November - a month in my kitchen.

Despite cooking at home pretty much every night without fail, regular readers of my blog may wonder if that aspect of my life has withered and died....looking back over the last month or so, it's all been restaurant reviews and eating out... not a mention of what I've been dishing up in the kitchen.
So, to correct this oversight - here's a roundup....

At the beginning of the month I received the new Gordon Ramsay book 'World Kitchen' to review, and frankly despite the recipes being competent, I found the book wholly un-inspiring... This no doubt has a lot to do with the whole Ramsay empire being so pervasive nowadays, it's impossible to get away from it. But, unlike his earlier books where you really got a feel for his cooking, the perfection in the kitchen and the passion about the ingredients... this just feels like a case of...

"Your contracted to churn out three books a year....we were thinking 'world food' - you haven't done that yet, knock us a quick book out"

In fact I believe his recently ex-right hand man Mark Sargeant does the real work on the books nowadays, and Gordo just rubberstamps the finished product.
There's just no spark, no passion.

But this is the thing, all of the recipes are good. Great in fact, and the results were fairly impressive. In actual fact, it's a handy book to own. But it'll never be a favourite.
Obviously, in order to test the book out fully, I had to cook a few things from it....

First up from the Italian section of the book, we have 'Grilled Mushrooms on griddled polenta with pecorino'

I made this for a Saturday lunch, mainly because I had an open leftover bag of Polenta I wanted to use up. The Mushrooms are Chanterelles. Straightforward, fairly quick, as easy as it gets and even if I do say so myself - it looks pretty good on a plate.

The next thing I cooked, from the Spanish section....Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. (or Albondigas). Tapas style.
Now this recipe was a complete winner. I loved it, the manchego in the mix, gave it a nice subtle piquancy and the simple tomato sauce they were cooked in was lovely. I served these up with some rice. I'll be making these again....
Here's the recipe, so you can judge for yourself:-

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
Serves 4-5

You'll Need:-

For the meatballs:-
500g good quality minced beef
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
50g White Breadcrumbs
25g Manchego (or Cheddar), grated
2 TBS chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra to garnish.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
2 TBS Olive Oil

For the Tomato Sauce:-
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 Onion peeled and finely chopped
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely chopped
120ML dry white wine
2x400g tins chopped tomatoes
100ML water
1-2 TSP Caster Sugar

To make the meatballs , mix the minced beef, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese and chopped parsley together in a large bowl until evenly combined. Season well with salt and pepper and add the beaten egg to bind, mixing with your hands. Break off a small piece of the mixture, shape into a ball and fry in an oiled pan until cooked, then taste for seasoning. Adjust the seasoning of the uncooked mixture as necessary.

With damp hands, shape the mixture into about 16 meatballs, trying not to press them too tightly. Place on a large plate, cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 30 mins to allow them to firm up. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently until lightly golden.

Increase the heat slightly and pour in the wine. Let bubble until reduced by half, then stir in the chopped tomatoes, water and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 mins until the tomatoes are soft, then remove the pan from the heat.

To cook the meatballs. heat the olive oil in a large, wide pan. Add the chilled meatballs and fry for 5 minutes, turning frequently, until browned all over. Pour the tomato sauce over them and simmer for a further 10-15 mins until the meatballs are cooked through. Divide the meatballs and tomato sauce between warm bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.


The next thing to get a road test, also from the Spanish section was Paella with Chicken and Chorizo. No hint of seafood in this one, so not what most people would think of as a paella I guess - but then the blurb mentions that there are in fact hundreds of different paella recipes throughout Spain (hey, educational).

I was glad to see the recipe suggested boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the more commonly suggested breast. Thighs are miles cheaper than breast, and taste so much better. The Paella was OK....It was very filling, but a little bland perhaps...I don't think I'd cook it again.

The final dish I cooked in November from 'World Kitchen' was from the Greek section 'White bean and vegetable soup' or Fasoulada as it's more commonly known in Greece.
I loved this - cheap, simple....quick (apart from soaking the haricot beans overnight). But this was thick and tasty, real winter fare....and with some feta crumbled over the top. Wow.
This is something else I'll be making again for sure. Loved it.

Mid November saw me hosting two dinner parties on consecutive weekends. Small one for the GF's parents, and another the following week for some friends.

