the Amy Winehouse of food blogs
Back in the day, last century, last millennium, when Marks and Spencers used to sell food in Canada, they used to make “potato scones”. These wern’t actually “scones” as you know them (more Scottish upselling that) but a panfried potato flatbread. I love carbs, and when you can spread carbs with butter they’re even better still, so here is my recipe for “potato scones”…. Read the rest of this entry »
The Meemster called these “Corn Bhajia” and I guess they kind of were. I called them “use up what’s in the fridge including those 3 cobs of corn” fritters. I’m going with The Meemsters name.
Salmon and citrus is an obvious pairing. An easy main for summer or as a way to use up left over salmon. You can substitute orange for the grapefruit if you prefer, or mix half yogurt and half mayo for a healthier time.
Carrots are delicious, but more often than not they rot in the bottom of the vegetable crisper, rarely receiving a place of prominence at the table. Here then, for the benefit of your carrots, is a delicious dish of North African inspiration that can be served as a salad or side, warm or cold.
Somewhere between a salad and a pickle this is beyond easy and lasts for a good week in the fridge although it’s best a day or two after mixing. It’s perfect with grilled meats, in sandwiches, burgers , or just by itself and you can personalise it depending on what you’re making, so add some chopped dill to go with grilled salmon or fish, maybe some chopped asian basil for satay, or a bit of cooling mint to accompany a spicy Indian picnic.
You can adjust the seasonings and flavours to your own liking but make sure to get the oxtails nice and brown before stewing to ensure a nice rich sauce.
1.5 kg oxtail in pieces
1 good Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 1 ½ cups red wine
2 medium onions peeled and chopped
1 large carrot peeled and chopped
1 head garlic peeled and chopped
1 small can tomatoes, roughly crushed (approx 400 gm)
2 bay leaf
1 good pinch dried thyme
½ - 1 tsp grated lemon or orange zest
parsley, washed and chopped
salt & pepper
1 to 2 good handfuls green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half
parmesan as needed
Rinse the oxtail if necessary, then season with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
In a heavy frying pan heat 2 Tbsp of the oil on medium and fry half the oxtail until nicely browned all over, about 10 minutes. After each round of frying add half the red wine and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan to get up all the crusty bits.
In a separate large casserole or heavy bottomed large pan with a lid heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil and add the onions and carrots. Cook on medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add ¾ of the garlic, stir in and cook for another minute or so.
Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, browned oxtails and red wine. Add enough water to cover well and season very lightly with salt and a little pepper. Stew for a good 2 hours on low heat or until the meat easily becomes detached from the bones. Remove the oxtail, strip of their meat and return it to the sauce. (I boil the bones again with an onion and carrot to make a simple stock for cooking or soup).
Steam the green beans or cook in boiling salted water until al dente.
If you need to, reduce the sauce over medium heat until of a nice consistency. Add the parsley, the remaining garlic (chop a bit more finely), citrus zest, green beans, and season well with salt and pepper.
Serve over pasta with generous scrapings of parmesan. Is best if it sits a day or so to let the flavours mature.
The recipe below is cribbed from my old blog “food-zen” . It’s for a 10″ springform but works really well in a cupcake format. I was making cakes about 1/2 the size of a regular cupcake and I got about 60 units from this recipe, with about a 20 minute cooking time (bear in mind that I’m using a shitty little oven a bit bigger than a toaster-oven). I also substituted thin yogurt for the buttermilk (unsurprisingly, hard to find in China) and put 1 and a half times the baking powder and killed the baking soda (again, not an easy find in the Middle Kingdom). For someone who doesn’t like sweet things I sure do post a lot of dessert recipes ;).
6 oz unsweetend chocolate
8 oz softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 c packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
melt the chocolate.
cream the butter and sugar together then add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
add the vanilla and chocolate and mix well.
sift together all the dry ingredients and add them in 1/3rds, alternating with the buttermilk.
grease and flour a 10″ springform pan, you can line it with parchment if wanted but this is not essential. You can also add some good quality chocolate chips if you like.
bake the cake at 350F for around 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Ice this with a good ganache: boil 250 ml of cream and pour over 150 gms of quality dark chocolate that has been chopped. After 5 minutes, mix well and let cool. When cold, beat well with an electric mixer until the ganache is the consistency of whipped cream. Ice the cake only when completely cold. Sprinkles or draguees optional.
My goodness I’m not a candy fan, but if I were, and I think I may soon be, this would be first on my list. The quantities are not strict but it is important to use salted butter or, if using sweet butter, to add a pinch of salt.
In a large saucepan boil everything to the hard crack state (300 F) then pour onto a foil lined baking sheet. Let cool then break into delicious pieces.
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