We have been eating our way through Mexico for the last five weeks, and my goodness, have we eaten. We started off in the Yucatan, for the uninitiated , it is the part of Mexico, that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche. The most well known town is Cancun, and this points across to Cuba and onto Miami. In the 70’s Cancun was little known but now it is a bustling beachside resort, Mexico’s answer to Blackpool or Coney island (with better weather).

Cozumel, a great dive site, is around the corner, as is Tulum, one of the many Mayan sites which are to be seen in the Yucatan.There are no rivers in the Yucatan, but apparently many underground caves, for underground exploration and swimming (not for me, I hasten to add). The vegetation is rather scrubby and the 300+ Km drive across the peninsular, from a scenic standpoint leaves much to be desired.

A word of warning if you ever decide to follow in our tracks. Hit the Highway and the next gas station is 180 Km away, with no exit before then! One girlfriend got stuck when driving this route with her daughters, and flagged down a passing cop who was persuaded with some $$$$ to syphon off some for her!!

We gave the classic Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza a miss this time around, but went instead to Uxmal, which is only 80 Km south of Merida. BUT beware, it is easy to get a little lost. We followed the signs but then the signs were no more, so we ended up driving cross-country. An experience in itself. Mexico LOVES speed bumps, even when there is not a hope of speeding because of POTHOLES. SO on the cross-country route, there are speed bumps, which are huge and potholes which are so huge that they spread right across the road. However, the end result was worth it as UXMAL is such a pleasant experience, compared to Chichen Itza, there were almost no people there and the restoration work was fabulous.

We stayed in an old Meridian house, beautifully restored in the centre of Merida, (loaned to us by a friend of #1 daughter’s). From the outside it was nothing special but inside, it was lovely, built around a courtyard, complete with plunge pool and surrounded by Bougainvillea.

So onto food. I have to say were a little disappointed with Yucatecan food. We tried La Chaya Maya, which came recommended but the speciality we chose was not the best. The women sitting in the window making the tortillas, were interesting though and most people we met were friendly and helpful

There is a strong Mayan culture in the region ( maybe a resurgence?) and people do actually speak Mayan. The oldest Cathedral in North America, is to be found in Merida, built-in about 1543, by the Spanish after they destroyed the Mayan Temples, (much of the stone used in the building of the church, came from the destroyed temples.)

However for Breakfast we found a typical Mexican hangout ( just as well we do not eat like this everyday) and Himself had the Huevos Motulenos and I had the Chilaquilles. Mexicans buy fresh tortillas, everyday, just like the French buy baquettes. But of course they go stale overnight and so in the morning the stale ones are used to make Chilaquiles. Tortillas are cut into chips and fried, layered with cheese ( Oaxacan string cheese), topped with either shredded chicken or scrambled eggs, along with red or green salsa and maybe some sour cream.

Huevos motuleños comes from the town of Motul (Yucatán).It is made with eggs on tortillas ( or bread) with black beans and cheese, often with ham, peas, plantains, and salsa picante.

Moving right along, Frida Kahlo, the artist, wife of Diego Rivera and lover of Leon Trotski, had nothing, as far as I know,to do with Merida, Except there is a restaurant called La Casa de Frida. Small hole in the wall type place, dedicated to Frida, pictures of her everywhere and bright bold colours. We were the only diners, well it was rather early for Mexico, about 8.30pm, the time between lunch (which in some cases does not end until 5pm) and dinner.

I had ( well actually we shared) the Chile en Nogada. A wonderful dish consisting of a green chile,( stuffed with minced turkey) white walnut sauce and red pomegranate the colours of the Mexican flag. This dish is a Mexican Independence day favourite.

Himself ordered the duck breast in Mole. Mole IS Mexico, it takes hours to make, along with constant stirring and ooodles of ingredients, up to 15 of them just for this sauce. Basically it is stock, chilies and chocolate. Many restaurants have their own “secret” recipe, never to be divulged. But all streetmarkets have vendors of Mole, but I have yet to buy any, although in a class in Oaxaca we did actually make it.

As I have been told, these are too long, this is Mexico Part one, More to follow! Happy eating everyone!

our chicken in mole sauce — Our chicken in mole saunce

Continue reading “Eating our way through Mexico ( part one)” →

Sushi, Sashimi and Other Food Facts

Sushi class and other food facts! A little while ago, I went to Maze, Gordon Ramseys, restaurant on Grosvenor Square in London for a sushi class. It was great fun, but have to admit I have not tried my hand at making sushi since the class, though I will!

Sashimi ( which is raw fish) and Sushi using raw fish, can cause foodborne illness because of bacteria and parasites. A study in Seattle, Washington, showed that all wild salmon had roundworm larvae capable of infecting people, while farm-raised salmon did not have any roundworm larvae. Freezing is often used to kill parasites. The European Union brought in regulations (EC 853/2004) requiring that all fish that was going to be eaten raw must be frozen first (−20°C ) for 24 hours to kill parasites. However the Scottish salmon producers were confident that their farmed salmon wouldn’t have parasites because the feed given was controlled and sea pens where salmon are raised were maintained in such a way that the parasite risk was extremely low and as of 2011, farmed fish is now exempt from being frozen..

The intake of large amounts of certain kinds of fish may affect consumer health due to mercury content, and these include Tile Fish, Orange Roughy, Shark, Swordfish , Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna. Other fish that should be avoided are, trawler caught Chilean Sea Bass ( over fished), Mahi Mahi (histamine poisoning) Atlantic cod ( overfished) White Tuna… Escolar ( can cause diarrhoea ), Red Snapper ( over fished) and Caviar (overfished).

On another note, also of concern, particularly in American processed foods are food additives.

BHA and BHT are substances which are banned in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and the EU, however are still used in the USA particularly in snack foods such as crisps.

Azodicarbonamide, is used for the texture in cheap white bread, is used in the USA by MacDonalds and Burger king in their Burger Buns., it is banned in the countries above, AND if a company uses it in Singapore, they can get a large fine and 15 years in gaol! Bovine growth hormone, banned in the EU, but not in the USA.

