Cheesy dreams

After the Christmas binge, it's time to empty the fridge and prepare for the annual January belt tightening. Thank goodness food is generally VAT free so we've momentarily escaped the wrath of the Chancellor.  

With extensive testing by a non-robust sample of testers, I have come to the conclusion that any unpasteurised cheese consumption will lead to the most colourful and creative of dream making. Who needs Leonardo di Caprio in Inception when you have a smelly cheese to hand?

This theory has been endorsed by a British Cheese Board study who claim that 'Eating cheese before you go to bed will not give you nightmares but different varieties could help you choose the dreams you do want to have' and that 'different cheeses appeared to give participants different kinds of dreams'.

'Cheddar enhanced dreams about celebrities. One girl said she dreamt of helping to form a human pyramid under the supervision of film star Johnny Depp. [now there's a reason to eat more cheddar]

Stilton was the wild card, especially for women. Around 85 per cent of women experienced bizarre dreams after eating Britain's iconic blue cheese, including talking soft toys, dinner party guests being traded for camels and a vegetarian crocodile upset because it could not eat children.'

I wonder what a study from the French or Swiss Cheese Boards would come up with... no dreams about vegetarians, that's for sure! I'm going to have some camembert tonight and see what happens.
 
Anyway, my top cheeses this Christmas were:
 
1. Tomme Fleurette: Swiss flat round soft cheese. Very oozy tasty and beautiful. My number one this Christmas - go and find some at Kase Swiss in Borough Market
2. Stichelton: British unpasteurised and much tastier version of Stilton. Neals Yard Dairy stocks this 
3. Magic Blue cheese: I can't remember the proper name. '***** Blue' came from Kase Swiss in Borough Market. Unfortunately it was so small and so delicious, it was eaten straight away and the label disappeared but if you ask Kase Swiss, they'll know
4. Vacherin Mont d'Or: French soft cheese from Mons, Borough Market. Apparently the producers have been told to back off the bacteria levels so it's not been as gooey as in the past, but still beautiful
5. Gruyere Alpage: Kase Swiss again and the only 'hard' cheese in my list. This is full of flavour and SOOO much tastier than anything you'll find in the supermarket. Perfect with onion soup.

Do Italians do it best?

Been a while since the last entry as I've been running around a lot, not least to a wedding and the home of salami making in Italy - in different towns I hasten to add.

So I was pondering on a suitable topic and came up with the title of 'do Italians do it best?'

It's the eternal question to which Italians will always agree ... but would everybody else?

They have a simple approach:
1. Great ingredients
2. Simple dishes
3. Live to eat - don't eat to live

1. Great Ingredients
Italians pride themselves on their use of great quality ingredients. And who can blame them? Life without parma ham, pasta, parmesan and other great produce that doesn't begin with a 'p' would be quite dull. But there again, there's an awful lot of duff versions available at 40p a pack from Tesco which call themselves the same thing but frankly taste disgusting.

So I rephrase to say life without the best italian produce would be very dull.

Equally, the vast array of seasonal fruit and vegetables that the Italians have access to is phenomenal and they are fortunate to enjoy non-uniform shapes and numerous imperfections which result in beautifully flavoured produce. Elsewhere, their food hygiene regulations allow a little more freedom resulting in mouth wateringly tasty hams and cheeses used to make the best panini/filled pasta/charcuterie and cheese platters.

2. Simple dishes
How can one of the best foods in the world be toast with oil and salt? But not just any old toast, we're talking Tuscan [unsalted] bread toasted so it's chewy and crunchy at the same time, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt. If you have good ingredients, don't muck about and hash loads of them together - keep it simple and you won't go wrong.

My best recent dishes include:

- grilled king prawns with oil, garlic, lemon and parsley with a glass of chilled pecorino wine.




- bruschetta topped with cannellini beans that had been gently seasoned with a tiny amount of rosemary and mixed in with fried onions and garlic

- a glass of vin santo with freshly baked cantuccini biscuits, still warm from the oven

None of these are difficult but they make the most of the beautiful ingredients available. n.b. much of Italian cooking comes from simple peasant dishes where lots of things weren't around so they made the most of the few things they had.

