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A Morcilla Tapas

WaiterTheresSomething
The photo shows dish that inspired this Tapas round of Waiter; a Morcilla dish eaten during my recent trip to Madrid.

Morcilla Tapas, Madrid

As with all things tapas, the freshest ingredients matter most but simple and quick cooking are also important. Attempts to recreate this dish have moved on from using black pudding (it works but doesn't have the same texture and contains more fatty lumps) to using the 'real thing' from Spanish deli Brindisa.

The morcilla is fried in a little olive oil, an egg is added and 'stir-fried', mix in a handful of toasted pine nuts too. Serve on top of a slice of toasted bread spread with a little homemade tomato sauce (Spanish tomatoes roasted for 15 minutes or so with olive oil and herbs, then pushed throough a seive). You'll have to play with specific quantities...

My version - a Morcilla based Tapas


As it is the height of summer, and fewer people are inclined to blog at this time of year, we have extended this edition of Waiter until the end of July; plenty of time to submit your ideas on tapas. I just adore Spanish tapas - so lets see your ideas!


Picota Cherry and Manchego 'Tapas' Salad

WaiterTheresSomething
While technically a small 'starter'; this delicious salad is the first of my suggestions for a tapas dish. The original recipe, written by Jose Pizarro head chef and co-owner of the critically acclaimed Tapas Brindisa in London, made use of almonds (I subsititued toasted cashews) and Frisee salad (where I used peashoots).

Keeping to Spanish theme however, the cherries are the acclaimed Picota cherries from Spain and the cheese is Manchego. I forget the type of meat but this too is Spanish in origin.

picota cherry and manchego tapas salad

Serrano Ham and Manchego Salad - Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients
75g Frisée salad leaves 20 Picota cherries, pitted 25g Flaked almonds, toasted 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 Tablespoons apple or white wine vinegar Salt and pepper 200g Serrano ham 100g Manchego, cut into cubes 4 Stems of flat-leaf parsley, chopped


Method

1. Mix together the frisée, cherries and almonds in a bowl.
2. Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar, add to the salad and toss thoroughly.
3. Arrange the ham slices on a large plate and heap the salad in the middle.
4. Place the cheese around the salad, then scatter with parsley.

Continue reading "Picota Cherry and Manchego 'Tapas' Salad" »

Waiter There's Something In My... Tapas

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The mantle of hosting the next edition of Waiter falls on my unworthy shoulders... the theme is tapas. Ingredients-wise we are talking of all things Spanish - beans, morcilla, seafood, olives, herbs, chorizo, rice, saffron, and olive oil in abundance. Freshness being the key. Of course tapas, being tapas, one dish is never enough! Your recipes please then, by the end of the month if you could be so kind.

For inspirational mood-setting, three photos from my recent trip to Madrid. It was a while ago now but I've been saving these photos for just this occassion. (More photos on flickr.)

Casa Labra, C/Tetuan 12 is famed for its cod croquettes; cheap too.

Tapas at Casa Labra, Madrid

El Abuelo, C/Victoria 12 supplied the most delicious, quickly fried prawns, washed down with a fresh, crisp white wine.

El Abuelo Prawn Tapas

Casa Lucas, Cava Baja, 30 is one of my favourite wine bars. If memory serves this looks like a combination of beans, olive oil and squid. What I do recall is that it was damn delicious.

Casa Lucas 'Madrid' Tapas

Warm Chicken and Potato Salad with Lemon and Elderflower Sauce

WaiterTheresSomething
There are several things in my life that I can be pretty confident are not going to happen. I'm never going to keep homing pigeons, learn to crochet or become a chimney sweep. I'm hardly likely to perch on the summit of Everest (vertigo; grief Snowdon was bad enough) or walk on the moon. I very much doubt I'll own a penthouse in Hong Kong or run a quaint pub in the depths of the English countryside either. Owning a bistro is hardly likely to happen (a tapas bar in Madrid is far more appealing) nor a Michelin starred restaurant.

Actually I have no idea what a bistro is or how it differs from a restaurant. I'm assuming they are generally smaller and with less formality in both deco and style of food served. A bistro, at least if I ran one, would forgo side plates and such frivolous additions to the 'dining experience'. Under my management of course there would be an award winning, deliciously interesting wine list specifically tailored to the seasonally inspired dishes available.

I never got as far with a wine to match this 'salad' - too pumped on Gin and Tonic I'm afraid. But the locally grown baby potatoes, my own Elderflower cordial and the home grown sorrel leaves are as fresh and as local as you could want. The chicken wasn't but if I had any sort of space equivalent to a garden there would be a chicken run...

Warm Chicken and Potato Salad with Lemon and Elderflower Sauce

Warm Chicken and Potato Salad with Lemon and Elderflower Sauce

There are no specific quantities to this dish - use as many little boiled potatoes as you wish to eat tossed with pan-fried diced chicken breasts. The sauce is the interesting bit. Heavily reduce a quantity of chicken stock (enlivened with several strips of lemon peel and two sprigs of rosemary). Strain before returning to the heat with a hefty slug of cream. Reduce further. Add a slug of homemade Elderflower cordial (also good in the G&T!) to taste and maybe a little lemon juice. The sauce needs to be quite thick; the addition of a knob of butter helps. Pour over the chicken and potatoes and dress with a few sorrel leaves.

If any were available a few quarters of fresh figs would have been added (semi-dried figs are too sweet I thought) to give that 'real bistro' feel; if there is such a thing!

My entry to this months Passionate Cook hosted Waiter event.

Dessert of the Week - An Easy Trifle

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The one dish I remember as a kid is Trifle. It remains one of my mothers signature dishes, although I'm sure the sherry content has markedly increased over the years. Complete with those multi-coloured sugar strands that eventually stain the cream topping, trifle is surely a 'classic' retro dish; so just right for this months Waiter event.

Now I'm not going to buy a pot of those strands for just one dish (where else would you use them?) but I do remember the use of crushed nuts (hazelnuts probably, or walnuts) once in a while. Blueberries wouldn't have registered back in the '70s, but are used here, replacing the original tin of mixed fruit. Just don't mention the lemon curd. I've NEVER had a trifle with lemon curd in before, so that's not really 'retro'. But this recipe is quick, tasty and combines what a trifle is all about - fruit, cream, and sponge.

blueberry lemon trifle

Lemon and Blueberry Trifle
Adapted from a recipe in Delicious Magazine June 2009.

A pack of French 'Specialite Locale' Madeleines (one or two per glass/individual serving), cut in half and spread with lemon curd. Then rejoined to make a sandwich are cut into slices and layered in the bottom of a suitable glass. A sprinkling of Sherry, Brandy or Lemoncello will add a suitable alcohol hit. Top with a few blueberries and smother those with some decent, vanilla-bean studded, ready made custard. In a separate bowl whisk mascarpone, cream and a squeeze of lemon juice together until thick. Swirl in some lemon curd and spoon on top of the custard. For four you will need 600ml custard, 250g mascarpone and 100ml double cream. Top with crushed nuts, pistachios, or multi-coloured sugar strands.

Waiter - The Pineapple Round-Up

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The photo has nothing to do with Pineapple; it's a simple shadow on a coffee shop umbrella taken in Franschoek, South Africa. And I like it.

franschoek umbrella

More worrying though is the thin level of entrants to the Waiter event. Following numourous other event hosts mentioning the same low level of participants, one has to wonder if this signals the end of these type of food events. Still, several tasty sounding dishes were submitted. Time to stock up on pineapple to replicate these delicious recipes:

  1. To open proceedings Honey Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yoghurt, my own entry, which is more filling and rich than it appears
  2. From Nami-Nami a chocolate topped Pineapple Cake that I am sure is as moist and as tasty as it looks
  3. A German Pineapple Kuchen from Mad Woman With A Shallot, another highly tempting dessert
  4. Kip Ananas (aka Sweet and Sour Chicken) an 'excellent indeed' savoury suggestion from Lekker Lekker Lekkerste
  5. From The Passionate Cook we have Spiced Pork Belly with Caramelised Pineapple a must try for all lovers of the mighty pork belly
  6. Suggested as an accompaniment to biryani a Pineapple Raita from My Recipe Flavours
  7. Pineapple and Banana Chutney is the brainchild of the Green Gourmet Giraffe (pictured below)

Many thanks to all those who entered; looking forward immensely to trying out some of these over the next few weeks.

Continue reading "Waiter - The Pineapple Round-Up" »

Honey Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yogurt

WaiterTheresSomething

Can't recall the last time I ate pineapple; never cook with it really. Coconut too is never on the shopping list, although I did use coconut milk for an Indonesian dish (that I recall was rather tasty!). But that is the point of me participating in Waiter, to push my culinary-world out from the risotto/roast chicken cul-de-sac and explore... This edition of Waiter has Pineapple as the theme.