For the GF's parents, I went a bit Ottolenghi.... one of the main reasons for this was I had a big piece of Turkey in the freezer waiting to be used up, and I'd previously made the 'marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine'....this would be the main, and I paired it with 'crushed new potatoes with horseradish and sorrel'. (To be honest, with hindsight - all looks a bit 'dry'....there was a sauce made from the marinade, but still).

The starter was Puy Lentils with sour cherries, bacon and Gorgonzola...this being another dish I'd cooked previously and really liked.

For dessert I made my legendary chocolate fondants - topped with shop bought clotted cream ice-cream.....just to ensure there wasn't an intact tooth left in the house.

It all went well, cooking for four is straightforward and fairly easy work. Everyone seemed to like what I'd cooked....the chocolate fondants went down particularly well, but then they always do. Not sure about the presentation on these... but by then I was very....very...drunk.
All in all, not bad.

Dinner party two saw me cooking for six. Slightly more challenging, and I wanted to enjoy it rather than be stuck out in the kitchen all night as sometimes happens....
For some reason (probably drunkenly), I'd said I would cook Thai Green Curry.... perfect for an informal dinner party. For the life of me, I couldn't think what to serve as a starter with this... in the end, I jumped continents and decided to crack open the Ottolenghi book once again and cook 'turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce'. The reasoning behind this being I wanted sharing platters where everyone could just dig in....and my addled brain was struggling to come up with a better suggestion.

Just to really mix things up, I also made a Satay dip to go with the meatballs (The dip recipe being pinched from 'World Kitchen' and being surprisingly involved (Hello shelling monkey nuts to get 100g of unsalted peanuts...took bloody ages).

For the dessert I fatefully decided to crack open Ramsay's 'A Chef for all seasons' and cook the Orange and Lemon tart recipe....I was thinking, nice...light citrusy to finish off the meal. So far so good. But, it was an untested recipe for me.....and this was to later prove decisive.

The turkey meatball starter I made just before they arrived, pre-made the two dips....all good. The Thai Green Curry recipe is Nigel Slater's from 'Real Food' I've made it umpteen times before and it always turns out well. I'd made the green curry paste during the day and would start cooking the actual curry just before the guests arrived. I was going to serve this with some lime leaf rice.

But the orange and lemon tart....I knew it was going to be trouble, the pastry case I made was a thing of beauty.....so thin and perfect, the best I've knocked out ever. But the low cooking temperature and the mention of 'just lightly set' in the recipe was setting off alarm bells in my head. But too late now, I ploughed on....

At this point I decided to have a drink....I hadn't eaten all day, and after just two beers (2!!) I was steaming....my guests hadn't arrived and I had loads to do. Throwing caution to the wind with an ill judged 'what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger' attitude, I carried on drinking.

The turkey meatball and dips starter went down well, and was eaten in no time.
I stagger out to the kitchen to check on the status of the supposedly setting tart. It's liquid.

I cook the green curry and rice, and stagger back in....utterly munted now. Everyone helps themselves, they're making appreciative noises.....the whole lot gets eaten in what seems like minutes- every last scrap, even all of the rice. In the back of my mind I'm thinking about the tart.

I go outside to check....it's still a pond.
Balls.

I return to the dining room to inform my guests 'I may be some time' and then proceed outside into the chill November air to hopefully freeze to death, a suitable penance I feel for the impending doom that is my dessert.
That would have been the noble thing to do, but what I actually say, no doubt in a rather slurred fashion "the tart may be some time....hasn't quite set" (Nervous laugh).
A barrage of drunken encouragement of 'I'm sure it's OK'.... 'Serve it anyway'.... I look away worried.

We decide to play some spectacularly stupid board game whilst we wait.
An hour later - I'm very drunk. The tart still hasn't set. I seethe and curse both the tart and Gordon Ramsay rather vocally...
I can't wait any longer, and egged on by my friends decide to serve it anyway....the GF is looking very drunk and everyone is so pissed I don't think they care anymore.
I caramelise the top with a blowtorch (almost drunkenly burning my eyebrows off in the process) I hope this crisp layer might offer some structural stability, It looks fantastic, but there's an ominous wobble there.

Taking the plunge, I cut into it......it's going to be ok.....no....no it's not.....
The banks have burst....."bring me some sandbags and a stirrup pump for crissake!!!"....
A flood of orange and lemon filling rolls across my worktop like a citrus Tsunami. It's unstoppable and goes everywhere.
I am utterly appalled.... so much work. It's a complete mess. I think I spy an upturned boat and an uprooted palm tree near the knife block.

