The Return of Perlooshed? February 13, 2011

It’s been more than a while, but with some exciting travel plans in the pipeline and a continued obsession with food, I thought I might return to the old Perlooshed stable.

And to prove I’m still at the old cooking lark, heres a picture of a rather undignified chicken that I shoved on a half-full beer can and roasted today. As you can see from the book in the background, this was Jamie Oliver’s fault, as it appears in his America book. Good results though, even if it looks a bit weird!

Beer Butt Chicken

French Onion Soup January 12, 2010

By ‘eck, it’s certainly been cold recently. Apparently, it’s been cold in France too. Undoubtedly they will have been eating plenty of French Onion soup to keep themselves warm, so I thought I’d join them, and on a particularly cold day, with plenty of onions at the ready, it was FOS-a-go-go!

The recipe is pretty easy and really tasty, finished of under the grill with a big chunk of rustic bread and some nice strong cheese. What’s more, any leftovers, if not being eaten as soup, can be re-heated and reduced right down to form a deliciously sweet and sour onion marmalade to accompany a steak, a burger, cold meats and more.

French Onion Soup

Serves 3-4

You’ll need

• 5-6 red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 regular onions or 4 banana shallots or 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• A couple of large knobs of butter
• Plenty of balsamic vinegar
• Around 2 liters of hot beef stock (made with a stock cube will do, especially a good quality organic one)
• Bay leaf (optional)
• 1 tsp dried sage
• Crusty french bread (or any other nationality of crusty bread)
• A couple of handfuls of strong cheese such as mature cheddar
• Salt and pepper
• Worcester sauce (or better still, Henderson’s Relish from Sheffield)

Do it!

1. In a heavy based saucepan or large frying pan, melt a good sized knob of butter in a splash of olive oil.
2. Add the sliced onions, season and fry gently for around 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from catching. Give this plenty of time to bring out the sweetness of the onions. If your pan has a lid, you can cover them for around 2/3 of the initial cooking. By the end they should be a golden brown colour.
3. If you were using a frying pan,when you are satisfied that they have had enough time, transfer the onions to a large saucepan.
4. Next add a good amount of balsamic vinegar – about 4 to 5 tablespoons, or enough to almost cover the onions. Turn up the heat immediately and boil until the vinegar has just about disappeared.
5. Add the stock, adjusting the quantity of the liquid depending on your preference of onion to liquid. Add a pinch of dried sage, cover and simmer, like you would any soup, for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the grill.
6. Do a final seasoning check on the soup and ladle it into heatproof bowls.
7. Rip up your crusty bread, float a nice big bit in each bowl and sprinkle with cheese.
8. Add a final flourish with a dash of Henderson’s (or Worcester sauce, if you must!) and place under the grill until the cheese is melted and turning brown (although mine didn’t!)
9. Enjoy a tasty winter warmer, courtesy of our friends across the Channel,

Up next…meat-a-balls!

Food Trends for 2010 December 21, 2009

Just a quick pointer to this (albeit American) predicative blog of food trends for next year from Epicurious.

I love that they predict that ‘Potlucks’ (I guess where people bring along a load of random ingredients and see what the chef/cook can come up with) will be the top ‘Entertaining Trend’. Have they never seen Ready Steady Cook?!!

You can see the predictions by clicking here.

Let’s see if they’re right in 2010…

Vienna Part 1 – A Day of Traditional Austrian Comfort Food December 9, 2009

Kaffee, kuchen, Christmas, glüwein,  composers, Kaiserschmarrn, punsch, hats, schnitzel, waltzes, clean public transport, surly waiters, classical architecture, markets, sausages….these are just a few of the thing that the Viennese do well.

Food in Vienna is hearty, sometimes stodgy, and just right for overcoming the cold winter temperatures as you hop from one warming punsch stall to the next. Influences range from the across former imperial territories and neighbours, blending ingredients and styles from Bohemia, Austria, Hungary and the Balkans. We by no means tried them all, but we had a go at a fair few!

We began, as all good Brits abroad should, with a pub meal. Beer is runs a close second to wine in importance to the Viennese. Many places that we might naively think of as Beer Kellars, are indeed Heuriger, dedicated more to wine drinking, and the city remains one of only a handful of European capitals to contain vineyards. The wine is commonly drunk here mixed with mineral water, as a refreshing g’spritzer.

