Restaurant Review: Salaam Namaste

I’ve been meaning to go to Salaam Namaste for a while. I don’t even remember why it’s on the list but it must have got a good review at some point. The concept is Modern Indian cuisine, which I like the idea of. I've not got around to going mainly I think because it’s in Bloomsbury which I rarely have a need to visit. However, we were going to a gig near Euston and this place fell fairly close. It’s in a weird place for a restaurant. Unlike Soho, Covent Garden or Shoreditch there’s no density of eateries here and we had to walk through quiet streets for ten minutes or so before finding this solitary restaurant on a back street near Russell Square.

We were greeted and shown to our table. When we asked to be moved because it was right next to the toilets the response we got was rather frosty which set us off on a slightly uncomfortable footing. This kind of set the tone for another few standard service mistakes like not bringing the tap water we asked for, standing at the head of the table looking bored whilst people flapped over what they wanted etc. On top of this when we were asking about sides they weren’t very helpful. I asked if my main came with anything, and was told a very firm ‘No’, so I ordered rice, then it turned up with flat bread. This happened with a few other side options which resulted in us ending up with way too much food.

And, I warn you now, asking for a glass of wine before you've finished your last one. Well, I think you could describe that look at pretty scathing. The upshot was that I didn't feel particularly comfortable in there. However, we still had a nice evening.

The food in contrast was great. There was a whole grill section on the menu which I really like at an Indian. My minted lamb tandoori was beautifully presented and came with an interesting crunchy salad, great sauces and the lamb it's self was delicious. This was then scooped up in buttered flat bread which resulted in a party in my mouth. Appreciative noises from other people around the table seemed to indicate that the food was of overall high quality. I was especially jealous of the ginger lamb chops. We also got a drinkable bottle of house wine for £15, which is always nice.

I was able to book online a few hours before and didn’t have any trouble securing a table for 5 people. When we turned up, just after 7pm, I think we could have got away without booking at all. Although it was full by 8.30pm.

The upshot is: Odd location and stroppy service countered by great, well presented food at a reasonable price. Would I go again? If I was in this area and was in the mood for an Indian, probably but I have to say that the service did put me off. 5/10

Loin of pork stuffed with chorizo, spinach and lemon

This is a great little recipe. It's a pork tenderloin stuffed with chorizo, spinach and lemon. I've had it book marked on another blog, which I follow, for probably about four years now and because it's been so long I always forget to cook it.

The other day I was cruising the supermarket looking for inspiration, which is never a good idea because it always lands me back on old favorites. What I really wanted to do was slow cook something. I had ideas of slow cooked duck, lamb shanks or pulled pork for a relaxed Sunday evening meal. The problem is that I was going to be out all day and didn't fancy getting back late and trying to start roasting something.

Luckily I spied a tenderloin and this little baby popped into my head. You can prepare everything in advance and then just pop it in the oven for about half an hour. I also prepped and par-cooked some paprika and onion roast potatoes with go with this, that just needed heating through at the end. All it needed at that point was a bit of sauteed asparagus to complete it.

It felt pretty special, it was very tasty and mega easy on the day. I would recommend it.

Pork tenderloin stuffed with caramelised onion, chorizo, lemon and spinach stuffing 

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cooking chorizo sausages, finely diced
150g baby leaf spinach
a handful of breadcrumbs (1-2 slices bread)
zest and juice of half a lemon
black pepper
12 rashers pancetta

Peheat the oven to 200c.

Cut the pork in half, lengthways. bash each piece of meat with a rolling pin (place the meat between a couple of layers of cling film or in a plastic bag) to flatten it a little.

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions until they begin to soften. Add the chorizo and fry until the meat is cooked and the onions have begun to caramelise. Add the spinach to the pan and cook until it wilts, placing a lid on the pan to make this easier. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice. Season well with salt and black pepper.

Place the pancetta rashers in a line, on a board, slightly overlapping. top this with one half of the pork tenderloin and cover this with the chorizo, spinach and lemon stuffing. top with the other half of the tenderloin and wrap the pancetta around it, sealing in the stuffing. place, seal side down, on a lightly-oiled baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve slices of stuffed pork with sauteed asparagus and  mini roast potatoes roasted in a little oil, smoked paprika, onion granuals, salt and pepper.

Japanese Stir Fry

I've always struggled with stir fry. Traditionally I've had it as a low fat option, finding it edible but not exciting. Upon proclaiming my disappointment on Facebook a few weeks ago I was given a few suggestions on how to perk it up and give it some new flavors. The most interesting was from by brother who has traveled to Japan in his time and has turned out some amazing Japanese dishes at his place over the years. He suggested kobu seasoning (that I couldn't find), bonito (which I did. I think might also be called dashi when mixed with water - a Japanese stock), mirin and sesame oil.

So, I took myself off to the local Asian supermarket and found almost all of those things that I didn't have already and found a noodle recipe on the Japanese Center's website. I adapted it a bit and came up with this.

It had a more savory stock based backdrop, whilst at the same time being sweet (from the mirin I guess), The main appeal is that it got away from that over powering taste of soy sauce. I also loved the fact that things like ginger were different, because I got pickled sushi ginger. Also, spring onions too because I sprinkled them on the top rather than cooking them in.