Cursing liberally, but making the best of a bad job, I ladle my tart onto plates and proceed to serve it anyway.
My guests....well, they make all the right noises....it tastes fantastic, don't worry, it's lovely.
I sit at the other end of the table shell shocked and traumatised... I've seen too much and am now old beyond my years.
At this point, the dinner party breaks up completely as my GF...indulging perhaps a little too much in the free flowing booze disappears suddenly to be violently sick. My guests, sensing perhaps this would be a good time to scarper make their excuses and leave.
A perfect end to a perfect night.

The morning after see's me nursing a hangover that's so gigantic, It should be christened in the same manner Hurricanes are named.... Hangover Dave perhaps.
I'm looking at the remains of my tart and take solace from the fact that the crust is so thin and perfect. I have a little taste. And It's gorgeous.
Shit.
Not wanting to end this post on abject failure, I'll mention something that did go right this month. Gypsy Eggs or Huevos a la Flamenca. This recipe features in both The Eagle cookbook and Gastropub classics by Trish Hilferty, and it's cracking.

Basically fried chorizo and Serrano ham, removed from pan - then chopped onion, garlic and paprika cooked in the fat. Add a tin of tomatoes, frozen peas, chopped potatoes (I added some frozen sweetcorn as well) and 100ml of water and cook covered for 10-15mins.
Add the ham and chorizo back, crack a couple of eggs in and bake in a 200C oven for 5 mins or so until the eggs are just set.
The great thing is, the quantities don't really matter - you can chop and change this recipe however you like just throw in whatever you think goes best, which is always the mark of a great recipe - perfect for using up leftovers.

Many thanks to Quadrille for my review copy of Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen.

What I've been cooking - a roundup.

As a budding food blogger, each time I cook something new, or that I feel is somehow interesting, I take a photo of it. Sometimes posting the photo and writing the dish up on this blog. Seeing as not everything makes it onto the blog in its own right, here's a selection of the food I've cooked (and eaten) in the past two weeks.


First up, served on my lovely hand painted plates I bartered badly for in Marrakesh, we have seared sirloin salad with barley, grapes and sumac. The recipe is from the Moro cookbook, the Sirloin steak is from Woodford Meats Farm Shop (As recommend to me by The Ample Cook). This was great, really enjoyed this, the sumac is a Middle Eastern spice, and has a sour flavour like lemon, and obviously the grapes are sweet which balances it nicely. I'd definitely cook this again.

Here we have a really simple meal, but it was great. Excellent Gloucester Old Spot sausages (again purchased at Woodford Meats Farm shop). With Jersey Royal New Potatoes with butter and mint. I actually spent the time to cook the sausages properly, frying on a really low heat for 40 Min's until they became dark, sticky and marmitey. Lovely.


This is an old favourite, I've cooked it countless times. Warm Bread Salad of Crispy Pancetta, Parmesan and Poached Egg. It's a Jamie Oliver recipe from Happy Days with the Naked Chef. It's Not exactly the healthiest salad you'll ever eat, but it's so good and quick to knock together as well.


Another recipe from Mr Oliver, this time from his 'Ministry of Food' cookbook - Chicken Korma. First time I've cooked this, and I've got to say it was actually really good. I started making this on a weeknight at 9-45pm, to be eaten the next evening, so giving time for the flavours to come together....I always find that Curry's and stews taste better the next day. I'd opted to make my own curry paste (no jars here).....and realised once I'd started cooking that I was missing one vital ingredient. I rushed down the corner shop and got there just before it closed at 10pm and was amazed to find that they actually did have some dessicated coconut. Phew.


Next we have Free Range Hampshire Pork chop, with Champ. The recipe is from Gordon Ramsay's latest book - Great British Pub Food, and this is easily the best thing I've eaten in the past fortnight. The Chop is cooked in Oil flavoured with Sage and Garlic, and is finished by adding butter and Lemon juice to the pan and basting the chops. (I felt very "Chefy" doing the basting). This and the champ (also liberally made with butter),tasted sublime.....but, not the healthiest meal I'll ever eat


Last but not least, we have a bit of an enigma. Spaghetti with cherry tomato sauce. I thought this was average at best, but the Girlfriend loved it scoring it a massive 9 (On my patented 'out of 10' taste scale). It's an Aldo Zilli recipe, and despite the sheer middling banality, it did make a very colourful picture cooking down the tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil. Oh, the Spaghetti is De Cecco, which is a bit more expensive than the other brands - but it is in a league of its own. If you don't believe there's much in it - buy some supermarket own brand pasta and some De Cecco and compare. You won't believe the difference. With dried pasta, you pay for what you get.

