Friday, 20 May 2011
Photos
Right this blog is really dull and pointless without photos of food. I keep getting half way through a meal and realising I haven't taken a photo. i will try my hardest to remember to photograph food before I wolf it down. In the Lakes post I had to resort to googling for a decent picture of the lake as it looked so dull!
A little trip to the Lakes....
First of all I must mention the apple doughnuts from Brysons on Main Street. I am obsessed with these doughnuts. The generous thick silky icing, the soft dough, the tangy apple puree (like the stuff you ate as a baby) the whole thing is just perfect to me. So we ate one each for a late breakfast on the launch as we went round Derwentwater. Perfect!
We had lunch in Treeby and Bolton on Lake Road. The menu looks very tasty and I could have eaten most of it - interesting open sandwiches, Morecambe Bay shrimp salad, smoked cheese, meat and fish platters platters, crepes and some amazing looking scones. It is a really nice venue but we ended up having a pretty unexciting meal. We shared a fish platter and a smoked duck salad. The platter was ok and included slightly bland smoked salmon, rather salty hot smoked trout and prawns in marie rose that just tasted generically 'fishy', all accompanied by some pretty standard salad. The smoked duck was quite tasty and worked with the sweet but tangy damson chutney. It came with more raw red onion that anyone could eat and some slices of creamy smooth brie but as a salad it really didn't all work. The bread however was phenomenal...some delicious, tangy dark dark rye bread and a piece of white bread with seeds. The bread was the highlight of the meal but overall we left pretty disappointed.
Dinner well and truly made up for lunch time. After drinking a bottle of birthday prosecco rather swiftly we tottered down to Lakeland Spice at the bottom on Main Street. Our first choice had been Morrels but we rang to book too late (there was a jazz festival on) but I am pleased we ended up in the Indian. When we got there, 15 minutes late as time just vanished after we opened the prosecco, it was heaving and roasting. The wait was worth it as after 10 mins they sat us in a booth. There is something wonderfully snug about a dinner date in a booth! The decor isn't very exciting a little orange and felt a bit like a restaurant in a Travelodge, but the friendly and quick (but not too quick) service was more important.
We started with some poppadoms and chutneys/raita etc, which appeared on our table literally the second the waiter finished talking our order. We were trying to be healthy so shared an onion bhaji which was nice, sweet and crispy but nothing amazing. The main courses were the highlight. On a recommendation from my mum I had a Prawn Jhal Jul (sp?) which was amazing. It contained a really decent helping of juicy king prawns, lots of onions and garlic and had a wonderful sour hot kick to it with a lot of large pieces of green chilli. I can't get excited about tomato based curries so the nice thick sauce of onions really worked for me without the richness of cream or coconut. The good, fluffy and doughy peshwari naan was the perfect accompaniment. My lady friend had a good tandoori chicken tikka kebab (juicy and smoky with a good balance of spices and the wonderful red colour - for some reason I like the dye!) with a basic salad, raita and a garlic naan. The house white was a very drinkable bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc and the bill came to £45. Not the cheapest but definitely the tastiest Indian meal I have been out for a long time. I wish I could get takeaway like that in Liverpool.
Monday, 9 May 2011
I have got to make this soon...
Sat in the cafe at Fact waiting for my friend on Saturday I spotted this recipe in the Guardian magzine. I cannot wait to make it...
400ml milk
Seeds from 3 or 4 cardamom pods
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
500g strong white flour, plus extra for shaping
50g unsalted butter
1 medium egg
50g caster sugar
1 sachet fast-action yeast
1½ tsp salt
Oil for kneading
For the filling
3 Ryvita
125g dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Butter
Beaten egg, to finish
Put the milk, cardamom, lemon zest and 50g flour in a saucepan, whisk well and bring to a boil. Spoon into a mixing bowl, stir in the butter and leave until warm. Beat in the egg, sugar and yeast, followed by the remaining 450g flour and salt. Mix to a soft and very sticky dough, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a worktop and knead the dough on it for about 10 seconds, then put the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Repeat this kneading twice more at 10-minute intervals, then leave the dough for an hour.
With nonstick paper, line the base and sides of a very large round or square baking tin, about 25cm in diameter. Grind the Ryvita in a food processor until very fine, then mix in the sugar and cinnamon. Lightly flour the worktop and roll the dough to about 0.75cm thin. Dab a little butter over the dough, sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over it, roll it up tightly and cut into 2-3cm slices. Lay these cut side up in the tin, cover and leave for 45 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 220C (200C fan-assisted)/425F/gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes, until brown on top.
