Sabrina's Passions

RECIPE: Pommes Boulangere (A French classic!)

2011-10-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Until a couple of years ago, potatoes would have been at the bottom of my list of favourite carbs. I have no idea why but I can tell you that things seem to have changed and I couldn't be happier about it. Lately I have been trying out lots of different ways to make yummy and innovative dishes using potatoes. Everything from classic Spanish Tortilla to potato hash as well as stuffed potatoes.

During the summer months, good old fashioned potatoes are seriously neglected. We stop eating chips, we stop eating mash and the only spud that gets a look in is the Jersey new potato in salad form. Now that the weather is getting colder, it's a great time to focus on root vegetables and the like as they are perfectly in season and just the kind of food we start to crave in Autumn/Winter.

So how to make the humble potato more exciting? Well, potatoes are so versatile and whilst we Brits love our mash and chips and know what to do with the humble spud, the French have a few great ideas as well (think Dauphinoise and Fondant!) But this is one of my favourite potato dishes from France and I'm happy to eat it as a main meal on it's own and its called Pommes Boulangeres. Boulangeres deriving from the French word for bakery (Boulangerie), this dish would most likely have been something that a baker one day came up with and popped into his baker's oven or possibly local families would prepare and take to the baker to cook for them in his oven. Either way, thank god for its creation!

This dish is incredibly simple, as most peasant food should be; consisting of layers of thinly sliced potatoes dotted with butter, seasoned with salt, pepper and a scant seasoning of thyme and once the potatoes are layered right the way to the top of the baking dish... pour over good quality chicken stock and then place in the oven. The result is delicious and rather than ramble on any more and ensure you just how you can make it here is the recipe for my Pommes Boulangere;

Pommes Boulangere

- Large waxy potatoes - not Maris Piper / King Edward (quantity depends on size of oven dish you choose!)
- 1 bunch of fresh thyme
- White/brown onions (again, as many as you would need to cover each layer of potato in your own oven dish) sliced roughly into half moons
150g salted butter
- Maldon sea salt
- Black pepper
- Good quality chicken stock (but you can use Knorr jelly/liquid stock too) enough to top up and almost cover the potatoes
**ovenware suitable dish with lid** (Le Creuset pans are great for this!)

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees (fan assisted) and thinly slice the potatoes to the thickness of a matchstick, approximately. Then layer your potatoes until you have generously covered the base once, overlapping the potatoes slightly, seasoning well with Maldon sea salt and black pepper and covering with a generous handful of the sliced onions. Then dot with a few knobs of butter (small) and a scant sprinkling of fresh thyme and repeat the process until either the ovenware dish is full or you have run out of potatoes, but make sure that your top layer consists of potato only with just a little butter and salt and pepper.

Once the dish is full, gently pour the stock over the potatoes until it just about covers the potatoes, but not entirely and place in the oven for 20 minutes on 220 degrees without the lid, before covering with a lid and reducing the temperature to 170 degrees and cooking for a further 40 minutes.

Once the time is done, simply lift the lid and serve! This is a great dish perfect with meat, fish, game or just on its own or with some cheese even. Use vegetable stock if you are a vegetarian, of course and enjoy!

'Sabrina's Kitchen' Pop-Up Supper Club Nights

2011-10-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

After the success of my French Launderette Supper Club, I was overwhelmed with demand for more new supper club dates. Although the French Launderette has been well and truly laid to rest (RIP), 'Sabrina's Kitchen' is born and the team and I have put just 8 dates (yes, so make sure you get in quick!) in the diary to host some fun and unique evenings with just one thing in common... SERIOUSLY good food.

My co-host for duration of 'Sabrina's Kitchen' is the lovely Simon Fernandez of 'ferdiesfoodlab' who will help me deliver a memorable meal to you all in a beautiful grade 2 listed building located just 1 minutes walk from Aldgate East underground station in London. The evenings are focused on convivial, communal dining perfect for singles as well as small or larger groups.

VENUE
Toynbee Hall - 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS

DATES CUISINE
Wed 16th Nov / Persian – A tasting of classic and my own modern style of Persian cooking
Tue 22nd Nov / Spanish - Classic, popular dishes from all over Spain
Fri 25th Nov / Arabesque - Feast of Eastern dishes from Arab states to Turkish delights
Wed 30th Nov / Pan-Asian – Favourite flavours and dishes from the Orient

Tue 6th Dec / Persian – A tasting of classic and my own modern style of Persian
Wed 7th Dec / Spanish - Classic, popular dishes from all over Spain
Mon 19th Dec / Arabesque - Feast of Eastern dishes from Arab states to Turkish delights
Tue 20th Dec / Pan-Asian – Favourite flavours and dishes from the Orient

** Minimum donation of £40.00 per person includes a special cocktail on arrival & your meal **

To make your booking please email me at: sabrinaghayour@hotmail.com and be sure to include the following info:

* Number of guests in your group
* The date on which you'd like to attend
* Guests names
* Any allergies
* Mobile contact number

Deposits of £20.00 required to secure your booking (via PayPal) to secure your place. Bookings are not confirmed without receipt and clearance of deposit payment. Remaining balance of payments to be made in cash on the night please as unfortunately we are unable to accept cheque or credit card payments.

I am so excited to be hosting these special evenings and I look forward to meeting those of you who couldn't get a spot at the French Launderette and I hope you will invite your friends and family and tell everyone about my dinners. The more the merrier and perfect in time for the festive period too! GET BOOKING FOLKS and PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!!

Best wishes

Sabrina

Blog: http://sabrinaspassions.blogspot.com
Twitter: @SabrinaGhayour

RECIPE: Linguine with Calabrian Salami N'Duja & Prawns

2011-09-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hands up who has heard of salami N'Duja? Well, fret ye not as you aren't alone. Until a few years ago, I hadn't heard of it either and if you know ANYTHING about me, you know I make it business to learn about Italian ingredients/produce of any kind, but none more so than salami.

So what makes this particular salami so special? Well (wait for it) this salami is spreadable! You read that right, SPREADABLE and it is absolutely divine. Packed with masses of fiery chillies from the southern most region of Italy, Calabria, this wonderful salami is so versatile and can be used in so many ways (stay tuned for more N'Duja recipes, because I won't be giving away ALL my secrets just yet!) but it is traditionally just spread on a simple crostino (or toasted bread) and enjoyed.

But where oh where can this fiery fabulous salami be found? Well, the picture above was taken from the 'De Calabria' stall at Borough Market but Melograno Deli in Notting Hill also sell in it a jar and to be honest most Italian delis and food markets are beginning to stock it either whole or in a jar so its well worth hunting down and it keeps perfectly well in an airtight container.

I've long been a fan of combining foods from land with foods of the sea. Think 'Surf n Turf' minus the hideously tacky label and instead revert to the almost musical-sounding Italian version 'Monte e Mare' - meaning 'Mountain and Sea' instead. This wonderful pasta dish was born out of pure laziness and simply utilising ingredients I had in the house and to amazing effect too, I might add and it takes virtually no time at all... so here is the recipe;

Spaghetti with Calabrian Salami N'Duja & Prawns (Serves 2-3)

250g Linguine (or Spaghetti)
200g shelled uncooked tiger prawns
150g salami N'Duja
400g tin of chopped tomatoes (the better the quality, the better the result!)
A handful of sunblush/slow roasted tomatoes **optional**
Maldon sea salt
Olive oil

Cook the pasta (per the packet instructions) until al dente. For the recipe, its best to undercook the pasta just a little because we want it to cook in the final sauce for a little so it really absorbs all that wonderful flavour. Once cooked, drain the pasta, rinse well with cold water and set aside. In the same cooking pot over a medium-high heat (or medium if using gas) drizzle just a little olive oil and then add the N'Duja salami and quickly stir it to prevent it burning. Once the salami is heating up, add the prawns and stir well til they are coated in the salami and beginning to turn pink almost completely then add the chopped tomatoes and sunblush/slow roasted tomatoes and mix all the ingredients together well and season with some Maldon sea salt. Not too much salt as with all the chilli, you won't really need to over salt the sauce.

Now add the pasta to the prawn, N'Duja and tomato mixture and give it a good mix with an extra slug of olive oil if needed. Cover with a lid for a few minutes to keep moisture in and finish cooking the pasta in the wonderful juices. Then remove the lid and give it a good stir for another minute or so and you are ready to serve! The sauce is not VERY fiery, but it certainly does pack a punch, thats for sure!

BOOK REVIEW: Comfort & Spice

2011-09-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

The latest release from Quadrille Publishing House's 'New Voices in Food' series is from Niamh Shields titled 'Comfort & Spice - Recipes for modern living'. Niamh is the author of 'Eat Like a Girl' blog which is one of the UK's most followed food blogs.

Seperated into sections titled Brunch, Speedy Suppers, Long Weekend, Sugar & Spice and Drinks, there is a lot of comfort to be found in this book with everything from lemon and ricotta pancakes with raspberries to Beijing dumplings with chilli and soy dipping sauce. There is also a really helpful section on what to do with leftovers; packed with useful tips for transforming your leftovers into delicious new meals.

Niamh has also featured recipes for more elegant dishes like scallops with samphire and pancetta and Ras el Hanout lamb shanks with cous cous. There are a broad spectrum of dishes from around the globe that really make this a fab book for every day use. There is no pretense, no faffy skilled technique required; this is good, home-cooking with flavours from around the world and nothing is overly complicated or scary to try and attempt. Definitely the kind of book that provide no intimidation for any level of cook but creates really lovely meals perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There are some nice pictures in the book, but I only wish there were more as some of the recipes sounds amazing and a picture alongside every one would be fantastic! Looking forward to Niamh's next cook book already, but not before I have literally cooked my way through a good chunk of her first cook book, Comfort & Spice. Great job Niamh, we love it!

Right now on Amazon, you can order the book and its a total steal at almost half price... Just click here to purchase. You won't be disappointed!

Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

2011-09-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

There is only one thing I like more than cheesecake and that is cheesecake ice cream. Creamy, velvety indulgent raspberry goodness, in this instance. As you know, cheesecake anything is never a low-fat option, but everything in moderation as they say. You can very happily use low fat substitutes when making the ice cream mix and it will turn out virtually exactly the same. I don't normally EVER endorse low fat products (apart from 0% Total yoghurt!) because low fat just isn't the same in most instances, such as mayonnaise and cheese for for this recipe, low fat cream cheese, Creme Fraiche and double cream if you can find them.

Raspberries are one of my favourite berries and I think they work so much better in ice cream than strawberries do and they truly remind me of late summer. You can easily use any other fruit to make this recipe but the sweet, tartness of the plump raspberries are just the perfect accompaniment to the rich nature of this ice cream and provide a balanced acidity that works brilliantly with the cheesecake flavours.

The most essential tool when making ice cream is a decent ice cream maker and so when the good people at Cuisineart very kindly sent me a swanky new 'Ice Cream Deluxe' machine, I was beyond ecstatic to try my favourite ice cream recipe in it to see how it turned out and I must say, the result was deliciously creamy and smooth in texture. Absolutely perfect. All you need to do 24 hours before you want to make your ice cream is to freeze the ice cream bowl and the next day, you can have delicious ice cream ready within 30 minutes (I still find that amazing!)

Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

150g cream cheese
250g of double cream
200g of full fat Creme Fraiche
200g caster sugar
200g of fresh raspberries
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod OR 2 teaspoons of best quality vanilla essence
A pinch of salt

Using a handwhisk, mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is nice and smooth and evenly incorporated. Don't worry about getting it perfect as the ice cream mixer will really do most of the mixing for you.

Wash and drain the raspberries and add them to the mixture, folding them in gently until the mixture begins to turn pink. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, switch it on and allow to churn for 30-35 minutes and you are done. You can eat it right there and then or freeze the mixture for a couple of hours to firm it up a nicely.

My only advice to you when making fresh ice cream is to make sure you eat it within a week maximum as it just isn't the same after that. Although, this recipe is so delicious, I defy you not to eat the whole lot within 24 hours! It's gooey, thick and very decadent and perfect for this lovely burst of spring sunshine we are having. If you want to add strawberries or any other berries/fruit at all, just add 200g of your desired fruit instead. But soft fruits (like berries) tend to work best!

RECIPE: Courgette & Aubergine 'Chips' (Zucchini e Melanzane Fritti)

2011-09-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Having just come back from Rome, it is safe to say I am missing the great food very much and so I decided to create a little Italian magic in the kitchen in the form of one of my all time favourite recipes.

Zucchini Fritti are the Italian equivalent of chips and to be perfectly honest, I would ALWAYS pick them over the humble potato. They are utterly addictive and being much lighter than the humble spud, you can end up eating A LOT more of them than normal chips... and why not? They are damn tasty and actually really easy to make. For a bit of diversity, I like to throw in some aubergines into the mix because the two vegetables work really well together and as long as you cut them into same size strips, they cook at the same time and the result is totally mouthwatering.... My perfect kind of food!

Courgette and Aubergine 'Chips' (Zucchini e Melanzane Fritti) - serves 2

2 courgettes
1 medium sized aubergine
1 litre of cooking oil (I use sunflower and think its best)
2 pints of milk (full fat or semi skimmed only)
300g plain flour for dusting

Without peeling them, slice your courgettes and aubergines into thin chips (about 7mm width) and then place all the chips in a bowl and cover completely with milk and leave to soak for an hour. This process breaks their fibres down and absorbs a bit of moisture making them cook better. Leave them to rest in the milk for an hour.

After about 45 minutes, take a large cooking pot and add your oil and turn the hob on to a medium - high heat (or medium flame is using gas). Add your flour into another bowl and once the oil is bubbling nicely (but not aggressively) take handfuls of the chips out of the milk, place them in the bowl with the flower and make sure they get a good coating. The milk soaking plus the flour will actually make the perfect batter coating for the chips.

Once the chips are nicely coated in flour, place them in a sieve and shake off the excess flour over the sink or into a bin and then carefully add them into the hot oil. The oil should bubble nicely once the chips are added and the chips should cook in approximately 8 minutes or until nice and golden. Once done, place them on a plate lined with a double layer of kitchen paper and salt immediately with Maldon sea salt. Repeat until all the chips are done and enjoy!

Joe's - Draycott Avenue, London

2011-09-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Long time neighbourhood favourite, Joe's on Draycott Avenue, has long housed the chicest locals and 'ladies that lunch' who break up an otherwise strenuous day of shopping with a spot of lunch in this monied part of town. Packed to the rafters on weekends with glamorous types and yummy-mummies, it has recently seen Greek Cypriot TV Chef Maria Elia take the helm and I popped along to see what interesting new things Maria has done with the menu.I didn't really know what to expect to be honest; a lot of the food in the area is overpriced, over-hyped and generally somewhat lacklustre for serious food devotees like myself. I was actually incredibly surprised to discover how innovative, well balanced and beautifully conceived the dishes were. I couldn't wait to try them! Chef Maria Elia was a gracious hostess and popped up to say a brief hello before sending out little 'tasters' - dish after beautiful dish of seductive plates just waiting to be savaged by a ravenous Persian girl like myself.The first course, served on an elegant slate platter, was a beetroot and Beluga lentil salad with a sharp Greek yoghurt adorned with both golden beetroot as well as the classic deep purple beetroot also. This is just the kind of food I love to eat. Not heavy, not greasy, light and healthy but without sacrificing flavour or enjoyment. I could have eaten this 10 times over and been eternally happy.The next course is possibly one of my favourite delights of the sea; the humble octopus. Scary looking for some but absolutely delicious and a staple of Greek culinary culture. If you haven't tried Octopus before, you are absolutely missing out! A delicate curled tentacle gently resting on a mix of braised barley and onions with a scattering of fennel seeds and elegant strands of fresh dill. What a treat; a fantastic combination and a great dish that I simply wouldn't have expected on a menu in this part of town.Now admittedly pigeon is not one of my favourite things but every once in a while, I enjoy it, provided it is cooked properly and paired with the right accompaniments. Delicate but meaty chunks of pigeon breast with a vibrant green sauce (the name of which escapes me) akin to pesto but not pungent with excess basil of coarse in texture. The pigeon itself rests on a green gage tatin that provide the perfect sweet yet sharp fruit flavour that so often works well with pigeon. I must say, I was surprised at how much I liked this dish. I still day dream about it everytime I see pigeon on a menu anywhere.More food? Absolutely. Maria Elia is Greek after all... And you know from my Greek adventures that they love to feed people... A LOT. This is not a problem whatsoever for me. In fact, I absolutely welcome it as long as it comes at a slow and sensible pace. Asian fish stew proved an almost virtuous 4th course, with a clear ocre-tinged seafood consomme infused with eastern aromatics like ginger and lemongrass with generous chunks of seabass, mussels and a scattering of puy lentils, coriander and bean sprouts to finish. It's the kind of food that feels healthy as its going down... do you know what I mean? Cleansing... rather zen, if you will. Enough said really as lets be honest, this is my 4th course with no end in sight so it's pretty safe to say I was now WAY past Zen/Virtous eating!The 5th course (yes, there was yet ANOTHER course) was beyond intriguing for me... a savoury baklava! "Madness!" I hear you say... Layers of filo pastry with green beans, feta cheese, tomatoes and honey. Two word; ABSOLUTELY DIVINE. Even I wasn't initially sure of this little creation but it was the perfect balance of sweet versus savoury combined with the wonderful sharpness of brilliant white feta cheese. Totally moreish and yet another nod to Maria Elia's heritage. If I could have, I would have ordered another portion as takeaway. I'm pretty sure I cold try and attempt it at home although less confident about it turning out even half as decent as Maria's dish.Last but not least came dessert, which at this point was a lost cause simply wasted on me. I ordered it but to be perfectly honest, I was so stuffed that they could have put George Clooney on a plate and I'd have little interest in tackling him. A simple slice of treacle tart with vanilla ice cream and an apricot puree was nice but I'd have to say Maria's talent shines in the savoury portion of the menu. Maybe I'm just not a dessert person as much as I am a savoury lover or maybe I'd just eaten my BODY WEIGHT in food! Either way, Joe's exceeded my expectations on every scale. The menu was beyond reasonably priced which led me to wonder why on earth I never come here? Perhaps the illusion that the crowd of diners would be annoying Yummy-Mummies? UNFOUNDED. Perhaps the food wouldn't be anything of interest to me? UNFOUNDED and more importantly, perhaps the prices are ludicrously high because of the plush South Kensington location and the fact that it's owned by Joseph boutique across the road... UNFOUNDED.

Very glad to have discovered this great little spot not so far from home and I can safely say, I will genuinely be coming back and look forward to sampling more from the regularly changing, seasonal menus created by Maria Elia.

Joe's
126 Draycott Avenue, London, SW3 3AH
Tel: 020 7225 2217
http://www.joseph.co.uk/joes-cafe/locations/

Bees - What's all the buzz about?

2011-08-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to the 'Magners Bee Aid' launch where we were given the chance to learn a little bit more about the plight of the British bee and how their extinction could affect us as a nation. You may have seen the ads on TV with Magners 'Beard of bees'?On arrival I was given a nifty little beekeepers outfits (modelled above!) which I donned along with my snazzy yellow marigolds and after a talk from the British Beekeepers Association we were invited to take part in a spot of beekeeping for ourselves over-looking London town.

Now admittedly the prospect of being stung by bees had virtually paralysed with fear for a while, but I knew this was something I wanted to get involved with somehow and learn a little more about. I was also reassured (many a time) that the bees wouldn't really have that much interest in me in all honesty, which was good enough for me. As the beekeeper withdrew the bees from their hive, I had a massive lump in my throat and was rather nervous. I must admit I did find the experience rather daunting and I sheepishly retreated to the safety of the indoors, 15 minutes before anyone else did. But at least I did it! I stood there whilst the little bees were buzzing around, doing there thing and I learned a lot about the structure of the hive and the importance of drones, worker and Queen bees. They have such a sophisticated and well-structured work ethic, it puts us humans to shame.So why on earth did I get involved in this? Well here is what you need to know;

- One third of all the food we eat would not be available if it wasn't for bees
- In the UK alone, 70 crops are dependent/benefit from visits from bees
- The UK value of the bee industry has been estimated at over £200 million per year
- 10% of all crops & 25% of all plant species are pollinated by bees
- Our violent farming practices continue to disturb the natural habitats and forage of solitary and bumblebees at a rate which gives little chance for survival or re-establishment of hives

You might think that none of this is relevant to you, but you'd be wrong. Without bees you can effectively kiss goodbye crops such as apples, pears and orchard fruits and the buck doesn't stop there because without pollination, crops that animals feed on that make things like cheese and dairy products, would no longer be possible. The effect would be devastating on a scale which we, in our daily hustle and bustle, are failing to comprehend nor fully appreciate.

Magners have created a 'Bee Aid' campaign with a very generous initiative that I'm hoping you will all participate in... For every time that anyone 'likes' the Magners page on Facebook, enters the Magners competition or downloads the Magners phone app, Magners will make a donation of 50 bees to the British Bee Keeping Association and Federation of Irish BeeKeepers, to help save 1.5 million urban bees over the next year. So please visit the Magners Facebook page and 'like' it as with enough 'likes' it could make such an amazing difference to the survival of bees and the survival of the crops we enjoy and very often, take forgranted. Thanks everyone.

Website: http://www.magners.com/
Twitter: @MagnersUK
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/magners/
For more information on the plight of the bees, visit: http://www.bbka.org.uk/about/corporate_members__sponsors/magners_cider

RECIPE: Focaccia Bread

2011-08-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am no master when it comes to baking but I generally find that I can pull off bread better than pastry or say meringue making. So when I was looking for the perfect bread recipes, I had to turn to none other than Guardian & Sainsburys Magazine bread expert Dan Lepard.Through a few very kind exchanges on Twitter, Dan encouraged me to try this recipe and I'm so glad I did because (as you can see above) the results were splendid and I just had to share the recipe with you.

Focaccia Bread

125g cold sour cream
2 tsp salt
2 tsp caster sugar
1 sachet fast-action yeast
550g strong white flour, plus extra for shaping
4-5 stems of fresh rosemary
200mls of extra virgin olive oil
A generous handful of Maldon sea salt
Extra olive oil, for kneading
Oven paper / baking paper

In a large bowl, mix the cream with 150ml cold water and 100ml boiling water. Add the salt, sugar and yeast, then mix in the flour until it forms a rough ball. Cover the bowl with some clingfilm and leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Lightly oil your kitchen surface or a large (non-wooden) chopping board and gently knead the dough for 10 seconds before returning the dough back into the bowl and leaving it to rest for another 10 minutes. Repeat the quick knead process two more times at 10 minute intervals, then roll the dough out into a rectangle shape approximately the size of a large oven tray and line the tray with some baking/oven paper and place the dough onto the paper lined tray. Stretch it out as much as possible and using your fingers, literally poke deep holes all over the dough (trying not to piece the dough but still being pretty tough with it) and cover with clingfilm and leave to rest somewhere warm for 2 hours (or a little more if you like).