3. Live to eat

Italians can talk for hours about which pasta goes best with which sauce. This can get rather tiresome but it does highlight how much they love their food. The only thing that comes between them and food is football (never eat in a pizzeria at 8pm when a big match is just starting - you may be waiting for a while). They are also quite traditional so lunch is generally at 1pm and dinner is at 8pm. Apart from very special occasions when they might be a little more flexible but unlikely.

Italians will also find a way to celebrate all things food like and will regularly indulge in such things as an annual Festa of the Mushroom or Festa of the Cherry - all a good excuse to spend a day indulging in those particular foods. Yes, we do this a little bit but nowhere near the same extent and across all social circles as the Italian do.

SO DO ITALIANS DO IT BETTER?!

Let's pick out some of their [very few] weaknesses...

a) Breakfast
They're not very good at breakfast and you never get a good bacon roll in Italy (or builders tea for that matter).
b) Other cuisines
Their love of their own food makes Italians very wary of anything from over the Italian border so don't even bother looking for a decent Chinese/Indian/Thai/Burger/Mexican/Spanish when you're over there as you'll struggle. At least the Brits are open to everyone else's cooking and as a result we pride ourselves in one of the best cross-sections of world cuisine across our restaurants...in the world!
c) Other countries
Is Italian food as good with ingredients from other countries? I don't think so. British bruschetta with plastic mozzarella and an unripe Dutch tomato is nowhere near an Italian version (and it's brusk-etta not brush-etta!)Unless you have access to such great produce as they enjoy, it's difficult to recreate those dishes to the same level.

Sometimes fish and chips or dim sum just hits the spot where pasta al ragu falls short.

And in summary, Italians do it best in their own country with their own ingredients...but the rest of the world is still up for grabs!

Dotting the i's and crossing the teas

I don't often venture out to the wild west of Chiswick and rarely visit landscaped gardens but this week made an exception to see the new cafe at Chiswick House

You're probably looking at the pic on the left thinking that I've uploaded the wrong photo but actually no, this is the new cafe that opened on 1 Feb 2010, designed by architects Caruso St John (who I am assured are big in the world of architects) and is run by Company of Cooks

What's great is that it has plenty of seating, inside and out, and even outside under a jutting piece of roof to keep you sheltered from the elements. And combined with the surrounding gardens and free (yes really) parking, it's an unexpectedly good location.

The cafe has a simple food offer with good value stews (just £5-£5.50) and toasted sandwiches leading the way with a good selection of British produce sprinkled across the menu. I thought the stew might be just gravy and bits of carrot at that price so was pleasantly surprised to see a good mix of chunks of chicken, big shallots and  other veg. Gravy could have been a bit thicker though to make it less 'soupy'.

So everything was going swimmingly well for Chiswick House cafe until the fateful moment we ordered a cup of tea. You would expect such a cafe to offer a good range of afternoon teas and to take a bit of pride in what they do but no, the pictures speak for themselves - this was British tea served at its very worst with the cheapest teapots, grubby teacups and soggy teabags. At least they didn't put out UHT milk portions.

I'm really quite impressed at the teapot as it's been a while since I've since anything quite so revolting.

They must have spent a fortune on the architects - surely they can get some decent teapots!

So I'm on a mission to do something about the state of tea in London - and I'll tell you some more over the coming weeks...

Eating in Attractive Surroundings

So after last week's view on eating with your fingers, I was asked to consider how attractive company impacted an eating out experience. Actually it was more about a particularly attractive barman who observed the crab crushing ritual in question and seeemed to become more attractive as the bottle of wine emptied...

I've pondered over this observation and come up with the following three scenarios:

1) Splashing out? Very attractive serving staff will be happy to help
It's very hard to say no to an Adonis like barman/waiter who is selling you the most expensive thing on the menu. Surely such a beautiful specimen would never fleece you...?

2) Perfect for crash diets - first dates seriously damage your appetite
Something about first dates generates a phantom stomach staple. All of a sudden, healthy appetites reduce to a sparrow like picking tendency and an 'oh no, I couldn't possibly eat another thing' when all you've had is a lettuce leaf. Thank goodness it's only temporary.

3) Dreadful for waistlines - beautiful thin people make you want an extra helping
How is it that fussy eaters or just people in micro skintight clothing that you know that you will never squeeze into without buying reinforced Spanx just make you eat more. It's some kind of reaction that says 'they're not eating enough so I'll do the right thing and help them out by eating their share too'  Similar behaviours occur when surrounded by teetotallers

So the moral of the story is to choose your occasion carefully, and your company to match!

