A Tale of Two Butties

I've been frequenting the quaint old village of Rufford for a few years now and have said many times 'We really should go and have some food outside at the Marina when it's nice one  day.' However, nice days are few and far between and we've never managed to get round to it until a few weeks ago. We were going to the Grand National and it's tradition to enjoy a champagne breakfast beforehand so our friends booked us all in for a table of 10 very smartly dressed giddy kippers.

I had the smaller breakfast, no beans, scrambled eggs and extra mushrooms (courtesy of friends that didn't want the poor things), There was sauteed potatoes hidden on there  too, along with black pudding and the usual bacon and sausage. We were permitted to bring our own champagne and I ordered fresh orange to add to make Bucks Fizz. Overall it was a decent breakfast; the meat was good quality and the vegetables tasty, the eggs seemed microwaved and weren't great - certainly not Moose standard. The service, atmosphere and setting were top notch and I was looking forward to going again and eating al fresco on a sunny day next to the canal.

However, my next visit was not as successful. We got the sitting outside box ticked but arrived at 11.45, missing the breakfast we were hankering after by minutes. I decided to go for a BLT sandwich which is the next best thing in my books. This is what showed up;

It wasn't good. For a start it wasn't a tripler. Then the fillings were all either sparse or terribly misjudged. There was one small slice of bacon on each half, not enough to fully fill the sandwich. This is probably a good thing seeing as it was cold, chewy and tasteless. It could possibly have been precooked and microwaved for people that miss breakfast. There were perhaps two thin slices of insipid tomatoes, and then the worst crime of all; prebagged salad leaves. AAARGH. For me, a BLT should be stuffed with fresh crisp iceberg lettuce. I know it's not the most fashionable leaf, but it works here. I don't want bitter purple crap and stringy rocket and watercress that's mostly stalk and no leaf. Get it away from  my sandwich, there's enough of it garnishing the bloody plate in the first place. The bread wasn't toasted so the whole thing fell apart on eating and there was NO. MAYO. This was brought over when asked to be fair, but still. Let me have my moment of drama.

A club sandwich shaped void had now opened up in my life and I needed to fill this with a properly made version that only I could do justice to. So here it is; the best club sandwich ever made™.

I know; it's a beaut ain't it? You've got a peek into the construction process too, you lucky things!

1) If you want to recreate this masterpiece (serves 2) you need to slice up a whole avocado and 3 tomatoes to make sure you have enough coverage and some to snack on when waiting for your bacon to cook. Get some chicken breast slices sorted too.

2) Put as much bacon as you can fit under your grill on a high heat (about 6-8 rashers) and don't even think about trimming that fat off.

3) Get six slices of bread and put four in your toaster ready. The other two slices can be toasted under the grill. This is assuming that, like me, you can only fit 4 slices in your toaster. After your bacon's been on a few minutes, put your toast on.

4) When everything's ready, quickly assemble. Slather mayonnaise over everything getting right into the corners. Then two slices of bread should be covered with the chicken and avocado slices, whilst the other two with at least three slices of bacon and 5/6 of tomato. CRAM IT ALL IN.

5) The chicken slice goes on the bottom, the bacon next and the empty slice on top. Cut in half and devour.

6) GET CRUMBS EVERYWHAAAR.

Jamie Oliver Round Up, Vol. I

I've always wanted to choose a recipe book and cook every single recipe in it. So, as I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been steadily cooking my way through Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meal recipe book, and have really enjoyed it so far. The recipes are very easy to follow, and usually take me around the 45 minute mark. The ingredients lists are usually quite extensive so I doubt this is something you could cook every night as he suggests. However there's some really tasty special feeling meals in there that I'll definitely be cooking again. I think where he really excels are his exciting salads, which is something I never think to include with a main meal, especially a hot one.

So, here's my round up of the first five dishes I cooked.

1. Tasty Crusted Cod, my mashy peas, tartare sauce, warm garden salad.

The herb crust on the fish was a crunchy, well seasoned match for the clean fresh tastes of the cod fillet. The mash held all sorts of exciting textures and the mint sauce gave it an unexpected kick. Since making this recipe I've made the tartare sauce numerous times as it's easy and much more satisfying than buying it in. Also, it means the big jars of cornichons and capers that we wouldn't usually buy can be put to good use. The salad had crispy pancetta that gave the leaves a naughty fatty edge which is always welcome. Overall, an excellent alternative to an ordinary fish n potatoes tea. I'm giving this one 8/10.

