Cottage Pie with Two Cuts of Beef
This doesn’t really give a good idea of the quantity but this was enough cottage pie to feed 12 people. It seemed like a good option for catering on a large-ish scale but as we don’t have any catering-sized pans, it ended up taking us nearly all day as we carefully browned each batch of meat before leaving the whole lot simmering in two stock pots for four hours.
We used the same recipe as last time but left out the calves liver. We also added some garlic and milk. The result was possibly even richer than last time, most likely from the milk and extra cooking time.
As much as I enjoyed it, I don’t think I’ll be wanting to eat cottage pie for quite some time!
Potted Ham
With the leftover ham from Wednesday’s soup, we made potted ham using this recipe.
My concerns about adding fatty pancetta to the already-fatty pea and ham soup were short lived; this recipe calls for almost an entire packet of butter. I had previously intended on using up the ham with some lentils but, given the choice, the butter won out.
The ham was blitzed in the food processor with the butter, some nutmeg and a generous dollop of Dijon mustard. We left some pieces whole to create a chunky texture that would contrast with the smooth, pate-like combination of the ham and butter. The end result was certainly better than anything lentilly might have been: rich and silky with a background heat from the mustard.
Served with some melba toast, gherkins and some lemon and mustard pickle. A fine lunch for a rainy Saturday.
La Dolce Vita
This afternoon, Stephen and I went along to the trade day of La Dolce Vita at Olympia. While not all about food and wine, there was certainly more than enough of both to keep us both occupied for the afternoon.
We sampled lots of different oil, cheese and cured meats and were particularly impressed with Laverstoke Park Farm who make their own buffalo mozarella in Hampshire. It was one of the best examples of buffalo mozarella we’ve tasted: firm on the outside with a soft and milky centre.
We also tasted an intersting truffle sauce at the San Pietro a Pettine stand that was delicate and creamy with the obvious heady flavour of the truffle remaining in the mouth long after we moved on to the next stand.
While many of the exhibitors were based in Italy and dealt only with large-scale restaurant supply, we also discovered Olio and Farina who run a small chain of deli-shops in the UK. They produce all manner of ingredients on their farm in Tuscany which are sold in their four shops and by mail-order. We couldn’t resist a small, slotted spoon made from the wood of olive trees that is designed for draining olives and anchovies.
At the end of the day, we took part in a cookery class run by Enzo Oliveri, where we made some fried cheese with a group of other visitors. Sadly the camera battery ran out at this point so there’s no photographic evidence of our efforts. We had consumed rather a lot of Prosecco by this point though so perhaps that’s a good thing!
Pea and Ham Soup
When I was small, we ate peas fairly often but I always hated them. In an effort to get rid of them and enjoy the rest of my dinner, I would eat them all first with lots of gravy to disguise the taste. I suppose all those years of intense-pea-eating must have slowly changed my mind because I love them now and have done for a long time.
My dislike of peas was as strong as my love for ham. For the entire duration of my school life, I ate ham sandwiches for lunch almost every day. Occasionally I would have corned beef instead but, four days out of five, it would be ham and that suited me just fine. It still does on lots of days, although nowadays I’ll add mustard and salad.
So, two of my favourite things in one dish meant I’ve been looking forward to cooking this ever since I managed to track down a ham hock. I thought it would be easy but had to go to four different butchers before I found one.
I used Heston’s method but didn’t add the pancetta as he did. I’m sure in the grand scheme of things a little extra pancetta is going to make a huge amount of difference but all those months of winter casseroles and roast dinners are starting to take their toll and even the slightest nod towards healthier eating is very welcome.
I made the stock yesterday which meant all I had to do today was the soup part, which was quick and easy. Even without the ham and extra peas, the soup was delicious: salty from the ham bone and with a very rounded, savoury flavour from the peas. The combination of the two hightened the taste sensation even further; it was still salty and savoury but the ham added an earthy note and the peas popped pleasingly in the mouth lending a further sweetness.
Heston’s recipe served six but we only made three bowls of soup which means we have plenty of ham and stock left over, we’ve already planned something for the leftover ham but the stock will have to wait patiently in the fridge for now.
Mackerel, Lentil and Wild Rice Salad
This evening we wanted something relatively healthy but filling. Kerri found this recipe, which we took some elements from.
Ingredients
100g puy lentils
70g red rice, wild rice or a mixture of both (we used a mixture since that’s what we had)
2 fillets of smoked mackerel (peppered or not; up to you)
2 small carrots or 1 medium to large carrot, grated
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 inches of cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
Salad leaves for serving (we used gem lettuce but stronger leaves would have been better)
For the dressing (this is half the recipe above, with the oil, honey and garlic reduced even further)
25g capers, rinsed and drained
3 salted anchovy fillets
Juice of 1/2Â lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
30ml extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp clear honey
1/4 garlic clove
Salt and pepper
Cook the lentils and the rice, then drain and leave to cool. Mix together and add the chopped vegetables. Skin the mackerel and then flake into the salad.Â
For the dressing, put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Mix as much of the dressing into the salad as you want to; keep the rest for drizzling on top afterwards. Serve on top of leaves.