Oh - Finally - I've been eating Kelly's of Cornwall Ice Cream (It's on introductory special at the supermarket right now). Honeycomb, Caramel flavour, and made with Clotted Cream......It's really very good, almost toffee'ish.....and my dentist is going to love what I'm no doubt doing to my teeth. So it's win/win for all concerned.


Woodford Meats Farm Shop
Bolt Hall Farm
Larkhill Road
Canewdon
Rochford
Essex
SS4 3SA
http://www.woodfordmeats.co.uk/

What I've been cooking, and eating.

I thought I'd write something about the food I've been cooking at home this past week. One's an old favourite, the rest are all new recipes I've tried for the first time. Looking at the photos, I just realised there's Definitely a real Middle Eastern vibe going on in my choice of recipes right now.


The photo above is two recipes from Nigel Slater's 'Real Food' (if you don't own it - buy it! some cracking recipes in there). We have 'Classic French Potato Salad' combined with 'Grilled Chicken with Chili. Lemon and Mint. Really impressed with these, especially the potato dish. So simple but so gorgeous. What's interesting is that the dressing (2 chopped shallots, 3 Tbs Tarragon Vinegar, 125ml Olive oil and chopped flat leaf parsley). Is poured over the hot peeled potatoes and then left for 30 Min's to soak in. And it did! completely soaked up, tasted gorgeous.
The Chicken dish was good too - very clean and fresh tasting, but the potato recipe was the clear winner here.

An old Favourite this, from Nigella Lawsons 'Forever Summer' cookbook, 'Lamb patties with Hummus and Pitta'. Another really fresh tasting plate of food. Rather than buy hummus I made my own - it's really easy, miles cheaper and tastes much better.

Another recipe from Nigella's 'Forever Summer' - 'Bulgar Wheat Salad with Pink-Seared Lamb'. First time I've made this, and very nice it was too - the Lamb Loins needed a bit more 'searing' I'd say, but still they weren't bad, the accompanying Bulgar Wheat Salad was lovely.

Finally we have 'Kosheri' from the newest recipe book on my shelf, 'Ottolenghi - The Cookbook'. This is apparently Egyptian street food, and is similar to kedgeree (without the fish). It consists of green lentils, basmati rice, vermicelli noodles (had real trouble getting these - it's no different to spaghetti really). This is flavoured with Nutmeg, Cinnamon and caramelised white onions. Then served with a spicy, chili spiked tomato sauce on the side. This recipe tasted truly fantastic. Only downside was, for mid-week cooking, it took quite a while to cook and generated a sink full of washing up.

So, that's what I've been cooking this week....

In other foodie related news, I ate the best Falafel I've ever tasted from a stall in Whitecross Street Market, EC1, It was wrapped in a flatbread with chopped tomato, pickled beetroot(?) pickled chilli's, a dash of Chili Sauce and finally Tahini sauce and all for £4-50. Which, was for a large one. (A size, which I've learnt is only for the truly famished! I just about finished it.) There was a queue down the road, so the stall is obviously very popular. (Follow the crowds!)
http://www.hoxtonbeach.com/index.php

And in some late breaking news - I ordered some new recipe books from Amazon....

'Big Flavours and Rough Edges'- Recipes from 'The Eagle'

One of my favourite Gastro Pubs, this book is out of print and priced at over £100 in some places, but I grabbed a second hand copy for £10!

Gordon Ramsay's 'Cooking for Friends'

I recently read about a recipe for Cardamom and Lime Mousse in another blog, and I had to get the recipe.

Last but not least,
Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles" Cookbook: Classic Bistro Cooking

After reading 'Kitchen Confidential', I've had my eye on this for a while - and I love French Bistro food.

I'll let you know how I get on with these when they arrive.

Weekly Menus at the ready people.

I cook every night.
(When I'm not eating out of course.)

And, when I say "Cook" - I mean cook from scratch.
No Microwave meals, No Oven Meals, No Freezer Food.
(Apart from perhaps Peas.)

