable prices a place we're sure to visit again. Total bill including 2 beers and bottled water came to 27€.

Details:
Bleibtreustraße 46, 10623 Berlin
map

Wo isst man Phở?: Huyen Quang (5/15)

2010-12-21T12:24:00.003Z

To begin our quest we decided to keep it fairly local and try one of the places in Spandau. We visited Huyen Quang in Alt-Spandau.

On this particular night it was absolutely Baltic out. somewhere around -10 or -12. perfect conditions for Phở. The restaurant is brightly lit with plenty of room to sit. The service was friendly and efficient, but, alas the Phở fell way short of our expectations.

Flavour of the broth: it was insipid at best. it looked weak even before we tasted it. just dull and lacking in flavour. Score: 1/5.

Quantity of fresh herbs in relation to the soup: Again, lacking. There were a few chopped coriander leaves scattered on top, and not nearly enough to even make an impression. Score: 1/5.

Price/Quantity: There was a good ratio of meat to soup and we certainly didn't leave hungry. Just a bit dissatisfied. Cost of 1 soup: 4,90€ Score: 3/5.

Summary: A lacklustre start to our quest. The other appetisers we ordered were just as disappointing as the Phở. Total score: 5/15.

Details:
Huyen Quang
Breite Straße 20, 13597 Berlin

tel: 030 52 134 178
map

Wo isst man Phở?:

2010-12-13T05:42:00.011Z

We are on a new quest in Berlin. We are in search of the best places to eat Phở. There are a few reasons why....

we had just started to find amazing places in London to eat this fine soup before we upped and moved (again). Most memorable was Pho where we had the good luck to be able to take a peek in their kitchen and see the magic happening in their stock pots...it was a heady, breathtaking smell, that stock...i am salivating just thinking about it:

we also had great Phở at our local vietnamese Khoai in crouch end, and at a few of the places dotted along Kingsland road. So the bar has been set with those experiences and we want to try more!

it's dark and cold in berlin right now, and probably will be for another 2 months. nothing beckons more loudly in this kind of environment than a steaming bowl of noodle soup. perfect conditions for our voyage of discovery.

there is a sizeable Vietnamese community in Berlin. so surely there must some good Phở

We'll be focusing on Pho with beef brisket. We'll use a rating scale of 1-5 for the following criteria that we feel are important to a good Phở

Flavour of the broth. We're looking for depth of flavour here. Something that says this soup has been cooked with care and attention to the combination of herbs and spices as well as good meat.

Quantity of fresh herbs in relation to the rest of the soup. We like LOTS of fresh herbs that we can add to the soup as wanted. Definitely a must is fresh coriander and a plus is a squeeze of lime.

Price/Quantity. A big bowl of steaming soup for under 7€ will do very nicely thank you.

And to help you all follow us on our quest through Berlin we'll be adding our reviews to foodspotting and qype.

1001 Nights

2010-12-12T14:08:00.011Z

Our third TWMF Supper Club was held on 04 December. We decided to call it 1001 Nights to reflect how dark the nights here have become and to ward off the winter blues. There was something about the glow of lots of burning candles, coupled with the ruby red of pomegranates and the lively energy that our guests brought to the evening that made this evening particularly memorable.

The lesson learned from last supper club was to keep things simple and to cook from the heart and that's exactly what I did. What a difference that made! I was relaxed, in control and had time to chat with our guests and enjoy the live music we had as well (more on that later).

The food was mostly Persian and reminiscent of our first London Cooking Club which was held at The London Foodie's house around the same time last year. Kelsie made a delicious welcome cocktail of fresh pomegranate juice and seeds and cava. Starters were an assortment of mezze: homemade flatbread, beetroot with yoghurt, winter tabbouleh, harissa-spice chicken wings and an utterly awesome batch of babba ganoush. One of our guests practically demolished the whole batch of babba ganoush and we sent her home with a takeaway portion.

For mains we had spectacular jewelled rice, with roast lamb and a pomegranate molasses gravy. One of our guests opted for sea bass stuffed with fresh herbs and dried fruit.

The highlight of the evening for me was a mini concert of santur music performed by Moritz. I found him on the internet and he kindly came by to perform a 30-minute set for us. You can hear a clip of his performance here. While he was performing we served a cooling palate cleanser of pomegranate sorbet.

Dessert came next and I relied on my tried and true recipe for Persian Love Cake. Totally sweet and intensely flavoured with cardamom and nutmeg. We had to wrap up the rose syrup scented baklava because everyone was stuffed.

Wine and more wine and brandy and conversation flowed about myriad subjects such as, scrum, ostrich egg omelettes, the difference between 'dag' and 'bogen' (australian vernacular terms) to name a few.

Funnily enough, Kelsie and I started TWMF Supper Club so that we could meet more Berliners, but on this particular evening, all our guests were from out of town! We had DoktorG and his wife, MsGourmetChick and her fabulous friends, and Kaeladan who was visiting us from Glasgow for the weekend.

I'm glad we got our mojo back and are really looking forward to our next supper club in January.

As always, here's my list of lessons learned:

Definitey make the sorbet the night before, i didn't this time and it was melting as soon as i served it out.

If you are going to have entertainment, limit the performance time and wait to serve any courses until it's over. I got the sense that people didn't know whether it was ok to eat or not while Moritz was playing.

Have a few taxi numbers on hand for guests to be able to make their way home if it's really late.

Sources:

Thanks to Dave and Matt for letting us use some of their photos from the evening in this blog post

THe gorgeous legs of lamb were purchased from Wild+Geflugel at the Karl-August-Platz market in Charlottenburg

Beautiful sounds from Moritz on his santur

overall recipe inspiration from New Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij and My Persian Kitchen

Speciality Persian ingredients including advieh and dried barberries from Fruta Shiva (persian groceries in Charlottenburg)

The TWMF Supperclub 2nd Album: Diwali

2010-11-15T17:53:00.004Z

What's that saying they have about breakthrough artists' problems with their second album? i think i might have felt a bit of that after our 2nd TWMF supperclub. this time round we decided to celebrate diwali by doing an indian vegetarian/vegan menu.

my trusted companions for the past two weeks have been Manjula's cooking videos on Youtube and my treasured book Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi. I've tried lots of recipes in this book in the past and most have come out flawless and delicious the first time round.

which is no excuse for me throwing every last ounce of caution to the wind and embarking on a 9-course menu featuring a few dishes i'd be making for the first time. silly silly mel! when will you learn? i get like this you see, i start going off in tangents and basically want to cook as many different things as i can.

on thursday we felt amazingly calm and in control. i had my list i was checking it once twice all the time...

i did a lot of prep, making chenna and then rolling them into little balls which would then be fried off at the last minute and mixed into the Royal Rice

but by saturday night, after the first set of dishes went out i was well stuck in 'the weeds' and didn't think i'd be able to break through. in the thick of it i started making silly mistakes and by the end of it i was shattered.

this doesn't mean the guests didn't have a diverse menu featuring dishes you'd probably not find in your average indian restaurant. or that the food was awful. empty plates came back, and the leftovers said it all. of all 9 dishes, two had significant leftovers. which means i really didn't need to make them. and THAT, my friends is the biggest lesson learned. it's not about how many different dishes i can squeeze in, it's about doing the ones i love with the care and attention they deserve, because that feeling makes it way all the way to the plate. and, while it was a hard lesson to learn, i'm glad i did!

so, here are some more 'lessons learned' this time around:

don't make too many dishes for one night.

make food that you feel comfortable, confident and passionate about

practice the menu or at the very least every single dish before the day

prep all you can the day before

i'm very much looking forward to living by these lessons at our next supperclub. hope to see you there!

Flantastic First Supperclub Night

2010-11-03T17:54:00.002Z

Finally we've launched TWMF Supper Club. And with the first night under our belts I've got time to reflect on the whirlwind weekend it was.

We did the first shop, mostly alcohol-based, on Thursday night after work. Keep in mind we don't have a car here. It's just us and our rucksacks and public transport. We do have a trolley that we can hitch to Kelsie's bike, but decided on public transport this round as we didn't know how much we'd be able to carry. Good thing we split the alcohol shopping from the food shopping. Wine and beer bottles are heavy.

The next morning we did the big Ikea shop. Got there really early and did pretty well, except we got stuck on the chairs and which to buy, cushions or no cushions? wish we knew how to sew, wish our friend jorge were here to help sew nice covers, do we have enough dessert forks? we took a taxi for this round, meeting Kofi, a Ghanaian in Spandau who was v. surprised when i started talking to him in Ewe.

We were home long enough to drop the stuff off and headed back out to do food shop part 1. This involved a journey to Charlottenburg to Aqui Espana to get the rest of the Mexican ingredients and the all important tequila. Had a mini-meltdown when we couldn't decide to spend another hour going to Getrankmarkt in Mitte where we were sure we could get the same bottle of Tequila for way cheaper. Decided not to, and headed back to Aqui Espana for the more expensive bottle.

Short train trip back to Spandau where we did food shop part 2 and finally got home around 5:30 pm. OMG. I started in on the flans and washing all the new crockery/cutlery/glassware. By 8 pm i was ready to start the mole. Mole is a very time consuming recipe. Practically each individual ingredient has to be cooked separately before joining the rest. And as with any sauce it takes time to develop. Lots of time. At 2:30 am i was finally finished. The house smelled deliciously spicy with all the cooking smells but i was beyond knackered.

After a fleeting sleep with mole-filled dreams I woke up on saturday. LATE! It was already 9 am and i still had to go back for food shop part 3. I left Kels at the flat to start setting things up, and hightailed it back to Charlottenburg for the farmers market at Karl-August Platz. Found beautiful side of salmon at my favourite fish stall, bargain limes, gorgeous lettuce, and pretty flowers for the table.

Once home i started 'cooking' the salmon ceviche, braising the turkey, and did all the prep for the evening. Lots of onion and garlic chopping, prepping the lime vinaigrette for the salad, and two of the 3 salsas. Amazingly by 5 pm i was ready. Kelsie had tranformed our place into a mini-Mexico, replete with crepe paper bunting with Dia de los Muertos cut-outs, and a beautifully laid out table. All i wanted was for the first guest to arrive so that i could start sending the food out.