Honey Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yoghurt

Honey Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yoghurt

  • 6 slices of pineapple
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
  • warmed honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • handful of roasted nuts, pistachios recommended but I used hazelnuts
Place pineapple in a single layer in a shallow dish. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into honey and add the bean and cinnamon stick - I used thick honey so melted it gently until runny. Pour hiney mixture over pineapple and roast at 180C for 10 minutes. Turn slices over and roast for a further 10-15 minutes until soft.

Allow to cool. Flavours are hugly improved if left in the fridge overnight.

Coconut Yoghurt

  • 45g desiccated coconut toasted in the oven

  • 1 cup plain yoghurt

  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate covered until required.

Serve the pineapple slices with a spoonful or two of the yoghurt and a handful of roasted nuts.

Waiter There's Something In My... Pineapple

WaiterTheresSomething

I'm very late with announcing the next theme for Waiter... I do have an excuse though - I've been on a jaunt through the wine lands of South Africa. Fine food, great wine, excellent 'travel' related stuff and even more food and wine...

No real connection with South Africa to the waiter theme though; I simply picked pineapple on a whim having discovered a small tin of Sainsbury's own in the cupboard (I just wonder what I had intended to use it for?).

Anything that involves the yellow wonder is suitable - a cocktail perhaps, a dessert dish or even something savoury. Anything you like really. Blog about it between now and the 3rd April - drop me an email and I'll pull all together for a round-up on the 6th(ish).

pineapple

Dessert of the Week - Hunter's Pudding and a Wine Sauce

FeastDays
Two recipes from the 18th century - Hunter's Pudding from pre-1860 Suffolk and to accompany a Wine Sauce for Sweet Puddings dating from 1845. Today's dessert and an entry for the Waiter There's Something In My... baked pudding as hosted by The Passionate Cook.

The original recipe for the Hunter's Pudding asked for 1/2 lb of stoned raisins, as a replacement 150g of mixed berries was substituted.

Hunter's Pudding

Hunter's Pudding


  • a breakfastcupful of flour (1/2 pint)

  • a teacup of shredded suet (1/4 pint)

  • a teacupful of sugar

  • 1/2lb stoned raisins

  • 1 1/2 pints milk

  • 3 eggs


Mix the dry ingredients (flour, suet, fruits) together. Mix the eggs with the milk and add to the dry ingredients. Pour mixture into a well buttered pie dish and 'bake about one hour in moderate oven'.

When well set turn out of the dish and serve with a sweet sauce.

Wine Sauce for Sweet Puddings
Boil gently together for 10 to 15 minutes the very thin rind of half a small lemon, about 1 1/2oz sugar and a wineglassful of water. Remove the lemon rind and stir into the sauce 1oz butter mixed with a large half-teaspoonful of flour. Add a wineglasful and a half of sherry or Madeira or other good white wine and when quite hot serve without delay.

The result is a hearty, full, real-English winter pudding. I think you are supposed to turn it out of the dish (a firm crust develops all round) but I didn't trust the steamingly hot wobbly mass to play its part so it remained in the bowl. In fact though after a few minutes out of the oven (it's a pudding to serve hot) the whole does firm up substantially (did anyone mention stodge?) so it shouldn't be impossible. The sauce, especially when made with Madeira, has a lovely Christmas flavour and would make for an excellent sauce for Christmas steamed pudding.

How much is a Victorian 'wine glass full' though? My sauce was particularly boozy!

Continue reading "Dessert of the Week - Hunter's Pudding and a Wine Sauce" »

Dessert of the Week - Cheese on Toast

WaiterTheresSomething
I feel a bit of a fraud putting this idea forward - little imagination and sod-all cooking (apart from toasting two slices of bread) but I had to post something, for this is the last day for entries to Waiter.

Cooksister is hosting Waiter There's Something In My... this month with a Sweet/Savoury Swap. With a writing deadline looming (making money taking precedent over eating) Sweet Cheese on Toast was all I could conjure.

Sweet Cheese on Toast

Technically of course the cheese is supposed to be melted under the grill; but have you seen spreadable Goat's cheese melted? Not a pretty sight I can tell you. Fruited Soda Bread, toasted, topped with spreadable goat's cheese, and keeping the fruit theme going topped in turn by a sprinkling of dried berries (raisins, cranberries, cherries and blueberries). It actually tasted ok.

Waiter - The TryOut Edition Round-Up

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Been putting off compiling this mini-Waiter round-up as there is precious little to say (I actually wasn't going to bother at all but SOMEONE insisted!).

December's Waiter was a mini-edition; a try-out of some of the marvellous suggestions that participants in Waiter contributed over the last few months. I went with The Food Traveller's Potato Tart from Jeanne's Topless Tart suggestion. Breakfast muffins was Jeanne's try-out recipe; and mighty good they look too. If it wasn't so cold outside I'd be down Waitrose buying some cranberries to make my own! But then Johanna's fruit tart looks equally impressive!

And that be it. Three recipe try-outs from the hallowed archives of Waiter. Normal waiter service will now resume.

The Food Traveller's Potato Tart

WaiterTheresSomething
Yes Jeanne, its a savoury! Bet that surprised you!

For the perplexed the lovely Cooksister set me the theme of Tarts for this months Waiter Try Out . The event alternates host between myself, Jeanne and Johanna The Passionate Cook each month. For December each of us is to assign another host one of the Waiter themes from 2008; Jeanne selected Topless Tarts for me with the erroneous assumption that I would go for one of the many dessert options. Admittedly I was mighty tempted but ran with this Potato Tart from The Food Traveller.

As per the instructions I substituted Taleggio for the suggested Strachitunt cheese; the former being stocked locally the other meeting blank stares from the deli staff. As an addition a sprinkling of parsley adds a little colour. The pastry I made myself using a mixture of butter and lard ('cause I had a smidge stuck in the fridge).

The wine match was less successful; I should have opted for a crisp Italian white as the 'on offer at Waitrose' Loire Sauvignon was lacklustre and disappointing; certainly not worth a write-up on Spittoon.


The Food Travellers Potato Tart

What remained of the tart was served with Lamb Shanks the following day. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'm thinking a layer of spinach and/or pancetta would make for a worthy addition.

Waiter 2008 Try-Out

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Waiter There Is Something In My...

Something a little different for the end of year Waiter event. It is a busy time of year few will find time to blog let alone host a popular event long running blog-event such as Waiter. So, I had a thought. Lets try out some of those delicious recipes that the world-wide foodie blogging community have submitted over the last year.

I'm sure many a recipe has been book-marked in one form or another; but how many actually make it to the table in a way suitable for blogging? My proposal, accepted by the wonderful J-duo of Jeanne and Johanna, is for one of us to pick a monthly theme for one of us to then select a submitted recipe, try it out, and blog about it. There are plenty to chose from - a terrine perhaps, or a berried treasure or a breakfast delight. The full list is detailed by Jeanne on the Waiter page of her Cooksister site.

Johanna will select one of the waiter themes for Jeanne to pick one of the recipes to recreate, Jeanne will select the theme for me and I'll pick for Johanna. Should be fun!

And if one of our faithful readers wishes to participate, comment or e-mail one of us and we'll pick an event for you to choose a recipe from!

Roasted Woodpigeon

WaiterTheresSomething
Being a massive fan of feathered game - partridge, quail, grouse, et al - the prospect of featuring a 'roast' for this months Waiter left no other option! The advantage of woodpigeon is its price, (you can get an oven readybird for just £2 each) so much more reasonable than duck and the others.

Woodpigeon flesh is darker and moderately deep in flavour but they have a tendency to dry out during roasting if not dealt with appropriately; in this case covering with strips of pancetta or bacon to keep that flavoursome breast meat moist. Serve with mash potato and a stir-fry of Brussel Sprouts, Chestnuts and cubes of Pancetta.

Roasted Woodpigeon

Waiter There's Something In My... Stuffed Acorn Squash

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Look at this handsome little devil, isn't he a beaut? Let me introduce Acorn; Acorn Squash.

Acorn Squash

From earlier in the week leftovers of a lamb pasta sauce were used to stuff the squash. for those looking to replicate the sauce was minced lamb,browned and added to a little chopped onion and garlic. A tin of chopped tomatoes was added along with a bay leaf and a sprinkling of dried herbs. Near the end of cooking a generous pouring of cream completed the sauce.

The squash was cut in half, the seeds and fibrous centre removed and rubbed with olive oil. A nip end of butter was added to the cavity along with more chopped garlic. I've no idea how long it was baked for - but an hour and a half seems about right. The stuffing was added towards the end to heat through and, using up the last dribble in the pot, a little cream was poured over prior to serving.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Acorn Squash, my entry for Cooksisters latest round of Waiter, was served with a juicy, slightly sweet, new world Syrah (not the bottle pictured). You need that touch of sweetness to match the squashes inherent sweetness.

