Arbutus - A Soho Legend which Changed my Mind

My best friend (who has known me for over 30 years) calls me wilfully independent - which is a concept that I embrace.  I'm the one in the corner of the bar talking to someone interesting, who gets up early to try the "best coffee in London" and thinks hell is the well trampled streets of Benidorm.   Different? Difficult? Individual? - Hell, yes!

And, I take this approach to eating out.  So, if everyone has already visited a restaurant, loved it and it has been written up in the Evening Standard, I am sceptical - if not occasionally hostile.  I want something undiscovered, ethnic or a hidden secret that London only reveals to those who take a chance.

So, when my boss announced that our teams Christmas lunch was going to be at Arbutus - a Michelin starred contemporary bistro in the heart of Soho - my heart sank.  Would it be overpriced and pretentious?  Would they make you feel as though they were doing you a favour by letting you in?   Would this be a missed opportunity for a culinary adventure?

With these questions buzzing around in my head, I handed over my coat to the elegant but surprisingly friendly hostess and we were shown to our table.  The dining room is full of elegant lines, glorious wood, comfortable chairs and an airy light atmosphere.

Used with thanks to Squaremeal

No pretension in sight - although it did have the feel of a 'nice establishment'.  One of the features of Arbutus is that you can order NICE wine by the carafe so we carefully considered the menu as we sipped a crispy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to start.

The menu is small and perfectly formed with enough variety to cater to a coeliac and a vegetarian.  I chose Squid and mackerel ‘burger’ with Cornish razor clams.  As a South African, I am picky about seafood but I didn't have anything to complain about when this delicious work of art arrived - well cooked, perfectly seasoned with a hint of the sea.

My colleagues ordered the country terrine and purple sprouting broccoli which vanished in record time with very little discussion.  A sure sign of a tasty meal.  I then opted for the Braised ox cheek, cauliflower and smoked bacon purée with winter greens which my boss insisted I try with Hungarian Bull's Blood.

The wine and the beef worked perfectly together as the alcohol deepened the unctuous, sticky heartiness of the beautifully braised meat.  My colleagues tried the cod and the lamb - I aggressively resisted any suggestions about sharing.  

Now I am not a dessert person but it is Christmas so I opted for the Cold chocolate fondant, salted caramel ice cream which is better than sex (at least with a couple of my ex boyfriends). Chocolatey goodness with a kick of caramel and salt.

And as we tumbled out into chilly pre-Christmas afternoon Soho, I was sorry to leave and annoyed with myself because in my wilful independence, I had almost missed a Soho gem.  So Arbutus, I salute you for creating glorious food in a great atmosphere that even I am not stubborn enough to decline in the future

Lx

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Spicy Chocolate Orange Sponge

So the office is having a bring your Christmas Treats day and the question becomes – what do I bring?  Do you bake something that you have baked before or do you try something new?

Well, what should drift across my online desk but this gorgeous recipe for Spicy Chocolate Orange Sponge from the nice people at Cafe Direct who sourced it from Cake Liberation Front ( brilliant website for those commited to baking without animal ingrediants).

Now I am not vegan so I did adapt the recipe slightly to include organic milk and I also didn't have the right sized tin so went to down the route of a single large round tin!  Lazy, I know but I am having Christmas panic so needed to compromise to ensure my mental health remains relatively steady.

So here is the amended recipe with thanks to the Cake Liberation Front

Ingredients -

200g (8oz) plain flour

50g (2oz)  Drinking Chocolate

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch of chili 

1/2 teaspoon salt

350g (12 fl oz) soy or rice milk (I used organic milk instead)

100ml (4 fl oz) sunfl ower oil

6 tablespoons orange marmalade

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200g (8 oz) caster sugar

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4. 
• Grease and line the bottom of 2 round cake pans (or a single big one in my case with baking powder.
• Sieve the flour, Drinking Chocolate, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt together and mix.  I also added a pinch of chilli as I think it adds a nice zing.

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir well.
• Pour the mixture into the tins bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean then leave to cool.  I had to leave it a little longer as my tin was deeper and when I took it out I could see the middle wasnt done enough

Now the Cake Liberation Front suggests creating a glorious orange liquer frosting (See full recipe here) but as it was rather late and I was tired, I stuck to simple chocolate icing with a touch of Christmas Glitter.

Everyone at work loved it and I didnt even manage to get a photo before they dived in!

Definately rolling this one out again

Lxx

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Malva Pudding - South African Original

I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now and this is the first time I've been asked to try a product so I'm very excited!   The nice people at Lurpack sent me some of their Slow Churned butter which is a new product and very nice indeed!

So what to do?  Well, one of my friends is in the process of coming out as pregnant to various parents, friends and employers so as I was popping over on Sunday, I figured I could make her a nice comfort pudding - Malva pudding to be precice.

With thanks to http://rjtmedia.com/

This is an old Dutch-South African Favorite which is essentially a nice light cake with a cream syrup poured over it.  Bliss with ice-cream so you will need

Ingrediants

For the Cake:

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon apricot jam (purists suggest smooth but I tend to use what I have)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp baking powder
150g of plain flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tablespoon of butter

1 tsp of white vinegar

1 cup milk

For the Syrup:

1 cup single cream (or whipping cream that is not whipped)

6 ounces of butter

1 cup white sugar

½ a cup hot water

• Beat the sugar and egg to gether until well mixed and a bit fluffy (no soft peaks or anything just mixed).  Then add the apricot jam

•  Sift flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl
• Melt the butter with the vinegar and milk

• Add the liquid and the flour to the egg mixture - alternating between then and making sure that they are well blended
• Pop into an oven on 350F or 180C for between 45 minutes and 1 hour.  Test with a skewer and if it comes clean then it is done.
• Do not remove it from its tin or dish.
• Melt all the ingrediants for the syrup together - don't bring to the boil, just melt.
• Once the cake has cooled a little, poke holes into the cake and gently pour the syrup over it.  Do it slowly and leave it to rest if you can't get all the syrup on at once.
• This desert can be left over night or eaten immediately.

And enjoy the desert!

Lx

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Simple Warming Pork with Prunes

London is officially heading into winter.  The nights draw in earlier, it gets light earlier and there is a peculiar cold wind which cuts right through your coat to leave you shivering – ugh.

However, as usual (and I’m sure that the psychologists might have something to say) I decided to cure it with something nice to eat that was simple and season appropriate.

So here is my recipe for Pork with Prunes (much more exciting that it sounds, promise)

•          500g pork cut into cubes (you can use shoulder or I've used fillet and adjusted the cooking time)
•          1 large white onion – diced
•          1tbsp white flour
•          2 large glasses of red wine (ideally something fruity like a shiraz)
•          300ml vegetable stock
•          Cooking Oil
•          10g Butter
•          200g Prunes (about 20) - chopped 
• 
  

1. Brown the pork in a pot with a little oil.  You want it cooked on the outside but still relatively pink in the middle.

 
2. Remove the pork from the pot and add the butter as well as the onion.  Cook until soft and slightly glossy.
 
3. Add the white flour (I used gluten free and it was fine) and then the pork. Stirring everything together.
 
4.  Add the red wine and enough of the stock to the pot to cover the pork.  Bring the pot up to the boil and then simmer for about 45 minutes on a medium heat
 
5.  Now, some people suggest adding in the prunes at the end as they prefer them to retain their texture and shape.  I on the other hand like the sticky sauce it creates so add the prunes in about 10 minutes into the cooking.

 

6. After 45 minutes, if you are using something like fillet then you stew should be done but if you are using shoulder you are likely to need another 30 minutes or so.  Taste as you go along to see.

All in all – a simple tasty meal that you can pop on and forget as you unwind with a glass of wine in a nice bubble bath.