Potassium Bromate, used in the USA in flour, but again banned in the EU.

Food colourings , especially Blue dye #1, Yellow dye numbers 5 and 6, the yellow dyes are used in ready meals, colourings for some cereals and the bright yellow of American Cheese.

However my favourite realy bad one isis OLESTRA . I remember this being hailed, when we lived in the USA as the big new thing for the food industry. What could be better there be than zero calories, zero grams of cholesterol and zero grams of fat? In January 1996, the FDA approved OLESTRA as a food additive. Cut out the unhealthy cooking oil.Dump the shortening.Trash the butter. Frito-Lay was among the first companies to jump on board, introducing its WOW! division of potato chips in 1998 to claim fat-free stomach satisfaction.However olestra was of course too good to be true. It removed the fat from food but also stopped the body from absorbing vital vitamins . Side effects included cramps, gas and loose bowels.! OLESTRA is still legal food additive in the USA despite the obvious side effects. I think the bottom line is, avoid processed food, as far as possible and read the food labels. Happy Eating!

Love your Spices??

There has to be some things in every kitchen that you love, be it the dishwasher ( I loved my first one, but now it is an essential, as long as it is quiet) the refrigerator, ( I really really loved my two “Sub Zeros”, but that was in a former life), the induction hob, that is so easy to keep clean, the Teppan Yaki grill, that himself gives me grief about all the time. No, none of these. I love my SPICE RACK. What? a Spice Rack. Yes indeed. Mine is wall mounted and magnetic. easy to see, easy to use and takes up no space at all in my new relatively small kitchen.

roses egypt — Rose petals in Egyptian Market

grasshoppers — Grass hoppers in Oaxaca Mexico

chilis delhi — Chilis in the central Market, Old Delhi

Scientific American, recently published a report on the “Filth in the Spice Rack” ( Scientific American, March 2014.)(www.scientificamerican.com/mar2014/graphic-science) the reading of which is actually enough to make one vomit on the spot. It ranges from including anything from mundane as Mold to Mammalian Excreta!!, a Staggering 20% of Mammalian Excreta found in Fennel Seed (fragments per 100 grams), to a mind-boggling 2,000 fragments per 100 grams of Insect fragments in ground sage..Is it any better buying up market brands, most unlikely, as they all source their products from the same supply chain. A small two ounce jar of Paprika, for example has about 170 insect fragments, or 25 rodent hairs, to be considered adulterated. However, the FDA says they pose no inherent danger to health, and most are just microscopic. But it is certainly food for thought!

herbs and spices france — Herbs and Spices in a French country market

I was intrigued the other day to come across a Vegan recipe for Falafel, which contained no chick peas. Falafel , made with chick peas, I thought , surely must be a staple of the Vegan diet. Consequently, I made these, for supper,not once but twice. The original recipe called for a mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, garlic, parsley, dried tomatoes,chopped walnuts, salt and pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. These were basically ground together and made into a thick mixture with the oil and lemon juice, rolled into balls and eh voila! Ready to eat and not fried. Well, did not quite rock my boat, so on the second attempt I used a mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseed, chia seeds, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, confit of garlic, Curley leaf parsley , walnuts, lemon juice and olive oil. Were they any better? Were they any more exciting? Did they titillate my taste buds? Well, the answer has to be NO, not at all, so that is one recipe for the bin!!

I had an American girlfriend once, who was a marathon runner and a vegan, I always think difficult to combine the two, easy enough to get the calories maybe, but much more difficult to get enough protein. One day, she was munching on some rice cakes ( vegan of course) when someone asked ” What do they taste like”? The answer was ” Cement”!

What are chia seeds, I hear you ask. Well, Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, grown in Mexico dating back to Mayan and Aztec times. Chia seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. they are unprocessed and can be easily absorbed by the body, they have a mild nutty flavour and are very often just sprinkled onto cereal or over salads. As with many new food fads, the claim is that eating Chia seeds will help with weight loss, as they will swell in the stomach, therefore making the dieter feel full, however the jury is still out on this one.

Following on , with my vegan, vegetarian theme, Yotem Ottolenghi in his food stores, restaurant and books has many delicious foods that would be good for the vegetarian and he also sells mixtures of seeds to sprinkle over your salads and cereals.

Going on from his idea of rice and quinoa salad I have made my own version.

Ingredients, there is no definitive list but include as many of the following as you like
chopped nuts ( pistachios or almonds)
1 cup quinoa ( cooked in 2 cups water)
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
100 mls good olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
juice of 2 lemons
cup of dried chopped apricots
packet washed and dried rocket ( arugula)
a pink grapefruit, peeled and cut into chunks ( great flavour and colour)
handful of dried cranberries ( good colour)
bunch chopped parsley ( curly leaf chops better)
can drained chick peas
1/4 cucumber dice
some sun-dried tomatoes chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

The above mixture, is good in flavour and colour but can be varied to suit your taste.To cook the quinoa, put one cup quinoa into 2 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 mins, drain and cool.Then in a large mixing bowl, place all the other ingredients, along with the cooled quinoa and mix well. Serve at room temperature, either on its own for lunch or as an accompaniment for fish for dinner. Will keep for several days, covered in the refrigerator.

Some people will not really know about Quinoa ( pronounced quin-wah). According to Wikipedia It is a grain crop grown for its edible seeds. It is not a real grass though and is a member of the same family as beetroot and spinach. ( hard to believe) It is high in protein and lacks gluten. Quinoa was important to the diet of ancient peoples of the Andes. It has been called a Superfood as the protein content is very high yet not as high as most beans and legumes. In their natural state, quinoa seeds have a bitter tasting coating but in today in the west ,most quinoa sold commercially has had this coating removed. So the bottom line is there are many “new ” Superfoods out there. Try and then experiment and see for yourself.

Ladies who Lunch

Last week, the Ladies who Lunch, well Lunched! We usually meet about 6 times a year and try out the hottest and newest restaurants in town. Last week was the turn of a “pop up” owned and run by the same people who own “Pied a Terre” , a Michelin starred restaurant in Bloomsbury, London and its Sister restaurant “L’autre Pied”, in Marylebone , also in London. The pop up, was also a play on the name as it was called, “Pieds Nus”, and was also in Marylebone.