This is what I did. I'll be doing this basic idea again but taking the chance to experiment further with sesame oil, ground peanuts, lime juice and maybe different vegetables.

Prawn and Scallop Yaki Udon

Serves 1

For the stir fry:
Peanut oil (or something like ground nut oil)
1/4 red pepper
1/4 yellow pepper
1/4 red onion
Handful of beansprouts
3 chestnut mushrooms
1 packet of ready cooked udon noodles
50g of tiger prawns
30g of scallops
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp of mirin
1.5 tbsp of dashi (which I made out of 1 tsp of bonito flakes dissolved in about 80 ml of boiling water)

To topping:
pickled ginger
1 spring onion
1/2 red chili
coriander
crispy onions
more bonito granules

I started by heating the oil in a very hot pan for a few minutes. I then added the next five ingredients, all thinly sliced, and frying fast for a few minutes. Then add the noodles, prawns of scallops (you could easily use any seafood or chicken). Then, after a few minutes, I added the soy, mirin and dashi.

Once warmed through and some of the liquid has boiled off, tip into a dish and garnish with the topping ingredients.

Whilst eating it I ran out of the topping ingredients very quickly so would either recommend adding loads of them, or having bowls of extra on the table.

I loved this. You should definitely make it.

Next challenge is to find kobu and work out how to use that.

Restaurant Review: Franco Manca

I've known about Franco Manca's for ages. Their first branch is down in Brixton Village and I tried to go a few times when I lived down that way. Of course, it being Brixton Village, it was almost always shut and when it wasn't, the queues were mega!

The great thing is that they're expanding, and they're expanding into units where they are more reliably open and at more convenient times, reducing the queues significantly. Also, interestingly they're generally not opening in town centre locations (except one on Tottenham Court Road) but instead keeping it local in places like Southfields, Balham, Chiswick and Clapham Junction. Hopefully this means that they'll be immune to the faddiness of the London restaurant scene. I don't think an amazing pizza restaurant 'around the corner' would ever go out of business. Our visit was in Chiswick.

So, the pizza. There's no messing about. No pasta, no salads. I'm not even sure they do starters, but Jesus they do pizza bloody well. Their selling point is that they do sour dough bases. They're really nice but to be honest I've had pizza in other places that pride themselves on their bases and I couldn't tell the difference. That's not a criticism though. Thin, great tasking, chewy bases, with simple but great toppings. They're also stupidly affordable, clocking in at under £7 a pizza.

I think that's kind of all there is to say. It's a simple concept, well done. GO! 9/10

Restaurant Review: Grain Store

I've yet to cook anything at home, well anything of note. But the amazing restaurants continue. Grain Store is a restaurant which opened in one of the new areas created around the Kings Cross redevelopment. Granary Square is lovely. It's been created next to Regents Canal an contains a beautiful water feature which is lit up a night. I love what they've done around Kings Cross. They've really prioritised public outside space and they've done it really well. You really notice stuff like that when you live in a city and being in Granary Square is one of those rare moments in London were you don't feel surrounded by people.

Grain Store is a concept restaurant. I believe it was opened by a French Chef who was frustrated by how classical cooking focuses on the meat elements of the dish and doesn't put the vegetables first. I get this. I think that Western cooking is always trying to put a big slab of meat at the heart of each dish. Not such a problem but perplexing when you're cooking for vegetarians as they quite often seem to get a meat substitute like 'a mushroom', which I think is weird!

This was a late night visit, maybe after a few drinks so the memories and the photos are maybe a little fuzzy. I believe this place does actually take bookings but we turned up and chanced it and waited about 45 minutes for the table. Whilst we waited we both decided we'd like a classic margaritas. It wasn't on the list but we were assured it was fine. What turned up was a very small and deeply average margarita which was £1.50 more expensive than the margarita variation they had on the menu. I suppose that's just a lesson to not go off list. If someone isn't confident to make you a margarita you probably shouldn't let them. It's a classic but easy to fuck up.

When we were seated, the food was much better. The menu was a little confusing, because they really do 'put the veg first'. By that I mean that they list all the vegetable components of the dish first in the menu and the meat last. In my half cut state this was, to say the least, a little confusing. I'm terrible for skim reading anyway and by 9pm, in a dark restaurant, starving hungry and semi inebriated, I wasn't paying that much attention.

Once we'd ordered the food turned up quickly and the service was friendly and attentive. Glen had a pea mouse tartlet which was light and flavoursome but a little bland for my liking. My salmon, peach and fennel salad was interesting, zingy, light and flavoursome.

We both had the same main which was Corn & millet tamale, apricot barbecue sauce, chilli braised pork belly. Tamales are little Mexican bundles which comprise of a dried corn husk wrapped around a maize dough and filled with all sorts of deliciousness, in this case corn and millet (i think there was some red pepper in there too). This was definitely the highlight of the dish. The piece of pork belly that accompanied it was nicely cooked and tasty but hey, pork belly is pork belly.

We managed to resist pudding because it much have gone 11pm at that point and after a week at at a new job I needed my bed.

My verdict on this place is... the veg first thing is a bit of a gimmick, I was underwhelmed by my cocktail and the bill hit the wallet fairly hard considering we were there for a quick bite. However to be fair, I don't often have starters. On the plus side, the locale is very nice and there's space to sit outside which would be magic on a warm evening. The service was good and the flavours were all interesting. I'd go back if I was looking for a nice meal in the area.

6.5/10

The search for the ultimate cheese board

So, I promised you more on the cheese. Oh my word, cheese. It's been one of my latest obsessions. Well, more precisely cheese boards and even more precisely the accompaniments to a cheese board.

It's something that I've been interested in for a while. Cheese boards have appeared more and more in the last few years, as a late night snack at events, which I think is great. It's also become my pudding of choice, mainly because you can keep on drinking red wine when you have the cheese option. The interest became an obsession at my last job. There would be a monthly birthday celebration which used to include a little bit of cheese, Cava, cake and Percy Pigs (got to love a Percy!). As time went on I gradually gained control of this little event. I got rid of all the sweet stuff and pimped the cheese option beyond recognition.

This culminated last week, when the cheese was in recognition of my leaving do *sniff*. I wanted to go out in style, so, as a number of us were leaving I secured a little more budget and put on a spread to end all spreads. I added a few home made options like potted venison, seeded crackers and rosemary and paprika almonds.

But what I really wanted to tell you was my list of ultimate cheese accompaniments:

• Celery 
• Sun blushed tomatoes 
• Gherkins
• Pickled onions
• Chutney (as many types as possible we had chilli jam, caramelised chutney and apple/ginger)
• Grapes
• Apples
• Selection of unsalted nuts and dried fruit like cranberries and apricots
• Parma ham

Rosemary and paprika almonds

One of those things you make and then have to hide before everyone robs them before the party. I would add a lot less oil next time. Apart from that they would amazing...

200g/7oz blanched almonds

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary needles

½ tsp smoked paprika

Add the almonds to a wide-based pan, heat over a very high heat and fry for a minute. Add the oil, salt and rosemary then fry until crisp.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the paprika, toss together and serve. If preferred, roast in an oven preheated to 220C/425F/Gas 7 (200C fan).


Seeded oatcakes

I wanted to do something with seeds as part of the super food challenge. I got bored of this but made these anyway. They ended up being really really good. I'd highly recommend them as they're really quick and people will be really impressed you've made your own crackers. I also think that you could flavour them with all sorts of other things.

50g butter
100g medium oatmeal
100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter in a small pan, then allow to cool slightly. Tip all the dry ingredients into a bowl, with ½ tsp salt, then pour in the butter. Add 5-6 tbsp boiling water and combine to make a firm dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, then roll out until about 0.5cm thick. Cut into small squares, then bake for 12-15 mins until golden. Leave to cool for a few mins, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Thanks for a cracking sign off LINERS. I miss you all, almost as much as I miss the cheese! Big love xx

Recent restaurant visits

It's been a long time since my last entry. There have been many reasons for this. The first being, that I've really struggled with my super food challenge. I've found it really uninspiring for some reason. This is mainly because the whole concept of super foods seems to be rubbish. I might put this on the back burner for now.

The other reason for a lack of cooking has been my almost constant stream of restaurant visits of late. What can I say? It’s summer and it’s time to sit by the river drink wine and let someone else do the cooking! Anyone that’s seen me recently will know that my two latest food obsessions have been a) cheese (more on this later) and b) ‘The List’.

‘The List’

This started out as a few places I jotted down that I wanted to try. It grew, then it was refined, then it grew some more, then some strict rules were applied. Sufficed to say, it’s still growing and has become a total obsession. I’m quite proud (not to mention poor and fat) that I've managed to cross seven eateries off in the last month or two. I promise you, I meant to blog about them at the time. My problem with eating out is this: When the food turns up, I get so excited that it’s already half eaten by the time I remember to take a photo. Blogs without photos are dull, and no one needs to see a photo of anyone’s half eaten dinner.

But with a little bit of fudging it, managing to take photos of bits and bobs and revisiting some places. I've managed to get a few shots together.

Polpo (Soho)

I think the best way you can describe Polpo would be to call it ‘Italian tapas’. There seems to be a tapas option for every country these days but it’s basically small food. It’s a bit of a gimmick and a way of making you spend loads without realising it, but as I love trying different flavours in a meal, I still kind of like it.

My trip with the lovely Theresa was peak time on a Saturday night and as is common in London, it’s not possible to book. However we waited in their tiny subterranean bar drinking tiny cocktails for an hour before being seated so it was fine. You just have to remember not to turn up starving.

Our food consisted of Spinach, parmesan and soft egg pizzette; pork and fennel meatballs; asparagus, broad bean and mint salad and other things I can’t remember.

All tiny but all very nice. Service was pretty decent. I would recommend it. 7/10

Homeslice Pizza (Covent Garden)

This was an early addition to the list so I was very glad to cross it off. I also, at this point, discovered that Chang too had ‘A List’ and this place was on hers too. Other crossovers coming up.

Again, you can’t book so it’s good to turn up early to nab a table. You can order certain pizza by the slice or a greater selection if you order a whole pizza. The whole pizza however only comes in one size, dustbin lid size (20”)! We were hungry (and can both eat at Olympic standard) so we went for it and at only £20 for the pizza it was pretty good value. The choice of toppings is also quirky and interesting. We had pulled pork, radish and parsley and walnut pesto which was mind blowingly good!

