Eat Your Way Around the World in 10 Bites

As a foodie, I like nothing more than to induct people into the cult.    So I was delighted to host a food and wine tasting for my colleagues. 

We started by doing a blind tasting of the following food types:

1. Halva - Syrian, Lebanese, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria

Halva has spread across the middle-east (and it actually available across most of the world in many forms). This is made of Sesame which makes it middle-eastern rather than flour which is more Bulgarian/Polish. Maroush (off Oxford Street on Vere Street) is one of the best Lebanese restaurants you will find.

2. Bamboo Shoots - Thailand, China, Indonesia, VietnamEdible shoots of a variety of bamboo plants. They are used in a variety of Asian dishes but also in Ugandan and Indian cusine.There are thousands of Thai restaurants across London including BangKok Bullevard on Chancery Lane. One of the best Vietnamese restaurants - in my opinion - is Pho which is around the corner from Farringdon Station and is very humble but brilliant.

3. Pork Liver Sausage Spread - Germany, Austria or HungaryPork is a huge component of the German diet and indeed, they produce mountains of Worst (sausage). Germany is comprised of a variety of federal states each of which seem to have their own pork speciality. Much of their food is quite hearty - slightly fatty - and goes well with beer. The Bavarian Beerhouse in Towerhill is just around the corner.

4. Spicy Refried Beans - MexicoThis staple of Mexico / Tex Mex cuisine is pinto beans drained, mashed and then fried. Mexican food is hugely indigenous as is on one of UNESCOS ‘intangible cultural heritage’ lists. Typical dishes include burritos, nachos, mole and quesidias.For authentic Mexican food, Wahaca (of which there are branches across London) is probably one of the best. For Tex-mex, the Texas Embassy is fun.

5. Guava Jelly - Barbados

Food is a mixture of African, Spanish, English, Portuguese and Asian. This jelly works with the British heritage is used as a spread on bread or with cheese. The national dish is Flying Fish and Cou Cou (which is okra and cornmeal). While jerk is not native to Barbados, they do eat it as well as rice and peas, plantain, coconut bread, rum punch or Cottons Carribean Restaurant (in Camden and Islington) provides accessible but authentic food.

How to Host a Top Dinner Party

We've all done it - invited 10 people around for dinner and then spent the next week or so gritting our teeth as we realise what we've let ourselves in for.   The day arrives and having run ourselves ragged, we shuffle through the meal before collapsing on the sofa - cursing the impetus that drove us to hold a dinner party.

But surely, that can't be the right approach. What about that wine adverts when everyone looks like they are having a good time?  It that really just advertising or at some point has someone really enjoyed throwing a dinner party?

Well, having spoken to a few people about this, I have discovered a few hints that generally mean you don't feel like hiding behind the sofa when the doorbell rings.

1. Check with your guests what their allergies are.   Having tried to feed one of my best male friends new girlfriend (now wife) pesto garlic bread and then learnt she has a severe nut allergy - I would recommend this.  Apparently killing your guests is not a good idea
2. Keep it simple stupid  - Unless, you are feeding your husbands boss (or a potential mother in law), most people are not going to notice that your dishes are simple, if they are tasty.  Most people don't actually want souffle when they go over to a friends house to eat - they notice the atmosphere.
3. Use good ingredients - It sounds simple and I rather guess that as a foodie you know this but if your ingredients are good then it is easier.  Not necessarily more expensive, I know that Tomatoes at my local Turkish are far better than the more expensive Waitrose versions.
4. Create a theme - This sounds quite complex but you want all your courses to work together so by creating a theme, things should work.  However, it doesn't need to be taken too far so while I might do Tom Yam Soup and Thai Red Curry, I don't like Thai desserts so go for Coconut ice cream (sympathetic but not authentic)
5. For the love of all that is holy, write a list  - Select the recipes, write a list of ingredients and do a time line for cooking it. 10 minutes of planning at the start of the week means that not only will you have time to get everything but less panicking when D-day arrives.
6. Don't be afraid to pre-prepare some of your dishes - If you leave everything to prepare when your guest arrive, you will not only not spend time with them but you will also give yourself some sort of heart attack.  One of my favourite dishes as a starter is really good butternut soup with home made bread - both of these can be made the day before. 
7. Over-cater - I'm South African and when we have a dinner party, we cook for South African men.  These are delightful creatures who if underfed are very cranky so naturally, I make a little more.  Not only does this mean that you get leftovers but also, if you have an additional guest then you won't find that you are gingerly cutting up a chicken breast to feed two.
8. Short cuts are not cheating, this is your mental health you are playing with - If I don't have time then buying precut beans is not going to mean the end of the world nor is using the microwave to soften some butter or getting the man to chop something.  While MasterChef expects you to make your own custard, most people won't know if you are using BirdsEye
9. Draft in extra help - Can I help you clear the table?  Yes, love it!   Ooo, do you need help clearing up?  Yes!   One of the biggest mistakes at a dinner party is to turn down help from either your family before hand or from the guests.  It makes it less formal and helps you to spend more time with your guests.
10. Remember is it supposed to be FUN - Plan, manage the stress and don't forget to enjoy yourself.  It is supposed to be fun - have a drink, have a laugh and remember that it is a dinner party not Britain's Got Talent!

