I'm eating a Pot Noodle as I write this.
I've always wanted to start a blog post in that way! No, really - I am, though; I didn't just say it for effect. I'm two-thirds of the way through a Sweet and Spicy Pot Noodle. It's delicious!
There was a programme on TV a while ago in which the apple-cheeked presenter demonstrated how to create a homemade version of a pot noodle. It was essentially a pot with noodles in it, plus some vegetables and a bit of sauce, but she made it in five minutes (ie the time it would take to boil a kettle and follow the instructions on a shop-bought version).
Now, that's fine for her but I like Pot Noodles as they are! I don't want them to be healthier, tastier, more filling, etc - they're fine for me. I'm not even bothered about 'knowing exactly what I'm putting in my body' because, by the way, it really isn't a temple! I do a lot of my own cooking - as you've probably noticed - but sometimes I want convenience food and sometimes somebody else can do it better. There's a time and a place for everything!
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Let's have an apple party
It hardly seems any time since the last Apple Day at Audley End House. Nevertheless, it has come around again already - and this year filled a whole weekend.
I went along last Saturday to take part and to enjoy the lovely autumn weather. I also took along an apple from the tree in my garden and was reliably informed that it's a good, healthy example of an Egremont Russet! Good for eating or cooking lightly on a tart!
I think Apple Day, however predictable and samey, will remain a part of my yearly calendar because it seems perfectly to encapsulate the beginning of autumn. The trees at Audley End House fade and shed prettily and the ranks of apples, pears and vegetables sum up a bountiful English harvest.
I love each season when it arrives and walk around for a fortnight telling myself (and anyone else who'll listen) that it's my favourite. I think, however, autumn really is my favourite! All the nicest food seems to be in season and all the nicest colours abound. I'll try to stick to it this time and not have my head turned by the frost of winter or the first whiff of spring!
I went along last Saturday to take part and to enjoy the lovely autumn weather. I also took along an apple from the tree in my garden and was reliably informed that it's a good, healthy example of an Egremont Russet! Good for eating or cooking lightly on a tart!
I think Apple Day, however predictable and samey, will remain a part of my yearly calendar because it seems perfectly to encapsulate the beginning of autumn. The trees at Audley End House fade and shed prettily and the ranks of apples, pears and vegetables sum up a bountiful English harvest.
I love each season when it arrives and walk around for a fortnight telling myself (and anyone else who'll listen) that it's my favourite. I think, however, autumn really is my favourite! All the nicest food seems to be in season and all the nicest colours abound. I'll try to stick to it this time and not have my head turned by the frost of winter or the first whiff of spring!
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Celebrate in your own style
It's 'birthday weekend' among my friends, acquaintances and loved ones. So what should one cook to celebrate?
Well, in some cases you can do no better than ham, egg and chips with some English mustard. I do great fried eggs, too. We used to own a deep fryer and I made my own fat, crispy, delicious chips. I miss them, but I don't miss the whole house and all my clothes smelling of chip fat!
For some, the onion soup I made last weekend would be the perfect celebration treat. It's ridicuously easy, too - chop up three or four onions (a mixture of red and white), cook them softly in a saucepan for about 20 minutes so they're see-through and squishy rather than brown and crispy, then add a pint of beef stock and some seasoning and simmer it all for half an hour. And that's it! I also made massive Paris-style croutons with some French bread rings toasted with Emmental on top. Some people, however, find too many onions annoying ... so it's best to check with the birthday boy/girl first!
Some like a picnic and we're having some splendid weather at the moment, so it's ideal for finding a quiet spot outdoors and bringing some sandwiches, cakes or pork pies. The problem there is that all the 'quiet' spots are overrun with other people trying to enjoy the last (and indeed first) of the nice weather.
Many people have a sweet tooth and for them I'd recommend the low-fat apple cake with some lovely tea. One year, for my dad's birthday, I made some cappucino and espresso cupcakes. They're basic fairy cakes made with instant coffee powder mixed in, and topped with creamy toppings - chocolate-flavoured for the cappucino and vanilla for the espresso. I think they're from Nigella's Domestic Goddess book, or at least one of hers.