Where they get you, is the wine. It’s a clever little tactic. They sell wine by the glass. They do this by plonking a 2 litre bottle of the stuff on the table and letting you help yourself. When you’re done they measure how much you’ve had (with a ruler). Obviously with a massive bottle in front of me I saw it as a challenge, drinking more than I would otherwise. When the bill came it turned out that it was £4 for a small glass of wine (125ml). Considering that the wine was drinkable but pretty average, this felt expensive to me. Sufficed to say, the wine bill was bigger than the food bill.

Great pizza, expensive wine. Would recommend to moderate drinkers. 8/10

Copita (Soho)

Restaurant buddy number three was Martyn. This place was second choice for the evening due to the first option having an hour’s standing queue (dam you London!). Deciding that we still wanted tapas (Spanish this time), wandered across Soho to Copita which was half empty. When we got our food it was hard to see why this place didn’t have a massive queue too! It was awesome!

Decent wine by the glass, a massive gin and tonic menu (went down with Martyn very well) and the food was 95% amazing (if a bit pricey). Garlicy king prawns with a sauce that had us ordering more bread almost immediately, some amazing flat iron rare beef with some sort of herb paste, morcilla sausage and (the highlight) fried paprika potatoes with slow cooked onion compote and a runny duck yolk on top. The liquidised almond ‘soupey thing’ with some beetroot on top was a bit weird but everything else was ace!

Easy to get a seat and lovely food if a bit expensive. Go! 8/10

Flesh and Buns (Covent Garden)

Again another early addition and also another cross over with Chang. This place opened last year serving (amongst other things) platters of roasted meats, with sauces, salads and Chinese style steamed buns. It sounded like an interesting concept and I was keen to try. Unfortunately I had trouble getting anyone to go because of the reputation the place had for tiny portions and high prices.

The game changer was the introduction of the most amazing Sunday lunch deal EVER. This place is a really odd mix of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and South American cuisines which saw us eating: Ceviche, spicy chicken, sushi, prawn crackers, edamame, then the signature Flesh and Buns, we had char grilled salmon and slow cooked duck leg and then some beautiful Asian inspired puddings of filled doughnuts and a crème brulee flavoured with black sesame which was lovely but disconcertingly grey! But the best thing about this deal is the bottomless prosecco! We were stuffed and you’re allowed to order more if you’re not, and all for £29!

Having been really excited about the actual Flesh and Buns aspect I found this part just being OK. What really stood out for me were the starters and puddings. The fusion of the menu seems odd but it’s executed very well and everything went together. The service was great and the bottomless prosecco is not only decent quality but they staff are really not shy of filling you up. I have to admit to leaving the place pretty hammered.

Great service, great example of fusion and with this offer it’s amazing value. There's also some seriously cool manga porn in the toilets. It’s a loud clattery environment which makes chatting a bit hard but all in all pretty great. 8/10

Augustus Harris (Covent Garden)

I love this place. It looks tiny from the outside but has a whole downstairs with more seating. The toilets are beautiful and the whole place smells great. I went during a world cup match so it was pretty quiet and we got very attentive personal service from the owner. It’s beautifully decorated, done out with wood panelling. The menu is mainly focused on drinks and finger food making this definitely more of a bar. I think we should have much more of this type of bar in the UK though. The type that serves amazing small food to soak up the booze.

We had dates wrapped in bacon, mozzarella with pesto and tomatoes (the pesto looking suspiciously like whole basil leaves) and some sort of mushroom crostini. It wasn’t really enough to call a meal and plates were beautiful but a bit small and pricey so the bread and oils filled us up enough to carry on a night on the town.

Searching around for a real downside... London seemed to go Campari mad last year and this seems to have lead to almost all the cocktails on the menu being that way inclined which is a shame because I’m not the world’s biggest fan of it.

However, I would definitely go back. Great place to have a leisurely snack and drink wine in Covent Garden. 7/10

Roti Chai (Marylebone)  

I was proud of my dining companion at Roti Chai. Emma is a confirmed Putney lover and after months of teasing her about this I’ve dragged her to a few places I wanted to try. I always make sure that it’s either somewhere with a cracking deal, or somewhere I think it going to be good value so Roti Chai fit the bill perfectly.

On a back road behind Marble Arch station is not where I would expect to find Indian street food but this place is ace. It wasn’t too crowded and we got a seat straight away. Dishes in included chicken lollipops, some lovely slow cooked lamb and some delicious bhel puri. Great quick food and the bill was about £20 each with a drink.

You should go if you’re in the market for a tasty quick bite and you’re in the area. 7/10 

Pizza Pilgrims (Soho)

This place started as a street food vendor and got a lot of positive write ups for doing really good, simple pizza with thin authentic chewy bases using really quality ingredients. These pizzas live up to the hype and are simple but very very tasty. The location on Dean Street in Soho is convenient but they don't have a huge amount of room inside. Their second branch in Kingly Court is supposed to be opening up soon and will hopefully have more seating.

The staff are super friendly and it's not too expensive. You should definitely go if you're passing and you can get a seat. 7/10

It's been an eating out bonanza! I think I need to go on a diet now.

Superfood list: Squash

So, here's a recipe I found that showcases butternut squash in a slightly different way. It's shepherds pie using turkey as a base and the squash on top, making the whole thing a good deal lighter than the traditional version.

