Did you put garlic?

Laħam Fuq il-Fwar (Steamed Meat)

2010-10-10T10:56:00.000+01:00

(Image courtesy of Food Urichin and Where's My Pork Chop)

Look who's finally back from that whole business of organising a wedding, getting married, going off on a minimoon then crashing back to reality this week...Seriously, to everyone who sent their congratulations, I couldn't have asked for a better day, everything went smoothly. A special thanks has to go to the boys and girls at The Freemasons Arms who did a smashing job at cooking nearly 60 steaks to every one's different tastes, making sure everyone had enough to drink and looking after us in general since we took over the dining room and downstairs bar for an entire day! So back on to the important bit, the cooking.

After being invited to participate in Where's My Pork Chop? A concept by fellow food blogger Food Urchin, I decided to make Laħam Fuq il-Fwar, literally translated as Steamed Meat (you can find his write up here). It's not something I had often as a kid, (as Food Urchin discovered) because of the sheer amount of garlic and in my even in my recipe I cut it down from the amount my mum normally used and it was still a little too strong. So if you intend to cook this for yourself I highly recommend cutting it back further if you don't like your garlic too overpowering.

Like a lot of Maltese dishes, this can be a bit of a 2 in 1 meal, traditionally the meat is steamed over a pot of soup, usually Brodu (Maltese broth), where the broth is served as a first course, the potatoes fished out as served with the steamed meat as the main with bread.

Laħam Fuq il-Fwar (Steamed Meat)

Serves 2-3, roughly 310 cal per serving

Ingredients:

600g lean beef escalopes, or very thin slices of rump steak
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
100g bacon medallions
15g butter
1 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Bring a large pan of water to boil (better yet, broth rather than water), lower to the temperature to a gentle simmer.

2. Grease a heatproof soup plate (large enough to fit over the pan) with the olive oil, then layer the meat, garlic bacon and chopped parsley on top.

3. Dot the butter on top and season with the salt and pepper.

4. Cover with another plate or loosely with foil and steam over the water/broth for an hour and a half to two hours until the meat is tender.

Sorry about the hiatus

2010-09-17T10:44:00.003+01:00

But I am getting married next week and have been inundated with work. So I promise when I have a spare hour to myself there will be a recipe for low GI breakfast muffins, a Maltese recipe for steamed beef, and an update on wedding food (after the wedding of course) and possible a review about the new Leon cookbook once I've finished reading it.

In the meantime, sit tight, normal programming will resume shortly.

Gluten and Dairy Free Lemon, Poppy-Seed and Cardamon Spiced cupcakes with a Lemon Drizzle

2010-08-24T22:54:00.010+01:00

When it comes to baking, I'm more of a biscuit/fruit cake type person, and only really dig out the muffin cases if I'm making breakfast muffins. But tomorrow my work is having their summer party and as part of the whole "Summer Fete" theme, there's going to be a cupcake baking competition, with a few ladies from the Women's Institute judging.

So, for something very last minute (I wasn't going to enter in all honesty), and vaguely British Rajish I have made (gluten-free and dairy-free) Lemon, Poppy-Seed and Cardamon Spiced cupcakes with a Lemon Drizzle. So wish me luck tomorrow!

Lemon, Poppy-Seed and Cardamon Spiced cupcakes with a Lemon Drizzle
Makes 12 cup cakes

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

100g Gluten-free plain flour (as mentioned previously, I find Doves Farm the best)
1 tsp baking powder
100g golden caster sugar
50g dairy free magarine, softened
2 large free range eggs
2 tbsp soy milk
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
4 green cardamon pods, seeds removed and ground to a fine powder
2 tbsp poppy seeds
a few drops of yellow food colouring (optional)

For the lemon drizzle:

50g icing sugar
1/2 tbsp golden caster sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method (for the cupcakes):

1. Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases and preheat the fan forced oven to 190 degrees celsius.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cardamon and sugar.

3. Add the margarine, eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest and food colouring (if adding), whisk together until creamy, then fold in the poppy seeds.

4. Divide the mixture between the paper muffin cases and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they're golden coloured and firm to the touch. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack.

Method (for the lemon drizzle):

1. In a small bowl, sift the icing sugar and caster sugar together.

2. Mix in the lemon juice until it forms a paste.

Method (to finish off):

1. While the cupcakes are still warm, prick a few small holes on top with a cocktail stick.

2. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cupcakes with a spoon and leave to finish cooling and for the icing to set.

Gluten-free yoghurt, pistachio, cranberry and orange blossom water cakes

2010-07-22T21:35:00.010+01:00

Well, I say cakes, but these are half way between a cake and a scone - a bit of an experiment thanks to the yoghurt that the lovely people over at Total and Traffic Partners had sent me, if you remember from this post.

They're lovely on their own, but even better with a dollop of cream or some jam. I've used the full fat yoghurt for these, but I'm sure it would work with the 0% fat yoghurt too.

Obviously it doesn't have to be gluten-free, you can use normal flour if you want, but if you do, cut down the yoghurt amount by 2 tablespoons.

Gluten-free yoghurt, pistachio, cranberry and orange blossom water cakes

Makes roughly 16 cakes depending on the size of cutter you use (I used a tumbler glass).

Ingredients:
225g Gluten-free flour (I find the Doves Farm stuff to be the best)
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
60g unsalted butter
30g brown sugar
30g honey
40g chopped, unsalted pistachios
40g cranberries
2 tbsp orange blossom water
1 large egg
8 tbsp yoghurt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, and lightly grease a baking tray with butter.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.

3. Rub the butter into the flour mixture, until it has the texture of small breadcrumbs.

4. Mix in the spices, pistachios, sugar, honey, orange blossom water and cranberries.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and yoghurt, quickly mix this into the cake mix – it should become a slightly wet dough.

6. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until cracks and bubbles disappear. Roll out so it is about a 1.5cm thick.

7. With your cookie cutter (or in my case a tumbler), press out rounds in the dough. Roll up the excess dough, roll out again and continue making rounds until there is no dough left.

8. Place the tray in the hot oven for a couple of minutes to melt the butter a little, take it out and lay your rounds out on it, sprinkling them with a little flour.

9. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

10. Let them cool a little, then serve with cream and jam.

Bigilla (Maltese Broad Bean Dip)

2010-07-12T10:57:00.011+01:00

With my trip back home to the old country last week my taste for Bigilla, a traditional Maltese broad bean dip, was reawakened. It's incredibly tasty and a great alternative to hummus, usually served with Maltese water crackers called Galletti or on toasted sour dough bread. In Malta, people will either make their own or buy it by weight from markets – though these days you'll find them in ready made up tubs in the local shops.

Bigilla usually has red chilli added to it for a fiery kick, though some prefer to leave the chilli out, while others will add Tabasco for extra heat. Here, I'm giving the recipe my mother gave me, her recipe calls for the tyoe of dried broad bean that has skins, but unfortunately I could only get the skinless ones. If you can get a hold of them with the skins, it will give the Bigilla the authentic brown colour rather the "white" colour of the version I have made here. Both are equally tasty, though there is an earthy depth to the skin-on version.

With this recipe you can make it in advance and serve it cold (it will keep in the fridge for a few days, just add a little extra oil to preserve it), or eat it warm.

Take note that the beans are soaked overnight, please allow time for this. As well as a cooking time of about 1.5 hours.

Bigilla (Maltese Broad Bean Dip)

Ingredients:
250g Dried Broad Beans (available in most Middle Eastern shops)
2 – 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
finely chopped chilli (optional, but highly recommended)

1. In a medium sized pan, soak the broad beans in cold water overnight.

2. Drain the broad beans and just cover with clean, fresh cold water and bring to boil over a medium heat.

3. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and simmer for 1 - 1.5 hours. When the beans start going soft, mash with the back of a fork, keeping an eye on the water level, it shouldn't be sloppy, but a nice thick paste with a bit of texture from the broken up broad beans. Don't let it dry out!

