NATIONAL PIZZA DAY
February 9th National Pizza Day. Dedicated to the humble pizza.
Perhaps one of the most popular foods there is.
Adopted by most countries throughout the World – certainly here in France it has been. In our small town we have 3 take away pizza places, and one restaurant.
Visit Angers and you will see numerous pizza cafés, perhaps overtaking the burger bars in popularity!
It’s easy to understand why this food is popular – it’s relatively inexpensive, and there is a huge variety of toppings to be had. All supermarkets sell them, many even making their own on the premises – joining the many “industrial” ones in the chill cabinets and freezers.
We all have our favorite brands, chains, restaurants. None of the big guns here, but we have found a former bar now selling Pizzas, and pretty good they are to. Occasionally, when pushed for time we have been known to buy one from the supermarket – admittedly we are rarely satisfied, and often vow “never again!”
Many of us make our own – perhaps buying ready made pizza bases or making a base following a favorite recipe. We are occasionally seduced by an article extolling the virtue of “the perfect pizza base”. but generally stick to our regular recipe PIZZA DOUGH from Hugh Fernley Whittingstall. Pretty reliable, and easy to follow.
His toppings are the stuff of Legend in Monkvalley. BEETROOT PIZZA WITH CHEDDAR and PIZZA WITH NEW POTATOES, ROSEMARY AND BLUE CHEESE When deciding on a topping it’s important not to overload it with too much sauce & other ingredients – if you do the base could end up pretty soggy! Beware of egg in regards to soggy crusts. A thin covering of tomato sauce with cheese, and many other ingredients, the choice is yours: anchovies, mushrooms, onions, olives, pepperoni, other cured meats (don’t dare mention pineapple in the same sentence as pizza) Rocket is also popular, I remember having it on a Margarita in Rome, delicious is was.
Of course there is an alternative to a tomato based Pizza. White with Creme Fraiche:- Flammkuchen. Pizza with Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraîche and Caviar. Pizza Savoyarde. Sheila prefers the white base any day, even the Salmon as long as it’s made from Smoked Salmon. Pizza by any other name:-
The Alsatian FLAMMEKUECHEN or Tarte flambée) is a thin disc of dough covered in crème fraîche, onions, and bacon. The LAHMACUN or Turkish pizza is a meat-topped dough round. The base is very thin, with layer of meat Lahmacun The Provençal Pissaladière is similar to an Italian pizza, with a slightly thicker crust and a topping of cooked onions, anchovies, and olives. Okonomiyaki a Japanese dish cooked on a hotplate, is often referred to as “Japanese pizza”
So maybe not so humble after all
AWFUL OFFAL….. or not
I appreciate the subject of this post will not be popular with some of you, when ever I mention a recipe with any of the offal cuts, I often get the responce ugh!! So for those of you are still with me, let us consider Offal!
Offal or literally “off-fall”, refers to the internal organs of animals. Some cultures consider offal as a food to be taboo, while some eat it daily and for others it is a delicacy.
Some offal dishes—including French foie gras, are considered gourmet. Others remain part of traditional regional cuisine and may be consumed at holiday time. This includes Scotland and the Haggis, the Jewish chopped liver and in the U.S. Chitterlings.
Where to start?
One of our favourites is Delia Smiths KIDNEY STROGANOFF from an early book Frugal Food. It is tasty and full of flavour, and compared to the steak version very economical.
She also does a mean STEAK AND KIDNEY pudding which as she says is the ultimate comfort food. You cook it for 5 hours, and try to forget about it, which is fine until the amazing delicious meaty smells wafts out of the kitchen.
Who remembers the Liver and onions we had a school? Cooked long and slow with bacon and served with creamed potatoes. I know, it was often overcooked and grainy but I remember it fondly.
Our parents often used Ox liver soaked in milk, for a a couple or so hours. Why? I have been given different reasons for this.- it removes impurities, tenderises the meat, and disguises the smell? For me it tasted good, which is all that matters.
Sheila’s mother loved to cook. Unfortunately Sheila’s father wasn’t adventurous food wise (that’s putting it mildly!). I remember her preparing us a dish of slow cooked, stuffed lambs heart – absolutely delicious.
We discovered sliced Ox heart on sale in a supermarket here in France – cooked like lambs liver it was very tasty.
Sheila makes a CHICKEN LIVER PATE it is so, so easy, and so full of flavour.
She once decided to make a big pot of it to take on the Wilton Week. All was ready, car packed, so she got it out of the fridge, and, off we went to Dorset. I think it might have been while we were sat on the ferry she said “I’ve left the Pàté at home and of course its out of the fridge” !! No turning back. Not a problem? It was waiting to greet us at the back door when we got back!!
I suspect the most disliked of the offal is black pudding, perhaps because of its main ingrediant, but, both Sheila and I love it.
We come from a background where Sheila (originating in Manchester) where it was always boiled, in my family it was fried or grilled. We like both the French and the English versions. The English is firmer, and contains larger pieces of fat and is more seasoned.
A classic starter we often serve is SCALLOPS AND BLACK PUDDING served on a bed of cauliflower purée. Delicious.