And the bell rang. 4 guests arrived at once. I put the totopos in the oven and started making a batch of guacamole. 10 minutes later, another 3 arrived. Totopos and 3 salsas went out, Kelsie was expertly mixing margaritas and serving drinks. 20 minutes later we were still waiting for the remaining two guests to arrive. and waiting. and ...waiting. we decided to start the meal and i plated up the ceviche.

it got quiet. good thing? bad thing? kels brought back empty dishes. good thing! meanwhile i did the rice and calabacitas con elote. mole was ticking away. everything running like clockwork.

and, because we had two no-shows we got to sit at the table too. that was probably the coolest thing for me. sitting at the table with our guests, talking about the food, watching them enjoy it. really really gratifying.

we had plenty of food for seconds (and more...). salad with lime vinaigrette and toasted pepitas was next. a nice fresh palate cleanser after the heady flavours of the mole.

and for dessert one of the two flans i made the night before. coffee and the aged tequila. and more tequila. and chili-orange truffles. before we knew it it was past midnight and our guests were making their way home. we surveyed the scene and after one more tequila (what were we thinking?!) went to bed.

sunday was a painfully hungover day interspersed with washing batches of dishes and trudging back to bed for hangover recovery.

i'm learning things as i go along. here's what i've learned this round:
1) split the shopping into stages esp if you don't have a car.
2) 10 people is not the same as an army. don't make too much food or you'll be eating leftovers for eternity.
3) it takes a lot less room if you chill your wine/beer outdoors. especially if it's cold outside.
4) avocados take longer than you think to ripen.
5) keep those water jugs full.
6) don't mix margarita/beer/white wine/red wine/tequila/port in the same night.
7) remember to take pictures!

Special thanks to FoodieInBerlin for her kind review and to all our guests for making the first night a success! We hope you join us again for another supperclub evening.

Our recent interview with Reisefreunde

2010-10-24T15:10:00.002+01:00

We are very excited about our first TWMF Supper Club night on the 30th October where we will be serving up Mexican food for Dia de los Muertos. Even before our first night we were interviewed by an online travel blog called Reisefreunde. You can read our interview here. You can also check out our Supper Club website here.
We will follow up next month with a report and some photos about our first Supper Club experience.

Kelsie and Mel

TWMF Supper Club

2010-10-06T07:16:00.002+01:00

Hello.
Sorry it has been a while since our last posting. We were moving homes within Berlin. We now live in the North West of the City in the district of Spandau. All settled now, pretty much. We also have some exciting news in that we would like to announce the arrival of our Berlin Supper Club. Our first night will be on the 30th October. The menu is to be Mexican in order to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). If you are in Berlin and are interested in attending our first Supper Club night please check out our website here

Berlin Beer Mile 2010

2010-08-19T07:42:00.004+01:00

Ok, it wasn't Oktoberfest, but a couple of weekends ago, with our friend @chocosquirrel in tow, we embarked on a day of beer discovery in our newly adopted city: the 14th International Berlin Beer Festival. The night before we had indulged in too many espresso martinis, sangria, and paella and we all thought a few beers and some pork would set us right.

We made our way to the festivities and started exploring. Our first stop was the festival stall where we purchased our souvenir mugs and a map of the mile. We saw people walking around with nifty lanyards which they attached their mugs to, so as not to lose them. If you didn't buy a souvenir mug, the stalls would simply take a deposit of 2 euros for the glass. But if you did have a souvenir mug then most of the stalls were selling 200ml of their beer for 1.50 to 2 euro a glass. Not a bad deal at all!

To get things rolling, and to attack the hangovers we had the obligatory rostbratwurst, slathered with senf (mustard) and a glass of Kormbacher Pils. We buy this all the time from our local shop and it was a gentle introduction into the other delights to come.

I'm sorry to say i wasn't organised enough on the day to record everything we sampled. But between the three of us we did pretty good. Here's a list of all the featured brewers. There were some outstanding choices and it all became a bit of a blur.

In between drinking we of course ate....immense gherkins, gorgeous beer-batter fried fish with remoulade sauce, and as a takeaway treat we bought Haxe which was pig knuckles cooked in a big cauldron -- the smell was unbelievable.

The well-named motto of this year's festival was beer makes us friends.

„Bier macht uns zu Freunden“

We had a chance encounter with some well groomed gentelmen....

The mile was really well organised, with plenty of seating, a great map to locate the participating brewers, and a good variety of food. By the time we made it to the end and started wending our way back to where we started, the entertainment was kicking in. There were brass bands, country-western singers, and pop/rock bands.

All in all it was a fabulous day, and we'll definitely be back next year!

going underground

2010-07-20T12:41:00.007+01:00

Mel and I have been mulling around with an idea to open a Supper Club for a while now. The idea is to operate an Underground Restaurant/Supper Club. When we lived in London we didn't have the right kind of space or environment from which to operate from. However, we have recently moved to Berlin and we now feel that we have acquired the right kind of space. Still, we have one problem. That is all we have right now, the perfect space. We also need chairs, tables, cutlery, plates, cups, glasses and all the essential items that allow you to create a comfortable eating environment. So we had another idea. Why not ask for help from Berlin and Berliners. We are, therefore, looking for donations. No matter how big or small, we welcome anything that would be useful/suitable for the Travels With My Fork Supper Club. We want to create a funky, eclectic Berlin Supper Club and what better way to do it than with help from Berliners themselves. In return, we offer every single person or group who donates a free meal at our Supper Club once we are up and running.

Come on Berliners. We need your help!! We can do it!!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Nach Berlin

2010-07-11T08:35:00.006+01:00

Please forgive us as it has been ages since our last posting on this blog. We have been moving and getting settled into our new home in Berlin, Germany. Those who read this blog or know us personally may say that we are no strangers to moving. This is true. Since 2003 Mel and I have moved a lot. It started with a move from upstate NY to Scotland. Since then we have moved 7 times. An average of once a year. "How do you manage it?" our friends say. "Isn't it stressful? "Moving is easy we say, we are used to it" But, I have to be honest, this last move to Berlin (the NY to Scotland move is the exception) has been the most stressful and difficult yet. Moving to another country always poses more problems especially if you plan on taking all your belongings and pets (4 cats 1 dog) with you. There are logistical pains of organizing movers and boarding and shipping pets. Also, we don't speak German. But, we were prepared. We would cope.

Our first night spent in our new house was spent sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags as our furniture and belongings wouldn't be arriving until the next day. No big deal. It was kinda like camping given that we also had no kitchen or stove to cook on and no lights hooked up yet. It was romantic. We ate out that night and used flashlights to navigate our many stairs.

The next morning was all action. We hired the help of an English guy called Simon to help us with installing some essentials. We had him hire a van and off he and I went to buy a sink, lights, fence materials in order to dog proof the garden etc etc. Meanwhile, Mel stayed home and dealt with movers and distributing our stuff. All was going relatively groovy so that by the end of the day we were sat in a house full of boxes, a working kitchen sink, some crude lighting and a Sila safe garden. Next day the pets were due to arrive so we wanted to get as much done as possible before their arrival. We decided not to fly the pets but to have them driven over as thought this to be less stressful. They would be in an air-conditioned transporter truck, the dog would be walked and the cats would be all together with access to water, food and litter trays. However, we had heard nothing from the Pet Transporter who was meant to call us with his estimated arrival time. The following day we called him. He informed us that the transporter vehicle had broken down and that the pets were now staying at his kennels. They were fine. His vehicle was not. He offered us our money back. "Eh no, we want our pets" we exclaimed. He offered us alternative of having his friend drive them across the next day in a hired van. Not ideal but the only viable solution. We agreed. In hindsight we realized that it gave us more time to prepare the house for the animals. They would be confused and slightly stressed Im sure so securing as much of a serene new home environment for them was crucial.

Two days later the pets arrived none the worse for their experience. "I love your dog" shrilled the pets stand in driver. "He sat up beside me for all the journey" she revealed. "He loved it!" Erm not actual behavior we allow our dog of in our own car but OK. He is safe, he is here. Sila immediately explored the garden and began marking his territory. The cats explored much more tentatively. Fine, done. The pets had arrived.

Mel was beginning her new job for Nokia on Monday so it was left to me to unpack, unwrap and set up. It's fun to a point.

Other challenges faced were dealing with internet set up which proved to be difficult as the small pocket where we live appears to be in an internet black hole. After about six weeks we finally settled on satellite broadband which isn't the fastest but at least it works. Obviously not speaking German will hamper our progress but so far we have managed with the help of Google translator and have only once hired an official translator. This was to help us deal with the truly disastrous process of finding, buying, registering (painfully archaic) and eventual disposal or our VW van. We almost considered hiring a lawyer at one point as we were knowingly ripped off left right and centre by the seller but in the end (to mostly avoid even more stress) we decided to put it down to experience and a very hard learnt lesson. Learning German has been stop/start, this has in part been due to visiting family and friends who all speak English. However, I'm happy to be patient and allow the language to come at its own pace.

So, we have had our ups and downs but by in large we are enjoying our new city. In the last couple of weeks the weather has turned really hot and we lament our lost VW van from time to time as it would have been a good way to reach the many cooling lakes for swimming. Taking our dog on mostly non air conditioned public transport isn't ideal or welcomed.

My family from Scotland arrive tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing them. I am also really looking forward to the DVD box set of the latest Dr Who series and some oat cakes and Jacobs crackers that my mum is bringing me. For some reason the Germans don't really do crackers!! Which is ok as there are so many other delicious treats for us to enjoy here. Tonight Spain play in the world cup final and my Spanish flag is proudly hanging from my office window. All passing Germans love seeing it I am sure!!

Hopefully, we will be back with some more food posting soon. In the meantime, check out some more house photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silamuta/sets/72157624468334874/

Take care

K and M.

A Wee Dram at the Salt Bar

2010-01-27T12:58:00.006Z

Yet again, those Qype gurus have come up aces with another memorable gathering. This time it was another topic close to our hearts (and stomachs): a Burns Night/Talisker whisky tasting event at Salt Bar on Edgeware Road.

I still remember my first Burns night only 2 months into my move to the UK. We were living in Aberfoyle, a picture postcard town nestled in the Trossachs. The Burns night we attended was in a nearby town, Gartmore. We had just moved to the area so didn't know anyone, and, just like the unspoken cafeteria rules in school we found ourselves marooned off all the 'popular' tables. Our dining partners looked to be the elders of the town. They seemed amused at the lesbian couple, one of which was American. Nevertheless, we made the best of our situation and settled in for the meal. Oh, that was the other incongruity - we were still vegetarian! Luckily they had veggie haggis, but that definitely added another mark to our otherness that night. I got to experience the whole 'performance', from piping in the haggis, the various addresses and then a round robin of people reciting his poems from heart. Needless to say, most of the people who knew the poems from heart happened to be sitting at our table!

We've had various Burns celebrations since, and now this year's to add.

We arrived at the bar before they sent the piper out to bring in the stragglers. While the rest of attendees were arriving we were treated to a Manhattan with Talisker of course. I had a very interesting conversation with the barman about the recent shortages of Angosturra bitters, in fact he was using his own stock and said imports in were stopped until April/May this year. I wonder if we'll start seeing eBay auctions of Angosturra bitters. And does anyone out there in the interweb know why there's a shortage?