4. Once all the broad beans have softened and mashed, gradually add the oil a tablespoon at a time, mixing in as you go. You want it to be smooth – too little oil will make it dry and floury, too much and you'll get a slick mess.

I was very lucky to receive a gift of Maltese olive oil made from
the remaining indigenous olives grown in Malta and have used it in my Bigilla.

5. Stir in the parsley and garlic, gradually add salt and pepper, tasting as you go. That's the key thing with Bigilla, is taste, taste, taste.

6. If you're adding chillis, again, do it gradually and taste as you go. In this version I have only added a heaped teaspoon worth of chilli to give it a little kick but keeping it mild. If I didn't have guests eating it, personally would have added another heaped teaspoon.

7. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of parsley on top – don't forget the crackers!

That warm fuzzy feeling

2010-07-08T16:06:00.003+01:00

Massive thanks to Gary from Roast Potato who made my Maltese roast potato recipe and blogged about it here: http://roastpotato.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/maltese-roast-potatoes/

Also others on Facebook and such who have been using my recipes, thank you, it really is appreciated.

What to do with a month's supply of yoghurt...

2010-07-01T14:16:00.005+01:00

This just turned up at my work today, thanks to the lovely people over at Total and Traffic Partners.

Though a couple have been bagged by a couple of work mates already! Now what to do with them? Yoghurt, rose and pistachio cake? A curry? A dark chocolate mousse (Thanks to my good friend Beth for the recipe)? Scoff the lot over breakfast...?

Ah the possibilities...

Braġjoli – Maltese Beef Olives

2010-06-24T16:40:00.023+01:00

Beef olives are found all over Europe, the Maltese have their own variation called Braġjoli which is either baked or braised in a wine or tomato sauce. I made these last week and served them with the Patata fil Forn from my last post. It went down a treat with a very good friend asking if he could have the leftovers for his lunch (I have the Maltese tendency of cooking too much!).

My preferred way of cooking them is to brown them, then braise them in a wine, garlic and tomato sauce with lots of bay leaves and marjoram. They go fantastically well with Patata fil Forn and steamed veg (I served them with thickly cut carrots and broccoli florets here), as well as creamy mashed potato. You can prepare the beef olives ahead of time as they do need quite a bit of time to cook – this is very much a slow food dish.

Braġjoli – Maltese Beef Olives

Serves 4 - 6 (About 270 cal per beef olive)

Ingredients:

For the braġjoli:

30g breadcrumbs
100g lean bacon or thick cut ham, chopped into small pieces
200g extra lean beef mince
2 medium hard boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp each of salt and pepper
500g lean topside beef, cut into 8 thin slices (any cut with too much fat marbling won't stand up to being flattened out as it will tend to collapse)

For the sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
150ml red wine (the stronger, the better)
1 beef stock bullion, dissolved in 100ml boiled water
400g chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon marjoram (dried is fine)
4 large bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped parsley
season to taste

Method for the Braġjoli:

1. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, bacon, mince, eggs, garlic, onion, parsley and seasoning, mixing thoroughly.

2. On a protected surface, take a slice of the topside and flatten out further by beating it out with a meat mallet (or a rolling pin) until it's about 3mm thick.

3. Take 1-2 heaped tablespoons of the stuffing and spoon onto the centre of the flattened out "steak". Roll up tightly by tucking the sides over the stuffing and rolling up. Secure with cocktail sticks.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the other slices. Set aside. If preparing ahead, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate.

Method for the sauce:

1. In a large casserole dish or heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat and brown the braġjoli all over with the bay leaves, you may need to do this in a couple of batches. Set aside.

2. In the same oil, brown the onions and garlic. If it sticks, add a little of the wine to get at the crispy bits.

3. Pour in the rest of the wine, add the chopped tomatoes, stock and marjoram, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and carefully add the braġjoli, making sure they are well covered by the sauce.

4. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about an hour and a half to two hours, checking the moisture level. If need be, add a little water now and then.

5. Stir through the rest of the parsley at the end of cooking, check the seasoning and remove all the cocktail sticks before serving – this can be a little bit of a messy job, so take out the braġjoli first and do it on a separate plate before spooning over the sauce.

N.B. Any left over stuffing can be made into patties by beating an egg through it and dipping into breadcrumbs. Fry in a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan until golden brown.

Patata fil Forn - Maltese Roast Potatoes

2010-06-24T06:41:00.009+01:00

Maltese Roast Potatoes are quite different from the usual Sunday "roasties" we get here in the UK. For a start, the potatoes aren't par-boiled in large chunks, but sliced finely. These are incredibly popular and in our family we almost have to fight to the death for the last crunchy. Most of the time slices of thickly cut meat or chicken pieces will be laid underneath so that they poach along with the potatoes. Normally a lot of salt and pepper is used along with a little curry powder, but my mother's variation uses powdered vegetable stock, so I have omitted the salt here.

Patata fil Forn (Maltese Roast Potatoes) - Serves 4 large portions

Ingredients:

1 large onion, sliced in to rings
4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced, lengthways into 5mm rounds
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons powdered vegetable stock
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons of oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. Layer the base of a baking dish with a layer of half the onions, over this layer half the potatoes. Sprinkle with half the garlic, stock, pepper, curry powder and drizzle a tablespoon of oil over the top.

3. Repeat with the second layer.

4. Slowly pour in some water to just come up with the bottom layer of the potatoes (about 5 - 10 mm).

5. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes until the top layer is golden brown and most of the water has evaporated. Serve with your usual roast, stews, or even between a couple of slices of bread with your favourite chutney (great for when you have left overs!)

Kusksu (Maltese Spring Soup)

2010-06-21T13:44:00.010+01:00

This soup is traditionally made in May when fresh broad beans are at their best and almost always served on Good Friday. With frozen broad beans available it's now made all year round, but is still delicious. It was a major comfort food for me and everyone has a preference on how it is served, some families add cauliflower, others peas or potatoes.

My mother would crack an egg into hers to poach, I loved to scoop on some ricotta, which would then set in the hot broth, best though is fresh Maltese sheep cheese, collectively called ġbejniet.

Kusksu (Maltese Spring Soup)
Serves 4-6 - About 200 cal per serving, not including garnishes.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion (about 200g), finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
120g tomato concentrate
180g dried kusksu (sometimes labeled as Israeli couscous, pasta beads will be fine or orzo pasta in a pinch. The one I get is a Neil's Yard one available at Holland & Barret)
300g broad beans (fresh is better, but frozen can still be used, skins removed from the larger beans)
1.5 L water or chicken stock
5 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp torn, fresh basil

To garnish (optional):
Ricotta
Egg
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
or preferably fresh ġbejniet (Maltese cheese) - if you can get a hold of it!

Method:
1. In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic until it starts to brown.

2. Add the tomato paste, fry for a few more minutes, add the broad beans (if using frozen, add later with the couscous), seasoning, bay leaves and half the basil.

3. Pour in the water (or stock), bring to the boil, then reduce heat so it gently simmers.

4. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stir in the kusksu cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Check the seasoning and turn off the heat

5. Serve in bowls with a dollop of ricotta or ġbejna, or poach an egg in the broth before serving. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

(Image appreciatively stolen from here as we got carried away and ate the soup before we could take a picture! Though my variation doesn't use peas, you can add them if you like).

Breakfast Club #1: Asian Challenge - Baby Clam Rolled Omelette with Ssamjang

2010-06-18T15:09:00.015+01:00

Having been challenged to create an Asian breakfast via Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Sarah from Fingers and Toes, as part of The Breakfast Club, here is my entry.

At first I was going to make Nasi Lemak, but left with facing a jar of left over baby clams and wondering what to do with them, the idea hit me to make an omelette based on the oyster omelettes found all over East Asia. Instead of serving it with the usual chilli sauces, I've served it here with the highly addictive condiment, ssamjang, a Korean mixed chilli-bean paste usually made up of doenjang, garlic, gochujang. And I mean addictive - when ever The Tallest and I go to our favourite Korean restaurant, Kimchee in Golders Green, the waitress always smiles knowingly when ever we ask for more.