If it's your own birthday, though, and you don't fancy cooking (and can't find anyone else to cook for you), I'd recommend getting a massive curry from Tesco's Takeaway range. It's normally next to the deli counter with those ready-cooked chickens. Just shove it in the oven and eat it with loads of naan bread and some beer!
Happy birthdays.
Well, in some cases you can do no better than ham, egg and chips with some English mustard. I do great fried eggs, too. We used to own a deep fryer and I made my own fat, crispy, delicious chips. I miss them, but I don't miss the whole house and all my clothes smelling of chip fat!
For some, the onion soup I made last weekend would be the perfect celebration treat. It's ridicuously easy, too - chop up three or four onions (a mixture of red and white), cook them softly in a saucepan for about 20 minutes so they're see-through and squishy rather than brown and crispy, then add a pint of beef stock and some seasoning and simmer it all for half an hour. And that's it! I also made massive Paris-style croutons with some French bread rings toasted with Emmental on top. Some people, however, find too many onions annoying ... so it's best to check with the birthday boy/girl first!
Some like a picnic and we're having some splendid weather at the moment, so it's ideal for finding a quiet spot outdoors and bringing some sandwiches, cakes or pork pies. The problem there is that all the 'quiet' spots are overrun with other people trying to enjoy the last (and indeed first) of the nice weather.
Many people have a sweet tooth and for them I'd recommend the low-fat apple cake with some lovely tea. One year, for my dad's birthday, I made some cappucino and espresso cupcakes. They're basic fairy cakes made with instant coffee powder mixed in, and topped with creamy toppings - chocolate-flavoured for the cappucino and vanilla for the espresso. I think they're from Nigella's Domestic Goddess book, or at least one of hers.
If it's your own birthday, though, and you don't fancy cooking (and can't find anyone else to cook for you), I'd recommend getting a massive curry from Tesco's Takeaway range. It's normally next to the deli counter with those ready-cooked chickens. Just shove it in the oven and eat it with loads of naan bread and some beer!
Happy birthdays.
Monday, 1 September 2008
Brave old world
Inspired by patatas bravas
I've been a bit flakey lately, haven't I? Ooh, pasta's too hard! Potatoes: what are they like?! Oh, I love ham, me! Well, to make up for it, here's an actual recipe.
Before you all scream at me, I have no idea if this is authentic. I've based it on eating patatas bravas and improvising with ingredients I had around the house.
Firstly chop two large potatoes into small cubes (about an inch across, I suppose). There's no need to peel them first, really. Place them on a large baking tray and drizzle them with loads of olive oil, adding a good sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes initially.
After they've had a chance to start cooking, remove the baking tray and add a tin of tomatoes (I don't know quantities but one of the tall tins!). I normally use tinned cherry tomatoes because they burst in an appealing way. Also add a small sprinkle of chilli flakes, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a very small squeeze of tomato puree (I use sun-dried tomato puree but it probably doesn't make much difference!), a teaspoon of demerara sugar and a roughly-chopped red onion. Return the whole thing to the oven for about half an hour until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and the tomato sauce has thickened.
I would normally eat masses of this with a tortilla and a bit of ham, in which case this amount serves only two of us. If you're eating it as 'proper tapas', however, it would probably constitute at least four portions.
Oh, and have red wine with it!
I've been a bit flakey lately, haven't I? Ooh, pasta's too hard! Potatoes: what are they like?! Oh, I love ham, me! Well, to make up for it, here's an actual recipe.
Before you all scream at me, I have no idea if this is authentic. I've based it on eating patatas bravas and improvising with ingredients I had around the house.
Firstly chop two large potatoes into small cubes (about an inch across, I suppose). There's no need to peel them first, really. Place them on a large baking tray and drizzle them with loads of olive oil, adding a good sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes initially.
After they've had a chance to start cooking, remove the baking tray and add a tin of tomatoes (I don't know quantities but one of the tall tins!). I normally use tinned cherry tomatoes because they burst in an appealing way. Also add a small sprinkle of chilli flakes, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a very small squeeze of tomato puree (I use sun-dried tomato puree but it probably doesn't make much difference!), a teaspoon of demerara sugar and a roughly-chopped red onion. Return the whole thing to the oven for about half an hour until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and the tomato sauce has thickened.