Lx

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Sprouting Broccoli Pasta - Good Diet Food

I hate diets and due to the fact that I am a little clumsy and busty, exercise isn't quite my favourite activity ever.  Let’s just say, jogging holds more challenges for me than some of my friends.  So, as I face another Christmas trying to find something flattering that doesn't resemble a hijab, I have joined nutracheck and am now on a calorie controlled diet.

So, I decided to try sprouting broccoli pasta –low calorie and apparently tasty. 

·         200g sprouting broccoli with stems removed and finely chopped

·         One large onion finely chopped

·         4 anchovy fillets

·         5ml sunflower oil

·         Chilli flakes

·         Garlic flakes

·         One lemon

·         100g pasta

·         Pepper

·         Salt

1. To save on pots, you cook the broccoli with the pasta.  So, pop the pasta in and about 5 minutes before it is al dente add the broccoli
2. At the same time chop the onion and fry lightly in sunflower oil
3. Add chilli and garlic flakes to taste.  If you have fresh garlic or chilli, you can add this instead but I had these to hand.
4. Once the onion has started to colour, add the anchovy fillets and stir until they have almost dissolved.
5. Drain the pasta broccoli mix when it is al denta and mix the onion mixture into the pasta.
6. Season with pepper, salt and lemon juice to taste
7. Eat smugly as you realise just how few calories it has

Now this is the type of diet food I could get used to

Yum

Lx

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Roast Aubergine and Feta Delight

As I work on this diet (which incidentally is going quite well), I noticed that there is rather a large difference between the calories in veggies and meat/carbohydrates.  Now, I’m obviously not going to give up meat but I thought I might cut-down a bit and well, as an animal lover it also sits well.

So, I’m on the lookout for glorious veggie fare and when I saw that Nigel Slater had an interesting aubergine recipe – well, I had to try it.  So herewith a recipe based on his recipe for aubergine and feta which he learnt while in Greece.

• 1 good sized aubergine per person
• 50g feta cheese
• Lemon
• Flat leaf parsley
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Firstly, take one aubergine and stab it repeatedly with a knife.  Don’t chop it, you are just looking to ‘aerate’ the vegetable.  Then pop it into a hot oven (around 180 to 200 degrees Celsius) for about 45 minutes to an hour – turning every 15 minutes or so to ensure an even cook.

Take out of the oven, chop off the stem and cut in half.  It should be nice and creamy but if not, I have popped it back into the oven in the past.  Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and squeeze half a lemon over the top.  Dot with chopped flat leaf parsley and finely chopped garlic.

Now if you aren’t on a diet forget the lemon and mix flat leaf parsley with crushed garlic, good quality olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Sprinkle generously over the top of the aubergine.

Eat with a nice glass of white wine - not bad for diet food!

Lx

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So could I live with a gastro-sexual?

Firstly, what is a gastro-sexual?  Apparently, it is a man who is uses his ability to cook food to seduce ‘innocent women’.  Yes, it is one of those ulterior motive foodies who uses his knowledge of cheese, wine and good seafood to get into your knickers or at least, get to first base.  This new manly specifies was recently highlighted in the Daily Mail as they fought to save the sweet blushing women of the UK from these creatures.

So do I want a gastro-sexual in my kitchen?   As with everything else, I think it rather depends on the variety.  I did have an ex-boyfriend who could cook as he had spent time as an Italian chef.  Only problem was that he forgot that he was in his kitchen at home and used EVERY pot in the kitchen to make a simple spaghetti.  He also managed to decorate my moggy with tomato paste which did not endear himself to me either – candles, wine and a kitty bath, not really very romantic.  The need for approval was also just a little annoying.  I may cook dinner for 6 out of 7 days with little thanks but when he cooks food, I need to line up the hallelujah chorus.  Let’s just say that this relationship didn't work.    

Exhausted post pasta experience

I’m also not sure that I would want someone who was a foodie perfectionist.  I like cooking, in fact, I love cooking but unfortunately, it doesn’t always go well.  The food is generally edible but occasionally, the edges are crispy and not everything (dim sum my nemesis) always sets.  Now, all my partners have either eaten it or made me laugh and bought me a take away before feeding me wine and sympathy. 

