Where we go…

The blog is back up and running after my hosting service moved their servers from the UK to Germany!

Apologies for those who were trying to access the blog.

We’re back…

Cheeseburger

Well not sure that was such a good idea.

On the train (a First Great Western high speed train) and decided to have something to eat from the buffet car and ordered a cheeseburger…

Hmmm, well that was not such a good idea.

It was not very nice and rather salty as well (contained nearyl 5g of salt, when you consider that your recommended daily allowance is 6g then that’s a lot of salt).

It reminded me of the burgers I use to make and sell at Travellers Fare Buffet back in the late 1980s… so things haven’t changed much!

Fancy a bit of squirrel?

So there I was driving to Bristol on the A38 when I pasted Taste. I decided to pop in and see what was available.

As well as all the nice fish and deli stuff on sale, the butcher’s counter was selling squirrel for £2.90 ($5.80).

Hmmm.

Decided it wasn’t for me.

It’s not  as though I am not willing to try new foods, I remember eating octopus in Venice once and alligator in an Old Orleans restaurant in York back in the early 1990s.

However squirrel did not appeal.

Probably because I think of squirrels as just rats with good PR and I don’t think I want to eat rat!

Cup of coffee? That will be £50 please.

Fancy a cup of coffee at Peter Jones in Sloane Square, well it could cost you £50 ($100).

The BBC reports:

A gourmet coffee blended from animal droppings is being sold at a London department store for £50 per cup.

Jamaican Blue Mountain and the Kopi Luwak bean are used to create Caffe Raro which is thought to be the most expensive cup of coffee in the world.

Kopi Luwak beans are eaten, then passed, by the cat-like Asian palm civet, and sell for £324 a kilogram.

Not sure I fancy a cup even if I could afford the £50 price.

Asparagus Quiche

As I was making this asparagus quiche, it occurred to me that I hadn’t ever made a quiche before.

Asparagus Quiche

So this is my first quiche.

I was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe I saw on his At Home series, though this is not quite the same as he used potatoes in his.

First I cooked the pastry case blind, I will admit to using ready made pastry; well it is easier and faster at times.

Once this has cooled, in a pan I cooked some onions off.

These were then placed in the pastry case.

I then in a jug, mixed four eggs, some cream and a splash of milk.

This I poured into the pastry case.

I then added some cooked asparagus.

I then placed the quiche in the oven, and topped up the egg mixture (which I may have spilt if I did this before I popped it into the oven).

The quiche is then baked in the oven until the egg has set and has gone slightly brown.

Help, we need somebody…

BBC reports on how Starbucks is trying to get its customers to come up with fresh ideas.

Coffee chain giant Starbucks is hoping its loyal customers may be able to brew up the bright ideas to help turn around its struggling fortunes.

The company recently launched a website offering its US customers the chance to pitch ideas for how the firm can improve its stores and operations.

Here’s some free advice Starbucks…

Make better coffee, nicer environments and lower your prices.

Oh and free wireless wouldn’t go amiss either!

Illy

Illy Coffee

Listening to Windows Weekly last week I was reminded by Leo Laport on how good Illy coffee is.

When I use to visit Italy a lot I would always try and ensure that the coffee I drank when out and about was Illy.

Even today when looking for coffee, if I see an Illy sign, I make a beeline for that cafe over any other.

Today when we have coffeeshops on every corner, we sometimes forget when we pay £2 ($4) a cup that really we should expect not any old coffee in that cup, but a really good cup of coffee.

I keep meaning to buy some Illy for my espresso machine, but in the meantime I have been using Percol’s organic freetrade coffee instead, which I also enjoy.




Pasta Salad

I do like a nice pasta salad, especially as it can be eaten instead of bread and adds some substance to a salad based meal.

The problem I have with some you can buy is that they are either too salty or too wet! So where possible I try and make my own.

This is a very simple recipe and you can adjust quantities to taste, how much you want, how much you have in the fridge.

Pasta Salad

Cook some pasta.

You can use any pasta, but have been using and prefer De Cecco’s Fusilli.

While the pasta is cooking, in a frying pan add some olive oil and then add onions and red pepper. After that has cooked for a while add some mushrooms.

Ensure that they are cooked through, add some freshly chopped parsley and turn off the heat.

Now you could add the pepper and mushrooms raw, but I prefer to have them cooked.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and then to stop it cooking further and to cool it down rinse well with cold water.

Put the cooked pasta in a bowl, add a splash of olive oil for flavour and to stop it sticking. Note always add oil to cooked and drained pasta to stop it sticking. Adding it the boiling water does not do this as the oil floats on the top of the water.

To the cooked pasta add some mayonnaise and some creme frache.

Then add the cooked mixture.

Stir with a spoon until the rice and cooked mixture is evenly coated. As with a lot of salads though you could serve this straight away, it will improve if you leave it in the fridge for a few hours.

Excellent.

Make your own margarine…

BBC News has an interesting article on the wartime diet.

Get a pint of milk and half a teaspoon of salt, put them in a pan and bring to the boil. Add three tablespoons of corn flour, mix to a paste and boil again until stiff.

Nella Last’s recipe for home-made margarine might not get people’s taste buds salivating these days but in 1943 it was considered “amazingly good”, according to her diary.

Would you believe Nella?

Cooking Fajita

I do like Mexican and Tex-Mex food, don’t know how authentic my versions are, partly as all I have to compare is with various restaurants I have been to and in the main as I have not been to Mexico!

However the other day I did cook some steak fajita.

I use a hot griddle and get it nice and hot, I don’t oil the pan, I oil the meat.

With the steak, I cut into slices and then mix with some oil and some Cajun spices.

The steak is then placed and cooked on the hot griddle.

After a few minutes I add the onion and pepper (though this time I had no pepper).

Once the steak and onion (and pepper) is cooked, serve.

Fajita

I serve with warm flour tortillas, hot salsa, sour cream and guacamole.