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted). Once the two hours is up, remove clingfilm from the top and drizzle 200ml of extra virgin olive oil over the dough, ensuring it covers every nook and cranny of the dough. A silicone brush will help aid this process. Sprinkle the entire surface of the bread liberally with the uncrushed Maldon sea salt flakes and pick the rosemary leaves from the woody stems and sprinkle them evenly on the bread dough. Place on the top shelf in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. The results, as you can see above, are absolutely splendid... I hope you will give it a go.

RECIPE: Churros and Chocolate (HEAVEN!)

2011-08-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

I do love a good donut. Donuts of all descriptions but Churros really do it for me. Perfect balance of dough to cinnamony-sugary, crispy goodness. Add a pot of dipping chocolate into the mixing and I'm good to go.

Last year I bought myself a Churros maker which, to be perfectly honest, looks like a gentlemen's genital enlargement tool. Ok, I'm trying to be polite... quite frankly it looks like a penis pump, but if it gets the job done and makes good Churros, then I am happy. Basically you only really need a piping bag with a star-ridged nozzle to do the job really, so don't go frantically looking for a special Spanish Churros maker like I did!

This recipe is not my own; it is a recipe from Thomasina Mier's 'Mexican Food Made Simple'which I bought last year with the intention of making Churros. So forgive me, as clearly I am a little behind but MAN was it worth the wait! So here is the recipe;

Churros and Chocolate

125g plain flour
125 self raising flour
450ml of boiling water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
200g of caster sugar
1.5-2 litres of sunflower oil

For the chocolate sauce
200g dark chocolate (preferably 70% cocoa)
50g milk chocolate
2 tabelspoons of golden syrup
300ml of double cream

In a heavy based saucepan over a very gentle heat, pour in the double cream, golden syrup and break in all of the chocolate and stir well until the chocolate melts and the sauce because a rich, glossy chocolate mixture. Then turn the heat off. Then preheat a large pan over a medium to high heat (or medium if using gas) and pour the sunflower oil in it in preparation for frying your churros.

In a heatproof or metal bowl sift the flours and salt together into the bowl and make a well in the centre. Measure out 450ml of boiling water in a measuring jug then add your olive oil into the hot water and stir well before pouring into the centre of your well in the bowl with the flour in it and using a fork, stir well.
The mixture is going to look bizarre, like a thick, raw bread dough but this is correct and you will need to let it rest for 10 minutes.Once done, fill a piping bag with some of the mixture and testing the oil is hot enough first (usually a small bit of bread should turn golden within 30 seconds) and pipe in your churros dough (about 5 inches long) and snip the ends off with a pair of scissors. Don't overcrowd the pan because they have a tendency to stick together in the oil otherwise, so 3 at a time works best. Fry them all and once done place on a plate lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen towel to drain off excess oil.

Mix the caster sugar and ground cinnamon together and either roll the churros in the sugar mixtures of liberally sprinkle the sugar mixture over the Churros... And don't forget to pour yourself a nice cup of the chocolate sauce to dip the Churros in. HEAVEN!

STREET FOOD: Big Apple Hot Dogs

2011-08-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Do you like hot dogs? I sure as hell do... and finding good ones in London or in fact anywhere in the UK is truly a very hard job. As you may know, I have recently been exploring the street food stands of London trying to seperate the wheat from the chaff and wrapping my lips around this bad-boy-of-a-hot-dog was nothing short of a pure, unadulterated pleasure.

Owner of Big Apple Hot Dogs is the colourful Abiye, who on this occasion was joined by his teenage son Isaac on a gorgeous sunny day, serving up hot dogs from their little corner just a stones throw away from Old Street tube station. There is a lovely table just adjacent to the hot dog stand where you can sit and if you're lucky, as we were, you are bathed in sunshine whilst sipping a cold drink as you contemplate what to order.

Waiting for my chosen hot dog, 'The Big Dog' - a double smoked pork hot dog seasoned with marjoram, garlic and black pepper, felt like the longest wait of my life. I was absolutely dying to get my chops around one of those bad boys and the wait was killing me. Finally I am presented with an absolutely enormous hot dog and the first bite delivers the crucial 'sausage snap' that any self respecting hot dog should have, followed by a mouthful of meaty, juicy sausage, bathed in your chosen sauce (which in my case HAS to be mustard and ketchup and loads fof it). For £3.50, there aren't many better meals to be had in the City, let alone the country.

I have waited in line for over an hour to eat hot dogs at the world famous 'Pinks' in Los Angeles as well as explored the hot dog scene in New York at places such as Gray's Papaya, Shake Shack and Crip's Dogs and to be perfectly honest, they've got nothing on Abiye's Big Apple Hot Dogs. My one wish would be that the Chilli Cheese Dog would become more popular over here, as it is my favourite and nobody seems to be doing it. Having said that, Big Apple Hot Dogs are more than enough to satisfy my inner greedy girl and I cannot wait to go back for some mo', fo' sho'!

You can follow Big Apple Hot Dogs on Twitter: @BigAppleHotDogs

Big Apple Hot Dogs
239 Old Street
London
EC1
Tel: 07989 387 441

RECIPE: Mediterranean Green Bean Salad

2011-07-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

Summer seems like it is finally making its way to our shores, at long last and i just love making delicious but filling salad that makes a great meal in itself or a perfect accompaniment for grilled meat and fish.

I took a little inspiration from one of my favourite holiday salads, the Nicoise, but tuna and eggs aren't for everyone so my fantastic vegetarian version is an all round crowd-pleasing dish with lots of different flavours and plenty of bite! The best part of the whole thing is that it really doesn't take a hell of a lot of skill to put this great recipe together, it is more of an assembly job than anything else and of course, as with most of my recipes, you can adapt it by substituting ingredients to suit your own tastes too.

Mediterranean Green Bean Salad

2 x 200g packs of uncooked green beans
2 x 240g of Sunblush tomatoes in oil (The oil is important for the dressing!)
400g of capers (retaining their brine for dressing)
400g of Kalamata olives
1kg of baby new potatoes, halved (or any other small potatoes)
1 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
Olive oil
Maldon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
**oven/baking paper**

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with some oven paper and add in your halved baby new potatoes and drizzle over some olive oil, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a generous amount of Maldon sea salt and then mix with your hands, ensuring each potato is coasted in oil and seasoning. Then speread them all out and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Once done, remove from oven set aside.

Bring a pot of cold water to the boil and add your green beans to the pan and boil per the packet instructions or until you get your desired texture. Dont overcook them, as no one likes mushy green beans! It is good to keep a little crunch in them so they add another texture to the salad when eating it. Once cooked, drain them and plunge the beans in cold water with a cold tap running over them to stop them from cooking, then set aside.

Using the largest bowl you have, pour in the Sunblush tomatoes and oil from both packs of your tomatoes and add in the brine and capers from one of your caper jars but just the capers from the second jar. Add in your olives at this stage and mix all the ingredients really well before adding your potatoes whilst hot into the bowl. When warm, potatoes will absorb the dressing nicely and really give you flavour in each bite. Stir the ingredients well and allow everything to cool.

Once cooled, add in your green beans, chopped dill and give the mixture a good stir. I like to use my hands for this process to lift all the ingredients from the bottom of the bowl and really make sure they get an even coating of dressing. That's it folks, the salads are done! I would recommend you serve this with a nice grilled tuna steak, roast chicken or just by itself! However you eat it, you will enjoy it!

MEAT ODYSSEY: A La Cruz Restaurant, London

2011-07-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, I get what I like to refer to as a 'Golden Ticket' invite. When a good friend of mine invited me to A La Cruz restaurant in Clerkenwell, with the promise of a whole 'Asador' BBQ'd lamb, my inner carnivore simply couldn't resist. 'Asador' comes from the Spanish word 'Asada' meaning to roast or grill and so an Asador is what you would use to grill your meat and the one at A La Cruz is the only one of it's kind in the UK.A La Cruz is a short walk from Farringdon tube station and the restaurant itself is elegant yet unpretentious and for the purpose of our evening meal, we were fortunate enough to be seated in the 'Gala' private dining room (named after the boutique brand of one of Argentina's most prestigious winemakers, Bodega Luigi Bosca). Meat is the main feature on the menu and with the average Argentinian consuming 66kg of meat each year (compared to European 25kg) I knew dinner was going to be meat-heavy. Our generous hosts Marcelo Porcu (General Manager) and John Rattigan (Menu & Kitchens Director) joined us for what will go down in my mind as one of the most memorable meat-feasts of my life.I was surprised when starters were served as with all the meat I had seen lined up to be cooked for us, I really didn't think starters would be part of the menu but being the greedy girl I am, I'm sure glad they were. A trio of Argentinian delights with a classic Empanada pastry filled with minced beef, onions, chopped egg, parsley and a little hint of chilli, were unlike any of other I'd ever tasted. The moisture and juice captured within that pastry was inexplicable and made for a delicate and moreish Empanada that was inhaled leaving little trace of its existence. A little earthenware dish containing baked Provolone cheese, perfect for baking and grilling as it retains its firmness without melting, was sprinkled with herbs and utterly delicious accompanied by a toasted bread croute. Lastly, something I am always a tad wary of... sweetbreads. Not SWEET BREAD but sweetbreads or 'Mollejas' are the thymus neck glands and whilst they don't sound very nice, I DEFY YOU to think that the classic Argentine way of cooking them is anything other than incredible. I am a total convert. They were beautifully charred on the outside, perfectly cooked and full of flavour.The next course came sizzling through the door. Literally. As the door swung open, I could hear the hissing and sizzling of two rather large fillet cuts of beef on a hot plate. This kind of noise is pure, unadultered seduction to ears like mine. As I turned my head, everything seemed to move in slow motion as the smell of charred meat wafted across my nose. The Chef then ably sliced the enormous fillet into quivveringly thick and juicy steaks and we were each served two enormous hunks, one drizzle with Bearnaise and the other with the classic Argentine Chimichurri sauce. At first bite, there were gasps and sighs around the table and then SILENCE as the meat-led ecstasy kicked in. Top quality, juicy, rare meat... the like of which I can honestly say I have not ever had the fortune of eating in the UK before. This was something truly magnificent and unless I come back to A La Cruz, there is little doubt that beef like this would ever be experienced again outside of Argentina.Despite my ever-expanding waistline, I managed to push-on through to the next course for the main attraction... Drumroll please as the doors are held open and a huge board is carried in by 2 men with the whole lamb splayed out on it along with possibly the largest knife I have ever seen in my life. The room bursts into rapturous applause and all eyes are trasnfixed on the beast that will end our feast. We all gathered round as the Chef skillfull hacked into the lamb, pulling limb from limb and making it look easy with his years of expertise. Some got leg, some got shoulder but being the spoilt brat that I am, I had my own ideas and wanted ribs, fat and loin and of course I wasn't disappointed.My plate of lamb was genuinely so stunning that it took me a while to stop admiring it and want to tuck in. Served with a simple accompaniment of just a few Padron peppers, I proceeded to tear meat from bone, wrap each morsel in a sliver of crispy, fatty skin and take my first bite. The feeling is unlike any other; the combination of the flavour and charring of slow coooked meat with crispy lamb fat was out of this world. Plain and simple. There is really not much else to say. I was rendered utterly speechless.Dessert was a crazy suggestion at this point but before we knew it, out came huge plates of pancakes filled with the classic Argentine 'Dulce de Leche' accompanied by a milk ice cream was beyond excellent but I must confess that after such a magnificent feast, I was barely able to muster the willpower to lift fork to mouth, let alone polish off a whole plate of food again. Alas, this may just have been the straw that broke the camel's back (me being the camel) but it was so very worth it and I still cannot believe my luck for receiving such an invitation. Now do you know why I called it a 'Golden Ticket' invitation?Hands down, A La Cruz is not only the best Argentinian restaurant I have ever been to but will probably be one of my top recommendations in London for serious food lovers. Where else will you be able to eat meat roasted in a proper Asador? And where else will you be able to eat such amazing quality meat prepared with such love and expertise that it will leave you wanting more? Very rarely do I implore people to try anywhere but A La Cruz MUST be experienced. So don't rest on your laurels folks, because until you've experienced A La Cruz, you really haven't experienced amazing meat. Make sure you say hello to the very lovely John and Marcelo if you ever go and tell them Sabrina sent you!

A La Cruz - 42 Northampton Road, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 0HU
Tel: 020 837 1999
www.alacruz.com

REVIEW: Quince

2011-07-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Half Turkish, half Bulgarian Chef Silvena Rowe is a face that many of us recognise for television, whether Saturday Kitchen, Market Kitchen or Good Food, Silvena is by no means a new face but she has recently just opened a new restaurant in London and I went along to check it out.Silvena is a commanding figure of a woman; Incredibly statuesque, with piercing blue eyes and her signature spiked blonde hair, she isn't a face you would forget in a hurry. She has landed one of the most prime spots in town for her new restaurant Quince, which is located at the Mayfair Hotel, attracting a healthy volume of patrons, celebrities and papparazzi each week.The cookery remains true to Silvena's roots and mirrors the style of cooking featured in her two latest books 'Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume' and 'Orient Express'. There are plenty of spices in her cookery, but never over powering and always complimentary. Food from these parts of the world are flavoursome, diverse and always have something to suit everyone's tastes.The menu has so much choice that I didn't really know what to go for, especially as I was on my own, so I chose cumin-spiced calamari with quince Aioli, lamb Börek pastry cigars and vegetable Börek bites with a lemon tahini dip, smoked aubergine dip with pomegranate molasses and lastly one of her signature dishes of giant prawns with pomegranate butter, flecked with pomegranate seeds.

This is my kind of food; food that is plentiful, with different flavours and textures but nothing that overpowers anything else. If anything, this kind of food was made to compliment each other, perfect for sharing (if you so wish) or eating, greedily, by yourself. The Böreks were perfectly crisp on the outside, crusted with nigella and sesame seeds and filled with moist almost sweet, lamb with a delicate spicing. The Börek bites had a little more kick to them, perfect for a vegetable dish.

My favourite dish had to the prawns with pomegranate butter, so elegant with a perfect acidic balance from the pomegranate molasses to cut through the lashings of delicious foaming butter. A finally scattering of pomegranate seeds and a few flowers make the dish visually stunning too. The calamari was wonderfully crunchy and the cumin was gentle and not at all overpowering, paired with the sweetened quince Aioli. The smoked aubergine dip with tahini and generous swirls of pomegranate molasses was heavenly and thankfully I refused the several offerings of bread as otherwise I would have ended up eating about 4 slices of the stuff laden with the smoky aubergine dip.

Silvena is a colourful character; Very animated, very vocal, very friendly. In fact I saw her buzzing from table to table throughout my meal and she spent at least 10 minutes with each table, which was a very nice touch and I think many clients appreciate this. Quince has an open kitchen and you can see absolutely everything that is being prepared which makes for entertaining viewing and for food geeks like myself, I find it absolutely rivoting! Not to mention the fact that some of her Chef Brigade are very cute indeed. I digress... Quince is a great place to come any time of day really and I'm told there is a great vibe in the evening with the cocktail bar in full swing. It's definitely a place I will come back to.

Quince - Stratton Street, London W1J 8LT
www.quincelondon.com
Tel: 020 7915 3892

RECIPE: Spiced Lamb Tagine with Preserved Lemons & Butternut Squash

2011-07-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

The constant rain and cooler temperatures this summer have made me crave warm sunshine food; the kind of food that reminds you of being somewhere else entirely. Spices like warming cinnamon, aromatic cumin and pungent turmeric do wonders to lift the spirits and through their flavours and smells, evoke the vibe of the Souk markets of Morocco.

In the absence of physically being somewhere warm and exotic, I decided the next best thing was to whip up a warming batch of Tagine at home. The word 'Tagine' refers to the earthenware conical dishes that are used to cook these dishes, rather than the food itself. In the absence of a Tagine dish and an open fire, a large cooking pot and a normal domestic stove does the job beautifully. The traditional meat and fruit/nut combinations of Tagine dishes actually stem from Persia, which fills me with patriotic pride, knowing that our culinary influence reaches far and wide. So here is my delicious, one-pot recipe for my own Tagine recipe;

Spiced Lamb Tagine with Preserved Lemons & Butternut Squash (Serves 4)

600g of lamb neck fillets, sliced into inch thick pieces
1/2 Jar of 'Belazu' Preserved lemons (from most supermarkets)
1 very onion (or 2 small), halved & cut into 6 chunks
The cloves from a whole bulb of garlic, crushed but left whole
500g of peeled butternut squash cut into inch thick chunks or small wedges
2 generous handfuls of pitted prunes
4 heaped teaspoons of cumin powder
3 teaspoons of cinammon powder
3 heaped teaspoons of turmeric powder
4 bay leaves
1 Knorr beef jelly stock
Oil
Maldon sea salt

In a large cooking pot (I use Le Creuset heavy based pots) preheated over a medium heat (low-medium if using gas) add your onions and brown a little, then add a good glug of all before adding the lamb into the pan. Brown the lamb a little, before adding the garlic, bay leaves, turmeric, cinnamon and cumin and a stirring well. Add the Knorr beef stock, some extra Maldon sea salt and cover the meat generously with cold water about 1 inch over the level of ingredients in the pot. Then add your prunes, preserved lemons and butternut squash and turn the heat down to low and cook for about 2.5 hours, giving it a stir every so often to make sure it doesn't stick. If the mixture looks like it is drying out, just add a little more cold water.

Once cooking time has passed, remove from heat and allow to meld for about 20 minutes before serving with a steaming hot pile of cous cous or whatever you like! It's absolutely mouthwatering!

MY COOKERY MASTERCLASSES - A Great Way To Improve Your Skills In The Kitchen!

2011-07-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am now a full-time freelancing food writer, cookery teacher and private caterer. Although I have been doing private catering for over a decade and having launched my Masterclasses nearly 2 years ago, I have now made the transition to focus on this full time and I'm loving it!

I offer 3 hour or 5 hour intensive private cookery Masterclasses which are bespoke and designed to improve your skills and repertoire in the areas YOU feel you would like to improve them. My students range from amateurs to the more advanced cooks in need of some inspiration. I offer tuition on cuisines from around the world as well as different styles of cookery. From flavours of the Middle-East to Southeast Asia as well as Mediterranean and Modern European. Low-fat cookery, low GI, Gluten-free... I tailor-make menus to suit each student and ensure you get the best out of the experience. I also do interactive kids coookery classes, which are fun for 1-2-1 or groups too!

For more information on these intensive, great value and fun classes, email me at: sabrinaghayour@hotmail.com with your enquiry.

RECIPE: Authentic Greek 'Gemista' Stuffed Peppers

2011-07-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

I love travelling and anyone who knows me, knows well that food always plays a huge part in my overseas adventures. Recently I visited some great friends in Greece and being the warm-hearted, wonderful people that they are, it is perfectly normal to meet and visit their entire family along with a splendid Sunday lunch cooked by my friend Dimitra's Mother. Mama G (as I call her) is the matriarch of the house and her cooking is really pretty special and on the Sunday we arrived for lunch, Gemista (stuffed peppers), Keftedakia (meat patties) and Horiatiki (Greek Salad) were the order of the day. All the vegetables were picked from her own garden (I love this fact!) and the recipes are classic, authentic Greek recipes using local produce. Could anything be more wonderful?

After lunch I begged Mama G to give me the recipe for Gemista and she gave me a run-down of the process (minus quantities) and upon my return to London, it was one of the very first things I tried out back in my own kitchen... and I was rather impressed with the results. So here is the fantastic recipe... Quantities are tough to gauge to be honest, as I wasn't given any but the below quantities worked for me. I have taken step-by-step pictures to try and aid the process for you so you know what each stage should look like roughly.

Gemista - Greek Stuffed Peppers

16 mixed colour whole peppers (whichever colours you choose is fine)
500g of lean minced beef
300g Basmati rice
2 large onions (or 3-4 small), peeled and finely chopped
1 large bunch of parsley, finely chopped
140g tin of tomato puree
8 ripe (or overripe) tomatoes, quartered
500g tomato passata
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Maldon sea salt
Ground black pepper
Olive oil (quite a bit)
**Aluminium foil & baking/oven paper**

METHOD
Wash your peppers and cut off 1 inch lids off the top and clean the insides out, carefully, trying not to damage or break the pepper. Make sure the lids are in tact as they will help create steam for the rice to cook properly in the peppers.In a large cooking pot over a medium high heat (or medium, if using gas) add your onions to the pan with a generous glug of oii (don't be afraid to add plenty of oil as the mixture will need it)and lightly sweat your onions til they are translucent and just a little golden but not browned. At this point, add your mince meat quickly followed by your quartered tomatoes, tomato puree and passata. Now normally, you would always brown the meat first before adding other ingredients, but in this case you want the meat to stew and remain soft, rather than browned and tough. Make sure you stir the meat really well to ensure the tomato puree and passata are evenly distributed. Then season generously (in fact over season, as you will be adding rice to this mixture later) with Maldon sea salt and just a little black pepper. Turn of the hob and remove from heat before stirring in your chopped parsley anfd setting aside. The mixture should look like this;Once the mince mixture has cooled, stir in your 300g of Basmati rice and mix evenly with the beef and tomato mixture. It should look like this;Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and add one last generous glug of olive oil to the rice and beef mixture and stir well before stuffing the peppers 3/4 full (leave about 1cm clear from the top) and place the pepper lid over them. Once done, line 2 large oven trays with a sheet of aluminium foil and then some baking paper and lay the peppers, on their sides, in the tray ensuring the caps are on securely as best as possible. **At this stage, I would like to say that different families have told me that they prefer to stand the peppers up right throughout the cooking process, so do whichever is best for you. I just chose to stick to the recipe given to me by Mama G**Once the peppers are laid out in the oven trays, drizzle them with olive oil, and scattters a few handfuls of water over them too before placing in the oven and baking for 30 minutes. Once the 30 minute period is done, carefully turn them over (I used a large spoon and a cooking spatula) and cook them for a final 30 minutes before serving. I like to enjoy them with a Greek salad (Horiatiki) of olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and feta cheese with a sprinkling of dried oregano and some good olive oil. Absolutely delicious.

