How do you fancy winning a trip to Vietnam?

London’s first Vietnamese street food restaurant Pho has launched a new website and to celebrate, the owners Stephen and Juliette Wall are giving away a holiday in Vietnam to two lucky customers.

Pho restaurants specialise in the national dish of Vietnam: pho – pronounced “fuh”. Stephen and Juliette got the inspiration to start Pho in London five years ago after travelling to Vietnam and being inspired by the culture and the cuisine. To thank all of their loyal customers, or pho-natics as they like to call them, they are giving away two flights and accommodation for a holiday in Ho Chi Minh, a city which inspired the couple to quit their jobs and open a Vietnamese restaurant.

For those not in the know, pho s Vietnam’s national dish. It’s their national obsession – often referred to as the “soul of the nation”. It’s quite simply a delicious and nutritious noodle soup dish eaten every day by the Vietnamese for breakfast, lunch or dinner – or sometimes for all. It’s the ultimate street food.

Pho began life in Hanoi – and while Vietnamese by birth was influenced by Chinese neighbours and the French colonists (pho sounds like feu, the French word for fire, as in pot-au-feu). As it travelled south pho developed subtle traits distinctive to the region – very much akin to Vietnamese cuisine as a whole. In the north pho is a more basic beef broth (pho bac) and there is little use of additional seasonings whereas in the south there’s a more pronounced use of herbs, greens and chillies.

Pho began to go global in the latter part of the 20th century, noticeably in France due to their colonial links and in North America where a large number of specialist “pho shops” were founded around the large Vietnamese expat communities.

Pho-natics can visit the new website and visit the competition page – with a click of the mouse they will be entered to win a holiday in Vietnam.

Wikio Gastronomy Ratings (March 2010)

1. Word of Mouth
2. Eat Like A Girl
3. Food Stories
4. Dos Hermanos
5. Hollow Legs
6. Cheese and Biscuits
7. Thring For Your Supper
8. London Eater
9. Gastronomy Domaine
10. A Rather Unusual Chinaman
11. The Catty Life
12. Essex Eating
13. Tinned Tomatoes
14. Intoxicating Prose
15. Culinary Travels of a Kitchen Goddess
16. London Chow
17. The London Foodie
18. The Foodie List
19. Spittoonextra
20. Cherrapeno

Obviously I’d love to see my site in the top 10, okay okay who am I kidding, I’d obviously like to be at the number one slot; who wouldnt’? That doesn’t stop me grinning from ear to ear like the metaphorical Cheshire cat though to see I’m ranked at number 15 – a massive 22 place leap from last month; obviously I’ve been doing something right with the blog recently. I’ve also noted that the number of subscribers I have is rising rapidly too. Hooray from this very happy blogger.

So now it’s time to say the big thank you to all who frequent this blog and chatter away to me with their comments, I really do apprecite you visiting and I just love having you comment away. Cheers to you and here’s to many more good blogging times. Onwards and upwards so they say.

I must say it’s delightful to see so many blogs I’m an avid reader of doing so well but it is also greatly entertaining to go taking a peek at some of the others I’m not aware of – sometimes I like what I find and other times I don’t but we can’t all like the same and wouldn’t it be a boring old world if we did.

There are some fabulous blogs on this list, so if you’re not already aware of them, I’d heartily recommend you take a wander and have a read. Take my advice and make sure your cuppa is freshly brewed and you have the free time to while away a few hours, it is surprising how quick the time flies when you’re having fun  in cyberspace.

A few weeks back I was contacted by a PR company asking me to review an Interflora Mothers Day gift.

I was sent the Biscuiteers Shoe Box – a lovely gift set of tea cup and glitzy shoe shaped chocolate biscuits all nestled in a decorative tin. For the shoe lover they really are an interesting gift, but, I hasten to add that I feel they are an accompaniment to  another gift item such as some flowers, though, happen I just like to spoil my mum.

The biscuits are very deep in chocolate flavour, it is obvious good quality cocoa has been used and they are decorated incredibly well. Not too hard and crunchy or too soft and cloying, these shoes are a delight to eat with the obligatory cuppa in the lovely shoe cup.

So with Mother’s Day just around the corner, perhaps we’d all best get shopping

All photography from the Interflora website.