Dan Lepard's cinnamon buns recipe
A Scandinavian classic that's perfect for breakfast, elevenses or teatime
Dan Lepard's cinnamon buns: A new take on a much-loved Scandinavian favourite. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian
The Danish cook and activist Camilla Plum is comparable to our own Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the vigorous, passionate way she writes about food and her garden. Her book The Scandinavian Kitchen combines foraged foods with familiar, everyday ingredients in an inspired way. Also look for Signe Johansen's Scandilicious, which is focused on modern Scandinavian cooking and baking. Here's my take on a classic.
Seeds from 3 or 4 cardamom pods
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
500g strong white flour, plus extra for shaping
50g unsalted butter
1 medium egg
50g caster sugar
1 sachet fast-action yeast
1½ tsp salt
Oil for kneading
For the filling
3 Ryvita
125g dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Butter
Beaten egg, to finish
Put the milk, cardamom, lemon zest and 50g flour in a saucepan, whisk well and bring to a boil. Spoon into a mixing bowl, stir in the butter and leave until warm. Beat in the egg, sugar and yeast, followed by the remaining 450g flour and salt. Mix to a soft and very sticky dough, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a worktop and knead the dough on it for about 10 seconds, then put the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Repeat this kneading twice more at 10-minute intervals, then leave the dough for an hour.
With nonstick paper, line the base and sides of a very large round or square baking tin, about 25cm in diameter. Grind the Ryvita in a food processor until very fine, then mix in the sugar and cinnamon. Lightly flour the worktop and roll the dough to about 0.75cm thin. Dab a little butter over the dough, sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over it, roll it up tightly and cut into 2-3cm slices. Lay these cut side up in the tin, cover and leave for 45 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 220C (200C fan-assisted)/425F/gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes, until brown on top.
Recipe shamelessly copied from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/07/cinnamon-buns-recipe-dan-lepard Thanks Dan and Guardian
Sahara. Arrad St, Liverpool
My mother would (and has) described Sahara as a 'hidden gem'. I think she uses this term because there aren’t many white customers, or because it is so cheap and dingy. I am not sure if this counts.
A couple of days ago my lady friend and I went for a quick meal before going to see Macbeth at the Everyman Theatre (which incidentally was very good and I would recommend. David Morrissey was great and the industrial set with 'water features' really worked...anyway I digress....).
This time, however, when we arrived the only people in Sahara were middle aged, middle class white people including a couple in their 60s. The place soon filled up with a couple of big tables of Muslim students so my fears that the ‘gem’ was no longer hidden, at least by my mother’s definition, were allayed
Sahara is tucked down the street that joins the Font with The Side Door (oh I haven't been there in a while...) and isn't particularly interesting from the outside. There is always a huge TV on showing Arabic game shows and soaps. The kick-boxing obsessed waiter Goran (sp?) always remembers my name and chats away even though I really don't get his sense of humour...I think my baffled face gives this away most of the time. I am still not sure if it is a good sign when a waiter or barman knows your name....
I have only ever had a selection of starters at Sahara. Mouthfuls of mains I have stolen from friends are great but the starters are so delicious I never seem to get to the mains section of the menu. So as usual I opt for a North African 'tapas' style meal. My lady friend had a chicken kebab this time (which was yummy - really sweet, tender and smoky chicken that must be cooked over charcoal) so I had to limit my choice of starters to three. I had the always brilliant Fatoush; a fresh, crisp, finely chopped salad with a lovely lemony dressing with lots of mint and fried pitta on top. This is a staple. I also had the delicious halloumi in Arabic bread which is slightly smoky. I also opted for the minced lamb parcel (I craved meat) which was tasty if a bit unexciting.
If there are a few of us ordering tapas style I try to cajole people into having my other favourites - hummus with lamb (how do you improve hummus?...top it with meat!) and the smooth red pepper and nut salad (amazing too, really smoky with great kick of chilli). I also love the liver; it has a wonderful garlicky/lemony sauce that cuts through the richness of the liver perfectly. However, I only seem to be able to order this with my mother as it is too rich to eat a whole portion by yourself and no one else likes liver!
We usually take our own wine (they don't even seem to charge corkage) but just opted for two cans of coke this time. Bill came to £19 total which is an absolute bargain as I left very full and satisfied with a beautiful tangy, smoky flavour lingering in my mouth and nose. The fullness and lingering flavours kept me going through most of the first half and just needed topped up by a little pot of vanilla ice cream in the interval.
Overall I love Sahara. It is such a cheap and cheerful little place. The food is reliable, relatively healthy and the service very friendly. I am sure I will go back every couple of months for as long as it stays open.