The dressing was really deep and slightly bitter, which went very well with the mackerel and the lentils and rice. The red rice that we used had a wonderfully nutty flavour to it, which we found went well with the mackerel too. This dressing would be really good with a salad that contained bacon or pancetta; we have plans to do something along those lines soon.
Chilli
I’m still not completely happy with this, hence the re-appearance after only a couple of weeks as I try to perfect it. I think we need to replace our hot chilli powder as it’s probably quite old and also use more, fresh chilli. It definitely tasted better the next day so next time I’ll try to be patient enough to wait 24 hours!
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
500g lean minced beef
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 large red chilli, deseeded and chopped (leave seeds in next time or use two chillies)
3 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
750ml beef stock
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp cocoa
Salt and pepper
300g red kidney beans
(You’ll need to remember to soak the beans overnight. The kidney beans should be boiled rapidly for 30 minutes then rinsed thoroughly before being added).
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion with some salt and fry gently until soft (about 15 minutes). Then add the garlic and continue to fry for two minutes.
Next, add the mince and fry until browned. Now, add the chilli, tomato puree and spices and fry for a further five minutes, stirring often to incorporate the spices into the mince.
Add the stock, tomatoes, kidney beans and cocoa and season. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for two hours minutes until the meat is tender.
Spaghetti with Crab, Chilli and Rocket
Quite a while back we went through a phase of cooking crab and chilli pasta quite a few times. We haven’t done it for a while, but when we were wondering what to cook for a quick Saturday lunch on an almost-spring-like day just as we were passing a fishmonger, we popped inside to get some crab meat to try it again.
It’s quick to make; waiting for the spaghetti to cook is the longest part of it. While it was cooking, we fried some garlic and finely chopped chilli in a little olive oil. Then when the spaghetti was ready, we drained it and stirred in the garlic and chilli before flaking in the crab meat, adding some rocket leaves and finishing with a grind of black pepper, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.
It was nice but not brilliant and there was a little too much chilli which pushed the delicate flavour of the fresh crab into the background. We discussed just leaving the crab out next time and adding loads of parmesan cheese, since the general combination of the other flavours was good.
Salmon and Leek Fish Cakes
When I arrived home this evening, I was greeted by the lovely aroma of fish cakes cooking, which I find rather alluring in its combination of mashed-potato richness and poached-fish lightness. Then when they go into the oven, the fish aroma changes to roasted fish instead.
They were quite small and also contained leeks, which we think made them a little soggy. They were very tasty though, if not as firm as we’d have liked. Kerri had mixed some horseradish into the mashed potato too, which gave them a lovely mild background warmth. Served with some steamed cabbage, which wasn’t interesting enough to make it into the picture.
Pork Chops with Herbed Lentils and Mustard Sauce
We don’t eat pork chops a lot and when we do we stick to one or two favourites.
Tonight I thought I would try something different and decided on a mustard, cream sauce. We cooked the pork chops first and while they were resting, deglazed the pan with some sherry. Leave to bubble for a few minutes before stirring in some mustard and some double cream. The sauce had a touch of sweetness from the sherry but was balanced by the vinegary mustard. It was a really good contrast to the slight charring on the pork.
In an effort to break away from our usual mainstay of mashed potatoes, I cooked some puy lentils which turned out really well.
75g puy lentils
1 onion, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Bay leaf
Rosemary
Thyme
Sage
Salt and pepper
125ml white wine
200 ml chicken stock
Start by covering the lentils in cold water and bringing them to the boil. Rinse and reserve.
In a separate pan, sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a bay leaf for about five minutes. Add the lentils and herbs and season.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and leave to bubble for a few minutes.
Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until cooked.
The two dishes worked reasonably well together but weren’t a complete match, I think mashed potatoes would have been better but I’m really pleased with how the lentils turned out.
Green and Blue Wine and Chocolate Tasting
Last Thursday we were invited to Green and Blue for a wine and chocolate tasting along with Gourmet Chick, Food Stories, Cheese and Biscuits, Around Britain with a Paunch and Chocolate Chilli Cupcakes. Green and Blue is a wine shop, bar, deli and cafe in East Dulwich. Good principles are at the heart of what they do; they source their food as locally as they can and as responsibly and as ethically as they can and don’t slap too high a mark-up on it. We weren’t big fans of their light fittings, but were of pretty much everything else.