]]> http://culinarytravels.co.uk/2010/03/05/interflora-biscuiteersshoebox/feed/ 6 http://culinarytravels.co.uk/2010/02/27/tiramisu/ http://culinarytravels.co.uk/2010/02/27/tiramisu/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:01:43 +0000 George@CulinaryTravels http://culinarytravels.co.uk/?p=1759

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts, and one that I have to admit regularly disappoints me when eating out. All too often the tiramisu comes soggy, with the biscuits practically disintegrating in front of your eyes, when in fact the savoiardi should literally be ‘kissed’ with the top notch espresso.

Everybody knows by now that Tiramisu means “pick-me-up” in Italian, for the high energy content (eggs and sugar) and the caffeine of the strong espresso coffee, but what do we know about the history of Tiramisu?

Tiramisu is said to have its origins in Treviso (Italy), and there are quite a few stories about how it came to be created.

One story traces the tiramisu as far back as the Renaissance claiming that it was first made in honour of the visit of Grand Duke Cosimo di Medici to Tuscany. Yet another one points to the tiramisu being an adaptation of the “Zuppa Inglese” referring to the sponge cake and cream layered English Trifle.
However, experts in this area generally agree that the tiramisu as we know it today, was born in the ‘70s.
Some believe that the Tiramisu was created in the the Le Beccherie (a restaurant in Treviso). Others suggest that Tiramisu was first made in 1971 by an Italian baker named Carminantonio Iannaccone in a small bakery in Treviso, Italy.

The process of making a tiramisu is quite time consuming but it no component part is particularly difficult to do.

I’ve made a few cheeses (most frequently ricotta) before and creme fraiche, but, mascarpone was new new ground. The process though was incredibly simple and the result was so much better than any mascarpone I have ever bought in the shops – so much lighter and creamier. Another bonus was that it actually worked out cheaper than shop-bought too.

The trickiest bit? Definitely had to be the zabaglione, purely because of the fact that it takes so much whisking. Happen I should have gone for the modern route of using the electric whisk but I decided to give my arms a workout and use a balloon whisk. Somewhere deep in my subconscious mind I suppose I was weighing up the fact that calories burned in the tiramisu preparation might just mean I could eat a slightly bigger piece of the finished dish, guilt free

Would I make another tiramisu using this recipe? Oh yes, definitely – this is most certainly Heaven on a Dessert Plate.

Although before I do I am just going to have to try Tiramisu di Sergia from Tessa Kiros’ Venezia Food & Dreams, which uses sweet vermouth and amaretti biscuits.

Tiramisu

PREPARATION TIME:

Tiramisu is made up of several components which can be made separately and ahead of time and put together the day before serving.
Making tiramisu from scratch requires about 2 to 3 days (including refrigeration) from when you start making the mascarpone to the time the tiramisu is served. So this challenge requires some prior planning.

Please read the instructions as you need to begin making the mascarpone at least a day in advance.
The zabaglione & pastry cream also need 4 hours to an overnight for chilling, as does the main dessert. The flavours mature after an overnight rest, and the dessert can be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days.
Once assembled, the tiramisu can be frozen till you need to serve it, in case you are not serving it immediately.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

• A double boiler (a stainless steel bowl that fits inside a large saucepan/ pot without touching the bottom will do)
• Two or three large mixing bowls
• Whisk
• A medium sized heavy bottomed pan
• Fine meshed strainer (to remove lumps from pastry cream, if any)
• Electric mixer, hand held
• Serving dish (or dishes) of choice (8″ by 8″ should be fine)
• Spatula for folding and spoons as required
• Plastic wrap/ clingfilm
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or nonstick liners
• Pastry bag (can be disposable)
• Plain 3/4″ pastry bag tip or cut the end of pastry bag to this size (If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off)
• Oven
• Cooling rack
• Thin-bladed spatula for removing ladyfinger biscuits from the baking sheets
• Instant-read thermometer (optional)
• Strainer
• Cheesecloth or cotton napkin for draining mascarpone
• Fine-mesh strainer for shaking cocoa powder on tiramisu

TIRAMISU

(Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8″ by 8″ should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

MASCARPONE CHEESE

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method:

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar,

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

N.B Recipe copied directly from the Daring Bakers challenge directions.

Since they invented Tiramisu, I’m in no position to tell the Italians what to do. But if they’re looking for a motto, as far as I’m concerned, they might want to consider: Mascarpone, Espresso, and Chocolate. (David Lebovitz)

After Christmas I made a promise to myself that I would resist buying more cookery book until I had sorted and organised the rather mammoth collection I already own. Well, a couple of weeks back I broke that promise. How could I resist Jose Pizarro’s stunning book, Seasonal Spanish Food?

