Lou Loves Food !

Beijing Eats: Peking Duck

2012-01-30T09:15:00.001-08:00

Peking Duck
Da Dong, Beijing

Going to Beijing and not getting Peking duck would be rather like going to Argentina and not having a steak. It has to be done.
There are many places for Peking duck in Beijing and many guides telling you where you must and must not get it.
With our trip drawing to an end, we decided to visit one of the cities restaurants that catered especially for Peking duck. And as a change from the usual cheap eats cafes, to go to one of the higher end recommended restaurants- and so we found ourselves in Da Dong.

Da Dong was different to the kind of eatery we were used to- large and ornate, with huge wall panels and unnecessarily ostentatious chandeliers. But it was clean and bright, and had an amazing aroma of freshly cooked duck and delicate spices.

Before ordering our duck, we started with our classic dish of peanuts in vinegar, a personal favourite. Whilst picking at these, we studied the heavy duty menu, laden with beautifully presented, beautifully photographed dishes.

Before we had time to stray from the original plan, a waitress arrived, barking 'duck' at us in a manner that was more of an order than a question. So meekly we nodded.

Before the duck arrived, we were presented with individual enamel trays- rather like a very elegant TV dinner. This is something I hadn't encountered before with Peking duck, but highly approved of. There would be no waiting (im)patiently for the cucumber, or fighting over portion control with the soy, or any panic over how much spring onion was left in the bowl.

Each tray contained freshly grated garlic, sugar, grated pickled ginger, sliced spring onion and radish, and of course the thick, sweet Hoi Sin sauce.

The duck was next to arrive, sat fatly on a pile of entirely redundant lettuce leaves. It was a generous portion with a good duck to fat ratio- some of the cheaper places leave very little to eat, once the reams of fat have been greasily pulled away.

The duck was accompanied by 'duck soup'. This is traditionally served alongside Peking duck, making the most of the bird in true Chinese fashion by using every inch of the carcass by creating a soup from it's marrow. More often than not these days, duck soup is no longer served, and so we used this as a gauge for a good, traditional Peking restaurant. Da Dong safely passed the test.
Tradition aside, my soup went almost untouched- spare a few floating leaves of cabbage, there was very little to it, and very little flavour aside a slightly greasy saltiness.

The duck was devoured (good duck to pancake ration, though I believe we asked for extra pancake.) and the plates were cleaned away. My issue with duck is that I never find it entirely filling- but that's a problem of mine rather than the duck itself. Bizarrely, we were subsequently presented with a gum course- a sheet of Wrigley's chewing gum placed lovingly on a large plate with- even more bizarrely- a fork. This intriguing palate cleanser proceeded another unrequested (but appreciated) dish; a large plate of sliced watermelon and a pile of satsumas, presented on a grill over dry ice.

All in all the meal was a good one- in culinary respects, it was very good quality Peking duck. The meat was plump without being fatty and the condiments were fresh and true to the dish. Whilst I love the little local diners and cafes, the higher end restaurants (this meal still came to no more than £5 a head) present a far less greasy, delicate and often no less genuine fare.
The entire ambiance leaned a little to the bizarre side though, with the Waitress rushing us through the meal (the bill was presented whilst we were still eating and dishes arrived, unordered, whilst their predecessors were still making their way to our lips) and the bizarre effect of the chewing gum course and fruit on dry ice.
I would whole heartedly recommend getting Peking Duck if you find yourself in Beijing, and unusually for me, recommend going to one of the more well known Peking Duck restaurants- but if you like to make eating into an event, then maybe Da Dong is not the place for you...

For those inquisitive linguists out there- Da means 'big'. I'm just going to leave you with that thought.

xxx

Beijing Eats: Street Food

2012-01-30T08:57:00.001-08:00

Beijing Street Food

Although there are so many amazing dishes and restaurants to choose from in Beijing, there is nothing I love more when travelling than street food. Not only is it practical to pick up something warm and cheap whilst on the hoof, I learnt a long time ago that you often get some of the most authentic and beautiful food that a country has to offer when it's cooked in a dustbin out on the pavement. China is absolutely no exception, and some of my fondest food memories were born on its streets.

Street food in China can be amazingly diverse- not just in the range of food available; from the classic dumpling stalls to the Muslim influenced grills of Northern China- but also in it's ability to both delight and horrify.
The vast wok of steaming animal entrails, above, was a teaming mass of undefined animal product- tripe, intestines, brain... nothing is wasted in China, and every part of every animal is common on every menu.
This particular concoction smelt about as good as it looks- I didn't try it.

A street food favourite! There are a few variations of Jiān Bĭng (煎饼- pan fried pancake) , but this one was one of the best. Huge pancakes are cooked and topped with egg, which almost melts into the batter. The vast pancake is then topped with a thick sauce (similar to that of Peking duck), spring onion, lettuce (probably the only lettuce you'll be finding in Chinese cooking!) and a sheet of batter, which adds a crunchy texture to the pancake wrap.
This dish costs about 5 kwai, the equivalent to about 50p. However, as a wài guó rén (foreigner) expect to ripped off- this crafty little fellow cut our wrap in half and attempted to claim the cost was in fact 5 kwai per half. This did not fly.

Food on sticks in very popular- sausages, scorpions, quail's eggs... But the most common is kebabs, a Northern Chinese food that is found all over Beijing.

Talking of food on sticks... Natalie could not resist the sausage in sweet waffle batter, sold around the lakes during Spring Festival. Sweet and savoury is a not uncommon combination- The Chinese like their baked goods to be saccharine in the extreme, and it's almost impossible to find baked goods that aren't laden with sugar. Even their bread loaves is topped with a sugar glaze or sprinkled with icing sugar, and their sausage buns are made with super sweet brioche- like bread.

No, really. The Chinese love their sugar. Keep an eye out for the caramelised fruit on sticks- often a colourful array of strawberries, kiwi and satsuma- or even a stick of five or six ful sized sugar coated apples. But be on your guard for the little red skewers. When it comes to sweet and savoury, these guys love to mess with your heads. They aren't cherries and they aren't little apples- they're sugar coated tomatoes.

A slightly healthier street side snack- It's easy to find men selling hot sweet potatoes, cooked in situ in large dustbins. You can pick the size of potato that you like and take it away with you- the ultimate healthy and comforting fast food and a real relief in the bitter minus temperatures of Beijing in January.

Beijing treats- a popular dessert during times of Festivity; Moon cakes!

Beijing Drinks...

Oh Bubble tea, I miss you already... A bit of an addiction of mine, even when I'm in London- though a lot cheaper! My first experience of hot bubble tea, it made a great on-the-go replacement for coffee in the morning, when heading out early to explore the city.

From ice cream to rice cakes, I've tried all sorts of matcha (green tea powder) flavoured products. Though I loved the squidgy glutinous rice balls, coated in icing sugar and with a peanut butter centre (honestly, they taste better than 'glutinous rice ball' suggests...) I really enjoyed the green tea latte. Sweet, frothy and an adorable shade of pea green!

xxx

Beijing: Eating Out

2012-01-30T04:48:00.000-08:00

Beijing Eats: LouLovesFood Favourites

I am a very lucky girl. With a twin sister living in Beijing, I couldn't possibly miss the opportunity to bring in the (Chinese) New Year and celebrate Spring Festival in China itself. With its mix of high end hotels and hutongs, street vendors and cocktail bars, it's one of my favourite cities, and was the perfect excuse for a exploration of Asian eating. Having visited China a number of times, I have a repetoir of dishes that have, as a da wei wang, become as close to my heart as the city itself...

Most of my favourite Chinese dishes seem to be the simple ones- in this instance, peanuts soaked in rice wine vinegar. They're great to have on the table to pick at as you eat, or wait for the other dishes to arrive.

Another dish that gets ordered with almost every meal, and another dish that is brilliantly simple- egg scrambled in sesame oil with tomato. One of China's more healthy options, and impossible for my sister and I to resist.
You can find a variation of this dish in every cafe- the second photo being scrambled egg with Chinese chive and pepper.

An absolute family favourite, very much a part of my childhood memories of China- we almost never eat out without ordering Kung Pao ji ding (宫保鸡丁) .
Kung Pao has to be done correctly- the dish is essentially chickens in a Kung Pao sauce, served with peanuts (not cashew nuts folks- the peanuts are integral to the dish.) It also contains chilli, sechuan pepper and spring onion.
Gung Bao is Sechuan in origin, and has the distinctive Sechuan 'ma', Mandarin for 'numbing' and it is the pepper that gives this dish the distinctive and authentic numbing sensation. Sechuan pepper is a fragrant berry that is often fairly over powering, burning the tongue like chilli, and causing the mouth to tingle. It seems to worm it's way into many Beijing dishes, sometimes adding a delicate and aromatic Asian flavour to the dish, but more often than not, over powering the sense and leaving the mouth feeling like it's been rinsed in washing up liquid.
This particular version had been topped with sesame coated glazed walnuts. An unexpected but very welcome addition!

For lunch, a calzone like pancake, sealed like a pasty and stuffed with egg and leek. A light dim sum option that proved itself to be a delicious relief amongst all the fried, oily, (somewhat overcooked) and fatty meat dishes that are found in abundance in every meal.

Possibly one of the most important foods of China would be its jiaozi and biozi- dumplings and steamed buns. Sold in restaurants, dumplings houses and as street food on every road, they are essential to the Beijing eating experience. Our favourites are the pork and leak fried dumplings (though they have many many manifestations) and the char sui pork Boazi (steamed buns made with a fluffy white dough and stuffed with meat)- although there is something beautiful about a sopping wet plate laden with damp steamed dumplings.

A very beautiful example of boazi (包子)- these are the miniature versions. The larger, traditional boazi are much bigger than dumplings, relative in size to a baseball. Though served in restaurants and cafes, boazi are also an archetypal street food, cheap, filling and readily available. For my guide to Beijing street food, keep clicking back...

xxx

Winter Warmer: Mushroom and Herb Polenta

2012-01-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Ottolenghi's Mushroom and Herb Polenta
with mixed mushrooms, truffle oil, tarragon, thyme, rosemary and tallegio.

Whilst most Ottolengi recipes vary on the side of light and spring like, this one is definitely a winter dish -Warm, comforting and nourishing, and one of my favourite recipes from Plenty.

Follow the recipe step by step and you will be rewarded by an incredible intensity and variety of flavour... Skip the truffle oil and a few of the herbs, and you'll still have a very presentable and bloody fine dish. Just as a good recipe should be.

I feel I should point out, the more rustic the bowl (or flat serving plate) you use to serve it, the better it'll taste...

xxx

Eastern Meditteranean Supper

2012-01-17T01:17:00.000-08:00

My current obsession (I think it would be fair to call it such) is with Eastern Mediteranean cuisine. It's a passion that been building over time and seems perfectly natural - I've always loved street food and prefer to eat mezze style over a more British set plates and courses. I love flatbreads and hummus, vegetable based dishes and healthy, natural food.

Discovering Ottolenghi, and owning his cook books was a definite milestone in my culinary explorations. This awakening led me to the Bierut Street food of Yalla Yalla, and meanderings onto Edgware Road.

A few nights ago, I held a Lebanese supper, with recipes taken from a Ottolenghi and Silvena Rowe..

Radish and broad bean salad, with preserved lemon- A light, sharp salad with a bit of bite.

Grilled Aubergine, with saffron yoghurt, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds- A Lou Loves Food favourite, and a favourite of all who try it.

Pastry boreks with feta and spinach

Burnt aubergine, with tahini and pomegranate molasses and seeds

Pistachio Revani, with a pomegranate seed syrup

xxx

Food Fact of the Day

2012-01-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

You can now get Begals in Beijing that compete with the New York Bagel, in almost any flavour- including fig and walnut- but never the traditional poppy seed.
This is because poppy seeds of any variety, for any purpose, are banned in China, due to their connection with Opium, and the reminder they bring of the Opium Wars.
Mental.

From Our Correspondant, in Beijing- Boazi. Many Thanks.

xxx

Winter Warmers: Mincemeat and pear crumble pots

2011-12-30T02:05:00.000-08:00

I bloody love Sainsbury's Magazine.I love the photography, the food styling, the glossiness- and of course, the recipes. My favourite time of year to buy it is always around Christmas and New Year, when everything seems a little glossier, a little more decadent and a little bit glitzy.

I've also really been craving mincemeat this year; as rich, sticky and boozy as possible! It would be a tragedy to condemn it to a life of mince pies alone, so if you aren't going to give a mincemeat tart a go, at least try out this little recipe- perfect for over the Christmas period.

I'm a sucker for anything that comes in individual pots; I have a collection of beautiful little lidded Le Crouset style mini casserole pots brought home from France, and it's so lovely to be able to provide little individual desserts in such beautiful kitchenware.

Combining it with pear not only sound delicious, but so warming and seasonal I had to post it as soon as possible...

Mincemeat and Pear Crumble Pots

3 ripe pears in chunks
125g mincemeat
Juice of 1/2 lemon
40g plain flour
40g Brazil nuts, chopped
25g cold butter, cubed
40g dark sugar
25g rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 180 fan. Mix together the chopped pear, mincemeat and lemon juice and divide between 4 ramekins on a baking tray.
In a food processor, blend the flour, nuts, butter and sugar until just combined and stir in the oats. Sprinkle evenly over the pear mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until the crumbs are golden and bubbling.

Simple as that!

xxx

How to Make: Festive Biscuit Christmas Wreath

2011-12-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

If you have a little spare time around Christmas, and like to give gifts that have the personal touch- or decorate your home your own way, give these super cute, super simple edible wreaths a go...

Simply make a biscuit mix (I've included a Nigella Christmas biscuit recipe below, but the possibilities are endless- I would definitely keep them seasonal though; even if you just add a little mixed spice, or use a ginger bread recipe.) and chill for half an hour or so before using.

Roll out, and using a cutter, stamp out the biscuit shapes. I used stars, but you could use a reindeer, holly, hearts... Be creative! I do like the pattern created by using a star, and it makes it nice and easy to decorate.

All you have to do is arrange the biscuits on a baking tray, overlapping very slightly- remember the biscuits will spread- though you will want it sturdy enough to hold together as these biscuits can be infuriatingly fragile. For this reason I recommend making plenty, as some as likely to break. I made lots of dough and froze any extra I had for another day- or to quickly whip up for any unexpected guests!

Bake the biscuits on a low heat. I tend to ignore the time given by recipes and almost always stick to under ten minutes. Remember to consider the thickness you cut them to. They really do take no time at all. The dough should be slightly golden and look cooked, but still be soft. They will harden once they have cooled! I like my biscuits to have a slightly chewy, soft centre.

Whilst the biscuits are still cool, use a skewer to pierce a hole (gently!) into the top of each biscuit, so thread can be run through it. Now your biscuit becomes a decoration, and can be hung on doors or trees, or even attached to presents!

Your wreaths will be all ready to decorate now. Leave them to cool completely, then mix up some royal icing with icing sugar, lemon juice and egg white. Using a piping bag and a small nozzle, pipe onto the biscuits. Use the spares to experiment- I like dotty biscuits, using the royal icing to adhere silver edible balls. They look so festive! I also experimented with edible glitter. The sparkliness looked really beautiful reflected against the baubles when I hung it on my Christmas tree.
There are plenty of design possibilities, play around and try them out!

Recipe
I used a Nigella Lawson recipe- I recommend adding slightly more Cinnamon, just to give it a bit more of a Christmas-y taste.