Waiter - The Indonesian Foods Round-Up

WaiterTheresSomething
With my cupboards now stocked with tamarind paste, noodles and galangal I am going to have a high old time sampling the delicious submissions for this round of Waiter. Thanks in particular to all those South East Asian bloggers who sent in many a delicious recipe.

Little known is the cuisine of Indonesia (Malaysia and Singapore included), at least in the UK but I sourced most of the ingredients I needed, or close approximations, and surprised myself at the tasty dishes I created. I wasn't 'into' food during my leisurely travels down the Malay peninsula to Singapore (missing Indonesia I skipped across to Sarawak and Sabah before returning to Hong Kong). It would seem I missed out big time, especially in the regional variations as many entrants describe!

Indonesian foods

Entries in the order received:


  1. Arfi from New Zealand with Martabak Telor a delicious looking pastry filled with egg and meat.

  2. Zita in Jordan with Jakarta Beef Soup (Soto Betawi); a 'love potion' as Zita describes.

  3. Serfa sent in Sweet Corn Kernel in Coconut Milk Syrup (Jagung Santan Manis) a sweet dish served during Ramadan as an appetiser or starter.

  4. Mae from Surabaya, Indonesia recommends Beef set Soy sauté (Beef Krengsengan) chosen because of the ease of finding the ingredients.

  5. From Caracas in Venezuela Mindy has blogged about Minced Beef Stuffed with Sticky Rice (Lemper Daging) nicely photographed and good instructions too!

  6. Rita from Hong Kong but is an Indonesian gives us the amazing sounding Super Spicy Indonesian Pineapple Sweet Salad (Rujak Nanas Super Pedas) It's Spicy!

  7. Dita in Kuwait brings a dessert Steamed Glutinous Rice and Coconut Milk Custard (Ketan Sarikayo) with very inspiring photos to accompany.

  8. Celia in the UK brings us Chicken Satay - simple but a firm favourite. Time to throw out those pre-mix jar of satay sauce!

  9. Next we have Yohana from Bandung in West Java with Colenak which translates as Dipped (Dicocol) delicious (enak). Hawker food never looked so tasty!

  10. Regina brings us Spicy Stewed Pork (Tinoransak)

  11. From Tiffanie in Vancouver, Canada we have Belado and Belado vegetables. Delicious!

  12. From Cecil in Toronto we have Sticky RIce with Grated Coconut and Palm Syrup (Lupis). Learn all you need to recreate!

  13. Anna in Sydney goes with Chili-Tamarind Fish (Ikan Asam Pedas) It might not be pretty An, but it sure sounds delicious.

  14. Joint host of Waiter, Johanna in London, brings us Prawn and Macadamia Nut Curry which she appologss for being Malaysian. Close enough in my book Johanna!

  15. And the other co-host, Jeanne, also in London, brings to the table Pineapple Chicken Rice (Nasi Ayam Nanas) in her imitable style.

  16. Nate in San Jose, California, goes with Indonesian Spiced Fish (Ikan Pepes) excellently recreating a local restaurant dish at home.

  17. Sweatha goes with Indonesian Tofu and Vegetable Satay and mouth-wateringly good they look too.
  18. Our last entry is from Jude frm Chicago with Lemongrass Scented Coconut Rice (Nasi Uduk) simple but delicious.

  19. Two entries from me Penang Noodle Soup (Penang Asam Laksa) and Braised Chicken in White Gravy (Opor Ayam)

Terima Kasih to all who entered and to those who also sent in photographs; a couple of which I've used here.

Penang Noodle Soup - Penang Asam Laksa

WaiterTheresSomething
Following the success of the chicken dish (Opor Ayam) anticipation for this Penang Asam Laksa (Penang Noodle Soup) was high.

One ingredient that, and I stand to be corrected, is unavailable in the UK is Knotgrass (I substituted coriander). My little bible - Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine by Christina Sjahir Hwang - has a handy description of many ingredients at the beginning of the book. While the knotgrass was deemed essential for the authentic flavour of the Soup I'm pretty pleased with the results - maybe not as spicy as I recall from my travels in Malaysia & Singapore but mighty tasty.

Penang Noodle Soup - Penang Asam Laksa

Penang Noodle Soup Penang Asam Laksa
serves 2


  • 450g mackerel

  • 5 cups seafood stock

  • 3 tbsp chili paste

  • 5 tbsp tamarind juice

  • 2 crushed lemon grass

  • 1 1/2 tsp sat

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • 20 knotgrass leaves

  • 1/4 cup diced pineapple

  • 2 sliced shallots

  • 2 shredded red chili peppers

  • 1/2 cucumber peeled and shredded

  • 450g Vienamese rice noddles

Bring to the boil the stock, choli paste, tamarind juice with the lemon grass. Add the fish and cook for 6 minutes until he fish is cooked.

Drain the liquid through a sieve and return to the boil. Add the salt and sugar and the shredded fish meat. Add the knotgrass before turning off the heat.

Cook the noodls and divide into two portions. Top with the pineapple, shallots, chili and cucumber before pouring the soup over the top.

Braised Chicken in White Gravy - Opor Ayam

WaiterTheresSomething
Ingredients gathered - tamarind paste, lemon grass, pineapple chunks, galangal, chillies, shallots, bay leaves, noodles plus chicken, mackerel and coconut milk - but confusion reigns over which dishes I had decided to create! A cheap book picked up from Amazon (Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine by Christina Sjahir Hwang) provided more than enough inspiration and nicely covered the theme of this months Waiter - Vaguely Indonesian. But of course I neglected to note which dishes I would try.

Several recipes fitted the mass of ingredients - I picked on one and even went as far as defrosting the fish, only to find that I was bereft of fish stock. That one, Penang Noodle Soup, will have to wait until tomorrow. First up will be Braised Chicken in White Gravy (Opor Ayam) and damn tasty it was too.


Braised Chicken in White Gravy - Opor Ayam

Braised Chicken in White Gravy Opr Ayam
from Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine by Christina Sjahir Hwang. Serves 2

  • 600g chicken joints
  • 4 tsp Fragrant Paste (I used Thai red paste)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 crushed lemon grass
  • 3 each bay leave, galangal slices
  • 1 cup stock (I used chicken)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp crispy shallots
Crispy Shallots are thingy sliced shallots, deep fried until brown and crispy. Galangal is a varietyof ginger, I found some in Whole Foods.

Brown chicken in oil. Add paste, coriander powder, lemon grass, bay leaves, galangal and stock. Reduce hea to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add coconut milk, salt and sugar and turn heat up. Cook until sauce thickens. Serve with crispy shallots (and shredded red chile) and rice.

My first entry for Waiter...

Waiter There's Something In My... Indonesian

WaiterTheresSomething
Your browser is not playing up and it is certainly not a trick of the eyes; there is no photograph accompanying this post. It's rather a long (and frankly dull story) but my weekly groceries order went to an address I haven't lived in for nearly six years. I don't know why.

The result of this calamity is an empty fridge. Without food there ain't gonna be any pictures; but to be frank I haven't a clue what I would have made anyway!

Indonesian is the theme for this round of Waiter; a culinary area I admit to being a little ignorant of. I have been to Malaysia and to Singapore but not to Indonesia, not being 'into' food back then all I recallis copious amount of chicken satay, pineapples and mangoes. For this challenge, at a pinch I guess we could include Malaysian foods (and Singapore) (ignoring the Chinese influence is there much difference?) but it is the mass of islands that comprise Indonesia that I am interested in.

What can you create? Suggest something marvellous and inspire me and the whole the Waiter community. The deadline is the end of this month... entries to the email address above. Photos optional. Something a little more original than Nasi Goreng or Beef Rendang if you could; unless your version has a unique slant of course!

Waiter There's Something In My... Picnic Wrap

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If this mornings fine weather holds and doesn't degenerate into a repeat of yesterdays drizzle interspersed with heavy showers, I might just wander down to the side of the Thames for a picnic. A lazy afternoon watching the barges and holiday hire white boats cruising up and down appeals today. A glass of wine, the papers and a rug. And some food.

Chicken Salad Wrap with Apple, Bacon and Pine Nuts

Chicken Wraps with Apple, Bacon and Pine Nuts

Gently fry some chopped bacon, add a little chopped cooking apple and a handful of pine nuts. Cook until the apple is soft, the bacon crispy and the pine nuts begin to colour. Remove from heat and cool. The large wrap, pictured, took half an apple and half a slice of bacon.

Combine pre-cooked chicken pieces with mayonnaise (or just dollop a little around as in the photo).

Pile in the centre of a deli wrap a handful of salad leaves (rocket, spinach and watercress being my preferred choice). Top with a little of the chicken and the bacon-apple-pine nut mix. Tightly roll the wrap into a cylinder and cut into slices or leave whole and secure with a cocktail stick.