Pizarro’s debut explores the regions of Spain and is embellished with lovely anecdotes about the rural upbringing of the author — the chef behind the esteemed London tapas restaurant, Brindisa.

Pizarro’s infectious enthusiasm for Spanish cooking permeates every page. His message couldn’t be simpler — use fresh, good-quality, seasonal ingredients and they will speak for themselves.

You might not be familiar with Pizarro but the fact that the Spanish Ambassador offered him the Embassy in which to hold his launch party tells you all you need to know about the regard in which he is held by his countrymen.

One of the recipes that stood out immediately was Chickpeas with Chorizo. Pizarro describes this as a cross between a soup and a stew but I decided to keep it soupier, adding extra stock.

The chorizo I used came from Unearthed – a lovely and much appreciated free sample! Unearthed cooking chorizo is a spicy Spanish pork sausage with paprika and garlic, sourced very near Barcelona.

The original chorizo probably was invented in Extremadura, which is hardly surprising given that the monks in that region were one of the first to cultivate the peppers brought back from Mexico.

Chorizo is a pork sausage that has been spiced and marinated, then cured for a varying amount of time. The key ingredient is the pimenton, of which there are varying degrees of spice/heat and the type used varies from region to region.

Chorizo, as with all meats, depending on whether you buy it from a specialist shop, or a supermarket, will vary enormously in taste, texture and quality, but can be relied on to send waves of vibrant, husky warmth through a cheap bean or dried pea stew. What I’m trying to say here, is buy the best chorizo you can afford, the rest of the ingredients are cheap and cheerful so splash out on the most vital of ingredients.

While I’m on my soap box about buying good quality ingredients, I might as well mention that I would recommend fresh home-made chicken stock here, or at a pinch a tub of fresh stock from the shops. Please no stock cubes here.

As per my usual preference I used dried chickpeas which I soaked overnight. Jose also recommends doing this, as the flavour of tinned chickpeas is never as good as dried and they are such a prominent feature of this dish it would be such a shame to make do with inferior quality/flavoured goods.

Chickpeas have two lovely qualities that make them suit rustic, slow cooking — their near-indestructibility and an agreeably knobbly feeling in the mouth. They also have a lovely nutty flavour which works so well against the spicy, paprika notes of the chorizo and of course the rust coloured stock in which it all sits amicably.

A quick and hearty soup, which should be on the table in about an hour, for most of which time it can sit unattended, with just the occasional stir to see how it is getting on. It is also delicious reheated, so perfect for lunch the next day too. Some crusty bread wouldn’t go amiss but it is by no means essential.

Chickpeas with Chorizo

• 300g dried chickpeas
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 300g fresh, spicy, chorizo, chopped
• 250g dry cured bacon, cubed
• 900ml chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• black pepper

1. Soak the chickpeas in lots of cold water overnight (a minimum of 6 hours is required, but longer is better)
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan and lightly fry the chopped garlic, onion and carrots. When the vegetables are golden add the chorizo and bacon, sauté until lightly browned and the chorizo is purging itself of the rusty, red tinged oils.
3. Add the stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, add the chickpeas and cook for about an hour on a simmer. While the chickpeas are cooking skim off any foam or excess fat that comes to the surface.
4. Once the chickpeas are soft but not mushy, season with black pepper to taste (personally I wouldn’t add salt to this dish).
5. Top up with boiling water or stock if you require a soupier consistency.
6. Serve, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and scattered with fresh parsley if wished.

Following on from my post about Fairtrade Fortnight – The Big Swap I received an email discussing fairer baking. Now I think you’re all aware of how much I love to bake and of my principles regarding ethical eating, so of course it immediately grabbed my interest.

I am rather disappointed to say I didn’t realise that two years ago, Tate & Lyle, announced plans to move its retail cane sugars range to Fairtrade with no resulting price increase to consumers. This of course was a wonderful move and in the first year alone, the switch created a return of over £2 million in Fairtrade premiums for cane farmers. If only more companies would do the same.

To encourage fairer baking, Tate & Lyle along with cupcake queen and author Lily Vanilli, have developed a trio of delicious and unusual recipes using Fairtrade ingredients, and of course, I am delighted to share them with you.

I haven’t had the spare time to get baking yet, but I will be trying out the recipes and will of course feedback about them here.