100 g unsalted butter softened
100 grams soft dark sugar
300 grams plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons clear honey

Place the butter and sugar in a clean bowl and mix together vigorously with a wooden spoon until the color and texture of the mixture becomes pale. Place the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and add the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and freshly ground black pepper. Blend the mixture. While the food processor is blending, gradually pour the eggs and honey down the funnel of the food processor's lid into the bowl until a dough has formed (you may not require all of the liquid if the dough has come together before it is used up). If the dough is too dry add a little water to the mixture. If the dough is too wet add a little flour.

Why not try...

* Using a large star cutter, and piping people's names onto each biscuit. Thread a ribbon through the biscuit, and use to attach to gifts, or as place settings on the Christmas table.

* Wrapping in cellophane gift bags and tying with a silver or blue ribbon to present as a beautiful hand made gift

* Using different coloured icing to match the lights on your tree, or the decorations in your home.

xxx

Food Fact of the Day

2011-12-23T00:38:00.000-08:00

For those of you city folk, who are probably sick to death of Christmas being rammed down your throats, here are some completely unseasonaly relevant Food Facts... About Tomato Ketchup.
Courtesy of The Metro!

* Originally, Ketchup didn't contain tomatoes at all- it was first made in China in the late 17th Century, from a mix of anchovies, walnuts, mushrooms and kidney beans.

* Heinz ketchup must leave the bottle at 0.028 mph- any faster and it won't be leaving the factory- at any speed.

* The fear of tomato ketchup is called Mortuusequusphobia.

650, 000 000 bottles of ketchup are sold around the world, in more than 110 countries. So if you want a change from cranberry sauce this Christmas...

xxx

One Pot Wednesday: Andrea's Stuffed Cabbage

2011-12-13T04:19:00.000-08:00

Andrea's Stuffed Cabbage

Over the festive period, everyone gets busy with cooking and baking at home and I can guarantee you if you would get the chance to inspect any of my fellow Hungarian’s fridge (well I would love to have a nosy around anyway) they would have a massive pot of stuffed cabbage proudly taking the main position on the shelf between Christmas and New year’s eve.
One of our family favourite foods (including the adopted German relatives) would be the stuffed cabbage.

40dg. Pork mince (we always try to buy good quality meat and minced it ourselves)
1 pack of Smoked bacon (this is my thing, I think it gives the filing a more interesting flavour)
30 dg. Smoked ribs (you need to slice them beside each bone that you can divide them when cooking)
1 normal sized white cabbage
60 dg. Sauerkraut
1 normal sized onion
10 dg. rice
2 cloves of Garlic
Salt and ground black pepper
1 spoon of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of Paprika powder
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
3 dg. Flour
Some Sour cream – to serve

*dg is dekagram- 10 grams.

Start by getting the cabbage and cutting out the hard bit in the middle.
Then cook it or steam it approx. 10 min. until the cabbage softens up a little bit. (This makes it easier for later when you will have to wrap the filing inside it, but please don’t overcook it!).

While the cabbage is cooking, heat one spoonful of olive oil and fry the dry rice until it turns nice golden-brown, then pour some water over it; just enough to half cook the rice.
When the water begins to boil add some salt and b. pepper to it. Take the rice off when it is HALF cooked (make sure no excess water left on it).

When the cabbage and rice is finished put them aside to cool them down a little bit- since no one likes burnt fingers!
Get the pork, bacon, half of the onion and the garlic and mince them together.
Put them in a bowl with the cooled and half cooked rice add some more salt and b. pepper and the tomato puree and mix them well together.

Get the cabbage and carefully start to peel each leaf off- we always thin off the thick bottom of the leaf with a knife, again it will make it easier to roll up the leaves.

Get one of the leaves in the palm of your hand and fill it with some of the mixture until you run out of leaves. If there is some left-over from the meaty mix, roll them up into little balls.
Cut up the small unusable leaves from the cabbage and mix them with the Sauerkraut then half them. Put the first half to the bottom of the pot with half of the smoked ribs evenly spread around. Put all the stuffed cabbage leaves neatly over it and spread the other half of the Sauerkraut and smoked ribs over the top of the stuffed cabbage.
Fill the pot with water until it covers the food, put a lid on it and let it slowly cook for about 2 hours.

After the cabbage has been cooked for 2 hours get 2 spoonful of cooking oil and heat it up in a separate dish. Slice the other half of the onion to small fine pieces and add it to the oil then add the flour and fry them until they have a nice colour. Whilst constantly stirring add the paprika powder to the fried onion and flour and very quickly add a little bit of the juice from the cabbage, don’t let it get lumpy (you do this to thicken up the liquid around the cabbage). Put this floury mixture straight into the pot and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

And then you are ready to eat, you can serve and eat everything from the pot. Bon appetite!!!

Love,

Andrea

xxx

Thankyou Andrea, for this great post! I know my Papa would love it... If anyone else has any recipes for One Pot Wednesday, Slow cook Sunday or Winter Warmers, then please do get in touch, I love contributor posts!
loulovesfood@mail.com

Porridge of the Week #31

2011-12-13T01:23:00.000-08:00

Porridge of the Week #31
Raspberry and Honey with granola

Category: Flavour

With the swirls of pink running through the oats, this is a beautiful porridge to serve, as well as being healthy and very delicious. I find the colours really cheer me up in the morning- the aesthetic is real important to my porridge eating!
Porridges using fresh berries can be hard to get right. Fresh blueberry alone has very little flavour once mixed into the oats, and raspberries can be sharp and a bitter. The honey works perfectly with it to sweeten it up and make it a little more comforting. This is a really great, simple recipe. As I love texture and a bit of crunch, I like to add the granola to give it a slight 'crumble' effect.

Start by placing the raspberries in a bowl and pouring in a drizzle of milk- about enought o half cover them. In the microwave or on the hob, warm the raspberries til the milk has gone pink and is warmed through, looking like a hit raspberry milkshake. Warm the porridge with plenty of milk and allow to heat through. As it heats and starts to thicken, loosen it by pouring in the slightly crushed raspberries and milk mixture and stir with your spurtle until they begin to break down into the porridge. Add a squeeze of honey and serve up once warm. Top with a few whole raspberries and a little drizzle of honey and then scatter over a small amount of granola. You can actually use frozen raspberries for this if needs be as they will break down well into the mix.

I WILL add a photo of this porridge when I have one. it's too pretty not to!

xxx

Food Fact of the Day

2011-12-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

In Chinese, a person who eats a lot is called 'da wei wang' (pronounced: "dar way wung") - this literally translates as a 'big stomach king- 大胃王

I am, most certainly, a big stomach king.

xxx

Thankyou to my sister, living in Beijing, for this brilliant food fact!

Winter Warmers: Goan Tomato and lentil Soup

2011-12-06T01:34:00.000-08:00

Goan Tomato and Lentil Soup

This soup recipe is something I created based on one I saw in the supermarket. I liked the sound of it, but always one to make from scratch over buying in, the flavours inspired me to go home and create it myself. The mix of lentil and tomato makes it not only super healthy (A much needed boost of immunity in these winter months!) but also gives it a really lovely, thick texture. It looks like a standard winter soup, but the spices give it an more fragrant and unusual flavour than your standard winter vegetable soup.

10 or so cherry/plum tomatoes
1 tin chopped tomato

4 carrots
2 cups red lentils
2 medium onions

cumin seeds
1/2 fresh chopped chilli

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Ground turmeric
Garlic bulb
A thumb sized piece of ginger

Black pepper
Goan potato curry spices (see recipe)

Start by soaking the lentils for ten minutes, in a few changes of water. Put in a pan and boil for twenty minutes of half an hour, until soft.
Heat a large pan and when it is warm add the cumin seeds. Gently heat until they begin to pop and jump about. Add a drizzle of oil and a small knob of butter (to prevent browning) and tip in the chopped onion. Once they are soft, add the garlic and all the spices, stirring so they create a sticky coating over the onions. Add a small amount of chopped fresh chilli and the ginger, grated- You can also use ginger powder.

At this point I should mention I also added some nameless spices in my cupboard, brought back from Goa, Ghana, etc. I believe the ones I used were for a potato curry- the scent was quite sweet. If you also have intrepid relatives, feel free to experiment at this point. If you don't, I would recommend heading to an Indian or African supermarket and seeing what spices you can find.

After five minutes, tip in the chopped carrot and pour in a cup of water, bringing to the boil. Place in the cherry tomatoes, whole. Reduce to a simmer, cover and leave for twenty minutes. At this point, add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the cooked lentils. Grind in the pepper. On the lowest heat, leave the soup to simmer for another fifteen minutes or so, then season with a little salt and a lot more cumin (according to taste!), puree, leaving thick chunks, and serve.

xxx

One Pot Wednesday: Octopus

2011-12-02T14:19:00.001-08:00

Very exciting new feature for Lou Loves Food!
One cold winter Wednesday in East London a few weeks back, I cooked a warming one pot dish. It was a success, and decided that the format should be repeated again the next week. Before long a seed of genius was planted within one bright little mind (Ican't claim it was mine, I don't remember who first noticed the alliterative potential of 'one pot' and 'wednesday') and from that seed One Pot Wednesday was born.
As we work our way through a wide range of dishes that can be created with minimum complexity- minimum washing up- I will upload them for you to try. The first to make its debut is Octopus Stew...

Octopus Stew

This is a lovely dish, though a little nerve wracking the first time you give it a go, as octopus is notoriously temperamental. Don't be put off by assuming it is either tough or chewy, this needn't be the case and I'll give you comprehensive instructions to avoiding it. It's so worth doing if you get it right- and I'm confident you will. The little tightly curled pink tentacles that nestle amongst the translucent stock and onion are so delicate and beautiful, especially pitted against the greens of the parsley and celery. I find it impossible to work with octopus without going into a rapture over their aesthetic.

1 large octopus, cleaned and frozen
1 bulb of Fennel
4 stalks of celery
2 white onions
1 jug fish stock
2 cups white wine
2 bulbs garlic
Large handful parsley
Plenty of cracked black pepper

Start by warming a large pan with a generous amount of olive and preparing your octopus if it hasn't already been done. It's important to freeze your octopus as it tenderizes it, and prevents you having to give it a good beating with a rolling pin before cooking.
Place the octopus (whole and unchopped) into the pan and add the garlic. Leave for a couple of minutes for the octopus to release its natural juices into the oil and then add a cup of white wine and the chopped onion.
Add the fish stock (I like to use the jelly stock) and bring to the boil, reducing immediately to a simmer. Whilst this simmers, chop the celery and fennel into slices. Add to the pan with the chopped parsley, reserving a little.

Now leave! With octopus and squid there is a cardinal rule you must abide by- never cook between 4 and 45 minutes! For a soft and tender squid (a chewy, rubbery texture is the main reason most people dislike this maligned creature. It is not in fact an accurate description and it is easily avoided, as long as you cook it correctly.) you should either fry it gently for less than four minutes, or stew it for over forty five. Anything on either side or between this tricky times can be disastrous.

After about forty minutes, remove your octopus with a slatted spoon. Slice up thickly and return to the pan, checking the texture. You should be able to slide a knife into it to gage its tenderness, but I like to taste test it! It may need an extra five or ten minutes- don't be afraid of going with your instinct. After about 55 minutes, my octopus went from being ever so slightly al dente to perfectly smooth and soft.

When its ready, add another cup of white wine and plenty of cracked pepper. Stir, and remove from the heat. The fish stock should make the stew nice and salty, but if you do like to season you're dishes, don;t do it till this point- adding salt any earlier to seafood will dry it out and toughen it up- don't do it!

Dish the stew into bowls and top with extra pepper (you can never have too much pepper in my book- the same applies to onion) and a second handful of parsley.

xxx

Winter Warmers: Dishoom Chai

2011-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

This week has seen a fog descend over London and the temperatures drop. Perfect time for the epicurean explorers to don their knit wear (another silver lining on the snow cloud) and head out to explore what the city has to offer.

If like me, tired old identi-kit pub Christmas menus just don’t leave you feeling festive, and your mulled wine soaked liver is calling for some excitement, don’t think of passing through Covent Garden without dipping into Disoom on Upper St Martin’s Lane, where nothing will warm you from the inside out like a Dishoom naughty Chai. Cosy into a booth and order one of their Dishoom Chai’s with a twist… They are, according to the Dishoom Wallahs themselves “like a warm hug from a familiar friend. Who you suddenly realise is really pretty sexy.”

Photo courtesy of http://www.dishoom.com

For those of you truly chilled to the bone, I recommend the lethally strong Cognac Chai; Chai with Christmas spices and a powerful kick of Hennessy VSOP. (A couple of these makes a delightful- and this is tried and tested- booze jacket.) Or if you need your chocolate fix (and I know there are those of you are out there) there is the Chocolate Chai, a decadent cupful of dark chocolate liqueur, Chai and Bourbon, topped with chocolate shavings.

It’s hard to resist the Bailey’s Chai- the new kid on the block that could give White Russians and Irish Coffees a run for their money. Smooth and comforting, it is topped with a cool layer of fresh cream, which cuts through the warmth and richness of the Bailey’s/Chai combo.
My personal favourite, which somewhat caught me by surprise, was the Egg Nog Chai. If you’re less of a lush than me and only drop in for one cup to warm the cockles of your heart, than this is the one I would recommend. The classically festive Egg Nog is mixed with Chai and Hennessy VS before being dusted with cinnamon for an ultimately Christmas-y Chai. Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed to leave feeling warm bellied and full of Christmas ‘cheer’.

xxx

Winter Warmers

2011-11-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

Oh the excitement, boys and girls! I have a few new regular features lined up for you here at LouLovesFood…
The best place to begin would be with Winter Warmers- tips and guides to the best cafes, bars and outings to keep you fed, warm and perky through the long cold winter season. And with Christmas creeping onto the horizon, infiltrating its way into every shop window and restaurant menu, now seems like the time to start.

If you have any recommendations of places to eat, or things to see and do which you would like to share with the world and see featured, please feel free to get in touch!

louloves@mail.com
http://www.twitter.com/loulovesfood

xxx

Porridge of the Week SPECIAL

2011-10-17T09:17:00.001-07:00

Porridge of the Week
Fruity crumble porridge

The other night, whilst mindlessly surfing the internet, I was hit suddenly with an exciting fact- that tomorrow (Monday, 10th October) was World Porridge Day. After my initial amazement that this event had somehow escaped my discovery until this point, I gathered myself together and began feverishly planning a recipe for the morning that was worthy of the occasion. I decided the recipe should involve a certain degree of preparation and should ideally use some seasonal or hand made ingredients. Having a box full of harvested apples from a friends garden, I decided on Apple Crumble Porridge, a deconstruction of the classic British pudding, using home made compote and granola. I set about cooking it up immediately.

This recipe involves more preparation than the average porridge, but it's worth the extra effort, and has a luxury finish that I think is worthy of the occasion. The blackberries give it a really rustic homely touch.

So.

The night before you will be eating the porridge, start by making the apple compote. Peel and chop cooking apples. In a pan, melt some butter and the apples with a dash of hot water and four tablespoons of brown sugar, a sprinkling of cinnamon and a vanilla pod. Simmer until the apples break down and thicken. This should take about half an hour. Keep it thick and chunky, or puree with a hand blender if you wish.

Make the granola- the recipe for which can be found here.

Leave the compote in the pan overnight for the vanilla to infuse. In the morning, heat up your porridge and add a small sprinkling of nutmeg. Remove from the heat and spoon in a spoonful of compote and a handful of fresh blackberries, and blueberries if you wish. Tip into a bowl and top with extra compote. Sprinkle generously with granola and serve!

Dinner: Bengali Salmon Parcels

2011-10-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bengali Salmon Parcels
With broad beans and cumin carrots

I was cooking with Simon tonight and he introduced me to this recipe. It was beautiful- I love salmon as it is, but this was delicate with a real kick, and also took almost no time at all to prepare and cook. Whilst mixing the yoghurt with the freshly blended spices I had a feeling it was going to be a bit special, so I grabbed my camera and paid attention...