Perfect picnic fare for this months Waiter There's Something In My... For the perfect Picnic rosé wine i suggest the Perdido Rosé from Navarra, Spain.

Dessert of the Week - Chocolate Croissants & Strawberries

FeastDays
Just time, I hope, for another entry to the berry edition of Waiter. Simplicity itself are these - a few squares of dark chocolate stuffed into a croissant and heated in the oven until the chocolate melts. Served with vanilla ice-cream and fresh strawberries. Not an original recipe but one lifted from the latest issue of Delicious magazine. Really scrummy. I ate two.

Warmed Chocolate Croissants with Ice-cream and Strawberries

Continue reading "Dessert of the Week - Chocolate Croissants & Strawberries" »

Mixed Berry Mousse

WaiterTheresSomething

From the back of the freezer a half tub of mixed berries. From the fridge door some double cream. Fruit stewed for a short while on the hob with a tablespoon of vanilla infused sugar. Cream whipped and the, now cooled fruit, mixed in gently. A teaspoon retained for decoration. Chilled for a couple of hours. The temptation to sprinkle a few almonds or walnuts remains.

Dessert of the Week - Mixed Berry Mousse

A quick, first, entry to this month's Waiter hosted by Cooksister.

Dried Fruit and Nuts - The Waiter Round-Up

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We have them up-side down, baked, and stewed. We have them sweet ad we have them savoury. We have 29 (30 including my own) wonderfully diverse recipes to work through! for today ladies and gentlemen we have the Waiter There's Something In My... Dried Fruit and Nuts roundup.


Dried Mango

Continue reading "Dried Fruit and Nuts - The Waiter Round-Up" »

Lamb and Mango Tagine

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From New Zealand Bron suggested several ideas for using up the last of the dried mango pieces; a tagine seemed the more imaginative - makes a change from a constant flow of desserts at least - an something I've not produced before.

Generally fruit in savoury dishes are not my favourite. Apart from apples with pork or oranges in salad I'll generally pick out the fruit bits (although strangely the South African platter was fine with separate fruit) like those currants in cous cous for example. But, as they say, in for a penny... and this I rather enjoyed.

The recipe is cobbled together from several found on blogs and the interent. Not sure exactly how true to a dish from North Africa the result was, but the combination of subtle sweetness, flavoursome lamb and spices was rather tasty. So thanks Bron for the suggestion.

Lamb Tagine and Cous Cous

Lamb and Mango Tagine

  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • mix of spices: 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin chickpeas
  • dried mango cut into slithers
  • tomato ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Lamb shoulder
  • Chicken Stock
  • Olive Oil
Make a paste for the lamb to marinate in while the oven heats up - mix the honey, ketchup, spices, honey and olive oil to a paste and cover the lamb. Fry the chopped onion and garlic until soft. Brown the lamb in the same dish with all the marinade. Add the tinned tomatoes and enough chicken stock to nearly cover the lamb. Cover and place in the oven on lowish heat.

Roast in oven for an hour then add the chopped mango, more spices too if you think it needs it along with the chickpeas. Continue cooking for another hour or so until the meat is tender. Serve with cous cous.

My 'real' entry for Waiter There's Something In My... Dried Fruit and Nuts.

Continue reading "Lamb and Mango Tagine" »

Waiter There's Something In My... Dried Fruit and Nuts

WaiterTheresSomething
It falls back to me to host the ever popular Waiter There's Something In My... event this month. I thought dried fruit and nuts would make a good theme and get all those imaginative bloggers scurrying to their kitchens.

It falls to you to decide which fruits you should use and whether you use both fruit and nuts in the dish or just play with one. The actual dish can be anything at all - bread, salads, desserts, whatever you fancy!

Entries should be emailed to me with the subject line of Waiter F&N by the 30th of the month. A picture is optional but sold be 100 pixels in width. Don't forget to tell me which city and country you live in; it makes it so much fun in receiving submissions from around the world.

Cashews and Pecans

Vanilla Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote

WaiterTheresSomething
Sunday breakfast is normally a mix of fried stuff - black-pudding, bacon, sausages accompanied with baked beans, tomato, scrambled eggs and so on. A little juice on the side and I'm set until a decent bottle of wine and something special that evening.

During the week breakfast though is little more than a slug of juice, a slice of Marmite-topped toast and a few slurps of coffee taken on the run. Neither make for interesting post for a blog event; especially as Johanna explicitly stated that Marmite on toast is not a suitable entry for Waiter There's Something In My...which has a Breakfast theme this month.

This week, then, something a little more interesting than a fry-up; how does Vanilla Pain Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote grab you?.

Vanilla Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote

Vanilla Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote
For the Fruit Compote

  • 380g frozen mix of blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, red currants

  • half glass red wine

  • 125g caster sugar


Place all in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

For the Pain Perdu (sweetened French Toast)

  • thinnish slices of stale bread

  • 1 egg

  • 150ml milk

  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla flavoured caster sugar

  • butter and oil for frying


Mix the egg, milk and sugar together. Soak the bread for a while - before it gets too soggy and collapses. Fry each slice gently until lightly browned on each side. Serve with a couple of spoonfuls of the compote on top.

Continue reading "Vanilla Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote" »

Waiter, There's Something In My... Beans

WaiterTheresSomething

Take one tin of mixed beans, drain and rinse. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry a handful of chopped pancetta, add a little chopped garlic, then add a few slices of black pudding and gently cook until the pancetta is crisp.


Mixed beans with pancetta and black pudding

Add the beans and heat through gently. Add a splash each of white wine and white wine vinegar. Reduce. When ready add a big handful of chopped parsley tip into a bowl and douse with more olive oil. And voila, a bowl full of beans with pancetta and black pudding. A recipe of Spanish origins of such simplicity that I wonder if it is up to the usual standards of Waiter!

I've made this several times - butter beans and haricot work well, as does adding a little chopped boiled egg or a little tomato. Good on its own but I served this with some cold, sliced turkey. Really tasty.

Continue reading "Waiter, There's Something In My... Beans" »

The Salad Round-up

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Just a few of the entries received in this round of Waiter There's Something In My... Salad

Having given those late-comers a few more days to submit their salad-masterpieces here, late, is the marvellous collection of recipes for Waiter There's Something In My... Salad!

Sorry for the brevity of the recipe listings, no personal comments I'm afraid due to time constraints (and the fact that my keyboards space bar and shift key are only working intermittently, which is driving me insane), but I think this gives even more options to explore the wondrous delights that everyone has come up with. Plenty here to stave off anyones green-stuff deficit. Interestingly, while many used fruit within the recipe, the number of submissions for a dessert salad totalled one!

  1. Very Belgian Salade Liegeoise - from Andreea at Glorious Food and Wine
  2. Wilted Russian Kale Salad With Balsamic Vinegar & Orange Zest - from Eve at The garden of Eating
  3. Shrimp Salad with Tomato Raita Dressing from Zlamushka at Burnt Mouth
  4. Tambo Salad with Preserved Lemons and Capers from Johanna down at Green Gourmet Giraffe
  5. Coleslaw Salad from Gay at A Scientist In The Kitchen
  6. Mixed Tomato Salad from Haalo at Cook Almost Anything
  7. Spinach Salad With Warm Vinaigrette from Elizabeth at Blog From Our Kitchen
  8. Ensalada Caprese from Gretchen at Canela & Comino
  9. Carrot and Charred Capsicum Salad from Bron at Bron Marshall
  10. Pea Shoot Salad with Bacon & Lime from Kelly at ass & Veracity
  11. Desperation Citrus Tossed Salad from Tracy at Rah Cha Chow
  12. Seasonal Salads: Seeing Red from Hank at Honest Food
  13. Fennel, Red Onion, Blood Orange and Sicilian Olives Plainly Dressed from Louise at Gato Azul
  14. Scallops on chicory, dolcelatte and walnut salad from Johanna at The Passionate Cook
  15. Full English Salad from James at Biggest Jim
  16. Carrot Salad from Chris at Mel Cotte
  17. Winter salad with parsnip, blue cheese, walnut and pear from Caitlin at The Gooseberry Fool
  18. Kohlrabi, Fennel and Beetroot Salad from Helen at Helen Graves
  19. Blood Orange Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Vinaigrette from Paula at Half Baked
  20. Colorful Spring Salad with Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing from Mansi at Fun and Food
  21. Green Bean, Red Onion & Pecorino Salad from Michelle at Greedy Gourmet
  22. Tropical fruit Salad with a Hint of Mint from Meeta at What's For Lunch, Honey?
  23. Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw from Alanna at A Veggie Adventure
  24. Beet, Fennel, and Leek Salad with Lemon-Ginger Dressing from Laurie at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
  25. Warm Tuna Salad With Passionfruit, Dragon Fruit, Almond And Mustard submitted by 'Cakelaw' at Kitchen Law
  26. Mixed Greens and Feta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette from Annie at The Daily Digress
  27. Carrot and Fennel Salad with Lemony Raisin Dressing from Mia at Red Ramekin
  28. Carrot and Radish salad with miso dressing from Smita at Smita Serves You Right
  29. Pomegranate Bulgur Salad from Anne at Annes Food
  30. Roasted Potato Salad from Jeanne at Cooksister
  31. Lettuce, pear and Walnut Salad from Madeline of Madelines Adaptations.
  32. Lazy Wednesday Salad from Le Petit Kitchen
  33. Mid Winter Salad from 'Mrs W' at Mrs W's Kitchen


