Worlds Best Fried Rice

I know this might seem lazy - and it probably is but having worked hard all week, I do occasionally hibernate over the weekend and catch up on my sleep.  Avoiding all those nasty boring jobs.  However, if I don't want to eat take away (which definitely doesn't fit in with the diet), I do need to eat so have developed a selection of recipes that I can make from left overs.

One such dish is Chinese Egg Fried Rice and I've got it down pat (so to speak).  The secret to good fried rice is cold rice - no honestly!   First, cook sufficient rice for the number of people you are feeding (or as I do, for breakfast and then a week day lunch).   I tend to use brown rice but then again I quite like the texture.  Drain it and then set aside to cool for about an hour.  

Take two eggs mix with a little bit of water (25ml or so) and heat oil in the wok until it is smoking.  Add the eggs and cook into a little bit of an omelet.  When cooked set aside.

Right, now on to the veggies, I tend to add what ever I have in the fridge and this can include:

• Finely chopped onion
• Peeled/chopped carrots
• Cauliflower (very finely chopped)
• Green pepper
• Red pepper
• Celery
• Cabbage

Lightly fry this in a little oil and then add the meat (if you are not vegetarian of course)

• Bacon
• Cold chicken
• Hot dog sausages
• Left over pork

Once the meat is cooked or thoroughly heated through, I tend to add the rice and then the flavours.  These include:

• Red wine vinegar or Chinese rice wine
• Light soy sauce
• Dark soy sauce
• Dash of chilli oil
• Dash of sweet chilli sauce
• Chilli powder

I tend to do this to taste and once I think everything has mixed nicely and tastes good, I turn off the heat and chop up the omelet and add to the rice.

This is gorgeous - hot and cold

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Happy Hamburger

Yesterday, I went to the pub (the Canonbury in Islington) to be exact.   Lunch between rugby games was a hamburger - a lovely juicy perfect hamburger.

This got me to thinking about the perfect meal that is a good hamburger - not one of those nasty MacDonalds burgers but either one sold in a proper pub, diner or restaurant or even better home made.

Yes, the home-made burger - a think of beauty if done right.   So, my interpretation suggests you take 500g of mince (I don't tend to use lean as a burger needs a little fat) and mix with handful of bread-crumbs, 1 egg and half a finely chopped onion.

Then add the flavouring which for me is a little garlic powder, Worcester sauce, fresh pepper, salt and paprika.   You may need to add a little water if the mixture seems to dry.  Roll into balls and then leave in the fridge to cool.

Remove from the fridge after half an hour and then flatten the balls into patties.  Fry in a little oil until cooked through and then pop on a sesame seed roll with mustard, a slice of beef tomato and a slice of onion.  Yum

There are variations to the recipe and you can add Italian herbs, bacon or some cheddar cheese into the mixture depending on taste. 

L x

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Roast Baby Tomatoes

Everyone shows love in different ways.  Some people show it through service, others through spending time with people and some (myself included) show love through thoughtful presents.  This generally works well, if and only if, people realise how the other person in their life shows love and either appreciates it or acknowledges it.

As I said, I show love by giving presents and I find that food is a perfect present - if it is thoughtful and home-made.  This is especially good if the person is a busy professional and the gift is either a dinner or something that can form the basis of a meal. 

Yes, I know that sounds weird but having given butternut soup and Bobotie to a friend for their b'day and saved them cooking for a couple of days, they were far more delighted than if I had given them homemade jam.

So, with one of my best mates birthday's tomorrow, I decided to give her roast baby tomatoes with chilli.  So simple but so good in pasta or simply as a snack.

First, buy about 500g of baby tomatoes - ideally those without stalks or you need to take these off.  Pop them into a roasting tray with either chilli (or a good chilli oil) and some olive oil (if you use chilli oil you don't need to add more oil).

Then, put in the oven on a moderate heat.   Check them every half hour or so and I tend to cook them for at least an hour an a half.  They won't ever look like sun dried tomatoes but they will look lovely an roasted and still a little soft.