Here be the recipe:

salmon fillets
1 tsp each ground cumin and turmeric
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
3cm piece root ginger
1 garlic clove , peeled
small bunch coriander , chopped
2 green chillies , seeded and sliced
200ml Greek yogurt

1.Rub the salmon with the turmeric, cuminand mustard. Put the ginger, garlic, coriander and most the chillies in a food processor and whizz together. Add the yoghurt and some salt and whizz again.
2. Spread most of the yoghurt mixture over both sides of each piece of salmon (keep back a couple of tbsp). Take 4 sheets of foil, then sit a salmon fillet in the middle of each. Seal to make parcels, leaving a bit of room for air to circulate. Cook in the oven at 220C/ fan 200C/gas 7 for 8 minutes.

I served it with broad beans and cumin carrots- made simply by tossing cumin seeds in butter in a pan with a little sugar, and stirring through carrots as they steam- and the remaining yoghurt on the side.

xxx

Food Fact of the Day

2011-10-09T02:58:00.000-07:00

In accordance to people's changing tastes, Cheddar is getting sweeter, becoming less dry and nutty, and more sweet and smooth.
This is not done by adding sugar or anything as unappealing, but simply by using a different type of bacteria .

Cheddar Cheese was discovered 800 years ago, by accident, in Cheddar- giving it its name.

xxx

Argentinian Travel Journal

2011-09-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Argentinian Food Journal

2011-09-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Well here are a few sketchbook pages from my trip to Argentina, home to coffee, wine, chocolate, pastries and red wine. All the good good bad things...

xxx

Porridge of the Week # 30

2011-09-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Porridge of the Week #30
Lemon Curd and Strawberry

Category: Flavour
In a pan, simmer the oats in milk. When they have reached your desired consistency, stir in a spoonful of lemon curd. Tip into a bowl and top with another dollop of lemon curd and a handful of chopped fresh strawberries. Simples!

Lemon curd and strawberries- A classic combination! This is an interpretation of a porridge created by Simon. Not only is it pretty to look at, it has a really sweet, light summer pudding feel to it. A very different affair from the heavy, spicy winter feeling that porridge is usually associated with. Simon, I am impressed...

xxx

Student Special: Tomato Sauce 101

2011-09-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

Tomato sauces are a classic staple in student cuisine- ideal for thin wallets and fussy eaters. Making the tomato base couldn’t be simpler and it’s a lot more satisfying than hitting up the condiment aisles in the supermarket. Once you’ve got your head round this, you can use the recipe for a huge range of simple suppers.

Save yourself a bit of effort by using tinned tomatoes. Budget friendly and available all year round (as well as deceptively healthy for food that comes out of a can) they should be a welcome addition to any kitchen. Unlike that rogue cucumber, it’s impossible to find a tin of tomatoes in a furry soup like state, hidden in the back corner of the fridge four weeks down the line. I call it an Apocalypse food- and apocalypse foods (hint- anything with a life expectancy longer than yours) can be considered a student’s culinary best friend.

Classic Tomato Pasta Sauce

You will need…

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• A little salt and ground black pepper

In a sauce pan, fry the onion till softened and clear before adding the garlic. Fry for a minute or so then tip in the chopped tomatoes. Add the sugar. (With tomatoes, sugar works in the same way as salt- drawing out and enhancing the flavour.) Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer for five minutes before removing from the heat. At this point, if you prefer it smoother, you could give it a quick blitz in a food processor or using a hand blender. You’re tomato sauce is now ready to go!

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Spagetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is as much a quintessential part of student life as Neighbours and Pot Noodle- without the shame and inevitable regret. Cheap and easy to cook, it makes for a great pre night out stomach-liner as well as a quick and hearty mid-week dinner during revision, or throw together feast for friends.
Turn this sauce into a meal by frying 200g minced beef in a pan until browned. Pour in a half glass of red wine. (This is a great way to use up that left over party wine- cheap enough to make you buy it, too cheap to want to drink…) Simmer until the wine has reduced by about two thirds. Stir in your tomato sauce and sprinkle with dried oregano. Leave to thicken on the lowest flame, stirring occasionally, whilst you cook your spaghetti according to the packet.
When the pasta is done, pile it onto a plate and top generously with pasta sauce, adding a few fresh basil leaves before serving.

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Homemade pizzas
Cooking should be an enjoyable and social activity. And when so much of student socialising takes place in the kitchen (It’s the room where the beers kept, boys…) it can be a great way spend an evening with friends. One of my favourite communal cooking experiences is making your own pizza.
Simply reduce the sauce into a thick paste by leaving to simmer away for an hour or so. Add a little tomato puree and dried oregano and spread onto a pre-bought pizza base- you can get these in sets of 2 for £1 from Asda.
And then you have the fun bit; topping with whatever takes your fancy. Mozzarella, tuna, pineapple or mushrooms are all popular options, but you can keep it as simple or make it as creative as you like- or dare!

Chicken Parmesan
Spoon your tomato sauce generously over cooked breaded chicken cutlets (You can by these pre-cooked and coated in supermarkets). Top with slices of mozzarella (approximately half to a whole 125g packet) and bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Serve with spaghetti or a green leafy salad. It’s as simple as that!

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Tips:

- Cooking the onions in butter instead of oil will prevent them from burning.

- Make your sauce richer by adding a squeeze of tomato puree, or for a slight kick, tomato puree with chilli.
- Why not transform your sauce into something new by adding a few basic other ingredients? Try stirring some spinach into the sauce till wilted then pile onto your pasta and scatter with some chunks of feta cheese. For a Mediterranean vibe, top with chopped black olives and pine nuts.
- For meat lovers (and red blooded males) fry some chopped up pieces of bacon in with the garlic and onions whilst making the sauce, for a smokier, meatier finish.

xxx

South Indian Crab Curry

2011-08-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Helena has arrived in Europe, and we followed a traditional reunion trip to Foxcroft with a reunion home cooked meal for the weary traveller. The unanimous choice with my co-host was South Indian Crab Curry, a dish that I had tried a few months back and had intermittently dreamt of since.

Fairly typical in East Asian cooking, I hadn't really experienced crab in Indian cooking before. (Not that I claim to be an officionado!)

Crab meat in a curry. Who'd-a thought it?

Everyone I mention this recipe to seemed a bit quizzical, but whilst white crab meat is fairly delicate, the brown crab meat is more, well... meaty- and substantial. Together, it has a really interesting thick consistency, and with the mass of spices, ends up a beautiful dish with really beautiful texture and depth of flavour.

As I mentioned, this is the second time I've cooked it, and it actually tasted better than I had remembered. Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients (I often am!) as most of them are standard store cupboard spices. I find that curries are one dish whereby a long list of ingredients can hint at a really good finished product.

I've done the ingredients here for roughly 2-3 people.

1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 green cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
thumb sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic
1 onion
1-2 red chillis, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tsp turmeric
butter
125g brown crab meat
200ml coconut milk
juice of a lemon
250g white crab meat
A generous bunch of fresh coriander

Roughly, (it's a curry, how much precision do you really need..?) you start by frying the chilli, ginger, garlic and onion in the spices. When they're sticky and softened, add the brown crab meat with some butter and cook for a minute. Then add the coconut milk and about half a glass or so of water.
Leave to simmer for a while so the flavours infuse then add the lemon juice and simmer til its the consistency of double cream.

At the end, stir in the white crab meat and half the coriander. Season and serve on a bed of white rice, then top with the rest of the coriander.

Totally lovely!

x

Dinner 27.06.11

2011-07-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Griddled Courgette and Aubergine
With butterbeans, red onion and tomato
.

Opening my fridge tonight, I was faced with a slightly sad looking aubergine, and, as usual, an abundance of tomatoes and courgette. Deciding they needed using, I spent a while flicking through the nearest cookbooks I had to hand before giving up and doing what I always do: winging it.

The result got the job done. A healthy pile of butter beans, tomato and griddled veg, the smoked paprika and garlic I through in gave it a smokey, rich flavour.
This took no time at all. Fry two small red onions with some crushed garlic and a little freshly chopped chilli. Once they are soft, tip in four or five chopped tomatoes and simmer, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Finally, tip a tin of butter beans into the pan and mix in.
Whilst this is reducing slightly, slice your aubergine and courgette and griddle till cooked through and nicely scored.
Spoon the tomato and bean base onto a plate and top with the grilled vegetables.

This is a nice summery recipe, not only rich in vitamins but won't leave you feeling heavy or sluggish. Perfect with a glass of white wine and a sun lounge!

xxx

How to: Make home made falafel and hummus

2011-07-22T03:13:00.001-07:00

I love Middle Eastern food- it's a real influence on the way I cook. Its light, fresh tapas style is especially perfect for the summer.
Any of you who follow my blog will know that I regularly turn to Ottolenghi for ideas when cooking, but if you want to start with the basics, you can't go wrong with falafel and hummus.
I made it a little more interesting by substituting the chickpeas that you traditionally use in falafel for sweet potato... It results in a beautiful coloured ball, and is a little sweeter.

This makes for a really lovely lunch or light supper. Serve it with warm pitta bread (gorgeous) or in wraps with the lettuce and hummus for something simple you can eat on the go.

Sweet Potato Falafel

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and roast two large sweet potatoes whole until just tender - This will take about 45 to an hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, then peel. (Not wanting to waste anything, I save the skin and chew on them later. Remember- this is where all the goodness lives!)

Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl with a teaspoon and a half of cumin and ground coriander, two cloves of crushed garlic, a good splash of lemon juice and a small cup of gram/chickpea flour. Add this a little at a time as you stir it all together- you don't want too much. The first time I tried this it was a little heavy and dry. You want the mix to be sticky, but not too sloppy. But remember that when you chill it, it will set a bit more!

When it is fairly smooth season well and stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet. You can add a tablespoon or so more of chickpea flour if necessary at this stage if you think it still needs it.

Reheat the oven to 180C. (My directions are for a fan assisted oven.) Scoop up handfuls of the mix roll into falafel shaped balls- about an inch in diameter, and put them on an oiled tray. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown.

Hummus

This is an insanely quick and easy recipe! (Let's be honest- if it wasn't I probably wouldn't be doing it...) Just drain a tin of chickpeas and rinse, reserve a handful of whole chick peas for serving. Combine the chickpeas with four tablespoons of lemon juice, two cloves of crushed garlic, a tsp of cumin, salt, and 100ml tahini, with a few tablespoons of water in a food processor, and blend to a purée. Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste.

Spoon out into a bowl- ideally something Middle Eastern, blue in tone and beautiful! Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the reserved chickpeas. Finally, sprinkle on a bit of paprika. Serve with pitta bread.

xxx

Recipe: Baked Ricotta Cakes with Red Sauce

2011-07-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Rumour has it it's summer- although I wouldn't blame you if you weren't convinced! Looking outside at the heavy clouds and perpetual drizzle, I'm not either.
But if there's one thing we English do with the same skill as complain about the frequently erratic weather, it is maintain a stiff upper lip. So I recommend defying the climate with a summery dinner party, and while you're at it, make the most of summer's fresh produce.

I cooked this pudding for some dinner guests and managed to feel distinctly summer-y. It's a really quick, simple pudding which makes the most of the summer fruits. Best of all, it looks deceptively elegant and has minimal ingredients. I always find this to be benefitial when I'm totting up my dinner party shopping list! So here it is- Baked Ricotta Cakes with Red Sauce...

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place 250g ricotta cheese in a bowl and break it up. Add two beaten egg whites and 4tbsp honey, mixing thoroughly until completely combined.

Grease four ramekins. Spoon in the ricotta mix, making sure the tops are level. Bake for twenty minutes.

Whilst you are doing this, make the fruit sauce by placing 450g mixed fruit (You can either use fresh raspberries, blackberries strawberries, cherries etc or you can buy a bag of frozen. They're a lot cheaper and just as good for this purpose! Reserve a quarter or so to decorate, and heat the rest in a pan until soft. (Add a little water if the fruit is fresh).

Press the fruit through a sieve and sweeten with honey if it's a little too tart. When the cakes are baked, removed them from the oven and turn them onto plates. Gently tap the base of the ramekin to release it. It should drop out into a soft, beautiful dome. Drizzle over with the red sauce and top with the remaining fruit.

Ideally, serve on large, white simple plates, pooled in the fruit juices!

Happy "summer" !

xxx

Porridge of the Week #29

2011-06-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

Porridge of the Week #29
Cherry and Acai Berry

Category: Healthy

In a pan, mix your oats (I use the Waitrose oats with wheatbran) with a large spoonful of milled flaxseed. Pour in two tablespoons of blended Acai Berry. Taking a handful of fresh cherries, remove the stone and chop into large chunks. Tip into the pan with a some berry smoothie or a red fruit juice and top up to the consistency you prefer with water. Warm the pan, stirring throughout.

I love this porridge! With the wheatbran, flax and Acai berry, it's a great healthy start as well as being really warm and fruity. Not hard work at all!
Acai is one of the top Super Foods, high in antioxidents, packed with vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. As well as this, it is good for the heart, immune system, energy levels, whilst encouraging healthy hair and skin. You cannot get enough of this berry!

xxx

FOOD NEWS: Rumpus!

2011-05-29T03:31:00.000-07:00

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Hey Kids!
On friday June 10th, Rumpus will be holding their first birthday party! To celebrate this occasion, there will be a big old party at Electrowerkz, Angel Tube.

The Rumpus Folk say;

"We’re going all out on this one. We’ve called in Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos, which is about as high octane as any live band can get without setting themselves on fire. We’ve got the Cut A Shine guys for a proper Old Skool Ceilidh with dosie dos and stripping the willow and all that kinda jazz. We’ve got a Hoe Down, with a whole night of bluegrass that’ll keep you stomping. The London Digital Circus, them guys what did that thing with the Rabbits, are back.

On top of all that we’ve got the Supatronix guys coming down to give you a whole night’s worth of sublime breaks and beats. These guys have been winning awards for years for their breakbeat night, and they’re coming out to play with us this time.

And of course, we’ve got 6 rooms filled to the brim. DJs playing the best in Ska, BalaknBeats, Electroswing, DnB, Dubstep. Live acts and secret performances waiting for you to find them. Art exhibitions and the Rumpus Cinema.

And, most importantly of all, CAKE!!!

Put yer glad rags on and come join us for the Birthday Party to end all Birthday Parties. Expect Clowns, Fairy Princesses, Cowboys, Pirates, Monsters, Wild Creatures and Cuddly Creatures.

--------------------------------

There will indeed be cake! My sister project, Cake-Tease will be exhibiting and providing cake for the occasion (because what is a birthday party without cake..?) including chilli chocolate and popping candy cupcakes!

Please please, feel free to come by, have fun and show your support.

LouLovesFood/Cake-Tease

xxx

Tickets are available on the door, or at : http://rumpusbirthday.eventbrite.com/
Elektrowerkz, Torrenz Street, Angel Tube
10pm-6am

Dinner: 27/05

2011-05-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

Whilst lolling about in a friends kitchen recently, I sauntered past an open cookbook. It was one of Jamie Oliver's, open on the page below; and on the page were scallops, asparagus and lentils- displayed together with a glossy full page photo.

I adore lentils. I love how comforting they are, and so rich in flavour, even when just boiled with pepper. I could only imagine how this would be intensified by the pancetta and asparagus.
I also love scallops, but couldn't imagine such a delicate meat combined with an otherwise heavy and robust combination of ingredients.

I waited for two long weeks before the opportunity to try it presented itself, and when it did, it entirely lived up to my expectations- warming and hearty. The bay and sage leaves really make this recipe, so if you try it (and I suggest you do) please don't leave them out!