Nevertheless, we were not in a true Heuriger, as the sign made clear:

The menu was traditional, but not tacky, with schnitzel, sausages and so on looking tempting as an opening taste of Vienna. However, I was intrigued by the mention of pork bowls in the Wiener Salonbeuschel, a traditional dish made with said bowls (?), a vegetable and herb sauce and a couple of obligatory dumplings. Of course, I had my suspicions that ‘bowls’ meant ‘bowels’, but roused by the beer I went for it. The waiter, who was quite pleasant by Viennese standards, looked a little worried and indicated that I was about to eat the insides of a pig (as indicated by a mime in which he slit his own belly). No long after though, he served the dish and very nice it was too: rich and filling with a great depth of flavour. Apparently there are many different variations on Salonbuschel, all of which involving offal of different kinds, so if you’re up for it and can get your hands on (in this case, although mine was pork) some veal lungs, you can find a recipe in English here…not sure you can get them at Sainsbury’s though.

Salonbeuschel: offally good

That evening, after a quick whizz around some Christmas markets, we had another traditional Austrian meal, this time in the Univerität Wien, where another market was happening outside and the restaurant was full, cosy and quite traditional. Here perhaps the most interesting dish was a clear beef broth in which floated thin slices of pancake – Rindsuppe mit Frittaten. The pancakes gave the broth a interesting sweet flavour and it was beautifully warming after the biting cold of a December evening.

Soup + Pancakes = Yum!

More comfort food was to follow, with a Schnitzel (which was not really up to scratch, according to our Austrian host) and an incredibly rich and succulent venison stew. The red wine sauce was deep and full of flavour and the meat was melt in the mouth. Naturally, this was served with a semolina dumpling, making pudding difficult (but not impossible) to contemplate.

Deer stew (and yet more dumpling)

Dessert is, more often than not, a real treat in Vienna, and we were faced with a plentiful selection of traditional delicacies to choose from. Even after the somewhat stodgy food of the day (and the numerous excellent beers that had now been demolished) we managed to get our teeth into two of Austia’s most famous puddings. The Apfelstrüdle (which if you think about it shows clear links to the Turkish baklava) was delightful. The fruit still had a firm enough texture to contrast with the pastry, whilst being cooked down enough to be super sweet. Meanwhile, the equally well-known Kaiserschmarrn gave us more pancakes, this time soft and fluffy with a delicious cranberry sauce.

Apple strudel

Kaiserschmarrn

Well and truly Perlooshed, we headed off to bed, becoming aware that traditional Viennese cuisine has numerous purposes – to deliver great flavours, both savoury and sweet; to combat the cold of winter in the city; to soak up the potentially large quantities of strong alcohol available;  and to perhaps keep pancake makers in business. However, we knew that we had to find room for more the next day, in particular the coffee, cakes and glüwein that was bound to feature heavily in our day…

Linguini Gamberi al Limone Cremoso (at least that’s what Google Translate said) November 27, 2009

Alright, it’s a posh Italian title, but it’s basically pasta, prawns and a silky carbonara-type lemon sauce. More importantly, it’s super quick and easy to make, and it’s really really tasty!

I reckon it took me about 15 minutes to throw together. If you’ve got prawns that are  pre-cooked, that’s OK, and if you wanted to you could happily substitute them for chicken or pork, or leave them out altogether for an even quicker meal.

I added courgette strips and experimented a bit with how to cut them. In the end it comes down to time. You can use coarsely  a speed peeler and get strips which you then slice into linguini sized lines. Alternatively, to save a few minutes, you can simply grate the courgette, trying to get the longest strips you can. I think it’s worth just squeezing a bit of the water out of these strips though, otherwise they tend to stick together a bit. Perhaps coating them in a tiny bit of olive oil might help this also? Ideas?

The egg yolk gives a richness to the sauce and cooks with the heat from the pan (a la carbonara) but isn’t essential.

So go on, crack a nice bottle of white, stick a candle on the table and impress the other half. Then get them to do the washing up….

Linguini Gamberi al Limone Cremoso

Serves 2

You’ll need

• 200g linguini (spaghetti’s OK too, of course!)
• 3 1/2 tbs creme fraiche (I used half fat, as I’m healthy – yeah)
• 1 courgette, cut/grated into strips (see above)
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 200g raw king prawns
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 egg yolk
• A handful of grated Italian cheese, such as parmesan, pecorino or gran padano
• Salt & freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil

Do it!