Baby Clam Rolled Omelette with Ssamjang

Serves 1 - 310 Calories per serving

Ingredients:

2 medium eggs
50g shelled, cooked baby clams
2 spring onions, finely chopped
50g carrot, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp groundnut oil
1 large sheet of roasted seaweed (sushi nori is fine)
a heaped tablespoon of ssamjang (I use the Sunchang branded stuff, you can find it in green tubs at Korean grocers and in China Town)
gem lettuce leaves to serve

Method:

1. Whisk the eggs with the clams, onions, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper.

2. In a large, heavy based pan, heat the oil gently, keeping it on a low heat.

3. Slowly pour in the egg mixture, making sure it spreads evenly. It's very important that you keep the heat low, you want to cook this gently.

4. When it has started to set, place the sheet of seaweed on top of the omelette.

5. Using a spatula, carefully roll up the omelette in the pan.

6. Take the omelette out of the pan and rest for a couple of minutes, this will set it a little more so you can slice it easier. Slice into 2cm thick pieces.

7. Serve cross-section side up and eat it by placing the omelette into the lettuce leaf, dolloping on a little ssamjang, rolling it up and eating it.

Quick Mid-Week Seafood Stew

2010-06-17T15:27:00.012+01:00

I'd hesitate to call this Maltese, but it certainly uses the flavours of capers, garlic, bay leaves, a little curry powder and garlic. I'm hoping to get my hands on Octopus soon so I can do this properly. I've bought my ingredients separately from the fish monger, but you can use anything you like or pre-mixed seafood, totally up to you.

Quick Mid-Week Seafood Stew (Serves 2) - Roughly 310 calories per serving

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
100g diced shallots
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
about a tablespoon thyme (remove the stalks)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
salt (season to taste)
juice of half a lemon
50g capers
60g black olives, sliced
100g monkfish, cut into thick chunks
100g cooked prawns
100g squid, sliced into rings, or scored pieces
50g cooked, shelled baby clams
75g cooked, shelled mussels
Lemon zest for garnish

Method:

1. In a medium to large saucepan, over a medium heat, heat the oil until hot. Add the onions and stir, cook until it starts to become translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking until they have browned.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and spices, vinegar, capers and olives, bring to the boil then lower heat to a gentle simmer.

3. After about 10 minutes, add the monkfish, make sure it's well covered. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

4. Add all remaining seafood and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.

5. Serve with spaghetti or fresh crusty bread. Garnish with lemon zest and you're done.

Maltese Fair - Saturday 26th June 2010

2010-06-16T17:01:00.006+01:00

In a couple of weeks there's a Maltese fair in East London run by the Maltese Culture Movement, it's mainly to celebrate the feast of St. Paul & St Peter (Imnarja), but stalls will be set up where you can buy traditional Maltese food, snacks and drinks including frozen pastizzi you can take home to cook and the national soft drink, Kinnie.

Date: Saturday 26 June 2010

Location: Roland Philipps Scouts Centre in East London, 65 Copley Street, (off Stepney Way) London E1 3DF.

Time: It's after mass (11am), so the stalls should be up and running by noon.

Click on the picture for the link:

Bulgar wheat with broadbeans, tomatoes and ricotta

2010-06-11T10:00:00.006+01:00

Perfect for a light lunch, either eaten cold as a salad, or can be heated up for a mock risotto. I usually make this the night before for my work lunches, I find it tastes better the next day. It's dead easy to make too. For a non-vegetarian variety you can add shredded pieces of roast chicken or grilled lamb.

Serves One (315 calories)

Ingredients:
40g dry bulgar wheat
100g broad beans (can use fresh or frozen)
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
50g ricotta cheese
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp sumac
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Make up bulgar wheat according to packet instructions. Usually I just soak it in about 125ml just boiled water for 20-30 minutes.

2. Peel the outer skins the broad beans (as they can taste bitter). If using frozen, boil in a small pan of water for 1 minute, plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process, then peel the skins.

3. Stir the broad beans, tomatoes, ricotta, lemon juice, mint and sumac, season to taste and Serve.

On gifts and things

2010-06-10T14:44:00.009+01:00

The Tallest and I have sent out the invitations and keep getting asked "so what do we give you as a gift?". To be honest, we don't need anything, money is helpful but not necessary, we've lived together for over 5 and a half years, so have most of the things we need, though a heavy duty broom for the patio and some gardening equipment will be much appreciated by me (really need to start my herb and veg garden).

But if I were one of those freak brides who through a tantrum because they want some overpriced piece of gadgetry, any of the following will be much appreciated by me (I'm kidding of course, I'll get them for myself eventually):

So what do you eat?

2010-06-10T06:26:00.009+01:00

I get this question a lot, I mean at least once a day. It doesn't take long to work out that my eating habits aren't the norm. My work colleagues, bless them, know and understand why I have a "second lunch" at 3pm.

Since November last year I was determined to get healthy and feel better about myself, especially with the impending nuptials in a few months time. So, I started going to the gym. This soon led to analysing and completely redesigning my diet. I stopped having sugar in my tea and coffee, eventually I'd cut coffee out almost completely and only have one or two cups of black tea a day. I started eating 5 - 6 meals a day to give my metabolism a boost and keep my blood sugars regular. I eat more raw fruit, veg and wholegrains than I ever did (for me this was one of the bigger achievements, since I never touched fruit as a kid and salad? FORGET IT!).

To support my body, since the gym sessions turned into 3, then 4 and before I knew it I was going 5 - 6 days a week, I do take supplements and protein in the form of either shakes or bars (but strictly only after workouts) to help repair and maintain the muscle. My calorie intake is quite low compared to average (but quite normal and safe for someone of my height), so I have to be very, very careful with food choices.

So here's the breakdown of an average day:

Meal One: Usually porridge made with water, with fresh fruit, some nuts and a little honey. Though I have experimented and made rice porridges, semolina and polenta for breakfast. If I do have toast, it'll be a seeded wholegrain bread topped with things like ricotta and peaches.

WORK OUT

Meal Two: A protein bar or protein shake, and I'll eat some fruit with a cup of tea when I get to the office.

Meal Three: Lunch will always have a complex carb added to it to keep me going the rest of the day, for example, yesterdays lunch was sushi and rice, today it's wholemeal pitta, ham, tomatoes and goats cheese, tomorrow is bulgar wheat with ricotta, chicken and broadbeans.

Meal Four: Usually steamed veg or a salad with some chicken, or I'll have fruit and a raw chocolate bar (such as the Nakd bars) as a treat, though I usually have yoghurt and some carrot sticks with low fat hummus. Depends my mood.

Meal Five: Something snacky like a handful of blueberries, a few nuts or some crudites.

Meal Six: I avoid complex carbs in the evening since my body does not need the energy before I go to bed, so to wind down I'll have a herbal tea (fresh mint or chamomile) and dinner will consist of veg and meat in some form (more often lately I omit the meat, but The Tallest will grump about it). E.g. an vegetable and fish curry (made with a little oil and tomato based), or a clear broth with loads of veg and free range chicken, or the summer favourite, griddled lamb steaks with harissa rub, courgettes, peppers and aubergine.

I've found eating this way had helped a lot, I don't have sugar crashes any more, I wake up feeling much better without any bloating from cutting out complex carbs in the evening, my complexion has improved. I'm slowly moving towards cooking methods that are as quick as possible, especially when it comes to vegetables to make sure as little of the nutrients as possible are damaged.

Mind you, I still will make a roast from time to time, and stews are fantastic, as they're usually packed full of veg (great way for sneaking in vegetables for kids to eat since they won't see them as easily). Though I've laid off the cakes and biscuits almost entirely but will very occasionally make low-far bran muffins (fantastic for breakfast too, with a bit of ham and soft white cheese, yum).

And with that, I'm off to the gym.