Pop them into a nice glass jar and then present to your friend.   These last for a week or so and taste lovely

L xx

Follow me on twitter @aliittleofwhatyou

Penne Arribiata

I worked in an Italian restaurant for 4 years when I was in college and realised that the hardest dishes to cook are not the complex 400 ingredients ones but the simple classics.  It is incredibly easy to hide behind ingrediants but if you only have a few to play with then you need to get it right.

One of my favourites, was (and is when done well Penne Arribiata.   Penne pasta with a simple chilli tomato sauce ........   This is my interpretation so simple easy and tasty.

Take a handful of pasta per person and cook as directed.   If this fresh pasta, you may need to start cooking it once you have made the sauce.

For the sauce, cook 2 medium hot chillis (chopped) with 2 chopped garlic cloves in good olive oil (about 6 tbsp).   After about a minute, add two bay leaves and cook until wilted.

Remove from the pan and then cook 600g of canned chopped tomatoes.   Cook for two minutes then add the chilli mixture back into it and cook for about 10 minutes. 

Drain the pasta when it is al dente and mix in the sauce before covering with just a little Parmesan.

Nothing difficult - nothing complex - but something quite beautiful

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Roast butternut and Feta

I'm into food porn - you will find me quietly dissecting magazines and newspapers before wandering off with the choice recipes.  I tend to stock pile then and then wander off to the local print shop - make copies and bind them into books so they don't get lost.

However, I don't always have time to make the bloody things so this year, I am trying to break outside the box and cook the food porn.  Or at least the recipes but hampered by what I have in the cupboard and tweaked slightly.

Tonight, I did roast butternut with feta and chilli tomatoes .........

First, cut a butternut in half and scrape out the seeds.  Then pop in the oven for about 30/45 minutes or until they are soft (i.e. you can slide a knife into them easily).

Chop 2 medium onions and gently fry until glassy.  Add the onions to a bowl including 50g of crumbled feta, roast baby tomatoes, bit of chilli oil and sunflower seeds.  Season with plenty of ground pepper and salt before tossing together.

Take the butternuts out of the oven and fill them with the feta mix before roasting for a further 5 minutes to 'crisp' the feta.

Serve with a green salad or green beans.

Really quite good

L x

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Mmm, alcoholic milkshakes

I don't particularly like sweets - well, most of the time!   If you find me eating a block of Dairy Milk, I am probably less rational than I should be and I might suggest backing away slowly while complementing me or offering tissues.  But back to deserts, there are a few I do like and this is one of them.

Don Pedros are a South African classic and anyone who has worked in an Italian restaurant knows the pain of the desert run and the sheer stickiness of it all.  Essentially, it is an alcoholic milkshake - definitely not for children.

Firstly, locate your blender.  Most people have one but where is its, that is often a mystery.  Alternatively, buy a new one as this will generally mean you find the one you own too.

Take two scoops of good quality vanilla ice-cream and pop in the blender with a little bit of milk.  Then add a tot of one of the following or your favourite shot:

• Peppermint schnapps
• Kahlua
• Brandy
• Whisky

Blend and then garnish with grated chocolate.

So very yum that you might find you need to make more than one.

L x

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou 

Slowly Chipping Away at Tradition

I love food - hell, if I didn't like it then I definitely wouldn't be wasting my time drafting my recipes and foodie thoughts.  However, while the active foodie movement makes me excited, the new ethnic food trends interested and the passion of the young chefs thrilled, I still am worried.

We are a minority - we are a privileged minority who care about what we eat and where it comes from.  We carry with us the traditions of all the home cooks who have served up family favourites over the years.  We skip quickly out of the convenience food aisle to the fresh fruit and veg aisle or the meat aisle.

However, as I said, we are in the minority in much of the Western World.  How do I know this? Look at the typical British high street - take away to the left, take away to the right, sandwiched between Iceland and Farmfoods.   Even if you simply look at the supermarkets, you will find ready-made everything from baked potatoes (OMG) to pancakes to pre-chopped veggies.