GIVEAWAY: Bompas & Parr Truvia Voyage of Discovery on the Roof of Selfridges

2011-07-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

!!! THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW BE DRAWN AND THE WINNERS HAVE ALL BEEN NOTIFIED !!!

To date, I have NEVER given anything away on my blog... But this is suitable bonkers and I'm quickly becoming a fan of all things 'Bompas & Parr'.

I have 5 pairs of tickets to give away to the now SOLD OUT Bompas & Parr & Truvia event. The event will see over 400 square metres of Selfridges Roof transformed into a magical pop-up island and boating lake.

Your one hour 'Voyage of Discovery' promises to dazzle as you travel by boat to a 'Crystal Island' complete with a waterfall.

TICKETS ARE FOR: FRIDAY 22nd JULY 5:15PM - 6:45PM

If you would like a chance to bag yourself a pair of these 'money-can't-buy' tickets then please leave a comment on this blog. Winners will be selected at random and so please leave an email that you can be contacted on.

For an extra chance to win, please tweet a link to this blog entry, adding in @SabrinaGhayour at the end of your tweet. Good luck folks!

The 'Trusty' Cookbook - In aid of The Princes Trust

2011-07-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Looks like another one of my recipes has made it onto the pages of another fantastic cookbook, although this time it is for charity and I am honoured to be among some of the finest Chefs in the country including Thomasina Miers, Mitch Tonks, Michael Caines, Valentine Warner, Mat Follas, Maria Elia and my good buddy Lee Behan of Friday Food Club. There are many more Chefs that have provided recipes for this great book and I am just honoured to be among them. My recipe is true to my heritage and is the only Persian recipe in the book.

The book costs just £7.50 and I really hope that you will do a wonderful thing for charity and buy it! You can take a sneak peak of all the fantastic recipes and Chefs that make up the book on the website. www.thetrustycookbook.co.uk To purchase your copy of this great value book, please visit: and click on BUY NOW

You will be doing a wonderful thing for charity by helping them raise funds for The Princes Trust but in return you will get a wonderful keep-sake full of fab recipes, including mine! (yay!) Thanks guys.

RECIPE: Chargrilled Korean Pepper & Lemon Prawns

2011-07-07T07:38:00.001-07:00

Asian and Oriental supermarkets are filled with little gems and one such gem I have recently discovered are Korean pepper flakes. Now spice-haters, fear ye not as these pepper flakes aren't chilli flakes and therefore not really spicy although they have a hint of spicy, smokiness which is very delicious and makes it a fantastic ingredient for recipes of all kinds.

I was experimenting in the kitchen one day and came up with a SUPER SIMPLE marinade for prawns using the pepper flakes (which indeed can be use for pork, chicken and other seafood also) and it has now become a staple in my house when I cook for guests or just for myself. Here is the recipe:

Chargrilled Korean Pepper & Lemon Prawns

Ingredients (Quantities are up to you, see method for guidance)

Large uncooked shell-on prawns
Korean pepper flakes
Whole lemons
Olive oil
Maldon sea salt

Method
Preheat a griddle pan over the highest heat or turn on your BBQ to a medium-high heat. In a large bowl, marinate 5-6 shell-on prawns per person in lemon juice (half a lemon per 6 prawns) with 1 teaspoon of Korean chilli flakes per 6 prawns or you can use 1/4 teaspoon of regular chilli flakes per 6 prawns for a spicier marinade and drizzle with olive oil. Coat the prawns thoroughly with the lemon, chilli and oil mixture and a few pinches of Maldon sea salt.

Place your prawns onto your griddle pan or BBQ and grill for about 5 -7 minutes on each side until slightly charred. You can also have a lemon and grill it along side the prawns for about 6 minutes, flat side down. This will sweeten and intensify its juices making it perfect to squeeze over your prawns once peeled. That's all there is to it! They are delicious, summery and dare I say it, finger lickin' good.

REVIEW: Koba, W1

2011-07-07T06:28:00.000-07:00

The fact that I love Korean food is not really a new revelation. You may remember my visit to London's Korea Town as well as a write up of one of my favourite Korean restaurants in London, Arang. So when a group of us were looking for great place to eat, I followed the recommendation of a few fellow bloggers and headed to Koba restaurant, off of Charlotte Street for a little Korean BBQ..The restaurant itself is much more elegant than most Korean restaurants although the prices are pretty standard. Eager to get a good feel for the quality of food served here, we ordered quite a lot of food between the 4 of us and proceeded to plough through them at great speed. Starting with the customary Kimchi/Kimchee pickles, (which annoyingly we had to pay for!), we crunched our way through the 3 pristine piles of perfectly pickled cabbage, Daikon radish and cucumber. Fluffy light 'Pajeon' seafood and spring onion pancakes were sensational and moreish; I could have happily just eaten that all evening.Two further starters arrive; 'Jap Cheh' sweet potato-based glass noodles with beef and vegetables and also an interesting and much-blogged about dish of strips of raw beef combined with Asian pear topped with a raw egg. Risky business. The Jap Cheh was nice but it always frustrates me that restaurants seem to charge £7-8 for this dish (Koba charges £7.20) only deliver a tiny portion that could quite easily be inhaled in seconds. This is a sneaky restaurant trick as there are only ever the tiniest strips of beef and a few vegetables in the dish so why not be generous? The real let-down came in the form of the raw beef with Asian pear and raw egg yolk (which unfortunately I didn't manage to photograph before the egg was mixed in). I read rave reviews about what an amazing dish this was on certain other blogs (mentioning no names) but I do wonder if the somewhat excessive worship of this dish relates to the fact that it is rather daring instead of the fact it is actually tasty? The fact is that it amounted to little more than an unpleasant combination of strips of raw, and actually frozen beef with Asian pear and a raw egg on top. No seasoning, no substance... No thank you.Main courses were far more successful and we chose various different dishes including belly pork slices and beef ribs as well as 'Daegibulgogi' sweet/spicy marinaded pork, classic beef 'Bulgogi' as well as prawns and squid all arriving raw and ready to be grilled in front of us (the classic Korean BBQ way) and none of it disappointed. Quality, flavour and even quantity was excellent; although not particularly cheap again, you couldn't possibly be disappointed in any way. The food is good. Very good indeed.I must admit, I would definitely come back here if wanting to take friends out to dinner somewhere Korean in town but for cheap eats, great food and good service, Arang in Golden Square wins me over, every single time.

Koba
11 Rathbone Street, London W1
Tel: 020 580 8825

RECIPE: Quinoa Salad with Puy Lentils & Lemon Sumac Dressing

2011-06-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

With the sweltering heat in London town, it seems summer has finally crept up on us at last and heavy foods just don't cut the mustard in the heat. I crave lighter more refreshing dishes like salads and simple grilled meat and fish and salads don't always have to be made with boring lettuce leaves.

Quinoa (Keen-wah) is one of my favourite grains and it is an ancient grain of Peruvian origin, named after a town called 'Quinua'. It's consumption can be traced back 4,000 years and unalike most other grains, it is deemed as a complete source of protein meaning it contains all the 9 essential amino acids necessary for our dietary needs.

Flavourwise, don't expect too much. It has no major distinguishable flavour but absorbs the flavours of whichever ingredients you pair with it, rather beautifully. It is a very delicate grain and requires no more than 7-8 minutes cooking and this makes it perfect for a quick lunch or dinner.

Sumac is one of my favourite spice seasonings and of course the fact that it is Persian, is an added bonus. Its almost citrusy nature makes it a perfect partner for lemon dressings and I just love using it with salads and none more than this particular recipe for a fantastic summer salad packed with healthy ingredients and full-on flavour.

Quinoa Salad with Puy Lentils & Lemon Sumac Dressing (Serves 6 as a side dish)

200g of Quinoa
250g of Puy Lentils
1 large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley (or 3 small packs), finely chopped
2 small packets of fresh mint, finely chopped
500g of baby tomatoes (I use Pomodorinos or Baby Plum) halved
2 lemons
1 heaped tablespoon of sumac
Olive oil
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
Maldon sea salt
Pepper

Boil (seperately) the Quinoa and Puy Lentils per the packet instructions until cooked and rinse well in cold water, drain and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add your halved tomatoes, chopped herbs, spring onions a very generous amount of olive oil (about 5-6 tablespoons) and the juice of 2 whole lemons (or 3 if you prefer) along with your sumac. Add several generous pinches of crushed Maldon sea salt and a generous amount of fresh cracked black pepper and mix all the ingredients well. Add your Quinoa and Puy lentils and stir all the ingredients well to ensure they are evenly mixed through and that the dressing coats the Quinoa an Puy Lentils. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired.

I like to refrigerate this salad for an hour or two before serving to allow the flavours to have time to work their way in to the Quinoa and lentils but also serving a nice cool salad on a hot day, is the perfect way to refresh and satisfy your guests!

RECIPE: Prosciutto Fig & Goat Cheese Salad with Pistachios

2011-06-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

This is more of an idea, rather than a full-scale recipe. Sometimes my friends need quick pointers of how to put a quick lunch or supper together using a few good quality ready-to-use ingredients from a supermarket.

This is one of my favourite salads to make, especially in late summer when figs are wonderfully ripe and plentiful. Unearthed products are a brand I like a lot not only for their lovely little Goat's milk balls but also their barrel-aged feta is splendid and their tapas and deli meats ranges are also wonderful. I always find Waitrose has great special offers on their products too.

For a quick meal, I throw a few ingredients together and happily manage to satisfy the hungers of not only myself, but any guests that may also come through the door and not only are the colours of the dish splendid, but the flavours are really great too.

Prosciutto Fig & Goat Cheese Salad with Pistachios (serves 2)

Pack of your favourite salad leaves, washed
1 pack of 'Unearthed' Greek Goat's milk balls
4 ripe figs, washed and cut into quarters
8 slices of Prosciutto or Jamon Serrano if you prefer
1 large handful of shelled pistachio nuts
Best quality balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

On a large flat plate of shallow wide bowl, empty your lettuce leaves and arrange your fig quarters, goat's milk balls and Prosciutto. Drizzle over a little olive oil and then follow with a generous drizzle (as much as you like) of Balsamic vinegar. Lastly scatter your pistachios on top of the salad for a last bit of colour and an added crunch. If desired, serve with toasted Ciabatta to make a full meal.

LONDON STREET FOOD: The Pitt Cue Co.

2011-06-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

On the tourist-clad riverbank adjacent to the London Eye, beneath the Embankment pedestrian bridge hides a gleaming silver trailer with a black pig logo on it. The Pitt Cue Co. has attracted quite a bit of attention in foodie circles and is starting to amass a rather loyal fan-base dedicated to the delights of the BBQ'd goodness dolled out from the trailer.I must say, I'm no BBQ expert but I do like to think that I know good food and finding proper BBQ in London is virtually impossible. Bodean's used to be half-decent but my last few visits saw a noticeable decline in not only the food but the service. I find the whole concept a bit tacky these days and prefer simple, straight-forward BBQ food with no fuss or frills... this is exactly what you will find at The Pitt Cue Co.

The menu is really very basic consisting of but a few dishes each day, including pulled pork (a traditional Southern vinegar and spice seasoned shredded pork meat), beef brisket (again, more shredded meat) and ribs... Oh how I love ribs. Sides are either pork-infused black beans or a rather delicious red cabbage coleslaw, unlike the rather disgusting stuff we call coleslaw here. Quality of produce is really top-notch here so expect no less than restaurant quality, despite the novel trailer.The pulled pork is absolutely delicious, moist, slightly fatty in a really good way and perfectly seasoned with just a little relish on top. The ribs are absolutely delicious and really meaty although my one complaint would be that for £7 I really did expect more than just 2 ribs.. In fact I was actually digging around the box thinking that surely there must be at least one more! The beef brisket was my least favourite of the 3 dishes. It was a bit chewy and not as flavoursome as the ribs and pulled pork. Lesson learned that when the trailer has a pig on it, you should only come for the pig!Pitt Cue Co. also BBQ vegetables, such as marrows (?!?!) bizarrely, but I'm a carnivore and if I want BBQ, I want meat and shall accept no substitutes! Overall, a fantastic new addition to the increasingly popular London street-food scene... My only gripe being that at £7 per portion, it doesn't offer the same value that perhaps some of the other street-food stands in town do but I'm the kind of girl who is happy to pay any price to curb a craving... so long live Pitt Cue Co. - a most welcome newcomer to the Southbank scene.

The Pitt Cue Co.
Bankside, SE1
(A silver trailer, underneath Embankment footbridge)

The Food and Culture of Persia

2011-06-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Iran, known as Persia until 1935, is home to one of the world’s most ancient, continued civilizations that can be traced back to 2800 BC. Persian culture is a rich tapestry of history, literature, poetry and astronomy but one element of our culture seems to have been overlooked by the modern world and instead buried and long forgotten. The culinary history and traditions of Persia have impacted the cuisines of many countries from the Mughal Empire of India to Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa; wherever you see meat or poultry combined with fruits and nuts, this influence can be attributed to Persia.Persians are colourful characters; loud and loving, nosy but well-intentioned. Hospitality is of paramount importance to us and the guest is always treated like royalty in our homes. We have this strange custom in our culture called ‘ta’arof’ – which means ‘to offer’ and is a gesture of politeness and respect. It is the practise of putting others before yourself but can often involve people going to quite hilarious lengths in doing so. In one instance, I recall my mother and my aunt bickering for a good 10 minutes over who was going to pay the bill in a restaurant “No, I’m paying. No, I insist, put your money away for goodness sake!” Ta’arof can be applied to anything although, in today’s society, one does question if ta’arof is still as genuine as it once used to be. Either way, along with our ‘bend-over-backward’ style of hospitality, it is something we are famous for doing in Iran.My own family left Iran when I was just two years old and so I didn’t have the good fortune of seeing the Tehran that my mother would talk of fondly. I wish I could tell you tales of how I learnt to cook by watching my mother and grandmother but the reality is I didn’t. Neither my mother nor my grandmother knew how to cook and therefore passed no pearls of wisdom on to me. The few dishes that became part of my grandmother’s repertoire were things she mastered once we had arrived in London. By my twenties, I realised that nobody was going to pass on the secrets of Persian cookery to me and I made it my mission to teach myself all the most important Persian dishes, if only to cater to my own cravings.Although real home cooking was scarce in our household, I was still fortunate enough to have a few food-related memories from my childhood. My grandmother would rope me into various arduous tasks each time she cooked. Picking the leaves off of half a dozen bunches of herbs, shelling cardamom pods or broad beans and removing the stems from barberries (tiny sour berries used in a popular rice dish). If I close my eyes, I can still smell those ingredients on my hands and recall my grandmother’s glare as she would check to see if I was finished or not.There are a few important things that you need to know about the culinary traditions of Persia and its people. The first thing is that food, in every case, should always be abundant; not only in quantity but variety. Generally, catering for double the amount of people eating is perfectly normal in our culture. To under-cater is the worst form of embarrassment that could ever befall any host. Secondly, rice is the absolute centre of any Persian meal. No matter what you are eating, nine times out of ten, rice will always find its way to the table whether served with a stew or as its own stand-alone dish with meat or chicken. Lastly, we rarely eat alone; it’s like an unwritten rule of our culture that suggests that food is always meant to be shared, almost as if the flavour of food improves when done so.'Khoresh’ stews are the cornerstone of Persian cookery and ingredients are adapted to the produce that is available in each region. Some stews include both sweet and savoury ingredients as well as both vegetables and fruit. Variations differ depending on family and regional preference and traditionally Khoresh is made using lamb but many people use beef and sometimes chicken too. The secret to making a really good Khoresh is slow cooking, which enables the flavours to amalgamate and intensify, creating a dish with depth and abundant flavour.Persian food is vibrant and diverse with combinations that are unique in both flavour and texture but also very regional. There are a myriad of dishes that in essence are kept pretty simple as well as the more opulent and intensely-flavoured dishes as well. At parties and gatherings, the feast you prepare almost becomes a show-like spectacle aimed to wow your guests and become a talking-point of the evening. As time goes by, the traditions of our kitchen are often lost or forgotten but the food of my people and the memories of my childhood are sacred to me and so I try to preserve the traditions and recipes of my heritage as much as possible.So many of our ingredients remain a complete mystery to the western world but slowly some are making their way into the main stream. Pomegranate, persimmon and quince are now more popular than ever before and spices like saffron, cumin and sumac are sold in every supermarket. Rose water and pomegranate molasses also seem more familiar now but what about dried limes, rose petals and verjuice? They don’t seem to get used as much. Our food is neither spicy nor abrasive and the use of herbs, tomatoes and citrus are abundant. Whilst meat is a key component, there is an endless array of seafood and vegetarian dishes to indulge in also.London alone has nearly thirty Persian restaurants, most of which serve the traditional charcoal-grilled meat but nothing reflective of true home cooking. Whilst preserving authenticity is important to me, in the interest of a lighter way of eating, I make a lot of modern Persian dishes at home, utilising many of the classic ingredients but simplifying the processes involved. The modern slant seems to work very well and creates vibrant and flavoursome dishes for everyday eating and this kind of gentle introduction has proven to be very popular with my friends.Think of Persian culture as a treasure trove of unexplored delights, begging to be opened. A land steeped in history with quirky customs, beautiful landscapes and warm-hearted people that have been overshadowed by political opinion not shared by the majority, but most importantly, home to some of the best food and produce, you will ever eat. Now if that’s not enough of an incentive to try Persian food, then nothing is. I really hope you enjoy it!

RECIPE: Mongolian Lamb with Peanut Sauce

2011-06-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

This has fast-become one of the most popular party dishes I make. It is a simple marinade for lamb and once done, you wrap the meat pieces in baby gem lettuce leaves and drizzle a little peanut sauce over them before popping them in your mouth. A sweet and smoky flavoured lamb, enrobed in peanut sauce with the crunch of fresh lettuce does wonders inside your mouth!

It's a simple dish to make and as it takes next to no time to cook, it really has proven to be a winning party dish as I just throw my meat on the griddle and within a few minutes, its ready to serve!

Mongolian Lamb Recipe

Ingredients:
2lbs of lamb leg meat (chopped into 2 inch chunks and beaten flat with a wooden spoon)
Peanut butter
Milk
Soy sauce
Baby gem lettuce leaves (about 2-3 heads of lettuce)

Marinade:
200ml of dark soy sauce
4 heaped teaspoons of cinnamon powder
6 heaped teaspoons of cumin powder
5 heaped tablespoons of clear honey
3 teaspoons of sesame oil
4 teaspoons of olive oil
6 inches of grated ginger
6 bashed garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of water

Place all your marinade ingredients in a bowl (dont worry about strength of mixture as its just a marinade) and mix til you get a smooth/even consistency. Then add your lamb pieces into the mix ensuring they are well coated and steeped in the marinade.
Allow to marinade at room temperature for up to 4 hours.

Make a quick peanut/satay sauce using 4 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and enough milk to thin out the sauce to your desired pourable consistency. Set aside.

In a good, heavy based large frying pan preheated over a high heat (or med/high on gas) drizzle some oil and drain the marinade from your lamb and fry until nice and charred on both sides. You want the pan to sizzle thoughout the cooking process so make sure the temp is high enough. Once all the meat is cooked, serve wrapped in piece of lettuce and drizzled with some peanut sauce... delicious! Enjoy!

LONDON STREET FOOD: Buen Provecho

2011-06-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

Street food is fast becoming one of the coolest foodie things to indulge in, in London town. Perhaps a sign of our ever-difficult economy, good quality street food stalls (and I'm not talking about the sketchy hot dog stands that appear at 4am outside nightclubs) are beginning to pop-up everywhere and the demand for their delights, is high.
'Buen Provecho' literally means 'Bon Appetit' or 'Eat Well' in Spanish and a friend first told me about the stand a few years ago and I'm ashamed to say, I never managed to make the journey there. But I recently met a friend for lunch and we headed straight to Buen Provecho to see exactly what was on offer and meet Arturo Ortega Rodriguez, the owner of the stand.The food is very simple; 5 different kinds of tacos on offer (beef, pork, 2 chicken and a vegetarian option) as well as rice, Tortilla chips, a soup of the day and several different homemade salsa all served from a small tent near Waterloo station. Prices are incredibly reasonable, with a mixed selection of 3 tacos coming in at just a fiver... it makes for economical eating at times like these. Arturo serves simple but authentic Mexican food and my experience didn't disappoint whatsoever.

The stand is busy and the food is delicious. I went for a mixed selection of beef, pork and chicken Tinga tacos, all of which were really very good. It's hard to find good quality Mexican food in London but when you do find it, it's a real gem worth sharing and so I wanted to share my first find with you and encourage you to make the journey to ensure you get a taste of 'Buen Provecho' for yourself.

'Buen Provecho' is located on Lower Marsh Street, SE1 which is about 2 minutes walk from Waterloo Station. For more updates you can join the Facebook fan page.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 11:00am - 4:00pm

RECIPE: Lobster Noodles with Ginger and Spring Onion

2011-06-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

I love Chinese food but when your favourite restaurant is rather pricey, sometimes cooking at home is a better option. So when I got my hands on two lobster tails from my fishmongers recently, I decided to make one of my favourite Chinese dishes of lobster noodles. Admittedly, I could have taken a better picture of this recipe but the aromas were so inviting that I just couldn't wait to tuck in and so 'slap-dash' imagery is all you will get this time.

When I cook, I have a tendency to ignore recipes in favour of 'guessing' how something should be made. I can say that (surprisingly) the success rate of my method has thankfully been quite high and rarely do my attempts fail. Ginger, spring onion, lobster, egg noodles... Maybe a bit of onion? How hard can that be? Not hard at all... and here is the recipe;

Lobster Noodles with Ginger and Spring Onion (serves 2)

2 lobster tails (Or uncooked whole lobster if you prefer)
6 inches of ginger, sliced into 2 inch strips
8 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 medium white onion, halved and sliced into 1cm thick half-moon slices
150g of fine egg noodles
Kikkoman's Soy sauce
A little corn flour or plain flour
Salt
Oil for cooking (vegetable, sunflower, ground nut but not olive!)

Bring a pan of water to the boil over a medium-high heat ready for cooking your egg noodles in.