I hope that you will also feel able to support Fairtrade Fortnight through your blogs and encourage “Fair” baking during the run up to Fairtrade Fortnight. Maybe you would also try one of Lily’s recipes with a view to sharing the results with your readers?

After all, what could leave a better taste in one’s mouth than a delicious cake made from fairly traded ingredients?!

Lily Vanilli’s Fairtrade Bacon and Banana Cakes

• 4 rashers unsmoked organic back bacon
• 150g ripe Fairtrade bananas (approx 2 small)
• 60g Fairtrade honey
• 100g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 40g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade caster sugar
• 140g organic plain flour (sifted)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 large, free-range organic eggs (at room temperature)
• Handful Fairtrade Brazil nuts (toasted & chopped)
• 1/2 tsp grated Fairtrade nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Fairtrade ground cinnamon

1. Lay rashers of bacon on a foil lined sheet and place in a cold oven with the temperature set to 200c for approx 20 mins or until crispy. Allow to cool
2. Turn heat down to 180c
3. Mash bananas with honey in a small bowl and set aside
4. Sift together all the dry ingredients into a large bowl – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt
5. Cut butter into small chunks and add to the dry ingredients, blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until evenly incorporated
6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition
7. Mix in the banana/honey mixture, spices and Brazil nuts to taste
8. Spoon into cupcakes cases, filling almost to the top
9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
10. Remove and leave to cool in the pans for approx 3 mins – then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

Frosting:

• 55g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 325g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade icing sugar
• 1/2 cup (4fl oz) organic double cream
• 2 tbsp Fairtrade honey

1. Beat the butter until smooth, then add half of the sugar, the double cream and the honey
2. Continue beating, slowly adding the rest of the sugar to achieve a smooth, even texture
3. Ice each cooled cupcake with a thick swirl of frosting and top with strips of cooled bacon and chopped Brazil nuts.

Fairtrade Devil’s Food Ale Cakes

• 115g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 45g Divine Fairtrade cocoa
• 155g Fairtrade ale (Honey Ale)
• 170g organic plain flour (sifted)
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 tsp baking soda
• 225g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade caster sugar
• 1 large free-range, organic egg (at room temperature)
• 3 fl oz (3/8 cup) organic buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 180c
2. Bring ale to the boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa. Leave to cool until it reaches room temperature
3. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside
4. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixture until very light and fluffy (about 5 mins)
5. Add the egg and beat until just incorporated
6. Beat in the cooled ale/cocoa mixture
7. Add the sifted dry mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts – beginning and ending with the dry and beating after each addition
8. Spoon the batter into a baking tray lined with cupcake cases (2/3 of the way full)
9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean
10. Cool briefly in the pans and then transfer to a wire rack until cooled completely.

Frosting:

• 85g/3 fl oz (3/8 cup) – Fairtrade honey ale
• 15g Fairtrade cocoa
• 115g Unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 340g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp Fairtrade vanilla essence
• Small bar Fairtrade chocolate to decorate
• Handful toasted Fairtrade Brazil nuts (optional)

1. Boil ale in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa. Allow to cool completely – transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge if necessary
2. Beat the butter until smooth
3. Add the vanilla, ale/cocoa mixture and half the icing sugar and continue to beat. Gradually add all of the sugar – beating continuously until you reach a consistency you like
4. Spread onto cooled cupcakes and top with shavings of Fairtrade chocolate and Brazil nuts.

Fairtrade Burnt Butter, White Chocolate and Brazil Nut Cookies

• 280g organic plain flour (sifted)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 170g Unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 220g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade light brown sugar
• 100g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade granulated sugar
• 1 large free-range organic egg (at room temperature)
• 1 free-range, organic egg yolk (at room temperature)
• 1/2 tsp Fairtrade vanilla essence
• Handful Fairtrade white chocolate chunks
• Handful Fairtrade Brazil nuts (chopped)
• Zest of one Fairtrade lemon

1. Preheat oven to 150c
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and heat, stirring continuously until brown bits begin to form at the bottom of the pan (approx 5 mins)
4. Beat the melted butter together with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth
5. Add the egg & egg yolk and beat to incorporate into sugar/butter mixture
6. Set the mixer to a low speed and gradually add the sifted dry ingredients
7. Add lemon zest, chocolate and Brazil nuts to taste
8. Roll dough into 2 inch diameter balls and lay on a lined baking sheet, approx 2 inches apart, bake in preheated oven 15 mins or until brown around the edges and soft in the centre.