There was lots of friendly milling about. We met Billy who told us about his specialty glass collection -- basically a glass specifically matched to it's contents. We met Ian who also is a whisky aficionado and we met the fellow behind tiredoflondontiredoflife.com. He didn't seem so tired about the evening though.

I had a great conversation with Clark McGinn, a Burns specialist who gave the crowd a great overview of the poet, his life, and his lasting influence today. The bar area was decorated with gorse bushes that had Burns poems tied to the branches. This was a nod to Burns own practice of analog blogging during his time.

The first whisky we tasted was a Talisker 10 year old. Our tasting was led by Colin Dunn. He took us through the procedure step by step: first cup the top of the glass with one hand and swirl the contents to get the aromas circulating. second, take a good long sniff and let the taste permeate. third, take a SIP and swirl the contents in your mouth for a 10-second count. fourth, and final: swallow and experience the follow through. I found with this one that by the time I had swallowed my gums and tongue were tingling. I did taste that salty mermaid's kiss that you find in Islay malts though and was looking forward the next. This first whisky was paired with a canape of smoked salmon. The fattyness of the salmon helped to smooth out the edge of the whisky.

The second whisky was Talisker Distillers Edition. A much smoother, headier taste that, per Colin's instructions was meant to be held in your mouth for 15 seconds before swallowing. Another note about the space: there was a small table set up with the three whiskies and behind the bottles were apothecary jars of the various flavour notes each whisky displays. I remember for the second whisky the jar was full of dates. This whisky was accompanied by haggis, neeps and tatties, and yes, Clarke did the full address, spearing the haggis with his knife.

Our third and final whisky was Talisker 57-deg. For me this was the highlight of the evening, especially paired with the chocolate mousse.

After the tasting we had more milling about. I picked up on the Billy thread and had conversation with Colin about the glass shape used during the tasting. As expected it's all about concentrating aromas and flavours to build a lasting experience. His explanation included a scenario with Robert De Niro in a hotel room, but I'll spare the details.

At the bar we admired the extensive whisky selection on offer. I never would have expected such a great collection. We spoke to the manager about his collection and noted they were selling Salt Bar labelled bottles from their own casks. The food features lots of Scottish sourced ingredients, from Salmon to Aberdeen Angus steaks. Needless to say we'll be back for a lengthier tasting and a bite to eat.

And to preserve our memories of the evening we were each given a goodie bag that contained a half bottle of Talisker, a Talisker etched tumbler and a personalised hand calligraphed note book.

Thank you Qype, Salt Bar and Talisker for a great evening.

Carnitas, Chilli and Cakes at Brixton Village Market

2010-01-19T20:40:00.006Z

This past Saturday, Kels and I participated in the January Tasting Day sponsored by Spacemakers to celebrate and showcase the diversity of food offerings at the Brixton Village Market. There was definitely a festive feeling and, by chance we ended up hosting a few conversations about the pros and cons of such an event in our space. Dougald from Spacemakers has summed up some of the range of feedback he got in the spacemakers blog here.

We were given an empty unit for the day to transform into our very own food shop. Kit Boyd, another market resident, generously offered to hang some of his work to brighten up the space, Mexican Dia de los Muertos bunting was hung outside, tables were set up, a bain marie and hot plate turned on and...we were in business!

Not having done an event like this before I was unsure of how much to make so i settled for double batches of Carnitas which were served in tacos and bowls of Black bean veggie chili. For the sweet tooths I made Apple cinnamon cake and Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. By the end of the day we had sold out of the chili and sold off one and a half cakes as well as most of the carnitas.

The best thing about eating a carnita is how you customise it to your taste. For our customers we offered lime wedges, sour cream, grated mature cheddar cheese, salsa de jitomate verde (green tomato salsa), chopped coriander leaves and chopped onion. I had also made a batch of red tomato salsa but left it in the fridge!

It was exciting to have customers and see them try the food first-hand. Overall the response was positive and I think as result I've caught Taco Truck Fever. I'm going to have to do some more research on the subject, maybe a trip or two to Mexico is on the cards so I can learn from the experts. Who knows??

**Special thanks goes to Julia and Dougald of Spacemakers for getting us the unit; Neil for logistical help on the day and Yvette for lending us her catering equipment.

Carnitas (from Diana Kennedy's The Cuisines of Mexico)
the recipe below is for one batch of carnitas

3 pounds pork shoulder (ask your butcher to bone and skin it but to leave as much fat on the meat as possible)
1.5 tsp salt
water

1. cut the pork into 2-inch x 3/4 inch pieces.
2. put the pork in a large pot and add the salt and enough water to barely cover the meat.
3. bring to the boil and continue cooking over medium heat until most of the water has evaporated.
4. turn the heat down a notch and continue cooking the pork until the fat starts to render and the pork turn brown and crispy. if the pork doesn't have a lot of fat you may need to use lard to get the desired crispy consistency.
5. serve on warmed corn tortillas with your choice of garnish.

A Pilgrimage to La Cuchara + Santo Tomas Feria

2010-01-04T07:29:00.009Z

This past Christmas we decided to celebrate with my parents who live in St. Jean de Luz in the Basque region of France. It's beautfiul there, with the edges of the Pyrenees in the background and the Atlantic coast in the foreground. And it was great to kick back and spend some quality time with them as well.

However, one of the biggest draws is the prospect of hopping across the border to San Sebastian. Everytime we're in that part of the world we make to sure to spend at least an afternoon there trawling the pintxo bars in the Old Town.

This time we decided to give ourselves maximum opportunity to indulge and booked into a hotel so that we could have lunch, a nap, and do it all over again for dinner and wouldn't have to worry about dragging ourselves back to France on the EuskoTren. And we decided that for lunch we'd concentrate on working our way through as much of the menu at our favourite pintxo bar, La Cuchara de San Telmo instead of wandering around.

There was a bit of panic when we got to Calle 31 de Agosto. We were momentarily convinced that they had replaced La Cuchara with public toilets. But a further wander down the street revealed our destination. We claimed a corner of the crowded bar and started ordering dishes in pairs.

First up, 2 beers to quench our thirst, accompanied by Magret and Scallop. These were followed in close succession by Pigs Ear and Bacalao; which were followed by Beef Cheeks and Goats Cheese, which culminated in Octopus and ???. I can't remember! It's a blur of perfect maillard technique, great flavour combinations and an experience that left both of us reeling.

After leaving La Cuchara we poked our heads into Gandarias and had a pintxo of gulas, and then over to a new place called A Fuega Negro. They have a fantastic cookbook done comic book stylee which I now wish i had bought.

We had to revive ourselves with some sunshine and a brisk walk along the beach followed by visceral snooze. Finally made it back to the hotel for what was meant to be a couple hour siesta. But we couldn't muster the energy or (gasp!) appetite for another round. I'm ashamed to say that the planned evening of gastronomic excess turned out to be nothing more than drinking copious amounts of Vichy Catalan and pale attempts to venture out.

Never fear, the next day after checking out of the hotel we noticed groups of Basque looking people making their way to the town centre. Lots of traditional costumes, and as we got nearer to the crowds the unmistakable smell of grilled chistorras.

There was stall after stall selling artisanal products, from cheese, to pacharan, to charcuterie. Interspersed between the small stalls were larger ones that had an assembly line of women and men making Talo which is a kind of corn crepe. These were served stuffed with grilled chistorra and were a delight to eat.

We had to drag ourselves back to the EuskoTren, leaving the revellers behind until our next visit.

2009 Round-Up

2010-01-01T12:31:00.000Z

This has been a year filled with lots of food discoveries, whether eating out in London, meeting new friends through other food blogs or simply trying new dishes out at home. Rather than list them all, we've put together this collage of all the photos we posted in TWMF in 2009.

Roll over the snapshots to zoom in and click to see a larger photo.

A Persian Feast from the London Cooking Club

2009-12-09T11:55:00.007Z

A couple of months ago Kels and I were invited to dinner at The London Foodie's home. We had met at the Wahaca Autumn Menu tasting and connected right away with each other. That meal was absolutely AMAZING and deserves it's own blog post (coming soon).

Over dinner we talked about doing a meet-up with each of us contributing a course -- kind of like an American-style pot-luck. Fast forward 8 weeks and our first gathering happened two weeks ago.

Three couples participated and in addition to the courses we chose we also added to the mezze and brought 2 bottles of wine to go with our dishes.

The theme, as the title says was Persian food. Most of the recipes came from The Food of Life cookbook with the exception of my mezze and the Persian Love Cake which came courtesy of Pikelet and Pie.

The menu was:

Mezze:
Fresh baked bread with black sesame seeds
Cheese and walnut dip
Aubergine dip
Lemon and garlic harissa spiced chicken wings
Chickpea, feta and red onion salad

Jeweled rice with roast Guinea Fowl

Lamb shanks with herb sauce

Persian Love Cake with yoghurt

We're planning another gathering in January with the theme being Scottish food in honour of Burns Night. I'm envisioning this cooking club growing into something along the lines of a Basque Txoko or gastronomic society. People meet regularly to plan and cook menus and then eat the results with family and friends. Many of them have multiple generations of members with waiting lists for new memberships. Only recently they have accepted female members. Some have their own dedicated meeting places and kitchens. Every January there's a big festival in San Sebastian where the various societies compete for a much coveted award for best meal.

I'm thinking a future venue that can accomodate more people might be the Underground Cookery School where some fellow food bloggers met up for Ghana Food Night this past August.

Here's a link to our facebook page. Please add your name to the fan list if you'd like to participate in future meet-ups. I'll be organising a planning meeting after the new year for the January meet-up and we'll take it from there.

meeting one of your food heros

2009-11-11T09:12:00.003Z

In Old London town we have had a flutter of Mexican activity lately. One event that Mel was particularly looking forward to was a Mexican Food Evening at the British Museum which involved a panel of food experts talking about Mexican Food followed by a wee taster of goodies from Wahaca's table. Mostly Mel was looking forward to this event because one of her all time food heros was going to be talking. This hero was Diana Kennedy and she did not dissappoint. Mel was also asked to write a guest posting about the event for Wahaca's blog and you can find a link to this here.

Rabbit and Prunes

2009-10-26T16:06:00.006Z

A couple of weekends ago, when the season started to turn I started fixating on Rabbit. All the recipes I've come across feel very autumnal. Most feature some sort of fruit or sweetness. I've never cooked or eaten rabbit before so it was a mini-milestone of sorts for me. The week before I phoned my ma who i usually consult for cooking tips. She's got a very acute sense of smell and said it could get quite smelly during cooking. Kelsie at rabbit growing up and seconded that opinion. In fact I had to promise her I wouldn't stink up the house if she'd let me give it a go.

After lots of hemming and hawing I decided to go with a variation on a French recipe I found in Laura Washburn's book Bistro.