Place a large wok or deep cooking pot over a medium-high heat (just medium if using gas). Then using a large sharp knife or meat cleaver, chop your lobster tail into 5-6 pieces (keeping the shell on) and dust the pieces with a little cornflour or plain flour. This process is the classic Chinese way to treat any meat/fish bound for wok-frying and is called 'velveting'. It not only protects the meat a little but also thickens the sauce that everything cooks in. Once coated, put a generous amount of oil in the pan, about 3 tablespoons or so add in your ginger and onions. Give them a quick stir before adding all the lobster pieces into the pan also.

At this point, add your noodles into the boiling water (adding some salt to the water) and cook them per the packet instructions. This usually takes 5-6 minutes. Once done, drain and rinse with cold water an set aside.

Move your lobster around the pan ensuring it gets well coated in the ginger and onion infused oil and check to see that the shells are turning from greyish black to the vibrant orange colour of cooked lobster. Then add your noodles into the pan and mix the ingredients well before adding about 4-5 tablespoons of Kikkoman's soy sauce to the pan and mixing well again. Make sure you are stirring the contents of the wok/pan every minute for a few minutes before finally adding your spring onion slices and giving it all one last stir. Your lobster meat should be nice and bright white and the shells should all be completely orange before serving. Garnish with a few chopped spring onions and enjoy!

Return To Pollen Street Social

2011-06-12T04:59:00.000-07:00

You may remember my recent write up of my visit to Jason Atherton's new restaurant Pollen Street Social a couple of months back? Well to make a long story short, I left the restaurant being rather disappointed with the meal and questioning whether or not 'soft openings' (this is usually the first week when a restaurant opens and sometimes a discount may be given to diners to encourage patronage) are a reason for restaurants to 'drop the ball' and serve up an underwhelming culinary experience.To my surprise, my review gained quite a lot of attention and when Jason Atherton himself got in touch with me regarding my write up, I was nervous to say the least. But I have always been a big fan of Jason's and hopefully what I wrote came across as constructive rather than critical. As i read the message, I quickly saw that it was different to what I thought was going to be said. Jason had read my review and felt disappointed that things weren't perfect on the night and with this in mind, he asked me to come back to Pollen Street Social and give him and his team a chance to prove themselves and their capabilities in the kitchen. I was so touched that a Chef would care this much about any review and without losing his temper, invite the author back for another meal.Nervously I walked into the restaurant and Jason was standing at reception and called out my name. At this point, I genuinely think I may have peed myself just a tiny bit from being so nervous... not sure why! Once seated, we were presented with the menus and I was so surprised to see how very different the content was. No more 'sharing' plates and not so many choices either. The menu was thinned down to a more digestible size with many of the less popular dishes that we had from the first visit, removed entirely. I was so impressed that here is a Chef, who is incredibly well known in the UK and he has done what VERY FEW CHEFS in the UK do... put his own thoughts and ego aside and genuinely listened to the public. Having worked with many Chefs in the past (some of which read my blog, so I have to be careful!) A Chef's work culminates on a plate... when we carelessly critique their food, we are essentially criticising their life's work!The dishes I chose were simple, well-sourced and abundant in flavour. A beautiful selection of multi-coloured beetroot with Goat's curd to start with, delicate and unpretentious with sweet beetroot pieces complimented by creamy Goat's curd. My main course was the real star of the show; Halibut with Paella and clams - absolutely packed with flavour and every forkful melted in the mouth. And who on earth prepared those asparagus spears? They were so expertly trimmed, which made me think about truly how much effort goes into making one main course. From vegetables, to the Paella, to the Halibut itself followed by the clams, the sauce and most likely another dozen elements that aren't immediately obvious to the average diner. No wonder the my write up prompted him to contact me; I guess we never truly factor in just how much effort goes into producing food like this.We were rather spoiled rotten for dessert. I don't really have a sweet tooth if I'm honest, but I do like to find something to nibble on and the infamous 'dessert bar' at Pollen Street Social has been raved about by many. 'PB and J' - A disassembled peanut butter and jelly dessert which was nice but didn't entirely float my boat. The chocolate 'Tiramisu' dessert was more my cup of tea although after a rather large meal, it proved to be a little too rich. The very pleasing site of a sorbet selection was right up my street as I do love to be able to try a little of everything and the sorbet selection hit the spot perfectly.Staff and service weren't really part of the problem on my initial visit and they still remain very professional, courteous and no doubt have found their stride since the opening. The bar at Pollen Street Social is great, it must be said. Huge whole leg of Jamon Iberico on the bar waiting for some lucky patron to order up an expertly carved plateful. Fantastic cocktails too and a great place to order some grazing nibbles whilst having a drink (or four!) If only more Chefs genuinely cared about what people truly thought, whether right or wrong, and implemented some changes to show that they were listening, then the culinary scene would be greatly improved. Although Jason, don't change too much for us... We like you, very much, just as you are.

Pollen Street Social - 8/10 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NQ
Tel: +44(0)20 7290 7600
http://www.pollenstreetsocial.com/

EAT BARCELONA: Taperia Lolita and La Boqueria Market

2011-05-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

I had never been to Barcelona, until recently. People who know me would always be shocked by this as I love to travel but had promised my Mother (long ago) that should I ever go there, it should be with her. So promise fulfilled, we seized the opportunity of the extra 4-day weekend we were given courtesy of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and off to Barcelona we went armed with recommendations from friends as well as the opportunity to meet up with fellow foodies 'Uncle Ji' of Twitter @VhatYouTalking and newly published author of cookery book, the lovely Niamh Shields of blog 'Eat Like A Girl'@EatLikeAGirland her fab new book Comfort and Spice.I waste no time in heading to the City's most famous food market, La Boqueria to marvel at the foodie delights that only a food-obsessed junkie like myself could faint at the sight of. The market is absolutely rammed and in hindsight, a Saturday morning is perhaps the worst time to have made our visit, but planning is SO un-Spanish. Everything is done very last minute, so thats exactly how we decide to roll during our trip. We are trying to eat breakfast somewhere, anywhere in fact would do but it is impossible to secure seats at any one of the dozens of eateries and Tapas bars in the actual market itself so we browse the market instead taking in every sight, sound and smell.
Whole legs of Jamon are hung from every possible place. '5J' Jamon (or Cinqo Jotas - meaning '5 Acorn' Iberico Jam) is among the finest hams money can buy. Only trumped by Pata Negra, the king of Spanish Jamon, known by it's characteristically dark (almost black) meat and generous and greatly-prized fat content. Whole piglets are also on display; a sight which some may find disturbing, but this is Spain; they are proud of their love for all things pig. They eat from nose to tail and don't waste a scrap, including the blood which makes excellent 'Morcilla' blood sausauge, I'm told. I haven't quite gotten my head around eating blood sausage, but I know it is delicious. Sometimes you just can't overcome some hesitations.The diversity of the stands at the market are absolutely incredible and if you Spanish produce was the only thing on offer, how very wrong you would be! Exotic fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat and every kind of cheese, delicacy and food stuff imaginable. Quite overwhelming in many ways really and if I'm honest, we did a quick tour and pretty much escaped the crowds as soon as possible. Still, I'm incredibly glad that we got to see the market, after all I had spent years wanting to visit it and never had the chance until now.We ate in various places in Barcelona, including Ferran Adria's (of the famous El Bulli) new opening of 'Tickets' but by far the most wonderful discovery came courtesy of my friend @VhatYouTalking which we were grateful to have discovered. Taperia Lolita is a wonderful little eatery located away from the obvious touristy spots and instead in a residential neighbourhood, evidence of which is seen as 90% of the diners at the Taperia, seemed to be locals who knew the staff very well.Taperia Lolita is actually owned by Albert Adria, the brother of famed molecular gastronomy Chef Ferran Adria and although you won't find any crazy dishes on the menu here, the Tapas is certainly more interesting than you would find in the more run-of-the-mill Taperias in town. 'Lolita' is actually a bull with red lipstick, fondly mounted on the wall. Vegetarians stand down, no animals were harmed in the mounting of Lolita, as she is not a real bull. She is very pretty though and does making a striking centre piece in the restaurant, especially in that wonderful shade of slut-red lipstick that graces her puckered lips.We pretty much ordered everything on the menu and the dishes came out in quick succession. In fact the only thing that we failed to order where the tempura-looking chicken fingers, which we later regretted as actually they are apparently quite famous for them. Dainty plates of baby octopus, sugar-crusted aubergine cubes (bloody marvellous!) squid, croquettes of Jamon, grilled sausages, black squid and squid ink croquettes (my absolute favourite Tapas of the lot) Cecina cured beef, broad beans with black truffle vinaigrette, white asparagus with truffles, salt cod (bacalao) fritters, pan con tomate (wafer thing crispy grilled bread with tomatoes), belly tuna with tomato and onion salad and so much more that I could barely remember!
Desserts at Taperia Lolita were pretty interesting too. The 'Pink Panther' cake is something I would normally NEVER order, but slicked in a gloriously thick pink (white chocolate) icing, it was so 'Tongue in cheek' that I simply had to have it. Strawberries macerated in Balsamic vinegar and sweetened with honey just burst with sharp acidic flavours in the mouth and the sweet honey flavour was a perfect finish to them. Lastly a fresh white cheese dessert that was almost gelatinous came with a huge jar of honey on the side and although not my favourite item on the menu, it was certainly pleasant enough.I could quite happily have eaten at Taperia Lolita EVERY SINGLE DAY, but sadly they close on Sundays and Mondays and therefore it was our first and last opportunity to experience their superb food. I highly recommend this as a MUST-DO dining destination in Barcelona... and if you are feeling particularly adventurous, then Ferran Adria's 'Tickets' is just a 2 minute walk from Taperia Lolita, so maybe you can blag a table on your way past.

Taperia Lolita
Tamarit 104, Poble Sec, Saint Antoni 08015 Barcelona
Metro Poble Sec [L2, L3]
Telephone +34 93 424 5231
http://www.lolitataperia.com/

La Boqueria Market
http://www.boqueria.info/

REVIEW: The Gilbert Scott Restaurant by Marcus Wareing

2011-05-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have amassed a mountain of respect for Marcus Wareing. Brought into our line of vision by Gordon Ramsay, who he has since eclipsed rather massively through his culinary achievements and dedication to staying firmly in the kitchen, where a good Chef should spent the majority of his working time. With Restaurant Marcus Wareing, his highly successful first restaurant at The Berkeley Hotel, firmly established... opening a second restaurant was the next natural step for Wareing.Interestingly, The Gilbert Scott is also located within a very glamourous hotel, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which is certainly a good business decision in my opinion, although Chefs of Wareing's calibre never have problems filling tables. In fact, since its opening in late April, The Gilbert Scott has been fully booked almost constantly although securing a table certainly isn't impossible if you book in advance. The hotel is grand in a very old-school way; luxurious and old-money, rather than the boring overly styled sort of establishments that seem to be taking over the City.On the particular evening I dined, I was joined by wonderful food loving friends... The utterly hilarious and mysterious 'Uncle Ji' of Twitter fame @VhatYouTalking and the talented Chef and Supper Club host Lee Behan of @FridayFoodClub and his lovely wife (Mrs Friday Food Club). (Well worth visiting his website: http://www.fridayfoodclub.com and we settle in at the bar with it's comfortable leather slouchy chairs and attentive service. A truly lovely place for dainty Negronis and other such classic cocktails; we could easily have whiled away many an hour in the bar alone. Finally seated at the table, we peruse the menu and each settle on our chosen dishes for the evening. Decadence is the order of the day and how well-suited to The Gilbert Scott, it is.Lobster is one of those choices that I am always ashamed to make. Lobster is lobster, it's not exactly the most adventurous choice on the menu but never one to be swayed by general concensus, I opt for the lobster salad and I wasn't disappointed. Wonderfully meaty morcels of lobster meat, juicy and sweet with mixed leaves, croutons and an almost Marie Rose-like sauce and fennel shards proved to be the perfect opener to the meal. Not a big lover of quail, my friend assured me that I MUST try the quail Mulligatawny - served in a dainty little cocotte pot - and WOW, is all I can say. It is practically the only time I have actually enjoyed quail and wished I had ordered it. The quail was moist and tender, on the bone and bathed in a curried broth that did nothing to overpower the delicate bird. Superb.For mains, the haddock and mussels poached in Camel Valley Brut sauce was lovely and light which in our case was a good idea as between the four of us, we ordered a HELL of a lot of side dishes; Peas pudding, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, chips, spinach, mini yorkshire puddings and (wait for it) Paxo stuffing. Yes, Paxo stuffing! This, my friends, is what happens when you put 4 die-hard decadent foodies together on a table. Excess takes over and you end up ordering double the amount of food required to satisfy. No matter, life is short and is to be enjoyed. Our lovely Scottish waiter (young Nick) is highly amused by the sheer volume of dishes we have ordered. He deserves a special mention, because he was so incredibly efficient and attentive. Old school service of this kind is perfectly at home in an establishment such as The Gilbert Scott and if only more restaurants would try to ensure the same, then London would be a better place for it.Stuffed beyond all recognition, I find it impossible to refuse the offer of dessert. I would ultimately only end of regretting it later on in the evening, so I hone in on a classic Bakewell tart (which seems to be appearing on menus everywhere) and it was rather wonderful, although incredibly sweet. I could have lived without the icing on top, but then again it wouldn't have been a proper Bakewell tart without it. The moist almondy sponge encased just a hint of jam and made for the perfect dessert with it's accompanying dollop of Jersey cream. Perfection that may have just sent me slightly over the edge of what my stomach feels comfortable with.

After dinner, we are given a tour of the kitchens and there, busily toiling over the pass is Marcus Wareing himself. This is the most pleasing part of the evening to me. Shunning the limelight and PR shenannigans of his new opening, Wareing has his head down and is focused on delivering top quality food to his dinners. The Chefs table in the kitchen is filled with diners, many of whom are food writers I recognise and Wareing doesn't take his eyes off the pass for a second. He isn't schmoozing them or chatting with them; he is a Chef and is dedicated to his craft. An admirable quality in a Chef and especially in Wareing, who could so easily become the latest TV darling of our nation, but hasn't succumbed to the bright lights and camera flashes, thankfully.

As we leave, we spy a large table of about 16 or so of some of the most well known Chefs, restaurateurs and critics in the industry. Peter Gordon, Yotam Ottolenghi and Trevor Gulliver but to name a few... all seated in a cramped manner at a table in the bar tucking into their chosen dishes, seemingly just happy to be there. Who knew Tuesdays nights were the new Friday? The Gilbert Scott could be set to eclipse Heston Blumenthal's 'Dinner' restaurant as the greatest new opening of 2011. Either way, it is a MUST-visit destination for serious foodies who are looking for something infinitely less formal than Wareing's first opening. It's a real slice of what is best and should be revered about Britain and it's food... and what a thoroughly enjoyable experience it was.

The Gilbert Scott
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, London NW1 2AR
Tel: +44 207 278 3888
www.thegilbertscott.com

RECIPE: Persian 'Baghala Ghatogh' Broad Beans with Garlic, Dill & Truffles

2011-05-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

I do love a good truffle. No, I'm not talking about the chocolatey kind; although they are nice, nothing is as seductive as the heady-scent of earthy, umami tasting white and black truffles. Although white truffles are the more prized (and therefore more expensive) of the two, call me ghetto, but I love black truffles.

I first discovered 'Mister Truffle' on Twitter (@MisterTruffle) a few months back and so when my fabulous Spring truffle arrived, I wanted to do something special with it. It's easy to pair truffles with European food but fusing it with Persian food, is an entirely different affair. Persian food is rich in tomatoey-ness and also acidity from lemon juice... these just happen to be two things that are pretty unpleasant when combined with truffles. So what to do? Then it hit me! There is an incredibly delicious broad bean dish hailing from the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan, by the Caspian Sea, that would work brilliantly with truffles!

Baghala Ghatogh (Baghala or Baghali, meaning broad bean) is a dish usually eaten as a side dish, but in today's society starter, side or mains are all perfectly acceptable too. The dish is HEAVY in garlic but for some reason doesn't feel overpowering. Scrimping on the garlic and the dill is a big mistake as the whole crux of the dish is based on these two flavours combines with the beans and topped (rather regally) with a cracked egg. I chose a fried egg on this occasion, but the tradition is to crack on egg on the finished bean mixture whilst in the pan, let it cook through and serve it straight away. Either way, it is still a stand-out dish for me and one of my favourite dishes from my childhood.

'Baghala Ghatogh' - Persian Broad Beans with Garlic, Dill & Truffles

1 kg of frozen broad beans (available from M&S, Sainsburys & Middle Eastern supermarkets), shelled with all skin removed
4 large free range eggs
1 whole bulb of garlic, cloves bashed then sliced
3 small packets of fresh dill, finely chopped
3 teaspoons of turmeric powder
2 generous pinches of saffron (Persian saffron is the most superior in the world)
Cooking oil
Knob of butter
Maldon Sea Salt
30g of black or white truffle (entirely your preference)

METHOD
This is a one-pan dish, so preheat a large cooking pot over a medium heat (lower if using gas!) and add a drizzle of olive oil and lightly sweat the garlic down, cooking it til it becomes slightly translucent and cooked through. If it begins to brown too quickly, remove from heart, turning heat down and return a few minutes later. Then add your shelled broad beans and turn the heat up just a little and stir well.

Add your turmeric, saffron and several generous teaspoons of Maldon sea salt, crushed and lastly add your chopped dill. Mix all the ingredients well together to incorporate the spices and allow the beans to cook just a little more, almost til they change from bright grassy green, to a slightly duller green. This is when they are cooked properly; the process should take about 10 minutes after adding your spices and lastly grate or shave your truffle into the mixture and stir welll. Once you reach this stage, crack 4 free range eggs onto different areas in the pan and simply allow them to cook through, using the heat from the beans. This will take no more than 5 or so minutes. Serves immediately, with some bread (Persian flatbread or Tortilla wraps are nice and thin and therefore ideal) and enjoy!

REVIEW: Tickets by Ferran Adria - Barcelona

2011-05-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

I recently came back from stunning Barcelona; where perfect weather, wonderful sights and fabulous food made me believe I could quite happily never leave the City or need to be anywhere else in the world. Of all my wonderful eating experiences, the most memorable shall long remain my dinner at Ferran Adria's new 'Tickets' eatery... Indeed the hottest 'Ticket' in town.The restaurant is situated in the 'Para Lel' area, mainly residential, away from the main touristy parts of town. Fortunately we stumbled across it after a long lunch one day and begged them to turn my table of 2 into a table of 4 so some very good friends who also happened to be in town, could join our little dinner adventure too. I always maintain, that food tastes infinitely better when shared with friends... not to mention the fact that you can try far more dishes than if there were just 2 of you! Very fortunately, all our flirting and banter seemed to do the trick and they kindly accommodated our larger party for dinner.The restaurant itself doesn't look particularly glam or showy and in actual fact it does rather look like a West-end theatre ticket desk from the outside, except for the bizarrely attired doorman who is dressed like a circus ringmaster. Could this go some way to explaining the name and concept of the eatery? Not yet. Inside there is an open kitchen but also 4 other food stations, where Chefs are busily creating dishes using special giant tweezers, using sauces, powders, knives and trickery. Candy floss trees are being made and dotted with edible flowers, berries and grated lime zest and glitter. There is magic afoot here and suddenly you feel like a kid in a candy shop or even better like a winning golden ticket holder in Charlie's (not just chocolate) factory... Or maybe this 'Ticket' is Ferran Adria's marvellous food factory.
The menu is a simple paper leaflet with perhaps 5 or so dishes under several seperate headers; Snacks & El Picoteo, The Oysters, Los Ibericos Joselitos (Iberico Ham), Els Xuxis (meaning mouthfuls), Tapetes Del Mar y Del Tierra (Little Tapas' from land and sea), To Finish (larger savoury dishes), Pastres y Golosinas (Desserts and Candies). Our waiter was the very funny and flamboyant Xavier, who ensured that we don't refer to him as 'excuse me, hello, please or sir...' making sure we called him 'Chavvy' I'm aware that in Catalan it should be 'Xavi' but when it is said, it sounds like that ever-familiar English reference to the much hated Burberry-clad breed of folk that populate our nation, the Chavs. So 'Chavvy' it is!We are told how we must order (i.e. only in the order it appears on the menu), we are told how the food will arrive and later as each course arrives we are told specifically which tool we must use to eat the dish. A tad patronising, but I guess they wouldn't show any objection to me abandoning the provided pair of giant 'Tickets' tweezers (which you are reminded cost 20 Euros and can be purchased upon departure) but if I want to use a fork, I will use a fork and if I feel it best to use my fingers, then I know no one on God's earth could stop me. What I did find genuinely annoying is that I don't really drink wine (only dessert wine really) and I didn't want Cava or beer and despite their being a bar next door owned by them, they weren't able to magic me up a Mojito or the like. This was a tad disappointing and so I stuck to water and a syrupy glass of Lustao sherry throughout the night.
The first few dishes arrived in quick successcion and as we were starving, this was a good thing. 'Mini air-bags' stuffed with Manchego cheese and Iberian bacon, were delicate little mouthfuls of crispy air-puffed wafer filled with saliva-inducing combination of cheese and Iberian bacon; silly name but absolutely delicious. 'Jamon' de Toro: Home-salted Tuna belly painted with Iberian cured ham fat was curiously delicious. Your head tells you it is fish and yet because of the coating of ham fat, it really does make it hard to determine exactly what it is. This is when you know you are being "Adria'd" somehow; your mouth is telling you something completely different to your brain. 'Air-baguette' de Pernil (Pernil being the Catalan word for ham or Jamon) tiny little baguettes arrived beautifully wrapped in Iberian ham but when you bit into it, the pastry is not at all as expected and actually crumbles in a very delicate and pleasing manner in your mouth. Next arrivals were marinated salt cod with tomato nectar and black olive powder. I was worried about the punginess of this dish, given that it was essentially acidulated, uncooked salt cod (or Bacalao) but it was absolutely wonderful; the gently salted cod was a perfect marriage for the sweetness of the tomato nectar and the crunchy toast bases and olive toppings made each mouthful a revelation for me. 'Liquid Ravioli' were a strange and interesting idea; a gelatinous cheese ravioli (of sorts) that exploded in the mouth delivering a cold version of, well, a pasta-less raviolo. Tomato seeds and anchovies from the Bay of Biscay were not a dish of my choosing, although my dining companions loved it and of course it did seem ever so pretty and delicately arranged. No wonder they use tweezers, I couldn't possibly conceive of putting such delicate dishes together without a pair in my hand! Grilled razor clams with ginger, cayenne pepper and lemon 'air' were an interesting creation. Topped with what could only be described as a foam or 'spuma' if you're posh, this was the least pleasant of all the dishes. The lemon foam had an overwhelming soapy quality I would liken to Persil soap powder with abrasive lemon pungency. I love razor clams but found the lemon foam overpowered every other aspect and made the dish very unpleasant.Lobster 'unilateral' cooked with spices 'Al Andalus' was a simplebut lovely dish. A whole split, rather small, lobster with a buttery spice that was very enjoyable indeed, tail meat, claw meat, the lot... all very delicious, no trickery involved whatsoever. Nice to see that some dishes are straightforward; a brave step away from El Bulli style of cooking. Orange salade with Gordal olives, cumin and mint came enrobed in a strangely familiar dressing which we realised was not actually the Gordal olives themselves but rather the olive juice which was used to make a simple and very effective salad dressing. Something we can all recreate, I should think. Rabbit ribs with sparkling garlic mayonnaise (their words, not mine) was like the KFC of rabbit! Superbly crunchy and crispy outer coating with a punchy garlic mayonnaise. Not sure what the 'sparkling' bit was about, probably a reference to a little addition of Cava, perhaps? We may never know. White asparagus with black truffle juice and Iberian ham were lovely and juicy with a perfect pairing of little nuggets of Jamon and an earthy black truffle vinaigrette.The final savoury dish was the confit pork in olive oil with pork rib sauce and Iberian boiled ham; although a nice dish, this was by far the most plain dish of this evening's rather varied menu. It was nice enough but definitely not a show stopper. The desserts on the other hand were exactly that; 'Show stoppers'. Curious little concoctions in every shape, size and colour and the constant production of these intriguing candy floss trees made me crave dessert more than I have ever done in my entire life. Cubed watermelon cocktail, soaked in Sangria was simply more than words could say. A perfectly crisp, fruity, cleansing mouthful with a nice hit of Sangria... I couldn't think of a better dessert for a summer's day. But it was the 'Rottle de Crema Catalana' that kept getting my attention; pastry horns filled with Crema Catalana and crusted in sugar and a smattering of cinnamon. I thought they would be heavy pastry bites and filled with a heavy Crema filling, but the lightness was incredible. In fact, so light were they that I manage to inhale mine within seconds. Absolutely monumental! A dessert I will remember (and crave) for a long while yet.

