food, reviews and of course coffee
I do like a lager now and again especially in the summer. It’s not as though I don’t like a good real ale, but during the summer, a bottle of lager reminds me so much of my travels to France and Italy back in the 1990s.
One of my favourite bottled lagers is Peroni.
When I was at an Italian restaurant for lunch I chose Peroni over a glass of wine. It has a distinctive taste and freshness and I really find it very refreshing.
Every so often, usually about once a year, I have a craving for a Tunnocks chocolate covered caramel wafer biscuit.
Available in packs of four from most supermarkets, unlike a lot of other things I crave, I am never disappointed.
I eat the four wafer biscuits, if I am good over a week, or if I am silly on one evening!
I do enjoy them, but then that is that. No more for another year.
If you didn’t know already Jamie Oliver has a fair few videos on YouTube.
I enjoyed this recipe from Greece.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm9jhU68KSY
Made a paella the other day.
I took a large frying pan and added a splash of olive oil. Take some pancetta and add diced onions, aubergine, courgette and soften them in the large frying pan. I then added the paella rice, and it always makes sense to use paella rice, and never any other kind of rice.
I then ensured that the rice was coated and added a splash of white wine. Then I added saffron and chicken stock. The saffron I had infused in hot water. This helps to bring out the traditional yellow colour in the paella.
I didn’t have any chopped tomatoes so I added a squirt of tomato puree instead.
Simmer for twenty minutes adding more stock if required.
I added some sliced chorizo and slices of red pepper.
In a separate pan I pan fried some prawns and squid.
These were then added to the paella and it was served.
Have not had them for a while, but today decided to cook some lamb chops.
I roasted then in the oven with some rosemary and a splash of olive oil.
Very nice they were too.
One of the problems I have with lamb is how much they spit in the oven, more so than other meats I cook in a similar manner like pork, beef or chicken.
Means I have to clean the oven more.
Do you eat chocolate to make yourself feel better?
Maybe not the best idea!
People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found.Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.
Read more.
Picture source.
One of the problems with roasting duck breasts and duck is the amount of fat that comes off it. This is a good thing in one way, but can spoil the roasting process.
You can of course roast the duck breasts on a rack of some kind, so that the fat collects in the bottom of the pan but the duck is kept above it.
The process I use combines pan frying and roasting.
I score the skin of the duck breast and heat a frying pan on a high heat.
Do not add any oil to the pan and place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down.
Once the skin is crisp, transfer the duck breasts to a heated roasting tray and place in the oven and cook until the duck is cooked to your liking.
Some prefer their duck rare, I personally like it a little more done myself.
I have always had a passion for pistachio ice cream. I use to have it as a kid in France and loved it.
It was always a challenge to find it back in the UK even over the last few years it’s not something you see. I have it now and again in (proper) Italian restaurants and even Druckers has a nice version.
So when I was in Sainsburys the other day looking for Carte d’Or Lavazza Latte Macchiato ice cream I saw they were stocking Antonio Federici’s Pistachio ice cream.
This looked very nice. Yes it was expensive and was quite a small tub in comparison to the other “luxury” ice creams in the freezer, but I like pistachio ice cream and this was pistachio ice cream.
I took it home and rather than try it straight away I put it in the freezer for a special occasion.
I followed the instructions to the letter on the day I decided to have some.
The result?
Was it heaven?
Ah….
No…
I so did not like it, I so did not like it so much that I not only threw the tub away, I also didn’t even finish the bowl I had scooped for myself.
So what was wrong, I hear you ask?
Well it certainly did taste of pistachio, it really did taste of pistachio, very nutty, very nutty indeed. It was quite a non-sweet taste, almost savoury-like. I think that was the issue for me, it was too much like pistachios and not enough like pistachio ice cream.
Don’t get me wrong, I like pistachio nuts, but this ice cream didn’t do it for me.
Enjoyed reading this article from the BBC News Magazine on American food.
Forget greasy burgers, a growing enthusiasm for good local food in the US is getting the nation salivating, says Simon Schama.
Interesting read.
The other week I was at the Solent Hotel & Spa in Fareham. From the outside it was a modern looking hotel just off the motorway. Inside it was well decorated and though they had gone for an “older” look, it did appear to work, and didn’t look tacky as sometimes it does when hotels do this.
The staff in the hotel were professional and friendly and their primary goal appeared to be making sure that my stay was perfect.
Rather than go to the restaurant I went to the bar instead to eat. From the menu, I chose the Char-Grilled Feather Steak Florentine. It is called ‘feather’ due to the unique markings of the meat, it is also known as the ‘butchers or onglet steak’. The steak was served with a spicy tomato sauce and fries.
I wasn’t expecting the dish to look like this though when it arrived!
The steak arrived pre-sliced on a wooden board rather than a plate. The steak was excellent and well flavoured. I also enjoyed the dressing and salad leaves. The spicy tomato sauce was okay, but I didn’t like it that much, nothing wrong with it, more it wasn’t to my taste. The fries were crisp and had flavour.
Overall a delicious steak and a delightful eating experience.