So, why is squash thought of as a superfood?

Squash

• Are they a Superfood? - They're rich is a bunch of vitamins, minerals like: Folic acid; magnesium; vitamin A, fibre and potassium. Oh, they also seem to have omega 3's*.
• What's the hype? - Cancer and heart disease prevention. Protects against muscular degeneration and even against inflammation.
• What's actually proven? - Not really any of the above are proven.
• Is it worth going out of your way to eat it? - Of course! It's amazing! I eat squash all the time. They're packed with nutrients, low in fat, delicious, comforting, sweet and you can spice it up with some lovely different flavours. It's great in salads, with roasts and mashed.

*Omega 3's..... What are they? 

Much like the constantly reference 'anti oxidants' I see omega 3's (or essential fatty acids) mentioned all the time. But what are they and what do they actually do for you? The answer is that they're polyunsaturated fats that can't be synthesized in the body. They seem to be important for everyday metabolism and also linked to brain function. Many other claims such as cancer prevention and helping with cognitive ageing seem to be inconclusive.

So, anyway...  here is my turkey and squash shepherds pie. It's a Nigel Slater recipe. People tend to bang on about Nigel Slater because his recipes are simple but tasty. I do find that when I actually cook them they always seem pretty nice, but the simplicity never appeals to be me on paper. I always pimp them a bit!

For this I used turkey breast mince. I think it would have been more flavoursome if I'd used one that was more thigh meat. The only other thing I changed actually worth mentioning was that instead of flavouring the mash with orange zest I actually added a little lemon zest and ground mace. I did this because I find orange zest in savoury food a bit over powering. I was a bit unsure at first when I tried the mash on it's own but when the dish came together it added a nice complexity which balanced the savoury of the meat mixture and the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Squash and Turkey Shepherds Pie

Serves 2

250g Turkey mince
1/2 While onion
1 clove garlic
7 chestnut mushrooms
200ml Red wine
Dash of Worchester sauce
2 tsp Plain flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1/2 Large butternut squash
2 tsp Butter
A sprinkle of orange zest (or a pinch of mace and lemon zest)

Preheat the oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6. Peel, seed and roughly chop the butternut squash. Put the pieces of squash in a steamer basket and place over boiling water. Steam for 20-30 minutes until fully tender. They must be soft enough to mash.

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Warm a little olive oil in a large pan, then add the onion and garlic and cook until pale gold. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices or quarters and add to the pan with the thyme. Fry until softened, then transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add a little more oil to the pan, then, as soon as it starts to sizzle, add the minced turkey. Season generously with salt and pepper and then stir in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the red wine and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer at a low temperature for 5 minutes then add the mushrooms and onions. Continue cooking for 5 minutes then tip into a baking dish.
Mash the cooked squash with a potato masher then stir in a generous knob of butter and the grated orange zest (or nutmeg and lemon zest) to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Pile the mash on top of the turkey, dot with more of the butter, then bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the mash is lightly browned and slightly crisp on top.

Superfood list: Turkey and Red Peppers

So, here I go on my Superfood challenge. Are they worth it? Are they a total waste of time? What's the deal?!

To avoid boredom and save time I've decided to work a few together. This week is the turn of red peppers and turkey. Like I said before I'm not even sure if these are actually Superfoods but they're on the list, so they're getting researched and made.

Red Peppers

• Are they a Superfood? - Doesn't seem to conclusively be one no, but it's definitely not bad for you.
• What's the hype? - The main brag with peppers is that they have anti oxidants (as with many Superfoods), also that they are really high in vitamin C (more in one pepper than one orange).
• What's actually proven? - Well, there's no denying either of these things. However, the main doubt around anti oxidants seems to be whether they really do anything for you. This will take more research. Which I can't be bothered with today ;-)
• Is it worth going out of your way to eat it? - Probably not no. There are plenty of other ways to get these particular benefits. However, there's absolutely no way they're going to do you any harm, quite the opposite in fact.

Turkey

• Are they a Superfood? - Seem to be a few more benefits than peppers, but still don't appear on every list I've found.

• What's the hype? - This one doesn't fly the anti oxidant flag but does seem to boast a good deal of other benefits, including: Great source of lean protein, 8 amino acids, minerals including phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc, lots of B vitamins. I've also seen claims that it can reduce the risk of cancer.

• What's actually proven? - The cancer thing is probably bollocks.
  
• Is it worth going out of your way to eat it? - It does seem be a pretty good all-rounder in the 'low fat and full of other good stuff' camp. I've always been a bit 'meh' when it came to turkey but after this I might try and work it in a bit more.

This week's recipe is one I've done before. It's from Ottolenghi's first book. I was given this for a present a few years back, and after ripping the piss out of the 'lifestyle' photos and actually started to cook from it, I have to say it's one of the best books I have. Nothing in there is too complicated but are just packed with flavour and innovation.

I think this recipe was actually the first one I cooked from the book and it just great. It's pretty healthy if you forego some of the oil too. I love the spicy pepper sauce which seems to go miles and I always enjoy having leftovers of. It goes nicely with rice or with cold meats or cheese.

The meatballs are great too. I love how the recipe stipulate vast amounts of salt, pepper and cumin. Not just left to chance or taste as in my opinion most people are far to conservative with such things. The toasting of the sweetcorn is also a great touch as you really do get a subtle smoky flavour from it.