So, if someone decided to tell me in detail how I had gone wrong, I think that I might lose my sense of humour – especially, if it was that moment in the month when I needed chocolate.  On that score, I am prepared to suggest that even St Jamie and the Great Gordon Ramsey are delicate when providing their wives (and mothers) with feedback. 

And what if he was picky or poncy?  As a coeliac I am used to being careful about food but if I was lectured about the sourcing of ingredients or there providence of the pasta after a long day at work, I am not sure I would be hugely amused.  Yes, I like eating but practicality is also important and being lectured about lettuces picked under a full moon may stretch even my patience. 

So the question remains, would I welcome a gastro-sexual?  Yes, if he was happy to cook with me, clean up after himself and knew how to cook a steak on a braai (I am South African after all).  Now if I can find someone who combines these characteristics with a sense of humour, height and solvency, I might just be on to a winner.

What are your thoughts?

L xx

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Thai Curry with a Crunchy Kick

Everyone loves Thai curry – it is my go to dish.  O dear Lord, 200 people are arriving in 10 minutes, right where is the coconut milk and the paste.  Not only does it adapt to vegetarians, pescetarians and just plain old meat eaters but it can stretch as far as you need and none foodies are often impressed that you have made something so exotic.  However, sadly, more people are beginning to realise just how easy it is to make and it has lost a little of the wow factor.

So herewith Thai Curry version 2.1.  ‘Pork and Peanut Curry’.  Obviously you shouldn’t feed this to those with a nut allergy that you like or those with good legal representation but otherwise, most people seem to like this. 

1 tbsp vegetable oil (I like sunflower)

Small bunch of coriander – stalks finely chopped and leaves picked

400g pork loin (although I have made it with ‘bone chicken’ as my niece calls it or thighs)

4 tbsp Thai red curry paste (I bought mine at the local Chinese store and it was hot so you may want to moderate it depending on how hot you like it)

4 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy obviously)

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

400ml light coconut milk (this reduces the calories and I honestly could not see the difference)

175g pack of baby corn

Juice of one lime

Bunch of spring onions sliced

Steamed rice to serve

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan (or a flameproof casserole) then add the spring onions and coriander stalks before cooking them for 1 minute.
• Then add the pork slices and cook for about 5 minutes until they are starting to brown.
• Stir in the curry paste and peanut butter.
• After 30 seconds, add the sugar, soy and coconut milk plus ½ a can of water.
• Leave it to simmer for 15 minutes and stir occasionally
• Remove the list, add the baby corn and increase the heat slightly until the dish is bubbling.
• Oncel the corn is cooked and the sauce has started to thicken, add the juice of live and the pepper and salt to taste.

This dish can be frozen and I have somewhat controversially used the mixture finely chopped as a springroll filling.

So yummy!

Lxx

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Hong Kong Chicken - Braai Style

Everything tasted better when I was younger.  Or so it seemed,  nothing beat egg and bacon sandwiches on the beach under the umbrella if it was raining.  Crispy fish and chips with vinegar.  Spur burgers with unlimited salad and BBQ sauce.  Hong Kong chicken at the local Chinese with sweet sticky sauce.  And nothing makes me miss something more than not being able to get it anymore which applies to HK chicken.  Damn that redevelopment on those awful row of shops in central Cape Town.

Or so I thought until, I saw Hollow Leg's Blog (www.lizzieeatslondon.blogspot.co.uk) and the following recipe (so happy so very happy) so here is my version of the recipe which I use as unusual Canapes!

• 800g chicken wings
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 3 – 5 slices of ginger root (peeled)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 – 3 star anise
• 1 can of coke (full fat not diet or flavoured pls)
• 2bsp of veggie oil (sunflower for me)
• Spring onions

Cut the chicken wings into two pieces (leaving a drumstick and the other triangle shaped piece) and marinade in the dark soy sauce for up to 24 hours. 