More food discoveries

2010-06-07T10:36:00.007+01:00

Found a New Favourite Food™ at the supermarket the other day. With my determination to eat a better diet, I'm always on the lookout for foods to snack on which are a bit better for me than the average chocolate bar. Enter raw fruit, nut and cocoa bars in the form of Nakd Cocoa Loco:

Seriously addictive, I had two bars yesterday and another today, at about 100cal a bar, it's a lot better for you than the average chocolate bar and you get one of your 5 a day too (really, you should be eating a lot more than this, but that's another rant). They have other flavours too including Apple Pie, Berry Cheeky and Banana Bread (sadly I can't have this one because I'm allergic to banana), but will definitely be up for trying the others – possibly even work out how to make my own, since the ingredients are all easily sourced. For now, I'm quite happy scoffing on a Cocoa Loco bar with my cup of coffee for morning tea.

On things grown locally

2010-06-04T14:00:00.004+01:00

I, and I assume, like a lot of my fellow foodies try and buy produce locally, rather than the sort that is shipped in from other countries (obviously with exceptions where some fruits and vegetables just can't be grown in the British climate).

Since I moved to the UK five and a half years ago, I've made a lot of firsts when it comes to eating food in season. It DOES taste better, lasts longer and without the overwhelming guilt of air miles. I remember the first time my future-mother-in-law cooked me asparagus, it was the beginning of the very short season and she simply steamed it and served it with salt, pepper and butter. It was heaven.

Jersey Royal potatoes are another and I make a point of buying a couple of bags every year, savoy cabbage too...the list goes on.

Today brings me to my newest discovery, while feeling a little peckish, I was about to pick up my usual tub of blueberries (sadly grown in Turkey) when I glanced up and saw these strange extra large blackberries grown in Kent. I've never been a major fan of blackberries because of the tartness, but thought I'd give these a go. My lord, they were delicious, the right amount of sweetness and tartness and with a size that makes it feel like a proper snack food – I scoffed the lot.

A little research (I read the label) led me to discover they were Karaka Blacks, originally from New Zealand, but grown in the UK and are the sweetest variety. They look like mini corn cobs to me, but definitely a new favourite. I bought them in Waitrose, but I'm sure they'll be available elsewhere.

Savoury porridge

2010-05-17T06:39:00.002+01:00

With this whole new (ok, the last 5 months) fitness regime I must admit I've become a porridge addict. I actually go to bed looking forward more to breakfast than coming home from work to prepare an evening meal. So this has lead me to some experimentation and a bit of inspiration from some medieval recipes.

I've had almost every combination of sweet porridge imaginable, with ricotta, pistachios and honey, with almonds and sour cherries, with plain old honey or a few blueberries. Even getting my flavourist future mother-out-law to make up batches of essences and flavours for me so I can have perceived sweetness/alcohol flavours without the sugar or the alcohol (she's made me a cracking rose water and almond flavour - my current favourite, creme bruleé is next).

This soon led me on to researching porridge in other countries, like the awesome savoury rice porridge from Korea and other East Asian countries, polenta with syrup and nuts from Italy and semolina, thanks to my mum reminding me I used to scoff it when I was a kid.

So this morning I tried my hand at savoury porridge (I did have one failed experiment a year ago by mixing cheddar into a milk-based porridge - it was gross), inspired by a few medieval cooking books I came across recently. This time, it turned out fantastically and made me feel fuller despite the same calorie amount as the sweet porridges I'd normally make.

Ingredients:

35g Scottish oats
200ml water
5 slice of ham (I used pork loin since it's lower in fat and not boosted so much with water)
10g shaved parmesan cheese
pepper
1/2 tsp olive oil
A few raisins (optional)

Method

In a small saucepan, combine the oats and water, bring to boil and allow to simmer.

Tear the ham into chunks and add to the porridge and stir in the olive oil and pepper.
Stir in the cheese and if using (I find the sweet and salty combo is perfect with the pork loin ham), the raisins.

Once porridge is cooked through, serve.

You could probably throw in a few fresh herbs in too like a little sage or parsley. Totally up to you.

Cake Trolley

2010-03-19T17:24:00.007Z

At my work we have a cake trolley every Thursday, I volunteered to do it yesterday and as a treat, rather than shop bought stuff I made my own:

You'll recognise a couple of the pastries, the cake is a recipe based on my mum's cherry and almond sponge cake, though I added orange blossom water and pistachios on top. Will make it again soon and write the recipe up for you guys.

Pie Week

2010-03-01T10:15:00.005Z

Was approached by Lurpak again for a recipe, this time to celebrate British Pie Week (1-7 March). I've sent them my mum's recipe for a tradition Maltese pie called an qassatat (the Q is silent, pronounced AHS-SAH-TAHT), it's kinda cross between a pastry and an open pie - basically street food in Malta. The easiest filling to do is ricotta the other is a beef and peas mixture (Mum's version included curry powder so it tastes a little like a samosa), there's also another traditional filling of spinach and anchovies - but I've never had a taste for hairy fish.

For the short crust pastry (or you can buy it ready made):

Ingredients:
1 lb plain flour
8 oz unsalted butter
2 eggs
pinch of salt
pepper to taste
Cold water if needed

Method:
Cream the butter, eggs, pepper and salt together, gradually add the flour, working it in until it turns into a dough, if the dough is too dry, add a little water, about a tablespoon at a time. Roll into a ball, cover in a damp tea towel and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

For the ricotta filling:
1 lb ricotta
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp salt
a cup of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Optional: fresh broad beans, but make sure to peel off the outer skins)
Optional: a couple of heaped tablespoons of parmesan cheese.

For the glaze:
A beaten egg mixed with a couple of tablespoons of milk

Method:
Mix the ricotta in with the parsley, salt and if adding it, broad beans and/or parmesan cheese. Gradually add the beaten eggs so the mixture is still firm, but not runny.

To make the pies:
Take a small ball of dough and roll it out so it's about 12cm in diameter and about 3mm thick - use a saucer as a cutting guide.

Drop a heaped tablespoon of filling into the centre and wet the edges of the pastry with a little water.

Gather the edges of the filling and pleat it around the filling by pinching the edge around it, but not seal the top so the filling still shows. (this takes a little practice, it should look a little like a deflated balloon, here's a picture I ganked off another site: http://emod-content.crmondemand.com/2e0bae65-1670-42cb-a792-bbf6b6ff879b/images/Qassatat.JPG).

Glaze the pastry with egg yolk and milk.

Place on a greased baking sheet and back in the oven for 30mins at 200 deg, then turn it down to 180 deg, continue baking until they're a golden brown.

Lurpak's blogger of the week

2010-01-27T13:25:00.005Z

Massive thank you to the folks over at Lurpak who have made me their blogger of the week, over on facebook.com. Here's the featured recipe:

Roast Chicken with a spiced honey glaze.

Ingredients:
1 Whole chicken (preferably free range)
3 cloves garlic
about a tablespoon butter
1 small onion
1 small lemon
a sprig of thyme
1 tbsp. honey
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
salt & pepper

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C for fan-assisted ovens).

To make the glaze:
mix the honey, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and the juice of a small lemon and season lightly. Set lemon halves aside.

Then...

Peel and thinly slice the garlic, mixing it into the butter with salt and pepper to taste. This will give the breasts in particular and lovely garlicky taste and keep them extra moist, the butter makes it especially moorish.

Take the chicken, neck facing you, and lift the skin away from the breast. Massage the garlic and butter mixture under the skin, pushing it along evenly. Rub any excess butter into the skin and on the thighs.

Season the cavity. Peel an onion and cut it into quarters, stuff the cavity with the onion, lemon halves and thyme.

Brush the glaze all over the chicken, then season with salt and pepper liberally.

Place in a roasting pan, breast side up and pour in half a cup of water to stop it drying out and make a gravy at the end.

Cook for 45 minutes per kilogram plus 20 minutes, basting occasionally (add more water if you find it drying out too much). You'll know it's ready when the juice from the thigh runs clear and the chicken's turned a nice golden brown.