Lentil and Bean Salad with Chive Dressing

WaiterTheresSomething
A great wine and food combo - and my entry for the Salad round of Waiter There's Something In My... The wine is Bellingham's The Maverick Winemaker Chenin Blanc 2007 from South Africa.The food is a Lentil, Pea and Green Bean salad topped with a Yoghurt Chive Dressing. Oh, and being the carnivore that I am I threw in a pork chop. Bellingham Chenin Blanc and Salad

The salad is based on one from the March 2008 issue of Delicious where their version utilises yellow split peas instead of the lentils. No real recipe just top a mix of salad leaves (I used one of those supermarket bags of mixed watercress, spinach and rocket You must know the ones, they go off in the bottom of the fridge overnight once you have opened it) with blanched green beans, peas and the lentils and dot with the chive dressing. The dressing is about as close to a complication as you can get - mix a bunch of finely snipped chives into 120g natural yoghurt and mix in 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

Waiter There's Something In My... Salad

WaiterTheresSomething
I've realised recently that I'm not eating enough fruit and veg. It's the only reason I can think of to account for the slight icky, run-down feeling that has been dodging me for the last month or so. (Although it could be because its January/February, the calenders worst). To rectify this a simple theme for this months Waiter, (for it is I who is to host again), - Seasonal Salad.

Valentines I Love You Marmite

Yes, I do realise a photo of Valentines Marmite has nothing at all to do with the theme or the Waiter event but it is the only foodie-pic I have at the moment that hasn't yet appeared on Spittoon Extra! You see the problem - run down and NOT taking photos...

What I am thinking of, in regards to salads, are seasonal ingredients. I would have called it Winter Salads but the bottom-end of the world is of course in Summer and lets not forget the middle-bit that doesn't really bother with summer or winter. The list of ingredients is therefore wide open. It would be great if the ingredients were local, were all seasonal, organic, fair-trade and all that but often this is just not possible.

There are no restrictions apart from the green-stuff (and the fruit component, if any) which should form the majority of the final dish. Additions such as nuts, chicken, ham, potatoes or Marmite are all fine but they must not dominate. No problems either with lashings of mayo or dressings!

If you could get your entries in by the end of February that would be great. Please email to me direct with the subject line of WAITER.

Thanks by the way to Johanna for collating the last round - Waiter There's Something In My... Terrine

Dessert of the Week - Basil Scented Fruit Terrine

FeastDays
I've been playing with gelatine this week, with rather successful results I have to say. Never used it before so was rather dubious that it would work. A couple of panicky emails to Jeanne though the day ('it won't bloody set'... 'its not bloody setting'... 'damn thing has set at last!') eased my passage though this introduction to gelatine.

The recipe is taken from Delicious! The Deli Cookbook by James Martin. He recommends a lime syrup as an accompaniment and includes the recipe but I really couldn't be arsed to make it despite making a special trip to see Mr Wait and Mr Rose for limes. The recipe also includes 3 tablespoons of vodka but I didn't bother with that either.

Basil Scented Fruit Terrine

All well and good once tipped out. The problem, as you can see from the second picture, was on cutting. The blueberry layer squirted out the back. And the sides. Oh how we laughed.

Not.

Basil Scented Fruit Terrine
6 leaves of gelatine
500ml water
200g caster sugar
1 ripe mango
fresh fruit - raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
basil leaves

Line a loaf tin with cling-film leaving an ample amount to fall over the sides. Soften the gelatine in a little water to soften.

Bring the water to the boil and add the sugar. Stir until dissolved. Remove gelatine from the water and gently squeeze out any excess. Put in the sugar syrup and stir until dissolved.

Make a layer in the tin and leave to set. I put mine in the fridge each time, resting the tin in a little water. It sets eventually. Once set add a layer of fruit topped with the gelatine mix. Chill to set between layers. Mine, at random began with raspberries, then a layer of basil leaves followed by mango, blueberries, mango again and ending with blackberries.

The terrine really needs to set fully in the fridge overnight. Turning out is the easy bit. Cutting while retaining the shape and showing off the layers to full effect is more tricky.

This is my entry to Waiter; hosted this month by Johanna, The Passionate Cook. My turn to host and select a theme next month I think.

Continue reading "Dessert of the Week - Basil Scented Fruit Terrine" »

Kentish Pudding Pie Tarts

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Kentish Pudding Pie TartsI seem to have cocked up somewhere - I've made a dozen of these little tarts and have a huge mass of the rice/cream mixture hardening to concrete in the mixing bowl. Perhaps mine are a little too small - bite sized rather than (the six) 9cm across ones as the recipe dictates. Being bereft of such tart tins I had to make-do.

The recipe is from the new Great British Food magazine, written by dessert maestro James Martin. No idea where to get crab apples from, stewed crab apples being the recommended accompaniment. Still, with a little GU Vanilla ice-cream they were fab.

Kentish Pudding Pie Tarts

  • 500g sweet shortcrust pastry

  • 75g caster sugar

  • 150ml double cream

  • 250ml milk

  • 100g ground rice

  • 125g currants

  • 2 eggs

  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

  • pinch of nutmeg

  • icing sugar to serve


Oven to 200C/400F/G6. line six 9cm tart tins with pastry and blind-bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool a little.

Mix eggs and sugar.

Mix the cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour onto the egg/sugar mixture and whisk. Pour everything back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Constantly stir until lightly thickened. Remove form heat. Add ground rice, nutmeg and lemon. Pour onto tart cases. Sprinkle currants over the top.

Bake for 10 minutes until just set and lightly golden.

My entry to Waiter There's Something In My... Topless Tarts hosted by my friend Cooksister.

Waiter There's Something In My... Layered cake

WaiterTheresSomething
For all you chefs, chefettes, cooks, recipe followers and aga-strokers the round-up for the Layered Cake edition of Waiter There's Something In My... a theme selected by me. An excellent selection of some of the most delicious cakes available across the blogosphere. The only criteria was that the cake should have layers and part of it must be baked.

Chocolate Lemon Layer Cake

Pictured a version of my entry - replacing the Lemon Curd Cream and raspberry topping of my official entry this has chocolate mousse sandwiched between the two sponge layers. Rich and decadent but the chocolate over-powered the subtle lemon flavours of the sponge. Good but not as successful as the lemon version.

Continue reading "Waiter There's Something In My... Layered cake" »

Spanish Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Cream and Rapberries

WaiterTheresSomething
Spanish Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Cream and Rapberries Looks a bit girly if you ask me - all those raspberries neatly circling the top. Still, tasted bloody nice. The basic sponge recipe is taken from the Spanish cookbook, 1080 recipes, doubled to make two layers. The creamy middle is a tub of double cream whipped to stiffness with half a jar of lemon curd folded in. Sweet indeed thus requiring the raspberries to add a little tartness. I'm on my second huge slice...

Sponge Made With Yoghurt and Lemon
Bizcocho con Yogur y Limón - double these ingredients for two layers.

  • 50g butter (recipe states margarine)

  • 120g sifted plain flour

  • 130g caster sugar

  • 150ml lemon yoghurt

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • grated rind of 1 lemon


Oven to 150C/300F/G2. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add yoghurt and eggs. Add lemon rind. Sift in the flour and baking powder a little at a time. Pour into a lightly greased and floured cake tin. Bake for 15 minutes then increase temperature to 160C/325F/G3. The recipe says bake for 45-60 minutes although mine were ready in 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

The filling is a tub of double cream whipped until stiff with lemon curd folded in to taste.

My entry to Waiter There's Something In My... Layered Cake. Round-up coming soon to allow for a few late entries.

Continue reading "Spanish Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Cream and Rapberries" »

Waiter There's Something In My... Layered Cake

WaiterTheresSomething

Not only am I hosting Sugar High Friday this month but this month it is again my turn for Waiter! The latter is a little event dreamt up by Johanna, The Passionate Cook and Jeanne, Cooksister, and some how I get to host too; which is nice.

Toying with themes this month. We have a list but none seemed to inspire so I went with cake. As you do.

Johanna needed something a little more specific than simply 'cake' though, so what we need to see this month are cakes with layers. And they have to be baked.

