Lemon baked cod

... is what we will be mainly eating tonight.  It is unfeasible that something this SIMPLE tastes sooooooo good!  Even fish-haters will find this a simple delight.  Photos to follow.

1 lb cod fillet (or another favoured white fish)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
paprika

If fish fillets are large, cut into serving sized pieces.
Mix butter and lemon juice.
In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper.
Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture.
Place fish in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches.
Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika.
Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.

Karla's courgette soup

My parents had a friend called Karla.
A dear old German lady with impeccable manners and full of loving kindness who flirted uproariously with my father and swore in a bad English accent.  She had been a midwife in the East End (of London) working with the Jewish community right after the second World War - it can't have been easy but it made for a great sense of humour!

I spent many an evening eating wonderful food at her home and many a Christmas lunch time persuading her to eat "just a little more!"

This is her recipe - perfect if you have a glut of courgettes!

Ingredients

500g courgettes, thickly sliced 

1 onion, chopped

150g potatoes, peeled and cubed 

600ml chicken or stock 

25g butter 

1 clove garlic, crushed

150ml milk 

1 (scant) teaspoon curry powder

Freshly ground pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onions and garlic.

Sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until they are soft.

Add the curry powder and stir together.

Stir in the potatoes and most of the courgettes and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the stock, milk and pepper and bring the mixture to the boil.

Reduce the heat, cover with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Puree the soup and serve hot garnished with thin slices of courgettes.

Our dinner tonight - Chilli Con Carne from scratch!

Ingredients

2 onions,

2 large Portobello mushrooms,

2 fat cloves of garlic crushed,
splodge of vegetable oil

1 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes and 1 can water,

1 tablespoon tomato puree,

500g good minced beef,

2-4 heaped teaspoons dried chilli flakes,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

1 tsp ground cumin,

1 tsp dried thyme,

1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón),

1/2 bottle full-bodied red wine,

1 cans of red kidney beans,

1 bunch of fresh coriander (stalks & all) chopped,

a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce,

Suzy salt and Percy pepper (having an Ainsley moment)

What to do ...
- Finely chop the onion, slice the Portobello mushrooms and crush the garlic. 
- Gently fry in oil (with sprinkle of salt) for about 15 mins, until soft. Add the mince, turn the heat up to medium, and cook until the meat is browned.
- Then simply stir in the rest of the ingredients, incl. the chopped coriander stalks, reserving the leaves until later.
- Bring to the boil and then  simmer for 1 and a half hours, stirring regularly and adjusting the heat if necessary.
- Check and adjust seasoning with both Suzy salt and Percy pepper!! *
- Add the chopped coriander leaves, stir and serve with white rice and/or bread.

* To be fair ... I also bring out the chilli and red pepper jam at this point - that's another recipe for another day!

Adding to the list

I have a list, it's short and unpalatable and today I am adding to it ...

It's the List of Things I don't want to eat again before I die. Up until today it consisted of tripe, blackcurrants, marzipan, rhubarb, goosberries, aniseed/liqourice and mango*. As of today you can officially add Westphalian Black Rye Bread. Why? Why? Why would anyone want to make a cheese sandwich out something that tastes/smells and has the consistency of sour Christmas pudding. Mother's Pride someone please!!!

* A short list I consider myself an omnivore.

One working week, one hundred and one words

Monday need to meet leadership coach with team after school. Drop me in it, all J personalities. I’m too “it’ll get done/seize the moment.” Go home and drink gin.

Tuesday quiet - hallelujah.

Wednesday busy, colleagues at moderation. Goes well, unsatisfactory teacher thinks teaching good – NO! Proof our assessments good – not same thing.

Thursday student's observation bad. Need to ring tutor – failing. Student cries when I feedback. Other student gets job – proud mama! No gin at home. Argue with Simon.

Friday, realise in charge of school–heck! Student phones sick. 3 children on breakfast club roof. Go home via gin shop!

Last night's dinner

I got home from work last night with a head ache that I'd had all day and though HELL NO I am not cooking! SO we ordered a takeaway from the new Keralan/Goan takeaway that recently opened in Chatham - Coco Diner. 45 minutes later an intriguing smelling bag came through the front door ~

As a main course we ordered Kozhi Ishtew - tender chicken breast with vegetables in a coconut broth ... could have been hotter - and Attu Thakali Kari - slow cooked lamb with fennel and turmeric which was probably (along with the rice - how did it taste so good??) the star dish. The lamb was moist & tender and even with the over-laying flavour of the smoky spices and turmeric tasted of lamb.

Excitingly, the Coco Diner serves Dosa - paper thin rice or semolina pancakes sandwiched around a spicy potato filling, so we had one of those ... which came with 3 little pots of sauce - a spicy ketchupy mixture, a fermented prawn paste and something that looked like taramasalata kept 3 weeks too long. To round off the bread selection we also asked for a roti and a poori and 2 side dishes some batat keerai soung aka potato and spinach and some of the best raitha I've tasted in a long time.