Food of the week

Drop scones. I've been stunned at the number of people who don't know what drop scones are this week. Not exactly summer food but always very delicious so homework this week is to check them out

Bars of the week

PIX - Neal Street, Covent Garden (and Notting Hill too)

It's not always that easy to find decent bars in touristy zones of central London but PIX is an exception. Located at the far end of Neal Street (from Covent Garden tube), PIX is small, dark and cosy with lots of small tables and stools to perch on. Why 'PIX'? Pintxos is the Basque version of tapas which is clearly too complicated to write in full or to pronounce so they've made it much easier and just called it PIX

The pintxos/tapas are a nice touch with two prices for small and large, and easily charged back by counting up the sticks that hold them together. From calamari to chorizo to tortilla to bruschetta type offers, they're fresh and tasty and mix perfectly with the range of Spanish wines by the glass.

My only concern was that the wine glasses are orange tinted tumblers which made me slightly uneasy about whether I was drinking orange squash...



SKYLON, Royal Festival Hall, Waterloo
I love this bar. Someone reminded me about it again this week. It's so decadent and the drinks are great (albeit extortionately priced) and the view over the Thames from the floor to ceiling windows is stunning. To give you an idea of what it's like, think very exclusive, modern and beautifully designed top floor bar in a Dubai hotel. n.b. I've never eaten here but if you're in the area, make sure you pop in for a quick caipirinha.

Finger food

Short entry today and it's a bit of a story with illustrative examples rather than pics.

After Saturday's blog on artichokes, I've been wondering why I like them so much.
Apart from the obvious liver cleansing benefits that they provide, I've worked out that I like getting involved in food and the more messy and complicated, the better.

With a globe artichoke you get the opportunity to pull it apart leaf by leaf and suck it dry of all its proverbial meat. By the time you've scraped out the heart, you're left with a highly satisfactory pile of chewed up leaves and other related paraphernalia. You've accomplished something and made sure there's no waste whatsoever (a brownie point for any eco-warrior)

Similar experiences may be found with a whole crab. One of the most entertaining dinners I have ever had involved ordering a whole crab with a very good friend. When the aforementioned article appeared, a look of terror appeared over her face as she admitted she didn't know what to do. I didn't really know what to do either but having seen others in the same predicament, we decided that we should attack it with the nutcrackers provided (yes I know they're not really nutcrackers) and tear out every morsel of crabmeat possible. Despite creating a pool of debris approximately three foot in radius around us and possibly over us too, as the poor crab was finally declared well and truly scoured, my friend announced that it had been one of the most enjoyable food experiences ever. So I know I'm not on my own in being a food annihilist.

I also love filleting fish. The more the fish bones look like something a cat has sucked dry in a cartoon strip, the better. It gives me a massive sense of achievement. Parma ham prepping is also good for the soul.

A final comment on finger food. NEVER look down on people who eat with their fingers. Once upon a time, I was somewhere in France as part of an international meeting eating some kind of very large prawn, maybe a langoustine but I can't remember exactly, What I do remember is that the Brits got stuck in with their fingers, wrenching off heads and tails and shells with glee whilst a particularly snooty French mademoiselle delicately and (to be fair) expertly used her knife and fork to complete the same action.

At a certain point, mademoiselle looked up and declared that if she had used her fingers, her mother would have kicked her off the table for such bad manners. Needless to say, the Brits paused to look at each other momentarily, raised their eyes skywards, went up for second helpings and continued to enjoy finger food as it should be enjoyed!

Chok full of goodness!

Apparently, there is a campaign to have a meat free Monday to encourage general carnivores to abstain from meat once a week as it is assumed non-veggies consume animals seven days a week, thereby using up the world's resources. 

I'd rather eat whatever we fancied on the basis it's produced locally (preferably the UK) using locally produced fertilisers/feeds and in season. This alone would significantly reduce energy consumption and support the local economy. No more green beans from Kenya!

Comments welcome!

Anyway, in support of my veggie friends, a meat-free Monday and my own momentary foray into the world of vegetarianism during a particularly dark period, this week's food of the week is a vegetable, of the most interesting kind!

Food of the Week: Artichoke

The common or garden artichoke is really quite special as it's actually a member of the thistle family. Here are a few facts and a few old wives tales...