I'm thinking of something creative with pears and these local cob-nuts; something a little more interesting than the muffins I made earlier.

cobnuts_pears.jpg


In a nutshell:
Criteria: a new post covering some form of baked, multi-layered cake.
Due date: anytime by Sunday 28th October.
Include: post must include link to this announcement and it would be great if you could add a link to the round-up once it is compiled
Send In: your name, blog's name, name of cake, permalink to post, photograph is optional in an email to arb AT andys-scribblings DOT co DOT uk with the subject line of Layered Cake (nothing more; nothing less please).

Waiter, it is time to get Saucy!

WaiterTheresSomething
Feeling a little frisky with the sauce, misses? Perhaps a little whisk and turn while the husbands away? (Amazing what Radio 2 can do!). Amazing what people get up to when your back is turned...

prettypestobox.jpgLets take, at total random, Brenda. I think a step up from plan ol' sauce is needed here to accommodate her nuts and a choke. And it's green with spots! Need I say more...

Ronnel on the other hand has to use a little red wine to get saucy. Those eggs are gonna be a-rolling...

Raaga is getting all cheesy on us; but not content with one she grabs the headlines with another - recklessly she "went ahead and added some puree and some chilli flakes" (every full-blooded male is wincing...)

mushroom_wine_sauce.jpgZlamushka has a burnt mouth (I tell yer darling, you are doing it wrong! Blow, girl, blow) but comes out the other end with a little bit of spicy Asian. Not sure where the 'mushroom' comes into play though... poor chap.

salsaverde.jpgHaalo is getting all excited too, all that talk of rustic Italians gets the heart racing.

pollo-tonnato.jpgTrue to form Zorra is in the skinless zone - wild abandonment of eggs is just the sort of thing we have come to expect!

100-by-100-bbq-corn-pizza-c.jpgSusan though is going all sensible on us - she never fails apparently, and enthuses us to lie and say its home-made. What ever can she be talking about?

waiter-pasta-sauce.jpgAndreea, playing down Brussels way, asks us to think thick. Now I know exactly what she means!

EstonianEggSaucewithSmokedH.jpgPille though is going all ethnic on us. Smoking darlin', smoking! Just don't ask what a 'vanaema' is though. Thoughts of tubes, running water and so much more are probably wide of the mark.

Down Seattle way Lara likes 'em sweet; just don't get caught ogling them pictures... food smut one an' all!

guoba1.jpgIn tigerfish land there is much more balance - a good party trick amongst your closest and dearest - sweet and sour may just be a euphasium...

mangohotsauce100.jpgSarina, oh Sarina, she likes them 'simple, 'fiery', 'tropical' and 'hot' ... don't we all darling, don't we all...

Meanwhile Elizabeth is never late to the party.. and like all good parties the best action occurs in the kitchen!

Not the kitchen for Anne though, in true Scandinavian style she is off for a smoke, not sure if that's in the sauna or if the 'rocket' is leaking fumes.... oh, man arnt we all a'leaking!

(that'll be just me then... those rampant saliva glands play havoc with oral hygiene)

Jenny has turned me on big time, get a load of that creme!

Passionate to the last is our Johanna, lend an eye to the lovely plump roundness of those... eggs... and if anyone even mentions those green tips...

snoweggs.jpgThe only thing that is going to get Barbera going is thoughts of a stove on an island beach, looking at the ocean... easily pleased is our Barbera.

Funny thing married life, you seem to grave certain homogenised things; with Jenni it is raspberries - we all know where she is coming from though, don't we!

Jeanne though thinks she has the best bit o' sauce in the world... and after reading all the juicy details who are we to argue?

Which just leaves enough tissue to mop up the the ice-cream, the mayo and the blackberry sauce. Stuff 'em all in your trunks and away we go.

Late to the party is Marta. Poor ol' Marta, but blimey boys what a party trick she brings to enliven a dull evening! Seed me baby, seed me!

Mars Bar Ice-cream Sauce

WaiterTheresSomething
Take one Mars Bar (about the only time I eat 'sweets') chop into segments, melt slowly in a bowl over steaming water until melted and the fudge has formed scrummy little chewy bits. Add cream to make a smooth sauce. Pour over vanilla ice-cream.

Yep, yet another sauce for Waiter...
Mars Bar Ice cream Sauce

Baked Cod With Parsley Mayo Sauce

WaiterTheresSomething
From an old issue of Olive magazine; a ready-in-30-minutes dish Baked Fish with Parsley Mayo. The sauce is the key for this edition of Waiter and this couldn't come any simpler. Take some mayonnaise, add chopped parsley and a few capers and a squeese of lemon juice.

Serve with baked potatoes and tomatoes - new potatoes and cherry tomatoes halved, drizzled with olive oil and roasted for 30 minutes, then place some white fish fillets on top garnished with slices of lemon and a few capers and continue roasting for a further 10 minutes.
Baked Cod Parsley Mayonnaise Sauce

Waiter There's Something In My... Sauce

WaiterTheresSomething
Was a bit hasty in setting the closing date for this round of Waiter; originally tomorrow was set however this hasn't given me, or practically anyone else time to prepare and blog their entries. So entries will be welcome until the end of the month, with the round-up completed sometime during the first week of August.

How complicated are you making your sauce? Pictured here a blackberry sauce, a coulis I suppose, that is little more than blitzed blackberries, a squeeze of lemon juice and a few tablespoons of icing sugar ('to taste' as they say). Served with the wonderfully moist Gooseberry Sauce Cake from Sophie Grigson's Country Kitchen.
Blackberry Sauce with Gooseberry Sauce Cake

Waiter There's Something In My... Sauce

WaiterTheresSomething
I have a great little recipe just beggin' for release and I think this months Waiter theme may be the ideal opportunity.

Surprisingly, the girls lept with delight at my idea, which is very surprising as, being the forceful duo that they are, they normally brow beat and cajole until I give into their demands ideas.

So, stand by your saucepans... the next theme for Waiter is - Sauces!

A wide open theme I hope you agree. Plenty of room for experimentation, family favourites and the tried and tested. You can use fruit. You can use meat. You can serve it over meringue or pasta or even splash it over a chunk of juicy steak. They can be tart and fruity or mellow and creamy. It can be ethnically Estonian or lip-smackingly Kiwi; 'Sauces' - versatile and delicious. What can you come up with?

One thing to consider though is that we don't want 'gravy' and we certainly do not want 'marinades'! Heavens-to-Betsy no! It is sauces all the way for this months Waiter There Is Something In My... event.

Please send your entries on a postcard or back of a stuck-down envelope to my humble self at wine DOT scribbler AT gmail DOT com with the subject line of sauce. If you can include a 100x100 picture that would be an aid. Closing date? Lets give it until the 25th July. How does that sound?

Jiaozi - Stuffed Dumplings

WaiterTheresSomething
A recipe I discovered put the proportions as 350g plain flour to 300ml water; this was plain wrong. I used far less water to make the dough. Not sure of the exact amount but what was used made a soft and supple dough that rolled easily.

An admission - I bulked at the theme for Waiter being stuffed dumplings. Sure, the making of suet dumplings for a warming Autumnal stew had been accomplished, but 'stuffed' dumplings... oh my...

One of the great things about this blogging malarkey is the 'stretching' of ones culinary experiments; and this turned out damn good, even if I say so myself. So a little stretching was a good thing! A teaspoon of minced pork, pre-fried with a sprinkling of Chinese Five Spice and a splash of Balsamic plus a little chopped watercress, spinach and spring onion was placed between two squished rounds of the dough. (I think they are supposed to be triangle in shape, but that was a 'step too far'!) Dropped into boiling water for about 10 minutes they emerged as stuffed dumplings or Jiaozi in Chinese. Lacking in the aesthetics department admittedly, but dipped into a little sweet chili sauce they were damn tasty.
Jiaozi - Stuffed Dumplings

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Waiter There's Something In My... Stuffed Melon

WaiterTheresSomething
Simplicity itself really - a scooped out Galia melon stuffed with lychee's, strawberries, cantaloupe melon and the Galia. Drizzled over the top is a little syrup made by reducing melon juice, a dash of vanilla essence and some fresh gogi juice with a teaspoon of sugar until thick and, well, syrupy. In the background a little clotted cream.

A chat with Jeanne, after she had announced the Waiter... theme, initially had me thinking of a 'retro' fruit salad using tinned fruit salad with those artificial tasting cherries, Mandarin segments, and rock hard pear. Might have been fun if not quite as tasty.

Stuffed Melon with Fruit Salad

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Waiter Round 5 - Stuffed Vegetables or Fruit

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Jeanne is the host for the next round of Waiter There's Something In My... and has selected 'stuffed fruit/vegetables' as the theme. This is going to stretch my limited culinary skills as the only thing I think I have stuffed is my own mouth!

Image below was taken at the edge of Plaza de Oriente, Madrid. Oh how I wish I was still there!

Café Chairs, Madrid

Bread Recipes - Waiter There's Something In My...