Well ... what do I say? I eat a lot of northern Indian food, have my own masala dabba and always cook curries from scratch - thanks to cookery lessons from Shisho and Harpreet - this was unlike any curry I'd ever tasted. There were delicious flavours - the fennel with the spiced smoky lamb was genius BUT where was the heat and intensity? Where was the creaminess that coconut should impart? And finally the crispness was missing from the spiced, battered aubergine and king prawns we ordered to start. So, whilst I was incredibly glad that someone else did the cooking I don't think I shall be calling on the Coco Diner again anytime soon.

p.s. my saag aloo is better than theirs!!

Recently returned

Just back from Spain ... well, more like I'm back from Spain since last Sunday but the fug of post holiday blues has stopped me writing anything about it. However, having dragged myself away from the teetering edge of the pit of despair I can tell you that I had a fantastic time.

Between strolling along the waterline ...

finding iconic restaurant signs ...

spending time with friends ...

and dreaming about how I was going to get home, there was also time for some pretty delicious food. Hilights included tellines, razor clams pan fried with chorizo, pan con tomate y jamón, trinxat with griddled belly pork, zarzuela, Catalan broad beans - with botifarra negra (black pudding) and belly pork, escalivada and the odd dish of seafood paella.

Reads at Faversham part 2

I realise that if I was any kind of a real foodie that I would have had my fantastic food and photos all written up and posted on Sunday morning - right after my visit to Reads - BUT there's been problems with the faithful old warhorse of a PC chez moi. Every time I turn on a TV channel ... iPlayer, Channel4 Catch Up or ITV.com (well who'd miss Coleen's Real Women?) - poof, it/the fuse dies!!

So my strange but satisfying addicition to Supernanny and a series of "big poofs" have killed off any chance of finishing the review! Yes, that last sentence was for comic effect - what about it? Just enjoy the food photos why don't you??

Discs of deliciously light seafood mousse in a feuilette of puff pastry, with al dente asparagus and a butter sauce.

Ham hock terrine with piccalilli and warm sourdough toast.

Halibut on a bed of spinach and fennel ribbons with a herb gnocchi, cheese gougere and bisque sauce.

Lamb on buttered savoy cabbage with fondant potato a rosemary jus and roasted garlic served with sprouting broccoli and hollandaise.

The cheese basket - a selection of English and British cheeses with a variety of crackers and homemade bread with the best (ie saltiest farm churned butter) you've ever tasted!

Rhubarb souffle, lemon tart with a blackcurrant coulis, rhubarb ripple ice cream and coconut ice with a mango dab - yep that's right 4 desserts! Count them - 1, 2, 3, 4!

Right, now that I've wiped away the dribbles, I'd better go and have a bite to eat! p.s. Anyone know what might be wrong with my PC??

Reads at Faversham part 1

Last Saturday night I joined the other ladies in the poker coven and off we trooped to Reads at Macknade Manor, Faversham for a slap-up-meal out of the proceeds of the poker pot - we've been collecting since July 2007 and in huge anticipation we were all looking forward to the "Tasting Menu!" Two of our number had visited previously but Chris, Suzanne and I were Reads' virgins there on the recommendations of both Brid and Tracy.

No sooner had we arrived than we were shown into the elegant and comfortable drawing room. Lovely, quietly faded couches and armchairs, quietly hovering without being in your face waiters with cute French accents. We were quietly offered menus to peruse and decided on the tasting menu. Once we'd ordered, menus were replace with glasses and nibbles - their words not mine, as they were amazingly superior to what nibbles are in my mind!

Anchovy dotted cheese straws, sizzlingly hot 2-bite Welsh rarebits made with really pokey cheese and delicious olives. A good start!

After requesting a 15 minute break between each course we were shown to our table where we were offered a choice of black olive, white sourdough or pecan & raisin bread. The butter was patted and sprinkled with flaky sea-salt if that wasn't good enough on it's own - and trust me the pecan/raisin bread was - then something arrived to dunk the delicious bread into. We were presented with cup-fulls of delicious carrot and orange soup with just enough miniature croutons to get you to beg (knees were considered) for more! The orange hit just the right note - citrus without too much punch. For the first time in the evening I realised how lucky giraffes are to have such a long tongue!!

A is for apples

**Health warning - convoluted paragraph approaching** First let me explain that this in an idea that I've been fiddling with for a while now ... I have been equally inspired by an American Blogger who has lived for years in the Aveyron (and a French blogger who now lives in the US that Mrs America in the Aveyron reads!) Of course this immediately struck a chord with me because my parents live in the Lot (read just next door to Mrs A in the A) and in fact when I fly to see them I fly into Rodez (Aveyron), which is in fact just up the road from a quaint, dodgy-Broadband suffering, French commune containing a small dwelling - with a new & fab soon to be visited patio - that they call Chez le Laquet!

Anyway, back to the whole point of this ... welcome to my A to Z of Food and today A is for Apples! I have to admit that I am ambivalent about apples - I can love and loathe them on the same day. None of the "apples are my favourite" days of my brother's childrhood - I'd have preferred a handful of grapes or cherries. None of the "Lidl didn't have Pink Ladys only Jonagolds, so I walked 3 miles in the snow to Waitrose to get some" zeal of my mother-in-law - who knew that there were crossed apples? That a Lady William crossed with a Golden Delicious gave you a Pink Lady - and for that matter, who cared?? And don't even get me started on the nasty sweet muck they call apple juice - bleugh!