Ingredients:

■10 1/2 Puy lentils
■1 bay leaf (dried ok)
■2 cloves of garlic
■1 potato, peeled
■1 tomato
■a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
■herb or red wine vinegar
■good-quality extra virgin olive oil
■sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
■5 heaped tbsp creme fraiche or thick, natural plain yogurt (full fat yogurt worked great)
■juice of 1 lemon
■2 handfuls of asparagus
■12 slices of pancetta or bacon (I vote for pancetta!)
■olive oil
■12 large or 16 small scallops, shelled and trimmed (large worked better for me)
■24 sage leaves

Instructions:

In a saucepan, cover the lentils with water and, to give them great flavor, add the bay leaf, garlic cloves, potato and tomato. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20-25 minutes (topping up with water if necessary) until the lentils are tender but holding their shape (i.e. not mushy). Drain off 90% of the water, discard the bay leaf, tomato skin and garlic skin and mash the potato, tomato and garlic into the lentils with a fork. Add the parsley and around 2 tbsp of vinegar and 4 tbsp of olive oil. Mix into the lentils and season carefully to taste.

Season the creme fraiche or yogurt with salt, pepper and just enough lemon juice to give it a twang – the juice of 1 lemon will probably be enough.

Trim the asparagus to remove fibrous ends. Drizzle a little olive oil into a pan, and fry the pancetta or bacon until crisp and golden brown. Remove and place into a separate platter. Add asparagus into the ‘pancetta pan’ along with seasoned scallops and cook over a high heat until the scallops are golden on both sides. Remove these to the platter too. Finally drizzle int a little more olive oil and lay in your sage leaves. Fry on both sides for 40 seconds or so until crisp and remove to the platter.

Plate with lentils at the bottom, topped with scallops, pancetta, asparagus, sage and a dollop of yogurt.

Try it and enjoy!

xxx

Recipe: White Chocolate and Rosewater Cake

2011-05-16T14:00:00.001-07:00

Pistachio and Rosewater: This is my absolute favourite cake! I always forget till I'm shelling them and sneaking them into my mouth just how good pistachios are... Rosewater, pistachio and white chocolate are a perfect combination- unlike many cakes, it isn't too sweet- instead it is musky, with a Middle Eastern flavour, and with the green and purple of the pistachio against the white buttercream, it's absolutely stunning to serve up. Perfect for a summer afternoon tea party!

So here we go...

Ingredients

75g / 3 oz whole shelled pistachios, finely chopped
225g / 8 oz caster sugar
225g / 8 oz unsalted butter
4 large eggs
225g / 8 oz self raising flour, sieved
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 level tbsp rose water

For decorating the cake

125g / 4 oz unsalted butter
225g / 8 oz icing sugar
1 tsp rose water
200g / 7 oz Belgian white chocolate, broken into pieces
25g / 1 oz pistachios, slightly crushed

Start by beating the sugar and butter til light and fluffy and white in colour. Then beat some more. The more effort you put in here, the lighter the resulting cake will be. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs and then add spoonful at a time into the mix, beating well between each addition.

Next, with a metal spoon, fold in the flour, baking powder, rose water and pistachios until just combined. It's kind of as simple as that. Spoon the mixture into a prepared cake tin and bake for an hour at 140C. You can also do these as cupcakes- I do regularly and they're fantastic. For this, simply spoon the mix into cupcake cases using an ice cream scoop and bake at 180C for 18 minutes.

When the cake is cooked, leave to cool completely. Whilst you are doing this, prepare the buttercream simply by creaming together the butter and icing sugar. Add 1 tbsp boiling water and 1 tsp rose water. I would test it at this point and check it. You may want it a little stronger if you prefer, but be careful as it can be a little overpowering!

Spoon the buttercream onto the cake and roughly smooth over to completely cover. Blitz the pistachios and white chocolate until rough then sprinkle over the top of the cake. The cake is now ready to serve!

Enjoy :)

xxx

Dinner: 09/05/2011

2011-05-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

So tonight I was meant to be doing a chicken satay salad, but it wasn't til after the chicken was grilling away and the salad was prepared that we realised we not only didn't have lime, but we didn't have red Thai paste after.

We decided the only solution was to abandon ship and attempt to try and create a sauce ourselves. I based it on typical cold noodle salads, using Asian ingredients to complement the peanut. As it turns out, I'm glad we didn't have the paste- this dressing was lovely, and a really nice introduction to summer cooking!

In a bowl, toss bean sprouts, thinly sliced lengthways spring onion, red onion, thinly sliced, 1/2 cucumber sliced lengthways with two tablespoons of olive oil.
Grill some chicken breasts and slice diagonally.

Spoon 5 tablespoons of peanut butter (crunchy please, ladies and gentlemen!) into a jug and mix with the juice of a lime (If you actually have one...) then add a tablespoon of cider vinegar, a good shake of soy sauce and a tablespoon of honey with some garlic and chili. In a recipe like this, I use Very Lazy.
These quantities are just rough guides- I would recommend testing them, and adjusting accordingly. To get a more dressing like consistency, stir hot water into the mixture until it is like a lumpy, crunchy double cream.

Finally, top the salad with the chicken and drizzle over the sauce. Stir through. I saved a little aside so I could drizzle over if needed.

Strangely, the cider vinegar did a lot of leg work in this recipe and despite being a salad, it was substantial enough to keep the men folk satisfied. A very happy accident.

xxx

Porridge of the Week #28 ARGENTINA SPECIAL!

2011-04-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

Porridge of the Week #28
Dulce de Leche and Banana

Category: Flavour

Start by soaking the oats in milk. Chop up a banana (saving three slices) and mash- you could put it in a dribble of milk and quickly heat if that helps to break it down. Stir this into the porridge and then, in a ramekin or bowl, heat 3 tablespoons of Dulce de Leche- although this can be varied to taste.
Spoon the dulce de leche into the porridge whilst heating through, leaving half aside.
Finally, serve up, Top with the banana and a drizzle of leftover Dulce de Leche.

Dulce de leche (dulce- sweet, leche- milk) is a caramelised milk dessert 'sauce' that I have become addicted to whilst in Argentina. It appears the Argentinians share this passion, as they put it in most of their confectionary and puddings. I knew instantly that it would make an incredible porridge. Combined with banana, it is one of my all time favourites. (Yeah, I know...)

The amount I use is only a guide, add it to taste. You may find you too become addicted and need a lot more! I tried this porridge on a non porridge eating Argentinian local and it got the thumbs up! If you like this recipe (I cannot recommend it enough) check back for other dulce de leche themed porridge of the week ideas that I have been concocting...

xxx

Argentinian Curanto

2011-04-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

If you aren't following my steady stream of excited food chatter on Twitter , then you may not realise I am currently doing some extensive food research in the land of wine, coffee, red meat, chocolate and all things toxic- I am eating in Argentina, and I thoroughly approve.

A few days ago I took a 20 hour bus from the capital of Buenos Aires to Bariloche, in the Patagonian Andes where today, I tried Caranto.

Caranto is made by cooking meat and vegetables under ground (The name Calanto comes from the type of rock on which the meat is cooked.) Pits are dug into the soil and wood is placed in them, onto which a fire is built. The fire is layered over with rocks, which are heated by the flames. It takes a few hours for the fire to heat the rocks through, after which leaves are piled onto the hot rocks to trap in the smoke and absorb the fat whilst the meat, which is placed on top, is cooked through from the heat.

My only previous experience of Caranto has been on survival documentaries, and it is something I've been keen to try, so we found ourselves a restaurant where caranto meat was being carried on trays from table to table, distributed by waitresses onto waiting plates. We arrive, and a man pulls back a heavy blanket which covers the pit of leaves, revealing a deep pit filled with whole chickens, piles of apples and lumps of blackened steaks, smoke billowing out from the piles of leaves covering the pit.

A scruffy little caranto pit.
Not a great photo! I will replace it when I get the opportunity so you can get a better idea...

Typically, you are served 5 portions of vegetables and meat- sausage, beef, chicken, lamb and my favourite (unusually) pork; with a soft, wrinkled whole baked apple. Each meat came with a variety of squash mashes and baked sweet potato, brought to the table one at a time. The meat and vegetables (and the very air of the restaurant) smells and tastes distinctly smokey, yet different -more earthy- than typical barbeque'd meat.

I'm not especially a fan of red meat or BBQ food (you may wonder what I'm doing in Argentina... Did I mention the chocolate and the wine..?) but it was nonetheless a good meal, and well worth the very traditionally South American experience.

Please check back for more Argentina posts, including recipes, experimentations with South American cuisine and illustrated gourmet guides!

xxx

Food fact of the Day- Argentina special

2011-04-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Argentina eats the most beef per person in the world, all though the number is in decline, and recently Uruguay has claimed to be number one.

Latest figures say 55 kilos are consumed per person each year- that's 243 8oz steaks per year...

xx

Food News! Bompas and Parr Chocolate Waterfall

2011-04-11T01:43:00.001-07:00

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This April is the 40th Anniversary of the original film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Bompas & Parr honours Roald Dahl’s creativity by constructing a real Chocolate Waterfall that flows at a rate of 12,000 liters an hour.

The Chocolate Waterfall pulls together Bompas & Parr’s favorite beans from around the world (Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean) to create its first house blend. Dr Rachel Edwards-Stuart, food technologist and flavour expert helped develop the recipe. The five tonne mixture is chocolatey with hints of plum, red wine and earth. After visiting the Chocolate Waterfall people will be given the chance to bottle and take away their own chocolate elixir – a concentrated chocolate cordial.

Visitors customize the chocolate elixir blending in flavours including lavender, jasmine or pine by hand. The temporary installation will include the world’s first cloud of breathable chocolate.

Details:

Chocolate Waterfall is open from Friday 22nd to Monday 25th April
· The venue is Whiteleys Shopping Centre, Bayswater, London, W24 YN
· Nearest tube is Bayswater
· Opening hours are from noon to 6pm
· There are no age restrictions though all children must be accompanied by a ticket holding adult.
· Timed tickets must be purchased in advance through http://www.jellymongers.co.uk/

xxx

Porridge of the Week # 27

2011-03-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

Porridge of the Week #27
Cherry and marzipan

Category: Evening/ Flavour

Soak the oats in milk with a drop of almond essence. Heat through. Add a handful of golden marzipan chopped into small cubes. Add to this a small handful of halved glace cherries. You can also add a teaspoon of cherry jam if you feel like making it a bit fruity. Stir and heat through, letting the marzipan melt slightly.
Spoon into a bowl and top with a cherry and a few extra chunks of marzipan!

My favourite cake is Marzipan and Almond, so it seemed natural that I should turn it into a porridge. This works both as an indulgent breakfast porridge or a slightly less guilt inducing dessert for porridge fanatics.

Dinner 15.03.2010

2011-03-15T12:31:00.001-07:00

This is one of my absolute favourite recipes of all time. I love it! Words can't describe how much pleasure it brings me.
Monkfish is a very special fish... Really thick and meaty. It's not strong flavoured like tuna or trout- so it goes really well with stronger flavours, such as parma ham.

This is a very simple recipe- Monkfish with sundried tomato and basil, wrapped in parma ham. The tomato is made simply by cooking a tin of sundried tomatoes and basil together... It's almost indecently simple considering how good it is...

I think it's a Jamie Oliver recipe. I'll check that out for you!

xx

Dinner: Chocolate Chicken

2011-03-14T14:49:00.001-07:00

Unless you're Mexican, Chocolate Chili Chicken may not seem like an obvious combination... But the richness of the chocolate set against the warmth of the chili makes for a gorgeous rich stew style dinner...
Rather like adding a bit of coffee to your casserole or pie to add depth of flavour, it's worth bearing in mind dark good quality chocolate next time you want to add something extra to your casserole.

On Sunday we made Chocolate Chili Chicken- based on the Mexican Mole. It's very very simple- starting by frying onions and chillis with some chicken (or beef!) in Cinnamon (about two teaspoons..) add a tin of tomatoes and a few cubes of dark chocolate (about 20z will do four people, but it entirely depends on how chocolately you would or wouldn't want it...)

Simply leave it to boil away and serve up!

Yum yum.

xx

Cardamom Fish Curry

2011-03-13T01:26:00.000-08:00

I love fish curry, it's one of my favourites! Usually I just kinda make it up, but today I followed a Josceline Dimbleby recipe for Cardamom Curry.

I knew I would like this recipe as it includes what my brother used to refer to as the Holy Trinity- chili, ginger and garlic. if that's not enough, they are then fried with cod and a handful of cardamom seeds.

Transfer the fish to a dish with coconut cream, water and lemon juice and cooked in the oven for about forty minutes and you have a lovely delicately oriental curry. Don't skimp on the coconut or ginger etc- the more flavour the better. Mine was a little more watery than I had hoped... I also added some dessicated coconut to add texture.

Chili, ginger, cardamom, coconut, lemon... so many buzz words in one dish!

xxx

Pancake Day!

2011-03-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

Pancake Day Recipe:

Savoury Wheat Pancakes with Haddock poached in Nutmeg milk and a Cream Cheese Horseradish and Lemon Sauce.
(Honestly, it's so good!)

1. Make the pancake batter. I'm not going to patronise you by detailing how that is done, but I will point out I use a wholewheat flour for my savoury pancakes.

2. Once the pancakes are prepared, keep them warm in the oven on the lowest heat whilst you prepare the fish.

3. Pour milk into a saucepan and add nutmeg. Put in the haddock fillets and a spoon of wholegrain mustard and poach.

4. Once the fish is cooked (this shouldn't take long) remove the fish but keep the milk. Grate in Cheddar cheese and add plain flour, whisking constantly throughout till it thickens.

5. Grind in some black pepper and extra nutmeg, then flake in the fish.

6. In another smaller pan, spoon in two spoonfuls of Cream Cheese with milk, a large spoonful of horse radish sauce and stir together till warmed through. Add pepper and a few squeezes of lemon juice.

7. Remove the pancakes from the oven and lay on the plates. Spoon in the fish mixture and roll. Drizzle with the horseradish sauce, a light grinding of pepper and serve!

Today is Pancake Day. Don't just stick to lemon and sugar... Give it a go!

xx

Tay Do - Kingsland Road

2011-03-06T13:16:00.001-08:00

Kingsland Road is known for its Vietnamese cuisine. Every other shop is a cafe, restaurant or supermarket.
I've been meaning to explore the road for a while, and after wandering down the canal path, was happy to finally tick it off my list!
Having no idea which to choose, we decided on one of the cafes over the restaurants- and picked the smallest, most understated we could find; Tay Do.

The inside was a lot more presentable than out, shiny long tables neatly laid and adorned with purple flowers against bright green walls were hidden behind windows boarded over with planks. Don't be put off!

We didn't look at the menu long, having already decided on Vietnamese Pancakes. We ordered these with sides of aubergine in garlic sauce and Pak Choi.
The menu was farily typical (spring rolls, bowls of noodle soup and spicy squid) but extensive and genuine.

Vietnamese pancakes (Banh Xeo- 'sizzling cake') are crispy savoury pancakes made with rice flour, water and turmeric, and when ours arrived, they didn't disappoint. Our large, crispy pancake was filled with chicken, prawns and bean sprouts, accompanied by lettuce, mint and coriander.
Despite the pancake being battered, the dish was light and fragrant with the unfried vegetables and mint.
The aubergine was not fried and boiled like many Chinese restaurants, but had an intense, smokey flavour familiar from my experiences of Lebanese cooking and chargrilled within it's skin until the flesh is soft.

Overall, the dishes were large, filling and enjoyable, the cafe simple, quiet and quality. But more importantly- three pancakes, two side dishes and a pot of green tea came to £33.50- just over £10 each for a full meal. There aren't many places you can do better than that!