I decided to mark the mini-milestone by getting a nice bottle of red wine. The folks at Soho Wine Supply were very helpful and recommended this:

NOTE: the book recipe said to marinate the rabbit overnight. Because of last minute change of plans the rabbit was marinated for almost 48 hours!

Rabbit with Prunes (serves 4)
adapted from Bistro, by Laura Washburn

1 rabbit, jointed into 7-8 pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh bay leaf
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bottle red wine
250 ml brandy or cognac
a few peppercorns

2 Tbs sunflower oil
30g unsalted butter
200g lardons (i used smoked back bacon)
100g well seasoned flour
2 onions, sliced
400g prunes
125ml port
1 Tbs creme fraiche
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

The day before, mix the marinade ingredients and place in a glass or ceramic bowl with the rabbit pieces well immersed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen roll. Strain the marinade and reserve the liquid. Also keep the bay leaf and thyme.

In a large pot heat 1 Tbs of the sunflower oil and half the butter. Add the lardons and onions and cook over high heat until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Dredge the rabbit pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add the rest of the oil and butter to the casserole. When sizzling, add the rabbit pieces and brown all over. Add the reserved marinade liquid, bacon and onion mixture and port. Add the reserved thyme and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Remove the rabbit pieces to a plate. Raise the heat and add the prunes. Cook until thickenedf, 10-15 minutes more. Stir in the creme fraiche, return the rabbit to the casserole and cook just to warm through. Do not boil.

Serve with fresh tagliatelle and a glass of delicious red wine.

A Smokehouse Open Day at Forman and Sons

2009-10-10T07:55:00.006+01:00

The twitterverse has been kind to us recently. We found out about the Wahaca Qype event on there and soon after also heard about an open day at a local smokehouse, Forman and Sons.

Having lived in Scotland for 5 years, I had images of the Achiltibue Smokehouse circulating in my head. We visited there a few years ago and were captivated by the lush surroundings.

Forman and Sons however, is distinctly urban. It sits in an industrial complex directly across from where they are building the Olympic village. Not exactly windswept dunes, but, in its own way still an oasis in a very urban landscape.

The smokehouse has been in business since 1905. In the entryway there is a wall-sized photo of Harry Forman the founder of the business. He was the one who developed the "London Cure' which uses less smoke than other smoked salmon you find.

The open day featured stands and presentations by some of the producers whose products Forman and Sons distributes under the name Forman and Field. They have a diverse offering of fine meats, cheese, chocolates and patisserie items which you can buy online. This was a great chance to meet the producers, sample their products and buy from a generously discounted selection of their goods. Visitors also had the chance to win a whole side of salmon by guessing the total weight of four sides they had hanging.

We also had the opportunity to take a tour of the smokehouse operation which was fascinating. We saw how they prepare other cured salmon with a traditional gravadlax cure, a pink beetroot cure and a pungent wasabi cure. The fish is expertly prepared for smoking and nothing goes to waste. Particularly interesting to me was their mechnical slicer with which the operator can slice the finest thin slices off the fillet in minutes.

After our tour we went upstairs to their bar/restaurant which at the time was still in the process of opening. A recent check on their website says they're now open for business. I hope to return for a lunch or dinner there, especially given the views of the work in progress at the Olympic stadium and of course the fine ingredients they have at hand.

Forman & Sons, Stour Road, Fish Island, London E3 2NT
tel: 0208 5252 390

Autumn/Winter Flavours at Wahaca

2009-10-04T11:27:00.011+01:00

Last Thursday, Kelsie and I along with 28 other luck Qypers, decended on the Westfield outpost of Wahaca. I've been to the Covent Garden one once, and rated it then though at the time it was a 'team lunch' with my new teamates, at my then new job, and I had to keep my focus on the team and not the food.

Always the eager beavers that we are, we were the first to arrive and were expertly guided to the mezzanine seating area which was still being set up for the evening feast. A couple of cold Modelo's soon arrived and then we met charming and enthusiastic Cecilia who runs the Wahaca blog. She recognised us from our twitter postings about Pozole making and my other comments in the blog. It was definitely cool to match an online entity with a name. Soon after that we met Tomasina and had a fabulous conversation about Mexican food, chiles, posole, one of my food idols Diane Kennedy (who btw is coming to London soon!), Tommi's recent recipe competition for creative chilli recipes and more. Alas, duty called and she had to get back to the prep as more guests arrived.

Creamy guacamole and zesty salsa were passed around with proper tortilla chips and fantastically light chicharones. Our server recommended a squeeze of lime on the crackling which made all the difference. Su-lin and I honed in on that and nearly finished a bowl ourselves.

Finally we were seated and Tommi and her business partner Mark welcomed all the guests. We got the run down on what we'd be served this night, and to my delight Mark also told us about a trio of tequilas that would be served alongside the dishes.

And then the food started arriving. The menu is split between Street Food; Soups and Salads; and Platos Fuertes.

We started with a selection of some of the new street food dishes. First up was a tostada with MSC smoked herring topping. The oiliness of the fish beautifully complemented by a sharp Veracruz style tomato sauce with flavours of olives and capers. This dish is definitely one to come back for.

Next, a taco filled with Pork Pibil. Succulent shreds of slow cooked pork, with an altogether different sauce.

And last from the Street Food section a Huitalcoche Quesadilla. I was really excited about this one as huitalcoche is a peculiar fungus that grows in between corn kernels, and not easy to come by here. As a result, for this recipe the corn fungus was mixed with sweetcorn and british mushrooms to round out the filling. I have to say I couldn't really make out a distinctive huitalcoche flavour but it was a good quesadilla nonetheless.

The next set of dishes were centered around the Soups and Salads section. First up was earthy black bean soup. I missed the assembling of it but enjoyed the texture and flavour layers in it. This could easily be a meal unto itself.

The Winter Fuerza salad was one of the evening's highlights for me. Frisee, avocado, crispy fried ancho chilies, queso fresco (or was it feta?), locally grown spelt, roasted squash all festivally presented in a big bowl to share. The vinaigrette tasted of lime but didn't overpower the ingredients.

Without missing a beat, the main dishes started arriving.

There was a pollock cooked Veracruz style, which arrived in a foil packet. I loved the big hits of cinnamon flavour coming through in the sauce, but was a bit underwhelmed by the fish. Not sure why, but it didn't seem to carry the sauce as a complete unit it felt like fish + sauce rather than fish in sauce. If that makes sense.

The absolute hit of the evening was next: a classic Baja-California Fish Taco -- crispy fried fish with just the right kick of chipotle mayonaise served in a soft taco. I could have eaten a whole tray of these alone and am now contemplating throwing a fish taco party in the near future. High marks for this one.

Next up was chicken enchiladas served with Oaxacan (wahacan) mole sauce. Think rich, chile/chocolate/spicy sauce. A perfect foil for the shredded chicken and tortillas.

The last main was a vegetable burrito. By this time we were glassy eyed and really struggling to find room for this. I powered on, heard snippets of conversation about cabbage not belonging in the burrito (i wholeheartedly disagree btw), and managed to finish my 1/4 burrtito.

Miraculously we all found room for the dessert which was a platter of light crispy churros served with a bowl of hot chocolate. Another inspiration i am going to try making these at home.

Add to the wonderful food an absolutely exhuberant group of people to share the love of good food and drink and it was an evening to remember for a long time. I had great conversations with http://tikichris.wordpress.com/, sulin, and made a new friend of thelondonfoodie.

Thanks again Qype and Wahaca for putting on this event!

A Dim Sum Feast at Leongs Legends

2009-09-28T19:36:00.004+01:00

When I lived in NYC, one of my frequent Sunday brunch destinations was the Vegetarian Dim Sum House on Pell street. I was a vegetarian then, but even if I hadn't been this place rocked. You'd have to get the timing right otherwise you'd have to join the ever increasing queue of people wanting the same thing: impecable dim sum of all shaped and sizes. My dining partner and I would systematically work our way through the entire list from start to finish back to start again over several meals. We even saved a copy to rate the ones we particularly liked/disliked.

Fast forward quite a few years and now that Kelsie and I living in London I've been hoping to resurrect this tradition. Lucky for me, World Foodie Guide has done a stellar job of providing a list of the best dim sum places London has to offer.

On this particular Sunday we had organised a reunion of sorts as our dear friend Cat was on her way home to Aberdeen via London, our other friend Kim has recently moved to Londonm as has our friend David and Jorge who happen to have moved quite close to where we are in Crouch End. We were also joined by Marco, another Aberdonian transplant.

The best thing about going for dim sum with such a large group of people is that you really can try everything on the list in just one go! And that's exactly what we did. Unfortunately i wasn't as systematic as i was in the past, and couldn't really tell you what all the dishes were. But they were delicious indeed. And we're hoping to organise another dim sum fest really soon.

Here's a selection of Kelsie's photos from the afternoon:

making Pozole

2009-09-24T08:08:00.004+01:00

mel, jorge and me all made a video on how to make pozole. check it out here

Mexican Pozole from kelsie mortimer on Vimeo.

Sunday Lunch at The Peasant

2009-09-06T09:38:00.004+01:00

As you know, Kels and I take turns each month choosing where we're going to eat out. For September Kelsie wanted to try out Clerkenwell. We already know there's a ton of great restaurants there. The tricky bit, as usual, was narrowing the list down to one choice. Kels did pretty well, and managed to come up with a shortlist of 2 places.

The first, unfortunately was closed. But we're definitely planning on going back when they're open. If you've eaten there let us know what you think!

We had a nice meander up to Kels' second choice, The Peasant. It was a pretty dull day when we went last Saturday. The sky was awash in grey, there was a cool breeze blowing, the streets were mostly empty, and it felt like summer was definitely shut for the year. Perfect conditions to hunker down in a warm, welcoming pub like the Peasant. Our server was from Carluke up in Scotland. We had a nice convo about the weather (of course!) as well as some of the best bacon that comes from his hometown.

To start we opted for a pint each of their guest ales. They have a pretty extensive beer list which i look forward to exploring next time we go. Unfortunately i have totally blanked on what we had. But they were nice. The menu had some interesting dishes on offer, definitely not your average pub food. (Is this what gastro-pub food is like?) I honed in on the Ploughman's which two people could share as a starter. Kelsie chose the roasted cod on cabbage with a poached egg and a hollandaise-like sauce.

The ploughmans was everything i'd want and more: properly grilled bread, generous wedges of Somerset cheddar, hefty slices of ham hock terrine, home made piccalilli, marinated beetroot and a nicely dressed salad. The ham hock terrine was a definite inspiration, as was the piccalilli. I'm going to try both at home to see if i can recreate.

Kelsie's dish was less inspiring. Everything was well cooked and presented, but it wasn't a wow like the ploughmans was.

