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    Bibimbap

    31 August 2020 - By 

    Oof this is a lot of prep.. But so so good. An hour into the prep of this I resolved that I was quite OK leaving it to restaurants and takeaway. A few bites into eating this I had reversed that resolve and would have been quite happy march back into the kitchen and prep it all over again. Used smoked mackerel in place of beef, marinated in the seasoning for a few hours then sautéed for a few minutes to bake the seasoning sticky. I also fried some of the rice to simulate the crispy rice at the bottom…

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    Thai Fried Chicken Wings

    18 August 2020 - By 

    Very good, arguably better the day after cold or heated. I would be a little more careful with the oil temperature to reduce the colour a little. Also, I’d contemplate using a wet batter rather than a dry one, for a better coating. However it may be more my technique that needs reflection. From KD III, pg. 454

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    Gnocchi

    3 July 2020 - By 

    Really rather good, and making gnocchi is not at all an arse, which was surprising. Much more straight forward than making good pasta. With the foresight to bake some potatoes the day before this is quite achievable mid-week. The accompanying meal is little more than fry with peas and dragon with salt, pepper and lemon. Finish with parmasan But it works damn well. From Gordon Ramsey – Ultimate Cooking Course, pg. 150

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    Eggs kagiana

    3 July 2020 - By 

    This is spectacular, honestly just delicious and super quick. I’ll say that, but for future reference please do bear in mind that my version here was, by necessity, quite modified from the one in the recipe. Finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in place of grated fresh tomatoes. Idiazabal cheese (like an intense cheddar, or a solidified form of the cheesy power at the end of a packet of Whotsits; slightly smokey but not smoked cheese that is my favourite new discovery of recent weeks) instead of feta. Added slices of chorizo and meaty gordano olives, which does not have an equivalent……

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    Tuna steak with Tomatoes and Olives

    3 July 2020 - By 

    The real recipe here is for the sauce, which turned out to be a great, simple and fresh sauce that in the processor develops a creamy texture.  Works well for fish and salad, probably chicken also. The tuna steaks we bought here were a little stingy, given the price. But of good quality.  Cooked on the BBQ for a few minutes each side. From Claudia Roden – The Food of Italy, pg. 343

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    Fish Pie

    27 June 2020 - By 

    We have sauce! Excellent fish pie, better that the previous attempts even without the topping of cheese.  The wonderful sauce spilling out from beneath the potato is joy after two prior failed attempts. The noilly prat, or rather the extra dry Martini that I used here, is a lovely addition. Though I note I wager it would be possible to use a dry sherry if that’s all that was available. I feel like it’s not the last word on the potatoes, regardless, they were damn good, but perhaps a little more dense than is perfect.  Possibly attributable to the desiree…

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    Cheat’s chicken shawarma

    27 June 2020 - By 

    Excellent, although not a single one these 10 minute meals is achievable in that time, and at least one (Cornershop noodles) is both time comparatively consuming and unpleasant.  But this one is particularly good, and although 10 minutes isn’t going to happen, it is not too bad on time. Mixed tahini with yoghurt and added preserved lemons, both additions really finish it off and I wouldn’t do without some variation of the same. From https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/may/14/its-about-time-10-meals-that-take-10-minutes-and-10-that-take-10-hours

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    Pork shoulder with citrus, maple and pomegranate sauce

    27 June 2020 - By 

    Also home made white bread. Not the original dish that we used, but a wonderful leftovers creation that made the best of slightly dry meat. Not totally certain why it end up a little dry, there was a period in the middle where I took the meat out for a period so I could use the oven for the bread you see here, and there were some problems with accidentally turning the oven off for a period afterwards… I wouldn’t have guessed that this would be the cause, but perhaps it was. Dry though it was, it was still tasty.…