When at “work” Sheila used to organize a once a year quiz night she prepared a buffet for half time, it would always include black pudding sandwiches, which were, believe it or not, always first to go? Sheila often stood aside, letting people go first and she always missed out! The cry “Next year we need more black pudding!!” Was often heard.
Next Oxtail. The unctuously delicious OXTAIL WITH MARJORAM is a dream. Mopped up with creamy mash.
During the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), crisis of 1996 and 97. The British government banned the sale of meat on the bone. The day after in the supermarkets Beef was on sale at ridiculously low prices. Many people were filling two trolleys. I believe we did snap up a “few juicy bits.” On the other hand some people stopped eating beef altogether.
At this time we often brought our meat from a local farm shop. We were in the shop one day beguiling the missing joints. Rib of beef, T bone Steak and of course Oxtail. The butcher just looked at us and said “Not here” !!!
So we had Nigella s oxtail stew, all the better I think for being, ……well, almost contraband. On Johns birthday in the January, we enjoyed rib of beef with Sheila s Nephew Simon.
Tripe. I have not given up on Tripe. I suspect Sheila as , but to be fair she has tried it. The first time for both of us was at a Sheffield Market. There was tripe stall where you could buy a little plate of tripe morsels for 3d – yes it was pre decimal – with salt and vinegar I ate mine, but when I looked across at Sheila she was struggling, until the lady on the stall said “ I think you’d better take the plate off her!
Sheila remained undaunted and made us a dish of Somerset Tripe made with cider, a very unattractive dish. A Tomato sauce with Hugh blobs of white floating in it! (don’t think about it too long ) I am having a renaissance with it in France, it is different and cooked, and very popular lots of the little villages have tripe fairs. Only in France!
Recently on a visit to a Saturday morning market we found fresh Lambs kidneys, we couldn’t allow these to escape our clutches! The butcher swiftly cleaned and prepared them for us and the following day a breakfast dish of DEVILLED KIDNEYS evilled kidneys was enjoyed.
Some offals I have yet to try and I am open to sampling them. “Brains” was a recent first and I look forward to eating them again, beautifully delicate.
So we are at the end of the offal journey , but it is evident when I read back that these words “Tasty”, “delicious”, “unctuous”, “full of flavour”, “love it,”
It really is not awful offal. All of the above
INTERNATIONAL PORK DAY 2021
Pork is a firm favourite of ours, in all its many guises, as our long list of Pork recipes is testament to.
Simon and Caitlin in Australia are also big fans, and, together we have designated: 27th May: International pork Day. Each year we celebrate by preparing new Pork recipes. Simon and Caitlin often go down the Asian route, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese etc etc, they are so close to a giant Asian indoor market, the food is wonderful, for a foodie like me its a dream place to visit.
Maybe one day we can share the day or at least have a virtual apero or a cup of tea depending on the time of day for both of us. 2021 will be the 13th occasion we have done this, and, we feel duty bound to spread the word about this celebration
CASSOULET
NAGLAND PORK RIBS
ROAST HOISIN PORK SHOULDER
STICKY GLAZED PORK RIBS
PAN FRIED PORK CHOPS WITH CAPER AND SOT BUTTER SAUCE
DAEGI BULGOGI. SPICY KOREAN PORK
PORK VINDALOO
QUINCE AND POMERGRANATE GLAZED PORK
PORK PIE TOULOUSE SAUSAGE WITH LENTILS
ST. VALENTINE’S DAY
Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday recognized around the world. It celebrates love, making it a popular day for couples to spend together. Valentine’s Day is traditionally associated with red hearts, romance, flowers, Chocolates, and exchanging of cards, that express love, often anonymously.
The story of Valentine’s Day dates back to the life of St. Valentine, a Roman Catholic martyr who died in the third century. Although the facts of St. Valentine’s life are murky (some sources say he was persecuted for performing forbidden marriages, while others say he helped Christians refugees escape Roman violence), he is consistently presented as a moral, generous, and romantic person. One legend holds that St. Valentine became friendly with his jailer’s daughter and wrote her a note signed “From your Valentine,” which remains a popular phrase associated with Valentine’s Day
Well that’s the history lesson over. We always try to cook something a bit different on Valentine’s, it helps to make the evening special. This year Oysters, Steak, cheese, and Créme Brulee.
So if you’re going to be doing the same. We’ve added a few ideas that might help you choose the perfect Romantic dinner…….by candle light of course.
starters:
Meat choice:
Fish choice:
Dessert;
STEWS Winter weather, rain, howling winds, frosty sunny days, lazy Sundays – these days call for stews/casseroles/daubes (whatever name you like).
What better than the inviting smells wafting from the kitchen – something spicy, winey simmering away. While you sit and read the Sunday newspapers (a luxury we miss – on line reading isn’t quite the same), listen to the radio or catch up with your Favourite music.
Anticipating the delicious meal ahead. Recently Sheila cooked boeuf bourguignon – for years she as used a recipe from a small, dilapidated, book called “The cooking of BURGUNDY and the Lyonnais” by Anne Willan. Purchased from Sainsburys in 1987
She has prepared this numerous times receiving accolades from quite a few French friends.