We both had desserts that in hindsight we didn't need to order. I opted for New York style cheesecake with fresh berries, and Kelsie chose Bannoffee pie with ice cream. The pie and ice cream were served on slate which, when the ice cream started melting didn't seem like the right thing to serve it on. The cheesecake was ok. Base was too thick and the texture was heavier than i prefer.

Total bill for ploughmans, cod, 2 pints, 2 desserts, 1 double espresso and 1 glass of oloroso + service came to £53.

Would we go again? most definitely!

The Peasant / 240 St. John's Road / 0871 332 9046

A quinoa salad that packs a punch for lunch

2009-08-30T08:32:00.002+01:00

Part of my sunday routine is to make a big batch of something something that i can bring to the office and have for lunch. I like my own food and can't justify spending £5 a day to buy lunch out. I have to admit though, some weeks it's struggle to get through the same thing for lunch day in day out. For instance, last week it was cold pink soup. M-W i was fine with it, and it still felt like a novelty. But by Friday I had had enough pink soup to last me until next summer. This week i didn't have a struggle at all with this delightfully crunchy quinoa salad, courtesy of The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. There was enough variety to keep it interesting the whole week.

Crunchy Quinoa Salad
For the salad:
kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
1 red onion chopped
1/2 cup arame seaweed
1 cup mixed sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into matchsticks
1 large carrot, grated
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

For the marinade:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup evoo
1 small bunch coriander, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
1 chilli pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp coarse sea salt
freshly milled black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C. Spread the seeds on a baking tray and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Combine the arame with 2 cups warm water and set aside to swell for 10 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 1-1.2 cups cater and salt to a boil. Add the quinoa. When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Spread the quinoa on a baking sheet to cool.

Steam the corn kernels and red onion for 3-5 minutes until cirps-tender. Drain and chill under cold running water.

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Add the salad ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to marry the flavors.

Gay Icons and Indian Seafood at Trishna Restaurant

2009-08-07T06:29:00.007+01:00

August happens to be my turn to choose where to eat out (we take turns) and i had decided, after much deliberation that I wanted Indian food. The problem was honing in on just one!

By the beginning of the month choices were narrowed down to 1) Tayyabs which I've heard lots of raves about in the twittersphere and blogosphere; 2) Jai Krishna which happens to be very local to where we live and was recently reviewed by eatlikeagirl; 3) Woodlands which one of my team mates at work recommends. Much like I ponder over what to cook next, i often have the same dilemma when deciding where to eat out. And what happened this time, is usually what happens in those situations: i cave in, eliminate the short list, and go for somewhere completely off the radar of any list/research/pondering.

That's how we made it to Trishna last Friday night. We decided to go all out and have a proper date, so we booked tickets for the Gay Icons show at National Portrait gallery. The show was curated by 10 Gay Icons who each chose 6 people in the last 150 years who had a positive influence on them. If you haven't seen it, please go -- for the photography and for the insightful descriptions of why each portrait was chosen. I found it affirming and inspirational and hope they have plans to tour the show to other places in the UK.

From the gallery we decided to walk to Trishna. It's in Marylebone, which i didn't know anything about neighborhood-wise. What i do know now, having walked there, is that it's on the posh side of things and if i were to compare with NYC which i am familiar with, is most like Upper East Side. The other thing i'm very curious about is why there is this concentration of designer kitchen stores all along Wigmore street. Of course we had to stop by each one and gawk and the mixer taps/sinks/cabinetry/ovens!

When we finally got to Trishna we were greeted by a friendly hostess and immediately taken to our table. The place was a bit on the empty side, though by the time we left it had filled with more diners.

We took our time reading the menus. The wine menu was as interesting as the food menu and a nice feature was for each dish they suggested a wine and a beer to match. The tasting menu in retrospect would have been a better option for trying out a greater variety of their dishes, but we decided to choose our starters and mains ourselves. One starter, the Lobster and Crab Salad, was a no-brainer. Either kelsie or myself was going to order it, and it didn't disappoint. Generous morsels of sweet lobster and crab topped with a wild shoot salad and a citrus vinaigrette. This was one of the highlights of the evening. The other starters were a giant tandoori grilled prawn (yes a single prawn), and crispy quid. All of it was well seasoned and perfectly cooked.

For mains, Kelsie opted for the seafood biriyani and i went for the market fish curry. That night the fish was bass. The generous fillets of fish were swimming in the curry sauce which had a good balance of spices and heat. I'd be hard pressed to name all the spices in it. The biriyani was served in it's own cast iron pot. Kelsie liked it even more with some of my fish curry sauce spooned over. We also ordered a side of dal (overpriced at £6!) and steamed basmati rice.

Dessert was the second highlight of the evening. We ordered a trio of ice creams: cardamom, ginger, and lime/basil. Unfortunately the dessert wine we ordered along with it clashed with all three flavours. But the ice creams were tasty and have inspired me to try more flavour combos next time i make a batch.

The final bill came to £138 for two glasses of prosecco, a bottle of albarino, a bottle of sparking water, one glass of dessert wine, three starters, two mains, the dal, the rice and the dessert.

Pros: a good variety of dishes with extensive starters menu for sharing; nice wine/ber pairing suggestion.
Cons: at times, overattentive service: for instance having our glasses refilled all the time. we prefer a more informal style. and some dishes, like the dal were on the expensive side.
Will we go back? Not sure. There weren't enough wows to balance out the spend.

Trishna / 15 Blandford St, Marylebone, London W1U 3DH / tel: 0207 935 5624 / website: www.trishnalondon.com

Ghana Food Night with London Food Bloggers

2009-08-02T08:27:00.005+01:00

When i saw the invite for the Ghanaian Food eveningh sponsored by Cadbury to promote their Fair Trade initiatives with Ghanaian cocoa farmers i was thoroughly excited.

In 1994 i spent 8 months in Ghana, travelling to and fro between Old Nima, a suburb of Accra the capital, and Anyako, a little village on the banks of the Keta Lagoon in the Volta Region.

Since the evening last Tuesday, lots of food memories about my time there have come back. Street food is ubiquitous from the city to the bush. My favourites were beans and gari at a particular stall in the car park across from the National Theatre. In Makola market you could pretty much find anything either in living or cooked form. Goats, chickens, turkeys, the most amazing fresh fish and seafood, snails, vegetables, and then stall after stall of chop each with their own speciality. I tried most things there including kenkey and pepper, grilled tilapia, fried plantains, groundnut stew, fufu and even akpetesie.

My memories of Ghanaians are that they are extremely generous, welcoming and full of vibrancy. The family and community are core.

Fast forward to last Tuesday evening where Kelsie and I and a choice handful of London Food Bloggers congregated at the Underground Cookery School to participate in a Ghanaian cooking workshop and then enjoy a meal. The event was organised by Lea and her agency on behalf of Cadbury, with help from Jollof Pot catering.

We split ourselves into two groups. One group got to listen to a brief overview of the food culture of Ghana presented by Albert from Jollof Pot.

And the other group set about preparing the spice mix and zebra meat for our meal. Yes zebra meat. Not sure why they chose zebra, i don't remember ever seeing a zebra in Ghana and would have preferred goat.

The evening was quite animated with lots of wine flowing and the excitement of putting faces to twitter names. I made a beeline for the kitchen where the kind UCS chefs let me 'help' prepare the meal with Evelyn from Jollof Pot.

For starters we had an assortment of canapes: cassava chips, fried plantain rounds with mackeral, fried rice balls. The main meal was one of my favourites -- jollof rice served with the zebra stew.

We were sent home with goodie bags containing more Cadbury fair trade chocolate and recipes from Jollof Pot so that we could try the dishes at home.

All in all it was a very enjoyable evening, well organised and informative.

If you want to learn more about Ghanaian food and culture there's a wealth of info online. Here's a sample of my favourites:

More of Kelsie's photosfrom the evening

Multimedia slide show of some Ghana street food scenes

Online source for information about ingredients, recipes, culinary research related to African food and culture.

"We Eat First With Our Eyes": On Ghanaian Cuisine

Seaside Eating in Sussex Coast: The Ship Inn and crab and lobster

2009-07-25T08:32:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago Kelsie and I decided we needed a quick escape out of London for some free radical eliminating sea air, and of course some good fresh seafood. We don't really know much about the coast of England so randomly picked Selsey as our destination this time.

We had three memorable meals in the area. The first, at the Rushmere, was a total disaster and almost made us turn around and head home. Rubbery, tasteless fish that had all signs of being zapped in a microwave was served with uncooked, unseasoned vegetable garnish. It really was pretty awful.

The second was in nearby Itchenor at a place called the Ship Inn. The previous night's disaster meal was redeemed by a fabulous lunch here. When we walked in we knew right away this was going to be a good meal. There were local ales on tap and the specials board had an interesting selection. We asked our server about the availability of lobster and funnily enough she said the best lobster she had was in Cape Cod. We had a bit of reminisce with her about our fave lobster places on the cape and about how we miss lobster rolls, and she explained that it was hit or miss with lobster down on the Sussex Coast and on that particular day there wasn't any available. Kelsie had a smoked haddock fishcake that was definitely more haddock than potato (we like!) served with a kind of Caesar salad with all the right ingredients down to marinated anchovies. I had one of the specials, grilled sardines on toast with a warm tomato chutney. It was perfectly executed and tasted really fresh. We decided to share the dressed Selsey crab which was all that you could ask for -- incredibly fresh crab, lightly seasoned, served with a salad of mixed greens.

Sufficiently stuffed we headed back to Selsey. Later that evening we had our third memorable meal of the trip at crab and lobster in nearby Sidlesham. It was a good thing we stopped to book our table as the only times left were 6pm and 9:45 pm. We opted for the earlier time. crab & lobster oozes comfort and elegance. The wait staff were extremely professional and friendly.

Kelsie ordered seared scallops with beetroot as a starter and i had a salmon crab parcel on pickled cucumber slices. The pickled cucmbers were a great textural and tangy complement to the rich creamy parcel of smoked salmon wrapped around dressed crab. Our mains were just as interesting. Kelsie ordered a crab risotto which was garnished with a cheddar crisp. Unfortunately the crisp tasted mostly of burnt cheese and was just too bitter to enjoy. I had a delightful fish stew with mullet, hake, and clams, accompanied with a vibrant spicy rouille. I slurped my way to heaven with that stew and vowed to make it one of these weekends. Dessert was a bit disappointing. We had a rhubarb tart. The pastry was a bit too thick and hard, and the rhubarb was a little tough. Otherwise no complaints. I could see us coming back and perhaps staying in one of their guest rooms or even their newly available self catering crab cottage.