The last two dishes were rather less serious and more fun than the the other two desserts. Cold and hot chocolate fritters (I do love a good contradiction!) Little round fried donuts filled with a ball of hard frozen chocolate ice cream that stays in tact until you bite into it, when it suddenly explodes in a burst of chocolatey goodness in your mouth. Last but by no means least, my candy floss tree or actually 'Arbol de algodon de Tickets' - most likely set to become the signature way to end your meal and at 5 Euros, why the hell not? Not much to say about the tree other than the number of flavours they had managed to get on this tree were mind-boggling. Lemon zest, lime zest, redcurrants, blackberries, blueberries, wild strawberries, edible flowers... it wasn't just a tree, it was a feat of culinary engineering that was done with such precision, you know you would happily have paid 20 Euros for it, without batting an eyelid.Wow. What an experience. I'm not even sure how on earth I managed to put it into words! The theme behind tickets became more and more apparent as the evening drew on; Cabaret posters on the wall, candy floss, circus lighting with Jamon suspended from the ceiling... it starts to make sense. Still, it is rather bizarre but only in the most pleasing of ways. The prices are surprisingly reasonable; after all the food that we managed to quaff, coupled with many glasses of wine, cava, beer and Sherry, the menu + service didn't amount to more than 60 Euro per person! A bargain if you ask me!

I would love to be able to come back here next year when the menu changes and see what else 'Tickets' will be offering, but I strongly suspect that I only managed to secure this booking by sheer luck and that once the reviews get out for 'Tickets' the world will want a slice of this all-singing, all-dancing, circus exravaganza that is Ferran Adria's newest sensation... Tickets.

REVIEW: Cay Tre Soho

2011-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

I know good food. I know what it should taste like, how it should look, what the portion sizes should be and how I should feel once I've left a restaurant. Vietnamese food is definitely a favourite of mine; I love it's capacity to fill you up without feeling nauseous or heavy. On the contrary, Vietnamese food is so fresh in flavour, packed herbs, vegetables and plenty of full-flavoured, cleansing dishes bursting with ginger and lemongrass aromas.

When a friend asked me to join her at the newly opened Cay Tre Soho, I was excited to try something different to my usual favourite Vietnamese joint 'Mien Tay'. The restaurant decor is incredibly different to the usual interiors of a Vietnamese restaurant. Slick white tiled walls, New York-style canteen design with modern accents and lighting house a 50 cover restaurant. Staff seem friendly, if a tad impersonal. The menus are printed on paper placemats and the selection is rather smaller than I'm accustomed to and many of the dishes are the same you will find in most Vietnamese restaurants... Not too many of the dishes stand out as unusual or unique to Cay Tre.

We ordered a selection of starters including classic Vietnamese spring rolls, spicy beef and papaya salad as well as spicy barbecue pork ribs. The ribs were very nice and rather more different than I have tasted anywhere previously; my usually favourite dish of spicy beef salad with a soggy let down of pre-prepared, overly macerated shredded vegetables with flabby, unappealing slices of cheap brisket meat instead of the usual chewy matchsticks of beef. The spring rolls were very good but with just 2 per serving, the portion was a surprisingly meagre. We did wonder if this had something to do with the soft opening offer of 50% off; technically the discount should not have made the slight bit of difference and it was a shame that they scrimped on something so low cost.The main courses were unfortunately an even greater disappointment; Mekong catfish in a sweet, rich sauce with notes of hoi-sin was an unusual pairing. The catfish was overcooked somewhat and flabby in texture, akin to that of black cod. Not a winning dish for me but I had high hopes for my choice of soft shell crab and tamarind curry. All I can say is what a complete an utter disappointment. A small bowl of brown, unappetising sludge was placed before us, with deep pools of oil and underneath lay one anorexic soft shell crab hiding underneath a mass of brown gloop. We divided the tiny little crab (which at £11.50 was a total rip-off) and as soon as I bit into it, I had to contend with bits that needed to be spat out. There was, in actual fact, very little that was 'soft' about the shell of this crab. Every mouthful required a seperation of shell/legs from soft white meat. The sauce had no obvious tamarind flavour and instead was an oily, unpleasant, heavily-spiced mess. To make matters worse, we we served these bizarre looking limp, stale rice lumps shaped into little cigars, which were cold and to be honest, I have absolutely NO IDEA what part they played in this whole ordeal.Needless to say, dessert wasn't on the cards and to be fair, we both felt quite sick. Not the usual feeling I would associate with a lovely meal at a Vietnamese restaurant... and the next day? Our sickness showed no signs of holding back and gave us our money's worth for the better part of a whole day. The words NEVER GOING BACK spring to mind when I think of Cay Tre. I find it hilarious that so many people have been raving about how great it is, when the 2 other tables we spoke to that evening, echoed our sentiments in their entirety. All I can say is thank god we paid just 50% of the overal price, because that was most definitely all it was worth.

Mien Tay is still the BEST food, value and Vietnamese eatery in town and I believe AA Gill wholeheartedly agrees with me!

CAY TRE SOHO - 44 Dean Street, London W1D 4QD
Tel: 020 7317 9118
Web: www.vietnamesekitchen.co.uk/caytre

RECIPE: Roast Butternut Squash with Pistachio Pesto and Feta Cheese

2011-04-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

In recent years, I have been fusing Persian ingredients with ingredients from other parts of the world, creating my own style of modern Persian cookery. I make rice salads packed with fresh herbs like dill (well, it’s not only for fish you know) and tart little barberries and I also love making pistachio pesto, which can be kept for up to 6 months in sterilised jars. One of my favourite recipes using pistachio pesto is to simply drizzle it over some roasted butternut squash and top with crumbled feta and pomegranate seeds. Here is the recipe;

Butternut Squash with Persian Pesto and Feta Cheese

Ingredients
1 whole butternut squash, quartered lengthways, peeled and de-seeded.
200g feta cheese
100g of pomegranate kernels

Ingredients for the Pesto
250g of shelled pistachio nuts
150g Parmesan cheese or Grana Padano cheese, finely grated
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
1 small bunch of fresh dill
1 small bunch of fresh basil
Juice of half a lemon
Maldon sea salt
A light olive oil (extra virgin is not necessary)
Silicon lined paper or baking parchment

Method

Using a food processor, blitz your pistachios, adding a generous slug of olive oil to slacken the mixture. Then add all the herbs into the blender, add a little more olive oil and blitz again before adding your Parmesan cheese and a handful of Maldon sea salt, crumbled and thrown in to the processor. You will need to ensure that there is always plenty of oil to keep the pesto moving around the blender, so don’t be afraid to be liberal with your use of it. There is no exact measuring, so just add enough to keep the mixture nice and loose.

Add the lemon juice before giving it one final blitz in the processor ensuring that all the ingredients are evenly blended and decant into a sterilised jar or Tupperware container of your choice. Do remember that in order to effectively store the pesto for several months, a sterilised jar is your best bet as otherwise it will last only a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and once hot, rub each wedge of butternut squash with oil and season generously with Maldon sea salt and place on a baking tray lined with silicon lined paper or baking parchment. Roast the squash for about 45 minutes, just until the edges have begun to brown slightly. Check to see if the squash is properly cooked using a knife; if it slides clean through then the squash is cooked.

Serve your butternut squash on a nice platter and drizzle generously with your vibrant green pesto and crumble your feta cheese over the top and scatter some pomegranate seeds over it to finish. A healthy, delicious dish or side-dish that is colourful and busting with Persian flavours!

REVIEW: Pollen Street Social, by Jason Atherton

2011-04-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Tucked away in a quiet side street attracting a bare minimum of passers by is Jason Atherton’s long-awaited contribution to the London restaurant scene. After his well-publicised and (allegedly) ‘amicable’ departure from Maze and Gordon Ramsay holdings, Jason has spent the past 18 months working towards the launch of his own restaurant, Pollen Street Social. It’s official opening was Monday 18th April and with a group of friends in tow, we beat a path down to Mayfair to be among the first to try Jason’s food.
A clue about the concept, lies in the title under ‘Social’; the very crux of this new establishment is built upon a foundation of informality and an unpretentious venue and staff serving good drinks and food, much of which is meant for ‘sharing’. God how I bloody hate sharing. I am an only child; I never had to share anything as a kid and I’m not quite certain I am ready for the trauma of having to share anything with anyone as an adult. Especially not my food!

The restaurant is tastefully decorated and although trading on the sociability factor, it does still have an element of fine-dining, both in the décor and the rather formal service. Guests are enjoying Tapas in the bar area as we are seated at our table covered with a delicate linen cloth (fine dining alert!) Our waiter is French and explains things to us a little too quickly which when paired with his otherwise nice accent, was a little too difficult to catch in such quick succession. He volunteers to us that he is ‘very nervous’ and apologises, which was very sweet although he probably didn’t need to reveal his nerves to us.The menu is a bit strange… half a page of cold starters (or ‘sharing’ plates, as they are referred to) and another half a page with all hot dishes. A very minimal selection of just five main courses with an almighty fail for me who was looking forward to the Turbot with Paella which has now been replaced by Halibut (Boooooooo). Another five dishes are listed under the heading ‘vegetarian; although I was thinking that perhaps they were more side dishes being touted as vegetarian just because they coincidentally were? Per the waiter’s suggestion, we each decide to order three starters each as our meal to get a good selection of different dishes and combinations.
.The wait staff circle our table at least 4 times offering us bread; at first, we weren’t entirely sure why but as the meals came out, the reasoning behind the excessive generosity of bread service became apparent. The portions are pretty tiny in some dishes which baffles us as to how and why these dishes could possibly be shared? Luckily none of us were into sharing, but there were some big disappointments with many of the dishes. My ‘Tomato and tomato with vanilla’ was a small bowl of 5 small half slices of different tomatoes at fridge cold temperature (the worst way to serve tomatoes, as you know) with a splodge of tomato pulp and a last minute immersion in ice-cold Gazpacho and no detectable presence of vanilla. It was fine but at £9 you do have higher expectations from a dish like this. Similar icy temperature comments came from those eating the crab and also the smoked foie gras dishes too.My next dish was the Cauliflower and squid with clear roasted squid juice; The dish was explained to me as a ‘sort of risotto’ but there was no rice present. In principle the dish was absolutely delicious and something I would happily eat again but despite being chosen from the ‘hot’ selection of starters, the dish was rather cold and the squid juice consommé poured over the top was luke warm, which was a shame. More feedback coming from my fellow diners regarding more ‘colder than necessary’ dishes as well as ‘Full English Breakfast’ – a ‘deconstructed’ (I HATE that word) dish of egg, with a few lardons and the promise of a ‘fried bread’ sauce… I’m told this dish didn’t hit the spot and when quizzing the waiter, the fried bread sauce was just buttered toast blitzed with milk. So not actually fried then? **sulks**.

My last dish was the a crab salad with almond and crab sorbet and pickled daikon radish. The dish was again far too cold; for those who don’t know why I keep rambling on about cold temperatures is because when food is too cold, the depth of flavours are masked and you cant really pick up on the true and intended taste of the dish. I couldn’t fault the dish otherwise, except for a rather unpleasant almond and crab sorbet, the bulk of which remained uneaten on my plate. My friends Mackerel was again ‘fridge-cold’ as she put it and not up to it’s best potential but the resounding ‘no-no’ of the evening had to be the ‘Red gambas seaweed tea consommé, dumplings & ginger’. Served on bed of rather pongy seaweed that we were expressly told was inedible (begging the question as to why it was on the dish) on a bamboo steamer with two small prawns, not quite the large gambas I am familiar with, concealing a bowl underneath with two dumplings filled with scallops and mussels. A broth was poured over the top layer (yes, through the bamboo steamer basket and the seaweed) and the smell was so off putting that two of my friends barely touched it.
Rather than retreat to the dessert bar, a novel area that you are moved to after your starters and mains, we retreated to the main bar for another cocktail before heading out to Hix restaurant in Brewer Street for a few more drinks, where shamefully we order several plates of fish and chips with curry sauce as we ended up being rather hungry!

I know we should have stayed for dessert as I have been hearing excellent things about many of the sweet treats on offer but we were a little underwhelmed by the savoury part of the evening, especially as we had all gotten so excited for the big night. I wouldn’t write Pollen Street Social off by any means although attention to detail is a little lacking. People say “Oh but it’s the first day” and “It’s just a soft opening” but we paid full price for dishes that did not deliver as much as they should have and to be honest, I think more restaurants should place extra emphasis on perfecting dishes during opening because that is when the bulk of people come flooding your way. So, I am divided and not sure what I feel about Pollen Street Social right now. I am a huge fan of Jason Atherton, of that there is no doubt and perhaps I will return to the bar for Tapas and cocktails but would probably need to return a little later on in the year when things have settled and I can have another go at getting the best experience for my money.

Pollen Street Social - 8/10 Pollen Street London W1S 1NQ
Tel. 020 7290 7600
www.pollenstreetsocial.com

REVIEW: Capote Y Toros

2011-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

I just have to say how impressed I was by the lastest offering to the Old Brompton strip from the same owner that gave us 'Cambio de Tercio', 'Tendido Cero' and 'Tendido Cuatro' (2 out of 3) of which are located virtually next door to one another. Capote y Toros is a small space with perhaps 25 covers maximum, with walls lined with over 100 different labels of sherry from dry clear variety to the deeply dark and syrupy aged types.

I had accidentally gate-crashed a dinner and sat perched on the edge of the table but found the staff to be most accommodating and considerate of my unexpected arrival. A platter of wafer thin slices of 5J Jamon was served along with chorizo cooked in sherry with a divine tomato sauce, black pudding, stuffed piquillo peppers, the most deliciously moist octopus and wonderful little meatballs in a sherry-soused tomato sauce. Each dish bursting with flavour with just the right amount of sauce/juice to be mopped up with a hunk of bread.

My friends ordered a flight of sherries to accompany the meal and I got a little taster of each along with an unexpected education of how versatile sherry actually is. I never thought I would be a drinker of sherry but I really enjoyed the less dry, aged and almost syrupy sherries... How wonderful. No wonder the place with heaving... Trendy local blondes greet the owner affectionately with kisses and hugs and you immediately see why yet another opening on the same 10 metre strip of Old Brompton Road, makes absolute sense in every way. Good luck to them and I will most definitely be back, the very next chance I get!

Capote Y Toros - 157 Old Brompton Road, London SW5 0LJ
www.cambiodetercio.co.uk

RECIPE: Spicy Lamb Koftas (Or Koofteh as we say in Iran)

2011-04-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

So many countries around the world have their own version of these meaty patties and it just goes to show you how versatile they can be. I love every single version of them, but here is my own version that borrows its earthy spices from the middle east, but takes its heat from the fiery chillies that the Indians use to flavour their version. I like to serve mine with aromatic Basmati rice, which makes the perfect accompaniment.

Spiced Lamb Koftas

500g minced lamb (minced beef also works)
4 inches grated ginger
2 red chillies
4-6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of turmeric
8 spring onions (white parts only)
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
2 heaped teaspoon of ground cumin powder
1 tablespoon of Maldon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1 very generous handful of coriander
Tablespoon of cooking oil

Method

Place the lamb mince into a mixing bowl then finely chop your chillies and garlic and thinly slice your spring onions and add them to the lamb. Add all your seasonings and spices to the lamb and finely chop your coriander and also add to the lamb. Using your hands, really work in all the ingredients into the mince and ensure the are all well incorporated and divide the mixture into balls (roughly the size of golf balls) and pat them down to flatten them. They should be approximately 3 inches wide and about 1 inch thick.

In a preheated frying pan on a medium-high heat, add your oil and without over-crowding your frying pan, fry several of the patties at once. Once in the pan, don’t keep moving them around, just leave them to colour nicely on each side, allowing 6-8 minutes cooking time on each side. Once cooked through, serve immediately. Great with rice, but naan bread or tortilla wraps are also a great way to eat them, perfect with a drizzle of thick Greek yoghurt.

RECIPE: Lobster Stir Fry with Sweetcorn and Spicy Papaya

2011-04-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Born out of sheer laziness and the fact that I had a cooked lobster in the fridge, I decided to make a departure from the usual temptation to make a simply homemade mayonnaise to accompany my lobster and instead add some sweet and spicy Asian flavours to my little lobster friend.

My store cupboards are better stocked than any supermarket on earth, variety wise. 4 different kinds of soy sauce, sauces, dips, salts and chutneys... Chutneys being one of my all time favourite things on the planet to eat with cheese but also to use in cooking. This time I turned to a new chutney that I had not yet tried 'Geeta's papaya and orange chutney' - An absolute bloody revelation. I have long been a lover of their 'lime and chilli chutney' which I use on literally EVERTHING (yes, including cheese - so sue me!) and so I bought the papaya and orange chutney, saving it for the perfect opportunity to try it... and my friends, today was that day!

Gently spiced with cumin, coriander, subtle chilli heat and cardamom pods, the sweet and fruity flavours of the papaya and citrusy orange create a marriage made in heaven with the delicate flesh of the lobster. So without further ado, here is the simple recipe;

Lobster Stir Fry with Sweetcorn and Spicy Papaya

1 medium sized cooked lobster (at fishmongers or supermarket), cut into chunks
1 cob of corn, kernels cut off using a sharp knife
4 spring onions, sliced in elongated diagonal strips
2 heaped tablespoons of Geeta's papaya and orange chutney
1 generous handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
Juice of half a lime
Cooking oil

In a large pan over a medium to high heat, drizzle a little oil and lightly sautee your sweetcorn kernels until they start to cook through. You will see the change when the stop looking mily and opaque and become softer and shinier in colour. Next add your spring onions and give the mix a quick stir. Add your lobster, chutney, lime juice and soya sauce and stir well to ensure the chutney and soy make a sticky glaze for the lobster. Lastly add in the freshly chopped coriander, stirring once more and plating the contents of your pan immediately. Remember that you only need to quickly re-heat the lobster as it is already cooked and cooking it for longer than necessary will make it tough and inedible.

Serve with your favourite kind of noodles or some plain steamed rice. Absolutely delicious... But as a reallly delicious alternative, you can place some of the lobster stir fry into a nice tortilla wrap and tuck in to the ultimate indulgence!

FAB FIND: Tetsuya Truffle Salt

2011-04-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

There is nothing I love more than a good find... and I think I have officially found another one in the form of some seriously pungent, black truffle-spiked sea salt.

Unfortunately, at £19.95 for a 100g jar, it's not exactly cheap but this is what I like to call 'affordable luxury' and I can tell you that a little goes a very long way! My latest addiction has runny soft-boiled eggs split in half and seasoned generously with my Tetsuya salt... In fact I generally think that any kind of eggs, whether fried, scrambled or poached, work particularly well with the truffle salt. Dairy pairings, risottos, pasta and potato dishes are also winning combinations.