WaiterTheresSomething
Yeast at the ready boys and girls - here we go with the submissions to the fourth round of Waiter There's Something In My...

For ease I have grouped these into 'Sweet' breads and 'Savoury'. We have buns, we have loaves, we have naan bread, we have puff balls and Austrian delights and more brioché than you can wiggle a raisin at! A couple of entries were not actually bread so, sorry people, they don't appear on the list. Enjoy!

Sweet Breads


  • Light Lemon Fruit Buns from Apple & Spice "The buns are great eaten as they are, spread with lemon curd or jam and are also great toasted. I even know someone who likes to eat theirs with cheese and marmalade".
  • Fennel, Orange, Raisin & Pine Nut Bread from Kitchen Unplugged "I like any bread that requires longer fermentation, like this one; the crumb is usually more tender, with a deeper wheat-y aroma. From its title name you properly are overwhelmed, but not yet, wait until the first bite, you'll start to wonder if everyday there's carnival along the Ligurian coast, and that's why the people can come up such an incredibly festive and soul-warming bread!"
  • Chocolate Chip Brioche from Puu's Cookbook "I've been dreaming about brioche, mostly for things like strawberry-mascarpone French toast, bread puddings (also forthcoming, because I've been craving it for weeks, and it's so unseasonably cold around here), and a great afternoon snack with my usual hot cocoa."
  • Pecan Sticky Buns from Nook and Pantry "These are really good," Steven said for the fourth time, as he unrolled and tore off pieces off his sticky bun. Rarely does he give something so much praise but these sticky buns were exceptional."
  • Pain Brioché from Beyond Salmon "You have to realize that you are embarking on a 10 hour adventure here and it helps to know what to do if you need to leave the house or go to bed."
  • Devonshire/Cornish Splits from Stitched in Holland "I know these as Cornish Splits, but across the border in Devon, these are known as Devonshire Splits. From the little information I gleaned in searches the recipe varies slightly between the two counties, a Devonshire Split being made with cream, while a Cornish Split uses milk. A Cornish Split is apparently a little smaller than a Devonshire Split."
  • Cinnamon baguette-shaped brioche from O'Delices "My entry is a simple baguette-shaped brioche, in which I've added my favorite spice: cinnamon!"
  • Brioche from Tartelette "Simply buttered and touched by a spoonful of strawberry jam...nothing makes me happier".
  • Chelsea Buns from Lemon Pi "They are pretty easy to whip up. All you really need is a bit of time to let the dough prove. The result is not so much life changing, rather life affirming, which should be a good enough reason to try making these at least once "
  • Sopaipilla from Cafe Lynnylu "Sopaipillas are golden fried puffs of bread traditionally served at the dinner table in the Southwest, Mexico and South America, but are equally delicious drizzled with honey or stuffed with meat and beans"
  • Hot Rolls One Dozen Ways From Andrea's Recipes "What I found was my two-year-old sampling rolls. He took one or two or three bites out of seven rolls and then put them back on the cooling racks. I guess he thought that since they all looked different they should taste different, too".

  • Small Milk Rolls with Cranberries from Kochtopf
  • Chocolate Banana Bread from Rachel's Bite "I love banana bread so was excited to see a recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread in Tyler's Ultimate cookbook".
  • Chocolate Brioche by Kitchen Musings "Making successful brioche dough is all about getting the temperature and consistency of the butter right".
  • Brioche from Jumbo Empandas "For some reason I had always believed that brioche was difficult to make, I classified it as some sort of croissant variation. I couldn't have been more wrong".

  • Craquelin from Feed Your Vegetarian "we decided to make a Belgian bread called a craquelin. It is a brioche with orange flavored sugar cubes, that give the bread a nice crunch, hence the name craquelin!"
  • Flower of Surprises from My Kitchen "it was fun looking at Tak's expression as he discovered different fillings in each petal. Actually after baking I could not tell which is which, kind of surprised myself too".
  • Mostly Whole Wheat Raisin Bread from Cuis-Zine.
  • Chocolate Chunk Challah from Le Petrin
  • Schiacciata Con L'uva (Foccacia with Grapes) from A Luxe Life "This traditional Italian bread seems so celebratory yet rustic and evokes warm feelings of home and hearth. Taken from an old issue of Gourmet magazine, the instruction lists Chianti as one of the ingredients needed. What a perfect excuse for a new bottle of wine".
  • Fig and Saffron Bread from The Food Philosophy
  • Berry Twist Bread from Technicolour Kitchen "The dough is so soft and tender you won't believe it. I feel like trying it with a number of different jams, even though raspberry is my favorite".


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Simple Milk Loaf

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Adapted from a recipe in The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard - no fresh yeast, not that I think it matters much in regards to flavour once baked, so a ferment made as a replacement.

I just threw a teaspoon of dried yeast in with the milk, the melted butter and maple syrup and let it stand for 40 minutes or so until frothy. Mixed with the flour, pummelled for a few minutes then rested for 10. Another quick kneading and another 10 minute rest. Repeated. Spilt into two the dough was rolled into two balls and left in a loaf tin for about an hour and a half. Baked then eaten. Simple and tasty. I find the best place to keep things warm is balancing, precariously I should add, the bowl on the back of my old CRT monitor.

Simple Milk Loaf

The specifics as detailed in The Handmade Loaf

  • 1 ½ tsp fresh yeast crumbled (1 tsp dried)

  • 350g whole milk (I had to top up the milk with a little cream)

  • 20g golden or maple syrup

  • 250g plain flour

  • 250g strong white bread flour

  • 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt

  • 25g warm melted unsalted butter


Oven temperature to 210C/410F/Gas6½ Brush the top before baking with a little cream or milk and bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 180C/350F/G4 and continue baking for 25-30 minutes until the top is dark and shiny and the loaf has come away from the sides of the tin.

This is, for those who follow such excitement, my entry for Waiter There's Something In My... many lovely entries already received (I'm the host again this month) for the bread theme, but still plenty of time for more.


Waiter There's Something In My... Bread

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Bread. Bread in all it's yeasty, aroma producing, glory. That's the theme for the next round of Waiter There's Something In My...

I'm looking for Rye bread, Potato Bread, plain white rolls and simple milk loaves, ale loaves, scrumpy buns, sweet brandy buns, wheatgerm bread, soda bread and sunflower breads. Loaves studded with raisins, onions, herbs, olives or little pieces of meat. Perhaps a walnut loaf or a chestnut and hazelnut bread. Maybe some saffron breads or a lemon barley cob. Or how about a fougasse, a puff ball, a focaccia or ciabatta, a flatbread or wholemeal loaf, a pain de campagne or even a pain viennois..the choice, as they say, is yours.

Three Bread Rolls

Entries should be in by the end of the 25th of April. Please Link to this announcement (and the round-up, once it's up) email entries only with the subject as BREAD. (If you don't do this the likelihood is that the email will get lost) Please include your name, your blog's name, the name of the bread and a permalink to your post.

Waiter There's Something In My... Hot Cross Bun

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Last year, and last week as it happens, I made a batch of Hot Cross Buns using a recipe that produces a firm, rustic, bun. Taste wise they are fine. The toast well too but they are, as I have said, rustic, lacking the springiness of a shop brought bun.

I tried out a different recipe yesterday, a recipe that requires a ferment before making the dough. Two knock-backs as well, which I thought was unusual. But the result is near-as-dammit to a perfect Hot Cross Bun. It is all in the texture and these buns have that soft, springy, bread-like texture last years recipe lacked. I cut down the dried fruit a little from the stated quantity and loved the simplicity of the Golden Syrup glaze

Hot Cross Buns

They are so good I ate five yesterday.

Not all in one sitting I hasten to add. One straight out of the oven. Another a few minutes later. The third with a cup of coffee a couple of hours after. While I was making some garlic soup another and the fifth as a 'dessert' after the soup. All untoasted and unadorned.

The fact I am leaving buttery fingerprints over the keyboard attests that they are just as excellent the next day toasted.

Continue reading "Waiter There's Something In My... Hot Cross Bun" »

Waiter, there's something in my ... Easter basket!

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Waiter There's Something In My... Spring! I just love it - all that rebirth stuff, the daffodils in full splendour, blossom enlivening many a bare tree branch and you should see what those all those pesky squirrels are up to! So in true foodie-blogging celebration Johanna has selected Easter as the third theme for Waiter, There's Something...
Make whatever takes your fancy: something savoury or sweet, baked or cooked, traditional or brand-spanking new... it's got a place on our great WTSIM smörgåsbord! Plus, you get to share with us anything that is traditional where you are 'round this time of year... bunnies, egg painting, murder mysteries (apparently big in Norway), Easter fires, or spanking and waterfights (no kidding, this is custom in parts of Central Europe), whatever it is, we'd like to hear it!