All through childhood apple pie and apple strudel were turned down in favour of pretty much anything. Scrumping in neighbour's gardens - I was too scared of getting caught. Baked apples - not a chance. Until finally, someone thought to introduce me to the joy of Normandy Pork!

Saint Delia's Normandy Pork (with Jo's twist)

Ingredients
100g apple sauce
1 apple*, chopped
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb (450 g) shoulder of pork
8 fl oz (225 ml) dry cider
2 fl oz (55 ml) cider vinegar
salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 rounded tablespoons half-fat crème fraîche

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3 (170ºC).

First of all, cut the pork into 11/4 inch (3 cm) cubes. Then, heat the oil and butter in a 9½ inch (24 cm) shallow, ovenproof pan or casserole and cook the onion and in it over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Then increase the heat and add the cubes of pork and stir over the heat for a couple of minutes. The pork doesn’t need to be browned, just lightly coloured.

Next, add the apple, then the cider, cider vinegar and a generous seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper. Bring everything up to simmering point and then transfer the pan or casserole to the oven and cook, without a lid, for an hour, by which time the liquid will have reduced considerably.

Then, stir the apple sauce and the crème fraîche and return to the oven, again without a lid, for a further 15 minutes.

That's tonight's dinner sorted then - photo to follow :o)

* You know by this point that I don't really mind what kind it is - my M.I.L. on the other hand would be most specific!

Dydd Dewi Sant Hapus iawn

What other way is there to celebrate St David's Day than tucking in to a big bowl of cawl cennin. Internet meet Jo's cawl cennin, cawl cennin meet the Internet!

I would go so far as to say that there isn't a Welshman or woman out there who doesn't like cawl* you'd be mad not to love it's lamby/leeky/brothy sweetness especially when served with a chunk of really good steam baked Swansea batch and a chunk of cheddar** Writing this post is making me salivate/dribble simply at the thought of it.

I use my Auntie Marg's recipe. First I think I need to explain about Auntie Marg is not really my auntie; in fact, she is no relation at all to either my mother or father who are both in fact only children BUT she is instead that strange phenomena that was all over Wales in the mid 70s, when children were brought up jointly (particularly during long school holidays) by their own parents and the parents of every other child on the street and indeed by neighbours who didn't even have children at home anymore.

If Andrew and I were out and about playing with Anna-Maria (see above) or Richard or Lynwen/Gareth/Bethan or any of other children around and their parents were feeding them, then they fed us too. Or just as likely if Anna-Maria was in our garden when Andrew and I had lunch - well, she stayed (see above). And because of this - maybe it is a Welsh thing after all - these people became honorary, much loved, aunties and uncles. We knew them too well to call them Mr or Mrs. It would have been forward of us as little children to call them by their christian names so Uncle Gino***, Auntie Pat, Uncle Dil and Auntie Marg it was!

Anyways, back to the recipe, except that there isn't really a true recipe, Auntie Marg just kind of made it up as she went along BUT it goes a lot like this.

1) In your biggest saucepan place a shoulder of mutton**** and cover with water. Add a bouquet garni - yes she really did but it was a rustic looking one, not one of those nice little tea-bags from the supermarket. This was more like an onion with a bay leaf, carrot and some celery, tied together in a bit of muslin with string/strong cotton. Turn on the gas/electric and bring to the boil and then turn it down and let it simmer, removing any scum until the meat is falling off the bone. Then (and this really is an important step) turn off the gas, put a lid on the pot, walkaway from the stove and leave the whole thing alone over night. NO PEEKING!

2) Come morning there will be a disc of yellow fat on top of the soup - take this off and discard it. Little bits will be left behind - that's fine, just discard the majority of the fat. If you leave it in, it tastes too strong and coats your mouth with too much fat. Discard the bouquet garni - it's done it's job too. Take the lamb out of the stock and shred it off the bone. Return to the broth. At this point I discard the bones - I don't think there's anything else I can do with them is there?

3) At this point Auntie Marg always threw in a handful of red lentils. The only "thickener" in the broth/soup. Turn the gas back on and bring to the boil once more, now turn it down to a rolling simmer. Leave for 20 minutes.

4) Now is the time to add your vegetables - leeks obviously ... it is cawl cennin after all; after a thorough wash the green and white parts of the leeks are sliced but not finely, your making a stew not a soup ~ there needs to be texture to them. Onion - sliced, similar to the leeks. Carrots - again sliced not to fine. Parsnips - cut into bite sized pieces. Make sure there's enough water to cover the vegetables stir well and leave.

5) After about 40 minutes when the vegetables are soft to the touch, check the seasoning and add a big handful of chopped parsley.

6) Serve piping hot with a bread to dip and a good wedge of cheddar cheese. The cheddar gets croken into chunks and dropped into the soup to melt.

* Except for the vegetarians and vegans obviously and I'm not going to say anything about them right now because I don't want to offend anyone honestly and vegetarian food can be delicious. But vegans??? How can anyone go through life without chocolate - it's not right. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's ALL WRONG!
** Can't be doing with Caerphilly which is what my mother prefers - too crumbly!
*** Yep, I even have an Italian uncle.