No one knows from where the artichoke hails although it's generally believed to somewhere in North Africa.

Why the weird name?
The various European names of the artichoke all ultimately come from Arabic al-kharshuf but names have evolved from kaktos (Ancient Greeks) to carduus (Romans) to carchofas (SW France - from Italian carciofo - pronounced carchofo). The english word 'artichoke' seems to come from a Northern Italian dialect of articiocco (pronounced artichocko). I met some people from Ferrara once who endorsed this last fact.

Where did it come from?

Cultivation passed from Naples to Florence in 1466, to Venice in 1480 and then to Avignon and environs from 1532. Somehow the Dutch got in on the game and brought them to Henry VIII's garden in England in 1530. But the Americans weren't sure about eating thistles until the 19th century. Now they are mainly grown in the Mediterranean basin (although we have a few here in Blighty too!)

Things you should know!

According to the Turks you should eat an artichoke a week to keep your liver healthy. According to other nutritionists, it's good for liver, gallbladder and bladder functionality so we should eat more of them.

The artichoke genus is Cynara cardunculus. That's where the Italian artichoke liqueur gets its name

The 'choke' is the fuzzy bit that's inedible - I don't know what the arti bit is.

The Jerusalem Artichoke is an imposter - nothing to do with the artichoke at all.

How to eat

Whole, boiled and served with hollandaise, butter or aioli
Just the hearts, chopped up on a 4 seasons pizza, in pasta or pan fried with lemon and pepper

Where to eat

The Anchor & Hope in Waterloo has amazing globe artichokes when they are season. Union Market in Fulham has beautiful stuffed artichokes in their deli. Otherwise experiment with your own!


Perfect for a Meat Free Monday in July!

A return ticket to the classroom

Hot news! I'm succumbed to pressure and am now on Twitter so if you follow me, I can let you know as soon as I've written a new post. Just click on the Twitter button at the top left.

Not only that but after a June of football and tennis, I've been out to a couple of very cool new places - one of which is open for a limited period only - so the blog takes a slightly different format this week.

1) Penny University, Redchurch Street, Shoreditch (nearest tube Liverpool Street

Apparently Penny University is a term originating from the eighteenth century coffeehouses in London, England. Instead of paying for drinks, people were charged a penny to enter a coffee house. Once inside, the patron had access to coffee, the company of others, various discussions, pamphlets, bulletins, newspapers, and the latest news and gossip. So everyone frequented them and had intellectual conversation.

Spending a penny at Penny University in Shoreditch doesn't get you very far (don't try it!) and it's not a big place either which makes it very special. No sugar, no milk, no espresso, no latte - just pure filter coffee and just three varieties (matched to William Curley chocolates if you prefer).

If you're lucky, Gwillym Davies (2009 World Barista Champion) will impart some of his extensive and fascinating coffee knowledge to you whilst he prepares the best coffee ever from something that you would normally expect to find in a chemistry lab.

If you're really lucky, you might get James Hoffmann (2010 World Barista Champion and the man behind Square Mile Coffee).

Things you should know!

- Three beautiful single estate coffees on the menu originating from Kenya, Ethiopia and Colombia costing from £3 to £4 per cup.
- Beans ground to order using a very special grinder that varies the grind quality (apparently one of the most important variables in coffee).
- A state of the art water boiler and three very cool preparation vessels.

Yes it sounds very nerdy but actually it's not - it's an enlightening and enjoyable way to drink coffee that everyone should try. It's only open until 31 July so hurry up and go!

2) Union Market, Fulham Broadway (Fulham Broadway tube)

Someone has done a stunning job of converting the old Fulham Broadway ticket hall into a food market. A beautiful space that has maintained some of the quirkiness of the old station with ticket desks and signage clearly visible. Even the old ticket office has been converted into a kitchen.

It's all about traceability, sustainability, seasonal and local. A farmers market that's open daily from 8am until 8pm (but you can get an early morning tea or coffee from 7am). From fruit and veg to wine and cider to cheese, charcuterie, bakery and general provisions, you can get everything here, even organic cola bottle gums. In addition, there's a [very] small tapas area and a few tables for something more substantial.

It's a warm and welcoming place to shop and the staff were very helpful and friendly. It's not cheap but the Fulham mummies will love it and I wish it all the best.