Don't take the title too seriously, though, as this event is all-encompassing: you don't need a basket to take part, you don't need to (but can) belong to any church, so whether you call it Easter, Passover, Lihavõtted or Fukkatsu-sai, or think this is all too pagan and just rejoice at the thought of having a few well-deserved days off, you're definitely in. After all, as a food blogger, I bet you're just as religious about food as we are and enjoy every supper as if it was the last!"

I know exactly what I am going to make!


Apple Pie

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A second entry to Waiter There's Something In My... Pie, as hosted by Jeanne at Cooksister. Like yesterday's Game Pie the pastry uses lard.

Rather than encasing the whole in pastry I went for a simple lid. About 6 bramley apples were used in the dish. An old recipe I found advocated the use of rose petals as a topping before the lid. With roses not being in season, and highly expensive due to Valentines Day, I decided to replace them with a big spoonful or two of quince jelly, placed in the centre.

Apple Pie

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Game Pie

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The health police are going to hate me - half a pack of lard has been used in the kitchen. About as non-healthy as you can get but it lifts pastry to something else! Most went into the pastry for this Game Pie, the rest, mixed half-and-half with butter, for an Apple Pie.

Two pies for Waiter There's Something..., tomorrow the apple pie, but here a mix of game packed into a loaf tin and encased by the most delicious pastry. Both recipes (for the pastry and the pie itself were adapted from The Big Food And Drink Book (published 1993 from the old BBC Food and Drink program). The mixed pack of game was on offer at Waitrose - a bunch of scraggy looking mallard, pheasant, pigeon and partridge which was tossed into an onion sauce with a chopped carrot plus a big pinch of mixed herbs. After cooking served warm with a little of my home-made Sloe Jam.

Game Pie

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Waiter There's Something In My... Pie

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waitertheressomethingFeb07.pngJeanne has announced the second round of Waiter There's Something In My... and the theme? PIE!

We had a tremendous start to Waiter There's Something... last month with 50 entries on the theme of Stews. I do hope you can join in again with round 2. Head on over to Cooksister to read all about round 2.

The Ultimate Stew Recipe Collection

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Here we go then, the Waiter There's Something In My... Stew round-up. A mighty impressive array of entries; the problem now is which one to try out first! The 40 44 entries are listed in the order they arrived in my inbox, hope I haven't missed anyone.

Lamb Shank Stew from Freya at Writing At The Kitchen Table complete with blue potatoes.

Lamb and Eggplant Curry from Petra at Foodfreak "more reminiscent of middle-eastern foods than Indian or Pakistani fare".

Beef Stew With Dried Mushrooms from Kalyn at Kalyns Kitchen - one for those on the South Beach Diet.

A Not Paying Attention Jambalaya from Neil at At My Table "a dish that looks like it sounds, sort of a jumble of everything".

Chettinad Karakozhambu ( A Spicy Eggplant Stew) was supplied by Dhivya "the Chettinad region in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu, boasts of one of the spiciest and the most aromatic dishes you can find in Indian cuisine. It is famous for its use of a variety of spices and the dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas - this eggplant curry being no exception".

Astrid brings to the mix a Melt In Your Mouth Shin Stew via Paulchens and a Jamie Oliver cookbook.

Chicken with Prunes & Apricots is the delicious rendition from Elizabeth and Blog From Our Kitchen adapted from A Culinary Guide to Herbs, Spices and Flavourings.

Great to see a wine-blog participating, hello to Edward and his Spanish inspired Seafood stew with Rice "Wine? I had planned on something white and Spanish. Alas - all I could find was a Marlborough Pinot Gris, which was a competent and satisfying, if geographically distant match".

Chicken and Noodles comes from Mickey at Kitchen Inferno "our family's favorite 'granny dish' ".

waiterJanuarybutton.pngIs it a soup or a stew? Well it's slow cooked so in my book it's in! Andrea brings us a Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup via Andrea's Recipe Box "

More 'soup' from Lynne with a Mulligatawny Soup on Cafe Lynnylu accompanied by some lovely photos.

Ashleigh does us proud with a Family Beef Casserole which is just the excuse you need to go and buy a new pot!

Gerda goes Hungarian with a Székelygulyás (or in Hungarian a szegedin goulash) on Tschoerda - one to take us through these cold, stormy days.

Pille on Nami-Nami adapts an Anthony Bourdain recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, a mouth-watering rendition indeed.

Brilynn on Jumbo Empanadas is certainly milking this one by entering her Venison Stew With Dumplings in three different blog events - but who cares when it looks so good!

A highly amusing post from Ros with her 'boozy mixed game stew with port and chestnut mushrooms' on Roshani but to read its new name you will have to read the entry!

Johanna, The Passionate Cook, and instigator of Waiter There's Something In... has gone native on us with Gulaschsuppe (goulash soup, Hungarian gulyas).




Continue reading "The Ultimate Stew Recipe Collection" »

Last Call for Stews

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Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the last day in which to send in your stew recipes for Waiter There's Something In My... I am amazed by the variety of entries so far and, for a straight off the block new event, the large number that have participated. It is going to be much fun reading through them all, in greater depth, for the overview.

Not the most exciting of images below - you try and make two 'brown lumps with bits in' look interesting when overly tired, lacking inspiration and, OK lets admit it, slightly hungover. Little connection to a stew although you could serve Apple Bread Rolls with something pork based I guess; it is actually an image destined to accompany a post over on Paper Palate.

Apple Bread Rolls


Waiter There's Something In My... Stew

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Making this up as I go along - onions, chopped, and sweated off with some garlic in olive oil. A large pinch of ground cumin and a knife edge of smoky paprika stirred in. Chorizo sausages - a uncooked string - added and browned a little. A near half-bottle of white wine added, just enough to cover the sausages, added and reduced by half. A pint of chicken stock poured over, a stir and a simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Looking good so far! A pinch of pepper added along with a quantity of salad potatoes halved. A further half hour simmering, perhaps a bit longer to get those potatoes nicely cooked through. Completion! Apart from the serving with a some decent bread and a topping of chopped parsley. Considering I made it up as I went along this Chorizo and Potato Stew was rather good.

A hearty red wine from Portugal was served as an accompaniment, which stood up remarkably well to the spiciness of the sausages and deep flavours of the juices.
Chorizo Stew - click for full size

Waiter There's Something In My... Stew

WaiterTheresSomething
frozenChorizo.jpgThere is this coil of chorizo in the top draw of the freezer. It is high quality stuff, purchased from Brindisa in Exmouth Market, but it has been sitting there for weeks, months even. "About bloody time you used it then" you yelp? Well, it is funny you should say that as I may have the perfect opportunity.

Waiter There's Something In My... is the new for '07 blog event run across Cooksister, Passionate Cook and here on Spittoon. I have the uncontrolled joy of announcing and hosting the first theme. It is going to be 'stews'. Yep, that simple and, as is the intention with Waiter There's Something In My, all inclusive.

What is required is your take on the humble stew - a local speciality or something traditional, something seasonal perhaps, something new and adventurous or a tried and tasted recipe, created with love and devoured with passion. It is the perfect time of year, in the Northern Hempisphere at least, for warming, slow cooked, hearty food.

Please email the URL of your entry by the 22nd January, include your blog's name, the name of the dish and your location to appear in the 'near the end of the month' write-up. Please make sure Waiter There Is Something is the subject line. Your write-up should, as is standard practice with these things, include a link back to this post.

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Waiter, there's something in my...

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Don't you love a new year? It's like a clean slate - everything gets to start afresh, from your diary to your gym programme to your diet. So what better time to make a fresh start with a new food blogging event!

As the foodblogging community has expanded and developed, events seem to have become increasingly specialised. There is an event for sweet-tooths (SHF), an event for herb-lovers (WHB), an event for eggy literati (EoMEoTE), an event for Filipino cuisine (Lasang Pinoy), an event for adventurous chefs (Paper Chef), an event for wine-lovers (WBW) - even an event for food photographers (DMBLGiT). But nothing broad enough to include everyone, and nothing basic enough to appeal to everyone from the bachelor cooking on a two-plate stove to the professional chef.

Well, until January 2007, that is.

Because January 2007 will see the launch of a new event, hosted in rotation by me (on SpittoonExtra), Jeanne (Cooksister!) and Johanna (thepassionatecook). The idea is to run the event for a finite period (12 months) as most events certainly do seem to have a limited lifespan, and to make the themes as broad and inclusive as possible. It will give you an opportunity to show the world what sort of personal stamp you can put on the basic theme: what does your country regard as a classic potato dish? What do your family traditionally make at Christmas? What favourite seasonal ingredient is playing a starring role in your pies this season? With this in mind, we have come up with a list of 12 themes and each month we will be challenging you to charm us with your personal take on the theme. All entries will be included in a round-up on the host's blog.

The new event will be called "Waiter, there's something in my..." and I have the privilege of announcing the first theme in early January.