I would normally eat masses of this with a tortilla and a bit of ham, in which case this amount serves only two of us. If you're eating it as 'proper tapas', however, it would probably constitute at least four portions.
Oh, and have red wine with it!
Friday, 29 August 2008
Fighting with ham
Serrano ham is one of my favourite types of food. Whenever I've got a trip to Spain on the horizon I find myself becoming more excited about the good ham I'm going to get than I am about anything else!
There's one particular delicatessen in Tarifa, which is imaginatively called The Delicatessen. It serves and sells a fine selection of ham, including some of the best Pata Negra I've ever tasted.
It's harder to get good ham in England, I've discovered, but some delis and tapas bars have the proper stuff available. Tesco's finest Serrano ham is pretty good, too.
Earlier this week I made a tapas-style dinner with some ham, tortilla and patatas bravas. On the same evening we watched the film Jamon, Jamon - subtitled 'a tale of ham and passion'. It was, unsurprisingly, a ham-based film and added significantly to my enjoyment of dinner!
There's one particular delicatessen in Tarifa, which is imaginatively called The Delicatessen. It serves and sells a fine selection of ham, including some of the best Pata Negra I've ever tasted.
It's harder to get good ham in England, I've discovered, but some delis and tapas bars have the proper stuff available. Tesco's finest Serrano ham is pretty good, too.
Earlier this week I made a tapas-style dinner with some ham, tortilla and patatas bravas. On the same evening we watched the film Jamon, Jamon - subtitled 'a tale of ham and passion'. It was, unsurprisingly, a ham-based film and added significantly to my enjoyment of dinner!
Sunday, 24 August 2008
What does the baked potato say?
Apparently if you eat the skin of a jacket potato, worms will grow out of your face. Or so I'm told, anyway.
A slightly more plausible fable is that a jacket potato is the healthy or low-fat option, but it's a fable nonetheless. I guess this would be true if we all ate baked potatoes as they come out of the oven, but we don't. Hands up who adds butter, some kind of butter substitute, cheese, mayonnaise or something else? Hmm - forest of hands!
I'm not trying to suggest that jacket potatoes are bad - in fact they're delicious and I'd recommend a huge pile of grated cheese and some black pepper on top, personally! I'm just saying that a plate of oven chips or some homemade potato wedges (with the skin left on, baked in a little bit of olive oil) is probably lower fat in the long run.
A slightly more plausible fable is that a jacket potato is the healthy or low-fat option, but it's a fable nonetheless. I guess this would be true if we all ate baked potatoes as they come out of the oven, but we don't. Hands up who adds butter, some kind of butter substitute, cheese, mayonnaise or something else? Hmm - forest of hands!
I'm not trying to suggest that jacket potatoes are bad - in fact they're delicious and I'd recommend a huge pile of grated cheese and some black pepper on top, personally! I'm just saying that a plate of oven chips or some homemade potato wedges (with the skin left on, baked in a little bit of olive oil) is probably lower fat in the long run.
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Not al my dentes
I had a thought the other night (I had been drinking ...): good restaurants should ask how you'd like your pasta cooked in the same way as they'd ask about meat!
Chefs always rave on about how pasta should be al dente - I saw Gordy on TV just the other day ripping seven shades out of some poor restaurateur in Spain because his penne was too mushy. But is it not down to personal choice?
I don't really like it al dente. That's just uncooked in my opinion and I don't like the feel of it. For me, that's the same as finding a hard, glassy bit in the middle of your baked potato or a still-chilly pea among your petit pois. Would it be so challenging to give me a choice? After all, I know that fillet steak tastes far better cooked rare, but if I were a chef I'd still have to give paying customers the chance to have it incinerated and leathery!
Or am I mad?
Chefs always rave on about how pasta should be al dente - I saw Gordy on TV just the other day ripping seven shades out of some poor restaurateur in Spain because his penne was too mushy. But is it not down to personal choice?
I don't really like it al dente. That's just uncooked in my opinion and I don't like the feel of it. For me, that's the same as finding a hard, glassy bit in the middle of your baked potato or a still-chilly pea among your petit pois. Would it be so challenging to give me a choice? After all, I know that fillet steak tastes far better cooked rare, but if I were a chef I'd still have to give paying customers the chance to have it incinerated and leathery!
Or am I mad?
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