I watch mothers give their children (under 5s) full-fat coke and chicken with chips for lunch or parents nip into the pizza shop to pick up what appears to be half a loaf with some cheese.  It makes me want to cry.

I know we are all busy but I think we are buying into the myth that proper food takes ages to cook and good nutrition is optional.  Western society is facing an obesity epidemic and we are quietly queueing to get into the local chicken shop.

The Government is preaching that we all need to move a bit more and have a few more portions of veggies a day but is that relevant?  If you've never been taught to cook healthy food or if you simply don't believe you have the time, are you going to hear the messages?

Perhaps we need to focus on teaching people how to cook healthy food rather than telling them they should? 

Just a thought

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Boerewors

Sausage is important to many different cultures (no snickering in the back please) and South African's are no different.  We have something called Boerewors or farmers sausage.

This is based on a recipe of generally coarsely ground beef (or sometimes pork or venison) with herbs (coriander, black pepper and cloves).  It is usually formed into a continuous spiral - very similar to Cumberland sausage.   It has a certain amount of fat in the recipee to keep it juicy.

Traditionally, this is cooked on the braai (which is the South African version of a BBQ) and there is nothing that says Saffa summer than the smell of this cooking.

The purists may revolt but you can also get peri peri or garlic boerewors which is lovely - and my local butchers in Walthamstow (HR Parsons on the high street) make a brilliant version.

So what do you serve it with?   Well, purists suggest Pap (maize meal) which is a little like really bad mashed potato (but I must admit I am not a fan lol) or there is the ultimate classic, 'late night outside the club' or 'at a school sports day' snack - the boerie roll!

Boerewors in a long roll (has to be a long roll - which is soft in the middle not nasty processed bread) and filled with fried onions then covered with a squirt of mustard (yellow naturally) or tomato sauce.

Yum

L x

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Frustrating Cooking - Thoroughly Recommended

Another late night at work - beavering away in a silent office alone.  It wouldn't normally bother me but for a colleagues comment as she left - "why do you do that to yourself? You always pick up things".  My response was that someone had to - but it occurred to me "why me?" 

Yes, I get well paid but somehow I think that it is my personality to pick up what needs to be done no matter what it costs me personally.  I need to start putting myself first - after all, in 10 years time I'm pretty sure it won't matter.

So the long and the short of it was that I got home frustrated after a quick diversion to Lidl that is. I decided to make the ultimate frustration dish - pork parmesan crispy cutlets.

Start off with 4 pork cutlets (no bone) or steaks.  And to be frank, beat the living crap out of them or as the chefs might suggest, tenderise and flatten.  Lord that felt good, I imagined an ex-boyfriend ..............

Breathe!  Now mix 150g breadcrumbs, 20g parmesan, garlic powder and seasoning - pop into a shallow dish.  Then mix one egg with a little milk (or if you like me are lactose intolerant, water works).  Dip the cutlet in the egg and then dip in the breadcrumbs until covered.

You can shallow fry this but I am trying to loose weight so I greased a metal dish and baked for 15 - 20 minutes (or until crispy) in a hot oven.  Really lovely served with a green salad.

L x

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

So Very Easy - Roast Veg Meal

Life is so very busy.  Work is manic, I love my friends and somehow, I manage to find time to cook.  However, this week doing 8 till 8 means that I need tasty food which is easy to make - and even dare I say it, can cook while i have a bath with a glass of wine.

First, I had a look around my fridge and picked up

• Cauliflower
• Green Pepper
• Pickled Garlic (such a good ingrediant available in most Polish stores)
• Onion
• Aubergine

All of these were chopped up and popped into a baking tray with a little oil.  Then add crushed garlic and lots of chilli before mixing together. Pop in the oven for about 30 min at 180 while you have a bath.  Wine is an important part of this and you should have a glass.

When you've had your bath, mix the vegetables again and add some roasted artichokes then turn the oven up a bit.  Leave for about 10 minutes then mix again and add kilbasa (polish sausage) and roast for a final 5 minutes or until you feel it is cooked.

Serve with a sprinkling of salt to taste

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

I'm just not your target market - nothing personal!

Yesterday, I went shopping with a friend and due to convenience (and the fact we had been walking for 3 hours), we decided to pop into Pizza Hut for a bite to eat.

I approached this as I do most restaurants and then having died inside a little, I re-evaluated it.  Sure, their salad bar consists mainly of croutons, bacon bits, crispy onion and tacos (???) and yes, their menu lists in soul destroying writing the calorie content of every meal (I am never eating chicken wings again) but I am not their target market.

The restaurant was filled with tired women/men and little people (apparently amped up to their eyeballs on processed sugar) as well as bashful teenagers trying desperately not to look at each other and make small talk as they enjoyed their ‘date’.   

On the periphery, there were a few people who fitted into the ‘I’m just hungry and your convenient’ brigade but we were very much outnumbered and obviously slightly embarrassed.  

However, looking back, I have to give Pizza Hut its due – the food wasn’t bad, the diet pizza was in fact good and the service was very friendly and lovely.  Yes, Galleons Reach Pizza Hut, you did well!

So, while I won’t be going back – it isn’t because it is bad but because I think I might be between target markets!

L xx

Follow me on twitter @littleofwhatyou

Nice New Business Lunch Venue in Chancery Lane

I realise this means I go to some form of hell but I rather like work lunches.  Not only are the generally FREE but you also get to try some nice restaurants which you might otherwise have been unable to afford or simply not visited.

Yesterday, I went to Grappolo (Sainsbury’s end of Fetter Lane) and it was really a brilliant venue for a work lunch.   The tables were sufficient far apart that you could talk and not worry about being overheard.

In addition, while the restaurant had wooden floors, they had ensured there were sufficient soft surfaces to absorb the noise so there was a lovely background chatter – but nothing too load.

The restaurant is divided into a bar area with soft seats, a deli area and a dining area.  This means that it covers all bases and is thankfully multi-use.   It is a little traditional Italian but with a welcome modern twist.

Starters were calamari and tuna tartar.  The tuna was good but I suspect that they may have chopped it ahead of time as it was turning grey but the calamari was nice and crispy.  Mains were seafood risotto with caper butter and a lovely rib-eye with pepper sauce and chips.

I suspect the food was not picked up by the waiter as fast as it should have been as it was not piping hot but still tasty.  The menu included other Italian classics along the lines of pizza and pasta as well as salads and some more English-inspired favourites such as Lamb Shank and Liver.

Deserts (while not my think) looked good and they have a nice bar which offers a selection of liquors and good Italian coffee – so a pretty good way to end the meal.

The wine list spanned the reasonable to the expensive and even included a couple of reds which several friends have remarked in the past are almost a steal.  Lovely restaurant, lovely staff and pretty good experience!

Try it if you are around Chancery Lane

L x

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @littleofwhatyou

An unorthodox approach to Italian!

Last night, I went out with two of my best friends for a meal.  We wanted something that suited a vegetarian and wasn’t too expensive but crucially, didn’t mind three girls gossiping for several hours over some nice food.

No chic fast food places for us who provide nice food but do tend to hover and glare if you don’t ‘eat and f*ck off’ as my friend put it.  So we decided on Amalfi Restaurant (21 Old Compton Street).

This is a glorious traditional Italian restaurant in the heart of SOHO which doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.  It has candles, it is warm and at some point, I could swear it had checked table clothes.  Very homely in a comforting way.

The menu was therefore a pleasant surprise as in addition to the Italian classics (like ragu and pomodoro), they serve Stozzapreti Puglies (a glorious dish of sausage, broccoli, pancetta, chilli butter and cheese) ad Rigatoni Siciliana (roast aubergines, and peppers in a garlic basil sauce topped with ricotta) as well as other innovative dishes.