Good luck

Lx

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyouwant

Smoked Salmon Chili Pasta

Friday is a good night - end of the week and time to relax. Most people choose to have a take-away. Indeed, I would speculate that thousands of mediocre pizzas, just warm Chinese noodles and nothing special curries are eaten. Yes, I know not all take-away is bad but nothing beats home cooked - especially if it is quicker and cheaper.

So I invented Salmon-Chilli Pasta - based on carbonara. Firstly, take sufficient pasta for the number of people. I made this for one but I was hungry so this could do for two with a salad.

Mix 1 egg, 2 tablespoonfuls of crème fresh, two slices of smoked salmon chopped, chilli powder to taste, a little grated Parmesan and a little pepper. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add the egg mixture as well as the pasta to the warm pot. Put the pot over the flame and mix until the pasta is neatly coated.

Yum - you still get a hint of the salmon as well as a hint of heat.

Perfect Friday night dinner

Lxx

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Brilliant Orange PeriPeri Sauce

Okay, I'm a Peri Peri addict.  Yes!  Hi, my name is 'alittleofwhatyouwant' and I am addicted to Peri Peri.  However, as much as I love it - and I do, I sometimes want to try something new.  After all, I've a foodie so I'm sure I can improve on perfection.

First of all, we need to realise that all Peri Peri is not made equal.  South African/Mozambique Peri Peri is different from the traditional Portuguese flavour which is different from the Goan Marsala version.  The Goan version has touches of India and you find tamarind in it.

So, take some orange juice (about 500 - 600 ml) and chop up 2 oranges (remove the two ends but otherwise use it all).  Pop all of this together in a pan and boil gently.  The idea is to start to reduce the liquid.

After about 15 minutes, add 30ml of apple schnapps or calvados (no, I have not lost my mind, bear with me).  Keep simmering and then add two/three teaspoons of Goan Recheado Peri Peri Paste .

Remove the orange slices - I would not recommend straining as you find that you can remove some of the Peri Peri.  This makes the most amazing sauce for robust slightly fatty meats like pork belly and duck. I have also mixed it with quinoa to make a brilliant cold salad.

Enjoy

L xx

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Hot pasta with tomato, avo and mustard vinaigrette

Working late is never nice and as I was home by 8, it wasn't even too late but tonight I honestly didn't want to spend too long on dinner so I footled (wandered aimlessly) around my kitchen in hope of inspiration.

And invented 'Hot pasta salad with Avo and a mustard vinegrette'!  The recipe served one so you can simply increase the ingredients if you are serving more than one.

• Take sufficient wholewheat pasta to feed yourself.  I use twists but I'm sure penne would work too.  Boil until al dente.
• Chop one avocado, one medium sized tomato and one small white Spanish onion and mix.
• Mix olive oil, English mustard powder, red wine vinegar and a little sugar.  You need to make a vinaigrette so you need about equal parts of vinegar and oil.
• I also add a little pepper, salt and some chili flakes.  Mix together.  The dominant flavour needs to be slightly sweet English mustard.
• When the pasta is finished cooking, drain and mix the fresh ingredients and the vinaigrette with the pasta.
• Serve.

OMG - really quite tasty

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @alittleofwhatyouwant

My Favorite Food Porn

I love recipe books - not quite enough to read them instead of a good murder mystery before I go to bed which is apparently what St Nigella does - but certainly enough to have a truly evolved collection.  I suspect that if my house was on fire, I would save several of the books - after of course the family photos and the two cats.