To get your hands on a devillishly indulgent jar of Tetsuya Truffle Salt, visit;

The Food Emporium at http://www.thefoodemporium.co.uk/

Foraging For Wild Food In The Countryside

2011-04-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

I do believe that the only way one can be an authentic voice in any field is to fully explore all the avenues that relate to a particular subject in order to fully understand the processes involved because there is no better experience than hands-on experience. To this effect, I decided it was high time I ventured into the wilderness and went on my very first forage trip with ‘Wild Food Larder’ Chef, writer and forage expert, Andrew Sartain.Now anyone who knows me knows I have never been much of an outdoorsy type but as a I get older, I seem to be embracing outdoor pursuit and so I donned my wellies and we headed to the country to meet Andrew. Honoured to have been the very first group of the year that Andrew took foraging, I arranged a Mother’s day trip for my Mum, myself and several other food-loving friends Anne (@AnneGiacoman), Donald (@Donalde), Alan (@Stewed) and Nicola (@NicMonks) and headed to a secret location just past Bristol bright and early at 10am (which, for me, is VERY bright and early on a Sunday). We met on the private estate for a lovely breakfast of Andrew’s own cured bacon and homemade sausages with local honey, homemade lemon cake and so coffee to warm us up for the day ahead.Immediately we were shown a whole host of exciting edible leaves including Valerian (known for its calming powers), Vetch (a sort of pea shoot-flavoured leaf) as well as nettles, dandelions, garlic mustard and many more leaves that I couldn’t even begin to describe the incredible flavours of. We literally ate everything from leaves to seeds and roots, all expertly explained to us in detail by Andrew. Who knew that so much of what surrounds us is totally edible; the mind boggles, it really does.For the next part of our foray, we headed to the beach by the Bristol Channel where the smell of fennel shoots drew us in and we tasted seeds and flowers of the Alexander plant, grazed on rock samphire and picked a huge quantity of sea beet leaves (kind of like a hardy sea spinach) as well as chives and an abundance of other treats before heading back to base camp, laden with an enormous basked packed full of herbs, leaves and flowers.Arriving back at the camp, a stunning lunch spread awaited us with delicate (and local) Portmerion crockery, endless jars of pickles, dips, pestos, sauces and spreads with giant loaves of bread, platters of cheese and fresh ‘foraged’ salad leaves. The griddle pan was smoking up a treat as Andrew placed his home made venison burgers and mutton chorizo burgers on the grill and I pitched in helping to finish off the bright green wild garlic risotto to accompany it all. There is nothing like of an enormous banquet of delectable treats to satisfy the empty bellies of a hungry group of foragers! I honestly didn’t think the meal would be anything remotely as spectacular as the one lovingly prepared for us by Andrew on the day.
After lunch, we divvied up all our foraged goodies before going for one last stint in the woods for my absolute favourite leaf of all… Wild garlic. The whole area was teeming with it as far as the eye could see; in fact as soon as we arrived in the morning and got out of the car, the overwhelming pungent scent of these innocent looking wild garlic leaves shot straight up our nostrils. Armed with a mini machete, I was shown have to effectively pick the leaves and within minutes had at least a kilo of the stuff to take back home with me ready to replicate Andrew’s recipe for wild garlic and walnut pesto; perfect for storing for up to a year!What a wonderful fun and laughter filled day and a very unusual Mother’s day gift to my lovely Mother (who is ever tolerant of my bizarre food-driven missions) but aside from that, I cannot emphasise enough, just how much you learn from spending a day with someone who has over 20 years of experience on the subject and who shares literally every little pearl of wisdom and knowledge with you. Worth every penny, I would say and I would highly recommend Andrew’s ‘Wild Food Larder’ forage trips because for less than the cost of a mediocre meal in a sub-standard restaurant, you will get a rewarding experience that is not only fun but also educational and if that isn’t enough for you, then the meal at the end alone, is more than worth the £40 per head fee that Andrew charges. Foraging is becoming a bit trendy so lots of people are doing it but both myself and the group I was with, were all suitably blown away by how much we experience, learned and ate on the day and we are now busy planning our next trip foraging in October for mushrooms! Much closer to home this time, in Berkshire / Sussex… as well as a day of fishing on board a Catamaran where we hope to catch lots of lovely sea bass to take home with us.

If you would like to join us for our next forage or fishing trip hosted by Andrew Sartain, please send me an email through my blog for more information.
Or visit Andrew Sartain’s website: http://www.thewildfoodlarder.co.uk/
Or follow him on Twitter: @Sarty1

Forage trips cost £40 per person for a 3 hour foray followed by a magnificent lunch and all the goodies you can carry to take home. Money well spent, if you ask me and even as I type, I can overhear my mother talking on the phone to her friends about all the different wild food we founnd and how cool it was... so it's definitely something everyone should experience.

RECIPE: Spaghetti Primavera (A La Foraging!)

2011-04-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

In honour of the beginning of spring and armed with a whole load of foraged ingredients, I made a simple but mouth-watering dish of Spaghetti Primavera (Italian for ‘spring’) with my foraged wild garlic, sorrel, fennel shoots and a few giant prawns for good measure… Here is the recipe;

Pasta Primavera with Prawns

350g of large raw prawns, peeled
4 ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
75g of frozen peas
8-10 wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped (separate stem from leaves)
4 garlic cloves peeled, crushed and roughly chopped
A large handful of fennel tops (the wispy green bits) or some Chervil
A generous handful of your favourite chopped herbs or leave (such as spinach)
300g of dried spaghetti
A pinch of dried chilli flakes **optional**
A few knobs of butter
Some olive oil
Maldon sea salt

Method
Preheat two of your hobs on a medium-high temperature. Fill a large pot with boiling water and once boiled, salt the water and cook your spaghetti per the packet instructions. Place a large frying pan on the other hob and lightly sauté your sliced garlic cloves in a good drizzle of olive oil but do not allow them to burn. Then add your prawns and chilli flakes and quickly toss them in the garlic and oil mixture before adding the stalk part of your wild garlic leaves.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes, peas, fennel tops and any other leaves you have into the pan and ensure your pan is on a high heat so they sizzle nicely as you stir them. Generously season with Maldon sea salt and by now all the juices from the prawns and tomatoes will have made a lovely sauce for you so drizzle some extra olive oil over it before finishing with a few knobs of butter and setting aside.

Drain your pasta and return to the pan with just a little drizzle of oil to prevent the pasta strands from sticking to each other and then pour over your prawn, pea and vegetable mix and toss well before serving. Every bite is fresh, clean and deliciously addictive; the perfect lunch or supper for a quick-fix meal, bursting with flavour, fragrance and all the wondrous bounty of spring!

TOTALLY FRUITY: Pineberries... Berry Nice or Berry Bad?

2011-04-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Looking at the image above you may be wondering what the hell these albino-looking berries actually… well they KIND of look like strawberries although instead of red skin and white seeds, the colours seem to be reversed. So what are these alien berries then? Well they are in fact known as Pineberries and if you are quick, you may just catch them before they are all gone as they are only in season for 5 very short weeks and for those who want to catch them then head, nay RUN down to your local Waitrose and snap some up before they’re all gone.

The Pineberry, cultivated in The Netherlands by Hans de Jongh, is an intriguing fruit. A hybrid of two different types of strawberry (Fragaria Chiloensis and Fragaria Virginiana, to be precise) the flesh of the fruit can vary from white to orange and the flavour has quite bold notes of pineapple (hence the name ‘Pine’ berry) although many who have tried them don’t necessarily feel they taste of anything other than an unripe strawberry. I personally think that there is a pineappley taste to them and this may be because of an increase in acidity which makes them more similar to the pineapple, but the look is very much of a white strawberry.

Pineberries are smaller in size than strawberries and hilariously have even been accused of being nothing more than an April Fools day prank. But I can assure you that they very much exist and can be found at Waitrose for a limited time, priced at £3.49 per punnet.

www.waitrose.com

RECIPE: Persian Herb Rice (Sabzi Polow)

2011-03-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite Persian rice recipes, generously flecked with herbs and the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any kind of meat or fish. Traditionally this recipe is the classic dish served for Persian new year (which was last week, remember?) and it is usually paired with smoked fish, in particular smoked cod... but I love to use smoked mackerel fillets instead.

But forget Persian new year, this is such a versatile rice that I have also served it with grilled chicken, as well as my Come Dine With Me Lamb recipe and most recently a lovely whole baked seabass. My colleaugues at work (you know who you are) ate the batch I brought in for them, cold. They assured me it was delicious, although I'm less confident! So without further ado, here is the recipe for this simple rice dish with the added bonus of 'tahdig' a traditional Persian rice crust that all the family usually fight over;

Persian Herb Rice (Sabzi Polow)

500g of Basmatice rice (don't substitute with ANY other kind of rice please!)
1 large bunch of fresh coriander (or 2 small)
1 large bunch of fresh parsley (or 2 small)
2 small packs of fresh chives
2 small packs of fresh dill
1 bunch of spring onions
Vegetable oil
Butter (about 150g, divided into 4 knobs)
Maldon Sea Salt
**Food processor**

In a large bowl, wash/rinse your rice under cold water and empty out the cold water before washing/rinsing your rice with more water. Repeat this process several times until the water runs clear. Then cover the rice with water and add a generous fistful of crumbled Maldon sea salt to the water and allow to soak for 2-3 hours. If you don't have time, even 30 minutes soaking helps.

If you have a food processor then life is a whole lot easier because you can add all your herbs (in two halves) to the processor and blitz them til finely chopped. I would give them a little chop first to make it easier for the processor to break them down. Then chop your spring onions into 4 or 5 pieces and blitz them in the processor too until finely sliced. If you don't have a processor (which I didn't have until last year) then chop it all by hand, don't worry about them being too finely chopped but do make an effort to chop them as best as you can. Once done, add the herbs to the spring onions and set aside.

In a preheated cooking pot over a medium-high heat (or medium if using gas) fill the pan with boiling kettle water (you may need 2 kettle's worth of water), drain your basmati rice and add it to the pan along with another generous fistful of crumbled Maldon sea salt and finally all your chopped herbs and spring onions. Stir all ingredient well and allow to boil for about 6-8 minutes until the rice is par boiled. You will see this when the grain turns from the normal white-ish opaque to a more brilliant white, although it will not have become fluffy yet. Then drain the rice and herbs into a colander and set aside (do not rinse!) Then return your cooking pot to the hob and pour in 3 tablespoon of cooking oil with a couple of generous knobs of butter and add a tablespoon of crushed Maldon sea salt and then scatter the rice into the pan (scatter, dont pack it because you want the lightness of the falling rice to allow for steam to rise up) and then add remaining 2 knobs of butter and wrap a tea towel around a suitable lid for the cooking pot and cover and cook for 8 minutes on the same medium-high temperature, before reducing the heat right down to low-medium (Mine goes on electric mark 3 of 9)and cooking for a further 25-30 minutes. Once done, you can either place a large serving dish over the pan and flip the rice on to the dish OR decant all the rice out of the pan and then scrape the crispy Persian rice 'tahdig' out of the bottom and serve on top of the rice. However you do it, enjoy it!

BOOK REVIEW: Classic Voices in Food - Modern Cookery For Private Families by Eliza Acton

2011-03-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

I love finding old cook books; ones from an era virtually alien to most of us these days. The nice people at Quadrille publishing have a new serious of books called 'Classic Voices in Food' and Modern Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton is one of them. 'Modern' cookery refers to advanced cookery of the 19th century and this 636-page novelesque book of recipes has no photography, just a few sketches, which is enough to put most people off. But I promise you that once you start reading it, the somewhat strange practises and intricacies of this special book will have you hooked. Everything one could possibly want to know about basic kitchen prep and repertoire is contained in this book.

The chapters cover various different meats and fish, sauces, stocks, soups, pickling and preserves as well as desserts and puddings galore. It really is an authentic insight into a typical 19th century kitchen, giving you a glimpse inside the laborious preparations, skill and elaboracy that would be needed in order to prepare any meal for a typical, wealthy house of that era. Some of it is absolutely staggering and beyond mind-boggling; to think that people spent all day creating masterpieces of this ilk outside of a restaurant environment isn't remotely plausible these days. Most wealthy people forego this sort of dining in favour of quick, every day fixes or restaurant dining. Only formal entertaining can hold a candle to the lengths cooks went to in the 19th century and even then, we have so many gadgets, tools and new fangled innovations that cut the processes down so drastically that it is not even worth a comparison.

Wonderful recipes like Blancmange, Mock Turtle Soup and the scary-sounding Brain Cakes are all nods to the trends of the period. Serving food that was not the height of chic, would be an utter 'faux pas' for well-to-do families of the era. I especially loved the hilariously titled chapter on 'Foreign and Jewish Cookery' - a sweeping generalisation that would have been completely appropriate for the time. I have read this book, as you would a novel, from cover to cover and I think it is truly wonderful. I would highly recommend this as a very special and unique edition to any cook's book collection. Another title which I am yet to lay my hands on but is also from the same 'Classic Voices in Food' is Madame Prunier's Fish Cookery Book. If Eliza Acton's book is anything to go by, I am certain there is plenty to learn from both books and that they each posess a certain charm that will have long been forgotten in the more modern titles that grace the shelves of shops and homes, alike.

Modern Cookery For Private Families - By Eliza Acton
Available from Amazon priced at £10.99

RECIPE: Flourless Carrot, Pistachio and Coconut Cake

2011-03-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

When fellow blogger and author of the blog 'A Forkful of Spaghetti' gave me a wonderful recipe for a flourless almond cake, I was dubious of it working in my own kitchen as baking tends to send me running for the hills. So when I first I replicate the Torta Caprese, I added my own touch of grated orange zest and it turned out pretty great. A little more moist then I would have wanted but because of the moist nature of the cake, it was wonderfully soft for over a week.

This time around, I decided to make a carrot cake, of sorts, studded with some wonderful giant pistachios that someone had gifted to me from Iran. The result was pretty spectacular, even if I do say so myself and I have adpated the recipe to whittle out the excess moisture and to allow for the variation of carrots. Here is the super-simple recipe;

Flourless Carrot, Pistachio and Coconut Cake

200g ground almonds
100g dessicated coconut
3 large free-range eggs
200g golden caster sugar
2 teaspoons of best quality vanilla extract
2 medium-large sized carrots (No Franken-carrots!), peeled and grated
150g of pistachio nuts, roughly chopped (you want chunky pieces ideally)
2 teaspoons of cinammon
150g of melted unsalted butter
Generous handful of golden raisins
24cm spring mounted cake tin (or any pyrex or cake tin you have)
**Greaseproof paper to line cake tin**

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees and line your tin with the greaseproof paper enough to cover base and also sides to prevent the cake from sticking. You won't need to grease the tin or the paper as the oils from the nuts and butter from the mix prevent the cake sticking (tried and tested)

In a mixing bowl, beat your eggs, sugar and vanilla essences together. Then add the ground almonds, coconut, cinnamon and stir before adding in the butter and giving the ingredients a thorough mix. Add your grated carrots, pistachios and raisins and mix again until all ingredients are evenly incorporated and then gently pour (or spoon) the mixture into your cake tin or vessel of choice and bake for an hour (checking at 40 mins to ensure its cooking evenly). Once done, allow to cool overnight if you can wait; the cake comes out much moister than it will be once cooled so the best result really does come with overnight cooling. I simply keep the cake on a plate covered with cling film and it lasts all week... Although that does largely depend on how many nights I am at home, gobbling my way through it, of course.

Crazy Eats (or Treats?)

2011-03-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Lately I have found myself craving bizarre foods that most pregnant women would turn their nose up at... Hot cross buns with Marmite, sharp cheddar cheese and spicy lime pickle and all other manner of bizarre combinations. So when I popped into Selfridges and saw the very glamours Vosges 'Mo's Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar', I had to take it home with me.

As this is an import, you can expect to pay an eye-watering £7.25 per bar for the privilege of getting your gums around this fusion of dark chocolate and salty bacon. The taxi driver that drove me home asked me if I'd bought any nice and I told him about my find and offered him a piece, to which he replied "Fanks love but I fink I'll give that a miss". So I guess it's not everybody's cup of tea, which is fair enough.

But what does this bizarre marriage of Franken-fusion actually taste like? Well it tastes like your average good quality dark chocolate with the addition of chewy bacon bits in it. In a blind test, my Guinea pig (in this case, my poor Mum) was made to close her eyes and try it. "God, ok... I'm not going to be eating any bugs am I?" No Mum, no bugs... just chocolate with a different ingredient. At first bite she commented that it contained some kind of nuts, then salt; but she couldn't put her finger on the key ingredient. After divulging the porky secret to her, we both felt that there wasn't enough bacon in the bar to merit the a repeat purchase. I guess we are both from the school of "If you do something, then do it properly." So although I would recommend that you try it if you have the opportunity, I would suggest you race out to buy it. Bizarre combinations don't always work and in this case, they seem to make a bigger statement than they do impact.

Selfridges - Oxford Street, London W1

RECIPE: Russian Beef Pancakes

2011-03-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I didn't do what every other blogger on the planet did by blogging this recipe in time for Shrove Tuesday (or Pancake day, as it's known here) But it is such a wonderful recipe, that it should be eaten more often and not just once a year in honour of pancake day.

My Mum's friend used to make this for me as a kid; many Russian dishes are popular in Iran and we are no stranger to foods like pancakes and Pirogies (or 'Piroshgie' as we call them). I'm heading to Russia next month to explore Moscow and St Petersburg and eating will be a big part of my trip, so in honour of my trip, here is my recipe for fabulous Russian pancakes **Beware, they are addictive**

Russian Beef Pancakes

400g best quality minced beef
150g Chestnut mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 small onions (or 1 large), finely chopped
1 pack of ready-made pancakes (I used 'Woodside' brand from Sainsburys)
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
5 shallots, very finely chopped
3 large free-range eggs, hard boiled and chopped
Oil for cooking

In a large preheated frying pan over a high heat (or medium-high is using gas) dry-fry your mushrooms, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes before adding a little drizzle of oil. This will prevent them for stewing and becoming all nasty and watery; instead you will cook them perfectly and get a better colour and overall texture from them. Once they are cooked, empty the pan contents into a bowl and set aside.

Then reduce your heat a little and in the same pan, drizzle a good quantity of oil and caramelise your onions to get a rich, golden-brown colour from them without burning them. If they look like they are prematurely burning, reduce the heat and remove pan from hon until cooler before finishing off your onions. Then empty the onions into the same bowl as the mushrooms and turn up the heat a little, once again.

Add your meat to the hot pan and sautee the meat, ensuring your are constantly moving it so it doesn't stew and become grey and flabby. You want colour and a nice charring, almost, of the meat. Just as the remaining pinky/red bits of meat begin to change colour, add your turmeric, cayenne and ground cumin and mix well to incorporate into the meat. Then add your mushrooms and caramelises onions and finish cooking for another 6-8 minutes before adding your chopped parsley and giving it one final mix.

If you have been good and made your own pancakes, then great! But there is nothing wrong with getting a little helping hand from ready made ingredients too, especially if they are tasty. I zapped my panckes for about 30 seconds in the microwave at full temperature before serving topped with meat and side dish of the raw shallots, chopped eggs and fresh dill. Perfect! A shot of vodka wouldn't go a miss either! Nastrovya!

'Nowrouz' - Persian New Year 1390

2011-03-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

It's 'Nowrouz' (meaning new day) 1390 and every Persian should be preparing for the new year. Yes, I know what you're thinking... "1390? How did we get from 2011 to 1390?" Well the Persian calendar is a solar calendar and therefore the current year will be just a tad different to yours. This year, the 'tahveel' or precise time of the New Year falls on Sunday 20th March at 11:21pm Universal Time (Formerly know as Greenwich Mean Time or GMT) which is when every family embraces their loved ones wishing them a wonderful year ahead and saying "Ayd-e-shoma Mobarak" - Meaning "May your new year, be a prosperous one". Tradition dictates that you spend the 'tahveel' with your family and for about a week or more after New Year, everyone visits each other, customarily with the elders of the family hosting 'open house' for guests to visit them. Most people exchange gifts and everyone wears a new outfit... this has always been a big deal for us; but it is kids who get the most gifts and lots of money to boot. When I was a kid, I could easily make several hundreds of pounds from just one event! I wish the same generosity applied these days because I'm pretty sure I didn't even need the money back then whereas we all have bills to pay now, I'm sure.

The main tradition to be embraced at home is the 'haft-seen' this literally means 'Seven S's' which is a special table you lay out for Nowrouz consisting of various key components each of which have a different meaning or representation and seven of which MUST start with the letter 'S'. For example Hyacinth flowers are very popular and in Persian we call them 'Sombol' - so that's a TICK! Also the wheat grass we use, which signifies re-birth and renewal, is called 'Sabzeh'; another 'S' and usually the first 'S' to go on the table. Other things added to the table included red apples, a whole garlic bulb, vinegar, gold coins, 'Samanoo' (a brown wheat pudding) and live goldfish, both a symbol of life and the end of the astral year also associated with the constellation Pisces. People take the 'haft-seen' table very seriously and above you will see my own bijoux version as well as my Mother's pimped-up, deluxe model which includes 10 times the quantity of effort, time, spending and energy that my own one does, but her haft-seens are kind of famous now and they are completely different in colour and design from one year to the next.

Part of the fun of Persian new year is kids get the chance to involve themselves in the preparations, which heightens the actual celebration itself. I remember my Grandma would put several different 'Sabzeh' to grow in the house and I would be roped in to help water them, cover them with a damp cloth and then ensure they sprout. I would also get to decorate eggs (just like Easter) that would also have their place on the haft-seen and generally help my parents with the laying of the table before the big day arrived. It was a fun time and I thought if I ever have children, I would want to ensure they understand the traditions and symbolic gestures of what is a wonderful part of their heritage. But I was born in Iran and although I left when I was two, I still feel very Iranian and want to celebrate my heritage at every opportunity.

But the traditional meal for Nowrouz is really what I adore. 'Sabzi Polow Mahi' simply means 'Herbs, Rice and Fish' and that is pretty much all it is. The fish is dried smoked fish which very few people use these days and the rice is perfectly cooked basmati rice (cooked the Persian way of first soaking, then par-boiling, then rinsing and gently steaming it until fluffy) BUT when you par-boil the rice, a myriad of herbs in a large quantity are added to the boiling water and once drained, your rice is flecked with emerald strands made from coriander, dill, parsley, chives and the like. I like to serve this simple rice with salty smoked mackerel fillets; a perfectly heavenly way to enjoy this special dish.

Food is a big part of the life of any Iranian/Persian but never more so than at new year. The fridge(s) will always be full to the brim with food, fruit for guests and an enormous array of sweet treats to welcome your guests with, is an absolute must! You must always prepare for unannounced guests at this time of year, so stocking up is crucial. Most Iranians in central London go to one man for all the good stuff.. His name is Agha Reza. 'Agha' simply means 'Mister' and Reza, being his name. There isn't an Iranian in London who doesn't know who Agha Reza is. The man is a legend in his own right and most of us look to him for all our provisions, especially for Nowrouz and he puts on a big show every single day in the week-long run up to Nowrouz and I seriously recommend you stop by one evening or on Saturday this weekend. This way you can see just how nutty, generous, fun-loving and friendly we Iranians really are! Reza's shop is the first in a mini-parade of shops and a Persian restaurant on High Street Kensington (between the Odeon cinema and Olympia)

So "Ayd-e-Shoma Mobarak" everyone... Whether you're Persian or Iranian or black, white or green, I wish the coming year of the lunar calendar be filled with health, wealth and happiness for you all.