**** If you haven't got a saucepan big enough now is the time to get out the hacksaw. If you can't get mutton, lamb will do BUT mutton is better.

The new FOOD commandments

This month's Olive magazine has an article entitled "The Food Commandments" ~ interesting! Interesting for more than one reason. Commandment ~ something that must be obeyed; a command or edict. Should there be rules that must be obeyed in food? Shouldn't food be about likes/dislikes more than rules? Anyway let's put my need to ignore the rules to one side and look at what Olive suggests as the new commandments.

Thou shall not drink fancy bottled water
I'm not sure about this one ... at home we don't drink "fancy bottled water" ~ because let's face it there'd be no money for Navarra if we were drinking San Pellogrino every day. But I do buy bottled mineral water as it saves me filtering it ... the water here is so hard, it's enough to make me shudder. The water doesn't taste like this in Swansea. But back to the point I generally agree with this and if I am eating a meal out I shall not be drinking fancy bottled water I shall be asking for a glass of soda or tap water.

Thou shall not bow down to big brands but shop for price
This one's a bit harder - there are some things that have to be a certain brand ... ketchup and baked beans by Mr Heinz, rich tea biscuits by Mr Mcvitie, instant coffee by Mr Nescafe but that's about it. I am happy to schlep off to Lidl for the rest of my shopping - their Bavarian ham is to die for.

Thou shalt be more wary of thy carbon footprint
By this they meant in terms of not flying or driving when you go on foodie breaks. "Foodie breaks" - I wish! I get to go to France on holiday and the only reason I can afford that is that I get to stay with my lovely parents - in exchange for doing all the cooking whilst I am there - and when we eat out we go Dutch. But I do use the boat, not the plane. However having said all that I am going to Rosas in June and I have no doubt it will be quite foody.

Thou shalt remember that eating in is the new eating out
I love eating out BUT I also love eating in. I think that there is notheing nicer than feeding family/loved ones/friends and seeing them get pleasure out of the food that you are giving them. We even (with a little help) catered our own wedding.

Thou shalt shun food waste and remember "leftovers are cool"
I have always thought this and I am officially know in school as the leftover girl. My lunches are always either leftovers or homemade soup.

Thou shalt embrace shoulder of lamb as the new fillet steak
This I think is all about using the cheaper cuts of meat, taking a little more time with them, treating them gently and enjoying the sense of achievement that "real" cooking gives you. Not that I don't like fillet steak and chips BUT with fillet it's all about the texture and let's face it you're not going to get the same flavour as you would with say pot roasted brisket. I love shoulder of lamb - my mum would squeal about the fattiness of it but it's brilliant for cawl - see March 1st post for Auntie Marg's recipe - actually it's better with shoulder of mutton but that's really hard to get these days!

Thou shalt honour home-grown and homemade above all else
I suppose this is half true for me ... homemade yes, definitely. I'd much rather make everything myself than buy something ready prepared from the local supermarket. I have a teaching assistant in school who buys everything ready prepared ready to be zapped in the microwave. EVERYTHING! Lasagne, pizza, fish pie, toad-in-the-hole, she even buys burgers already in the bun to zap!! NO I say NO! Why, when it's so easy to chuck a couple of handfuls of minced beef/pork/lamb in a bowl, mix in an egg yolk, some breadcrumbs and whatever herbs and spices you fancy, mix and grill. And then you know what you're eating. It's nutritious and healthy and not crap for you.
Unfortunately home-grown is not as easy. I do grow herbs and this year I am going to try tomatoes on the balcony in grow bags BUT what would happen during the summer? It's all very well and good to ask a neighbour to water your courgettes if you're away for 10 days BUT when you're away for 6 weeks, it's a bit of a cheek. So no, not home-grown I'm afraid. However when I am away for the 6 weeks lots of the veg there is home-grown ... all the usuals ~ onions, courgettes, beans, tomatoes, figs and cherries. Farmer Don is on the case.

Thou shalt support the local
Yes, oh yes. Local producers are the bees knees. I go to the farm shops in Rainham and at Broadditch Farm - love their Prince Charmings @ squash time. I pick Kentish strawberries in the summer and I'm anyones for a farmer's market. I find localfoodadvisor.com invaluable.

Thou shalt go just a little bit veggie
That's not so difficult for me - I was a vegetarian for about 6 yrs in my late teens and early twenties until a late night pub crawl and a visit to Steak by Night that brought me back to my senses. So I like vegetarian food - well until you mention tofu that is but I digress. Vegetables are quite often the star of the show when I eat, be it in a curry, roasted with balsamic vinegar or just a damn good salad.
My husband however is a whole other ball game! When we first lived together Simon counted tomatoes/onions on a pizza as vegetables. He would eat carrots, peas, sweetcorn and pizza topping and that was about it. We've progressed in the last 10 years. He'll manage parsnips and beetroot now, green beans and occasionally a Brussels sprout BUT that's about it. He hates squash (??), wont touch courgettes (??) and won't even try asparagus or sprouting broccoli (???). And then there's the lentils/beans/pulses part of vegetarianism - lentils probably, the rest of it - only if it's in chili CON carne.