Crush the garlic, chop the ginger root into small pieces and remove the whites from spring onions (chopping finely)

Pop the marinated chicken into a hot wok filled with the veggie oil and brown

Remove the chicken, add the garlic etc. and the star anise.  Gently fry until golden.

Then add the chicken, any soy sauce mixture left as well as the can of coke.

Cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is glossy.

If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken towards the end of the cooking process and allow to boil down

Serve the chicken covered with the glossy sauce and with a garnish of spring onion greens.

courtesy of chinesefoodrecipes.org

Now, as a South African I love my Braai (BBQ) so I also tried the following................... 

• Leave the chicken wings whole but stretch them out and use a wooden skewer (soaked in water for about 20 minutes) to fix them in place if this doesn’t happen naturally
• Marinate the chicken in the dark soy sauce but add a little more to compensate for anything that the skewers soak up.
• Now create the sauce as above excluding the chicken but pouring the marinade into the wok.
• Cook the chicken in the oven at the same time until cooked through.  It should not be too crispy so the heat should not be too high.  Remove the chicken and set aside.
• Boil the sauce down over a medium heat until it becomes glossy and coat the chicken wings with resulting sauce.
• Then pop on a hot BBQ/braai for about 5 minutes to crisp up, heat through and even catch slightly.
• You can prepare this up until the final stage ahead of time and then serve as a tasty canapé around the braai.

So very yummy

L xxx

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I'm just not a Macaron type of girl

It is interesting to realise what type of cook you are.  This is a topic I have covered before but I have never so completely realised it that when I learnt to make French macarons.  For those of you who don’t know, these are meringues made with almonds and then stuck together with butter icing, ganache or some other sweet treat.

I arrived at the class (held in a café in East London by Old Street) on time(ish) and met the lovely, bubbly instructress.  She has a passion for macarons and doesn’t have a problem pronouncing them sexy.  I had substantially less of a passion but hell, I was prepared to give it a go.

First, sieve 80g of ground almonds and 120 g of icing sugar.  This takes longer than you think and personally involved a little bit of swearing – my friend was also not hugely keen on the process.

Then take a baking sheet and cover it with baking parchment.  Find a suitable circle (smaller than the standard tin lid but larger than a drink bottle lid – think red bull can size) and trace as many circles as you can onto the paper.   Try to keep them straight – ours looked like we had been drinking heavily, sadly we hadn’t.

Then separate 2 eggs and pop the whites into a bowl.  Whisk with an electric beater until it forms soft peaks and then add 70g of granulated sugar gradually until it is completely mixed and forms solid peaks. 

Add flavour – this could be rose (although too much makes it taste soapy), hazelnut syrup, chilli with a little cocoa powder or anything you desire.  Then add colour which you can buy in most big supermarkets.   Remember the colour deepens and changes when cooked – mine came out looking like they had spent time with a pigeon with intestinal issues – not an ideal look.

Fold in the almond mixture and then put into the piping bag.  While that sentence is short, the process isn’t and to be honest if I was at home, the wine would have come out.    Pipe onto the circles on the baking tray.  This requires a technique, I still haven’t mastered.  You need to put the head of the bad against the parchment in the centre of your circles and squeeze until the mixture reaches the outer edges.

Then let them rest for half an hour.  This is when you create your filling which for us was butter icing so more elbow grease needed.  Take 140g of softened butter and add up to 280g icing sugar.  Keep mixing until you cry or it becomes icing.  The former is more likely but the latter is probably a better idea.

Do not lose your temper, the end is almost in sight.  Check the macarons and gently push in any nipples (yes, I did a double take too but this is techy baking talk for the drip left by taking the piping bag off when the circle was full)

Pop the tray in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes at 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3 until the macarons are completely dry.  I poked mine to check but you can see if you open the oven to check.  This has no impact on any rising or falling so don’t worry.