Pizzas, carni and even some insalata were well represented and smelt delicious as the friendly staff wandered past our table delivering orders.

They also do ‘Antipastini’ which are small dishes to share as you have a couple of glasses of wine in the bar area – excellent idea and tastes pretty good too!   And, the wine list is brilliant with some well priced bubbly which we naturally had to sample.

Now faced with a menu of food – good Italian food that I haven’t tried before – I decided on my somewhat unorthodox approach.  My friends chose the Siciliana and Stozzapreti but I chose a starter of Funghi Timo E Crema (Wild mushrooms in a cream, garlic and thyme sauce) on polenta as well as zucchini frite, roast new potatoes and broccoli.

We all shared the sides and I got to try everyone’s dishes.   Yum.

Can’t recommend the restaurant enough if you want a cosy Italian dinner in the centre of SOHO.

L xx

Hydration, Sugar and Spice - the only hangover cure

When I woke up this morning, I had a good chat to myself about why trying to keep up with under-30 rugby players on a night out is a bad idea!  Nope, scratch that – a truly hideous idea which results in me devoutly wishing it was Saturday and I didn’t have to go to work.

Unfortunately, today is Thursday and I need to combat the effects of the hangover fast.  So this got me thinking about food (most things do) and what is the perfect hangover food solution.   This is something that I have had to perfect over the years of being in PR!

Firstly, drink loads of water!  The main issue is the dehydration so you need to rehydrate ASAP.   In fact, if you remember as you stumble around your house drunkenly trying to get your shoes off, then have a glass before you go to bed.

Sugar is also your friend.  According to a mate’s brother who is actually a doctor, one of the issues around hangovers is that alcohol has lots of sugar in it so not only are you battling dehydration but the mother of all sugar crashes.  This is where apple juice comes in, not only does it hydrate you but also provides some sugar.

Coke is also a good idea but I can never handle the bubbles if I’m feeling unwell.  Flat Fanta is however a god sent and McDonalds seems to do it quite well.   Caffeine is also good but too much is going to make you feel worse (trust me says the Red Bull addict) and anything milky always makes me heave.

Now onto the food while a bacon and egg roll (with brown sauce naturally) is a good idea, the grease doesn’t always work for me.  Dry toast with marmite is pretty good if you are desperate or actually a toasted sandwich (pesto and mozzarella – yum).  It almost has to be hot and something that you would not normally have for breakfast.

Finally, lunch is important too!  No salad or anything anti-oxidising is any good in your fight to return to normal.  No, you need something with a lot of spice – tofu curry or Thai chicken curry or chilli.   Basically, anything that is going to get those endorphins rushing.  If you are feeling especially rank (love that word) then

So hydration, sugar and spice is really the only way to deal with a day of alcohol induced pain.

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Glorious Gambas

I love Spain - the life style, the people and most especially the food!   Nothing is as nice as sitting quietly in a little Spanish restaurant drinking sangria while enjoying tortilla, aoli, patatas bravas and little fried peppers.  Some how this just beats a pub in rainy and snowy London - lol.

 

Now some Spanish dishes are glorious but take ages and - in the case of tortilla - involves lots of pans and me dropping hot potato on a cranky Maine Coon.  Pablo (17 pounds of ginger fluff) may sound Spanish but tends to prefer Felix.

 

However, one dish that I have found easy is Gambas Aoli or prawns in chilli garlic oil.  Start off with some good prawns, not the little ones that you find in sandwiches but the lovely grey meaty ones or the pink ones still in their shells.  Fresh is obviously best so a visit to the fish monger is in order. I tend to use 300g as a starter for 2/3 people so this recipee is for this quantity.

 

Then take some lovely olive oil - this too needs to be really good quality.  Something fruity is best so I would consider French or Spanish but you know your own oils.  Heat the oil and add seven or eight cloves of chopped (or if you fancy cheating like I do crushed) garlic.