When nothing else will do

2009-07-23T13:18:00.008+01:00

any or all who know me know that I love the food of spain, have lived in spain, speak spanish and generally bang on about spain all the time. and for good reason. the food is FAB. the wine is fab too. and of course there is BARCA. need i say more. so every now and then when its been a while since i've visited spain i like to check out some restaurants or tapas bars where i live. mel and i live in london now so there is a good choice. and we have checked a few of them out. my favourite to date in london city is garcia and sons and la plaza which are both in portobello road london. and there have been others like the salt yard and dehesa which are good yes but not really the kinda spain im looking for. just a bit too over the top for me and way too expensive. however, a recent saving grace has been our discovery of la bota in crouch end. mel and i have checked it out a couple of times to sample the beer from galicia and try a tapa or two. last nite i was totally craving spanish food so we decided to go for a longer visit and sample some more food and wine. they have a set menu but they also have a rotating specials board which i would recommend if you pay them a visit. seems like most things on the specials board are good, fresh and made with passion. they have an excellent wine choice too and the service is flawless. if you are in crouch end please pay them a visit. the prices are very reasonable too. they are also huge barcelona fans and regularly show la liga on tv screen.

Baudy Beetroot Risotto

2009-06-12T08:29:00.003+01:00

Last weekend, on a tip shared by shunafish we decided to wander down to the 10 Year Anniversary of the Islington Farmers Market. Usually it's held on a Sunday, but this particular weekend it was held on a Saturday.

I get really excited about Farmers Markets. When i lived in NYC i used to get up early early on a saturday morning and take a long subway ride from Harlem to the Union Square Greenmarket. The market featured the best of the local farms in the New York metropolitan area. Incredible veg, fruit, one stand devoted to exotic salad leaves, a fab herb stand with a different herb sorbet each week -- thyme, lemon balm, rosemary. Cheeses, breads, cakes and gorgeous flowers. For a while i was working a couple of blocks away on 5th ave and would go there for lunch on wednesdays and fridays. i remember buying sweet succulent heirloom tomatoes that i would eat like an apple with just a sprinkling of salt. or i would pick stuff up for an impromptu sandwich -- sourdough bread, mizuna, smoked meat and creamy goats cheese from Ronnybrook farm. people would get really excited when the first crops of the summer would appear. they'd go crazy for ramps in early spring and you'd have to elbow your way in to get some before they'd sell out.

A few years later i moved out of the city to the hudson valley -- closer to some of the farms that were selling at Union Square. Kels and I would go every saturday to the Rhinebeck Farmers market. This one was as much about seeing neighbors and friends as getting incredibly fresh, just picked produce. I needed Kelsie there to stop me from buying up everything i saw.

And now, having moved to London I've been enjoying visiting the different markets. So i jumped at the suggestion to check out Islington's.

We did a quick circuit through, noting the roast lamb, roast pig (we ended up getting this), veg stands, bread stand, cheese stand and fresh herb stand. The organic veg stand had a special offer on: 5 veg for £5. What a bargain! We ended up with a bunch of beets with their tops intact, a bushy fennel, courgettes, spring onions, and a head of oak leaf lettuce.

Which brings me to this dish. I saw one in the June issue of delicious magazine and knew i wanted to try it out. And not being content to settle for 1 recipe also spent some time trawling through my collection for similar. What's interesting is that the majority suggested finishing the risotto in the oven not on the hob. Not sure why. I combined the recipe elements and while delicious called for mascarpone, i opted for goats cheese. The sauteed greens were a fantastic complement -- iron/earthy tasting against the creamy slightly sweet taste of the risotto.

Beetroot Risotto serves 4
(from June 2009 delicious magazine)

500ml vegetable stock
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
25g butter
2 small pink onions, finely chopped (i used 1 large red onion)
3 garlic cloves crushed with salt
5 small beetroot peeled, halved and finely sliced
3 lemon thyme sprigs
300g risotto rice
200ml dry rose wine (i used white)
5 Tbsp mascarpone (i used one log of welsh goats cheese)
100g Grana Padano, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Put the stock and 350ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile heat 4 Tbsp olive oil and the butter in a heavy casserole and fry the onions and garlic over a medium heat until softened. Add the beetroot and thyme and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the rice until well coated, then increase the heat and add the wine. Boil until it evaporates. Season well and add all but about 200ml hot stock, and heat until bubbles appear around the sides. Cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.

Stir in the rest of the stock. If the rice is done but still has a little bite, eave to rest for 5 minutes. If still underdone, cook for up to 5 minutes more. Stri in the cheese.

Trim the beetroot greens and roughly chop. Heat the remaining oil in a wok, add the leaves and season. Turn the heat down and add a little water, cover and cok for a few minutes until just wilted.

Serve the risotto topped with the sauteed greens and a shaving of Grana Padano.

2...Sixteen: A heart and soul warming oasis

2009-05-17T07:10:00.013+01:00

I'm not sure if you've noticed but since we've moved to the other end of Crouch End we've stumbled across quite a few good places to eat. Thanks to our good friends Julia and Perry we were introduced to a recently opened venue called 2...Sixteen run by the larger than life Yvette. The name of the restaurant is a great mnemonic device, as that's its address on Middle Lane. We went back last night for more of Yvette's great Caribbean fusion food and again were treated not only to some sublime flavours and textures, but also got the chance to find out more about Yvette.

The restaurant is modestly furnished and features a changing collection of art by local artists in the community. One wall is rendered in wood cladding and you get the feeling you could be in a secret beach hut somewhere in the Caribbean. The other walls are a warm red. There's a tiny bar in the back which Yvette plans on kitting out with some tables so that she can serve tasting portions of some of the menu selections to go along with her oh so good Rum Punch.

On this particular night we were determined to work our way further through the menu and try new dishes instead of gravitating to the immediate favourites from last time which were succulent spicy Jerk chicken and Yvette's signature dish 2...Sixteen fish stew that features whole tilapia, okra, pepper and more of her magic spice combinations.

So we ordered Saltfish Fritters for a starter and Mutton Stew and Ackee and Saltfish for our mains. The saltfish fritters were cooked in a wonderfully light batter and were served with a spicy aubergine mayonnaise that offset the saltiness of the fritters.

The mutton stew featured cubes of meltingly tender mutton that tasted and felt like it had been slowly cooked in the oven for many hours. It was flavoured with a spice combination that complemented the flavour of the meat without overpowering it. Ackee and saltfish was my favourite. I'd never had Ackee before. It's part of a fruit and looks a bit like scrambled egg. The dish had a heady kick of scotch bonnet that i can best describe as brain lubricating. After one bite i just felt this delicious glow wend it's way from my belly to my brain.

We drank a bottle of crisp rose that was a great foil to the spiciness of the food. Our pudding was gold leaf dusted chocolate boxes served with a fruit coulis that Yvette whipped up of mango and raspberries, served with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Truth be told, i'd skip the chocolate boxes and go for just the fruit and ice cream.

The total bill was a very reasonable £39 which included 1 starter, 2 mains, dessert and a bottle of rose.

On both occasions Yvette came out from the kitchen to meet and greet her customers. She really makes you feel welcome and like you're one of the family. It's that kind of warmth and genuine pleasure in serving her food to her guests that makes Yvette so special.

We got the chance to ask her a few questions last night.

What's the philosophy behind 2...Sixteen?
I love food and people. I like the self satisfaction it gives me that I can cook for people and can cook for anyone in the world. it the pleasure of seeing other people eat my food.

What is your idea of comfort food?
It has to be fish or seafood. Seasoned with fresh ginger, spring onions, fresh coriander, soy sauce and cooked en papillote.

What are your favourite food places in Crouch End?
I like the Clocktower shop for their fresh herbs and leaves and pea shoots. They have a nice markety feel to the shop and not unreasonable prices. For breakfasts I like Banners. It's casual, it's unpretentious, it is what it is.

What's your essential piece of cooking equipment?
My dutchy pots. The oldest one i have is 40 years old. They're cast iron, and they say the blacker the pot, the sweeter the food.

Sweet or savoury?
Savoury

Guilty pleasure?
Walkers Cheese and Onion crisps with Lucozade[Yvette looks horrified and laughs]

Who has been your biggest influence?
My grandmother. She was very adventurous and with food. She was always experimenting. When we moved here from Guyana she managed to give the food an essence of home and adapt to what was available.

There is a wealth of new ingredients and flavours to be found in Caribbean food. Yvette is on a mission to make it accessible to everyone and anyone. And she is doing a great job of it so far!

2...Sixteen / 216 Middle Lane N8 7LA / tel: 02083482572

Another discovery in Crouch End: Troodos Greek Restaurant

2009-05-11T07:01:00.005+01:00

In our new neck of the woods there are several eateries along Priory Road that we've promised ourselves to try out in the very near future. Troodos is one of them. We have walked by it on several occasions and have been intrigued by their menu and specials board.

On Saturday we decided to give it a go. We were there very early, about 6 PM, and nearly had the place to ourselves save a lone diner. The owners and staff were seated at the back, acknowledged our presence and carried on with their conversation. In the background Greek news on the radio was playing.

Our friendly, laid-back waiter came by with menus. I didn't get past the first page where several set menus were described. We decided to go with the Fish Meze at £14.30a person, and a bottle of crisp dry Retsina.

Shortly after that the cold Meze started coming. First a big sectioned platter of taramasalata, two types of potato salad, houmous, marinated beans, and a cucumber salad. Then separate bowls of smoked salmon salad, octopus salad, prawn cocktail and crab stick cocktail. All accompanied with piping hot pitta. Something told me to hold back on the cold stuff but i couldn't restrain myself. It was mostly good, our favourites being the octopus and marinated potato salad. I mostly avoided the taramasalata which was a lurid E-number pink and i can't really abide by crab stick.

Next up was the fried selection which was our favourite of the whole meal. Sardines and squid rings were lightly battered and fried and served with wedges of lemon. Totally my kind of food -- they weren't chewy or stodgy at all.

By this time we were definitely in that glazed eye stage where we know we've had too much to eat but keep going. The final offering of a massive plate of grilled fish and a bowl of Greek Salad came out. We were reassured by our waiter that we could stay as long as we needed to finish. I was able to muster a few bites but really was overstuffed. The grilled fish that night was salmon and red snapper. They were a bit overdone which was disappointing and were served with deep fried scampi which is not something i'd usually go for. No complaints on the greek salad which had a simple dressing and gorgeous creamy feta.

We both hit our limit and decided to take the mostly uneaten grilled fish home along with the leftover fried fish. By the end of the meal the place had started filling up, the Greek news was switched over to Rebetika and it definitely felt more like restaurant, less like a dining room in someone's home.

I can imagine on a really hot day that this place would be an oasis. The Mediterranean blue walls can almost evoke the sea or sky and have a calming, cooling effect. We will definitely be back in July or August to try Troodos again, with bigger appetites.