Let them cool (tried to ice a hot cake with butter icing before so I know that is a bad idea so feel smug) and then pipe a little icing onto the bottom of one macaron and secure the other macaron.

Not much for my blood,sweat and tears

At this point at home, I would collapse weeping into a ball clutching a bottle of wine but instead, I manned up and shared my macarons.   Will I be making them again?  Nope, I have better ways to test my patience and the edges of my sanity so while it was a good experience, I will not be making them for a party or trying to test loads of flavours as my instructor suggested.

Life is just too short

Lx

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Lazy Olive and Sundried Tomato Pasta

While some people loath Sunday evenings, I quite like them.    Admittedly, you are staring down the barrel of a full week but if you’ve had fun over the weekend and even managed to get a few jobs sorted then, life doesn’t seem quite so bad.

That said, food on Sundays can be difficult.  If you’ve had a roast for lunch then you don’t want anything heavy and if you’ve just had a lazy day, it can be difficult to remove yourself from the sofa (or bed if you’ve slipped off for a nap), disentangle the cats and be creative.

Loki -  the evil Creature which makes it very hard to get up

However, (wo)manfully struggling against adversity I wandered into the kitchen and popped a pot of gluten free spaghetti on.  None of the sauces I normally would make appealed and I decided to produce my own version of Puttanesca so here goes:

Add sufficient pasta to serve the number of guests to boiling water

Find your food processor and then spend 10 minutes swearing as you attempt to assemble 

it and find the chopping attachment.  Wine and tears are allowed if you are alone.

For 2 people, add

4 anchovy filets with a little of the oil

2 sun dried tomatoe

A roughly chopped small red onion

Half a white onion

Teaspoon of dried chilies (I like it hot and this is to taste)

Handful of pit less olives (I used green but your choice)

Teaspoon of garlic paste or 2 cloves (again depends on your taste)

Remember to screw the top on tightly and then blitz until fine.  Forget and you will (as I 

say or may not have in the past) be picking your dinner off your kitchen cupboards. Don't 

worry if it doesn't look pretty, sometimes ugly tastes better. 

Ugly can end up beautiful

Add the blitzed ingredients to a pan with a little oil and fry lightly for about a minute or 

two before adding the drained pasta and mixing well to coat.

Squeeze half a lemon over each portion – this is to taste and should lift the dish rather 

than dominate it.

The resulting dish has a lovely hit of olives and lemon with a kick of chilli and a hit of 

something else (anchovy but you don’t have to tell anyone if they don’t like fish).

Really easy, really lovely and perfect for a lazy Sunday night.

Lxx


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Gin glorious gin – hot toddies all clustered – while we are in the mood

While obviously, Oliver wasn’t singing about Gin (or you would rather hope not given his age), having found Gilberts Gin Garden, I rather felt like breaking into song.  Set under the arches at George Gilbert Scott’s stunning Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station is a quirky little drinking venue sponsored by Hendricks.

Laid out like Alice in Wonderland’s Grown Up Garden with gold fish in cages, white metal furniture, fake grass and a sofa made out of half a bath, you can’t help but be charmed.  My friend and I visited on a warm summers evening having visited the British Library exhibition on Propaganda (thoroughly recommended) and use the unusual gin cocktails to wash the nasty taste of tyranny out of our mouths.

I went for a The Delicate Rose which combines Hendrick’s gin with rose petal tea, pink grapefruit, elderflower and cucumber and my friend chose to try a decidedly grown up G&T with elderflower and thyme.  Mine arrived in a Hendrick’s tea pot which I was seriously sizing up to ascertain just how easily I could fit it into a handbag but I’m sure the waiter (who was using a telephone box as a service station) may have noticed.

We were given seriously tasty popcorn– signature smoked butter and black peppercorn if you must know –  to accompany our drinks and apart from the noise from the all to close road, all was perfect.

If you are in London and fancy dropping in to a little bit of wonderland, don’t hesitate to visit the Gilberts Gin Garden but do it quickly as I fear that it may well disappear with the autumn winds

L xx

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