Allow to rest for about 10 minutes and use the juices in the roasting pan as a gravy.

Lurpak photoshoot/recipe

2010-01-08T17:23:00.005Z

A few months ago I was approached by a digital agency (and soon after the advertising agency) for Lurpak butter asking me to write a recipe for them, that soon turned into an invitation to a photoshoot so they could feature it (and being paid to boot!). It was great fun, here's the link to the pdf so far, I'll put more stuff up once I hear more from them.

http://www.lurpak.co.uk/downloads/Lurpak_Blogger_Recipes_2010.pdf

Hiatus broken

2009-11-23T20:35:00.004Z

Far too much has gone on the last 6 months. The rhinoplasty went smoothly, we sold our old flat and bought a lovely 2 bedroom place in Highgate with a garden. I was invited along to write a recipe and attend a photoshoot for Lurpak butter and discovered how much I liked Nigel Slater's recipes (I never heard of him before this year, I know, I'm terrible!).

So here's a shot of one of his lamb shank recipes (with the addition of juniper berries) before I put it into the oven:

Hiatus

2009-06-08T20:37:00.004+01:00

Hello my lovelies. Sorry about the lack of posting this week, but I'm off to hospital tomorrow (long awaited rhinoplasty) and probably won't be updating for a while.

In the meantime, enjoy what recipes I have up and let me know if you have tried any. And I shall be seeing you all with more posts and hopefully, a new nose soon. ;)

Much love,

Mer

xxxx

Dinner last night.

2009-05-29T16:26:00.006+01:00

Since it's been a while since I made it (We're selling the flat, so I'm avoiding cooking fish), and The Tallest requested it. Here's a quick recipe for my cod with lemon and caper sauce and new potatoes with chilli and cumin:

I've used Cod fillets, but any white fish will do. Baramundi is my prefered choice, but hard to get a hold of in the UK.

Just dust the fillets with some flour and fry in a little olive oil both sides.

To make the sauce: into a small pan: squeeze a lemon, a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of capers, some chopped dill or thyme (which ever you prefer, I used thyme this time - haha) and some pepper. Simmer till the butter melts and has reduced a little.

For the potatoes: clean and halve some baby new potatoes, boil til soft in the middle. Drain, and a little olive oil back into the pan with some dried chilli flakes a sprinkling of cumin seeds, thyme and salt and pepper, toss the potatoes in it on a low heat for a couple of minutes and you're done. :)

Froġa tat-Tarja (Vermicelli Omelette)

2009-05-27T19:50:00.021+01:00

Well, look at that you lucky people. 2 posts in one day! I truly have been kicked up the butt for being slack in posting lately.

Now here is one of my ultimate comfort foods - and stupidly easy and quick to make! My mother made this vermicelli omelette (Froġa tat-Tarja) for me as a child often, and eating it tonight made me feel about 7 years old again (and the fact I put ketchup on it, something my mum always seemed a bit dismayed at). There are plenty of variations on the recipe out there, I've made the most basic here, but you can add your own extra ingredients too. Popular additions in Malta are spinach and corned beef, but you can add chopped ham or tomatoes too and I've been suggested crumbling feta or goats cheese into the mix. It's really up to you.

Apologies for the poor picture quality, my camera batteries went flat, so I had to use my phone camera.

Froġa tat-Tarja (Vermicelli Omelette)

Serves 1-2 people (depending how hungry you are)

70g vermicelli (angel hair pasta)
10g parsely, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 heaped tbsp grated parmesean cheese (add more if you like)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Cook the vermicelli in boiling water according to packet instructions (usually about 5 minutes).

2. Beat the eggs and parsely together.

3. Drain the vermicelli and mix into the egg and parsely.

4. Mix in the parmesean, salt and pepper.

5. Heat the oil in an non-stick frying pan, keep on a high heat and pour in the vermicelli and spread out in the pan a little.

6. Cook for about 2-3 minutes each side until golden.

If you can't finish it all, it's lovely eaten the next day, cold or warm and is perfect for picnics.

Qaghaq Tal-Zija Maria (Sesame biscuits)

2009-05-27T13:18:00.003+01:00

Another Maltese biscuit recipe, this one in particular is my Great Aunt Maria's. It's a typical Maltese sweet since it features cloves, lemon and orange zest – they crop up a lot in desserts.

These are more commonly known as Qaghaq Tal-Gulglien (Sesame Rings), as they traditionally baked in a ring shape, but to honor my aunt, I've made them in a twist like she used to (I find them easier to dunk this way too!).

Qaghaq Tal-Zija Maria (Sesame biscuits)

Recipe makes about 2 dozen

210g self raising flour
340g plain flour
1 tsp ground cloves
110g sugar
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
pinch of salt
3 teaspoons sesame seeds, plus extra for decorating
200g unsalted butter
2-3 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

2. Mix together all dry ingredients.

3. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

4. Beat in 2 eggs, if mixture is still a little dry, beat in the third, once mixed through it should resemble a doughy cookie mix.

5. On a floured surface, take roughly a small egg sized portion of mixture and roll out into a thin sausage.

6. Fold the 'sausage' in half and twist the ends to form a loose plait.

7. Lay finished biscuits on a tray covered in grease proof paper, sprinkle with extra sesame seeds, lightly patting them into the biscuits.

8. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. When done allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Eating Eurovision '09 and the coconut pastries

2009-05-17T17:22:00.018+01:00

Thanks to fellow foodie and blogger, Andrew Webb of eyedropper.co.uk and of Channel 4's Big British Food Map fame, I've kick-started this blog again and will try to make it a much more regular thing.

It all started when Andrew added me on twitter asking for help in his quest of Maltese food for the Eating Eurovision '09 challenge – where "25 food bloggers eat the cuisine of the 25 Eurovision finalists in 25 hours all within the M25".

Malta, more famous for its beaches than its cuisine, proved to be a bit of a tough one to source in London. Even the Maltese themselves find it hard, with only very limited suppliers of food from back home available and none at all of certain products.

I was more than honored that Andrew asked for my help and jumped at it, trying to point him in the direction of others who could source Kinnie and pastizzi for him (a native soft drink and pastry snack) and agreed to let him borrow the only Maltese cookbook I could find in the UK that was in English.

What really surprised me was that he asked to interview me. I raced home to grab the book and finding a spare half an hour on my hands decided to make him pastini tal-coconut – a sweet coconut pastry. He has kindly reproduced the recipe on his blog here.

Here it is again, with step-by-step photographs:

Pastini Tal-Coconut (Coconut Pastries)

Makes roughly 4 dozen (in the photos I have halved the amounts)

250g plain white flour
250g butter (unsalted or salted is up to you, I like using salted since it gives that lovely salted caramel taste)
250g sugar (normally white, but I prefer brown)
500g desiccated coconut
a few drops of vanilla essence
4 eggs
Glacé cherries and/or almonds for decoration

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.

2. Rub the flour and butter together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Mix in the sugar and coconut.

4. Add the vanilla essence and whisk the eggs into the mixture, working it through all the dry ingredients. It might seem a small amount of egg, but once it's thoroughly mixed through it should resemble cookie dough.

5. Take about a heaped tablespoon and roll into balls.

6. Set out onto baking sheets, decorate with glacé cherries or almonds and bake for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool a little before serving, makes a fantastic tea-time treat.

I know it's not food related, but...

2009-05-15T16:12:00.001+01:00

I'm selling my flat, please tell anyone you know who maybe interested. Much obliged.

http://www.gumtree.com/london/97/38838797.html

Guardian Gallery now feature my photos!

2009-03-09T17:03:00.004Z

Guardian gallery up now: http://tinyurl.com/dlujkb

My Maltese stew recipe features on the Guardian

2009-03-04T10:29:00.005Z

Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/cxvy4z

How amazing is that? I even took screenshots. The fantastic thing is, it's my mother's birthday today and the original recipe is hers.