My Freezer contains ice-cubes, the forlorn bag of aforementioned peas and some Kaffir Lime leaves I picked up in an Asian supermarket....sometimes this motley assortment is joined by ice-cream and Oven Chips. (Those new McCain Beef Fat encrusted jobbies that Marco Pierre White was endorsing recently are pretty nice - pure cholesterol in a snazzy silver bag - but hey they taste good.)

I guess it's easier to cook from scratch every night when your only cooking for two.

But can I just add....

My Partner - never cooks.
The Kitchen is my domain.
I nearly always get a meal on the table in time to catch Hollyoaks on E4 at 7pm.

Now, your probably saying "Hey, I cook from scratch every night too", "What the hell is a microwave?" and "Your freezer sounds positively overstocked"
That's because your probably into cooking and food too. The evidence, I presume is that your reading this.

But, it seems in Britain today, from conversations I've had with my family, friends and work colleagues...people don't cook from scratch every night. They do whack ready meals in the oven, their freezers are stuffed to bursting point......not only do they own, but they reguarly use.....a microwave.

They are amazed I cook 'properly' every night.
I'm amazed they don't.

With a little forward planning, its not that hard.

My technique is thus:-

Only cook for two.....everyone else starves, gets leftovers, or is banished from the home to scavenge at mealtimes. (Of course I'm kidding, but it works for me.)

Plan your meals for just one week ahead. You don't need to eat them in any particular order, but write a 'menu' scour your recipe books for likely looking meals. (I normally eat whats freshest or is most likely to 'go off' first)

An obvious point, but the Recipes you cook must be quick and easy to make, I'd say no more than 30 minutes cooking time, if it's something for one night - or say up to an hour if it's something you can re-heat and eat for two nights (Chili or Thai Green Curry for example)

I'll give you an example - this is the 'menu' myself and my lucky partner are eating from this week....

• Borlotti Bean Minestrone (This is a 2 night meal - the recipe is from Gordon Ramsays Healthy Appetite book. It's really nice, and apparently healthy - bonus.)
  


• Mince and Tatties (Another simple and cheap 2 night meal, inspired by a recent trip to Edinburgh - I cook the mince mixture one night, takes 30 Min's to cook, and re-heat it the second night. Just need to make some 'tatties' (or Mash Potato as its known this side of the border) to go with it each night. It's a really nice meal, perfect for January when its cold outside.
  


• Simple Tomato Spaghetti (A one night meal - really simple and quick recipe - onions, chopped tomatoes, basil warmed through and served with pasta and Parmesan)
  


• Flatbread, Feta and Chickpea salad (Another one night meal - this is also from 'Healthy Appetite' by Gordon Ramsay - really quick to make - 20 Min's or so....lovely)

Finally,

• Chicken and Leek Stroganoff - this is from Jamie Olivers new recipe book which I got for Christmas - never made it before, but it has all the hallmarks of a nice mid-week meal, fairly cheap and quick to make - I'll let you know how I get on with that.

So, that's what I'm eating this week....being January and being penniless it's not the most exciting week - but it beats Frozen Oven ready meals any day.

It doesn't need to be complicated or expensive - One weeks shopping bill for for that lot, two people eating was £45.

Obviously, If I'm entertaining - then I kick it up a few notches.....but you can't work, and churn out dinner party fare every night.

Or perhaps you can....if so - let me know your secret!

Another Foodie Blog is Born.

That's me.

This photo captures a moment, as all photos do I guess.

I've just stumbled out of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at Claridges, into a cab.
I've eaten a fantastic meal, I'm also steaming drunk.

Perhaps a bit about me is good form?
I don't know.... this is my first attempt at a blog.

My name is Dan. I'm 35, and I live in the Essex coastal town of Leigh-on-Sea.

I work in London, daily performing heroic, but incredibly dull feats working in an office. (Honestly, it's so mind-numbingly tedious, I can't even talk about it....but it pays the bills.)

But, what I really want to talk about is Food.....

I've wanted to write a foodie blog for quite some time. And, In my own mind, I think I'm qualified in an amateurish kind of way.

Perhaps I should back that statement up..... I love eating out, I love drinking, I love cooking, I collect recipe books and I love drinking so much - I've included it twice. I can also read and write English. (An important qualification, I'm sure you agree.)

So, I'll be writing about eating and drinking in Leigh-on-Sea and London, the restaurants I go to, the bars I drink in (and pour myself back out of!) The food I cook at home, the triumphs, the disasters and the food poisoning - basically, whatever interests me (and hopefully you.)

So there.

It has begun.........