Thou shalt wise up to food jargon
Organic? Free-range? Do we believe what's on the label? What in fact is the difference between a "free-range egg" and "an egg from birds that have been allowed to range freely"? And which should I be buying? Check the Internet I say.

So, for the main part, I like these new food commandments but I think that I'd like to add one of my own ...

Thou shalt love and enjoy the food you eat!

What do you think?

In need of morning coffee

And then you want me to spoil it by drinking?

The British One Hundred

Having done the Omnivore’s One Hundred, I had to do this that I found over at Food Stories page on Food Buzz … I give you my British One Hundred!

The rules/guidelines/instructions/whatevers …

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Link back to Food Stories, if you would be so kind.

1. Grey squirrel NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!
2. Steak and kidney pie – yum, love it and steak and kidney pudding too!
3. Bubble and squeak – yum again.
4. Spotted dick – it’s ok I prefer Jam Roly Poly
5. Hot cross buns – lovely, toasted with butter.
6. Laverbread – yep, with cockles, fried in bacon fat … I’m a Swansea girl you know!
7. Toad in the hole - yes, I follow St Delia's recipe
8. Shepherd's pie AND cottage pie - yes, one with beef the other with lamb right?
9. Scotch egg - yes I've made my own a la Gary Rhodes
10. Parkin - yes, grampa used to make it on Guy Fawkes night?? Why I don't know!
11. Welsh rarebit - yep
12. Jellied eels - ype, not keen on the jelly.
13. Stilton - yes I love it but you can stick your cissified white stilton with apricots
14. Marmite - my mate!
15. Ploughman’s lunch - yes BUT I'd rather have a ham one.
16. Cucumber sandwiches - yes @ #100.
17. Coronation chicken - yep, but I'd rather not!
18. Gloucester old spot - not yet, one day. Need to find a decent butcher round here.
19. Cornish pasty - of course, I'm rather partial to an ogi
20. Samphire - yep, I don't "get" it though!
21. Mince pies - yes, pastry kills me but I love them. I want to try the ones that the Hairy Bikers/Bakers made at Christmas with orange in the pastry.
22. Winkles - yes, hasn't every British "kid" of a certain age had these on a wet seaside holiday? Cornwall, August 1978! And in France, Les Sables d'Olonne.
23. Salad cream - love it! With Gary's Scotch eggs.
24. Malt loaf - yep, yum, like it made into bread and butter pudding or toasted or just ...
25. Haggis - yes, nice, with Scots friends one Burn's Night.
26. Beans on toast - this very day for breakfast.
27. Cornish clotted cream tea - yes, yum!
28. Pickled egg - yes, in the local chippy. An aquired taste.
29. Pork scratchings - yum, lead me too them. My mother shudders.
30. Pork pie - yep but I'm not keen, pastry and the jelly! Not again thanks.
31. Black pudding - yes I adore it. A full English is not right without it.
32. Patum Peperium or Gentleman’s relish - no, must have a go. BUT I love anchovies.
33. Earl grey tea - not keen to be honest but I have tried it.
34. Elvers - haven't tried them, would though. Gordon's version sound like whitebait. I love whitebait!
35. HP Sauce - oh come on of course, cheese on toast wouldn't be right without it!
36. Potted shrimps - yes, from Morecombe - delicious.
37. Stinking Bishop - yes, lovely, thank you Neal's Yard Dairy
38. Elderflower cordial - yes, my friend Brid makes her own, yum!
39. Pea and ham soup - yep, I made some last Sunday.
40. Aberdeen Angus Beef - yes BUT I prefer Welsh Black.
41. Lemon posset - lovely with blueberries in the summer!
42. Guinness - oh there were some nights on the black stuff, lets not go there right now.
43. Cumberland sausage - yes, lovely. Tesco's finest are good.
44. Native oysters - yes, down in Whitstable.
45. A ‘full English’ - yes, the curer of all hangovers. The challenge - to get a little bit of everything in the first and last mouthful.
46. Cockles - yes, with #6. In fact I've picked my own nr the steel works in Llanelli.
47. Faggots - yum, whether they're by Mr Brains or from Swansea market.
48. Eccles cake - I don't care for them, there's that whole pastry thing again.
49. Potted Cromer crab -yum!
50. Trifle - oh yes, cream and custard and cake and fruit ... what's not to like.
51. Stargazy pie - once in Cornwall, it was delicious.
52. English mustard - yes, on ham sandwiches, stong enough to singe yor nasal hair.
53. Christmas pudding - oh yes from that little place in Covent Garden, what the hell is that shop called? Meantal breakdown. We have one from there every Christmas. Bugger ... goes away to think.
54 Cullen skink - yes in Scotland, all that creamy smokiness was very lovely.
55. Liver and bacon with onions - yes, don't like it if it's overcooked though.
56. Wood pigeon - yes, *spit spit* and I've found the shot too.
57. Branston pickle - yes, "bring out the Branston!"
58. Oxtail soup - yes, lovely rich and irony. Thank you Mr Heinz!
59. Piccalilli - yes, lovely with Ham sandwiches.
60. Sorrel - yes, leaves in salad BUT I've heard that sorrel soup is good too.
62. Chicken tikka masala - of course, who hasn't, well vegetarians obviously.
63. Deep fried Mars Bar - no but I've tasted a pizza crunch ~ boke!
64. Fish, chips and mushy peas - delicious!
65. Pie,mash & liquor - yes, when I first moved to the South East in 1997. I remember thinking how bizarre it was that the liquor is in fact parsley sauce. And they way the mash was "spread" onto the plate.
66. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding - yes, lovely rare beef, slab of pudding and a good red wine jus. YUM!
67. Pickled onions - lovely, straight from the jar and then the vinegar to go on your chips.
68. Cock-a-leekie soup - yes, lovely, again in Scotland ... thanks to Ruth's MIL big Betty-B.
69. Rabbit and Hare - yes, I love rabbit pie the way my grandad used to cook it. Not so keen on hare but I'd eat it again.
70. Bread sauce - this very Christmas, made with brioche crumbs.
71. Cauliflower cheese - yum, a weekly eat chez Langthorne
72. Crumpets - butter and jam, has to be Strawberry.
73. Rice pudding - lovely, grampa's recipe, we fight over the skin.
74. Bread and butter pudding - yum, probably my favourite dessert, well alongside, creme brulee/pannacotta. I like to spread a dab of marmalade over the bread and butter too ... Osborne pudding I believe.
75. Bakewell tart - yum.
76. Kendall mint cake - never tried it. Seen it in Millets. Is it good?
77. Summer pudding - always horrified at the thought of this BUT it's yum! With a big dollop of cream.
78. Lancashire hot pot - "I'll have a hotpot Betty love!"
79. Beef Wellington - yum, after foie gras probably my favourite dinner. Simon's is legend!!
80. Eton mess - yum, double yum, got to be chewy meringue though.
81. Neeps and tatties - yum and I like the Welsh version, potch.
82. Pimms - Pimms o'clock.
83. Scampi - delicious.
84. Mint sauce - is there any other way to eat lamb?
85. English strawberries and cream - and Welsh strawberries from Knelston on the Gower.
86. Isle of Wight garlic - yes after watching rick Stein eating garlic fudge.
87. Mutton - yes, it's the best basis for a good cawl. I find myself saddened that Welsh food is not sufficiently celebrated - Catherine, Tom, Cerys, Duffy - tell everyone! Bugger that in fact. Listen everyone WELSH FOOD IS bloody BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
88. Deep fried whitebait with tartare sauce - yum, I LOVE whitebait, with or without taratare sauce.
89. Angels on horseback - I love these, oysters wrapped in pancetta/really good bacon and grilled. YUM! I like prunes doens this way too.
90. Omelette Arnold Bennett - eggs, cheese, smkey haddock, done for brunch by my fabulous BIL - YUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM - I could eat this every day. You should taste his pear and roquefort salad.
91. Devilled kidneys - the devilier the betterer, yet another mother-cringer.
92. Partridge and pheasant - yum, I love the gamieness of both f these birds, eaten in the UK and France.
93. Stew and dumplings - my nana was a great home-cook. Pork stew with apple and sage dumplings that were as light as a feather. Beek casserole with horseradish dumplings that tickled your tastebuds BUT danced across you tongue.
94. Arbroath smokies - THE BEST smoked haddock I have EVER tasted.
95. Oyster loaves - what? Off to Google them!
96. Sloe gin - picked them, pricked them, gin'd them, drunk them. Eaten the sloes coated in dark chocolate with good vanilla ice-cream afterwards.
97. Damson jam - yum, grampa's damson jam was fab.
98. Soda bread - YES YES YES, the best kind of bread.
99. Quince jelly - umm, British 100? Quince jelly? Sorry, have only ever eaten this as membrillo. Bring on the manchego!!
100. Afternoon tea at the Ritz - been there, done that, loved it, I'd go everyday! The Grand in Brighton is bloody good too.