I arrived to find my friend perched on a very high bar stool at a very, very high bar/table, without my saying a word, she said “We can’t sit here, I have already told them!” The waitress arrived, and I repeated this, only to be told that they were full and that no other table was available . Umm! The manager arrived and we repeated ourselves again, he also said, they were full! At this point we decided we would go elsewhere. And then a miracle happened, a normal table was available! And just two men were seated at the Bar and I have to say, they were not full.

The meal itself was unremarkable, and the portions minuscule , there was not a lunch time menu, which is normally a very good deal at good restaurants, when small portions are acceptable. It was only a la carte. Several of us chose the starter with Jerusalem Artichokes, all with the comment” we do not see Jerusalem Artichokes on the menu that often. Well, these artichokes had never been near Jerusalem and were in fact just small normal artichokes. This was pointed out to the waitress, she just said” oh it must be a misprint”!!

The menu and a photo are here. Just as well it was a Pop Up and has already Popped Down, as we would not be in a hurry to return.

( Having said that, we have eaten well, and been well served at the sister restaurants).

Shrove Tuesday ( Pancake day in the UK) has been and gone. Apparently in Russia and the Ukraine, it is almost a week-long celebration, and of course around the world is Carnival, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans, in the USA.

I actually did make pancakes this year, it is something I almost never do, ( except when making them for breakfast for my grandchildren). However, I made Crepe Salé. Savoury crepe, which are usually made out of Buckwheat flour.Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat. It is not a grass but belongs to the same family as Sorrel and Rhubarb.Tibetans have long eaten Buckwheat noodles and in France it is known as either Sarrasin, or Blè Noir.

In any case, it makes very good savoury Crêpe.

Ingredients

250 grms/9oz/2 cups of Buckwheat flour ( plain flour can also be used)
6 eggs
900mls/1 1/2 pints milk
150 mls/5 fl oz cream
butter for cooking
pinch of salt

Method

I believe in the “all in one” method of mixing, it easy beyond belief, especially if you have a food processor.

Put the flour into the food processor. pour together the milk, cream and eggs into a container. Switch on the food processor and with the engine running pour in the liquid mixture. Switch off and scrap down the sides of the machine, switch back on and process again until you have a smooth mixture. Check for thickness, it should be like thick pouring cream, too thick, will make a real stodgy pancake, too thin it will be very difficult to handle. Many recipes call for resting after making, I never do this, it is not going to rise, as you are using plain flour.

Lightly grease with butter a flat pan ( 10″), preferably a crêpe pan, I only use my crêpe, for making crepe. I have a cast iron one, which I never wash, just wipe clean. Set over a medium heat and ladle in enough batter to cover the base of the pan, when you tilt it make sure you cover all the pan. Cook without turning for about a minute, or until the top side is just set. Turn over either with a palette knife or by tossing. cook this side for about 30 seconds. Be ready to lose your first crêpe, the pan needs to season a little. If the first crêpe seems a little thick, dilute your mixture with some milk. Repeat this until you have used all of your mixture. Alternatively, make what you need and store the rest in the refrigerator for a few days.. Then you can fill them how you like. This year for my Crêpe I filled them with a mixture of Ricotta cheese, soft goats cheese and cooked drained spinach ( frozen spinach comes in very handy here, but you must drain it well.)

Spread onto a crêpe some of the fillings, and top with another crêpe, repeat the filling process. Repeat this until you have a small stack of 6-8 crêpes. Grates fresh parmesan cheese over the top and bake for 15 mins in a medium hot oven, until hot all the way through.

Serves 3-4, serve with a mixed salad.

Last week, we went to Chamonix for the day, ostensibly to show our house guests the views from the top of the Aiguille du Midi Cable car. This is the same cable car that one takes when wanting to “DO” La Vallée Blanche or the leaping off point for climbing Mont Blanc, I am not sure about Mont Blanc, but for La Vallée Blanche it is strongly recommended ( read Obligatoire) to take a guide. Firstly one has to shimmy down a ridge ( all roped together, just in case one of you falls….. you can all go together!! ) carrying your skis, before setting off to ski down the Glacier towards Chamonix. Why the guide? To get you down the ridge and then to get you down the glacier without you disappearing into a crevasse!

Our trip up the Aiguille du Midi Cable car was not this exciting though, first we were warned that we would not be able to take the last lift to get the best views, closed because of bad weather. Never mind, BUT the higher we went, the faster we travelled into the Pea Soup. The view non-existent but nonetheless the ride was worth it, just for the scary factor, high winds, ice and jagged mountains. On our ride, were few hardy types, on the first half were a team of would be “let us do the glacier Skiers” complete with guide, crampons, ropes, icepicks, backpacks and helmets ! Well, they went back down at half way, better for another day, maybe? On the second half, were two interesting guys, one wearing the latest “onesie” in lime green ( himself declared that would be the next suit for him.) The other was someone who looked, like he had stepped straight out of the set of the Hobbit, or maybe had been doing double duty as one of Santa’s elves.

When we finally . arrived back in Chamonix, it was raining hard, so it was declared Lunch time, just as well, as the rest of Chamonix ( like most of France) was shut down for their relaxed lunch break of 3 hours. We found a friendly Crêperie. We have been sampling lunch time crêpe over the mountains for the last 4 weeks, they are fairly consistent, but here they were more adventurous than most, Savoury Crêpe, are usually made from Sarrasin ( Buckwheat) and filled with ham, cheese, or complète, with Ham, Cheese and an egg. Here we could choose from Crêpe Tartiflette , Crêpe Compagne, Crêpe Montagnard .
I chose the Crêpe Tartiflette , our friend Crêpe Montagnard, himself the usual, Crêpe complete whilst the blonde chose the Crôute Savoyard, having not asked us, what it was, she assumed it was a glorified cheese on toast. How wrong could she be! This was the crème de la crème of Crôute Savoyard .