And if you want to visit a Persian restaurant to get some good eats soon, here are my recommendations for authentic Persian food in order of preference:

Alounak Restaurant - 10 Russell Gardens, London, W14 8EZ (Nearest tube Olympia)
Tel: 020 7371 2350

Mohsen Restaurant - 152 Warwick Road, London, W14 8PS (Nearest tube Olympia/Earls Court)
Tel: 020 7602 9888

BOOK REVIEW: The Food of Spain & Portugal - Elisabeth Luard

2011-03-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

There has been an influx of new cookery books on to my shelves lately but this title is definitely something a little different to all the others. Despite my first love being Portuguese, I never really learned anything about the food of Portugal other than the dishes he didn't like. Caldo Verde, a Portuguese classic, was always made to sound like an impossible green sludge with a disturbing flavour; only to realise it is actually a wonderfully warming kale soup! Exactly the kind of thing I would absolutely gulp down by the bowlful! In hindsight, I should have known from the start we utterly wrong for each other.

Although I know very little about the author Elisabeth Luard, I do know the photography of the genius food-snapper Jean Cazals and having your recipes photographed by him can only ever be a really good move because he really brings food to life in his images. Elisabeth Luard is actually an award winning food writer and author of many other cookery titles, so I feel safe in the knowledge that this book will indeed make an authentic contribution to my shelves.

The book is divided in to two sections, one representing Spain and the other for Portugal and each section has multiple sub-sections representing the various regions of each country. Obviously as both countries are blessed with generous coastlines, the book has many (many) fish and seafood recipes that are pretty condusive to the Portuguese and Spanish way of eating; however there are some wonderful recipes in both sections. The very unsual 'Ilebre amb xocolata' or hare with almonds and chocolate from The Catalan region gets my vote and a Balearic favourite of 'Ensaimadas' - A wonderful 'snail-curled' yeast cake that I would buy several of and take home to family whenever in Majorca... A must for cake/donut lovers. Varieties normally included cinnamon, pumpkin and pastry creme and all are utterly delicious. Lamb tongues, Serrano ham croquettes and of course classics like churros and Tortilla all feature also.

Portugal, I know infinitely less about. However pleased to see that the first two recipes include one of my all time favourite Portuguese/Brazilian treats 'Bolinhos de bacalhau' Lovely saltcod fritters, perfect to snack on with a glass of something cold. And the infamous 'Caldo Verde' soup my ex hated is also featured and a rather interesting recipe from the Beira mountain region for tomato jam with vanilla and a spiced pumpkin jam from the Algarve (both of which, I shall be making very soon!)
So I'm glad to have been sent this book because like every DECENT cookery book, it should make a genuinely useful contribution to your shelves and not just be about the Chef or the pretty cover. This book ticks all the right boxes for the consummate foodie in my opinion and will make a fantastic new addition to my collection.

The Food of Spain and Portugal - By Elisabeth Luard
Available on Amazon

Korea Town, New Malden

2011-03-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

I didn't actually think we had a 'Korea Town' in England until a few years ago. I've been dying to check it out and finally had my chance this weekend with a few friends in tow. We headed down to New Malden and upon Tom Parker-Bowles recommendation, visited 'Su La' restaurant for a big Korean style BBQ chow down.
For those who have never been to a Korean restaurant, BBQ'd meats are the order of the day; accompanied by a myriad of 'Banchan' which are an assortment of accompaniments to your meal including the infamous Kimchee fermented cabbage pickle, as well as pickled radishes, potato salad, shredded spring onions and so much more. You choose your desired meats, ready to be grilled right in front of you on a special gas-fired grill with a special extractor nozzle that is pulled down onto the grill itself.
.We also chose several side dishes; the first being 'Japche' Korean noodles which are glossy cellophane noodles made from sweet potato (of all things!) enrobed in a sweet(ish) soya dressing, shredded vegetables and beef. Bibimbap is another famous Korean staple; a mega hot earthenware bowl filled with steaming hot rice, vegetables, raw egg and strips of raw meat, which are mixed (and effectively cooked) at your table. Another renowned favourite is the seafood pancake, which surprisingly isn't remotely fishy at all and has a lovely delicate flavour as well as a spicy dish of halved boiled eggs with seafood pancakes and vegetables. But lets face it, the meat is the star of the show and we wait patiently as our server expertly grills the meat to juicy perfection. Once done, you take a bit of meat, you dip it in the sweet soya sauce, place it in a lettuce leaf before gobbling it all up. Absolutely delicious and to be honest, one of the main reasons I eat so much Korean food... all that meat is heavenly to a carniverous girl like myself.
After eating all that food, we thought it time to go for a little walk and explore the locality. One of my friends and fellow blogger of the wonderful blog Tamarind and Thyme excitedly informed me that a branch of 'H Mart' is rumoured to have been opened in the area. "H Mart? What the hell is H Mart?" I thought. H-Mart is an North American Asian superstore for groceries, meats, fish, deli goods and homeware and it's HERE in LONDON (or New Malden to be precise) and so to H-Mart, we went!
Shops like this are my absolute guilty pleasure. I could spend hours and hours strolling the aisles of this superstore, reading through ingredient lists of products, checking out new foods and produce that I have never seen, let alone used before. Aisle after aisle of sauces, seasonings, rice, noodles, vegetables, meats and fish... A whole line of giant freezers filled with everything from Dim Sum to Mochi balls and a rather suspect looking bag of frozen green stuff with Marijuana leaf emblems printed on the pack... Could it be? Err, no... probably not! If it was actually wacky-backy, then H Mart would end up having queues all the way from New Malden to New York! But seriously, this is the kind of mega store I love to shop at. I bought 3 kinds of pears, pickled radishes, kimchee, Korean noodles, chilli powder and about 8 bottles of assorted Aloe Vera juices. I'm somewhat of a closet food shopaholic who tends to overstuff my kitchen cupboards with 3 times more than should actually be fitted in them. I'm Iranian, its the only way I was raised to know! Overshoppers of the highest degree, but when things are so cheap and so unusual and interesting, I just can't help myself. But hands down the funniest part of the day was how it ended, with a trolley-picnic with the 4 of us congregating over our trolley in a disused Disabled car parking space outside the front of the shop, stuffing our faces with Coconut Mochi balls, Aloe juice and curried donut buns... to the horror and hilarity of all the other shoppers. Well, when its good, its good... You can't always wait!

Su La Restaurant - 79-81 Kingston Road, New Malden, Surrey, London, KT3 3PB
Tel: 020 8336 0121

H Mart - Beverley Way, New Malden, Surrey KT34PH
Tel: 020 8949 2238 http://www.hmart.co.uk/

RECIPE: Tamarind, Lamb & Aubergine Stew

2011-03-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

How often do you use Tamarind in your cookery? Not used nearly as often in the West, Tamarind is a staple of the East; it use stretches from Africa and India, through the Middle East (including Iran) all the way to Southeast Asia. It's use extends from everything like marinades and stews to drinks and candy; and despite being famed for its incredibly sour flavour, there is a certain pleasing sweetness to it also.

This particular recipes comes with a confession on my part. It's creation came as a result of **not having** the required ingredients to make another dish using my little chunks of lamb neck fillet. Originally, I was going to make a Massamun curry but realised I didn't have any coconut milk in the my cupboards (a first) and so this dish was born. Ingredients vicariously chucked together in a pot, fingers crossed, hoping for the best... only to end in a triumphant result! Splendid, utterly splendid and here is the recipe;

Tamarind, Lamb and Aubergine Stew (Serves 4)

400g of lamb neck cut into large chunks (1.5 inches thick)
1 jar of Barts Tamarind paste
2 x Knorr beef stock pots
6 shallots or 1 medium onion, roughly sliced (not chopped and not too thin)
6 inches fresh ginger, grated
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 heaped tablespoons of caster sugar
2 heaped teapspoons of ground cumin
1 heaped teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 large green chilli **optional, but delicious** sliced thickly into about 6 pieces
2 medium sized aubergines, chopped thickly into 2 inch squared chunks (roughly)
Vegetable oil
Water

Preheat a deep pan over a medium/hight heat (or medium if using gas) and add enough oil to cover the base of the ban. Saute your onions until they begin to brown and then add your lamb to the pan and stir, keeping the meat moving, so its gets nicely browned but not cooked through. Add the grated ginger and stir well for another minute or so. Follow by adding the tamarind paste, chopped tomatoes and sugar and stir well before adding the spices. Lastly add your aubergine chunks to the pan, stirring again and then pour enough water over the ingredient to just about cover them. Stir one last time before turning the temperature down to a low-medium heat (or low is using gas) and cook for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to prevent it sticking. Serve with basmati rice or lovely naan bread.

RECIPE: Persian 'Mirza Ghasemi' Aubergines

2011-03-07T03:50:00.000-08:00

I don’t know how to best translate what this dish is into English. It is not a dip and definitely not your trendy aubergine ‘caviar’ but it is traditionally eaten as a side dish (or starter) with other dishes like grilled meat and chicken or even a stew with rice.

This delicious dish comes from the ‘Rasht’ province of northern Iran and is one of my absolute favourites dishes and a must have whenever I eat out in Persian restaurants. I decided to make it for myself one day and couldn’t believe how straightforward it was and so from now on, it has to be homemade all the way!

It is a great dish that is actually incredibly low fat as the aubergines are oven baked so they don’t absorb the massive quantities of oil they tend to when being fried. Perfect for vegetarians yet also incredibly satisfying for carnivorous types (like myself) too and I find the best way to eat it is with Persian Lavosh bread, but toasted pitas are my other favourite way to scoop up copious amounts of this garlicky aubergine favourite. Garlic lovers rejoice as this dish has quite a bit of garlic in it, which really is delicious, but if you don’t like garlic you can use caramelised onions instead, although only if you really must.

Persian 'Mirza Ghasemi' Aubergines (Serves 4-6 as a starter or side dish)

Ingredients

4 large aubergines
4 large ripe tomatoes
2 whole garlic bulbs (peeled, crushed and roughly sliced)
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 heaped teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 heaped teaspoons of Maldon sea salt
3 medium sized whole eggs
Oil for frying

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and once hot, place aubergines directly onto the oven griddles and without pricking or breaking the skin, roast them for 40-45 minutes.

In a large frying pan over a medium heat, add some oil and slowly cook your garlic slices making sure you are cooking them through rather than browning them. If they start to brown too quickly take the pan off heat and the residual heat will still give you a decent temperature for a while longer if needed. Once you garlic has cooked through and just as some of the edges begin to brown, add your turmeric powder and ensure it is mixed well into the garlic and cook it through for a minutes or two. Quarter your tomatoes, removing the core and throw them into the pan and cook them with the garlic until they break down and are full cooked through. Then turn the temperature off and set aside.

Once your aubergines are cooked, carefully remove them from the oven using a plate to catch them as sometimes they burst so its best to put them straight into the plate. Then using a knife score the skin and take a spoon and scoop the flesh out from all 4 of them and add it to your frying pan. Then turn the high on again to a medium temperature and mix the aubergine pulp with the garlic and tomatoes and cook them through for a few minutes, mashing them a little with your cooking utensil of choice. Add your tomato puree, mix thoroughly and leave it to cook through again for about 5 or so minutes, ensuring you keep it moving so it doesn’t burn.

Finally beat your 3 eggs whole and make lots of little holes in the aubergine mixture and simply pour the beaten egg mix straight onto the pan and do not (I repeat DO NOT) stir it in. You don’t want the egg mix to enrich the aubergine mix but instead you want it to cook through and once cooked, then you mix it in to the aubergines. This takes approximately 8 minutes or so and you will see when the egg is cooked as it goes opaque. Once cooked, give the whole mix a good stir so that it has an even consistency and it is ready to eat. Personally I think it is best served warm, but the truth is you can eat it warm, hot or cold. Take your bread of choice and scoop a massive dollop of the mix and enjoy.

RECIPE: Aubergines with Feta Cheese and Saffron Yoghurt

2011-03-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't yet realised it, my signature cookery style is fast becoming what I like to term as 'Modern Persian'... using many of the ingredients that are popular in my culture but with modern accents and twists of fusion which make them more enjoyable on a daily basis.

This is one of my favourite accompaniments to lamb as the meaty flesh of the aubergine, always proves a great pairing with the aromatic spice-rubbed lamb dishes I like to make. Every time I make it, I vary the dish somewhat... In the images above, you will see the first where I made a much stronger saffron yoghurt, less mint and added chopped pickled chillies to give it a lovely heat, but I have also made it using less saffron and more mint also. The point to my cooking, as always, is to adapt it to your own taste (and available ingredients) and come up with something that works well in your own home. There is no exacting of quantities with this sort of recipe, so feel free to adjust accordingly.

Aubergines with Feta Cheese and Saffron Yoghurt

3 large aubergines (unpeeled), sliced widthways into 1 inch discs
2-3 generous pinches of good quality saffron
250g of full fat 'Total' Greek yoghurt
Small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped or shredded
100g-200g of feta cheese (use as much as you want, I like 200g!)
Vegetable oil
Maldon sea salt
Pickled chillies (optional)
**pastry brush**

Over a medium-high heat (or medium if using gas) preheat a large frying pan and start brushing both sides of your aubergine slices with vegetable oil. Do not salt them as this will draw moisture out of them, which you don't really want. Aubergines do not need to be salted as they once used to as their juices are no longer bitter due to new varieties cultuvated. You can season them once they are cooked. Then once the pan is nice and hot, fry the aubergines for about 10-12 minutes each side (or until nicely browned on each side) Repeat until all the aubergine is cooked and then set aside.

If you have a pestle and mortar to ground your saffron down to a powder, then great... if not, crumble your saffron into a little cup using your fingers and add two tablespoons of boiling kettle water to the cup and allow the saffron to infuse into the water, making 'liquid saffron'. Allow to cool and once cooled, combine with your yoghurt and mix well until the colour is even.

Arrange the aubergine slices on a large flate plate, season well with Maldon sea salt and crumble your feta cheese liberally over the top. Dot your saffron yoghurt around the plate and garnish with mint and (if desired) pickled chillies.

REVIEW: Vinoteca, Marylebone W1

2011-03-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

When my friend invited me to dinner at Vinoteca, I heard the word 'Vino' and being someone who doesn't actually drink wine (unless its a dessert wine) I wasn't overly enthused but being that she is a fellow foodie, she is most definitely someone who can be trusted to choose somewhere suitable for dinner.

Tucked away in Seymour Place, right behind Edgware Road, Vinoteca is an intimate buzzy bistro with walls lined with scores of different wines and a list of over 285 wines available for purchase. They don't take reservations and although the restaurant was totally full, we didn't wait more than 10 minutes before we were seated... this in itself means extra brownie points for them in my opinion.

The menu is an informal mix of hearty rustic dishes, Tapas style dining and other delicious sounding combinations each paired with a wine recommendation, for the devoted wine drinker. The kitchen is visible and the Chefs pass is in plain sight for all to see. Not feeling overly hungry (yes, a rare event in my lifetime) I chose the goat cheese and beetroot salad with vinaigrette dressing and walnuts and my friend chose the salad of smoked eel with potatoes and mixed leaves. Now eel is something that I have always said, you would have to kill me to make me eat and how on earth people eat jellied eels, is beyond me! But, when the salad was served up, it did look rather good. My friend offered some to me and I was quick to turn her down but changed my mind in the spirit of trying new things and was surprised how delicious it was. My own salad was pretty straight forward but really gratifying. I love beetroots, yellow and purple and love goats cheese and walnuts, so it was a winning combination for me.

I realised that for the first time in my life, I accidentally ordered an entirely vegetarian menu... This has NEVER happened before... so once my tagliatelle with Pied de Mouton mushrooms arrived, I was hoping that it would do the trick for me and I wasn't disappointed. An extra heavy hit of garlic which luckily I love was a suitable companion to the mushrooms and the al dente ribbons of homemade tagliatelle; very satisfying. My friend opted for a lighter main course of 'Lomito' cured pork loin with blood oranges with almonds and Jalapeno peppers; a vibrant visual plate or delicious cured meat with the juicy citrus kick from the sharp slivers of blood orange. Delicious and so much better then the non-existent blood orange slivers hiding under the Burrata cheese I ate at Nopi restaurant recently ans curiously almost half the price!

Three of the dishes we ate were priced at just £6.50; what a bargain, no? My handmade tagliatelle pasta was priced at just £10.50 and loaded with meaty mushrooms. You can't even get that sort of value at Ask, Zizzi or any of the other dodgy high street chains anymore; and you certainly can't match the quality of produce used by Vinoteca. For dessert, we shared a lovely rhubarb fool (which we forgot to take a snap of) but was served in a rather stylish Martini glass with a lovely biscotti and I did have a cheeky glass of 2007 VAT 5 Botrytis Semillon de Bortoli to wash my dessert down with, which was a rather splendid way to end a rather splendid meal.

Vinoteca, despite its wine affiliation, won me over for its food. I am definitely coming back to eat here because the food is fantastic and the prices are incredibly reasonable for the high standard of cooking and service you receive. A gem of a find that I am reluctantly sharing with you but this is definitely one of those lovely little London discoveries that is too good to keep secret.

FAB FINDS: Peter's Yard Artisan Crispbreads

2011-03-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my fellow foodie friend Signe Johansen, author of the incredibly popular 'Scandilicious' Blog, I have been introduced to something pretty wonderful... Delicious Artisanal crispbreads, so far removed from the usual supermarket crap.

Edinburgh-based Peter's Yard, make the most delicious and versatile crispbread I have had in a long time. Listed by The Times' Dan Lepard as one the the top 10 small bakeries in Britain, scoring the full 5 stars in the 'Observer Food Monthly' Scandinavian taste test and 'Gold' winner at the 2010 Great Taste Awards.

The large box of Swedish crispbread wheels 'for sharing' are wonderful and perfect for Tapas or Mezze style dining with friends but my favourites were the feather-light smaller crispbread rounds... perfect for my own indulgent snacking. To be authentic, I piled mine high with Swedish Gravadlax and mustard sauce but to Persianise things, I tried Feta with my own Pistachio pesto which was superb also. If you aren't anywhere near Edinburgh, don't despair because you can find Peter's Yard goodies at Wholefoods, Selfridges and also online directly from Edinbugh. Visit their website http://www.petersyard.com/ You will never by Ryvita again!

BOOK REVIEW: French Country Cooking - The Roux Brothers

2011-03-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

Having fabulous cookery books sent to me is a perk of having a blog and when the lovely people at Quadrille Publishing sent me 'French Country Cooking' by Michel and Albert Roux I did wonder if I'd missed a trick. Perhaps I was a bit too young and had my attentions elsewhere but I don't recall seeing this book when first released. However it's recent hard back re-print has certainly come at a perfect time for me as of all the 350+ cookery books I own, less then 5 are French and there is definitely room for more pearls of French culinary wisdom on my bookshelf.

The book, divided into twelve regional chapters, gives an excellent insight into popular dishes of each region along with the traditions and ingredients unique to the area. From Provence and Alsace to the lesser known regions of Vendee, Pays Basque and Guyenne; the book is a colourful journey into the secrets of regional and seasonal cookery of France. There is also a very useful pre-chapter on 'Basic Recipes' which include the classic French recipes for several different types of pastry, from choux to shortcrust, as well as stocks, mayonnaise and custard.

One of my favourite recipes comes in pretty early on in the 'Normandy and Brittany' chapter in the for 'Blanquette de Veau' that fabulous French classic courtesy of Albert and Michel's own Mother, Maman Roux. For those who remember watching Keith Floyd prepare a Pays Basque classic of Piperade to an utterly disgusted lady restaurateur, you can create this now infamous dish yourself from the recipe on page 99. Other classic recipes included Crepes Suzette, Bouillabaisse, Gourgeres as well as the more interesting 'Jambon au foin' (ham cooked in hay)and the oh-so-decadent 'Tourtiere aux Morilles' a heavely puff pastry pie filled with a generous amount of my absolute favourite Morel mushrooms with ham and truffles. Heaven.

This is a book of classics; filled with rich, butter-laden, truffle-scented recipes. Not a book suited to dieters of those practising the art of moderation. This is a book for lovers of decadent, full-flavoured cooking and the fact that it is penned by the Roux brothers gives it that extra edge of authenticity as well as the reassurance that what you are recreating will have a spectacular end result.

French Country Cooking by Michel and Albert Roux is now available on Amazon at the special price of £17.16 (instead of the full price of £25.00) CLICK HERE to order your copy... Bon appetit mes amis!