French France part 2

So, after wandering around the market and grazing on all the lovely things that there were to eat - including Audrey and Mum being conned giving in and buying gingerbread/glühwein/"your real English mince pies" from their friend Heinz who is part of the Souillac Rotary ... "real English"?? My arse - I saw the Lidl bags matey!! We were off to Hotel des Tilleuls for lunch. What a find guys. Next time you're in Souillac give it a try - it's on the Sarlat road, just after the garden centre.

The 19€ menu was delicious and worth every penny cent ... the menu du jour 12€ wasn't available on Sunday, but I imagine it would be worth a weekday lunchtime visit to give it a go. So our starters - Simon had pressé de lentilles aux aiguillettes de canard - this was almost like a terrine of lentils ~ lovely earthy texture/flavour ~ with bits of duck wing and carrot in it. Served with a balsamic vinaigrette and salad. Delicious - would have had that instead of mine if I'd had any idea how good it was going to be.

I instead ordered the salade de morue et calamares - which was delicious BUT had enough lettuce to sink a battleship! However this was coated in delicious vinaigrette that had tomato vinegar in it. And in all fairness other bits of loveliness hidden thoughout it - potatoes, red onion, beetroot, egg ... yum! The cod and calamari were good too - but not as good as those bloody lentils!

My mother - who is the food coward of the bunch went with the pâté de foie gras ... too much pâté and not enough foie for my liking and nothing fruity to set it off - no figs or pear chutney or or or anything BUT she was happy and seeing as she was eating it tant pis!