 

Brown this and then add 6 small finely chopped chillis (i use red as that is traditional), the prawns and a bay leaf.  Fry until the prawns are almost cooked.  Pour the oil and prawns into a clay pot and serve with bread for dipping. 

 

This is so lovely and so very easy.  Not the healthiest dish but life is short and a little bit of what you fancy does you good!

 

L xx

 

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

 

In praise of the unusual - Shito

Last night I visited Asda to do my weekly shop (or rather to load up on cat food as those who must be obeyed were hungry).  I wandered around the aisles and picked up the usual suspects – fruit, vegetables, free range meat!

However, as I live in Walthamstow, I also got to sample the “ethic food section” which was a true joy.  We’ve got quite a big Indian community so lots of interesting looking spices and the Polish are well represented in E17 so a variety of canned goods.   But to be honest, I can find both of these in the local speciality shops so after a quick review I bypassed these.

Then I spied the African food section which was a revelation.  As a South African, I am well aware of the different cultures and foods available across this continent but after twenty years of famine coverage, I am not sure the rest of western society is so here with the first ingredient you may wish to try!

Shito (I know sounds ‘proper dodgy’ but it is really very good) is the Ghanaian name for pepper and is widely used to describe the chilli suspended in fish oil, garlic, ginger and spices.  Apparently this is ubiquitous to the cuisine and is used instead of hot oil in Chinese restaurants in Ghana.

It is the Ghanaian equivalent of ketchup and is added to lots of different dishes. However, unlike ketchup most families make their own and the recipes are peculiar to the region and even the town.

From the taste, I indent to fry nuts in it for snacks and use it to cover chicken with before baking but also add a dollop to bland dishes.

Severely Yum

L xx

Follow me on @alittleofwhatyou

Chilli - I did it my way!

Now anyone who watches Man vs. Food will know that Americans take chilli seriously - really very seriously!   Apparently, competitions are held and - well - secrets are passed from generation to generation.  How cool is that?

 

Well, I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't win a competition but did learn my chilli recipe from someone whose dad is an oil worker on the gulf of Mexico - so it does have some street cred!   As usual, I will use the more general approach to quantities - not trying to make it hard, just keep it me!

 

Peel 2 large onions and chop finely.  Mince 2 cloves of garlic and then add it all to a pan with a little chilli rape seed oil.  Fry until there is a little colour and the onions are soft. Make sure it doesn't catch or you will end up coughing.  Then take a packet of mince (500g-ish) and some diced pancetta (probably a hanging offence in Texas) and add to the onions. 

 

Fry until cooked and then add two tins of chopped tomatoes and one of kidney beans.  Followed by adding half a bottle of beer and start to spice.  I keep the beer aside to either drink with the chilli or add to the chilli if it gets too dry.  I then add salt, pepper, worcester sauce, chilli flakes, paprika and any fresh chilli I have to hand.

 

Now I also occasionally add a little cinnamon as this does add a slightly sweet spicy note.  Leave the chilli to cook down and serve with cheese, sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and a sprinkle of jalapenos.

 

Not precise I realise but honestly pretty good

 

L xx

 

Men who can cook are sexy!

Some women like a man who can dance, some like a man who is masterfully masculine and others still like a man who is handy with their hands lol!  I on the other hand rather like a man who can cook, someone who knows his away around a kitchen and doesn't flinch if someone hides the take-away menus.

Why?  Well, not only because I like to eat and generally if a man can cook well, they tend to like a women who is 'built for comfort not for speed' but for other reasons too!  Number one being that this tends to indicate a healthy relationship with their mother and trust me we want one of those.

Yes, he doesn't need to go home and be fed by mommy .......  nor does she pop over to fill his fridge.  Nope, those who can cook do through necessity and this indicates that mom has clipped the apron strings and sent him out to sort himself out as she gets on with her interests.   G&T and toyboys ideally.

Also if they cook they like to eat and will not be seen dead in MaccyDs or a random chicken shack (unless drunk) which means that hopefully dates will be fun rather than surrounded by divorced dads and kiddies play areas. 