I normally look for modifications to recipes, but I have to say when it comes to Ottolenghi, I just don't find the need. The one thing I did do here was try and reduce the amount of oil. To this end I cut the oil in the sauce to 1 tablespoon and it was totally fine. I also shallow friend the meatballs which worked well.

Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

100g sweetcorn kernels (fresh or frozen)

3 slices of stale white bread, crusts removed

500g minced free-range or organic turkey breast

1 free-range egg

4 spring onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

Sunflower oil, for frying

Roasted pepper sauce

4 red peppers

3 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp salt

25g coriander, leaves and stalks

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 small mild chilli, deseeded

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

Quarter and de-seed peppers, then grill skin side up on high until the skins are blacken. Pop them in a bowl covered in cling film and allow to cool. You can remove the skins if you want to but it's not necessary . Blitz with rest of sauce ingredients.

Dry fry corn for 2-3 mins until lightly blackened and the set aside to cool.

Soak bread in water, squeeze and crumble in bowl, add everything else except oil, making golf ball size balls of mix. Fry in oil til brown then bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes to cook through.

Superfood Sleuth

A few days ago I casually posted a list of 28 'superfoods' on my Facebook page. I stated that I was taking on a 'superfood challenge... to cook a meal with each of them as the star ingredient.' I honestly didn't realise what a can of worms I was opening (worms, thank goodness are not on the list... not yet). 

I've never really paid much attention to the superfood buzz. I've always had a pretty healthy diet and have never had any major health concerns so haven't really felt the need to get involved. I also have a healthy disdain for most fads. However, just out of curiosity I started to think to myself... 'What the bloody hell are superfoods anyway?' The only thing I really know is that whenever I complain about the expense of blueberries people always justify it by telling me that they're a superfood. However, I know oats are classified as such too and they're about as cheap as anything.

A quick Google later... OK, very quick Google later (my research style has always been nothing if not casual/slap dash), revealed this list:

"Oats, seeds, watercress, red peppers, mackerel, herring, salmon, tuna, berries (especially blueberries), eggs, winter squash, beetroot, broccoli, sweet potatoes, red wine, live yoghurt, pomegranate juice, dark chocolate, turkey, tomatoes, brown rice, almonds, green tea, ginger, rhubarb, linseed, wheatgrass, durian fruit."

Fine. A few old favourites, a few challenges and few things I'd never heard of! I like new reasons to unearth recipes that wouldn't have occurred to me before. However this list just seemed to open more questions, from me and from friends:

"Chocolate and and wine, seriously?!"

"Why just pomegranate juice, why not pomegranates?"

"Have you tried Durian fruit? It smells like poo"

"Which seeds? Surely it couldn't be ALL of them?"

"What about goji berries? I'm sure I've seen them on superfood lists"

So, I decided to dig a little deeper and all I found was continual mentions of more and different foods, conjecture, news paper articles making big claims about all sorts of things, but most importantly seemingly no concrete medical evidence about any of them. The most interesting thing is that the word it's self it not allowed to be used on food packaging as it's deemed to be misleading. So, it seemed my superfoods list may well be a large amount of nonsense. 
I don't think anyone is denying that eating any of the foods above is bad for you (well, I say it again, wine and chocolate? Seriously?!). 

They're all high in various nutrients, have good fats or are low in fat. The word 'antioxidant' is also bandied around at will. However, are there actually any special health benefits to eat these foods? The NHS's take the subject is that you can't promote individual foods and you have to focus on an over all healthy diet. This seems kind of obvious but when you're dealing with a population that is likely to live on chips then have a handful of blueberries expecting it to save them, that's probably a sensible.

So, even though it may be nonsense and my list maybe based in almost nothing, it still seems to be as good a point to start as any. It will be interesting to do some more research into what these foods actually do for you and find some new recipes along the way.

So, whilst I do the research and find the recipes here's the result of a challenge that Mish laid down. She found this salad that has at least four superfoods in it (beetroot, seeds, squash & red wine vinegar), so it seemed like a good start...

This looked a bit simple when I looked at it but the dressing was lovely and regardless of having no carbs it was pretty filling. I did break though and throw in some sizzled chorizo at the end. It also reminded me that I really like beetroot and should really start buying it a bit more.

Squash and Beetroot Superfood Salad

Serves 2

1 small squash
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a drizzle of olive oil
A good grating of nutmeg
2 cooked beetroot, quartered
1 handful green beans, briefly cooked
2 spring onions
1 bag rocket leves
1 handful sunflower seeds/pine nuts, toasted
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch basil, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c and then peel and de-seed the squash. Cut into bite-sized pieces and then toss in the balsamic and a little oil and then grate on the nutmeg. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until soft and golden

Next make the dressing. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, oil, mustard, herbs (fresh and dried) and seasoning. Set aside.

Compose the plate with the leaves, squash, beetroot, green beans and spring onions. Drizzle over the dressing. Scatter with seeds/pine nuts.

Mushroom Ravioli

So, I had may amazing home grown mushrooms (from the Espresso Mushroom Company) and being Easter weekend, I had a bit more time to make something special. Time to break out the pasta machine. I love making pasta, especially filled pasta, but dear god, it really does take time and it's a real fiddle.