1. Get a large pan of water on the boil and season heavily with salt.
2. Check the timing instructions on the pasta and get it cooking in the water.
3. Place the egg yolk, creme fraiche, cheese,  and plenty of black pepper into a bowl and combine. Then mix in half of the lemon juice and half of the zest.
4. When the pasta has only 5 minutes to go, heat a glug of olive oil in a hot frying ban and saute the prawns. They should only take a minute or so on each side. Season them with salt and pepper and the chilli flakes as you go, and watch for them to turn pink.
5. Add the courgette strips and the rest of the lemon zest to the pan and cook for a further 30 seconds.
6. Using tongs or a spaghetti spoon, remove the pasta from the water (it should still have a little bit of bite to it) and add straight to the pan. Add a little bit of the salty water and the remaining lemon juice to loosen up the pasta and mix well with the contents of the pan.
7. Take the pan off the heat. As soon as the sizzling has stopped add the creme fraiche mixture and shake it into the pasta and prawns. There should be no lumps, so stir very gently if necessary.
8. Serve immediately – yum!

Hold the pesto, Giovanni! November 26, 2009

I have developed an affliction. Indeed I have developed a cruel affliction for someone who likes cooking and eating. No, I haven’t lost my tongue or been forced onto to a diet of shredded wheat and Pot Noodles. No, I haven’t been forced to cook on a ceramic hob at all times, been told to give up alcohol or – God forbid – lost my internet connection. Instead, I have discovered that I have an intolerance. Yep. Bad.

But…before you all shout back “I knew it all along,” and “that explains everything,” it’s not one of your new-aged diagnoses or intolerances, (where one pierces one’s elbow with a bee-sting, stands on a pebble for fifteen minutes and urinates the diagnosis onto rice paper before concluding that a wheat-free diet is in order). Rather boringly, I Googled it and found it straight away.

First, the symptoms (and they are grim, food lovers, believe me – although not in a toiletry way, so you can keep eating your lunch). After doing my friends at You Tuba a favour, by cooking for them at their recording session on Sunday, I noticed that my food began to taste funny. Not wanting to alarm the dozen or so people who had eaten my food, I kept it to myself. After no complaints from them I began to think that perhaps I’d burnt my tongue, or that my fillings were coming out. Indeed, the taste was pretty metallic and sour, as if I was slowly poisoning myself. Over the next few days this continued, and as I cooked and ate I checked that those cooking and eating with me weren’t experiencing the same thing. When it became clear that they weren’t I began to worry. Should I prepare myself for a massive toothache, go to the doctor, or maybe draw up a last will and testament? No, I decided. Google it was then…

The answer came pretty quickly, as it often does. Apparently, quite a few people have been getting this reaction, suffering a bitter taste when they eat or drink anything, even when they clean their teeth. According to various sources, this is getting more prevalent. Worryingly, it can last from between a few days and several weeks.

And the culprit? Pine nuts. Bloody pine nuts. Supposed to be good for you. Bah! I made and ate pesto on Thursday, and had a handful as a little graze on Friday. Damn it! They are off the menu!

Pine nuts = Pine Mouth. No thanks!

The reasons for this reaction, and it’s apparent growth in numbers worldwide, is unclear. It doesn’t seem to be an allergy and it might only come from certain batches (the Chinese have been implicated, but there is insufficient evidence). Needless to say, and especially with the festive season approaching, I’m pining for a return to normal…

Further reading on the great pine nut mystery!

• Why nuts leave a bitter taste
• The Great Pine Nut Mystery
• The Pine Nut Menace
• Taste disturbances after pine nut ingestion

Tagine of Lamb, Chestnuts, Saffron and Pomegranate November 24, 2009

It’s certainly getting wintery out there, and perhaps one of the most unlikely seasonal foods right now looks like it should adorn any self-respecting summer salad.

However, the pomegranate is apparently very much in it’s element at the moment. The sharpness of the seeds contrasts with the sweet sauce in this dish and the colours bring a reminder of summer to the otherwise wintery lamb and chest   nuts. Christmas in Morocco anyone?

By the way, the tagine as a cooking implement is by no means strictly necessary here, a large pan with a well fitted lid will do the trick.

Tagine of Lamb, Chestnuts, Saffron and Pomegranate

Serves 4

You’ll need

• 2 tbs butter or ghee
• 1kg diced lamb (I used shoulder, but leg is also good)
• 2 onions, chopped finely
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 250g peeled chestnuts (I roasted my own, but you can get them frozen or vacuum packed)
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1-2 tablespoons runny honey
• seeds of 1 pomegranate
• small bunch fresh mint leaves (chopped)
• small bunch fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
• Salt & pepper

Do it!

1. Heat the tagine/pan and add the ghee (or melt the butter)
2. Add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute until softened and coloured
3. Stir in the saffron, cinnamon and add the lamb
4. Pour in some water to almost cover the meat and bring to the boil
5. Once it’s boiling and smelling great, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about an hour
6. In this time you can roast your chestnuts for about 20 minutes in a hot oven (about 200 C) if you need to. Remember to put a little cross in the flat side of each chestnut with a small knife, or the lovely smells of your tagine will be accompanied by a version of the 21-gun salute!
7. After an hour of slow simmering, add your roasted and peeled chestnuts and stir in the honey.
8. Re-cover and cook gently for about 30 minutes more.
9. By now the meat should be lovely and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss in about half each of the pomegranate seeds (click here for the best way to deseed it), chopped coriander and chopped mint.
10. Sprinkle the remaining seeds and herbs over the top and serve with some fluffy, buttery couscous or some bread for mopping up.

Spicy Beans, Spinach and Courgette Ribbon Salad November 23, 2009

A vegetable peeler is a really nice way to do salad a bit differently, especially with courgettes, but what to put ‘em with? The ribbons are really good with a nicely seared tuna steak, or something more earthy, like these spicy beans. After all, everyone has an old tin of beans sitting at the back of the cupboard, don’t they?

Spicy Beans, Spinach and Courgette Ribbon Salad

Serves 2

You’ll need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1 galric clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 courgettes, sliced into ribbons with a veg speed peeler
• 200g spinach
• Salt & pepper
• 100g beans (tinned kidney beans/flageolet beans/berlotti beans, etc) rinsed and drained
• 1tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp chopped parsley to garnish

Do it!

1. Whisk 1tbsp of olive oil with the vinegar in a bowl.
2. Add the courgette ribbons, toss together to coat and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the chilli flakes, shallots, anchovies and garlic and fry until softened.
4. Add the spinach and beans and cook until the spinach has wilted and the beans are warmed through. Drain out any excess moisture and season, to taste, with freshly ground black pepper. It probably won’t need much salt, due to the anchovies, but taste to check.
5. Place the spicy beans and spinach onto a plate and arrange the courgette ribbons in a pile on top.

It’s a tasty lunch and pretty healthy at that. Enjoy!

There’s no such thing as a friendly in this game, Clive. November 20, 2009

*****Please note -this is not an exclusively sausage-based blog. No sir-ee. It just so happens it’s started that way. Vegetables will be present at a later stage. maybe even bread and cakes. Hmm, cakes……….*****

So all of the teams have now qualified for next year’s FIFA World Cup and will go into the hat for the draw next week.

Don’t worry, this hasn’t suddenly become a sports report, it’s just that this story reminded me of a conversation I overheard on the train down from the North-West last week. It was between two blokes – let’s call them Jonny (he looked like a Jonny, spelled like that too) and Dom (ditto).

It went (artistic license permitting) something along these lines:

Jonny: So what time shall we start it then?

Dom: I dunno. Around eight? It’s at yours right? On Tuesday?

Jonny: Yeah. Well, I guess it depends on when I can get the sausages.

Dom: Well, I’m bringing the Italian. I reckon I stand a fair chance.

Jonny: I’m representing home, although I might use some black pudding. That’s allowed right?

Dom: Will that be English or Scottish then?

Jonny: I think I’ll just be Britain, although I might take Wales out of the equation, cos Dave’s coming and he’ll undoubtedly bring something Welsh.

Dom: Do the Welsh do good sausages? I don’t fancy that.

Jonny: Well, if Dave comes he’ll bring those two girls, the Dutch one and the French one, so it’ll be well worth it. Miguel’s coming too, no doubt with some sort of chorizo. I’m not sure what Kingy’s bringing, being a Yank, or Su-Li for that matter. It’s shaping up to be a right little event, though.

Dom: Yeah man. Nice one. The Sausage World Championships. Brilliant. Can’t wait.

(Jonny’s phone rings. Much to the annoyance of most of the carriage)

Jonny (on the phone): Hey man. Yeah. Eight at mine on Tuesday….The Sausage World Champs…Yeah. Well, erm, ok. If you must. They’d better be good looking though. Right. Don’t give them tooooo much notice on the sausage-buying front though…or it’ll be all over before it’s started. Yeah. Cheers, man.

Dom: Who was that? Lloyd?

Jonny: Yeah. Shit. This is getting serious…he’s bringing some German girls.

Dom: Shit. Still, more sausages…

Now, this blog is by no means going to become sausage-centric (or even meat-focussed, for that matter), but  the tenuous fate of the home nations in the Sausage World Championships at Jonny’s house got me worried…thank goodness the footballers don’t go around boasting about how good their team’s sausages are…

Enough with the sausages! Where's the cake?

Grandma’s Sausage Casserole November 18, 2009

And so to begin in earnest with a question. How many sausages would you eat as ‘a portion’? Think on, think on… (and perhaps answer the poll?)

It seemed fitting that I started my recipe writing with one of the dishes that I clearly remember learning when I was young. Incidentally,  the other recipe I remember from my youth was learnt at school during a very brief stint in home economics when we weren’t colouring in pictures of ‘kitchen danger’ or  food group charts. Whilst everyone else in the class, without exception, did pastry-based pizza, I got all maverick with spaghetti bolognese. I’m sure it wasn’t the best, but even then I was proud to be a little more adventurous with my food.

My Grandma is a great cook, if finding it a little difficult to keep up with it these days. She taught me one that, between my sister and myself, has become a family legend. It’s simple, classic, amendable if necessary, and goes smashingly with an autumnal afternoon and creamy mash.

In terms of your sauce, you have more options. English pressed apple juice is great as it is less sweet, regular apple juice goes up one on the sweet scale, and cider can vary depending on what type you get. I told you it was adaptable…

Oh, and have you thought of your sausage-to-portion ratio yet? I’d go for three or four per person, but then I’m greedy, as you’ll see. Maybe two or three would suffice here, so eight to ten in all…

Grandma’s Sausage Casserole

Serves 4

You’ll need

• 8-10 of the best tasty sausages you can find – look out for a taste test on here one day soon (hmmmm….)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• Around 400ml apple juice/cider (see above). You may need more or less – use your judgement!
• 1 tsp whole grain mustard
• Dried sage and oregano, or just dried mixed herbs (or 8 or so leaves of fresh sage if available)
• Salt & pepper
• Cornflour or plain flour to thicken if necessary
• Olive oil

Do it!

1. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or pan (the heavier the base the better) and brown the sausages all over for about 4-5 minutes)
2. Push the sausages to one side and add the onion, frying it until soft.
3. Add the mustard and a good pinch of whatever dried herbs you fancy. Mixed herbs are OK, but sage is probably best. If you’re using fresh sage, fry it for a few seconds before you add the mustard, so as to release the flavour into the oil.
4. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Pour over the juice or cider to cover the sausages and bring to the boil.
6. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
7. Uncover for the last 5-7 until the sauce is thickened to your liking.
8. If the sauce is too runny, use a spoonful of liquid to mix with a little flour or cornflour and return to the casserole.
9. Season to taste and serve, giving yourself an extra sausage for the trouble!

 

A Quick Start…Free Lunch! November 18, 2009

By way of a test, and to get this party started, here’s a quick heads up for something going on…checks the time…later today in Soho…

FREE LUNCH for EVERYONE at Moolis (50 Frith St., Soho) on Wednesday 18 Nov, 12-2pm

Worth a look if you’re in the area, I suppose.

Perlooshed has begun! November 16, 2009

Perlooshed? That’s not a word!

That’s as maybe, but in my mother’s vernacular – although I don’t know how she’d spell it – it means full. Stuffed. No room for any more. So rammed full of food you’re ready to explode; which is, I think, a large part of what this blog is going to be about. I’d love to write about politics, maybe wry witty observations on the world, perhaps music and the latest trends, but no. I’m making a choice and I’m going down the food route.

As I see it -and as yet I’m by no means an avid reader of food blogs, although that may change – I hope to bring you a mix of recipes, reviews, thoughts and experiences. Mainly the first two though, as it means I’ll get to cook more, eat out more in London, and maybe even buy more kitchen gadgets to pack into my already overcrowded cupboards. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get perlooshed at some point…