Troodos/179 Priory Road, London N8 8NB/02083429188

a nice slice of cake

2009-05-06T17:39:00.002+01:00

a nice slice of cake
Originally uploaded by silamuta

hi. just to say we have not forgotten bout travels. just have been busy moving, again, and wondering where in the world to put stuff when you have moved into a small house. ah yes well there go. eek! anyhoo, in between unpacking and stuffin and getting our healing dog back mel made a yum victoria sponge. back with more info very soon esp now that we have broadband again. yay!

Rasa Sayang: Cheap, cheerful and oh so good

2009-04-17T09:11:00.004+01:00

Note: please keep in mind that the photos in this post were taken with a cameraphone -- apologies for the graininess.

Kelsie met me downtown for dinner last night after I finished work. She was shuttling her family around (they're visiting from up north), and wanted us to go out after she dropped them off at the show they were going to see.

On this particular occasion I wanted to a) not spend a lot of money; b) try someplace new that neither of us has been to before; c) stay close to the neighborhood where my office is (Piccadilly Circus) whilst avoiding the countless chains and tourist traps; and most importantly d) have something really tasty.

We started our meal with a couple of starters: Roti canai and Fried wontons. The roti had a beatufiul soft texture and was accompanied with a bowl of sweet/sour/spicy/earthy red curry sauce. The fried wontons were stuffed wtih vegetables and prawns and were accompanied by a sweet chilli sauce.

Roti canai

For our mains Kelsie had Sinagpore fried rice and I had Nasi Lemak. The Singapore fried rice was redolent with sesame oil and came topped with crispy shallots. There was cabbage and seafood mixed in.

Singapore Fried Rice

The Nasi Lemak was my idea of a perfect combo meal. Tender chicken in a hot curry sauce like we had with the roti, hard boiled eggs, steamed rice, the most brilliant dried tiny anchovies, extremely flavourful and spicy sambal and some cooked veg with red peanuts made up the plate. Combining the fish/egg/chicken/peanuts in one bite sent me on a wild ride of texture and taste. This is the kind of food i love!

Nasi Lemak

We ordered a crisp dry Pinot Grigio to go with the meal and the total of the bill was a very reasonable £35. Our servers were friendly and very efficient. Over the course of our meal the table next to us turned twice and there was a steady stream of people coming and going.

Would we go back? Absolutely, definitely. I've already promised our server Joyce that i'll be back in for lunch some time next week!

Antepliler: Turkish Food Galore in Green Lanes

2009-04-05T08:52:00.010+01:00

On a cold Saturday evening last week, we met up with our friends Julia, Pezza and Liz for a Turkish feast at Antepliler. Green Lanes up in North London is a 5 block microcosm of Turkish food. Up and down both sides of the road are Turkish grocers, Turkish pastry shops selling the most delicate baklava you can find, and of course some of the best Turkish kebab places to be found.

One of the gems is Antepliler. When you enter you immediately face the large wood burning oven, where all the magic takes place. It's decked out with traditional Nazar Boncugu (evil eye) pendants.

The dining room has rows of tables all pushed together for optimum seating capacity. On this particular Saturday night, as with most nights Antepliler was bustling. We were elbow to elbow and by 7:30 a queue had already started forming at the door.

The menu had sections for soups, cold starters, hot starters, Pide (Turkish pizza), and grilled kebab dishes.

We opted for some houmous, grilled sukuc (Turkish sausage), and grilled eggplant salad to start. A big basket of bread straight from the big oven came as well and we tucked in. The eggplant salad with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and onion had a nice smoky depth from the grilled eggplant.

Our mains started arriving soon after. We shared a Pide which was oozing with melted cheese and spinach; kebabs covered with melted cheese and chopped pistachios; 'regular' shish kebab with tender chunks of lamb that had a spicy marinade; and another kebab of lamb and grilled shallots bathed in a sweet tangy sauce of pomegranate molasses. The mains were accompanied by rice, grilled tomato, more chopped salad, and more bread.

The dinner came out to about £12 a head including 2 bottles of wine, and there was more than enough food that we went home with two doggie bags of leftovers.

Will we go back? Most definitely -- for the food and for the vibe.

Pesto, pasta and potatoes!?

2009-04-02T12:46:00.003+01:00

It was warm and sunny yesterday. Spring has been forcing it's way out. Our sidewalks are covered in a confetti of tree blossoms. And one of the many cravings consuming me lately has been for a proper taste of summer in the form of fresh pesto.

Usually i make pesto in my trusted Magimix. But last night i opted for more rustic approach and decided to make it in my pestle and mortar. The result last night was a chunky, oozy pesto that filled the house with gorgeous smells. and it really wasn't that much more work. I opted for a 'traditional' way of serving it with pasta, boiled potato and green beans. On confering with my Italian teammates Roberto and Massimo at work today, neither had heard of mixing potato with pasta. Nevertheless the smell and taste met with Roberto's approval.

Pesto, potatoes, green beans and pasta
Serves 4

125g pinenuts, lightly toasted
4-6 cloves garlic chopped
large bunch of fresh basil, about 50g, leaves roughly torn
1 tsp salt
50 g parmesan, freshly grated
50 g pecorino, freshly grated
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
350 g pasta, preferrably trenette (i used spaghetti)
8 new potatoes, halved
handful green beans, topped and tailed

Put the pinenuts, garlic, salt and basil in a mortar and pound into a pasty pulp.

Slowly add half the olive oil and half the cheese, stirring all the time. Keep stirring and add the rest of the oil and cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the potatoes and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and let cook for another 8-10 minutes until almost al dente. Add the beans and cook for another couple of minutes.

Drain, and stir in the pesto. eat and enjoy!

Six Nations Final and Enchiladas de Jalisco

2009-03-22T07:56:00.003Z

Yesterday was the RBS Six Nations final. We didn't have enough dosh to buy a ticket to Twickenham, so opted for a couch view instead.

In the weeks leading up to yesterday i started craving enchiladas. Probably it has something to do with a) going to uni in Dallas, Texas; b) rugby looking a lot like American football (don't worry i appreciate it wholly for what it IS not what it's LIKE); and c) needing something hot and spicy to offset cans of Red Stripe (or is it supposed to be the other way around?

These were not your ordinary Old El Paso pre-processed enchilada packs. These were real home-made beef enchiladas with an earthy spicy red sauce. The only thing that wasn't home made were the tortillas. I used to have a tortilla press that would come out once or twice a year and finally parted with it after too many house moves.

The recipe comes from The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. The book is a treasure trove of facts and recipes of the diverse regional cooking styles from all over Mexico. I bought it over 20 years ago when i moved from Texas back to NYC. I missed the food that was so readily available and wanted to recreate it at home. At that time Mexican food and ingredients were near impossible to find in New York City. I had dried chilies mailed to me from friends back in Texas, and on the odd occasion was able to find fresh poblanos. Proper fresh corn tortillas were also sometimes difficult to find. Over time the Mexican population in NYC grew and it was exciting to watch that food culture finally take root in the city.

Enchiladas de Jalisco (serves 4)

1 courgette (about 125 g)
2 small carrots (about 250 g)
3 small red-skinned or waxy potatoes (250 g)
2 large beef tomatoes (500g)
250 g course beef mince
250 g course pork mince (*Note: i used 500g beef mince and omitted the pork)
salt
lard
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp parsley finely chopped
10 guajillo chiles (about 60g)
2 whole cloves
1/4 inch piece of cinnamon stick
8 corn tortillas
grated cheddar cheese

Trim the courgette but leave whole. Top and tail the carrots, peel and quarter lengthwise. Peel the potatoes and cut in half. Cover the vegetables with boiling water and add 2 tsp salt. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

Tightly squeeze the meat into two large meatballs. Add to the vegetables along with the two tomatoes. Let cook covered until the vegetables are just tender. Drain the veg and meat and reserve the broth.

Peel the two tomatoes and puree in a blender.

When cool enough to handle, cut the veg into small dice and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan and put in the dried chilies. Move them around so as not to burn. Remove from heat as soon as you smell them. Remove the stems and seeds from the chilli pods and cover the pods with hot water. Let sit for 20 minutes.

In a large frying pan heat a couple Tbsp lard and saute the chopped onion until soft but not coloured. Crumble in the meatballs and add the parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree and let bubble until the tomato sauce has thickened slightly.

Add the chopped veg and 1/3 cup reserved broth and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

Remove the chilli pods from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender jar. Add 1 cup reserved broth along with the cloves, cinnamon and some salt. Process until smooth and adjust seasoning.

In a separate frying pan heat another Tbsp of lard and cook the chilli sauce for about 5-8 minutes until rich and thick. Add more reserved broth if the sauce is too thick.

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a thirday frying pan lightly fry each tortilla in oil for no more than a few seconds each side. Place on kitchen roll to drain.

Now you prepare an assembly line. First take a tortilla, dip both sides in the sauce then tranfer the tortilla to a rectangular oven dish. Spoon some of the piccadillo onto the edge of the tortilla and roll up tightly. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas until the piccadillo is finished. Line the enchiladas up side by side in the oven dish. If you need another layer spread some sauce over the bottom layer of enchiladas first. Finish by spreading more sauce over the enchiladas and scatter grated cheddar cheese over the top. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

This is best served with rice and refried beans.

Birthday Dinner at Gordon's

2009-03-21T16:39:00.009Z

When I left WeeWorld for the Big Smoke, my workmates sent me off with a gift voucher to Gordon Ramsay restaurant. It was most generous and it felt good to know they got what makes me tick. Then again, i didn't really make it a secret that my heart was still in the kitchen and the project manager job was a temporary means to an end (still not found that end yet though). When i started there i was making birthday cakes for each person in the office, then, as more people joined the company i had to move to monthly birthday cakes and finally it got to be too much baking for me. I got to cater the office Christmas party one year, and in my last couple of months had started a scheme selling lunches to the lucky few who put their orders in for the week. I love that they loved my food and i love that they gave me such a grand parting gift.

I decided i'd use the voucher on birthday dinner this year. The first thing to contend with was making the actual booking. The restaurant takes bookings as much as 2 months in advance which i found out the first time i called in January. I patiently waited until 17-Jan and phoned again only to find out that the 17th was fully booked and the weekend preceding and following were also booked up. Next try was during the week and i was able to nab a table for 6:30 pm on the 18th. The other available times were after 10:00 pm -- too late for me!

Step 2 was faxing over a signed 'contract' along with my credit card details saying that i would indeed turn up, that if i cancelled less than 24 hours in advance i'd have to pay a fee and if i simply didn't turn up my credit card would be charged £150. OK.

Step 3 was phoning them early in the week to confirm that yes indeed i was going to show up.

And then we got there. And it was a flurry of attentive french men all over. A bit disarming but i went with the flow. The first 20 minutes happened so fast -- seating at table, menus, champagne, meet sommelier, talk about the menu, amuse bouche....i couldn't keep up! There was even a parade of the last of the year's perigord truffles. I asked for another sniff in the box which of course was immediately obliged.