The lovely Polly has tagged me. I’m supposed to come up with thirteen little known facts about myself to share with you before passing along the tag, but to be quite honest I don’t really go in for completing tags and meme’s that often.

So I’ll bore you all with thirteen little known facts about me but I’m not going to pass it on. If however, anyone decides they’d like to complete the tag themselves, feel free to carry it on (a link back would be appreciated mind you) :)

1. I have a slight addiction to cookbooks, take a look over in my cookery book library page and you’ll get the gist.
2. During my school days I always aspired to become either a journalist or lawyer; somehow I ended up a nurse – don’t ask, it’s complicated.
3. I live out in ‘the sticks’ (countryside) and it’s a love/hate thing; I hate not being able to walk to good deli’s, cafes etc, but I love that I can take my dogs for long walks and runs in the National Forest areas near my home.
4. I am an only child.
5. I’m never without a note pad and pen to jot down any food related ideas I come up with while I’m out and about, or my camera so I can take photo’s of any exciting discoveries or thought provoking items.
6. I have a ‘theorist’ learning style.
7. Mostly I read the news online but on a Sunday I always buy a paper – The Observer generally.
8. I’ve been blogging for nearly three years, and believe me, the time has flown by.
9. I have everything but the kitchen sink in my handbag – filofax, iphone, notepad, pens (multiple), umbrella, magazine or book (most often both), moisturiser, purse and makeup to name but a few items – clearly I don’t travel light.
10. The only food I cannot abide is tripe, the smell alone makes me feel nauseous.
11. Currently my favourite kitchen activity is bread baking.
12. My favourite author is Roddy Doyle, his work never fails to ‘move me’.
13. I am currently studying a mentorship course.

ODE TO A HAGGIS

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,

Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang’s my arm

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
You pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o’need
While thro’ your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead

His knife see Rustic-labour dight,
An’ cut you up wi’ ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reeking, rich!

Then, horn for horn they stretch an’ strive,
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a’ their weel-swall’d kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive
Bethankit hums

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi’ perfect sconner,
Looks down wi’ sneering, scornfu’ view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither’d rash
His spindle-shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro’ bluidy flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He’ll mak it whissle;
An’ legs, an’ arms an’ heads will sned,
Like taps o’ thrissle

Ye pow’rs wha mak mankind your care,
An’ dish them out their bill o’fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu’ pray’r,
Gie her a Haggis!

Robert Burns

A couple of weeks back I made a mammoth journey to Scotland to collect our new family member Maximus, and back home in the same day — a journey that took over ten hours.

On the journey north a breakfast break was taken at a fabulous farm shop come service station. After a hearty, if rather expensive, breakfast I just had to take a wander around the farm shop. Sure it would be rude not to peruse the goods for sale wouldn’t it? I ended up buying some local cheese, a couple of pork pies and bread (food for the journey home) and, a haggis. Not just any haggis mind you, but a Rick Stein Food Hero haggis.

So what is a haggis? Well, without wanting to disappoint anyone, it is not the mythical furry creature with its two inside legs shorter than its two outside legs to allow it to run easily along hillsides. Haggis is in fact a very old Scottish dish, which combines meats, spices and oatmeal to create a very rich, unusual, but nonetheless delicious meal.

The origin of haggis, as with many other national dishes, is obscure. A similar dish was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans and is mentioned in some 14th-century Scottish chronicles. Dr. Michael Krause, a physician from Hamburg reported that it was much like a Silesian dish he called ”derma.” And although haggis includes pork fat or suet, its taste and texture also resemble the Jewish dish made of chicken fat, flour, spices and onions baked in a steer’s intestines that is also called derma.

The French honour its Scottish connections by calling it ”Puding de St. Andre” although, in fact, the word haggis is probably French in origin and comes from the verb hacher — to chop up or mangle. Though unproven, the French origin seems likely as French influence was strong in Scotland until 1603 and other traces of that tongue remain in the Scottish lexicon.

What to serve with the haggis? Well, ‘neeps and tatties’ would be the obvious choice but I wanted something a little different, nothing too out of the traditional realms of Scottish cuisine though. Rumbledethumps seemed the obvious choice, and, isn’t the name just lovely.