But what makes a superb recipe book?  

Personally, I need pictures - I realise that my dish is unlikely to look like this but at least, I want something to aim for.   This is where Prue Leith's Cooking Bible falls down.  It is jammed to the rafters with the most amazing recipes and includes some really useful conversion tables as well as useful simple recipes such as how to make a roux but not enough pictures.

I also need simple directions.  Yes, I sort of know what a Chiffonade is but can't you just suggest that I cut the vegetables into thin strips.  That is why I like Relax it is only food by John Torode as not only are there sufficient pictures but it is well written and the directions are clear.

Next, I want a book that actually knows that it is.  Not a rambling holiday tail peppered with recipes but a proper honest to god recipe book.  Although, I must admit, I do love Rosemary & Bitter Oranges which is the tale of a Tuscan childhood which is charming and includes some lovely recipes.

There are also a series of books that are called 'Chef's Cook Shelf'  which i can't find on Amazon but you often find in book shops.  They tend to cover set areas like 'Italian' or 'Potatoes' but that makes life so easy rather than having to leaf through numerous books to find what I want.

Finally, I find that charity stores and second hand book shops are brilliant for recipe books. Yes, I understand the concept that people don't tend to donate what they use if they are good but I've found some real gems which were probably bought with great intentions but never actually used.

Have a browse and enjoy your food porn

Lxx

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @alittleofwhatyouwant

Sweetcorn Pancake Thingies

I really liked the concept of sweetcorn fritters but I can't eat anything that is deep fried as it does make me feel a little ill.   So, I came up with these sweetcorn pancake thingies.

1 small tin of sweetcorn (drained)
1 egg
Up to 100 ml milk
Up to 100g of flour
Salt
Pepper
paprika/chili/cayenne pepper

Pop the sweet corn into a bowl with the egg and then about 50ml of milk.  Mix and add flour until the batter is sticky but not too liquidy.  If it gets to dry, add a little milk to loosen it up. You need to be going for stiff pancake batter - if that makes sense.

Season with salt, pepper and paprika/chili/cayenne pepper to taste.  Heat a little oil in a pan and then shallow fry desert spoons of the batter - like pancakes.   Serve with bacon.

Tastes pretty good

L x

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Slightly Moroccan Chicken

Manic week at work - and the madness of inviting 4 people over for lunch on Easter Friday but not getting home early enough on Thursday to do the shopping.   So what did I do?

Well, I shuffled through the food porn I own and found a new recipee to try (lol very sensible) and speed shopped.   So what did I make?

Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of paprika
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 Onions - chopped
• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 2tsp turmeric
• 110g of green olives pitted
• 2 large lemons
• 1 large orange

Mash the garlic and mix with the paprika, cumin and black pepper with the olive oil.  Trim the chicken, then fry in a little oil until golden on both sides.  Remove the chicken from the oil and add the chopped onion.  

Once the onion is golden, add the garlic mixture as well as the tumeric, saffron and olives.  Cook over a medium heat for a little then add the chicken in.  Pour over the juice of 1 lemon and 225ml of water.  Cut the second lemon and orange into thick slices and add to the pot.

Bring to the boil and then let it simmer for about 20 - 30 minute until the chicken is cooked.  Serve over rice or for a proper authentic Moroccan feel, use cous cous

Utterly glorious and really quite easy

L xx

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Add a Little Spice

I think I've said this before but most foodies 'stockpile' spices.  Indeed, if you have a little look around our cupboards, you will generally find one stuffed with every imaginable flavouring - some are used often, others less so and some you need to find a special recipe to use.

As I keep saying, I'm blessed as I live in Walthamstow so generally I can find most spices.  I can safely say that I am never going to run out of cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon and various other building blocks for good Indian (and for that matter, South African) food.

What I can't always get hold of are the spice mixes that I love to experiment with.  However, I found Seasoned Pioneers which is an utterly wicked site.  They have not only thinks like peri peri and harissa but Zanzibar curry and South African Curry.

Their seasoning section is divided into countries and it is really fun to browse through to see what you can choose and then cook.  On the subject of cooking, they also do cooking sauces which are a little more unusual than those you generally find in Sainsburys.

They also ship to the US as well as the UK and Europe so no foodie is deprived.

Love it - use it!

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