Croûte Savoyard

Ingredients

2 Cloves of garlic, pressed or smushed
4 thick slices of country type bread
a cup of dry white wine ( to be authentic it shod be Savoie Wine
4 slices of smoked ham
200 grm of either Beaufort, Comté or Emmental cheese, which has been grated.

Method

Put the garlic into an oven proof dish and spread it around. Soak the bread in the white wine, and layer the slices with the ham and the grated cheese, finishing with lots of grated cheese. Put into a hot oven ( 250 C ) for about 20 Mins, until bubbling hot and golden brown. Variations on this , include some sautéed mushrooms in the “sandwich” or top the sandwich with a lightly friend egg.

Savoury crêpe, are also known in France as Galettes de Blé noir, and are made from Buckwheat flour,which normally are only cooked on one side. Today, savoury crêpe are filled with anything savoury, but originally they were served with just salted butter.

Ingredients

Yields: 18-2 crêpe.

2 eggs
90 grms buckwheat flour
125 Grms plain flour

1/2 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil ( olive)
3 tablespoons salted butter
250 grms Emmental, Beaufort or Comte cheese grated

other ingredients, such as potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, chopped ham, tomatoes etc

Method

In a blender or food processor, put the flours and the salt . Crack the eggs into the water and with the engine running , pour the eggs and water into the flour.Add the oil and process until the mixture is smooth and lump free. It should be of a pouring consistency, like thick cream . Leave to rest for 30 mins. However, it will keep in the refrigerator for days, so can be used when needed , do remember to keep it in a sealed container, and mix well, again, before use. If it is too thick, then thin it with more water.

Place your crêpe pan over medium heat. Grease it with a little butter , I find using some kitchen paper towel with a smidgen of butter smeared on it the best. Pour about ½ cup of the batter in the center of the pan. Lift the pan and then tilt and rotate it until the batter is evenly spread forms a nice thin disk and covers the pan. Put it back on the stove. It should start bubbling after a few seconds. Lower the heat to low. Put on the grated cheese and any other filling that you want. If you want to have an egg, the easiest way is to lightly fry the egg first, before placing it on the crêpe. Fold the crêpe ( either fold in the corners leaving the filling exposed or fold it into a triangle) and let the cheese melt for 1-2 minutes.

Serve with some green salad.

On our way back from France, we stopped at Reims ( pronounced Rans), which as you know is the Champagne capital of the world, and as such has a fine collection of Michelin starred restaurants. Some, looked as if their last diners had in fact died and gone to gastronomic heaven, I am sure that their food would have been wonderful, but we did not want to join the previous diners, just yet, so opted for something a little more modern, and we were not disappointed. We ate at the Millenaire.

Assortment of dessert of chocolate and vanilla

post dessert, more nibbles, café and calvados.

When it is raining, the cook gets cooking !

Last week was Halloween and here in the mountains, it was celebrated by the local children as well as the imports who were here for half term. Even the children in the market were suitably dressed. The neighbourhood children came and carved pumpkins and with the insides, I made curried pumpkin soup. It started out as roast pumpkin, but Umm, not much flavour, so it became soup. I also made toffee apples, as prizes for the pumpkin carvers. I have not made toffee apples in years, but was very pleased with the result.

Toffee Apples

Ingredients

8 small apples, ( I like to use, crispy apples which are not too big, the fun size ones are ideal)
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon teaspoon vinegar, white is best.
1/2 cup water
6 wooden chop sticks, cheap ones are available from oriental grocery stores, wooden skewers are not strong enough

Method
1. Put some greaseproof paper on a baking tray or chopping board.
2. Wash and dry the apples and insert the chopsticks into each apple.
3.Put the water, sugar and vinegar in a small heavy based pan.
4. Bring the mixture to the boil and heat to boiling and simmer for about 20 mins. Ilf you have a sugar thermometer, heat the mixture to 150 C, but at this point DO NOT GO and chat on the telephone, the mixture can burn easily, it needs constant watching and shaking. You can test the readiness by dropping a teaspoonful of the mixture into a cup of cold water, it should be hard and crack when tapped.
5.Remove from the heat and let the mixture to stop bubbling before dipping the apples,one by one, tilt the pan if need be.
6. Rotate the apple, letting it drain a little then place on the greaseproof paper. At this point do not Lick the spoon, it will be very HOT, so be warned!

It’s Thursday, so it must be Egg and Chips! No never!

Here is quick and easy mid week dinner, well we had it mid week, but maybe more suitable for special friends and for Sunday evening ( we do not “do” Sunday Lunch, except on very rare occasions).

Sautéed Venison fillet,with whiskey and cream sauce, and mushrooms.

Ingredients

2 x 6oz Filets of Venison, but could use filet steak

1/2 cup whiskey

1/4 cup cream

4 oz button mushrooms,( sliced) but any mushrooms, especially during game season, Chanterelles, Trompette de la Mort .

Chopped handful parsley

2 cloves garlic crushed

Butter and oil

Pinch salt

Heat some olive oil in pan, add the mushrooms, garlic and parsley and simmer gently, the mushrooms will absorb much of the oil, add more if need be, let them brown slightly. Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan, along with an equal amount of olive oil. When hot, add the fillets, and sauté for 4 mins on each side, this will give you a medium steak. With the steak still in the pan, pour over the whiskey and if you dare set fire to it and flambé the steak, quickly remove the steaks from the pan, add the cream, a quick stir, a pinch of salt, put onto plate top with the mushroom mixture. Serve with sautéed potatoes and a salad. Perfect!

During our self imposed exile, the weather has been Dire, Rain, Rain and more Rain and at times it has even turned to snow. I have been re-organising the freezer, getting ready for Christmas. I have made lots of soups, ranging from Pea, to French Onion, to Chunky Vegetable, to Mussel and finally Curried Pumpkin. All packed and frozen ready for hungry skiers at Christmas. I have also made two types of Tartiflette , the local cheese, ham and potato speciality, one with Reblochon, the traditional cheese, and the other with Chêvre, my cheese of choice.