Everyone has been asking about the meal. I'd say it was faultless. The service was over the top, attentive to the extreme, a bit overwhelming at times. The people we were dining with were mostly inbred marble mouths. But for added diversity there was a family of rich Texans.

At the end we figured that it was more about the whole experience than just the food. And, to be honest I'd rather eat somewhere less ostentatious or go over to France if i wanted a meal like this. Would we go again? Only if we had another voucher.

Here is what i remember we ate:
Amuse Bouche 1: cornet of langoustine and avocado salsa. (Light, crunchy meltingly delicious seafood and avocade yumminess.)+ Paired with pesto and mozzarella sandwiched between two fine crisps of potato.

Amuse Bouche 2: Teeny ravioli of crab with pumpkin soup and shaved truffle

Mel's starter (see photo above) Butter poached Scottish lobster tail with chestnut lasagne, trompettes de la mort, baby spinach and black truffles. (wowww wowww wowww. salivating just thinking about it. earthy truffle, sweet lobster fantastic delicate lasagne.)

Kelsie's starter Pan-fried sea scallops from the Isle of Skye with carpaccio of octopus, gnocchi, sage and parmesan

Mel's main: Pan-fried line caught sea bass with steamed charlotte potatoes, cucumber, oyster beignet and caviar velouté (Fabtastic especially the fried oyster which reminded me of Texas and Florida. Oyster po'boys. yeah)

Kelsie's main: Roasted monkfish tail with chorizo cous cous, baby squid, artichoke and spiced tomato jus

Cheese plate: we had two a wonderful creamy chalky goats cheese and Vacherin which transported us to New Year's eve shenanigans with Ian

Amuse bouche 3: Mango and passionfruit with coconut cream and extra speshal crackly pop rocks. (made me feel 14 again!)

Mel's pud: Granny Smith parfait with blackberry foam, honeycomb and cider sorbet

Kelsie's pud: Bitter chocolate cylinder with coffee granité and ginger mousse

birthday almond cheesecake

2009-03-15T18:55:00.002Z

almond cheesecake
Originally uploaded by silamuta

it was my birthday a few days ago and mel asked me what kinda birthday cake i would like. i remembered an almond cheesecake that she made last year and asked if she could make that again. OF COURSE was the answer!! its great being hitched to someone who loves to cook. (NB my waistline might disagree!) what with one thing and another going on during the week mel finally managed to make the cheesecake on saturday. and wow it really is great. not too sweet but definately almond!! even the biscuit layer is almond. needless to say ive probably eaten more than my fair share already. im currently sitting in the pub while writing this post so i dont have the recipe to hand. but ill ask mel to add it to this post later or if anybody would like it soon just leave us a message and we will post it pronto. well after i leave the pub and go home. and oooh gordon ramseys restaurant on hospital road on wed. look out for that posting. CANT WAIT!!

carluccios islington

2009-03-12T12:14:00.007Z

so we headed to carluccios last nite in order to grab a bite to eat before heading to a play. ("duet for one" with juliet stevenson). mel was meeting me from work so i headed there pretty much on time to have a wee beer. i walked in and waited and waited and waited. not a good start. i eventually had to approach a member of staff myself to say i had a table booked. the surly waitress showed me to a table and then walked away without even asking if i wanted something to drink. pah!! nil points so far. however i had a quick look at the drinks menu and when she finally decided to haul her ass back to ask if i wanted a drink while waiting i scowled and ordered a peroni. mel turned up and we quickly checked out the winter menu and ordered the following. to start we shared an antipasto di verdure which contained marinated peppers, buffalo mozzarella, artichokes, olives, rocket, marinated aubergine and foccacia bread. all drizzled with olive oil. very very nice so no complaints there. next up was the mains: i opted for the lasagne and mel plumped for the penne with spinach balls and courgette. the lasagne was ok; it wasnt outstanding and kinda lacked oomff. mel said the same about her dish. i mean it wasnt bad but it didnt leave us ooh and ahhing. we ordered a bottle of the house red to go with meal after quaffing a glass of prosecco each with the starter. i also had a beer. total cost £54. would i go back? probably not. or i would maybe take somebody there who wasnt too bothered by what they ate.

broadway market E8

2009-02-23T12:43:00.005Z

pretty nifty lil market in hackney E8. not as big or mad as borough but still worth a looksie

Zuppa di ceci

2009-02-11T09:13:00.002Z

sundays seem to be turning into soup days. i like bringing my own food into work and can't bother thinking up something new every morning before work, so one-pot solutions are the easiest option.

one of these days i'll get organised to try these for lunch. but for the time being i'll stick with leftover or soups.

this past sunday i decided to make chickpea soup, or zuppa di ceci (pronounced che chi in italian). making it was a doddle and eating it this week for lunch has been a restorative remedy for the winter blues.

Zuppa di Ceci

500g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
garlic (1-2 cloves chopped depending on how garlicky you want it)
1 small dried chili
rosemary sprigs (i used 2 but was told that it could have been a lot more)
olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
small bunch swiss chard, finely shredded

Drain the chickpeas and put in a large pot with the onion, carrot and celery. Add 14 cups water -- if it doesn't all fit at once, add the water while the soup is cooking.

Bring to the boil and skim any scum off the top. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook uncovered for 1.5 hours, or until the chickpeas are butter soft. Add more water if you need it. When the chickpeas are close to being cooked through add salt and ground pepper to taste.

Puree 2/3 of the chickpea mixture in a blender and return to the pot with the rest of the soup. Add hot water if it seems too thick.

In a separate pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped garlic, rosemary and chilli. When you start to smell the garlic add the chard. Saute for a few minutes until the chard starts to wilt. Add the chopped tomatoes, reduce the heat and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the tomato mixture cooks down and thickens.

Remove the rosemary sprigs and stir the tomato mixture into the soup and let simmer over a low heat until the flavours come together (about another 10-15 minutes). Check for seasoning. Serve with grilled bread that has been rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

It's that time of year: Superbowl Chili

2009-02-08T14:38:00.003Z

OK i know, i'm a week late. the superbowl was last week. the Pittsburgh Steelers won which made my nephew Yechaskel very happy indeed. His Aunt Mel was very happy too, and she didn't even see it -- she even missed the halftime show with The Boss. Why was i so happy? Because the chili i made was probably THE BEST chili i've ever ever made. Eating gave me that eyes glazed over feeling of pure bliss and i spent the next 3 days eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. so so so good.

i'm still trying to figure out what made it so good here are my theories:

i used scotch bonnets instead of jalapenos. they're everywhere on stroud green road at the moment and who can pass by a bag of these beauties for a mere £1? these are my favourite fresh chilies -- it's that heady sweet/smoky flavour that gets me going and it was exactly this effect that they had on the chilli. not mouth searingly hot, but a delicious sweet heat that slowly crept up on you and lingered after the last bite.

i made the pot of chilli the night before. we all know that chillies and stews always taste better the next day. and on the saturday night that i made it, the house was redolent of chilli, simmering ever so slowly on the stove for hours..

instead of chili powder i used ancho chile puree. this was called for in the recipe i was referring to, and yes it made a big difference. again it was less harsh and biting, more warm and smooth in flavour with heat intact.

i ignored the recipe and after browning the meat made a sofrito of the chopped onion, garlic and fresh chilies.

Here is the recipe i referred to. I kept to the quantities specified, and topped up with some hot beef stock about mid-way through cooking as it was getting quite thick. I also used the option 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of chopped tomatoes.

And to serve: pickled jalapenos, grated mature cheddar cheese, chopped fresh coriander and a generous dollop of greek yoghurt (use sour cream if you have it instead).

carrot cake

2009-02-04T12:28:00.002Z

carrot cake
Originally uploaded by silamuta

ooooooh cake. lordy!

I liked the cake. really i did. but after reading eggbeater's exhasutive analysis of Why do cakes sink? i'm now convinced this cake was a bit of a disaster. too dense. no crumb. was it the too cold butter? was it the silicone pan? did the ground almonds have somthing to do with it? hmmmm.

dundee tart

2009-01-26T13:35:00.003Z

dundee tart
Originally uploaded by silamuta

yesterday was burns nite and all over the land people were eating haggis. we were not, for a change. but we did make and enjoy this dundee tart which comes from Scottish Kitchen by sue lawrence. its called dundee tart as dundee is famous for its marmalade which is made from very tart seville oranges. If any one would like the recipe email us and we will happily post it.

OK request received... here's the recipe:

Dundee tart (serves 8)

200 ml Seville orange juice (about 4 Seville oranges), or pink grapefruit juice
200g golden caster sugar
5 large free-range eggs, beaten
200 ml double cream

For the pastry:
150 g plain flour, sifted
25g golden caster sugar
75g ground almonds
115g chilled butter, diced
1 large free-range egg

To make the pastry place the flour, sugar, ground almonds and butter in a food processor and whiz briefly, then add the egg through the feeder tube while the machine is running. Bring the dough together with your hands, wrap in clingfilm and chill. Roll out to fit a buttered deep 24cm tart tin. Prick the base and chill well -- preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Fill the tart tn with foil and baking beans and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, continue to bake for 5 minutes and then remove and cool. Reduce the oven to 170C.

For the filling, strain the juice into a bowl and beat in the sugar until dissolved. Push the beaten eggs through a sieve placed over the bowl containing the orange juice, add the cream and combine. Pour the mixture into a jug.

To fill the tart, I f ind the easiest way is to place the tart case on a baking sheet in the oven and pull out the oven rack. Very slowly pour in the mixture and then carefully push the oven rack back in. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the filling is just firm: if you shake the tin it should still wobble a little in the middle.

Allow the tart to cool, then remove it to a serving plate.

I love borough market

2009-01-25T11:55:00.007Z

We've been meaning to check out Borough Market for a while now and finally took the opportunity to go yesterday. (Note to self: either go really early next time OR during the week.) We emerged from the underground station not really knowing which direction to walk and decided to follow the rest of the throngs. It was literally right around the corner. I actually had to turn away from it and collect myself -- i was starting to get that hyperventilating, twitchy, glazed eye feeling that i've experienced in the past in places like the Boqueriea in Barcelona.

With nerves of steel we took our first steps in, and immediately stopped at an Oyster stand selling 4 different varieties, shucked right there and served with a lemon with shallot and vinegar sauce at the ready. YUM!

Kelsie advised on a systematic approach: first we'd tackle the perimeter and then work our way in. It didn't quite work because at every turn there were more delights to greet me.

Finally we had circumnavigated the entire market and i was poised and ready to buy something for dinner. Scallops of course!

caol ila

2009-01-23T17:32:00.003Z

caol ila
Originally uploaded by silamuta

playing with my light tent and natural light