Coffee list updated

2009-03-02T16:42:00.005Z

For those still interested, I'm still expanding (slowly), my independent coffee list.

Newest to the list is Farm Collective, a little place right next to my work, who will do Flat Whites on request (depending who is the barissta behind the counter)

Please comment on this post, if you have any more to add.

Things I have been cooking as of late...

2009-01-29T13:10:00.006Z

Winter is a lovely time to dig out the stews, soups and roasts. Especially when you've got a great glass of wine to go with it (my current favorite is Piccini Chianti Riserva, 2005. Can currently get it for £6.99 at Sainsbury's, normally £9.99, goes especailly well with tomato-based pasta dishes and game).

Last week, I made a fantastic venison stew, based on an old favorite recipe from Waitrose, the recipe calls for chicken stock, but I prefer to use lamb – it gives it a more intense flavour. I do love Waitrose though - it's one of the few local places I can get the more particular ingredients that I can't from the local Sainsbury's, without having to trek out to the crowded Borough Market.

I have also gotten back into my bread making, embarking on flatbreads for breakfast, that don't need any proving. It's quick and delicous on a cold winter morning. I mix in cumin seeds and a pinch of salt crystals for texture and taste, of course you can make the recipe how ever you wish - I even had raisins suggested to me as a sweet alternative. I'll find the recipe this week and copy it out for you all soon!

Also the usual comfort foods, like Minestra and Brodu – another Maltese recipe, a broth full of vegetables and chunks of chicken, recipe below.

Brodu Tat-Tigeg (Maltese Chicken Broth)

Serves 4

5 chicken drumsticks (preferbly free range)
1 onion (roughly chopped)
1 large carrot (peeled and sliced into half-centimetre rounds)
1 large potato (peeled and chopped into large chunks)
1 courgette (peeled and sliced into half-centimetre rounds)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
small bunch of flat leaf parsely, chopped finely
a handful of peas
100 g small shell pasta (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
In a large pan, place the drumsticks and onion and pour in cold water, enough to submerge up to about 5 cm above. Bring to the boil and simmer for about half an hour.

Then, add the potatoes, carrots, parsley and tomato paste, stir through and simmer for about 10 minutes, and the peas and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Season well with salt and pepper.

At this point you might want to take the chicken out, strip the meat off and add back into the pot if you don't want it on the bone. Alternatively, take it out all together and serve cool after the broth with cheese and bread.

Add pasta if you like and cook according to the packets instructions (usually about 10 minutes in the rapidly simmering broth). Serve.

Independent Cafés/Coffee Houses

2008-08-01T12:41:00.020+01:00

In light (more like celebration) of the news that Starbucks is closing the vast majority of it’s outlets in Australia, I’m going to compile a list of independent coffee shops in London that could be used as recommendations. Aussie/Kiwi run coffee shops will be highly prized - I have only found a few places where I can order a flat white and not be looked at like I was speaking a foreign language.

Here's the list so far, if it starts getting too long, I'll try and create a seperate page for it:

Taylor Street Baristas
The Punch Tavern
99 Fleet Street,
London, EC47 1DE

1A New Street
Liverpool Street
London, EC2M 4TP

Source, 27d The Quadrant
Richmond Upon Thames, TW9 1DN

Sacred Café
13 Ganton St (just off Carnaby Street)
Soho
London, W1F 9BL

Ray's Jazz Cafe At Foyles
113-119 Charing Cross Road,
London WC2H 0EB

Flat White
17 Berwick Street,
Soho, London W1F 0PT

Canela
1 Newburgh St,
London, W1F 7RB

The Providores
109 Marylebone High Street,
London, W1U 4RX

Monmouth Coffee Company
27 Monmouth Street,
Covent Garden,
London, WC2H 9EU

2 Park Street, Borough,
London, SE1 9AB

Melrose and Morgan
42 Gloucester Avenue
Primrose Hill,
London NW1 8JD

Milk Bar
3 Bateman St
Soho
London, W1D 4AG

Farm Collective
91 Cowcross St
Farringdon, EC1M 6BH

Caffé Vergnano 1882
62 Charing Cross Road
London, WC2H 0BB

Bless My Mum!

2008-07-29T10:20:00.005+01:00

When I spoke to my mother a week ago about my embarking on writing a Maltese cookbook, her immediate reaction was to tell a family friend she is staying with (my parent's are currently in Malta for a holiday). Last night when I got home from work I found a large heavy package waiting for me, in it was some very old Maltese cookbooks, a set I recognised as being one's that bride's in Malta received as part of their dowry box. I was astounded, but the hard work is to come, since all the recipes are in Maltese and needs to be translated. While I can read alot of it, some words I have trouble with and will need help with, I can understand spoken Maltese, but reading it is another matter.

So exciting!

Knife Skills

2008-06-23T15:55:00.002+01:00

I'm sure like quite a few of you, while you can cook and make things taste great, something that should be a principle skill, like how to be fast and efficient with knives isn't your strongest point?

Well, if it is yours, it sure isn't mine. So I'm looking into Knife Skill courses. So far I can only find the one by Leith's that you have to book for umpteen months before hand. Does any one who reads this know of any other cookery schools, etc where I could learn?

Marinated Monkfish Wrapped in Parma Ham

2008-06-17T12:03:00.004+01:00

Ugly customer, ain't he? Luckily monkfish tastes so damn good. As a treat to my newish fiancé, last night, I came up with a recipe for marinated monkfish wrapped in parma ham. I'm in the process of writing a draft out now, so I'll type it up and upload it later for you lovely folks who put up with my fickle posting. Afraid no pictures this time since I didn't have my camera with me. But Hopefully I'll make it again in a few weeks time to show the finished result.

Now my bathroom renovations have finally been completed I'll be back on here more often.

Kyoto Restaurant

2008-05-13T11:56:00.005+01:00

The best sushi restaurant (my favourite place in London) has now re-opened! For those who haven't been yet - you're missing out! For those have gone, do go back! They are now next door to their old premises in a newer, bigger venue. Too bad the next door competition is Eat Tokyo, who infamously disregarded all health and safety rules last year when they cut up a tuna next to the bins outside:

Article link here.

Blergh! Disgusting! So let's hear it for Kyoto, I've even made an appreciation group on facebook.com, click here and join! But most importantly, go visit Kyoto!

It's NEXT DOOR to 27, Romilly Street, Soho, London - have to double check the number, it's either 25 or 29.

True Confessions of a Sushi Addict

2008-04-29T15:04:00.006+01:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a bit of a sushi addiction (craving it right now in fact, despite having it for dinner last night). I can eat the stuff pretty much everyday. But how did I get into it? Well, it was a little-known short film made back in 1999 called True Confessions of a Sushi Addict. Needless to say, after a few hapless attempts at eating supermarket sushi (yech!), I was introduced to proper fresh sushi by a friend and never turned back. Unfortunately (I guess!), I have never wanted to attempt making it myself, since I believe it's an art, perfected over years of training by sushi chefs and shouldn't be tampered with. So here is the little film that started it all:

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

Sorry about the hiatus folks

2008-04-22T12:17:00.005+01:00

Sorry about the lack of post the last several weeks. Alot has been happening and the blog has taken a bit of a back burner. Among other things: I went to New York for a week and a half, got engaged, organised bathroom renovations (to be happening in June), trying to make wedding plans (in my head for now) and getting over a cold.

I have bought a new cookbook, which I shall feature some recipes from (tried a few out on the other half and his mum on Sunday and they turned out great!). And I have also learned to bake bread properly, so that may be a feature soon - you should see the pleading looks I get when I take a new loaf out of the oven.

Hope to see a few more comments again!

Much love,

Mer x

Raisin and Walnut Beer Bread

2008-03-05T12:23:00.004Z

Thanks again to Daemonfall on Livejournal for the suggestion of beer bread as my next recipe - it proved incredibly easy and one I will make again (It was scoffed in a hurry over the weekend!).