It's not the best thing to do for a big dinner because it's so labour intensive and quite last minute. This means you end up in the kitchen freaking out whilst your guests sit around the table laughing and having fun. It's also a lot of effort for one person. It's kind of a couples thing I suppose. Whoever would have thought being single would preclude you having pasta? Well sod this, I'm just going to make it for me.

If you've not tried filling your own pasta, you have time and can be bothered to get a few pieces of kit, it really is delicious. I've tried to buy fresh filled pasta and no matter what flavour you buy and where from, it always just seems to be full of brown paste. When you fill your own you get fresh ingredients and textures that you can differentiate between.

You will need a pasta machine, a ravioli press or cutter and be able to get your hands on some 00 flour.

I think that coming up with ravioli recipes is quite challenging. Not only do you have to think of something beautiful to go in the middle but also something to complement that, to go on top. The sauce to top the pasta is usually simpler than a regular pasta sauce and can sometimes be as simple as butter and herbs. However, that feels like a cop out to me and I always seem to be struggling to come up with something a little more interesting. Previous attempts have included sun blushed tomato and mozzarella filling with butter, white wine, chorizo, parmesan and parsley topping.

One of the things I liked about this recipe was that I discovered that nutmeg, tarragon and mushroom work really well together. I think I would have assumed before that they would have been too strong. The topping I made consisted of the sauce and then topped with toasted chopped hazelnuts, parmesan, chopped fresh rocket and tarragon. I think in retrospect I might have used parsley as it might have been a bit more delicate. I loved the hazelnuts though, lovely flavour and crunch being a nice alternative from the gremolata I would normally use.

As before, the espresso mushrooms really made the dish, but I think it could have taken more of the porcini powder, especially as I meant to use it in the sauce too and forgot.

This didn't really fit with the healthy eating regime but it was kind of OK as a weekend treat. If I'd not been concerned with fat content I might have used double cream rather than single and used bit more butter, pancetta and parsesan, but to be honest it was fine how it was. So, here's the recipe. Fiddly but worth it...

Mushroom and Tarragon Ravioli with Butter Cream Sauce

For the pasta:
100g 00 flour
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

For the Filling:

6 Pearl oyster mushrooms

1 largish chestnut mushroom

1 tablespoon of dried girolles (softened in boiling water, keep the water)

1/2 shallot

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoons of butter

1 1/2 tablespoon of chopped tarragon

1 tablespoon of single cream

1/2 teaspoon of porcini powder

salt and pepper

large pinch of nutmeg

For the sauce:

30g pancetta cubes
splash or white wine
2 teaspoons of butter

2 tablespoons of single cream

1 tablespoon of parmesan

10 hazelnuts
fresh chopped rocket and tarragon to finish

Squeeze of lemon

Start by making the pasta. You do this by mixing the flour and egg, I used a magimix for this, then adding the oil until it comes into a dough. Knead for a about five minutes on an oiled surface. Then wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for an hour or so. Meanwhile make the filling.

Meanwhile make the filling. Very finely dice the shallot and soften in the butter until translucent. Crush the garlic into the pan and cook for a minute. Finely dice the fresh mushrooms and the soaked dried mushrooms and add to the frying pan. Season generously with salt, pepper, porcini powder and nutmeg and cook until the mushrooms are cooked. Once cooked add the cream and the tarragon and cook for just a minute or so more. Cool slightly.

When the pasta dough is rested you'l want to cut it into two pieces. You wont use all of the pasta for one person, probably just over half but you might as well roll it out and make the rest into tagliatelle. Then, using plenty of flour use the settings on the pasta machine to roll it out. You need to get flour everywhere. All over the machine and repeatedly flour the dough too. When you get towards the last few settings on the pasta machine the pasta can get very long and unwieldy and it can be easier to cut it in half. The aim is to end up with two pieces of pasta that are about the size of your ravioli press, the bottom piece being slightly larger is best.

To assemble the pasta, sprinkle the press with loads of flour and lay over the bottom sheet of pasta, pushing the pasta into the holes, gently. Fill the holes to the top with mushroom mixture, pressing down to expel any air. Wet the edges to allow the pasta to stick better then place the top layer of pasta on top. Press down again on top of the mushroom mixture to ensure no air pockets. If you seal air pockets in side the pasta parcels they puff up during cooking and can split the pasta. Press down around the edges to seal and then roll over the top with a rolling pin. The ravioli press has ridges that should cut the ravioli into pieces, but can sometimes need a little help. It should then be a fairly easy job to turn the pasta out of the press.

Place on a floured tray or plate until ready to cook.

To make the sauce start by browning the pancetta in a frying pan. When it's crispy add the wine and reduce down then add the butter to melt. I forgot to add garlic and porcini powder at this point but I think that would be good. Season and add the cream and a pinch of parmesan and warm through.

To cook the pasta, drop into boiling salted water and wait for the parcels to float to the top.

When the parcels are cooked, drain and mix the sauce with a spoonful of the cooking water and swirl through the pasta and tip into a bowl. Top with herbs, rocket, hazelnuts and parmesan.

