Category: salad

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Swedish Style Steak & Fries

In September I was attending a conference and meeting at Luleå in Sweden. I have never visited Sweden before, so was looking forward to going. The journey took some planning, in the end it was more efficient to travel from London Heathrow, have a layover in Stockholm and then fly up to Luleå. Having had a great time in Luleå I made my way home. The flight from Luleå to Stockholm was fine, I then made my way to the departure gate for my flight to Heathrow. 

However…

This was the day that the air traffic control system at Heathrow failed and over a thousand flights were cancelled.

My flight was that evening, and I think SAS thought they might be able to take off, however in the end that was not to be the case. With the number of cancellations, the earliest flight SAS could rebook me onto was three days later. So, SAS booked me a hotel for three days. I now had three unplanned extra days in Sweden.

The hotel that SAS booked me into was in Sollentuna. Not knowing Stockholm, when SAS gave me a choice of hotels I wasn’t clear where they were, so just chose the first one. The Sandic Star Sollentuna was in fact a really nice hotel and I had a room with an extra living room space as well. The restaurant was nice and served a good breakfast and there was a nice choice of meals from the menu in the evening.

I arrived too late for dinner on the first night I was at the hotel. On the second night I went with the Swedish beef with grilled broccolini, tomato salad, choron sauce, and parmesan-tossed French fries.

I thought it looked really nice. It was rather good. I enjoyed the salad and the steak. I wasn’t asked how I wanted my steak cooked, but it wasn’t over cooked. It may have needed some extra resting time, but it was tender and had a good flavour. I am not sure the fries needed the parmesan. The salad was one of the best parts of this dish. It was fresh and I liked the addition of the thinly sliced radish. The choron sauce, a classic French “daughter” sauce made by adding tomato purée to a traditional Béarnaise sauce base was a nice addition.

Overall a very nice plate of food.

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Tricolour Tomato and Burrata Salad

I really like this simple salad of fresh Italian burrata cheese with tomatoes. 

Tricolour Tomato and Burrata Salad

For this salad I took a selection of tomatoes I had in the fridge. They were from The Heritage Tomato Collection, a box of tomatoes I had got from Waitrose.

Sweet Rich Juicy Aromatic Vibrant Fresh. A Carefully Curated Range of Heritage Tomatoes. Bringing Back that Real Tomato Taste. Discover our carefully curated range of heritage tomatoes, grown in the UK for exceptional flavour and authenticity. Our selection changes throughout the season, ensuring you receive the freshest varieties at their peak. Each mix is chosen to celebrate the diversity, colour and rich taste that heritage tomatoes are known for.

I took three different colours of tomatoes, sliced and the dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.

Burrata is an exquisite Italian fresh cheese with a unique texture. It starts with a pouch of fresh mozzarella, which is then filled with a rich, creamy mixture of stracciatella—shredded mozzarella curds and cream. The name “burrata” comes from the Italian word for “buttered,” which perfectly describes its luxurious consistency. When sliced open, the firm outer shell gives way to a soft, spilling interior. This creates a delightful contrast between the solid exterior and the milky, buttery filling.

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Mozzarella, tomato and pistachio salad

This was a quick and simple salad I made. I took some Dolce Romana lettuce leaves and some sliced heritage tomatoes. I then added some ripped mozzarella before topping with pistachio nuts. I dressed the salad with olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

I do like the Dolce Romana lettuce from Marks and Spencers, it has a great flavour and texture. It has echoes of romaine lettuce, but has more crunch and is sweeter. I quite like nuts in my salads, these were ready shelled pistachio nuts.

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Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Made myself a simple tomato and mozzarella salad. Took some sliced tomatoes and interleaved them with slices of a mozzarella ball. Alongside I added some shredded lettuce and more slices of tomato. I dressed the salad with salt, pepper, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and shredded basil leaves.

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Another burrata and tomato salad

I really like this simple salad of fresh Italian burrata cheese with tomatoes. 

burrata and tomato salad

For this salad I took a selection of tomatoes I had in the fridge. This was some small cherry tomatoes, a few Isle of Wight heirloom tomatoes I had left over from a punnet I had bought at M&S, and a couple of Isle of Wight tiger tomatoes that I bought from Dart’s Farm.

These I sliced, some into halves, others into slices. I surround the drained burrata cheese. The salad is then dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.

After photographing the salad, I added some torn basil leaves.

Burrata is an exquisite Italian fresh cheese with a unique texture. It starts with a pouch of fresh mozzarella, which is then filled with a rich, creamy mixture of stracciatella—shredded mozzarella curds and cream. The name “burrata” comes from the Italian word for “buttered,” which perfectly describes its luxurious consistency. When sliced open, the firm outer shell gives way to a soft, spilling interior. This creates a delightful contrast between the solid exterior and the milky, buttery filling.

Delicious 

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Burrata and tomato salad

Burrata and tomato salad

I really like this simple salad of fresh Italian burrata cheese with tomatoes. 

I take a selection of tomatoes, I really like the Isle of Wight Heirloom Tomatoes that you can get in some supermarkets. These I slice thinly. I surround the drained burrata cheese. The salad is then dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.

Sometimes I use a balsamic glaze instead of the white wine vinegar. Another option is the addition of torn fresh basil leaves to the salad. I always tear up my basil leaves ever since seeing Jamie Oliver on a TV advertisement saying they should be torn and not cut. Still don’t know if that’s right, or that was just a Jamie Oliver thing… I am sure I have seen Gordon Ramsey chop up basil with a knife.

Burrata is an exquisite Italian fresh cheese with a unique texture. It starts with a pouch of fresh mozzarella, which is then filled with a rich, creamy mixture of stracciatella—shredded mozzarella curds and cream. The name “burrata” comes from the Italian word for “buttered,” which perfectly describes its luxurious consistency. When sliced open, the firm outer shell gives way to a soft, spilling interior. This creates a delightful contrast between the solid exterior and the milky, buttery filling.

Delicious.

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Mexican Style Salad Bowl

Mexican Style Salad Bowl

This salad bowl was from Aldi and cost £1.39. As well as mixed leaves there was shredded carrot and beetroot. The salad comes with a (quite a) spicy sachet of mayonnaise. I mixed mine with some “normal” mayonnaise. I then dressed the salad with the accompanying mini tortilla chips. It was a quick and tasty salad.

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Grilled Pork Cutlet

Milton Hill House

I was in Oxfordshire for work, attending a conference in Oxford. I booked to stay in the Milton Hill House hotel close to Abingdon. I would then catch the Park & Ride into the heart of Oxford for the event.

I had dinner in the hotel, and for my main course I went with the grilled pork cutlet. This was served with salad and chips.

Grilled Pork Cutlet

The plate was served, so I dug in. The pork cutlet was cooked well, it was nice and tender. Wasn’t too sure about the butter it was dressed with, I am guessing it was a garlic and herb butter. For another £3 I could have had a sauce, I always think this is a bit of a scam. If your cutlet (or steak) needs a sauce, then serve a sauce with it. The rind on the cutlet was just chewy and not really edible. I am not sure if the cooking method would actually make it crispy. I would have removed it to be honest.

The dressed salad was nothing to write home about, but it was fresh and zingy. These were described as chips, and these were chips. Crispy on the outside and, for and fluffy on the inside.

In summary it was a nice plate of food. Though it did get me thinking about other pork chops I have had in the past.

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The place with no name

Popped out at lunchtime for a walk. I went down the Welsh Back before heading to St Nick’s to grab some lunch. I had seen the list for Finzel Reach and there wasn’t anything I wanted, well I would have had the bento box from She Sells Streetfood, but I have had that a lot recently. So, I looked over what was available in St Nick’s. I was tempted by Portuguese Taste, as I haven’t eaten there in a while. I was also hoping that Low & Slow would have some decent brisket. They didn’t. What was I going to do?

Opposite the infamous Matina stall in St Nick’s market is a relatively new stall in the main sells lamb shawarma in various ways. The signage says Kurdish Bread, but I know that was there for a while before the lamb shawarma came along. 

Looking for some lunch I decided I would try them out, I went with the lamb shawarma box, which comes with the grilled lamb shawarma and a range of salads.

There was a lot of nice salad in the box. The lamb was tender and tasty as well.