Vietnamese salad recipe

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Louise

The good news, at least as far as I’m concerned, is that the bug is starting to lose its grip. The bad news is so is the good weather. Blue sky has given way to grey clouds, a drop of ten degrees and a likely drop of another ten by Friday. All very seasonal but there was something extraordinary about the long-awaited heatwave; how odd to sear in such summer temperatures all day and then experience the autumn early darkness in the evenings.

In terms of the bug I’m not sure if it has just about run its course or whether my overdosing on ginger, garlic, chilli and lemon juice (and that’s only for breakfast…no, just kidding) has actually had an effect. For the last few days I have been shoving grated ginger and lemon juice into every morning smoothie and eating this Vietnamese salad, adapted from Mr Bill Granger’s new book, every evening, partly to boost my immune system but partly because, although it’s been salad weather, I have wanted a different sort of taste, free of oil or cheese or summer veg. And, since I love both Vietnamese food, that lovely mix of mint, sugar, chilli and peanut crunch, as well as dishes that take very little energy or time this is a marvellous recipe. Continue reading →

Posted in Bill's Everyday Asian, Random bits that don't belong in a category..., Salad recipes, Summer recipes, The Cook Shelf, Wheat-free | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

So good I made it twice: Sweet Paul’s lemon feta dip

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Louise

I’ve not been very hungry for the last week, what with heat, jet-lag and some god-awful infection that just won’t let go. But every so often, when the temperature drops and the coughing stops, I think of what I might eat. This dip, for example, might seem to be an odd choice for both the time of year and for an ‘evening’ meal but it’s perfect for making something mundane and Monday-ish, like grilled chicken, into something fancy and Friday-ish, like grilled chicken with roasted tomatoes, lemon and feta. It tastes amazing and takes seconds and, in the midst of this heatwave, it is strangely seasonal. And, no, I didn’t forget the salt and pepper: I find feta is salty enough on its own and I didn’t think it needed pepper. Continue reading →

Posted in Fast food fixes, Salsa and sauce recipes, Vegetarian recipes, Wheat-free | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Holiday, heatwave and health…

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Louise

I’m back, or at least half back. I seem to have left my health on the other side of the Atlantic and have spent the four days since my return coughing, spluttering and eating nothing but paracetamol (that’s acetaminophen to my US readers). And, rather depressingly, though I may have lost my appetite I haven’t lost any weight as a result. Oh and I am missing the most brilliant week of late summer weather this country has seen in 25 years. Lucky me. Hopefully, with several more doses of Covonia, vitamin C and painkillers I will be back to normal by Monday but until then, alas, I have nary a recipe to share with you. However, since I have been to the land which, long before the UK was out of culinary short trousers and gym slips, invented the now-ubiquitous coffee bar with sofa, cupcakes and smoothies, here are some of the things I tried, loved and brought home. Continue reading →

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100th post, 50000 words and a break

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Louise

WTF now has 100 posts, about 90 of which are recipes, lots more readers than I ever hoped for in four months and about 50000 words. I still can’t believe that it is possible to write so much in such a short time and yet I am delighted to have done so. What’s more I have done so whilst expanding my knowledge of how to eat well, and fast, every day of the week. When I come home these days, even if I’m not testing a recipe for the site, I still cook something from scratch even if it’s just a blue cheese and caramelised onion omelette. It has been, and is, a wonderful lesson in finding pleasure in a small but required daily task. Continue reading →

Posted in Random bits that don't belong in a category... | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Cook Shelf: Bill Granger’s Everyday Asian

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Louise

You may, erm, already know that I’m a fan of Bill Granger. But you may not know, unless like me you are a bit of an addict, that he has a new book out. I have been desperate to get my hands on it since I read an article about it in the Telegraph a couple of weeks ago and, today, my copy arrived so I savoured it in the sunshine with a cup of coffee. To me a book about Asian food written by BG is a match made in culinary heaven. Why? Because most cookery books about Asian food (more on that description in a minute) have such endless lists of ingredients, equipment and techniques that my heart sinks before you can say ‘glossary’. But if there was ever someone to cut out the unnecessary faffing without losing the flavours it’s him. Continue reading →

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Modern Pantry part two: thit heo kho or Vietnamese pork

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Louise

There I was, only yesterday, saying how I thought that The Modern Pantry Cookbook was, despite first impressions, full of wonderful ideas and here I am today cooking one of them. I grant you that I chose this recipe because it had only 12 ingredients, one of which is water. I also admit that I neither cooked the suggested three accompaniments, nor bought them to go with it. However, despite my lack of commitment to the full effect this simple version is just brilliant. Continue reading →

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The Modern Pantry Cookbook

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Louise

I wasn’t going to review this book. My first impression was of a truly beautiful and inspiring newcomer that I needed to get my hands on. However, my second, once hands were on, was that this was a book that wasn’t meant for anyone but professionals. The recipes are complicated, some of them require that you make two other recipes in the book, in order to complete a dish, the ingredients are unknown (I’m not averse to a chilli flake or two, I have heard of verjus, but how about salted yuzu juice? Kalamansi lime? Amchur powder? You any wiser than me? No, thought not) and the number of ingredients is often very long (e.g. 35 for a roast leg of lamb and its accompaniments).

But then I kept thinking about the chef behind the text. Anna Hansen has worked with Peter Gordon and Fergus Henderson, both of whom are trailblazers and, before The Modern Pantry, she set up The Providores which puts most places that serve ‘small plates’ to shame. I couldn’t believe that such a garlanded chef could write the sort of book that gathers dust not splashes. So I did something I rarely do with a cookery book and I read it from beginning to (almost) end. And my third impression was that though I may not know how to cook, or where to source, half of the ingredients, this is a book that is really worth owning and using. Continue reading →

Posted in The Cook Shelf | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Fried eggs with chilli, garlic yogurt and sage

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Louise

Monday nights often call for a fast solution and there is nothing faster than an egg or two. On toast, in an omelette, scrambled…every variation is wonderfully quick but all a bit, well, samey. Every time I cook a plain fried egg I often think I must remember to make one of those many Turkish/spicy variations I keep cutting out of the newspaper and never using.

Well, today I managed to combine the thought and the action and made this. I’ve adapted it from one of Skye Gyngell‘s, she of Petersham nurseries fame, probably the only garden centre cafe on the planet with a Michelin star. I’ve never eaten there; I’ve only ever walked near it on the Capital Ring footpath but the next time I’m in the area, sans walking boots, I plan to go in. I did have a vague notion that by cooking this I was somehow going to start reducing my carb intake, after a friend told me how successful the Dukan Diet is, but then it would be a shame not to mop up the lovely garlicky yogurt sauce and all that, erm, butter, with a piece of good bread…

For two small portions (or one, yes that will be me, greedy portion) you will need:
Cupboard (or things you may already have):
eggs, 2
garlic clove
unsalted butter, 35g
olive oil, 25ml
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shopping list
Greek yogurt, 120ml
sage leaves, 4
red chilli, fresh or dried, 1
bread, something with sesame seeds would be nice, or maybe a plain pitta or two

How to
1. Chop the chilli (and, if using a fresh one, de-stalk it too) and leave to one side. Rinse the sage leaves if necessary and leave those to one side too. Then peel and chop the garlic and mix it with the yogurt, a pinch of sea salt and the olive oil.
2. Put the butter and sage leaves in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook until the butter starts to separate (you’ll see a whitish sediment at the bottom) and then brown. Once brown, tip it into a small bowl so that you can re-use the frying pan.
3. Put the frying pan back over the heat, tip in a teaspoon or so of the browned butter (keeping back the sage leaves), add the chilli and then break in the eggs. Fry until the eggs are done to your liking.
4. Just before serving the eggs, divide the garlic yogurt between two plates then place the eggs on top, season and pour over the sage butter and leaves.

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Butternut squash, puy lentil, feta and walnut salad

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Louise

Half a roasted butternut squash in the fridge needs eating, so I dress it up with three of my other favourite flavours: feta, toasted walnuts and puy lentils. Oh and some caramelised red onion too. This is very much a ‘handful’ meal since that’s how I measured it and I wouldn’t stress too much if you haven’t got everything or if you want to substitute goat’s or blue cheese for feta, white onions for red or pine nuts for walnuts. As long as you have something soft (like the squash), something crunchy (like the nuts) and something sweet (like the onion) it will work. Technically it’s not really a salad, since I discovered today that the definition of salad is a dish of raw vegetables or fruit, but I don’t think that matters either. I didn’t add a dressing, since the oil from the squash and onions was enough. Continue reading →

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Riverford’s butternut squash and sage risotto

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Louise

I recently had dinner with a friend who declared that she could never cook risotto properly. And, as we discussed the different methods at the table two more of us disagreed on the timings involved, on the reason for the stirring and on the amount of stock. It struck me that, although it is technically a very simple dish, it is also easy to get wrong especially since there are so many variations.

Whilst making this Riverford one, I did a little non-scientific investigation into the differences. For example, in terms of method do you add the stock all in one go (as for a baked risotto), always do it the ‘proper’ way adding the stock a little at a time, stirring after every addition, or, as I discovered recently, do you add half the stock up front, leave it to cook for about ten minutes and then do the stirring for the second half of the stock? Continue reading →

Posted in Delia Smith, Giorgio Locatelli, Nigel Slater, rice recipes, Riverford Farm Cook Book, Vegetarian recipes | Tagged , | Leave a comment