I also made fish crumble, individual meat pies, stuffed some quail ready for cooking, made several types of jam, Apricot, Orange with whiskey, Bramble Jelly, Onion relish and confit of Garlic, Phew! ( we now have enough for years to come) and fruit pies. Last, but not least I found I had several bags of partially cooked ( frozen) potatoes, parsnips and turnips, umm what to do with them, not more soup. I had inspiration, Aligot. What is Aligot? I hear you ask , well is another potato, cheese and cream dish, which can be served on its own with salad, or along with grilled meat and fish, but I thought could it not be made using the combination of vegetables on hand? Result? Delicious!

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 Large pumpkins, peeled and roughly chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons mild curry powder
1 Liter chicken stock
1/2 liter cream
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Put the chopped pumpkin on a baking tray and pour over some olive oil, just enough to the glaze the pumpkin. Roast in a medium hot oven for about half hour to soften the pumpkin.
Saute onion, garlic and curry powder in some olive oil until the onion has softened. Add the pumpkin and stock, bring to boil. When pumpkin is really soft, blend using a stick blender, but if using a food processor, then be careful, let the mixture cool somewhat, otherwise, it will surge up, and could cover you with very hot soup! Stir through cream and add some salt and pepper, taste well.

Fish Crumble, I found in my pantry a packet of French Chestnuts, they make a wonderful soup, but felt that I had made enough soup, so decided to make these Fish Crumbles, being a change from Fish Pie.

I also used the chestnuts to make a stuffing for some quail that I had just bought, disconcertingly, they came with their heads on, though thankfully not their innards. I crumbled 200 grams of chestnuts, and mixed them with a cup of Panko breadcrumbs ( Japanese breadcrumbs but dry white bread , crumbed will suffice) and cup of chopped prunes. Stuffed each bird with this mixture, wrapped them in thin slices of bacon and popped them in the freezer for later use.

Fish Crumble

Ingredients

Serves: 4
60g Fish eg, haddock, cod, whiting, salmon or a combination of any or all
100 ml milk
100 ml white wine
75 g+ 100g unsalted butter
75 g cornflour flour
200 grams Panko Breadcrumbs
200 grams cooked chestnuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp each chopped parsley and dill
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F, gas mark 5)
Put the fish in a single layer in a large pan and add milk and wine.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to the boil, then simmer gently for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave to stand for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the softened butter into the breadcrumbs, along with the crumbled chestnuts,the cheese, the seasoning and the herbs.
Remove the fish from the pan and flake it discarding any bones.
Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little water, add to the milk in the pan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sauce has thickened. Gently stir in the flaked fish and chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the fish mixture into a shallow gratin dish or individual dishes. Spoon the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve with some sautéed potatoes and a salad.

Aligot, as I have already said it is really cheese and potatoes.

Ingredients
2.5 kilos of potatoes
6 cloves garlic,
250 ml cream
100 grams unsalted butter
500 grams grated cheese. I use usually what ever is in my refrigerator, and I usually have in the freezers grated Emmental. Salt and pepper to taste.

This time I also added, equal amounts of parsnips and white turnips .

Method
1. Wash and peel the vegetables Put into enough water just to cover them along with the peeled garlic and boil gently until very soft but not disintegrating.

2. Strain and roughly mash together.
3. Put the cream and butter into a pan, bring to the boil and added the potatoes and then the cheese, stir so it does not burn until the cheese is melted.
4. Season.
5. Put into gratin dish(es) sprinkle over the top a little more cheese and put under the grill to brown if serving immediately otherwise leave to cool, freezes well.

Chicago and London, Restaurants and Food

I returned home from Chicago, where I had been for the Marathon ( not me I hasten to add) to find my home resembling the scene from the film Dr. Zhivago,where he returns to his home only to find it occupied by a load of strangers and himself being confined to one room! Yes! We have builders, and so we have been forced to leave.

Whilst in the USA, we dined on the obligatory post Marathon Hamburgers, in the not so customary Hamburger Joint of the Ralph Lauren Restaurant aptly named the RL. It is attached to the Ralph Lauren store, on Michigan Avenue ( aka the Magnificent Mile). The Decor and interior were just like the Ralph Lauren shops, pretending to be Olde Worlde English gentlemen’s clubs, lots of wood and leather, rather overcrowded with the number of tables, but pleasant surroundings nonetheless . The service was slick, despite having to ask twice for an ice bucket for our post Marathon “Bubbles”, the service was also fast, a tad too fast, but hey it is the USA, AND, someone had just run 26.2 miles (again)! The Hamburgers were just what was needed and were really good.

The next morning ,we hunted for the best pancakes in town, another post marathon ” must have”. We happened upon the ” Wildberry” and judging by the line outside, decided it was for us, the wait? An hour or thereabouts, fortunately we were given a buzzer to hold, which enabled us to grab a coffee and sit along with the rest of Chicago in the sun, waiting our turn. The Wildberry did not disappoint .

Following on from these two delights was “The Cheesecake Factory” this is a fairly upmarket US Chain, and it is a bit of a factory, but having just been up the Hancock Tower to fight with the masses for the wonderful view of Chicago by night, this restaurant was just downstairs. We opted for a salad, which of course was enormous, but then just look at the desserts! Heart attack here we come!

Back to reality, well not quiet , eating in the wonderful Pied a Terre restaurant in London. It had been a two star Michelin, but now sadly only one star.

To start with we both chose the same, which was the Veal Sweetbreads served with Steak Tartar and smoked eel, Delicious! Veal today is perfectly acceptable to order and to eat, gone are the days when it was considered not correct. Veal is the meat of young cattle, it can be produced from a calf of either sex but most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds. Only one Bull per herd is required and so the young bulls would need to be slaughtered in any case . Nowadays they are given freedom before slaughtering .

Following on from this I chose the Pan Fried Halibut with Heritage carrots whilst himself had the Honey and Lemon Thyme duck with dumplings.

Neither of us chose a dessert,which was just as well, given the plate of petite fours that arrived with our coffee, along with some doughnuts!