So next time you're half way down Kingsland Road and already overwhelmed by the choice- keep Tay Do in mind!

Tay Do,
60 Kingsland Road,
London,
E2 8DP

020 7739 0966

xxx

Food News: Bubble Tea

2011-02-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

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From Whoopie pies to frozen yoghurt, us fickle Londoners are a sucker for fleeting food trends.
The latest to arrive on the scene is that of Bubble Tea.

Originating from Taiwan and commonly found on the streets of Xi'an, tiny shops in Shanghai and many a booth in Beijing, Bubble Tea is a cold drink made from black tea and plenty of frothed milk (hence 'bubble' tea). The exciting bit- balls of tapioca that float in the bottom of each glass, often referred to as pearls.
In America, it is referred to as Boba tea. 'Boba' originating from the Taiwanese for 'big breasts'. Naturally.

The milk tea is often mixed with fruit or fruit syrup, but my personal favourite is peanut bubble tea. Honestly- peanut milkshake- it's amazing.

I had heard rumours of bubble tea's arrival on the food fashion horizon, but this was cemented when I spotted a new little cafe in the West End selling exclusively bubble tea and oriental snacks.

For a more genuine experience, try the Jen Cafe in the heart of China Town (4-8 Newport Place). With the air scented with authentic Chinese food served up on plastic plates, the Bubble Tea menu is extensive and authentic. They also sell my favourite- peanut tea!
Alternatively you could try Baoxi Inn, within spitting distance (Aptly, for China Town...) of Jen Cafe.
Candy Cafe (3, Macclesfield Street) is another new bubble tea shop ("Live the bubbly life!); bright, breezy, student friendly and cheap.
HK Diner on Wardour Street is irresistible- it's popularity amongst ex pats is reassuring and its sesame pearl tea is tempting. If that wasn't enough to lure you into one of my favourite food districts, it also does alcoholic pearl teas.

I for one now have a massive craving for Bubble tea... so check back soon- there may well be photos and reviews !

xxx

Porridge of the Week 26

2011-02-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Porridge of the Week 26

Karolina's Healthy Porridge- with caramelised banana

Category: Healthy
Cook the porridge as normal by mixing Scottish oats with oat bran (50:50) and pinch of salt and milk. Add about 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon and 2 tbsp of dried exotic fruits (pineapple, coconut, papaya, mango, etc. I also prepared caramelised banana. To make it heat a pan with 2 tbsp caster sugar, drop of vanilla essence and tbsp water. Leave it to bubble until dark amber in colour. Add sliced banana, toss it until covered in caramel and add tbsp of butter. Fry for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and place on the top of the porridge.

Thankyou so much to Karolina, the author of the Senses in the Kitchen blog, forsending me this great recipe- and for the amazing photos. I love it when people send me content, especially when it's new porridge ideas! I always welcome content, so feel free to send me anything of interest to loulovesfood@mail.com

Okay, so there's a bit of sugar and butter in this porridge... But the oat bran and fruits more than make up for it. I love the sound of caramelised banana, so I'm really keen to give this a go. Karolina's blog is full of really gorgeous recipes, and equally gorgeous photography. I get serious envy (and hunger pangs...) when I check it out. You should go take a look- her blog is

http://www.sensesinthekitchen-karolina.blogspot.com/

Karolina- thankyou thankyou thankyou !

Karolina says...
"This is a porridge that I cooked last weekend, improvising little bit and trying not to waste last sad, rather dark and soft banana.t seems like a great winter porridge for cold day, when I can't get decent fresh berries (my favourite ones for porridge). I am not a big fan of bananas but I found it very tasty."

xxx

Dinner!

2011-02-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Smoked mackerel with broad beans and pancetta

This little dish has already made its debut on LouLovesFood. But its good, and i like the photo- so I'm putting it up again. try it.

Food Fact of the Day.

2011-02-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

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It's Valentines Day and I can only imagine that sales of chocolate are going through the roof...

~ The cocoa tree was so valuable, it's seeds were once used as currency. The price of a slave was 100 beans and the price of a woman's services would be worth 10- the same price as a rabbit.

~ Theobroma Cocoa, the name of the cocoa tree (and the beautiful chocolate company!) means 'food of the gods'.

~ The Aztec name for chocolate was xocolatl, meaning bitter water.

~ Pope Pius V thought chocolate was so disgusting that there was no need to ban it during Lent...

xx

Dinner: 05.02.2011

2011-02-07T08:39:00.001-08:00

Time for friday dinner again! This meal, I - don't quite- hasten to add (if only I had- it was rockin...)was not made by me! Sadly a late evening at work kept me away from the kitchen...

It starts with one fillet of cod, seasoned only with salt and pepper and a salad of grilled Jeruselum artichoke, watercress and roasted hazelnut. What i love most about this combination is that they are both so simple and easy. There are minimal ingredients but it needed literally nothing more.

The soup is leek and chickpea, drizzled with olive oil. And these we had with my new favourite thing- yoghurt flatbreads!

How to: make Corn Dogs !

2011-02-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

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Like Salt Water Taffy and Tootsie rolls, Corn Dogs were a distinctly American phenomenon that I was familiar with through sit coms and movies without really having any idea what they were.
Until I worked with the Robin Collective on their Last Legs Vetinary Society event, they hardly crossed my thoughts, and when they did, they were regarded with suspicion and distaste in their unfamiliarity, tinged with contempt.
Yet, when asked if i knew how to make them and if I could cook them en masse for the Last Legs party, I did what I had to do. I lied through my teeth and scuttled home to research.

I found that corn dogs are in fact, bizarrely, polenta battered frankfurters. I compared recipes, sourced ingredients, and gave them a go...
They were surprisingly easy to make, and distressingly good. They went down a storm, and rather like discovering the secret underground porridge fan base, I discovered that it isn't just our friends across the pond that go wild for these weird little snacks on sticks.

So here is how you too can make your own corn dogs. They're fun for casual parties, and especially good for events like Bonfire Night. Give them a go and see if you too can be converted...

Corn Dog Recipe

As corn dogs are an American thing, I've done this in cups- not imperial. This batter makes quite a large quantity of corn dogs.

A pack of frankfurters
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. cornmeal (this threw me at first... Cornmeal is just yellow polenta though. You probably knew that... But I didn't even know what a corn dog was before I made one...)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 teaspoons of dried mustard powder
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
Some recipes call for added flavourings such as a teaspoon of chilli. I like to spice it up a bit. Don't forget the mustard powder as this really makes it!

Mix together all the dry ingredients.
Stir in the egg and the milk and mix well until the polenta has reached a thick smooth consistency.
If you don't have a deep fat fryer, I just filled a deep frying pan with oil and heated it on the stove. Once the oil was hot I used toothpicks to dip the corn dogs into the batter, then (carefully!) dropped into the oil.
They turn golden in less than a minute, so keep an eye on them- you may need to turn them over (forks not fingers please!) and as soon as they look done, take them out with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper.

You have yourself a corn dog! Awesome!
If there are any American folk out there who have a variation or improvement on the recipe, please get in touch!

xx

Food Fact of the Day...

2011-02-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been going mental for popcorn! Which is kind of awesome that I've discovered this fact...

Popcorn is actually a superfood. Super low calorie, it is also anti carconogenic and just 30g - that's half a small box of popcorn in the cinema - is equivalent to one daily portion of brown rice or wholewheat pasta. Popcorn also contains three times more fibre by weight than sunflower seeds, as well as balancing your blood sugar levels and helping to lower cholesterol. It even has a dose of B vitamins to boost your energy levels. Rad.

So eat up!

xxx

Dinner !

2011-02-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

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Friday night, a friend of mine and I finally pried gaps in our ridiculous schedules to get together to do what we both love to do. Food geek out!
Aaron had planned to have dinner ready for when I arrived, but, as usual, chatting and flicking through cookbooks took priority, so dinner was a late one- giving me the opportunity to get involved.
Here are the recipes we tried- three courses, for old times sake.

Gordon Ramsay's smoked duck breast salad with pomegranate vinaigrette

He's much more relaxed with throwing things together these days (under my reproachful gaze) but he's still a recipe slut... And I'm kinda glad of it. This was possibly my favourite dish of the meal and I would never have discovered it otherwise. I sometimes think I should try out recipes a bit more often and expand my repertoire.
The smoked duck is so beautiful- really rich and strong against the salad and the sweet freshness of the pomegranates. I also loved the toasted flaked almonds.
The vinaigrette was made with pomegranate molasses (worth investing in if you like your Middle eastern cooking, or if you're a fan of Ottolenghi!) Dijon mustard, Olive Oil and groundnut oil.
The salad leaf contained chicory, for crunch. I've been loving Chinese lettuce in salads recently for that purpose, but chicory also adds a slight delicate aniseed flavour.

Tiger prawns, scallops and clams with tomato and feta

This dish contains some of my favourite ingredients- scallops and tiger prawns. With the fresh spring onion and tomato sauce, this is a really comforting rustic dish. A new favourite! We served it with yoghurt flatbreads- and I cannot recommend this enough. Like the smoked duck, that was one of my favourite parts of the meal, I can't wait to do them again!
They were really simple to make, and if you eat them cold, the yoghurt really comes though.
I'm so into these, I had to share the recipe!

Yoghurt flatbread
140g wholemeal flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
140g Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
4 tbsp clarified butter (or a mixture of melted butter and vegetable oil)

Combine all the ingredients, apart from the butter, in a bowl and use your hands to mix them together to a dry dough; add more flour if needed. Knead the dough for a minute or so, until it is smooth and uniform. Wrap it in cling film and chill for at least an hour.
When ready to make the flatbreads, divide your dough into six pieces. Roll into balls, then flatten them with a rolling pin into round discs about 2mm thick. Heat some clarified butter in a non-stick pan and fry the flatbreads, one at a time, on a medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Add more butter as you need it and keep the flatbreads warm as they are cooked.

Pudding was Gizzi's spiced pear and chocolate souffle with salted caramel sauce

The spiced pears were poached in orange zest, white wine, honey, vanilla and a mix of spices- Cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. if you do this, please please save the juices after! The smell is amazing and has so many possibilities.
The salted caramel sauce was another buzz word for me. I cannot resist anything with salted caramel...

Give one of these a go sometime soon!

x

Dinner: Trout with Cream

2011-01-26T01:10:00.000-08:00

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My family are very fortunate to have a friend who goes trout fishing. Sometimes he palms a couple off on us to free up space (for more fishing... It's a mutually beneficial arrangement.)
So this Sunday, my Papa cooked the trout with mussels and prawns in a creamy dill sauce. He did a great job of it and it was really beautiful- so I though I'd share the recipe. As I was eating with my family, this serves the traditional four.

Trout with Mussels and Prawns

Sautee 12 button mushrooms until brown and set aside. Put one chopped shallot, some garlic and 250ml white wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the hat to low and add some mussels and a pack of prawns. Simmer for 4 minutes until the prawns turn pink.

Lay the 2 trout fillets in a dish and place in a preheated oven and cover with the strained juices. Sprinkle with the mushrooms. Cover with foil and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven and add the shellfish. Cover to keep warm.

To make the Beurre Manie, mash together butter and 15 g flour together to make a thick paste. To make into a sauce, pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan, adding small amounts of the beurre Manie at a time, whisking constantly. Continue until the sauce is thick and shiny.

Stir in 250ml double cream and boil until the sauce has reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the mussels and prawns and warm through. At this point my Papa added plenty of chopped dill. This kind of made the sauce, so don't forget it!

Transfer the trout to plates and top with the shellfish and sauce.

Thankyou Papa, for a lovely dinner! We had four fat little trouts in total so I'll be following up this post with another- on what to do with the leftovers... Drop back soon

Porridge of the Week # 25

2011-01-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

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Porridge of the Week #25
Stewed apple and blueberry

Category: Healthy
Prepare the apple by chopping and peeling a large apple and microwaving with a small amount of water and a teaspoon of sugar till softened into a chunky puree. Wet the porridge oats with a grape or apple juice and put onto the heat. Tip in the stewed apple and a sprinkling of dried blueberries (optional, but the add a bit of chew and are sweeter than the fresh). Add a half a cup of fresh blueberries and stir through. This is all- your porridge is ready!

This is a nice, light and fruity porridge. It's healthy and very summery. I find you need something like that in the morning during these dark days.

x

Souper!

2011-01-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

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Here's a quick recipe for a nice throw together soup I made the other day- A real store cupboard recipe. Soup is one of my favourite things to eat this time of year... It makes it a little less depressing.
Generally my soups are very thik, but this is quite a thin one.
This recipe is packed with beans and there's no cream (Not a fan of cream based soups!) so it's as healthy as it is tasty... Of course.

Butter , Chickpea and Sundried Tomato Soup

Empty a tin of butter beans and half a tin of chickpeas into a pan. Pour in a cup of vegetable or chicken stock. Squeeze in a teaspoon of pureed garlic (simple and store cupboard-you see?) and a tablespoon of tomato puree. Add two tablespoons of finely chopped sundried tomatoes and a teaspoon of their oil.
Slice and ad two spring onions and season with a pinch of paprika, salt, pepper and dried basil. I also add a tiny pinch of chilli powder as I like all my food to have a bit of warmth behind it- but thats optional! Warm through and blitz briefly to break down the beans a bit, but leaving it a little textured.

I serve my soup with a sundried tomato and parmesan home made roll. And in a tea cup, apparently... But only when all my bowls are in the dishwasher!

Dinner 16.03.2011

2011-01-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last night we decided to cook using the 'Fifty Great Curries of India' book by Camellia Panjabi. I hadn't used it before, but it's a good one- the recipes seem pretty authentic and there's a good variety.
We varied the chicken Dhansak recipe, using pork instead- and butternut squash in place of pumpkin.
The recipe called for lentils, ginger, aubergines, turmeric and fresh mint, amongst a wide range of spices and created a mild and creamy curry, that was delicately flavoured and gentle.
I really love this dish! The slow cooked dish has a lot of vegetables in, but with the lentils, the result is a thick and smooth curry with very little bite.

To accompany it, I made chapatis. It was my first attempt since I made them in India, but using only three ingredients and none of the proving of traditional western bread, they are incredibly simple and turned out really well - a very good accompaniment for the curry.

We also always serve our curries with a salad of chopped tomatoes and raw white onion, and a dish of chopped banana and squeezed lemon. I don't know where this stemmed from, but I like the sweetness of the banana with the sharpness of the lemon. The banana is always soothing with a hot curry and the lemon spices up a mild one.

I realised mid meal (to great great excitement, as ever) that I could use my new found skill to make roti wraps, as appears to be the fashion right now! I'll follow this post with another with a guide to chapati making and some home mad rotis to rival the likes of Chaiwalla and Mooli's!

According to Camellia Panjabi Dhansak is a Parsee dish The word originates from dhan meaning wealth and sak, meaning vegetable. In Parsi, Dhaan mans rice. It is often eaten on Sunday's and is customarily served at funerals.

Porridge of the Week # 24

2011-01-17T03:03:00.000-08:00

Porridge of the Week #24
Porridge with mango, banana and coconut milk

This recipe is taken from the weekend's Guardian- which includes a supplement of great quick and healthy breakfast recipes put together by Ottolenghi.

Category: Flavour and Health. (Win Win!)

water
steel-cut oats (Irish oats)
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
tbsp maple syrup
banana, peeled and sliced
half a mango, peeled and diced
coconut milk
1 lime, halved

1. Bring the water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the oats and cook for 25-30 minutes (or 10-15 minutes if you've prepared the oats the night before), stirring occasionally and adding a little water if needed, until tender but still with a clear bite.
2. Off the heat, stir in the salt, vanilla and maple syrup.
3. Transfer to serving bowls and top with the banana, mango and coconut milk. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top if you like.