For my main course I ordered the pavé de boeuf. I am always heartened to see the look of surprise on a prissy French waiter's face when he reels off the cooking options for steak to les Anglais* finishing off with a distasteful look on his face as the much hated "bien cuit" trips off his tongue. He looks around waiting for us all to chorus "bien cuit" and my mum and I smack him in the chops with "bleu svp." "Bleu?" he says in surprise. "Oui, merci!" Even Simon manages a respectable saignant these days.

The beef was cooked to perfection, pink and oozing and served with pommes boulangères and échalote confite - yum! Sweet sticky shallots, gratined tomatoes, lovely oven baked buttery potatoes, yum! But then why go and stick a blinking jacket potato on the side? And ... and I know I am going to get shot down in flames here ... it's not even as if the French do JPs well - SORRY - but it's true! They do pommes boulangères really well, matchstick potatoes - yum, pommes dauphinoise - gorgeous BUT not JPs.

I mean look at it - wrapped in tinfoil**, can't see the potato because there's so much cream in it, teaspoon stabbed in it's centre - bleugh!

So, I swapped my JP with Brian (who had ordered perche au vin rouge) and instead got a cabbage parcel that was stuffed with delicious creamy cheesy risotto ... the French do stuffed cabbage REALLY well. Stick to the cabbage guys. His perch looked interesting - I always imagine them as a "muddy" fish - shows what I know ... maybe next time!

And then finally it was time for dessert! I'm not normally a big dessert**** eater - I'd rather have cheese and if the choice is starter+main or main+dessert I'll go for the savoury option everytime BUT I do like an iles flottantes - that magic mixture of light fluffy meringue, vanilla custard and dark caramel. And the Hotel des Tilleuls does iles flottantes - LOOK!

**NEWSFLASH - I'd stopped counting the points by this time - NEWSFLASH** Yep, you're not imagining it, that's Simon hiding behind the iles flottantes. That dish was brought to the table for you to serve yourself! And we did - only one plateful mind you ... which shocked everyone BUT we were so full ... having wiped the previous plates clean that there was no room for any more. The chocolate mousse that they make is served in the same sort of dish. There's a rumour doing the rounds that if you finish the dish then you're meal is free ... there's another rumour doing the rounds that if I had I'd have burst!

Mum lot very pleased with her nougat glacé and Brian with his crème brûlée but they weren't much to look at compared with my bucket of iles flottantes!

We walked part of the way home. I didn't eat until Monday!!

* Yeh, I know I'm une Galloise but generally, unless you have the rugby** conversation most (not all, most ... it's improving) French people don't distinguish between the inhabitants of the component bits of the UK - we tend all to be English to them.

** This rugby conversation that we've been having since August 1981. "Oui je suis Galloise. J'étais né en Pays de Galles." "Pays de Galles? C'est où le Pays de Galles?" "Vous connaissez le Pays de Galles, c'est une région de la Grande-Bretagne. Ils jouent au rugby en Pays de Galles." "Ah oui, le Meelenium Stadeeeum! Pays de Galles, ah oui, JPR, Gareth Tomos! Oui, je connais le Pays de Galles!" Yep they still bring up JPR eventhough he hasn't played international rugby since 1981.

*** How are you going to get good skin if you cook the potato wrapped in foil? You know what I mean by good skin right? Tough enough to fight back with you.

**** I might have mentioned before that my mother thinks that this is WRONG on so many levels and has been known to throw around the rumour that I am in fact not her daughter - harsh!

Late but still tasty ...

In the spirit of the Omnivore’s Hundred, Andrew over at VGT has come up with the Very Good Taste Christmas Fifty; fifty foods and drinks from around the world. As with the Hundred, there are some items in here that will seem commonplace, and a lot of items you may never have heard of (with Wikipedia links to help you out).

Here’s what to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve tasted.
3) Place an asterisk after all the items you’ve cooked/prepared.
4) Optional: Cross out anything you never want to try, or add an exclamation mark after anything your really want to try.
You’re also welcome to post a link to your version of the list here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk.

The VGT Christmas Fifty
1. Crystallised or candied fruits
2. Egg nog *
3. Bûche de Noël, or Yule log *
4. Rum balls *
5. Bebinca ! - no but sounds good.
6. Roasted chestnuts
7. Cavallucci - aniseed, no thanks!
8. Tourtière - had this in France, much flatter looking than the Quebecois version.
9. Uszka !
10. Port & Stilton *
11. Hallaca
12. Roast goose *
13. Lefse !
14. Sugar plums
15. Romeritos !
16. Pinnekjøtt
17. Hot toddy *
18. Christmas cake *
19. Tamales
20. Sorpotel
21. Panettone
22. Candy canes
23. Pasteles !
24. Speculaas
25. Makowiec
26. Christmas pudding *
27. Stollen
28. Figgy pudding
29. Lebkuchen
30. Turrón
31. Mince pies *
32. Wassail bowls
33. Buñuelos
34. Pio Quinto
35. Marzipan fruits * Our cookery teacher made us make them! Bleugh!
36. Mulled wine *
37. King cake *
38. Christmas beach barbecue !! - want to, want to!
39. Cola de mono
40. Lutefisk
41. Kutia
42. Pizzelle
43. Dominostein !!
44. Cranberry sauce *
45. Pfeffernüsse
46. Satsumas or clementines *
47. Pumpkin pie
48. Smalahove
49. Nut roast *
50. Brandy butter *