On that note, there is a certain type of male - the uber foodie - who spends more time investigating the providence of the meat than appreciating your outfit - to be avoided at all cost.  Boring and to be honest just a little up their own arse.

Finally, a man who can cook will if you are lucky, cook with you, cook for you and generally make the house as much of a home as you've ever wanted! 

Yes, men who can cook are sexy, now to find one.

L xx

Follow me on @alittleofwhatyou

Such a very good idea!

Perfect food pairing are magic if you get them right.  Nothing is quite as lovely as a gin &tonic or corn on the cob with butter, pepper and salt.  Understanding flavours is the key to being a good cook - and an appreciative foodie.  You only realise the just how brilliant a cook is if when you take a bite of a beautifully balance meal that not only takes advantage of classic combinations (asparagus & hollandaise) but then you find they have found new classics (anchovies & mushrooms).

Yes, the joy of food is excellent combinations that make everything just so much better.  It is not just food that you need to consider when making pairings but alcohol too.  Bubbly and strawberries or red wine and steak or chilli and corona - all of these work and all of these seem to add that special something.

Now I regularly read http://www.wine-pages.com/ which is a brilliant website by Tom Cannavan which well looks at wine and he suggested a different idea, pairing wine and chocolate. Yes, something that all single girls have done but he doesnt mean Dairy Milk and Chenin Blanc. 

Nope, this is grown up tasting and sounds delicious. Apparently, the chocolate is suppllied by Brix in the UK and I can't wait to try it.  Yummy what a delicious idea.

L xx

Follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou

Iceberg it is then!

Some dishes appear to be firmly in the past - avocado with prawns, souffle and pretty much anything in aspic.  However, just because something is retro doesn't mean that it isn't pretty glorious or even better than what is popular at the moment.

For me lettuce is a case in point.  I realise that many people like bitter leaves, red frilly abominations and various other leaves which while not actually dandelions could be.  I personally like - I say quietly so no other foodies hear - iceberg and baby gem.

Yes, lettuce which is green, refreshing and a joy as the main ingredient in Caesar salad.  Another retro classic which is funnily enough not consider passe but a classic so perhaps we need to reinvent iceberg and baby gem?

One of my favourite recipes is to fry the lettuce.  Essentially, heat a pan (ideally a griddle pan) until it is smoking hot and then (having chopped the stalk off) put individual leaves into frying pan.  When they are wilted and curling, remove and serve with a simple vinaigrette.

Utterly brilliant and a nice up date on a retro classic.

L x

Follow me on @alittleofwhatyou

Taste not Pretension!

As a committed home cook, I realise that all ingredients are not created equal.  Some engender a sense of luxury, some a sense of warmth/home, some a sense of wonder and others well just blah!

My stance is that I tend to believe that all ingredients (apart from perhaps Kimchi, certain meats and condensed milk) have a place in my kitchen but getting them should not be an adventure sport.

There is a certain type of foodie (often new and trying to ‘make their mark’) who seems to ignore the basic premise that food should taste nice and focus on just how hard it is to get hold of the item.  No eggs, cheese and ham from the local store for them – nope. 

They need to ‘climb every mountain’ before they find the diary equivalent of a speak easy where they can find cheese produced by cows tended by a family of ancient nomadic vestal virgins on the steppes of Mount Vesuvius.   Does it taste nice?  So not the point!

Surely, a real foodie sets their parameters about what they accept – Organic? Locally sourced?  Pesticide free?  Low food miles?  Artisan produced? – and then focuses on taste? 

If it fits within the confines of my conscience, I’m prepared to try most things once (not in the case of men but food, I would like to point out). So rather than tootling up Kilimanjaro and bothering innocent confused cows, think I might stick to figuring out the veggies in the local Turkish store.  

Adventure eating sounds far too much like hard pretentious work and that is my least favourite part of the foodie culture!

L xx

Follow me on @alittleofwhat