Rumbledethumps is a traditional dish from the Scottish Borders. The main ingredients are potato, cabbage and onion or  swede depending on which recipes you care to look at. Similar in nature to Irish colcannon, and English bubble and squeak, it is either served as an accompaniment to a main dish or as a main dish itself. An alternative version from Aberdeenshire is called kailkenny which replaces the butter in the potatoes with cream.

The name rumbledethumps apparently comes from the noise made in the kitchen as the tatties and cabbage are rumbled and thumped in the preparation.

Contrary to Tim Hayward description of Rumbledethumps (found here) that they are “potatoes and cabbage knocked about a bit in a pot – just to ensure the ultimate disheartening combination of lumps, bruised, leathery brassicas and self denial.” I found them luxuriously creamy, fresh and vibrant – note though that I added a dash of cream to the process and mashed away at the potatoes until not a lump could be found; before folding through quickly sautéed strips of kale. A culinary pleasure indeed.

The recipe I used for the rumbledethumps comes (in an albeit slightly adapted way) via Sue Lawrence’s Scottish Kitchen; an absolute treasure-trove of recipes which emphasises all that is good about Scottish cooking.

Of course you need a wee dram of whisky to accompany your dinner.

Rumbledethumps:

• 600g potatoes — peeled and chopped
• 400g turnip (swede) — peeled and chopped
• 250g kale or Savoy cabbage with the stalks stripped of — washed and shredded
• 50ml double cream
• 75g butter
• 50g mature farmhouse Cheddar – grated

1. Boil the potatoes and turnip in boiling salted water then drain thoroughly, before mashing well adding the butter and beating until smooth.
2. Gently cook the kale or cabbage by sautéing in the butter over a medium heat for four to five minutes, stirring, until wilted but still vivid green
3. Tip the kale and all the butter into the potato pan and mix everything together, season to taste with plenty of salt and freshly milled black pepper.
4. Tip into an ovenproof dish.
5. Sprinkle over the cheese and bake uncovered in a preheated oven (180C) for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and piping hot

The New Urban Farmer by Celia Brooks Brown is due for publication in early March 2010. I am sure it will take the market by storm. How can it not? It is surely a gem of a book and one most suited to the current trend of growing your own food.

This book is billed as “a year-round guide to growing your own vegetables and fruit, so that you can enjoy the incomparable taste of homegrown produce, with over 60 delicious recipes” and it really doesn’t disappoint.

Before discussing the book in more detail, happen a little background to growing your own might be helpful.

Prior to the Second World War Britain imported roughly 55 million tons of food a year from other countries; but during the war this simply was not a viable option.

The Ministry of Agriculture launched one month on from the outbreak of the Second World War, one of the most memorable slogans of the whole conflict – ‘Dig for Victory’.

From this point on, the whole of Britain’s home front were encouraged to transform their private gardens into mini-allotments. It was believed, quite rightly, that this would not only provide essential crops for families and neighbourhoods alike, but help the war effort by freeing up valuable space for war materials on the merchant shipping convoys. Indeed, over just a few months, Britain saw its green and pleasant land transformed with gardens, flower beds and parkland dug up for the plantation of vegetables.

By 1943, over a million tons of vegetables were being grown in gardens and allotments.

During the course of the war, many propagandist moves were made to promote the importance of ‘growing your own’. Along with the circulation of familiar Ministry of Agriculture ‘food flashes’, literature and poster displays, anthems were also introduced.

Not only vegetable growing occurred though; people were encouraged to keep livestock too. Chickens were incredibly popular but, others kept rabbits and goats. Pigs were popular as they could be fed on the kitchen waste of several families and then, once slaughtered, the meat divided.

After the War Britain began to return to normality, gardens returned to being just that and flower beds reigned once more; however, the practice of keeping allotments continued to thrive. One wonders if it was the ample supply of fresh food or the escapism from everyday life (or more to the point ‘her indoors’) that kept the activity alive.

Vegetable-growing in Britain declined sharply in the 1980s and 1990s as cheap all-year-round vegetables in supermarkets took prime position; thus giving rise to a steep decline in the importance of locality and seasonality to the average British consumer. Gone were the thoughts of meal planning around the seasons and in was the notion that eating food from far flung corners of the globe was exotic and highbrow. Name dropping of food items and the selection of wild and wonderful combinations of such ‘exotics’ became de rigeuer at social gatherings. The fact that most of the out of season, flown in, items were lacking in both taste and texture was of a matter of insignificance .