The basic recipe I followed was as follows:

Easy Beer Bread

(makes 1 medium loaf)

3 cups self-raising flour
3 tblsp sugar
1 300 ml can beer (any sort) I used Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale, I have no idea about beers, the label said it had a caramel character, so it was good enough for me.

Method:
Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl and create a well in the centre, immediately pour in and mix in the beer, pour into a greased medium loaf tin. The mixture should roughly half-fill the tin. Place in medium hot oven (about 190C) for about 50 minutes until well-risen. Turn out on a cake rack to cool.

It got a little hairy for a little bit as I couldn't find my bottle opener anywhere, I kept wondering "what the heck am I going to do with a bowlful of flour?", when luckily I found an old opener and the back of the utensil drawer. As an after thought I mixed through a handful of chopped walnuts and raisins to make a nice sweet bread, sprinkling cinnamon and a little extra sugar on top of the loaf before sticking it in the oven.

Went fantastically well with a cup of tea and bitter orange marmalade. Definitely something I'll make again soon.

Someone's baking...

2008-02-28T19:02:00.004Z

Well, I asked a few of you on my personal blog, "what should I make next?". Kudos to Daemonfall on livejournal.com for the suggestion of Beer Bread. I have found a few recipes and it seems fairly easy, so I'm going to give it a go on Saturday.

Now, any suggestions for the types of beer I should use, since I don't really touch the stuff?

A question of cocktails

2008-02-28T13:05:00.010Z

Long before my partner's father got me into wine (story of how that happened to follow*), the only alcoholic drinks I enjoyed were sickly sweet liqueurs such as Bailey's, or cocktails (also somewhat sickly sweet). Not exactly the healthiest way to enjoy night out - especially for the calorie content! Now it's been a while since I've had a cocktail, but one I must try one day is a concoction called the Mojito of the Future, a drink invented by "molecular mixologist", Eben Freeman. Look how pretty it is:

Image courtesy of The Guardian.

Yes, those are frozen balls of mint and lime, eerily suspended in a viscous mixture of Barcadi rum, sugar and carbonated water...gelatin and Xanthan gum. Here's the man in action creating the drink:

Now, where can I get me some Xanthan gum?

Maltese Venison Stew

2008-02-25T21:01:00.012Z

Traditionally this tomato and wine based stew is made with rabbit, unfortunately I haven't the option of obtaining fresh rabbit from a friend's farm like I did in Australia and the only mainstream supermarket that seems to sell it is Waitrose. So I have made do with venison instead, which is much more readily available and still has a nice gamey flavour. Alternatively you can use lamb shanks or stewing beef, chicken is also an option but requires a shorter cooking time.

Please take note this dish has a 3 hour cooking time, not including preparation.

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

400g diced Vension
2 large echalion shallots (or 1 small onion), roughly chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
175 mls red wine (you're allowed to drink the rest! A nice chianti preferably)
2 tbls tomato concentrate
400 grams chopped tomatoes
2 large carrots, peeled, chopped into large slices
2 medium King Edward potatoes, chopped in large even pieces
1 cup fresh peas
1 lamb stock cube
half teaspoon brown sugar
half a teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, over a medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the onions, frying gently until soft, add the garlic and turn the heat up slightly, cook until browned.

2. Keep on a medium-high heat, add the diced venison and turn over once or twice until browned. Pour in the red wine and stir, when the wine has begun to boil, add the tomato concentrate and chopped tomatoes, once it has begun to boil again turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.

3. Add the lamb stock cube, pepper, nutmeg and sugar and stir through, cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for 1.5 hours (in the meantime, have a nice long bath and drink some of the wine), so the sauce is simmering very gently without bubbling on the surface too much. Stir occasionally - better yet, get someone else to do it so you can stay in the bath longer.

4. After the 1.5 hours is up, add the vegetables, cover again and continue to simmer on a low heat for a further hour. Take another bath? I just do my nails.

5. After the one hour is up, uncover and simmer on a slightly higher heat for half an hour to make sure the sauce has reduced properly, stirring every now and then, if it appears to be reducing a little too quickly, pour in a little water from time to time.

6. In the last few minutes of cooking time, stir through the peas gently to not break up the venison too much. The stew is done once the peas are cooked.

7. Serve with hot crusty bread or over freshly prepared ribbon pasta.

To the people who left comments

2008-02-25T07:08:00.003Z

Thank you so much for commenting! I'm afraid I didn't realise I had notification turned off, so I hadn't realised anyone even commented!

Thanks for reading, should have a new post on Maltese Venison Stew up later tonight.

Maltese Minestra

2008-02-24T12:07:00.007Z

This is a recipe that can easily be adapted for vegetarians by leaving out the bacon and adding extra chick peas (or any of your favourite legumes). Because some saltiness is needed for flavour, instead of the lamb stock cube, use a good quality vegetable stock cube.

Minestra, is simply Maltese peasant food, cooked using any left over vegetables and roast meat - a way for nothing to go to waste. It is very healthy and filling. Perfect for the winter nights.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

300gms thick smoked bacon or pancetta, with fat trimmed off and cut into
generous sized chunks (Or any left over sausage, met, etc)

1 Small pumpkin or squash, peeled and de-seeded
3 Medium sweet potatoes (chopped into 1 inch thick pieces)
1/2 a small cauliflower, separate the florets
3 shallots - finely chopped
1 garlic clove - finely chopped
2 large carrots (chopped into 1 inch thick pieces)
1 cup peas
Half a tin of chickpeas (usually they have been already prepared and ready
to cook with)
Small handful of lentils (optional)

1 lamb stock cube, melted down with a little boiling water (about 50 mls)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon mild curry
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Easy way to peel a pumpkin:

No two ways about it, pumpkin is a bitch to peel, the skin is tough and the
flesh about as hard to chop up. So this is how I deal with it:

In a large saucepan, large enough to accommodate your pumpkin, cover with boiling water and simmer on high for about 20 mins to par-boil it. Drain and allow the pumpkin to cool. The flesh should now be soft and coming away from the pumpkin shell. Chop in half and scoop out the seeds. Scoop out the flesh and set aside for the Minestra. It doesn't have to cut into pretty chucks, as it will dissolve to a thick soup during cooking.

Method:

In a large saucepan, fry the shallots and garlic, on a medium heat, when soft, throw in the bacon and cook until the bacon is brown. At this point, pour in the stock, curry, pepper and parsley and stir. Add the carrots, potatoes and cauliflower. Pour in boiling water to cover. After about 10 mins, add the pumpkin (as this will have already been par-boiled if the above method has been used - if not, put in the same time as the carrot) and if desired, the lentils. Cover the saucepan for 25 mins to simmer. In the last 5 mins, add the chickpeas and peas and stir to make sure the pumpkin (and lentils) is completely dissolved through.

Serve with croûtons or crusty bread with grated Parmesan cheese over the top.

Massaman Lamb Curry

2008-02-23T16:58:00.016Z

Firstly, an apology - I promised to have this post up a few days ago, but just didn't find the time. So, here it is, in a condensed form of sorts: Massaman Lamb Curry. Now I'm not gong to go into too much detail about the recipe, since you can easily find it on Waitrose's website.

Now then, the obligatory ingredients shot:

Seeing as I didn't want to OD completely on the curry and needing some veg, I also decided to stir-fry some peppers and asparagus, quite simply with a little sesame oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Unfortunately, I had to work later than expected that night and had to make do with a Tesco Local, so I could get the ready prepared diced lamb the recipe called for - a couple of leg steaks, a sharp knife and some inconvenience later, here is the resulting fat-trimmed, cubed lamb:

Mmmmm. Meaty goodness. Now as called for I fried up the chopped onion and mixed in the paste - the paste smelled amazing by the way, like concentrated spices. Then I threw in the lamb and stired it all together until everything was coated evenly in the paste.

At this point John yelled out "that's smells great! I'm hungry, when is it ready?". I noted disappointment when I said at least an hour and a half to go yet. Hey, these things take time! After I cooked the lamb this way for about 6 minutes I poured in the stock and (low fat!) coconut milk, personally I think the recipe calls for a little too much since the aroma was overwhemlingly coconut rather than curry.