REVIEW: 'Dinner - by Heston Blumenthal

2011-02-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

The biggest restaurant opening of 2011 will undoubtedly remain 'Dinner - by Heston Blumenthal'. The sheer volume of reviews and write-ups about his latest venture are unlikely to be rivalled by any other restaurant opening this year and perhaps even next year. The man has achieved the kind of cult-status that Gordon Ramsay ('The Big Sweary One') could only have hoped to achieve. Bloggers, critics and journos alike have gushed about the virtues of Heston's new offering to the London restaurant scene... so much so that writing my own write up feels a tad pointless and maybe even a little repetitive. But ever the sceptical Capricorn that I am, when I hear everyone praising something excessively in unison, it just makes me more determined to see for myself if all the hype is indeed to be believed.First of all let me point out that whilst the restaurant was opened by Heston Blumenthal, it is actually Ashley Palmer-Watts who is the Chef at the helm of this operation at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park. Ashley and his team are continuing Heston's fantastic work but in a much toned down version minus all the mind-scrambling trickery and special effects and instead, with the help of a bonafide food Historian, reviving the dishes of centuries-old Britain.Dishes can sound a bit alien to most with 'Rice and Flesh', 'Meat Fruit' and 'Salamagundy' featuring as starters; but have faith because everyone knows that whatever Heston gets behind, tends to be very magical indeed. 'Meat Fruit' has been causing quite a sensation among those who have dined here. A seemingly normal looking mandarin orange on a wooden board accompanied by slices of toasted bread, conceals a flavoursome centre of chicken liver pate enriched with foie gras and encased in a delicate mandarin jelly cutting beautifully through the rich fattiness of the pate itself. A perfect example of point and counterpoint at its finest and a wonderful dish that I could quite happily eat over and over again. 'Salamagundy', a simple salad of soft chicken oysters with quivvering slivers of bone marrow amid roasted salsify and mixed leaves was an interesting combination that worked well although couldn't possibly outshine the meat fruit of the final starter of 'Rice and Flesh'. Gory as it sounds, 'Rice and Flesh' is little more than a Risotto Milanese, buttery rich in it's ocre saffron glory, studded with meat chunks of veal tail with perfectly al-dente rice and the most perfect version of this dish that I have ever had the good fortune to taste. A definite addition to the menu of my final meal on earth.Main courses, whilst retaining the highly skilled execution and ingredient combinations you would expect of such a kitchen, didn't enthrall me in quite the same capacity as the starters. That is not to say that the dishes were not fantastic, because au contraire, they absolutely were but they were more along the lines of exemplary seasonal cooking rather than the wow-factor style that Heston is known for. And this is perhaps something that should be explained; 'Dinner by Heston Blumenthal' is not supposed to be anything like 'Fat Duck' and you should remember that when eating here, so as to avoid any potential disappointment. Our main courses of 'Powdered duck with fennel and jus' and 'Black foot pork chop with cabbage' were both very good, although whilst the duck was 'lifted' by its pairing with the fennel, my companion did leave rather a lot on her plate and when quizzed about the matter the words "fiddly" and "lacklustre" were mentioned. Not my own opinion, you understand but duck legs are not for everyone and the cooking method can impact on the smell and flavour of the duck in a way that is not to everyone's taste. However full marks for my pork chop that was cooked to perfection with a rich jus that lifted the gentle flavour of the meat beautifully.The wonderful pineapple spit-roast in the kitchen is a thing of beauty, so much so that I simply had to get into the kitchen myself to photograph them in all their rum-drenched glory. Making up part of the delightfully indulgent 'Tipsy cake', I ordered a nice glass of Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine and enjoyed every last buttery mouthful of the delicious sugar crusted bread-like cake, in it's own mini cast-iron dish accompanied by the exquisite and perfectly caramelised wedge of roasted pineapple. Another dish I would happily include on the menu for my final meal on earth.A final complimentary dish is brought to the table; a dainty little tea cup and saucer filled with an Earl Grey and white chocolate ganache accompanied by a finger sized caraway seed shortbread biscuit. What a splendidly unctuous combination, the perfect way to end such a lovely meal... even if you do have to 'waddle' out of the restaurant like a pregnant woman.

RECIPE: Polpette Napolitano (Neapolitan Meatballs)

2011-02-27T03:44:00.000-08:00

I do love a good meatball. My local Italian deli does sell them but they are hard and made with beef and I have lost all love for them, entirely and so a few years ago I started perfecting my own recipe and (by Joe!) I have finally produced a recipe to be proud of. Italians are fiercely protective of their recipes and authenticity is valued greatly among them. Whilst I respect this completely and try my best to stick to it as much as possible, I do often feel a little gentle tweaking here and there can improve things somewhat. So my meatball recipe has just one extra added ingredient and that is rosemary; not exactly a complete fabrication on the original recipe but certainly it is my own addition. These little beauties are hugely popular with all and sundry, a great way to feed and please everyone (see pic of my friends gorgeous twin boys gorgeing themselves contently on them)

This sauce is slow cooked and made over the course of the day, so it is a perfect dish for a weekend or made the night before.

Polpette Napolitano (Neapolitan Meatballs)

300g minced beef
300g minced pork
6 fat garlic gloves (they mellow as you cook it), thinly sliced
3 teaspoons of dried rosemary
A large handful of crusty white bread (stale bread works great but no toast bread)
A little full fat milk to moisten the bread
2 medium sized eggs
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes (go the best quality ones)
8-10 ripe (over-ripe is even better!) vine tomatoes, halved and cored
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 cup of water
Good quality olive oil
Maldon sea salt
Black pepper
Parmesan **optional**

In a large cooking pot over a gentle heat (really low on gas) pour in enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan (about 1/2 inch) and add in your rosemary and garlic and allow the flavours to 'infuse' the oil. This means they should not be sizzling, bubbling or colouring in any way. If they are browning, remove from heat immediately, turn the temperature down even further and after 10 minutes return to the heat to finish infusing. I like to infuse the oil for at least 20 minutes before turning up the heat to medium.

Once the heat has been increased, place the fresh tomatoes cut side down into the pan and allow them to cook through for about 20 minutes making sure you stir them and break them down to prevent the garlic burning. Then add your two tins of chopped tomatoes and stir the contents of the pan well. Add the sugar, water and also about a tablespoon of crumbled Maldon sea salt and stir once again before covering with a lid, turning down the temperature slightly and allowing to simmer on a gentle heat for a few hours (3 is great). 'Gentle' is the key to success here as a high heat will mean the liquid will evaporate and sauce will start to burn. Turn off the heat after 3 hours, this is integral as when the sauce is allowed to cool, this is when the flavours truly meld and intensify.

Now for the meaballs, using a large mixing bowl, add in the beef and pork mince, eggs, another tablespoon of crumbled Maldon sea salt and some pepper. In a little bowl on the side pour some milk over your bread and allow it to absorb the milk, softening the dough through to the middle then squeeze the bread a little to get rid of some of the moisture and add the bread to the meat mixture. The using clean hands, get stuck into the mixture really kneading the meat and mixing all the ingredients evenly and well pushing the meat through your fingers until everything is evenly incorporated. Once this is done, make little meatballs the approximate size of a 10 pence piece (or a 'quarter' for my American friends). Making them this size means they don't need to be pre-cooked and can just be tossed into the sauce 20 minutes before you are ready to eat them. Refrigerate the meatballs until you need to use them... they can also be frozen at this stage if desired and are very versatile.

About 30 minutes before you want to serve dinner, reheat the tomato sauce to a medium-high heat (medium if using gas) allowing the sauce to bubble gently. Then add your meatballs into the sauce and cook for 20 minutes (or more if desired) ensuring you have a suitable accompaniment to serve with them. I like to serve a good quality spaghetti with my meatballs, but rice, roasted new potatoes or even a good hunk of rustic bread are also fantastic with them. Add a generous grating of Parmesan, if desired and then sit down and enjoy! Adults love it, kids love it and there is never an unhappy belly is the house. Buon appetito!

BOOK REVIEW: Mark Hix - British Seasonal Food

2011-02-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

When Chef Mark Hix struck out on his own back in 2008, he was a lesser known name to those who did not frequent the eateries of the Le Caprice Group of restaurants (including The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey) Hix opened his first restaurant 'Hix Oyster & Chop House' in Farringdon in April 2008, soon followed by 'Hix Oyster & Fish House' in Lyme Regise. October 2009 saw the birth of 'Hix' in London's West End, which opened to critical acclaim and since then the Hix empire has grown from strength-to-strength to included 'Hix at The Albermarle', 'Hix Restaurant and Champagne Bar' as well as 'Mark's Bar'. Through exposure to the nation via TV shows like Great British Menu as well as his column at The Independent, Hix has gone from Chef to culinary demi-God.

Sourcing good ingredients and using local and seasonal produce is of great importance to Hix and this beautiful book is beyond just a collection of recipes, but a month-by-month education on what kind of produce is in season and how best to use those ingredients to create something wonderful. Many of us may find some of the recipes are a bit unusual and the ingredient use can be a bit uncoventional, but shouldn't that be the point of seasonal ingredient use? There is so much that we seem to be mising out on through lack of knowledge and so much that isn't readily available to us because we don't ask for it and so there is no demand for it.

Recipes are divided into 12 sections, from January through to December. Some of my favourite recipes include 'Razor clams with wild boar bacon and hedgerow garlic' from March, 'Slow cooked pork belly with autumn squash' from September and Hix's 'Rabbit and crayfish Stargazy pie' from June, made infamous on BBC TV show 'Great British Menu. There is also plenty for those with sweet tooths including 'Gooseberry and elderflower meringue pie', 'Pear and apple cobbler with berries' and the very delicious 'Buttermilk pudding with rhubarb'.

All this and so much more, the book is truly a must-have for food lovers and seasonal produce fans alike. There is so much to be learned and much enjoyment to be had; small wonder that Mark Hix has become such a respected figure in Britain and his championing of British produce and seasonal ingredients has most definitely impacted the eating trends of our nation.

Mark Hix - British Seasonal Food, is available in all good bookshops and online at www.amazon.co.uk priced from just £9.74 (instead of £14.99)

REVIEW: Nopi, Soho

2011-02-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Let me be the first to say that I am a fan of all things Ottolenghi; his cakes make regular appearances in my dreams and my final meal on earth would end in the delights of his passion fruit tartlet topped with meringue. Despite his last book 'Plenty' being entirely vegetarian (slightly disappointed as I wasn't aware) I am a loyal fan and eagerly anticipated the opening of Nopi. I visited Nopi during their soft opening, where a 50% discount was extended to all diners allowing me to try as many dishes as I liked. With my fellow Ottonlenghipiles in tow, we reviewed the menu divided simply into meat, fish, vegetable and dessert categories.Carpaccio of rose veal and beetroot with Kashk (Dried whey, a common Persian ingredient) was pretty good although the kashk was overly diluted by yoghurt and lacked the intense saltiness familiar to me. Scallops with pickled daikon radish and apple were nicely caramelised and though soft on the inside, imparted a slightly unpleasant fishy aftertaste in my mouth which felt they like had 'stewed' rather than the desired searing expected. I was more hopeful of our lamb cutlets with a spiced aubergines and goat cheese but the cutlets were rather lukewarm and although the aubergine was delicious (similar to Sicialian Caponata) it didn't do much to mask the excessively rare nature of the lamb and the worryingly solidified stretch of cold fat on one of the cutlets. Fortunately the second cutlet fared a little better and combined with the aubergine salad and a bite of the goat cheese, made for an explosion of Mediterranean flavours.
Sea bream with an accompanying salad of fresh coconut, mint and cashew was less successful; the fish was overcooked and chewy and the salad a little too bland for my liking. But the slow cooked pigs cheeks with a celeriac and barberry salad were fantastic although I find myself asking why almost every dishes comes with a salad? A nice, smooth root vegetable puree would have been a better pairing with this kind of braised meat in my opinion. Twice-cooked baby chicken with lemon myrtle salt and chilli sauce was nice but not as tender as I would have liked although the lemon myrtle salt was a zingy and aromatic revelation.

Next up came a whole ball of Burrata cheese with blood oranges topped with coriander seeds. This dish just didn't work for me; the coriander seeds interfered with the creamy (dreamy) flavour of the Burrata and the blood oranges didn't have enough of a presence to warrant being a component of the dish. I also like my Burrata to ooze; that's the whole point of Burrata. When you break it open, a cream like substance usually pours out and in this case I could only liken the cheese to a very soft-centred buffalo Mozzarella. The giant prawns with oregano, feta and fennel were excellent. Proper grown-up, meaty prawns with sharp feta cheese and a delicate tomato sauce. Excellent.

Desserts were a very different affair and not only did the dessert portion of the menu read disappointingly but the churros my companions selected were rock hard on and weighty and the look of the chocolate didn't do much to invite me to taste it. Considering Yotam Ottolenghi is a bit of a cake-God, I'm surprised to see that the sweet section of the menu consisted of little more than a Financier cake, some ice cream, quince with quince paste (overkill, perhaps?) and churros.

Overall I feel the food was a bit hit and miss and perhaps thats the trouble when you are trying to move from deli-style shops to a formal restaurant. In a deli you can afford to pay less attention to the overall cooking of meats and fish as they are often purchased cold but when cooking to order, you need to get it right. Expect to pay anywhere from £8-£12 per dish which is fine except for the fact that the dishes are "Small and good for sharing" and with 3 dishes recommended per person, plus dessert and wines, you could be heading for a rather huge bill at the end.

I do largely believe that many of the menu 'wrinkles' will be ironed out in the coming weeks and in time, the menu will evolve accordingly and find an even keel that suits both the restaurant and it's patrons. Would I go back? Yes I would but I would much prefer to go midweek for a quiet late lunch, grab a paper and head downstairs to the communal bar table and eat informally whilst I watch the chefs work there magic as I pretend to read my newspaper. Yotam Ottolenghi is a man of many talents with many successes under his belt. I sincerely hope he stays sufficiently invested and hands-on in his businesses and doesn't spread himself out too thinly as he is the real magic behind the Ottolenghi brand and without him things don't quite have the same sparkle.

Nopi - 21-22 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NE
Tel: 020 7494 9584

My Recipes In 'Come Dine With Me' Special Occasions Cook Book!

2011-02-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Hurrah! One of my ambitions to have my recipes in a cookery book has just been fulfilled (Tick!) The Executive Producer of Come Dine With Me, David Sayer, has just released a new cook book called 'Come Dine With Me - Special Occasions' and I was lucky enough to be selected to have my recipes published in it! YAY!

Most people got one recipe published but as my starter consisted of three dishes, I got three recipes printed! I am elated (to say the least) and I know it is only small potatoes to some, but it has made me very smiley and happy and I feel like I have achieved something that the food-loving-girl inside me had always wanted to do!

So, needless to say this is a ploy for you to buy it! IF you would like to do so then follow this link HERE to snatch your copy for just £8.79 instead of £14.99!

Enjoy!!! Hopefully one day soon, it will be my own book I will be begging you to buy!

RECIPE: Persian 'Fesenjan' Walnut and Pomegranate Stew with Chicken

2011-02-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

'Khoresh' or 'Khoresht' means stew in Persian. Khoresht-e-Fesenjan is a rich, glossy ragout of walnuts and pomegranate syrup with chicken, served simply with some basmati rice. Most Iranians use chicken these days and I love using thigh meat as it retains its tenderness, moisture and flavour but the old Persian recipe uses duck or even tiny little lamb meatballs, which are both equally delicious.

My best advice to you would be to make this dish from the day before really, as with Persian stews (and indeed most stews) the flavours have time to meld and intensify delivering a more superior result and a much fuller flavour. The actual preparation is easy as there really are only a few ingredients involved. This unique dish is pretty straight forward and a great favourite among Iranians so I hope you will try this recipe. Many of my friends have and they love it and I know you will too.

Khoresht-e-Fesenjan (Walnut, Pomegranate and Chicken Stew) (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients
8 chicken thighs (skin on or off, your choice)
1 large (or 2 small) onions
550g of walnuts, finely ground in a food processor
1 tablespoon of plain flour
3 tablespoons of caster sugar
300ml of pomegranate syrup
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of Maldon sea salt flakes
Water

Method
You will need two large (and deep) cooking pans for this. Preheat them both on a medium heat and add oil into on of them and fry your onions until translucent and beginning to brown. Then season your chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and add them to the onions, turning the temperature up and stirring the pan well to ensure you seal the chicken well, then turn off the heat and set aside.

In your other pan, add your plain flour and almost ‘toast’ it a little bit until is becomes a pale beige in colour. Then add your walnuts and fry the mixture through a little. You won’t need oil as the walnuts themselves have a high fat content. After about 5 minutes, add about 2 pints of cold water, stir well and bring the mixture to a slow boil. Cover with a lid and allow to bubble for about an hour on a low-medium heat. This process will ‘cook’ the walnuts and you will see oil rise to the surface after an hour, which means it’s cooked through.

Add the sugar and pomegranate syrup to the mix and stir well for about a minute. Take your time to stir in pomegranate syrup as its thick consistency means it takes a while to fully dissolve into the stew. Then add the contents of your other pan into the walnut and pomegranate mixture, add enough water onto the mix to cover the contents and slow cook on a low temperature for approximately 2 hours, stirring thoroughly once every so often to ensure you lift the walnuts from the bottom of the pan so they don’t burn.

As this stage, what initially looked beige has now turned into a rich, dark, almost chocolatey looking mixture. The flavour is deep and sweet with a nutty texture and a wonderfully gentle acidity that cuts right through the richness of the dish, almost rinsing your palate after every mouthful. Serve with a steaming mound of basmati rice and find a corner to enjoy your meal in peace, because this dish deserves nothing short of 100% of your undivided attention.

MARKETING GONE MAD: 'Pussy' Energy Drink

2011-02-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

What were they thinking? I saw an ad for this tastelessly named beverage in a food magazine and I just fell about laughing. What on earth made them think people would be willing to drink 'Pussy'? I actually feel very crude just saying the word... SHOCKING! Anyway, it's real and it contains milk thistle, the benefits of which are not immediately obvious to me.

But, it's all in good fun. Well, unless they bring a sibling beverage out and name it something similarly naughty. Suggestions on a post card to the usual address please!

REVIEW: Fesenjan London

2011-02-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine who runs a wonderful Persian food stall called 'Black Lime' at Broadway Market in Hackney mentioned there was a new Persian restaurant (perhaps 'canteen' is a better way to describe it) in Hackney, E8. 'Fesenjan' for the non-Iranians/Persians among you is a rich Persian stew, thick and glossy with an unctuous chocolately consistency but made with walnuts, pomegranate molasses and either chicken, duck or tiny little meatballs. It is a firm favourite among us Iranians and for the recipe of this classic dish CLICK HERE

Now back to the story... 'Fesenjan London' has sprung from nowhere serving an uncomplicated menu with a handful of Persian dishes including various rice dishes, stews and delicious wraps and side dishes as well. Feeling compelled to visit, I hopped in a taxi and wound my way over to 'Netil House' where 'Fesenjan London' can be found.

A metal door and bizarre steering wheel (pictured above) are how you know you have found the right place. You press '0' to enter and wait to be buzzed in. Then take the stairs two flights up past lots of quirky little offices, storage rooms and workshops where budding fashion designers and artists have set up shop. The dining room reminded me of a classroom but with the added bonus of a kitchen, of course. The menu du jour included 'Zereshk Polow' a basmatic rice dishes studded with sour barberries (usually fried in butter and some sugar to sweeten) carefully mixed in to the rice along with saffron and some chicken on the side. There are two stews of Khoresht-e-Karafs (A celery and herb stew usually with lamb, but vegetarian in this instance) and Khoresht-e-Gheymeh (a stew of split peas, dried limes and lamb). Also on the menu are Kotlet, which are usually patties of minced lamb with potatoes, breaded and gently fried but today's patties were somewhat different, although still very delicious.

Overall 'Fesenjan London' is a what I would class as a wonderfully gentle introduction to Persian food and for those who are completely unfamiliar with this kind of cuisine, I would highly recommend 'Fesenjan London' as your first stepping stone. The further bonus is that prices are ridiculously good value with no dish costing more than £7 and even better is that all their meat is free range (You know I love this!) and locally sourced AND they have a fully licensed bar. Just beware that they are only open from Monday-Friday 12pm-5pm.

Persian cuisine is definitely an unexplored cuisine in the Western world... But with the help of the people behind 'Fesenjan London' and 'Black Lime' at Broadway Market, we can help push it forward because the tastes and flavours are uniquely delicious and not spicy/offensive in anyway. There is so much that the world seems to be missing out on in our opinion... Persian food has been one of the world's best kept secrets and now we are all ready to shout about it and share it with the world!

For more information and menus for 'Fesenjan London' visit their website at: http://www.fesenjan.co.uk/

TREND ALERT: #MeatEasy ~ The Perfect Burger?

2011-02-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

#MeatEasy (yes, there is a '#' in it's official name) has done what very few burger joints have managed and has gone completely and utterly viral. Spreading like wild fire through the blogging community, newspapers and magazines... some people bill #MeatEasy as home to "Possibly the best burger ever created".

Always one whose curious is peaked by uber-trends, I joined some fellow foodies to pay homage to #MeatEasy and experience this fiendish cult-status burger for myself.
#MeatEasy's location is a room above an empty New Cross pub called Goldsmith's; not exactly a chic destination and call me a snob but unfamiliar areas of London at night in the pissing rain, scare the freakin' hell out of me. A helpful sign points out "Congratulations... you have found #MeatEasy" and once inside, the room is vast and you take a ticket and once your number is called, you can place your order. Beware that there is a maximum of 3 items per person but drinks come seperately from the rather swish cocktail bar, where there is no menu or cocktail list but the lovely Ramon will create something special to suit your taste.

A burger and chips totals a tenner, which for the quality of meat that you get in return is pretty darn good value. The menu is simple, with fries, onion rings, coleslaw and macaroni cheese and of course several different burgers, including "The Dead Hippy" as well as chilli cheese hot dogs and Philly cheese steaks. The room was packed, with scores of people trying to find somewhere (anywhere) to perch and gobble down their burgers... but the million dollar question will have to be IS THIS the best burger in the world? In my humble opinion, I would have to say... probably not. But it is a damn good burger and maybe one of the top 3 in the country (Bar Boulud coming in 1st, #MeatEasy ranking 2nd and my own burgers coming in 3rd)

#MeatEasy is ONLY open until the end of March, so hurry!

#Meateasy - First Floor, Goldsmiths Tavern, 316 New Cross Rd SE14 6AF

RECIPE: Mint and Spice-Rubbed Lamb Cutlets

2011-02-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

In a nod to my heritage, I bring you a simple lamb dish that can be pre-prepared from the nigh before or simply spice-rubbed 15 minutes before you cook them in the oven. We Iranians love using fresh mint and dried mint in our cookery. Fresh mint produces a wonderful, almost Alpine-fresh, minty coolness whilst dried mint imparts a warm, woody mint-heat that we combine with yoghurt and add to salads also.

This is such an easy supper and lately I have been doing a lot of cooking for friends and lamb seems to be a well-liked meat amongst my peers so I always try and come up with a new and interesting way in which to season/marinade it. Spice rubs are one of my favourite ways to impregnanate flavour onto meat; wet marinades are all very well but often fiddly, smelly and messy so this kind of flavouring works perfectly for me when I'm feeling lazy.

Mint and Spice-Rubbed Lamb Cutlets
6-8 lamb cutlets/chops
2 heaped teaspoons of dried mint
2 heaped teaspoon of dried cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinammon powder
1 heaped teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 heaped teaspoon of garlic powder
A generous drizzle of olive oil
**oven paper**

Place your lamb cutlets into a large bowl and empty all your spices, mint and oil before mixing well and giving each cutlet a good rub with the spices and mint ensuring each one gets an even coasing. Leave overnight or use straight away. Preheat your oven on to it's highest temperature or even better, if you have a grill then please use it! Line an oven tray with oven paper and once your oven is nice and hot, roast or grill your cutlets for 8-10 minutes each side. Grill takes less time and produce a much better result but the oven version is still a great 2nd. BBQ-ing the lamb cutlets would produce the most fantastically charred result! Perfect with potatoes, rice or a little salad on the side. Actually wait... salad is for wimps! Potatoes and rice it is!