Ottolenghu says; 'It's hard to beat the rough texture of steel-cut oats, with their slight resistance against the teeth. The rest of the components here offer pure, lazy-morning comfort, although you can wake yourself up properly by adding a little zing of lime. If you are well organised and think ahead, boil the oats with the water for a minute, chill and place in the fridge overnight. This will save you 10-15 minutes of cooking time the next morning.'

x

Food News: Amelie's House

2011-01-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

Amelie's House

Recently I stumbled across this lady when trawling the web, and her work completely puts mine to shame!
Using her skills as a textile designer, she makes the most beautiful illustrated creative cakes.
As well as serious cake eye candy, her beautifully presented blog is full of little scraps of textile design (if you pardon the pun, aha.) and seasonal baking for every holiday and festivity. I particularly like A Christmas Hooty Tale...
So if you're into super cute and aesthetic conscious baking, check her out.

xxx

Noel en France

2011-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

So though whilst the plethora of food that Christmas brings fills me with excitement, I've never been the biggest fan of Christmas dinner itself. And for this reason, I welcomed a Christmas spent on the North coast of France.
As you will know from my previous post 'Lou en Bretagne' I am a great lover of France and it's food.

Here is a little overview of a few of our favourite dishes to create over the Christmas period in France, sourced from the local patissier, boulangerie and poissonier...

Christmas Eve- duck cassoulet, with french baguette. It is impossible for me to go to France without eating this at least once. It's the best thing you get out of a tin.

Christmas Breakfast: Beetroot rostis with smoked salmon and scrambled egg, topped with basil and horseradish cream. Love this recipe! I've been patiently waiting for Christmas Day since I saw it in Sainsbury's Magazine last January... As a big fan of both smoked salmon and beetroot, this ticked a lot of boxes for me. The horseradish cream is made by mixing horseradish sauce and creme fraiche. Serve with Cava! It's the one day that alcohol at breakfast is socially acceptable- make the most of it...

Christmas Dinner: In France, its traditional to eat fish on Christmas day. I favour this over roast meat and so we went for halibut with anchovies, capers and lemon, drizzled with rosemary oil. It's the simplest recipe and was really gorgeous- as well as fairly light.

Chocolate chesnuts from the chocolatiers in Paimpol.

Christmas Day, starter- seared scallops served in the shell (picked from the beach) with a spinach, tomato and beetroot salad. I love scallops served with strong flavours, such as black pudding, or, as I tried recently, with a roast chesnut and cep compote ... But sometimes they're best served simply, with a little drizzle of soy and ginger- or a wedge of lemon.

Boxing Day- After all the rich, heavy foods, Christmas cake, etc, Boxing Day should be kept light. I love fish soup, with grated ementhal and slice of toasted baguette. For those with sturdier stomachs, it is sometimes followed by a cheeseboard. When in Rome...!

Christmas isn't Christmas without mulled wine, right?

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Food Fact of the Day

2011-01-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

The word Venison was once used to refer to the meat of any animal killed by hunting and typically applied to deer, hare, wild pig and goats. The word derives from th Latin venor (to hunt or persue).

It now generally refers to dear meat. In South Africa, venison is the meat of the antelope.

x

Thanks to Papa for this venison food fact!

Dinner 29.12.2010

2010-12-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

So last night I had dinner with my friend Aleks. We like to cook with a fishy theme, so after squid stews and salmon en croutes, I decided to go for the King of all fish dishes- a classic fish pie.
I particularly like this recipe as (Aleks look away) its so easy to do. There is no blanching, poaching, frying etc. It's a genuine one pot dish. Throw in the onions and broccoli alongside the prawns, salmon and cod and you're good to go.
I also made a massive wholegrain loaf to accompany it. Well... To be honest, I made the bread first and planned the fish pie entirely around that... As, unless you're a carb-o-phobe, fish pie is so much better with chunks of bread. Talking of carbs and the like... I have plenty of low fat, healthy versions- but like low fat cakes- they just aren't the same.

The pudding is another incredibly simple recipe. Puff pastry rolled with marzipan and topped with sliced nectarines, blueberries and a fruit glaze... It's actually one of my favourite desserts!

Thanks Aleks- for the Prosecco, clean and well stocked kitchen, squid themed movies and a lovely evening :)

Christmas Food Fact of the Day Special

2010-12-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

In France, Mince Pies are come to known as Tartlette de noel, translating as Christmas Tart. However, this is a recent term. The french have previously referred to the traditional Christmas tarts by the more long winded name of Une tartlette Anglais a la pate de fruits secs (An English tart with dried fruit paste).

... More of a mouthful than the little festive puddings themselves!

Happy Christmas, and thankyou all for following my blog. I hope you have a great day, and I'll be seeing you in the New Year, with updates on my culinary Christmas explorations.

xxx !

Mate: A Time to Share

2010-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

I am always keen to hear about food cultures and cuisines from around the Globe, with a personal passion for travel and street food. I am very fortunate to have recruited two LouLovesFood correspondents, Simon and Ayelen, in Buenos Aires, to report back on the food in a corner of the world I have yet to discover for myself.
I hope you enjoy their maiden post;

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Christmas is a time for giving and sharing, and so it seems appropriate to open our blog with the ultimate communal drink- ‘mate’.

With 98% of Argentinean homes owning the necessary paraphernalia, mate is the traditional Argentinean drink of choice. But mate is not just a drink for the home. From offices to parks, and from businessmen to bus drivers, mate is an intrinsic part of Argentinean life.

Mate is a hot herbal infusion served in a gourd and drunk through a metal straw. The main ingredient of mate is the yerba (that’s sherba to us Gringos); small dry shreds of leaves from a tree principally found in Paraguay, Uruguay, the north of Argentina and the south of Brazil.

Ingredients required for mates
1 cebador (or server)
1 gourd
1 metal straw
Yerba
Hot water (not boiling)
Group of friends and a few spare hours for talking (optional)

The cebador will prepare the mate, filling the gourd two-thirds full of yerba and any additional ingredients (more of that later). While the yerba is still dry the straw is positioned at an angle in the gourd, at which point the water is added. Some people add a little cold water first so as not to burn the leaves. When the gourd is full the cebador will take the first drink, something sometimes seen as an act of kindness due to the bitterness of the initial cup, before refilling it and passing it on to the right. Once drunk it will return to him for another refill and the process continues as the gourd makes its way around the circle, with the cebador changing a bit of the yerba every now and again so as to preserve the flavour.

Each cup should be drunk in its entirety and any English sensibilities must be resisted as regards thanking the cebador: you are not to say “thank you” until you don’t want any more! And if you get too caught up in the conversation and forget you are in possession of the precious mate, don’t be surprised to hear the words ‘no es un micrófono!’ (it’s not a microphone!)

Additional ingredients
Due to its bitter taste mate is often drunk with sugar, but that’s not the only way to have it…

Mate with orange or lemon: Warm the lemon or orange peel over direct heat and chop or grind it as best as possible, before adding to the gourd. In Paraguay it is often drunk cold with orange peel.
Mate with mountain herbs: Made of 95% yerba, 1.5% mint, 1.5% pennyroyal and 1% peppermint.
Mate with coffee: Add two teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of coffee to the yerba and mix.
Mate with milk: Replace the hot water with milk!

Mate language:
Bitter- indifference
Sweet- friendship
Very sweet- talk to my parents to ask for my hand
Very hot- I’m dying of love for you
Cool- contempt
Cinnamon- all I think about is you
Brown sugar- I sympathise with you
Orange peel- come find me
Coffee- offense forgiven
Milk- held in esteem
Boiling- marriage
Foamy- sweethearts

Classic accompaniments
Tortas fritas
Churros
Pastries (facturas)
Bizcochitos de grasa

I hope you've loved this post as much as I do! Thank you SO much to Ayelen and Simon for their time and knowledge, I can't wait to receive more.
If you are reading this from foreign climes and have any ideas for content that you would like to share, whether it be a national dish, recipe, tradition or local eatery, please get in touch to become a LLF correspondent too!

loulovesfood@mail.com

x

Porridge of the Week # 23

2010-12-19T13:33:00.000-08:00

Porridge of the Week #23
Blueberry Frangipane

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Category: Flavour

Start by poaching a skinned and chopped pear in a little bit of water and sugar. When it is soft, break it down a bit with the back of a fork. Leave aside and soak the porridge in milk and add a drop of almond essence. As it heats through, add a tablespoon of ground almond and a handful of dried blueberries. Stir through. When the porridge is warm and at the desired consistency, tip in the pear, saving a little back for garnish.
Spoon into a bowl and top with a spoonful of pear and a sprinkling of blueberries.

I really enjoy making porridges based on puddings. My equally geeky friend and I like to create pudding themed porridges and muffins when we are bored (did I really admit to that..?) and this is the fruit of one of these sessions. The sharpness of the blueberries is really complimentary against the sweetness of the pear.

Home made Christmas gifts

2010-12-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

If you're expecting a Christmas gift from me this year, look away now!

These are great simple little gifts for friends and family this Christmas. It's so easy to do and I've yet to meet someone who doesn't like chocolate in one form or another! It's also really easy to make them super pretty with just a drizzle of chocolate or a dried cranberry, and a glass jar or little box is so much more appealing than packaging and uniform chocolates in vaccum packed pockets, don't you think..?

My boxes include;
Florentines made topped with dried cranberry, mixed chopped nuts, flaked marzipan and a little bit of orange peel. Finish with a flick of white chocolate.

Dark and Light Chocolate thins are made by dropping dark and white chocolate next to each other. With a cocktail stick, swirl the two together into a marbled circle and leave to dry.

Chocolate marzipans. Cut marzipan into cubes and soften the edges. Dip half into milk chocolate and then sprinkle a little grated marzipan on top. These are very cute!

Fruit and Nut Clusters are made by melting a large bowl of chocolate and when it is fully melted, tip in any dried fruit of your choice, mixed nuts, raisins, pieces of marzipan and chunks of ameretti biscuit. Stir it up and then spoon lumps onto baking parchment to dry.

Other Christmas gifts;

Cranberry and Orange Vodka;
asy! Prick 250g of fresh cranberries and drop into a litre bottle of vodka. Tip in 150-200g caster sugar and the zest of two oranges. Shake this up regularly for a week or two and the drain through a piece of muslin cloth. Pour back into an attractive bottle, tie a ribbon around the neck and give away! This goes down especially well..!

Hope you all have a great Christmas! We will be having an alternative Christmas this year, so make sure you come and check up on what we got up to in the New Year... Have fun!

Food Fact of the Day...

2010-12-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

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The word Cheese originally referred to anything wrapped up.

Thanks to Nat, my little fountain of knowledge, for this fact...

How to: Make Mulled Wine- by Fortnum and Mason !

2010-12-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

Wow, the snow! Its kind of exciting..
The nights are getting longer; the days are getting considerably colder. Bonfire night has come and gone, and the Christmas lights are blinking on Oxford Street. There is no denying it; winter is upon us.
And with all this snow comes the inevitable thoughts of Mulled Wine...

I went to pick up some useful tips from Fortnum and Mason's Peter Casey, on how to create the perfect warming winter wine. And I couldn’t think of a nicer place to learn than Fortnum and Maison, bedecked with glittering boules and decadent Christmas decorations.

Mulled wine and Fortnum and Maison are both things that fill me with great joy- there is something about the smell of warm wine and spices that is incredibly comforting, and I have a soft spot for Fortnum and Maison anytime of the year. But around Christmas time it is even more quintessentially British and magical- I highly recommend it, even if you just take a look at their beautiful themed Christmas window displays as you pass by.

* Start with one litre of Orange Juice, diluted with water if you so wish.

* Add half a cup of sugar to this and let it dissolve in. Mulled wine can tend to be slightly bitter, so the sugar really is necessary to bring out the flavour and sweeten it a bit.

* When adding the sugar, Peter warns against using white sugar, but to instead recommends using Golden Caster Sugar. White sugar doesn’t dissolve in the same way and won’t give you the nice syrupy texture of Golden Caster.

* Start with just the juice/water and the sugar as you really wouldn’t want to add the wine too early in the mulling process and burn off the alcohol. Stir the liquid over a low heat until it begins to get syrupy. Mull for 15 minutes.

* Add the mulled wine bundles now. You can buy these almost anywhere! The amount you use depends on the wine you are using- if you are using a soft wine (A Cote de Rhône or Merlot make for a good wine for mulling) then you should use three bundles. For a stronger wine, use two.

* When adding the bundles, also add the cloves, lime and orange peel, fresh apple and orange slices and
cinammon.
* Stir for a while longer and allow to mull. You can leave this for as long as you like- it’s good for the flavours to infuse. If it starts to reduce too much, then simply add a bit of water.

* Now is a good time to add your wine. Pour in a full bottle and mull for at least fifteen more minutes. There is no maximum time for this- patience is a virtue- as long as the heat is turned down low enough for the wine to simmer without boiling. As I mentioned, it’s important to make sure you don’t boil away the alcohol!

* If you prefer a stronger, traditional mulled wine, you can also add a splash of Brandy to warm you up.

**I’ve noticed the past few years that mulled cider has been increasingly popular and is often now served in pubs and markets. If you’re more of a cider person then you may want to try this. The recipe is much the same, but instead of orange peel and lime, you may want to use chopped apple and extra cinnamon. Replace the Brandy with a generous splash of Calvados.

You can also make a non alcoholic mulled wine for children or non-drinkers using apple juice and non alcoholic ginger wine, following the same technique as the mlled cider. It’s pretty good! **

If you have any other tips and suggestions, or a different way of doing it- please share the wealth- Enjoy.

Thanks to Peter Casey for his time and advice, and also to Natalie, my research assistant, on this post!

x

Food Fact of the Day...

2010-11-28T04:55:00.001-08:00

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A food fact for the party season!

It is dirt makes champagne fizz. Microscopic particles of dust in the glass allow bubbles to latch onto them. According to Moet and Chandon there are 250 million bubbles in the average bottle of Champagne...

x

Lou en Bretagne

2010-11-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

I love France, and naturally, I love French Food. I try and get over a few times a year to stock up on wine and tins of duck cassolet, almost always staying in my little house on the North Western coast of Brittany.
Right by the sea, I mostly eat at home, stocking up on wine from the Selier Goëlo and arrays of cheeses, salads potato croquettes and misshapen vegetables from the supermarkets of Plouzec. From time to time we eat out at the port side restaurants of Paimpol, taking advantage of the Fruits de Mer and Bretagne Tart- all the things that make me love the regional cuisine.

French Supermarkets are always exciting places from me. I run around gleefully, enjoying the packaging and reminiscing over the staples of my childhood- Cacolac and Madeline’s.
I like the little variations that differentiate them from their English counterparts. Frozen potato douphinoux are a novelty I would never buy in England, but always end up in the trolley in France.

Cheese is always bought in vast quantities- even pre-grated Ementhal, a supermarket classic that would seem lazy to me en Anglettere, but is somehow very acceptable over the channel.
I’ve yet to buy a ready-to-grill Croque Monsieur from the chilled cabinets, but seeing them always makes me laugh- especially coming from a nation that prides themselves on their cooking.

I love the Local Produce section, selling Bretagne tarts avec fourré a la crème dè Preneaux, and ‘Specialitie Brettagne Pur Beurre’ Gateux Abricot. I somehow couldn’t imagine anything similar in Sutton…

Bread and cheese is one of the best things about being alive. There aren’t many people I know who have managed to escape one of my raptures on these simple pleasures. Honestly, with some oil, balsamic vinegar and olives- I could live on it.
Growing up, I used to bemoan my summers spent in France on a diet of French bread and cheeses with varying degrees of pungency and hardness.
Now, I consider it a wasted opportunity and take it as a very serious task to catch up on lost time. I have to admit- I’m not the biggest fan of French bread. I find it too dry and porous, paling in comparison to soft and doughy English bread. I even prefer English baguettes!
That said, I now adore my lunches of bread, tomatoes, brie and Saint Nectaire Laitier, or Camembert and Chevre. The staple lunch, day in day out, accompanied with cous cous salad and tomato salads with ground pepper and balsamic vinegar.

I have happy memories of the traditions that have become ingrained in our routine-Bouchee on the patio, with bottles of red wine and cards in the summer, Mulled wine up by the Moulin de Craca and duck cassolet in the winter. It won’t come as a surprise to you that food plays such a large part in many of my happiest memories, and France wouldn’t be the same for me without the food opportunities it has presented to me. It probably even plays a large part in the relationship I now have with cooking and eating.

My little house en France doesn’t have an oven, so we have to make do with a hob and a tiny microwave-grill. I tend to cook almost entirely with a hob anyway, so it isn’t too much of a problem. I enjoy having to make the most with what we have.
Here are a few of the typically French dishes we served up on our most recent trip to Bretagne, from which I have just returned.

Goats cheese Gallettes:
Gallettes are just so damn French. The savoury equivalent of a crepe, a thicker, wholemeal wheat is used. You can make these yourself following a basic Gallette recipe (look up?) or just buy a pre made pack. In France, these are in abundance. Gallettes are a great opportunity to make the most of the quintessentially French ingredients and quality and freshness of their cheese and vegetables.

In a pan, fry some chopped onion or shallots. When they are softened, tip in a bowl of chopped tomatoes. You can also use a tin, but the tomatoes in France are so big and beautiful I prefer to use them fresh. Add a big handful of spinach and stir until wilted. Stir in plenty of Herbes de Provence (When in France…) You can also add some finely diced mushroom.

Open the Gallette and place on the plate. Be careful, as they are fragile and prone to tearing. Tip the mixture into one of the perforated quarters. Top with some thin strips of ham, a classic ingredient in gallettes. Crumble in some goats cheese.
Fold in half so it forms a semi circle. Sprinkle with grated emmenthal cheese- there is not a supermarket in France that will not sell this. Fold in half again.

In a small pan, fry an egg. When it is cooked, but still soft, tip onto the triangle. Sprinkle again with grated emmenthal and place under the grill for a few minutes, remove from the heat, and serve.

Mulled Pineapple:
Alongside crème caramel and Tarte aux pommes, some kind of flambéed or alcohol soaked fruit is a staple on the menu of most French restaurants. My sister and I created this recipe using pineapple to recreate a similar dish at home. It is a real winter dish- warm and spicy. If you’re a fan of mulled wine, you should be a fan of this!

Chop a pineapple into slices, removing the skin. In a pan, caramelise some sugar by covering the base of a pan with caster sugar and heating without stirring until it melts into a golden caramel. Whilst this is happening, mix some honey in a bowl with cinnamon and some nutmeg. Brush this mixture over the slices of pineapple, coating them well. Once the caramel is ready, drop the slices into it and fry for a few minutes each side, turning them half way through. Remove the coated pineapple slices from the pan and drizzle with a splash of liqueur or spirit of your choice; Brandy is an obvious choice, but Rum or a fruit liqueur could also work.

Porridge of the Week #22

2010-11-22T03:45:00.000-08:00

Porridge of the Week:
Fruity Vanilla and Raspberry

Category: Healthy/Flavour
In a pan, mix your oats with soya milk. I like to use soy for this recipe as it compliments the creamy texture. As it warms through, drop in a splash of vanilla essence. Tip in half a punnet of fresh raspberries and crush with your spurtle till the oats go a beautifully deep pink. As they thicken, loosen them up with a generous amount of pomegranate and grape juice. If this is a bit specific, you could use just pomegranate- or if you like, any other fruity berry juice, as long as it is red or pink!
Pour the contents into your bowl, and cool with a spoon of strawberry or raspberry yoghurt.

~

We may well and truly be into winter now, but this porridge reminds me of warmer, summery times. This was a work day recipe, but I wish I had a photo; as well as tasting really fruity and delicious, it’s really pretty to serve up- deep pink with swirls of red and a soft pink topping. It’s almost too pretty to eat…

Food Fact of the Day

2010-11-20T02:35:00.000-08:00

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There are two root paths of the word ‘Booze.’
Similar vocabulary can be traced back to the 1320’s, when bous/bouse; meant to drink to excess, rooted in the Dutch, ‘busen’.
However, ‘booze’ itself became a common noun in the 1850s, when EG Booz of Philidelphia labelled his whiskey bottles with his name….

x

Autumn Eats

2010-11-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

From knitwear and layers, to red hair and Bonfire Night, autumn is easily my favourite time of the year- fleeting as it is, I love it.
It is also my favourite time of the year for food. I absolutely adore root vegetables- Beetroot, Swede, and above all, the abundance of pumpkin and squash. I am a huge fan of pumpkin and tend to put it in everything whilst it’s about.
Being an intuitive cook, I throw together soups and experiment with casseroles, both of which lend themselves to the sturdy and comforting seasonal winter produce.

Here are a few of the things I’ve been cooking the last couple of weeks:

Yam and Sweet Potato Samosas

Having Brick Lane just down the road, I love to shop in the huge Bangla Cash and Carrys. I love the aisles upon aisles of spices, lentils and curry powders, as well as the stacks of plantains and nameless exotic vegetables.
On my last shopping trip I picked up and few yams and some samosa pads. They were surprisingly easy to do- I simply boiled the yam and sweet potato and then broke down into small chunks with chopped onion, chilli and curry powder. Its also good to add a few peas.
We then spooned a small amount of the mixture onto one end of the samosa tabs, folded into triangles and shallow fried for a few minutes each, draining on kitchen paper.

Pumpkin Curry

Not content with just getting yam and sweet potato into our meal, I made a pumpkin curry to go with the Samosas. This was a typical Lou-style throw everything into the pot; curry spices, pumpkin, coconut, baby thai apple aubergine and plenty of cumin seeds and turmeric.

White Fish Baby Squash Curry with lime, coconut and ginger

You may recognise this! For more details on this curry, made with white fish, yellow thai curry paste, fish sauce and a mix of lime, ginger, garlic and spices, check out http://loulovesfood.blogspot.com/2010/11/dinner-squash-bowl-curry.html

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

If you’re making as many pumpkin based recipes as me, you’ll also have pleny of left over seeds. When you hollow out your pumpkin, set them aside on a piece of kitchen paper to drain. Once they have dried out, spread them on some kitchen foil on a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Give them a shake and sprinkle with chilli, powdered garlic and paprika. You can also use powdered cumin or any other spice that you fancy. Toast them in the oven for about ten or fifteen minutes- but keep an eye on them as they can burn fast! They should be slightly golden but not browned, and crunchy to chew on.

Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Chorizo Soup
This recipe has been the highlight of my autumn so far! Taken from the Cooking with Pumpkin and Squash by Brian Glover, it's really rich and flavoured. I high recommend it!
This soup involves roasting the butternut squash in oil and garlic whilst frying the chorizo with onion and then adding to chopped tomoatoes and stock. Only blending half of the this mixture with the squash ensures that it stays thick and chunky. It’s a perfect recipe for the miserable weather.

Homemade Rolls

If you’re going to be making this much soup, you will be wanting fresh bad to go with it. The highlight of the season for me has been learning to make bread- granary loafs, white rolls and herb or tomato bread. I love knotting them into a variety of plaits and twists.

Chesnuts
A-ma-zing. Early in the season we went out and found our own in the woods. Its so easy to simply slash a cross in them and toast for about half an hour. They don’t need any flavouring- they’re perfect as they are.

Apple and Maple Cupcakes (with a maple glaze)
According to my sister, who I saved one back for, these are “the perfect muffin”; moist and soft and spicy. Apple and spices have a very autumnal flavour, and the maple glaze is lovely. They aren’t too sweet either, and the flour is mixed with oatmeal so they have a lovely thick texture.
The mix is a basic muffin mix, with half the flour being replaced with rolled oats. Simply tip in chopped and slightly stewed chunks of apple with a spoonful of cinnamon, a pinch of mixed spices and half a cup of maple syrup.
The glaze is made by drizzling icing sugar mixed with maple syrup over the muffins as they cool from the oven.

___________________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoy what’s left of autumn! If you have a recipes or autumnal ideas you would like to share than please do leave a comment and suggest it. If you have any recipes you would like me to try, or you have tried anything pretty special yourself and would like to send the recipe or some photos, just email them to loulovesfood@mail.com

Thanks!

x

Porridge of the Week #21

2010-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Porridge of the Week #21
Venison Sausage and Cherry Tomato Porridge:
Competition Winner.

Category: Evening

Prepare your porridge by soaking in water.

While the porridge is soaking grill your sausages. You could use any type of sausage but it should be something special such as Wild Boar, Leek and Herbs. I'm using Venison Sausages from Borough Market.

Put your porridge on to cook, adding a pinch of salt, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a heaped tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme.

When the sausages are nearly cooked put cherry tomatoes under the grill and sear till they are slightly browned and visibly sagging.

Chop the sausages into 1 inch slices.

Serve out the porridge. Drop 3 or 4 cherry tomatoes into each bowl and crown with a generous portion of sliced sausage.

Et voila!

Thankyou so much for all your competition entries. And a particular thankyou to my little winner. I am a big fan of savoury porridges, and an even bigger fan of Borough Market, so this had great appeal to me. This would make a lovely dinner now the nights are getting longer- and a whole lot colder. Enjoy.

Food News: Bompas and Parr Gum Factory

2010-11-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Last week I was fortunate to attend the launch of the new Bompas and Parr event; The Artisanal Gum Factory.

In the 'factory', based in Whiteley's Shopping Centre, you are invited to create your own gum; picking from 400 flavour combinations and mixing, rolling and cutting the gum yourself.

If you are (like me) indecisive, choosing from over 200 flavours and 40,000 gum combinations can be a dizzying prospect. That said- some flavours are more appealing than others. To make the selection process easier, glass jars of scent cover pillar like tables in a small and dark room.

Each jar is labelled with the scent it contains- It's like a sensory Russian Roulette.

Lilac is soft and lovely, the fruits are sweet and sickly, the herbs delicate. My favourites are the 'burnt' flavours- burnt orange and burnt sugar.
Others are less lovely. Sea Urchin, for example, is 'like death in a jar'. Shrimp is equally stomach turning. (As a general rule, I would avoid any sea-based flavoured gum.)
Scents that catch the eye of the public a little more than the generic strawberry and cherry include lobster, black truffle, chilli or ale yeast.

Once you have made your selection, you take it to the next door lab, where you are guided through making your own gum, mixing the melted down latex-y gum mix with the scent, stirring vigorously with icing sugar and food dye and kneading like dough till you have stretchy gum. Roll this out, cut it up and store away in your little Bompas and Parr box.

It's true, things are more exciting when they let you do it yourself.

I left my flavour selection down to the professional expertise of Chef Andrew. Returning from the store room of flavour, I was presented with pine- and though it genuinely did taste of pine, it was surprisingly appetising. Who knew having a mouth like a new car would taste so appealing. It's a more original oral freshener than Spearmint!

LouLovesFood Combos:
Lou is now the proud owner of the Flavour Thesaurus- It couldn't have come at a better time really! Maybe I should have taken it with me, and tried some of these combinations...

Coffee and Cigarettes: I read about this flavour prior to attending the factory and was keen to try it, despite being a non smoker, and therefore dubious of whether I would actually like it. But as my sister says, you should try everything twice.
As it was, it was actually an enjoyable chew. Apparently dealing twice the caffeine fix of a traditional cup of coffee, it had more coffee flavour to it than cigarette- though it resembled one of those rich filter coffees that are so strong they actually have that slightly ashy morning-after-a-night-in-a-pool-house taste. It was rich and enjoyable.

Chilli and coconut: I'm a sucker for anything with chilli in it. The classic chilli and chocolate may be a bit obvious, but how about coconut with chilli? According to Niki Segent, coconut 'soothes the heat of chilli, whose active component capsaicin is soluble in fat, but not water.' Beats coconut and rum in my book...

Strawberry and Black Pepper: You know, like strawberries and black pepper. Sweet, with a little kick.

Coffee and Cardamom: I've long been a fan of this Turkish inspired coffee combination. I tried the cardamom and it was pretty similar to the pine- Combined with coffee, and it would be like sitting in a blue tiled Brick Lane Turkish coffee shop. My happy place in my mouth.

Beer and Curry: Don't you be turning your noses up, as far as I'm concerned, that's pretty unappealing anyway... But you know, as my sister says...

Greek Yoghurt and Honey: Not especially creative, but I think I would enjoy it.

Rose and Cucumber: One for summer- or for the girls!

What combinations would you try? I'd love to know! Go forth and masticate...

x

Dinner: Squash bowl Curry

2010-11-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's Autumn! My favourite time of the year for food. I love casseroles, soups and root vegetables and in autumn I have these in abundance. Ever since pumpkins and squash started to sneak into every market and shop in London I've wanted to try using them to make a good squash curry, and serving them in their shells.

This curry was squash, carrots, onions and lentils, with coconut milk, yellow thai curry paste and plenty of lime, ginger, lemon grass and garlic.

I made the bowls by hollowing the squash and rubbing with oil and salt before baking in the oven for half an hour. After taking it out, I scooped out some of the softened flesh and added it to the curry, then ladled the curry into it.

I saved the seeds, which I then dried out and rubbed with olive oil, paprika, chilli and curry powder. These were roasted and served alongside the curry!

These curries taste gorgeous and also look so pretty! You can break up the shell as you eat and scoop out the flesh on the skin so nothing is wasted... Waste not, want not.

Cheap Eats: Lou Loves Moolis

2010-11-01T08:26:00.001-07:00

(or, Mooli's: Roti vs. Buritto)

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I seem to spend half my life in Shoreditch and half in Soho. I just love Soho- it's where life seems to happen. It's the little beating heart in the centre of London, pumping life into the city.
Naturally, it's unlikely I would spend long in somewhere without a great variety of food- Shoreditch has its big Bangla Cash and Carrys, Soho has its huge array of cafes, restaurants and bakeries. (Not to mention China Town... )
You may remember my 'Focus On... Wardour Street'; One road alone that could feed me for a month.

So it came as no surprise to me that the cafe that seems to be on every one's lips right now- Mooli's- was to be found on Frith Street. I had heard about it from a number of food bloggers and friends so it seemed natural that when I found myself aimless in Soho one lunch time I should drag myself away from my usual haunts and try it out.

Photography by Mowie, from www.moolis.com

Stepping in (and they will hate me for this) my first impression was how similar it was to it's Mexican counterpart Benito's Hat. The walls were painted cheerful colours, the tables flanked with high stools and the serving counter squatting at the back. But in the design stakes, Mooli's wins out. Bright patterns, blossom and birds designed by Rachel Mikulsky adorn the walls, one of which is dedicated to a series of bold statements- "Not to be consumed with low grain cocaine" and "This is not a f**king Burrito".

... You understand my reticence in name dropping Benito's Hat now?

It's very simple. Mooli's serves mooli's. And not a lot else. But really, who needs anything else from a place like this?
The premise of these mooli's are filling home made roti (Indian flat bread) with meat, veg or paneer and plenty of additional flavours; in the forms of sharp salsas, fruity chutneys and spicy potatoes.

