Posts Tagged ‘Garlic’
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
Sometimes it is the absolute basics, the very simplest of ingredients that can fool us the most; to the point where we can neglect them altogether. In this case I am referring to the standard closed cup mushroom as produced by the ton load every day and sold in just about every supermarket and greengrocer throughout the country.
This mass produced specimen is regularly critisised by the celebrity chefs and tossed aside in favour of the wild varieties that are quite frankly beyond the budget of most of us – assuming we can find anywhere that sells them at all.
And yet, this boring little fungus can be quite delicious and a pile served on toast a most handsome treat. However, they sometimes need a little bit of work to bring out the best. So here we go.
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Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Lamb koftas are one of those dishes that Kebab houses and vans manage to wreck so frequently. A charcoal grilled delight that should be soft, moist and yummy is often dry and tasteless and if it is moist, that is because it has been kept warm in a warming dish for the last half hour. Worse still are the infamous garlic koftas – exactly the same beast, but with garlic powder added! Who on earth invented Garlic Powder? It is revolting.
Unless you go to places like Efes in Great Titchfield Street, London (I used to live opposite them), or Topkapi in Marylebone High Street, another favourite of mine, getting a decent kebab of any sort anywhere is a problem. So, if in doubt, make you own. Koftas, which tend to be lamb, can be mixed with anything – including nuts and herbs. As I am on a diet, the nuts are out for the moment, so I will just go with the herbs. Best served with a little Meze, in my opinion. You can read about a meze here.
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Sunday, March 6th, 2011
If I have had one comment over the years that is more or less accurate, it is that I make a good curry. I am quite proud of this fact, though I have to admit that the true compliment should be to my mother, and she would probably say that her skill should be planted firmly at the door of the Indian cook her family had when she was a child in Burma. But what ever route the knowledge came, I hold my hands up and say that yes, I do cook a good curry and the real heroes are three really important ingredients – onion, garlic and ginger.
Forget your clever curry pastes, your amazing herbs, the quality of your oil; if you do not get this very basic starter right, you will not end up with a curry. In India, they use a huge stone to create their starting point. On this stone they put chopped onion, garlic and ginger, and plenty of it, then crush it with another heavy stone. Back and forth they grind one stone against the other until they have a thick paste. Personally, I use a food processor!
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Friday, June 11th, 2010
My local supermarket, much to my surprise, was selling three chubby little sea bream yesterday. Though not the freshest around, they looked pretty fine so I snapped them up. Sea Bream is a favourite of mine. It has a light, open flesh, but a taste reminiscent of more classy fish such as halibut. A small fish, around the size of a bass, it is easy to fillet with not many bones to pick out. The flavour is not very strong, but has a sweet, pleasing taste that works well with herbs and garlic, so that is what I went for! I served the fish with a light pasta tossed with a little butter, pecorino, pancetta and plenty of black pepper and some lightly steamed cabbage.
So, onto the recipe.
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Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Okay, maybe a slightly odd post this one, but I am just taking the opportunity to say that a) chicken skin is really nice and b) getting under it is important.
Now, I don’t mean walk up to some poor chicken and start annoying it, I mean think about your chicken skin when you prepare a roast chicken. The skin is part of the trick for keeping the moisture in a chicken (though I have to admit that it does not do an amazing job) and also a superb way of keeping flavouring next to the bird; especially the breast. Putting flavouring inside the bird is all very well, but it doesn’t get to all the bits you would like it too.
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Friday, January 8th, 2010
Well, the Imam Fainted. That is what Imam Bayaldi means and certainly, many people find this a heavenly dish. Quite why the Imam Fainted is open to speculation, though it may have been at the cost of all that olive oil! However, it was also the third main dish of my recent family dinner and accompanied the Lamb in a Pot and Porchetta, and everyone looked pretty conscious last I checked.
Imam Bayildi has its origins at the Eastern end of the Mediterranean, and is especially associated with the middle east; though you can find it throughout the region. Like many wonderful dishes it is simplicity itself, relying heavily on the richness of the oil and tomatoes. Aubergines or Egg Plants or Brinjal are like sponges when it comes to liquid and flavours, and this dish takes it to the limit. (more…)
Sometimes it is the absolute basics, the very simplest of ingredients that can fool us the most; to the point where we can neglect them altogether. In this case I am referring to the standard closed cup mushroom as produced by the ton load every day and sold in just about every supermarket and greengrocer throughout the country.