The noughties have definitely been a decade of food trend change though, as both Thompson Morgan and Suttons Seeds have noticed a rising trend in the past five years and say they have seen a jump towards vegetables from flower seeds this year in particular, with edible varieties accounting for between 60 and 70 percent of total sales.

Jamie Oliver seemed to spark the trend to return to home grown with his 2007 book Jamie at Home; which contained snippets of gardening info hidden amongst the recipes. Oliver said:

“I’m so into the whole growing thing these days that it now seems strange that, having been a chef for 16 years, I didn’t get into it sooner. …

… So Jamie At Home is all about getting down and dirty with nature, growing and cooking your very own produce – whether from your garden, allotment or window box. It’s easier than you might think and fantastically rewarding if you get it right.”

With allotment waiting lists massively oversubscribed and people right across the country keener than ever to grow their own fruit and veg, Hugh Fearnley Whitingstall set up the Landshare initiative. The aim for Landshare is to become a UK wide initiative to make British land more productive and fresh local produce more accessible to all. Each of the new growing spaces are to be registered through the Landshare website  as an online ‘matchmaking’ database of keen growers and those who have land available.

The National Trust is also creating 1000 new plots in the next three years to provide for the growing number of ‘growing your own’ fans.

Throughout this book Celia Brooks Brown brings the theory of growing vegetables to an approachable reality, using real life tales of her adventures in vegetable growing such as doing battle with the slugs and snails over the brassicas and spotting the first emergence of that springtime delight, asparagus.

The gardening advice is clear, easy to follow and to be truthful you don’t need to have ‘green fingers’ to understand the details; a problem I have found with many other books covering this subject.

The addition of simple yet delicious recipes (such as cauliflower & coconut soup, smoky gazpacho and simple tomato sauce) does of course make the book even more appealing to the keen cook.

The book is beautifully presented on thick, glossy paper that cries out to be held but appears tough enough to stand up to everyday life in the kitchen or even the odd occasion surrounded by soil and seeds (although I’d heartily recommend you make notes and take an old notepad out to the allotment rather than this paperback beauty).

One particular delight is that the book is divided into the four seasons, and then delightfully subdivided into individual months detailing what is in season, what to start planting and a few mouth-watering recipes.

The photography, well that is stunning, full page spreads of perfect vegetables, lovely shots of Celia in her allotment.

I have a fair sized garden with enough room for some vegetable growing, but, simply reading this book has made me long for an allotment; such an inspiration it is.

With thanks to Quadrille Publishing Ltd for the review copy.

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd (5 Mar 2010)

Language English

ISBN-10: 1844008177

ISBN-13: 978-1844008179

RRP: £14.99

Fairtrade is something I am passionate about, believing that we all have a duty to each other to have a social conscience. Fairtrade believes, as do I, that developing world producers should be in control of their own lives, by getting a better deal for the work that they do.

The four main standards that producers must abide to in order to have Fairtrade certified products are:

• pay a price to producers that covers the costs of sustainable production and living;
• pay a ‘premium’ that producers can invest in development;
• make partial advance payments when requested by producers;
• sign contracts that allow for long-term planning and sustainable production practices.

The Fairtrade fortnight is an annual event in which fair and ethical trading values are celebrated. The concept was pioneered by the Fairtrade Foundation in the United Kingdom, and held firstly in 1997 in Scotland directed by Barnaby Miln. The event turned out to be a highly successful campaign to get every supermarket throughout Scotland to stock Fairtrade products. It spread to the rest of the United Kingdom the following year. Today, Fairtrade fortnights are celebrated in several countries, most notably Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

For Fairtrade Fortnight the Fairtrade Foundation are tasking the nation to join in The Big Swap. For two whole weeks they will be asking you to swap your usual stuff for Fairtrade stuff. Now how hard can that be? You don’t need to organise events or sponsorships, just make a few more informed choices as you do your shopping, and surely we can all manage that.

Now, saying that there are plenty of ideas to be found on The Big Swap website if you do fancy organising and event or suchlike. After all the Fairtrade Foundation campaigns rely on people like us getting involved and making as much noise as possible (in whatever ways possible) about unfair trade systems. After all to set change in motion “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” (Samuel Adams). Make yourselves heard and one day change will happen.

Why stop at Fairtrade for two weeks though? Please just keep on buying Fairtrade all the time, it really does make a huge impact on peoples lives, buying Fairtrade is after all one small step to making the world a fairer place.

So come on folks, what will you swap? I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips.