Sunday 20 January 2013

Trying out my new recipe book

Do you remember that 'Chris Tarrant's funny or culturally-different TV adverts' (probably not real title ...) show from the 80s? In almost every episode the had the man who was meant to say 'mamma mia, that's a spicy meatball' in a cod Italian accent but, for some reason, got it wrong about 17 times.

Anyway, before Venice and Polpo, that was my main cultural reference for meatballs. That and some Italian New Yorker called Tony (Soprano, Manero, etc) saying 'nobody makes meatballs as good as you, ma' as they twirled spaghetti round their fork in a gangsterish way.

In the now-famous Venice bacari Alla Vedova they serve delicious dry meatballs, lightly covered in breadcrumbs, that you pick up with a napkin and nibble (or snarf down) standing at the bar. Do Mori serves smaller meatballs in sauce on toothpicks. In London's Polpo there's a selection of meatballs in sauce - with pasta, on their own with bread or 'smashed' in a bread wrap.

Armed with my new Polpo recipe book I set out to make the pork and fennel meatballs, expecting partial success paired with a new urge to visit the restaurant for the real thing. But I was very pleasantly surprised to find them easy to make and hearteningly similar to the restaurant version.















It's just an assembly job - pork mince, toasted fennel seeds (not too many), breadcrumbs, seasoning and egg, mixed together and divided into balls. Start cooking them in the oven for 10 minutes, then poach in tomato sauce for 10 minutes. The book does include a recipe for making tomato sauce, but I used good-quality shop-bought passata. And that's it - really, that's all. Serve 3 per person with some kind of bread and either a green salad or Polpo's lovely runner bean salad recipe.

Yum, eh?

Friday 18 January 2013

My favourite food and drink in 2012

I'm not a huge fan of retrospectives or of summing up an event/time period past, but I do love a list. And I didn't blog a lot last year so I owed you (the Blasters) an update.

So here's my favourite food and drink related experiences from 2012 - restaurants, recipes and new finds.

1. Polpo

Ok, so I truly discovered the Polpo way in 2011. My trip to Venice wouldn't have been anywhere near as good without Russell Norman's guide to the bars and eateries that inspired him to open Polpo. But in 2012 a new branch appeared in Smithfield, a stone's throw from where I work. A colleague and I went for opening day and enjoyed far more half-price food than we should have done! Polpo has been my go-to restaurant on so many occasions this last year - pre-theatre, lunch with friends, no-fuss dinners. I'm a huge fan - I've even got the recipe book and the badge (no, really, I've got a badge!).

2. Ginger shandy in Tobago

The food is, on the whole, good in Tobago. It's plentiful, flavoursome and fuss-free. But my outstanding flavour memory from my time there is ginger shandy - ice cold bottles of the local lager (Carib) flavoured with ginger. It goes perfectly with fish, spicy chicken, sun and Caribbean views. PS: if anyone knows where I can buy it in England, please let me know.

3. Creamy lentils

I've never really eaten lentils much before, certainly never cooked with them. But in 2012 I spotted a recpie for creamy lentils that looked worth a try, and it has become a bit of an obsession since. It's incredibly easy: fry an onion or shallot in a little oil, add some puy lentils and stir them around a bit, add stock, put a lid on it and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked (or for as long as the packet says). At the last minute, stir in a spoonful of creme fraiche and some herbs. It makes a great dinner paired with sausages, salmon fillets, chicken breasts ... There may be many others but they haven't been discovered (a prize for anyone who identifies the last quotation there).

4. Meze in Istanbul

It's common to find pretty bad food in big, touristy cities. But if you know where to look, there's amazing food too. Istanbul is particularly good at 'knowing what's expected of it' - hence lots of trad-modern mezze places, particularly hidden away in the Beyoglu district. We particularly enjoyed Antiochia for divine meze with a good selection of wine. I seem to remember the puddings weren't great, but who cares when you could have more delicious bread and houmus instead?

5. Cocktail tasting in Edinburgh

Ah, Edinburgh. How you seduce me. The perfect blend of traditional old-world and modern, bustling city with eating and drinking places to match. On both visits we've stopped off in the bar of The Balmoral hotel, one of the most iconic and well-known buildings in the city (right by Waverley station). Their cocktail tasting menu is a ridiculously wonderful idea - a whole five-course menu of cocktails, for around £30. So you can begin with an amuse bouche of rhubarb liqueur with elderflower, then move onto an elegant and clever martini for the main course. It's a great way to spend the evening.

And the best of the rest ...

6. Aperol spritz

Another Venice legacy - buy a bottle of Aperol and follow the instructions on the back to make the perfect spritz. Enjoy it in your garden with some almonds and a book.

7. Skylon

The huge restaurant in the Southbank Centre  is a great place to eat before a show at the Royal Festival Hall. The food is good, service impeccable, window seats pretty peaceful and the prices lower than you'd expect.

8. Bishopsgate Kitchen

A cute little place just over the road from Liverpool Street station, Bishopsgate Kitchen is great when your train has been delayed and you just want some homely, simple food. Have the sea bass with lentils!

9. Polish wedding

If you ever get invited to a wedding in Poland, remember to pack your appetite. We'd read the funny anecdotes before we went, but we still weren't prepared for the mountain of food we were expected to eat. My highlight: at about midnight a waiter offered me a huge bowl of stroganoff. As if the mountains of canapes, two-course meal, buffet and generous slice of wedding cake wouldn't see me through.

10. Heston from Waitrose

I'm no longer a Heston sceptic. This range is amazing, particularly the Ras-el-Hanout nut mix and the salted caramel popcorn. And remember the spiced pastry mince pies for next Christmas!

Get updates from me: