Time for a coffee

July 30, 2011

Scrambled Egg on Bagel

A nice simple breakfast that I have now and again is scrambled egg on toasted bagel.

I take a small pan, and turn the heat on. I add a small knob of butter and let that melt.

I slice a fresh bagel and place it in the toast.

I beat two eggs in a cup and pour it into the pan. I don’t add water or milk.

I then push the toaster down.

The way I cook the eggs, is once the bagels are down in the toaster, I stir the eggs with a fork. After about a minute I change over to a spoon. You probably could use a spoon from the start, but as I used a fork to beat the eggs in the cup, that’s what I usually start with!

The key is to keep the heat low to medium or you may find that you have a scrambled omelette rather than scrambled eggs. I then use the spoon to “scrape” the cooked egg from the bottom of the pan, which is then replaced by the liquid egg.

At the point the bagels pop up in the toaster generally the eggs are done. They will keep cooking even after the heat is turned off, but you can use this to your advantage to finish cooking the eggs. You need to be careful not to overcook the eggs as they will become rubbery.

I don’t generally butter the bagels and they don’t really need it. Add some freshly ground black pepper and you’re done!

July 29, 2011

Lamb Kebab Baguette

The last time I went to Caffe Gusto at the Mall I was impressed with the quality of the food and friendly staff. Back then I ordered I ordered the Shish Kebab in Pitta Bread with an Americano.

The lamb was reasonably tender, nicely cooked and well flavoured. The fries were really nice and the salad was fresh. Overall I had an excellent meal and was pleased with what I had. I would go again.

So when I was at the Mall recently and looking to get some lunch I decided once more to go to Caffe Gusto. This time I ordered the Shish Kebab in a Baguette with an Americano.

The lamb again was cooked nicely and was tender. As before the fries were nice and the salad fresh. However I don’t think the dish really worked for me, but that wasn’t the fault of Caffe Gusto, more mine for ordering what I did. I think the problem was that the baguette was quite crusty and as a result the lamb fell out as I ate it. Might have been okay with the bread on the side, but as a sandwich type meal it didn’t work. So if you are going to order this dish, go for pitta bread and don’t go for the baguette!

July 28, 2011

Quick Roast Chicken

I do enjoy roast chicken, but sometimes I don’t have the time to roast a whole chicken.

When time is against me I will roast legs and thighs, which can be done in under half the time.

I do like to roast my chicken with “stuff”, usually onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and other things I can find in the fridge.

Why legs and thighs?

Well I find that the meat on these cuts of chicken are full of flavour compared to chicken breast.

After the chicken is cooked, I usually remove the chicken from the roasting pan, let it sit for a while. In the meantime I add cubes of bread to the roasting pan. These soak up the juices and crisp up, a great accompaniment to the chicken.

Alongside my roast chicken we had roast potatoes and steamed green vegetables.

The courgette was home grown and tasted great.

July 27, 2011

At the Hut

Pizza Hut is not my first choice for pizza, but on my most recent I did quite enjoy the pizza we ordered.

We went with the Best Ever Supreme on a thin Italian base. It came with chicken, black olives, beef, pepperoni, red onions and mixed peppers.

Now if you are expecting classic Italian pizza, then you are in the wrong place, this is Pizza Hut and not a traditional trattoria or ristorante.

The pizza was cooked well and the toppings were just right, not over generous and not measly either. Most of the toppings were fine, though the black olives were a little disappointing.

I enjoyed the pizza and would, if I was at Pizza Hut, order it again.

July 26, 2011

Salad Bar

On a recent visit to Pizza Hut I was once more disappointed with the salad bar. Credit to Pizza Hut in that they are currently giving away unlimited salad if you order a main course, so maybe I am been slightly disingenuous as the salads are free.

Yes there was lettuce, but it was iceberg lettuce. Yes there was cucumber, but it was thick chunks rather than slices. No tomatoes though… The coleslaw was okay, however the potato salad lacked texture and bite.

I think part of my disappointment is the result of a memory from the early 1990s when I visited a branch of the Deep Pan Pizza company and on their salad bar they had chicken wings, fresh pineapple slices and a fantastic range of salads.