Now since this has an hour of simmering to go I prepared the peppers and asparagus for stir frying, I prefer slicing my peppers finely and stir-frying as little as possible so they're still crunchy:

I don't know about any one else, but I adore riots of colour in cooking. Peppers (ahem, capsicums) are a fantastic way to achieve this since they come in such a wide variety of colours. In this case I used the standard red and orange, but there are also green, yellow and even purple peppers available. I must admit for a long time I disliked raw pepper a great deal, but with the impending weight loss I had to go through about a year and a half ago I developed a liking for them. But back on topic, after about an hour of the Massaman slowly bubbling away I threw in the chopped potatoes and a little extra chili, since I prefer my food a bit more spicy. While the potato was softening up nicely I prepared some jasmine rice and stir-fried the prepared vegetables:

Once everything was ready and the peanuts where stirred through the curry, I served each part of the dish in separate bowls, here is the final plating before the other half scrapped away the last of the curry:

Overall, I think my first at-home attempt of massaman curry went quite nicely. Though next time I'll use less coconut milk, a little more paste and throw in a few more chilies.

Sunday Roast Chicken

2008-02-17T19:49:00.009Z

Due to some last minute change of plans I didn't end up making massaman curry this weekend, but, I did make a lovely Sunday roast - my second ever attempt to roast a whole chicken, since I had invited friends over (long story short, they, unfortunately couldn't make it, but John's mum said she'd come over, which was great since we tend to go to her place all the time). Unabashed plug: Sue is a flavour consultant, if you need any flavours developed, invented or tested, email me for details - she makes a cracking crème brûlée flavour, I keep sniffing the vial every time I go over there.

On to the show then, since I'm great at forgetting to take photos, below is a photo of the almost prepared chicken, basically, chopped up a few cloves of garlic and sprinkled them on the pan base with a little olive oil, stuffed more cloves up the chicken's butt, layered the top with bacon strips and generously sprinkled it with steak seasoning, another little way to cheat in flavouring food, since it seems to have the right amount of saltiness and spiciness for a variety of dishes.

This is when I remembered I forgot to add the shallots to this base = me hurriedly chopping up the shallots with tears streaming down my face. Yes, I've tried all the "tricks" to stop myself crying when I chop up anything to do with onions. They don't work with me. I'm convinced the whole keeping your mouth open and breathing heavily through it instead of you nose is just another way invented for me to look silly, or running the onions/shallots under hot water is a sure thing to getting scalded. Luckily on occasion I have my beautiful assistant to help me - "Jooohhhnnnn, can you chop this up for me while I hide in the bathroom from the toxic fumes?!!" I got about this far, before tearing up. Pathetic huh?

OK, after that episode was over, I scattered the chopped shallots around the chicken and whacked it into a preheated (190°C fan) oven, well, not whacked, more like issuing a few choice four-letter words from me trying to juggle a huge pan while discovering it doesn't fit on the shelf, trying to rearrange the shelves in the oven without dropping one and a half kilos of raw poultry. That should be a point, rearrange your oven shelves before you heat the oven up.

Next up was the stuffing, since time was going to be precious, good ol' Paxo came to the rescue - it's no where good as home made, but great to soak up gravy on a plate. Aw, look, little balls of stuffing, how cute! (no more innuendo jokes please! I heard enough from a 27 year old bloke going on 13!)

Since the chicken takes nearly an hour and a half to roast for it's size (general rule of thumb is 20 minutes per 500 grams, plus an extra 20 minutes, basting every now and then), I used this time to prepare the usual assortment of vegetables: boiling thick chunks of potato in salted water to be roasted in hazelnut oil - the flavour combination is excellent. Chopping up the carrots and some more garlic to be roasted along side the potatoes and the stuffing balls and boiling up petite pois towards the end of cooking time. Speaking of which, in the last half an hour, take the bacon off the chicken in order for the skin to roast to a golden hue, or it will look very anemic. The bacon can be reheated in the oven in the last 5 minutes for further crisping.

Unfortunately I haven't got a picture of a final plating since everyone was so eager to start eating I forgot to take one, but here is what the leftovers looks like:

And this was the aftermath of Captain Clucker:

Future Attempt

2008-02-14T16:43:00.009Z

For my next attempt at cooking something I have never tried doing myself before I'm going to rely on a good ol' Waitrose recipe.

Those with nut allergies, keep out of my kitchen! I'm going to try and make Massaman Lamb Curry this weekend. Though I'm afraid I'm going to cheat and buy a curry paste ready made instead of doing it from scratch - I know, I know, I've said it before I hate ready made sauces, but occasionally having at least just the basic paste helps.

Marco Pierre White himself swears by Knorr stock cubes (so do I and so does my mother - a woman who for the first 20-odd years of her life, always made stock from scratch). You should be allowed to cheat in your kitchen - but not too much! For example, jarred Bolognese sauce? Disgusting!

Speaking of which, I must remember to post my Bolognese recipe (lovingly adapted from my mother's recipe, who took it from her mother). The secret ingredient is curry powder (with my little addition of nutmeg, thanks to an idea one of the guys at work gave me - Chris, if you read this, cheers!).

Moroccan Lamb with chargrilled peppers

2008-02-14T07:22:00.016Z

Forgive the horrible picture of dinner from last night, I'm terrible at plating and the light in my apartment is nasty.

I've made variations of this dish numerous times, usually made up as a lamb roast - but as I didn't have the time last night I decided to griddle some lamb steaks instead (medium rare of course!) and make the sauce separately.

Now the sauce isn't the prettiest, but the flavours are based on those used in Moroccan tagines, the main ingredients are raisins, almonds, rose harissa, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, tomatoes, shallots, garlic, a lamb stock cube and honey. Just the sauce alone is great with some freshly toasted pitta bread! Eventually I'll type out my recipe for my Moroccan lamb roast, but for now, here's a fragmented version of what I made last night:

For the sauce: Brown a few chopped up shallots and a couple cloves of garlic, throw in a handful of raisins and almonds, toasting them a little. Then add several chopped cherry tomatoes, a tablespoon of the harissa (use as little or as much as you like) and about half a teaspoon of each spice. When the juices of the tomato have simmered for a little while, add the lamb stock cube and a little water to help it dissolve and a generous teaspoon of honey. Leave to simmer on a low for about 30 minutes.

For the lamb: Quite simple really, take a griddle pan, brush with a little olive oil and heat it on a high temperature. For medium rare, grill the lamb on one side for 7 minutes, turn over and grill the other side for a further 7 minutes.

For the chargrilled pepper: Basically the same technique as the lamb, but keep it on the cooler edges of the griddle pan, so it won't cook as quickly.

Serve by pouring a generous helping of the sauce over the lamb. This goes very well with toasted pitta bread and couscous, or for something different (as I did this time) sweet potato mash.

If you want a more comprehensive recipe, please don't hesitate to email me at: didyouputgarlic@gmail.com

First post here!

2008-02-13T20:12:00.002Z

Testing, testing, one, two...three.

Righto, welcome to the very first post of my food blog Did you put garlic?. Those who know me know I love cooking - and I mean the whole process of it: Selecting and buying the ingredients (just try and drag me away from Borough Market on a Saturday), preparing, cooking, eating it and just as importantly, having others enjoy it.

So, why the title Did you put garlic? Well, it is a bit of an homage to my mother. Since I moved to London from Melbourne I developed a bit of a habit calling her while I was cooking, since it meant I had enough time to chat to her and she would be at home getting ready to start the day. Naturally the topic always turned to food since she'll ask what I was doing and, without fail, every time I was cooking a savoury dish (especially one she used to make), she would promptly ask (now imagine this in a heavy Maltese accented smokers voice) "Did you put garlic?".

It became a catchphrase, and one my partner constantly imitates.

Oh, and don't worry - I never forget the garlic.