They may have a limited menu, but the mooli's do come in six flavours- Chicken with a mint and coriander dressing and apple, spicy beef with coconut and cucumber raita, and Pork with pomegranate salsa (oooh!). The most popular flavour seems to be the Goat, spiced with cumin, coriander cloves, chilli's and Cinnamon and accompanied by potatoes sautéed with dry mango, red onion and lime.
There are also vegetarian options; Asparagus with potatoes, roasted cumin seeds, dried mango, yoghurt and tamarind or Paneer; Indian cheese scrambled in spices with tomato chutney and grated carrot.

Ok, so it doesn't look *quite* like this when it's served up... But considering how completely impossible it is not to make a mess of anything that comes in a wrap, does it really matter..?
Photography again, by Mowie. I am a big fan of his beaauutiful work!

It was, based on this, tough to choose. I went with the chicken, though in retrospect I'm now fantasising about the paneer... Though I do love the sound of the potato and cumin... And the pomegranate salsa... and the coconut with the beef... Oh dear.
We also bowed to pressure and got the goat.

They were both gorgeous! (£4.45) The sheer quantity of ingredients they crammed in all complimented and contrasted each other nicely. The cinnamon, cloves and cumin gave them a distinctively Indian taste without in any way resembling your local generic Indian restaurant.
Chunky, flavoursome and compact, these Mooli's makes for a great lunch break pit-stop. Amazingly, although they aren't in any way obscenely over-sized, I remained so full all day that even by the end of the night (I would say we had lunch about 2 o clock) I still wasn't hungry, and ate nothing more than an apple that day. That's value for money, right?
I don't want for burritos to keep rearing their ugly heads, but you do get more from your money with a mooli. Instead of chicken with salsa, guacamole and soured cream, beef with salsa, guacamole and soured cream or vegetables with salsa, guacamole and soured cream, you do get a lot more carefully considered ingredients rammed in. Don't get me wrong, I love a burrito... But in this race (for me) there can only be one winner.

So if you're looking for somewhere new to eat in the West End, or you want a food lovers variation on the (pale by comparison) Burrito, check out Mooli's.

50 Frith St
Westminster, London W1D 4
020 7494 9075
http://www.moolis.com/

Food Fact of the Day..

2010-11-01T07:16:00.001-07:00

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It takes 85,000- 140,000 crocuses to make a kilo of saffron.
Alexander the Great washed his hair in saffron- at a time when it was more expensive than gold.
In 15th Century Nurenburg, it was a capital offence to mix saffron- culprits were burnt at the steak or buried alive...

That is dediation to food, and I approve.

x

Porridge of the Week #20: Special Edition!

2010-10-26T02:43:00.000-07:00

Porridge of the Week: #20
Thousand Treasure Porridge

Category: Flavoured/ healthy

The night before making, take the Thousand Treasure beans and soak overnight in water. By the morning, the water should be absorbed and the beans swollen. Rinse and drain, then tip into a pan and cover with a suitable quantity of water or sweetened soya milk. Once heated through and at a good consistency, stir in a spoonful of sugar and a generous heap of desiccated coconut, to taste. I also added dried mango and cranberry.
Serve, and top with another tiny shake of sugar and a sprinkle of coconut.

For the 20th of edition I wanted to do a special porridge to commemorate the occasion, which is why I chose Thousand Island Porridge, made with sticky rice, crushed corn, red bean, mung bean, kidney bean, black rice, red jujube, hushed buckwheat, peanut and lotus seed.. My sister got it for me, but you can source it in most Chinese supermarkets. I was a little unsure of how it would turn out, but it was rather lovely- a distinct Chinese blend of savoury and sweet. It's also very nutritious and full of good morning protein.

Porridge of the Week: The 20th Edition Competition!

As this is the 20th ever Porridge of the Week, I wanted to celebrate with a competition! To win, simply send me your favourite or most creative porridge recipe! (Hint: photos or anecdotes may help your chances...)
The recipe that most inspires me will become the 21st Porridge of the Week and the winner will recieve some luxury Fortnum and Mason Porridge and a spurtle.
To enter, simply email me at loulovesfood@mail.com
Please include your name, porridge recipe, and address.
Goodluck, and thankyou for getting involved!

The winner will be announced next week alongside Porridge of the Week #21, and the prize will be sent out via post.

(Thai) dinner: 19.10.2010

2010-10-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

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My friend Charlie went travelling round Asia recently. He's one of those people that also geeks out over dishes so I was simultaneously insanely jealous and impressed that he kept a food journal and did a few classes whilst he travelled.
He gave me this recipe for Green Papaya salad and I promised I would try it as soon as possible, so here it is... It's really gorgeous and the flavours are amazing.

Green Papaya Salad

Here's how you do it-
Tip a handful of peanuts, about 3 chopped tomatoes, 2 chopped birds eye chillis (or thai chillis, if you can get them) a chopped garlic clove, a handful of cut green beans and a heap of crushed cashew nuts into a mortar and pestle. Crush the mixture together. If you can get your hands on green papaya, julienne them and crush with the rest if not, then like us, use julienned carrots. It works, and stills still lovely!
It'll get messy, but that's okay...

I used peanuts from the Chinese Supermarkets- vacuum packed with dried chilli- super spicy!

Add a tablespoon of dark soy and another of light soy, a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in water and the juice of a lime. You can tweak this to taste- I like it with lots of chilli and lime. Serve up and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

On the Side:

Thai bay scented prawns with basil lime mayonaise

This one is really easy! I was searching for a side to make this meal more substantial, without moving away from the Asian vibe. I got this from the GoodFood 101 fish and seafood dishes, which I love!

Boil the basil leaves in a pan for a minute and then put into cold water. Drain and tip into a food processor with 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Whizz into a fine paste. Add the mayonnaise and a squeeze of lime juice. Make sure you reserve the skins.
Blend again, then tip into a bowl and chill.
Thread the bay leaves and prawns onto a skewer or wooden stick. Brush with oil and grill for 4 or 5 minutes. Spoon the mix into the lime skins and serve with the prawns.

x

Food Fact of the Day

2010-10-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

The hottest chilli in the world is from Dorset, and measures 92,3000 Scoville Heat Units (A jalapeno has 4,500... ) Pure capsicum powder delivers 15-16 million SHU.
Pharmacists who experiment with it must work in a filtered 'toxic room' wearing a full protective body suit with a closed hood to prevent inhalation.

There are around 3,510 varieties of chilli.

Thanks to John for finding this fact for me, and all his research!

Chocolate Week: London's Best Chocolatiers

2010-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

William Curley

A pattissier chocolatier, William Curley has a vast array of both chocolates and patitissier. Teaming up with the equally award winning pattissier Suzue Curley, many of the chocolates have an Asian twist- Szechuan Pepper, Green Tea and Japanese Black Vinegar all grace the extensive menu, alongside more British flavours like Mulled Wine and Thyme and Scottish Heather Honey.
With beautiful and elegant shops in the beautiful and elegant Richmond and Belgravia, William Curley is the place to go for extravagance- with a £15 Dessert Bar set menu that boasts Basil infused icecream, Green tea Creme Brulee and Yuzu Jelly.
LouLovesFood recommends the hot chocolate (the time of year for it!) - The Aztec Hot Chocolate and Gianduja are renowned.
To celebrate National Chocolate Week, William Curley will be collaborating with Claridge's for exclusive Chocolate Afternoon Teas and with Michelin-starred The Bingham, creating a unique Chocolate Lover's menu... Time is running out!

Theobroma Cocoa

My research of the Theobrama Cocoa shop in Chiswick is nothing if not extensive... A sign in itself that the chocolates are good! In contrast to many of their counterparts like Melt... Theobroma chocolates are distinctively light and understated- the Champagne and Lavender Hearts don't try hard to get your attention. They have a strong lavender perfume but are summery, fresh and delicately infused. Even the Caramelised Almond chocolate is light- filled with a fine dry marzipan as opposed to a crunchy praline that I suppose I had expected.
The Assam Tea is a little richer, deep and rich with charcoal flavours. The taste of tea leaves is well balanced against the strong truffle. Other chocolates that pack more of a punch is the Stuffed Fig- with almond, walnuts, orange peel, Cinnamon, French Bourbon Vanilla and Grand Marnier. Phew! The result is sweet and textured, crunchy with strong infusions of flavour and the distinct taste of alcohol.

Melt...

Looking adorable and classically 'chocolate shop' (or at least the Notting Hill equivelant) Melt... is lined with bowls of chocolates, their flavours written in chalk on blackboards mounted onto the walls. Unlike so many of the other chocolate shops that have to cope with the demand of large scale orders, Melt... restrict their stock so that all their chocolate is still home made- you can see it being created, in fact, in their tiny kitchen at the back of the shop. I truly believe you can taste the love and attention.
Their salted caramels (including Olive caramel) are also beautiful enough to rival Artisan Du Chocolat. No mean feat!
Other flavours worth a go are Peanut Butter and Raspberry jam, Chilli Cube and Coffee and Cardamom Cup. Nice.
I can honestly say I've eaten about half the flavours Melt... stocks, and there are none I wouldn't recommend. The Burnt Orange is a personal favourite, the kind of chocolate you have to stop all else whilst you eat itArtisan Du Chocolat

Artisan Du Chocolat

Cross the road from Melt... and you will find yourself at Artisan Du Chocolat, flanked by tables resembling slabs of chocolate. This is an elegant chocolate boutique selling silver coated chocolate moulded stilettos and their famous liquid salted caramels. With chic Chanel-esque branding, these little round chocolates come in a range of experimental flavours, from Sage and Thyme (No.15) to Madagascan Pink Peppercorns (No.4).

LouLovesFood recommends Red Fruits and Violets O and No.7 Liquid salted caramel. I won't say which flavour it is- why take the fun out of it..?
Artisan also a fantastic cafe menu of coffees, hot chocolates, and amazingly, cocktails.
Chocolate cocktails.
Oh yes.
The cocktail options are stunning and the pudding menu really gets your pulse racing- the Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart (below), a rich, oily, salty melting goo of beauty- and well worth the £5 price tag.

Paul A Young

Nestled away amongst backstreets and antique clothing is the magical shop of Paul A Young. Tiny, dark and tucked away, it's like something out of a novel- and being hand made each morning in the shop's chocolate kitchen, his range is renowned. Favourites include Pimms truffle, Chocolate Cheesecake truffle, but there are also some other surprising flavours, including Marmite and Port and Stilton. I wish I could tell you how this one tastes, I'm desperate to try it!
Chocolate Week may come a bit late, but if you find yourself in Angel over the summer, expect to see streams of beaming chocolate smudged faces, home made ice cream gripped in sticky hands. The ice creams are topped with cocoa nibs and molten chocolate, and flavours include white chocolate and raspberry or sea-salted caramel (with 85 per cent dark chocolate).
With a clear passion for his work and a beautiful range of flavours, Paul A Young is one of my chocolate week highlights!

Another area like Notting Hill with a duo of chocolate aristocracies would be Marylebone, home of both Coco Maya and Rococo...

Located in Marylebone, Chelsea and Belgravia, Rococo has made a base in all of London's high end boroughs.
Selling a vast array of chocolate bars including Orange and Cardamom, Rose and Earl Grey, their packaging is as delicate, beautiful and elegant as the chocolate themselves. If you really want to make a feature of chocolate week, they also do chocolate classes, kids parties and (oh my gosh!) chocolate sleepovers.

Coco Maya

Set up by three of London's big fashion players, including founder of Agent Provocateur, Serena Rees, I had expected Coco Maya to follow along similar themes- after all, I'm sure the women folk would agree that chocolate and Agent Provocateur style decadence go hand in hand. So I have to admit I was expecting sumptuous surroundings; rich colours, low lighting and lace... Sexy and sleek. Instead, the tiny Chocolatier and Artisan Bakery "one of London's hippest hangouts" is kitsch and classically English, verging on twee, with decor reminiscent of an English tea party- with gold trimmed bone china tea cup and lace doilies. No less gorgeous, but a little surprising.
I tried the interesting Blackberry and Lime. The first bite oozed an amazing tangy liquid- but the chocolate itself was bland and lacking in any character strong enough to compliment its lovely fruity filling.
I followed with a classic truffle to test this further and found that despite it's soft, rich texture, the chocolate didn't pull through, lacking any punch. Not cool, Coco Maya.
Instead, I recommend nipping in for a peek- and if you do feel tempted, go next door to the Bakery...

Unfortunately, I'm only one girl, and hard as I try, I can't eat everywhere! If you know of any places that the world should really know about, please please leave a comment and let us know! Enjoy Chocolate Week!

Chocolate Week: Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-10-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a range of chocolate cupcakes I was comissioned to make in celebration of Chocolate Week... Om nom.

Banana and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and a topping inspired by Cupcake Junkie.

Double chocolate chip, with chocolate buttercream and hot chocolate drizzle

Double chocolate chip with caramel shapes

Chocolate Irish Cream with white chocolate spiders web- design taken from BBC Good Food

Food Fact : It's Chocolate Week!

2010-10-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

The average Swiss person eats 19lbs of chocolate a year.

Hmm. That doesn't sound like all that much to me...
It's Chocolate Week! And whilst it's Chocolate Week, expect a series of Chocolate themed LouLovesFood posts...

Porridge of the Week # 19

2010-10-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Porridge of the Week # 19
Egg and Bacon Porridge

This is a kind of tough one to get right, so there are a couple of ways of doing it. Start by soaking the oats in water and a sprinkle of salt. Warm it through, so it gets properly hot. Whilst this is on the go, grill four rashers of bacon and scramble one egg in a seperate pan. Get the oats to just before the ideal consistency- but a little extra runny.
When it is ready and the egg and bacon is prepped, get a second egg and crack into the centre of the porridge. Leave it to warm for a minute. Stir the edges of the porridge, leaving the egg in the centre. Continue to do this until the egg begins to cook, then stir in. Tip in the scrambled egg and mosr of the bacon, chopped into pieces, leaving some aside, and stir just enough to mix in.
Divide the porridge between two bowls. Top with the remaining bacon and crack black pepper over. Serve.

This is a good porridge for those who don't like sweet things in the morning. It's tough to gt right as the egg can disappear into the oats if added or stirred too early- hence adding a bit of scrambled! You could also chop in a poached egg. I drizzled with a bit of brown sauce, which went down well.
I'm not sure I would do it regularly, but these things have to be tried! It's fun to serve up, at least.

Food Fact of the Day...

2010-10-09T01:18:00.000-07:00

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Chewing gum has been used since at least the Neolithic period.
5,000 year old chewing gum with tooth imprints, made of birch bark tar, has been found in Kierikki, Yli-Ii, Finland. The bark is believed to have antiseptic and medicinal properties.
The ancient Aztecs also used it as a mouth freshener.

Talking of Gum...

Bompas and Parr is building an Artisanal Chewing Gum Factory an at Whiteleys Shopping Centre opening between 25 – 31 October. People are invited to learn the secrets of chewing gum manufacture at the world’s first mirco-factory.

Each visitor will be able to choose and combine a 200 familiar and unusual flavours including iris, Hendrick’s Gin and tonic, curry and beer yeast. In total 40,000 flavour combinations are possible.

I think I will be checking this out, so if you like the sound of it, just keep hitting my blog!

x

Food News: Innocent 5 for 5

2010-10-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Innocent 5 for 5

I really want to try this out, but I don't know if I have time for this amongst cooking school and baking... But if you're in London you should go and try it! Here's what Innocent have to say ...

"Things you should know about our cafe:

1. From 1st October, we’re opening our very own cafe for just seven days.

2. We’ve called it 5 for 5 because you’ll be able to pick and choose your way to 5 a day for only £5.

3. Our menu has been designed by guest chef Gizzi Erskine.

4. You’ll find our cafe in The Tramshed, next to Old Street in East London.

5. It’s bookings only. Tickets are limited so bagsy yourself a seat right now. "

What a lovely idea...