We arrived a bit early and tucked into a meat and cheese platter while we waited for the others to arrive. The ham was lovely; really good, tasty ham that had the sort of texture that makes you feel as though you knew the pig that it came from. I despise wet, mass-produced ham; dry ham with a proper meaty texture really excites me. Along with it was some bresaola and a couple of cheeses. One of the cheeses was an aged Wensleydale (much better than the boring supermarket version I’d had before) with a long-lasting flavour. The other I can’t remember the name of – it was white and soft and tasted slightly blue but didn’t have any visible mould and was very good too.
Anyway, on to the wine and chocolate tasting. I have had wine with chocolate only a few times before and the wine has always been fortified – Banyuls or Port in particular. Banyuls with a chocolate dessert is actually one of my long-lasting wine matching memories, but I haven’t tried wine with chocolate much since.
So it came as a surprise that none of the four wines that we tasted on Thursday were fortified. We started with light reds and light milk chocolate, then worked our way to a heavier varieties of both, before skipping back to white chocolate and white wine as the “dessert course”. All of the chocolate was Montezuma’s chocolate, which was very good indeed. The lady who ran the tasting was Kate Thal, one of the owners of Green and Blue, and her knowledge of wine is admirable, having been a sommelier in a previous life.
The first “course” was a light milk chocolate (I can’t remember the cocoa percentage) with a New Zealand Pinot Noir – Amisfield 2006 to be precise. This pinot is from Central Otago, which is a one of the coolest wine production areas in New Zealand, being particularly suitable to pinot noir. It wasn’t a shy flower of a wine though, being 14% alcohol but well balanced enough so that the alcohol did not seem overpowering. Although the area is cool, it still gets a lot of sunlight, which contributes to this high alcohol content.
According to Kate, this match is a bit of a “no-brainer” with a lot of people who come to do the wine and chocolate tasting. It didn’t resonate quite that way with us though; the chocolate and wine didn’t quite seem to marry up on the palate that well. To me the combination tasted a bit like a cherry flavoured chocolate, but you had to have a little chocolate, then a little wine, then a little chocolate, then a little more wine to bring that combination about. The wine was a good example of a New Zealand pinot noir, with a lot of fresh red fruit and just a hint of a savoury note with a touch of tannin to balance it.
Next up was a slightly darker (57%?) chocolate, served with a South African Merlot (Radford Dale 2005 Merlot from Stellenbosch). Along with the higher cocoa content in the chocolate, we got a higher tannin content in the wine. The wine was also more savoury, with leathery and coffee notes alongside the plummy fruit. This all worked out rather well and for most of us (including me), this was our favourite match of the evening.
Next up was a further step into the world of cocoa and tannin. The chocolate was a 73% dark chocolate and the wine was a Bandol from Provence in southern France. The depth of the chocolate with the tannin and depth of flavour in the wine went well together, but not quite as well as the previous pairing. This wine edged its way ahead of the Merlot for me and I enjoyed the chocolate the most, but the match between the two was slightly less successful.
Finally, we ventured onto white chocolate. This was probably a nicest white chocolate I’ve tasted; normally I refer to white chocolate as “solid fat”, i.e all cocoa butter and no actual chocolate content, but not this was certainly worthwhile and a good few steps ahead of mass-produced versions. The wine to accompany it was a Moscato d’Asti, which had a lovely floral and fruit nose from the Muscat grapes, along with a bit of sparkle. The wine is low in alcohol, slightly sparkly and tastes a lot like floral grape juice and isn’t to everyone’s taste. I have grown to appreciate muscat over the past few months as a result of my foray into fortified wines for my exam, and although this isn’t fortified and isn’t particularly to my taste, I can still appreciate it objectively.
For me, the match was along the lines of the first pairing – give it quite a bit of time and many nibbles of chocolate and sips of wine and you can get there. I got the impression that others thought it better than the first pair but not up to the standards of the middle two.
After the tasting, we were treated to a couple of platters of their deli specialties and along with the aforementioned meats and cheeses, there were some lovely almonds, olives, tarramasalata and pieces of smoked salmon wrapped around fennel. Delicious. The lovely olive oil that they serve is available to take away in your own bottles too.
So quite an adventurous evening; a foray into hitherto unexplored food and wine matching. At the same time, a great opportunity to chat to fellow bloggers and also to have a look at what Green and Blue are doing out in Dulwich.
Kate Thal, who was born in South Africa, mentioned their scholarship winner from South Africa who was working with them and it reminded me of an article I’d read about a London-based wine distributor running a scholarship program to bring over disadvantaged young people from South Africa who were interested in wine and showed great aptitude in it. I found a familiar-sounding article and it sounds like it is just what I remembered.
