food, reviews and of course coffee
Having had my mandolin for a while now, one thing I did want to try was to make some game chips. These are slices of potato cut on the serrated blade on the mandolin and then twisted 90º before slicing again.
These are then deep fried in hot oil until cooked and brown. Drain and serve.
Though I have been told that what I cook and call paella is not paella, in our house we call it paella. Outside the house, this is a Spanish inspired rice dish!
First I cook off some diced bacon (usually pancetta) in a large frying pan, or if I am cooking a lot in my large paella pan. I then take some chopped mushroom, onions and pepper and add that to the pan. Once the onions have softened I add the paella rice and ensure it is coated with the cooking oil and liquid. I always use a specialist paella rice in my paella dishes these days. To this I added a dry paella mix from Tesco. I also like the jar from Waitrose that you can get. Occasionally these days I will use saffron and my own selection of herbs and spices.
I then add fish or chicken stock to the pan, to cover the rice and then leave to cook. As I was told by a Spanish friend, don’t stir it (unlike risotto which you do).
Add some sliced chunks of lemon. I usually cook the fish (in this case just prawns) and chorizo in separate pans and add to the paella just before serving.
Cooked a ramen dish this time last year. I based my ramen on the ramen dishes I have had at Wagamama.
In a bowl I added some cooked rice noodles. On top of this I added some sliced shiitake mushrooms, spring onions, pak choi and sliced red pepper. I then added some homemade ramen broth.
On top of the ramen I added scallops, prawns, squid and a tea-stained hard boiled egg. I also added some gyoza dumplings as well.
Sometimes for special occasions we have a fish supper. This one comprised over baked salmon with lemon, pan fried scallops, pan fried prawns and squid strips.
The fish supper was served with salad and chunks of lemon.
This was my take on a ramen dish.
In a bowl I added some cooked rice noodles. On top of this I added some sliced shiitake mushrooms, baby spinach, pak choi, Thai basil, coriander and sliced red pepper.
I then added some ramen broth. I used an itsu brillant broth which I heated up in a pan before filling the bowls.
On top of the ramen I added pork belly, pork loin and a tea-stained hard boiled egg.
The pork belly was cooked on a low heat in the oven. I then finished it off in a frying pan with some (gluten free) chow mien sauce.
The pork loin was rubbed in some seasoning as well as Chinese five spice. This I then roasted in the oven. Once cooked it was sliced and added to the top of the ramen.
I would have liked to add some sliced spring onions, but we didn’t have any in the fridge.
It was a tasty broth, first time I used it, and it worked well with the ingredients. The pork was lovely and tasty.
For our Christmas lunch I roasted some Chantenay carrots. This was a pack of different coloured carrots from Waitrose, I cleaned and peeled them before coating them in herbs and olive oil and roasting in the oven.
They were tender and full of flavour, certainly would do these again.
I do quite like having the meatballs when I visit IKEA, so now and again I buy them from my local supermarket and we have them for tea. I simply heat them in a frying pan with a little oil.
This year I have written 107 blog posts, slightly less than in 2020 when it was 120. In 2019 it was 58 blog posts, 2018 just 36.
With the continued lockdown I went out to eat a lot less than I have in previous years, however not going out, meant I had a little more time to play catch up finishing off reviews of meals and street food I had eaten before.
Having been the most popular blog post for both 2018 and 2017, second in 2019, and dropping seven places in 2020, dropping another place was a post asking the question could you use Sirloin for Beef Wellington? This was a response to the high ranking of another post about using sirloin steak in a Beef Wellington rather than fillet steak due to the way people were (at the time) searching Google.
My post from September 2000 on Lidl French Week was the ninth most popular blog post. I do quite enjoy the way that Lidl does themed flavour weeks, and I often visit just to see what they have and get a few things. This post was on their French themed week and what I bought.
Eight was my review of Lidl Fritto Misto. Though I have bought the Lidl Fritto Misto from their Italy week quite a few times, the reality is that it’s okay, but not good.
The top post from 2020 dropped six places to number seven, it was my review of some Lidl Sol Mar Cod Croquettes
Reporting in April 2021 on the news that the Old Frankie & Benny’s site to become a Burger King Drive-Thru was the sixth most popular blog post.
The most at number five was from August 2020 when I reported that Frankie and Benny’s in Weston-super-Mare may close in the end it did and is being converted into a burger joint with a drive through. :Last year this was seventh most popular.
The fourth most popular blog post from January 2021 was about Truffled Cauliflower Cheese is no more… at M&S. It has disappeared again, as I did want to get some for our Christmas lunch.
The third most viewed post was on the Truffled Cauliflower Cheese itself from October 2020. It’s described as cauliflower in a cheddar cheese and truffle sauce, topped with a cheese, mushroom and chive ciabatta crumb. This post climbed five places from last year.
The post at number two, climbing one place, was a review of Lidl Coffee Ice Cream.
They are not huge tubs, but what you get is a tasty creamy coffee ice cream, with a little chocolate in there as well.
So the most popular blog post on Time for a Coffee in 2021 was about the news that Prezzo to close in Weston-super-Mare published in March 2021.
Quite refreshing to see posts from 2021 being in the top ten.
One of my regular dishes is chargrilled chicken thighs. I take some boneless and skinless chicken thighs. I flatten them out (slightly) before marinading them in a bowl. I use some olive oil and Schwartz chargrilled chicken seasoning and lemon juice. If I have no lemons then I might use white wine vinegar.
I have a griddle pan that I got from IKEA, which I put on a hot heat. I then add the chicken thighs. I turn them to get the crosshatched effect.
I usually use some greaseproof paper to cover the chicken to ensure that the thighs are fully cooked. It works like a pan lid in keeping the heat in the pan, but allows the steam (moisture) to escape, so the chicken is grilled and not steamed.
One thing I made a lot of in 2021 was gluten free sausage rolls. I use Jus-Rol’s gluten free puff pastry, which is available from most major supermarkets. It is easy to use and works well.
I cut the pastry into four sections, add the sausage meat, roll the pastry and seal with beaten egg. These are then cut into small rolls. I use baking parchment on a baking tray I then use more beaten egg to glaze the rolls and the back in the oven until the sausage is cooked and the pastry is golden brown.
Delicious when warm, they also work well cold as well.