So now we really are back to reality, we are back in France, our Home from Home, where we have celebrated Halloween, carved Pumpkins, and made Toffee Apples, but more on that later!

It is August, so must be France!

There is a song by the Eagles, which goes something like this ” it is coming to the end of August and another Summers Promise almost gone! Well we are now into August and although the summer started off badly,in La Belle France life is good!
We are in the mountains,in between Geneva and Chamonix, listening to cow bells ( albeit they are on horses) catching tadpoles in the lovely Lac du Montriond, going for walks, eating the local food( not necessarily good) and being swamped by the Harley Boys, not really boys, old men with pony tails and their equally ancient girlfriends with their black leathers glowing, names emblazoned across their backs, astride the armchair lookalike motor bikes! Along with them there are the Darth Vadar look alikes ( serious Mountain Bikers) the walkers and the tourists. The thing they have in common is that they have come to enjoy the mountains. The sun is shining and life is laid back in a very French kind of way.
One local institution has shut up shop, after being taken over by ” new owners” 18 months ago. La Petite Auberge was always full at lunch time with local workers, they offered a four course lunch plus coffee at €14.50 but now they only offer shuttered windows and law suits. However the other, which only opened at about the same time, has also been the subject of “new owners” and is a big hit with locals, be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just for a drink, and we can even order our morning bread and croissants from them, which saves the drive down 7 hairpins!

Living in London, I know I am spoilt by the availability of groceries and restaurants, but here in the Haute Savoie I am always left a bit disappointed. Last week, after having been already been to the supermarket, I then managed to spend another €80 in the local Market! Quelle Horreur, we had nothing special, and two days later the strawberries were covered with a grey hairy film and most had to be ejected.

We actually do not eat out much in this area, as it is always variations on a theme, Ham, Cheese, Bread and Cream. So there is the infamous Tartiflette ( ham potatoes cheese, ( usually reblochon). I actually quite like Tartiflette, in a once a year kind of way, but even more so if it is made with Goats cheese. There is a lot of goats cheese here in the mountains,then there is Croute, which is, yes , you have guessed it, Ham, Bread and Cheese, and of course Raclette which is, Potatoes, and cheese, and do not forget Cheese Fondue, which of course is Bread and Cheese!

Having said that we do not eat out much in the Mountains, last night was an exception, it was the Fete du Village, where once a year, the young farmers of the area organise and run a Soirée. This year it was Fondue! The evening started out with an exhibition of line dancing, complete with a caller and ageing ladies dressed in their interpretation of “Go Texan” I did comment that I did not “do” line dancing when I lived in Texas, so was not about to start !

So, in our local cafe, where you call, to see what Madame can cook for you ( depending on what she has bought that day), we ate well, and Madame did very well indeed, considering we were 12 people, 4 of whom were children. The children all ate Home made Turkey Nuggets and hand cut French Fries whilst the adults had one of the following
Omelette,
Charcuterie with mini Rosti
Steak Frites
Local trout with French Fries or Rosti

Twice cooked French Fries

Ingredients

Russet, Idaho, or Baking Potatoes
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Salt to shake after cooking

Method
Peel and Cut the Potatoes into chips and put to soak in some cold water ( this will remove some of the starch from the potatoes. I don’t think most people realize that Chips ( French fries) need to be twice fried. The first frying in done at a lower temperature, which softens the potato and prepares the starchy surface ,ready for the second frying. Belgians really do make the best French Fries and they are always twice cooked.
Heat the oil in a large pan ( chip pan or an electric deep fryer is the safer option) Heat the oil to 135 C ( 275 F). the oil can be tested for readiness, by dropping in a piece of bread, if the oil is hot enough then it will bubble and brown very quickly. Drain the potatoes and pat dry in a clean Kitchen towel, and put a couple of handfuls into the hot oil, taking care not to splash yourself with the hot oil. Do not over crowd, there should be plenty of room for the chips to float around. When they are soft, but not brown, remove from the oil, drain and leave to one side, ( they can be cooked well in advance of need and left to cool). Cook in batches as many as you need.
Turn up the heat and heat the oil to180C ( 355 F) and when hot, add the partially cooked chips once again, and they will be brown and crisp in no time at all. Drain on Kitchen towel and serve at once. ( if cooking for a crowd, pop them into a fairly hot oven to keep warm

We also ate at the other restaurant in the area, which does not serve Bread, Ham and Cheese. It is called L’Outa. from the outside it resembles a refined antique shop, nice pieces of pine furniture and fine mountain accessories. But indeed it is a restaurant, which I feel is in fact a bit of a hobby for its owners. Once when called to make a reservation the answer was “ Can you call back tomorrow? We have not decided if we are going to be open or not!”
The menu is much more refined and makes for a great evening out. They had on offer this time round Scallops wrapped in bacon and cooked on the grill. YUMMY !

Scallops wrapped in Bacon

Ingredients
Serves : 4
6 slices thin sliced streaky bacon
12 large scallops rinsed and drained
1 Lemon quartered
Method
Preheat grill ( a BBQ grill is the best)
Cut the bacon slices in half and wrap each half around a scallop. Use a cocktail stick to secure in place.
Bake on the grill for about 10 – 15 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Serve warm with the lemon wedge. It does not need anything else, but you can decorate the plate just a little!

My grandchildren came to stay and both of them wanted to cook. So they both made lemon cake, and it was so easy for them to make a really good cake.

Lemon Cake

Ingredients

6oz (1 1/2 cups) (170 grms) self raising flour
6 oz butter softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 medium eggs
6 oz ( 3/4 cup) (170 grms ) caster sugar

For the drizzle
juice of a large lemon
2oz caster sugar

Method

Put the cake ingredients into a food processor and mix together, add some milk if it seems a little stiff, should be like whipped cream or soft ice cream. Spoon into a well greased loaf tin and bake at 180 C until golden brown and firm to touch. You can test the done-ness by inserting a skewer into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, it is cooked.Leave to stand for about 15 minutes and then gently ease the cake out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Spike the whole of the cake with a skewer and make the drizzle, by dissolving the sugar in the lemon juice, then carefully pour , spoon or paint the cake with it, until it has all been absorbed. Leave to cool and serve
The best part is eating the left overs in the bowl!