A couple of days ago my lady friend and I went for a quick meal before going to see Macbeth at the Everyman Theatre (which incidentally was very good and I would recommend. David Morrissey was great and the industrial set with 'water features' really worked...anyway I digress....).
This time, however, when we arrived the only people in Sahara were middle aged, middle class white people including a couple in their 60s. The place soon filled up with a couple of big tables of Muslim students so my fears that the ‘gem’ was no longer hidden, at least by my mother’s definition, were allayed
Sahara is tucked down the street that joins the Font with The Side Door (oh I haven't been there in a while...) and isn't particularly interesting from the outside. There is always a huge TV on showing Arabic game shows and soaps. The kick-boxing obsessed waiter Goran (sp?) always remembers my name and chats away even though I really don't get his sense of humour...I think my baffled face gives this away most of the time. I am still not sure if it is a good sign when a waiter or barman knows your name....
I have only ever had a selection of starters at Sahara. Mouthfuls of mains I have stolen from friends are great but the starters are so delicious I never seem to get to the mains section of the menu. So as usual I opt for a North African 'tapas' style meal. My lady friend had a chicken kebab this time (which was yummy - really sweet, tender and smoky chicken that must be cooked over charcoal) so I had to limit my choice of starters to three. I had the always brilliant Fatoush; a fresh, crisp, finely chopped salad with a lovely lemony dressing with lots of mint and fried pitta on top. This is a staple. I also had the delicious halloumi in Arabic bread which is slightly smoky. I also opted for the minced lamb parcel (I craved meat) which was tasty if a bit unexciting.
If there are a few of us ordering tapas style I try to cajole people into having my other favourites - hummus with lamb (how do you improve hummus?...top it with meat!) and the smooth red pepper and nut salad (amazing too, really smoky with great kick of chilli). I also love the liver; it has a wonderful garlicky/lemony sauce that cuts through the richness of the liver perfectly. However, I only seem to be able to order this with my mother as it is too rich to eat a whole portion by yourself and no one else likes liver!
We usually take our own wine (they don't even seem to charge corkage) but just opted for two cans of coke this time. Bill came to £19 total which is an absolute bargain as I left very full and satisfied with a beautiful tangy, smoky flavour lingering in my mouth and nose. The fullness and lingering flavours kept me going through most of the first half and just needed topped up by a little pot of vanilla ice cream in the interval.
Overall I love Sahara. It is such a cheap and cheerful little place. The food is reliable, relatively healthy and the service very friendly. I am sure I will go back every couple of months for as long as it stays open.
Gordon Ramsey's new Asia programme
Wow, it is bad. Did you see the programme tonight? He was in Cambodia and managed to make their food look horrific. He ate 20 day old duck foetus eggs, tarantulas, slit the throat of a buffalo then pranced around a kitchen cooking for the Cambodian royal family thinking he knew better than the local chefs. He didn't eat anything that looked tasty, the programme just put me off the whole country and their cuisine
On the other hand I continue to love Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey. The programme was wonderful (did you see the episode where he watched a family make rice noodles in their yard out of wooden machinery?) The book is one of my favourites of the last few years and Stein managed to make me desperate to visit Cambodia and Vietnam, mainly by his recipes cured beef salad with lemongrass, peanuts and basil, and Hanoi chicken noodle soup with bok choi (and the vital accompanying Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham made of lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, ginger, chilli and garlic). I recommend you spend the time you would have spent watching Ramsey googling Stein's recipes.
On the other hand I continue to love Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey. The programme was wonderful (did you see the episode where he watched a family make rice noodles in their yard out of wooden machinery?) The book is one of my favourites of the last few years and Stein managed to make me desperate to visit Cambodia and Vietnam, mainly by his recipes cured beef salad with lemongrass, peanuts and basil, and Hanoi chicken noodle soup with bok choi (and the vital accompanying Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham made of lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, ginger, chilli and garlic). I recommend you spend the time you would have spent watching Ramsey googling Stein's recipes.
It starts...
This is my first post. Blogging is a totally new thing to me. I am giving it a go to try to remember the food I have cooked, eaten in restaurant, read about and that other people have cooked for me...anything that takes my fancy really.
My other half and I had an amazing meal in a seafood restaurant in St Ives last week and I have already forgotten how the amazing scallops were served so maybe this blog will just serve as an aide-mémoire
My other half and I had an amazing meal in a seafood restaurant in St Ives last week and I have already forgotten how the amazing scallops were served so maybe this blog will just serve as an aide-mémoire
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