The Mushroom Farmer

One thing I like about blogging, is that there's always something in the back of you mind nudging you find something interesting to write about, inventing something to cook, finding a new food market, a new ingredient, anything that will make an interesting post. This is a very exciting blog post because I've found two whole new ingredients! One is Porcini powder. The ground down result of dried porcini mushrooms which can be used to season risottos and pastas. I think the essence of mushroom can add a real kick to so many savoury dishes.

The other ingredient turns up in the post and needed a little more effort. Espresso mushrooms! At some point last year I saw something on TV about a bunch of chaps down in Brighton who were growing mushrooms on used espresso grounds. They sell kits so you can grow your own over a few weeks. They're not cheap but I was really impressed by the flavour. Subtle, slightly of coffee, creamy, really really good.

Here's the growing process:

You need to soak the packet for 12 hours to start....

... and then, when the mushrooms started to grow, I just felt really sick because they looked like little black mouldy pimples.

... but then they start turning into actual mushrooms, which is very exciting!

 ... doubling in size every day or so.

... and after two weeks you have a beautiful crop.

So, the mushrooms were ready and I wanted to try them as soon as I could. My main idea was to make fresh ravioli but the idea of making pasta today wasn't appealing, I also wanted to make something that would allow the mushrooms to take centre stage and be uncomplicated by other ingredients so I decided to go simple and breakfasty and make mushrooms on toast.

The mushroom mixture was absolutely delicious and really showed off the complex taste of the espresso pearl oysters. I would highly recommend getting one of these kits if you fancy a treat. I was cooking slightly on the hop so it ended up being served on sliced granary with a fried egg. I did feel a bit bad about that. This was the kind of dish that really needed some toasted sour dough and a poached egg to make it super special.

Posh Mushrooms on Toast

Serves 1

1/2 a shallot
1 small clove of garlic
knob of butter
small sprinkle of dried thyme
about 4 pearl oyster mushrooms
about 3 chestnut mushrooms
sprinkle of porcini powder
sea salt and fresh black pepper
drizzle of cream
parsley

I started by melting a small amount of butter in a frying pan. I finely diced the shallot and softened in the butter with the thyme over a low heat before adding the sliced garlic for a minute. I then added the roughly chopped mushrooms and porcini powder and turning heat up high and cooking them hard for a few minutes, moving them around a lot so the onion and garlic didn't burn. Once they were cooked I added the cream, seasoning and parsley. I served with a fried egg on toast and coffee.

My current plans for the rest of the crop are a very exciting mushroom ravioli... Coming soon!

Lentil and Butternut Squash Salad

There's a bit of a mega health kick going at the moment. A few hedonistic months followed by an indulgent birthday last week have created the need. Most the time I actually quite enjoy a stint of healthy eating, once I get into it. Mainly because I love fish and vegetables and when I force myself to drink a bit less and take some exercise I actually feel great. I just wish I could remember that the rest of the time when red wine and cheese look like the best things EVER.

Yesterday there was a need to have something incredibly light because I was going round to my friends' house for dinner and I already knew their plans for roasting an entire suckling pig (which was awesome by the way Theresa and Ian, I'm really not sure I raved enough about this at the time, too busy yapping). So to this end it had to be something low carb and also (sob) probably even vegetarian, well as vegetarian as I ever manage, which probably means I'll throw some chorizo in at the end. This salad came in around 200 calories, leaving lots of room for wine and pork later!

One of my favourite things to eat on a health kick is butternut squash. It's got that carby, comforting, potato like feel, whilst at the same time being much lighter. I have a similar thing with celeriac, which luckily is one of my favourite things ever.

Also, if you're anything like me you wont be able to tolerate fake sweetener. No matter how healthy I'm being I also have to have real butter and real sugar. The alternatives are just too disgusting. So, on that notes another good tip is agave nectar. It's delicious and naturally sweet but is quite a bit lighter than any other type of sugar than I've found.

If you're not bothered about making this salad super light I would consider adding more oil to the dressing, doubling the amount of chorizo sausage and also maybe adding some cheese. I thought feta might be nice.

Lentil and Butternut Squash Salad

Serves 1

For the salad:
1/4 butternut squash
few pinches of smoked paprika
pinch of chilli flakes
40g puy lentils
15g chorizo sausage
mixed leaves
4 or 5 sun blushed tomatoes
4 or 5 fresh cherry tomatoes
1/4 of a red pepper
small handful of black olives
a few slices red onion

For the dressing:
splosh of sherry vinegar
1 tsp of agave nectar
1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt and pepper

Peel and cube the butternut squash and pop it in an oven dish with a tiny bit of oil, the smoked paprika, chilli flakes and some seasoning. Roast at 200c for about 40 minutes or until soft.

Towards the end of the cooking time pop the puy lentils in cold water with some salt and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and then simmer for about ten minutes. I'm never quite sure how long to cook them but the lentils MUST have a nice bite when they're done. Nothing worse than soggy overcooked lentils.

Chop the chorizo sausage into nice chunky slices and fry them off quickly in a pan until they start to crisp up and the oils have released.

At this point put all the remaining ingredients for the salad in a bowl and mix together and plate up. When the lentils, squash and sausage are ready mix the warm ingredients together and pop on top of the leaves.

For the dressing, take the pan that you've fried the chorzio in. For me I wanted to use that oil as the base of my dressing. Add a good glug of sherry vinegar, then stir in the agave nectar, the wholegrain mustard and season and throw over the salad.