BOEUF BOURGUIDNON
The secret is of course, good ingredients, browning the meat well, at least 15 minutes, and long slow cooking (4+ hours).
This week we are cooking Oxtail. Using a Nigella Lawson recipe – Mackeson stout “flown” in especially from the UK! Prepared, like the bourguignon a good 24 hours in advance.
I love this dish and especially the anti-social sucking the tender meat from the bone.
OXTAIL WITH MACKESON
It just remains to decide on accompaniments!
.
. OYSTERS
Oysters. Love ’em or leave them. I suspect I’ve lost many readers already!
We first had them with our friends Sally and John, often referred to in this blog and often involved in our food experiments.
Unfortunately on this occasion we were all ill, having to leave work and take to our beds!
This was more than 30 years ago and fortunately I have experienced only one other gastric problem from oysters.
Unlike many people who have a bad experience with food/drink I am never deterred! Sheila wasn’t so “foolhardy”, until that is here in France at the village annual dinner, when a French woman looked at Sheila, who was about to pass her oysters over to me. The woman said ” I thought English people didnt like oysters”? Suddenly I heard Sheila say. ” Oh no we love them” and so it was Sheila was hooked.
My favourite way of “seasoning” oysters is with a drop of lemon juice or Tabasco and I invariable chew not just swallow.
A recent discovery is Vodka granita and this has become a firm favourite:-
500ml water 100ml vodka 65gr Caster Sugar 3 limes, zest and juice
Add all the ingredients and bring to the boil. Allow to cool then strain. Place in a flat tray and place in the freezer Keep an eye on it and when frozen squash with a fork. Like an alcoholic Slush Puppy!
We do of course enjoy the classic French way – red wine vinegar & shallots:-
Peel and finely chop 1 shallot, and mix with 2 heaped teaspoons of sugar, and 6 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Add a little pepper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Other alternative is Chilli, ginger and rice wine vinegar:-
Finely grate half a thumb sized piece of ginger and mix with 6 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar. Finely chop and deseed a red chilli, add finely sliced coriander. Stir in a teaspoon of sugar. Whatever your choice I urge you to try oysters, the taste of the sea …..
HOSPITAL GRUB
Most of you will know that I had knee replacement surgery in December 2019. If you don’t…”where you’ve been”?
So I thought why not a post on my experience with hospital food.
I’ve no doubt it’s nutritionally balanced, however none of it pleases the eye and I’m sure we all agree that if food looks good then your appetite will improve.
First meal was :-
Vegetable soup (obviously from a powder) – HOT
Cottage pie – rehydrated potato on grey mince (I actually ate it all! Pre op nerves I guess lol)
I was Presented with this meal on arriving from theatre :-
Salad – fresh which I nibbled at, like a rabbit! Boudin noir (black pudding) with puréed apple & potato ……. couldn’t face it!
Dinner – Thursday
Vegetable soup (there appears to be one flavour for each week!) – HOT
Chicken risotto YUCK! YUCK! I love risotto – I couldn’t face taking a photo of this dish lol
Breakfasts :-
Bread butter jam coffee – perfect (except the coffee was huge lol).
It amazes me the lack of attempt to make food look appetising.
I remember Sheila’s father choosing a pork pie salad in Chesterfield hospital – a slab of pie plus one small limp lettuce leaf!
I’ve often argued that a good home made soup or a sandwich and fruit is ideal.
Surely easier and more economical to prepare.
Finally I cannot leave my hospital experience there. The staff were excellent. They were all very friendly, efficient, approachable, and always smiling.
—
. CONSIDER THE FORK. A REVIEW
Now for something completely different, a book review! and, Different again in that Sheila has written it.
“Consider the Fork” by Bee Wilson
The history of how we cook and eat, how we tamed fire and ice.
It is a fascinating read, that I found very hard to put down. I read it twice! (which in itself is unusual)
John became used to my constant interruptions into his thoughts with “Did you know” and “Listen to this”
From huge Tudor fires to sous-vide machines how technological advances have affected our food habits
Bee Wilson compares how in Europe we eat with knives and forks where in Asia thy prefer chopsticks; thereby keeping knief work in the kitchen and away from the table..
It is the story of Spoons, whisks, mashers, Pestles and Mortars, all in the name of feeding ourselves.
Other than chapters on Fire and Ice, she considers Pots and Pans, Grind, Eat, Kitchen and Weights and Measures. We learn that the American cup system, invented in 1896 by Fannie Farmer is fundemently flawed – this I can concur with, I interrupted my reading to experiment with porridge and rice:
A cup of rice weighs 175 gr
A cup of oats weighs 84 gr
Its like the old joke which is heavier a pound of feathers or a pound of Lead!
“Did you You know”? You can now buy a set of 4 measures for:
1) a dash 2) a pinch 3) a smidgen 4) a drop
I wonder what Fannie would have made of that! Maybe like me. She would say: Why?
If you have an interest in history, food and cooking then this book is for you.
…and finallly dont just take my word for it
“I love Bee Wilson’s writing” Nigella Lawson
“A joy to read” Claudia Roden
“A cracking good read, as enjoyable as it is enlightening” Raymond Blanc