Christmas meme

Ok, I lied/exaggerated ... 176 posts this year - and I scheduled this from home. As far as know they/we are still "sans service/Internet-less" ... it's a bummer it really is! Happy Christmas everyone!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? He wraps them.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Coloured. Red this year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, bought some in Tesco on Thursday night. Let the snogging begin!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Christmas Eve - family tradition.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Potch and brussels with chestnuts and pancetta.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: My first bike. It was hidden in the bathroom because it was too big to go under the tree - I cried with happiness brushing my teeth.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth? What do you mean?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Never! NO. After breakfast on Christmas Day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Mixture of old and new - some homemade by me and my brother. Some a little kitsch.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love looking out of the window and seeing it. I don't want to have to walk or drive in it!

12. Can you ice skate? No, I never learned how to ice skate. I can barely roller skate lol.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A Tiny Tears - I loved her sooooooooo much!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family and then food ;o)

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I like Black Forest trifle - chocolate muffins, cherries, brandy, custard, whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate on the top.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Breakfast - it's a proper sit down meal before the cooking begins. I love the cooking!

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving! If people are happy with the gift I can cry.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I like Little Donkey if we're talking carols. But I also love Santa Baby!

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yuck! I'd rather have a chocolate Brazil nut.

A Year’s End Meme

Teuchter over in the middle of it all has come up with her very own meme. It's a Year's End Meme so here's the four statements that I have to write about. Right let's get going!

The best things that happened in 2008 …
The worst things that happened in 2008 …
The standout highlights of 2008 …
My ambitions and hopes for 2009 …

The best things that happened in 2008 ... right, well it's not been a bad year, but the very best thing has to be the fantastic week I had in Rosas in May with my parents. We talked and laughed and toured and ate! And then talked some more - it was a real coming together of our relationship ~ we hadn't spent quality time together like that since the previous Summer and times like that always remind me how well I get on with my Mum and Dad. Yes they're my parents but I really like them as people.

I also have to give a memorable mention to a weekend in Wales, when I got to have coffee with Liz - thank you Facebook - AND dinner in Twickenham with an occupational therapist, her Coldstream Guards bandsman husband and two gay men ;o)

The worst things that happened in 2008 ... well it has to be the day of Nana's funeral - she died on Boxing Day 2007. We got a phone call in France just after lunch, my parents left for Wales 2 hours later. Simon and I stayed on for a couple of days and then made our way back to Kent. Because of the time of year things were very slow - the funeral wasn't until January 11th or somewhere around there. It was a horrible day - tears all round but lots of laughter and good memories too! But of course they don't stand out at the time!

The standout highlights of 2008 ... Strangely there's a work one of these! I say strange because it should be leisure/family times that are the "standout highlights" ... I have one of those too! Right, in July we had an OFSTED inspection. It was a horrifically stressful week - we had a phone call on the Monday, they arrived on Wednesday morning and by 4pm on Friday (after a 66 hour working week by that point!) I was a sobbing, snotty mess in the middle of a table in the nursery. Thank goodness it was over! Thank goodness it went well. Thank fuck they're not coming back!!!!

My other standout highlight was my summer, yes the weather was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed being in France and showing my GBF around the local area BUT it was also wonderful because I got to meet Bev. My Mum's cousin Roy and his wife Margaret came to stay - there's lots of garden Chez le laquet to camp in - along with Margaret and Roy came their grand-daughters and their Mum ... my cousin Bev. I know we're cousins BUT we'd never met before ... but it was wonderful, we clicked straight away - hell, we even look alike!! A new friend. But one who's going to last. Always on the end of a phone - I feel like I've known her forever.

My ambitions and hopes for 2009 ... all the usual suspects I imagine - a continued decline in my weight. An increase in my life-work-balance. And finally continued good health, happiness and love for me and mine AND of course, for you and yours.

Oh and if the lottery fairy wants to look my and get the divine Hugh to deliver the ticket ... well I won't complain ;o)

Yes! It's just an excuse to drool!!

Keema gajar with roti

Keema gajar with roti, originally uploaded by Laquet.

Looks like Saturday is really becoming curry night! The recipe is in my flickr account with the photos - kind of. Tweak it I say, tweak away!

Carrot curry and roti

1. Carrot curry ... much nicer than it sounded!!, 2. Chapatti aka roti attar, 3. My dough coming together, 4. Leave it to rest, 5. The start of 6 rotis, 6. Carrot curry, now with cooked carrots, 7. Umm, yeh I know it's supposed to be round, 8. Getting toasty, 9. More rolling, 10. Flipped over, 11. 1st roti done, 12. First ever from scratch gauri curry and roti! Simon's serving I did without the samosas, pakora and mango chutney ~ definitely didn't need the chutney thanks to the carrots! Lovely! Aloo gobi next weekend! Go and see the original photos with notes over at Flickr.
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.