What we ate last week!

My mother once remarked, that she never knew what she would get to eat in my house, and I think that it was a true observation. I open the refrigerator and get inspiration, and likewise, when I go to the grocery store, or to the market stall. I got carried away the other week, the stall holder had boxes of Oyster Mushrooms on Sale for next to nothing!So I bought one and proceeded to make mushroom soup. Big mistake, Oyster Mushroom soup, has as much flavour as a piece of wet sponge, but Hey Ho, you live and learn!

So what have we been eating this week? Well, we went to a Summer Ball, where the normally high standard of food, was sadly very disappointing. A smidgin of smoked salmon something or other to start, followed by a mouth cleansing sorbet, but as we had not eaten much that was superfluous. This was followed by Steak, which probably started out life as a decent enough steak, but cooking steak for over 200, is always a challenge and this time it did not work, especially as by the time it reached the table was only luke warm and was like a piece of wet soft leather. Dessert? Umm? Yes? Cannot even remember what it was, Oh Dear!

However, the Black Horse, a small pub in the village of Fulmer in Buckinghamshire was a revelation. A small dining room decorated with taste and style. The menu was interesting as was the set lunch menu at about £14 for two courses. On the set lunch menu was fried whitebait for starters. The portion was large and they were indeed delicious and crispy. The mains from the a la carte included Fillet of Sea Trout with a Greek Salad, Peppered Tuna Steak with a Salad Nicoise, Cajun Spiced Spatchcock Chicken, Beer Battered Fish and Risotto Verde with asparagus, broad beans, peas and goats cheese.

They state on their web site that their menu might just read ham, egg and chips, but forget to mention that it has been cooked for six hours, or that the chef has basted it every 20 minutes with homemade mustard and local honey, or that the chips are triple cooked and need a science lesson to explain and those eggs were collected from a farm five miles away. So good ambiance, good decor AND good food.

So what have I been cooking? Well, Risotto, Fish Pie, Healthy Eating Salad, Spaghetti Sauce, Curried Salmon fillets, Egg Fried Rice and Pancakes!!

My grandchildren have recently arrived to stay; they are 3 and 5 and so far have lived in three countries, Australia, India and now Mexico so their tastes are eclectic and conservative at the same time. So when deciding what to make for them I opted for the fried rice, the fish pie and the spaghetti sauce. Actually, for the spaghetti sauce I decided to experiment, this came about as I was juicing an assortment of vegetables. When my own children were small I incorporated finely chopped or grated Vegetables into the spaghetti sauce. It occurred to me that if I used my juicer to grate the vegetables then they would be really finely grated and then I could use the juice as the stock component of the sauce. So, this is what I did.

Healthy Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

• a small assortment of vegetables. I used, a large carrot, an onion, a courgette, a few sticks of celery, a small raw beetroot.
• 8 oz good quality low fat minced beef
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 400grm size can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato puree (paste) or a good squirt from a tube
• +/-1/2 litre stock – Vegetable preferably if not doing the Juicing!

Method

Either put the vegetables through the juicer and collect both the juice and the grated vegetables or just grate the vegetables finely. Sauté the vegetables in a little olive oil until soft. Put to one side, then sauté the meat in a little olive oil, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the vegetables to the meat, along with the can of chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree (paste). Stir well to mix. Add some of the stock or juice, mix well, cover and simmer. Check from time to time that it is not sticking and add more stock/juice as required, until it is all absorbed and looks like a real sauce. Season to taste. Remember this is for kids!! I serve it on fresh fusilli, as it is easier for little ones to manage, rather than long slippery spaghetti!

My little grandchildren just love Cheerios for breakfast! in fact for the past few years they have eaten nothing else! We even trekked in the Himalayas, climbing 27,500 steps up the mountainside with a supply of Cherrios in the rucksacks! I hasten to add that we had Sherpas! However, this summer has been a revelation, they have come to stay and after 9 days not one Cherrio has been eaten. The breakfast of choice is currently pancakes (crepes), a la mode des enfants! So it is a crepe spread with either a Petite Filou type yoghurt or a fruit yoghurt, topped with sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Wonderful! Below is the basic crepe recipe, I do not add any salt nor sugar to the mixture, that way, it can be used for sweet or savoury. I make the basic quantity or even double, you can make them all and refrigerate or even freeze them and then a quick reheat in the crepe pan ( I have it on good authority that a reheat in the microwave just does not do, though the grandchildren seem less concerned about that!)

Basic Crepe (pancake ) recipe

Ingredients

• 4oz (1 cup) (110grms) plain sifted flour

• 1 egg

• pinch salt

• 8Floz (225Mls)(1Cup)milk

For savoury crepe, choose from any or all of the following:
• chopped cooked mushrooms
• onions
• tomatoes
• peppers
• fried eggs
• ham
• cheese etc

Method

I believe in easy and, as such, I put the flour and salt in the food processor, switch on and add the egg and the milk all at once and process until smooth. The mixture should be the consistency of pouring cream.  Heat a pan (a crepe pan does make life easy, as it is very shallow and small sides making turning or flipping the crepe very easy indeed.)

Heat the pan over a medium heat and using kitchen paper, just wipe a small amount of butter over the pan. You can use olive oil but do not use any of the low fat spreads; they do not work very well. When you can stand back and feel the heat coming from the pan, then pour about 1/6th of the mixture into the pan and swirl around until the whole surface is covered with crepe mixture. Leave well alone until the top surface is dry and ease a spatula around the edge and turn the crepe over, if you are feeling adventurous toss it! . This can be served with just lemon juice and sugar or as in the photo, with yoghurt and berries, or let you imagination run wild. If you are making a savoury crepe (Crepe sale), do not flip it over but add your filling and fold the crepe over.

So what did the big people eat? Well, as I decided to have a freezer clear out, the answer was fish pie.  It is very easy and you can be very creative making fish pie. I use either what I have in the freezer or what ever takes my fancy – it is usually the former. Quantities are rather elusive I am afraid!

Sue’s Mid WeekFish Pie

Ingredients

• an assortment of fish. ,I used about 1/2 lb frozen skinless Shrimp*, 2 skinless Salmon Filets, a large cod filet,

• 1 Pangasius. This is a type of Catfish and is native to Asia. It is farmed in fresh water ponds along the Mekong River Delta. It is now available in Marks & Spencers, frozen in Asian supermarkets and is the 6th on the list of most eaten fish in the USA. It resembles Sole both in appearance and texture, with a mild flavour.

• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 3 – 4 medium size potatoes, cooked and peeled
• Cheese sauce made from 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch), 1 pint milk, 2oz soft butter, 4oz  grated cheese (I use grated dried mozzarella as I prefer the flavour to the stronger English cheddar and it melts well).

Method
Poach the assortment of fish and the salmon in some vegetable stock until it is just cooked through. Remove from stock with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander and repeat with all the fish. Remove any skin and bones along with the dark flesh, which could be at the back of the salmon, flake and put to one side. Roughly mash the potatoes and the egg.
For the sauce, I always use the “all in one method” that was developed about 40 years ago, and yes it is as the name infers, throw it all in and stir.  Mix together the butter, the cornflour and the milk, put in the microwave on high for one minute, stir well and repeat the process until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the cheese and repeat again for the cheese to melt. Season to taste. If by any chance you are distracted and do not stir sufficiently and the sauce goes lumpy, do not despair, a quick whizz with a whisk or hand held blender will quickly put it to rights. Put all the mixture into a gratin dish sprinkle cheese over the top, decorate with some tomatoes and bake on a medium heat (175C) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. It freezes well so if there is any left overs, save it for another night.

Have fun and enjoy!

Eating our way through Austria!

This week, we have been in Austria. When I say we, I mean us two along with a bunch of golfing buddies. Yes, we went there to play golf. Austria traditionally summons up images of the Sound of Music, Lederhosen, Dirndls, Alpenhorns and skiing (think of Franz Klammer). However, there also happen to be over 140 golf courses in Austria. Some might not rate as being top notch from a golfing standpoint but they certainly rate highly by way of the views!
We stayed at the Grand Park Hotel in Bad Hofgastein, in the Gaseinertal ( Gastein Valley) and grand it was.

At this time of year the occupancy rate is low but that did not mean that the standard of service slipped. Quite the opposite; from Claudia the General Manager to Petra in Sales and Marketing, to

Jatin, the Maitre d” the wait staff and the spa staff, they pulled out all the stops for us. From breakfast to dinner, from the golfing “halfway house “

to wine tasting, we ate our way through the week. The breakfast buffet is just the most amazing breakfast buffet I have ever seen, not just boring old cornflakes or cold scrambled eggs for us! And the evening, well, we could have had the spa menu, but no! We ate all the 5, 7 or 8 courses that were on offer. The Menus were always published in English and German and on the menu each day was an Austrian option, ie, a typical Austrian dish of the day. I did try to persuade them that listing the dish of the day, as “Boiled beef “or “Symphony of Blood Sausage”, would not encourage the average diner to try them, not for the faint hearted

However some of our little group, were not of the faint hearted variety and you will find some of these dishes pictured below. But I am not going to give you the recipes, unless you really want them.

(While in the area we visited Kehlsteinhaus, which is situated 1834m (6017 ft.) above sea level in one of the most strikingly beautiful locations in Southern Germany. It is also popularly known as the “Eagle’s Nest” and was commissioned in 1937 by Reichsleiter Martin Bormann as a fiftieth birthday present for National Socialist leader Adolf Hitler. The spectacular mountain eyrie perched on top of the Kehlstein Mountain in the Berchtesgaden Alps is reached by a combination of mountain road and an amazing huge brass clad elevator. Apparently this is where Hitler and his lover Eva Braun would meet – it’s a truly beautiful spot.
Today it is a tourist spot and the once famous conference room is a restaurant. Here I had Wurst Salat. ( Sausage salad).I has to be almost 40 years since I last ate Wurst Salad, but Yummy, especially if good quality ham is used instead of Bologne. And then , I indulged in Apfel Kuchen mit Sahne (apple cake with cream) along with the local white wine! Yum. Himself had the Kase Torte (cheese cake).

Hitler's former conference room — Hitler’s former conference room

Another product of the region that comes from Southern Austria, an area called Styria, is pumpkin seed oil, or kürbiskernöl .The viscous oil is light to very dark green to dark red in colour and has an intense nutty taste. Pumpkin seed oil serves as a salad dressing when combined with honey or olive oil but do not use it in cooking as browned oil has a bitter taste. The oil is also used for desserts, giving ordinary vanilla ice cream a nutty taste and is considered a real delicacy in Austria. You can also add a few drops to pumpkin soup to enhance the flavour. In the UK it is also available online by way of Amazon!

Ice Cream with whipped cream Pumpkin Seed oil and nuts and seeds

So, inspired by my recent trip to Austria here is my recipe for Wurst Salat.
German Sausage Salad
To serve 1-2 people

Ingredients
Equal amounts of good ham and cheese slices (about 135 grams +/-4oz of each) 1 clove Garlic crushed
1 Red onion thinly sliced
4 small gherkins chopped
1/4 cup vinaigrette type salad dressing, bought is fine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Method
Slice the meat and the cheese into thin strips.
Mix the salad dressing with the mustard, the garlic and the salt.
Mix the meat and cheese with the chopped gherkins and then the salad dressing mix.
Put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving. Pile onto a plate and decorate with the sliced onions and a little bit of gherkin.Adjusting the seasoning and maybe leaving out the onions and gherkins could be a quickie for those who have little ones.
Serve and eat with a pile of French Fries!

Pumpkin Seed Salad dressing

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil
1 pinch salt

Method
Preferably put everything into a container, either a jar or a special salad dressing shaker, and shake.
Nothing could be easier and it does not need refrigeration. Delicious!

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It is August, so must be France!

What we ate last week!

Eating our way through Austria!