Of course as Deep Pan Pizza closed in 1998 there is no chance of visiting them again!

July 25, 2011

British Beef Steak with a Peppercorn Sauce

The other day I posted a blog post about a steak with a peppercorn sauce. One of the reasons I cooked that dish was because a few days earlier we had eaten the Waitrose Easy To Cook version.

The Waitrose version says

British beef steaks with a creamy smooth peppercorn sauce made with roast shallots, brandy and pink peppercorns.

That did sound quite nice when I read the packet and at £4.49 wasn’t a bad price either.

Having cooked the steak according to the instructions I served it with some sautéed mushrooms, steamed vegetables and oven roasted tomatoes on the vine.

The instructions were quite simple, cook the steak, remove from the pan, add the sauce and pour the sauce over the steak.

So what were they like?

Well it certainly wasn’t horrible, it did taste okay.

However at £4.49 you can’t expect the steak to be top quality sirloin, fillet or ribeye, and it wasn’t. It was quite a tough piece of rump I think, maybe even a cheaper cut of steak! The sauce should have had a real kick with the shallots, brandy and peppercorns… but alas it was bland and lacked any depth of flavour.

I always like the ideas behind much of the food and dishes I buy at Waitrose, but looking back over the blog I realise I don’t really enjoy them. Time to rethink my shopping habits.

Oh the tomatoes were fantastic by the way, very simple, take some fresh tomatoes, dribble some olive oil on them, roast them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Delicious.

July 24, 2011

Nachos

I do like a plate of Nachos, though due to the salt content they are a rare treat for me.

I take some tortilla chips, I have found it impossible to find unsalted corn chips so I try and find the ones with the least salt. I have once tried making it with proper corn tortillas, which had n added salt, but I had to cut them into the “triangles” and they didn’t crunch up to how I like them. They’re probably more authentic like that, but if I ever go to Mexico then I will eat authentic out there.

Having taken the tortilla chips, I spread them on a baking sheet and then add stuff. This time I added tomato salsa, chopped red and green pepper and then scattered some Monterey Jack cheese on top. Other toppings I like adding include refried beans and sliced jalapeño chillis.

I then place these into the top of a really hot oven for about five minutes.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole and napkins.

July 23, 2011

Steak with Peppercorns and Pancetta

This is quite a quick meal and can be served with steamed vegetables and crispy potatoes.

I normally prefer ribeye cut of steak these days, with sirloin as second choice, as I prefer the flavour of ribeye. Rump, though cheaper, is often tougher than either ribeye or sirloin. I find fillet, not just more expensive, but often lacks flavour. Though in this dish it would work as the peppercorns and the pancetta add a striking flavour to the dish.

I prepare the steak by rubbing in some olive oil. Then in a plain unoiled hot pan I cook the steak. About half way through cooking I added some black peppercorns.

In order to save time, in a seperate pan I cooked off some pancetta and once they were nearly cooked added the mushrooms.

Removing the steak from the pan, once cooked, I added the pancetta and mushrooms and added half a tub of creme frache, which I let heat through.

I sliced the steak, put on the plate, poured over the sauce and served with steamed vegetables and crispy potatoes. It would also work well with plain rice.

July 22, 2011

Premium Cotswold Lager

When I had my nice meal at The Royal Well Tavern alongside I had a bottle of Premium Cotswold Lager.

Light in colour, a very nice and refreshing lager that tasted great.

July 21, 2011

A Decent Cup of Coffee

I am going off filter coffee, you know the kind you get from drip coffee makers.

At home and now in the office I use a French style cafetiere. Using a coarser ground coffee, it’s as quick and easy as making instant coffee, but because the metal mesh allows the grounds to be in direct contact with the water, you capture more of the essential coffee oils and coffee flavour.

At home I use a medium sized cafetiere, but at work I have a single cup version.

It should be said it does take more effort to clean than drinking instant coffee or using a drip filter coffee machine, but for me that’s a price worth paying for a decent cup of coffee.