2. Oozy Mushroom Risotto, Spinach Salad, and Quick Raspberry & Lemon Cheesecake

Lots and lots of STUFF was chucked into this risotto; rosemary, garlic, thyme, dried porcini and a variety of wild mushrooms. So I was very surprised when it actually tasted quite bland. Perhaps it was the quality of the stock that I used but it needed more seasoning and I just expected it to deliver more of an earthy mushroomy smack to the face. The actual risotto was easy enough and the consistency was perfect. Whilst the sun dried tomotoes gave the salad a much needed bit of excitement, plus I LOVE pine nuts. The quick dessert was the highlight of this meal and led to me discovering how ace lemon curd is. I've never been a fan before but it's lovely and sweet, and I got it from our new local family run village shop. How virtuous of me. A 6/10 because of the slightly disappointing risotto.

3. Summer Veg Lasagne, Tuscan Tomato Salad, and Quick Mango Frozen Yoghurt

I love different takes on lasagne and this one was really scrummy. The bulk of it was made from my favourite green veggies; broad beans, peas and asparagus. Then a creamy mix of cottage cheese and stock. It all got a bit messy and some parts of the pasta was a little chewy for some reason but overall it was summery and very satisfying, especially considering it was meat free. This was one of the best salads I've ever had. Big chunks of bread with fresh tomatoes and basil; sort of a deconstructed bruschetta. A proper revelation for me. I swapped mangos for strawberries which worked very well, only I made it ahead and froze it for too long which spoiled it a bit. Very quick and healthy though. An 8/10 for this meal.






4. Seared Pork Fillet & Catherine Wheel Sausage, Meaty Mushroom Sauce, Celeriac Smash, and Garlicky Beans

I always think fondly of this meal as when I was deciding which one to make, the man himself tweeted me! I always tend to veer away from pork as I've been put off by dry and bland chops. However, I went to  Chadwick's and picked up a bloody lovely piece of pork fillet along with some kidneys for the sauce and sausages. This new (on me) cut of pork was a real revelation as it was tender and tasty. But what made this meal was the sauce; the kidneys made it so much more exciting than an ordinary mushroomy sauce, so it was meaty as well as creamy. I couldn't get hold of celariac in any of the supermarkets I visited so we just had ordinary mashed potatoes which is always nice. The apples and sausage complimented each other really well but I think it was all a bit too much altogether. Especially considering the Catherine wheel sausage is the main component of another meal in the book. Overall a 9/10 mostly because of that pork and the sauce.

5. Super-Fast Beef Hash, Jacket Potatoes, Goddess Salad, Lovely Butter Beans & Bacon

This was one of those meals that I didn't think would be anything to write home about, but ended up being one of the nicest I've had in a long time. Avocado still feels like a bit of an exotic treat to me and I enjoy it in all its forms so the salad and dressing were lovely. The hash was hearty and comforting but still full of interesting flavours. The butter beans were absolutley gorgeous; meaty and fresh with lots of different textures going on. At all tasted very nourishing and everything really came together beautifully; a 9.5/10 as I feel I should reserve the big 10 as you never know what might come along!






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Lads Night In; Pizza and Curry

Blogging has been very thin on the ground lately as alas, my laptop that was literally held together with sellotape finally gave up the goat. I've therefore had to nab a quick moment on my sisters computer in order to write up this Lads Night In special.

Now I should start by sayin that Gav is very unadventurous when it comes to food, leading to me never bothering cooking for him before. However one slow Sunday I decided that this must change and came up trumps with these 'Lad' friendly recipes, with the ability to win over the most hesitant of diner.

We started off with a homemade pizza. Having never made my own before I was really excited by this simple recipe and can't wait to try other toppings that aren't often available in the supermarket (I'm not a big fan of takeaway pizza - I find them too greasy and lacking in fresh, vibrant tastes). Here's the recipe, taken from the GoodFood website:

175g ciabatta bread mix, plus a little extra for dusting
olive oil
large handful basil leaf
1 avocado , halved and thinly sliced
splash lemon juice
125g ball reduced-fat mozzarella
225g cherry tomatoes, sliced

1) Heat oven to its highest setting, about 240C/fan 220C/gas 9. Tip the bread mix into a large bowl, pour over 125ml lukewarm water and 1 tbsp olive oil, then mix well to a sticky dough. Knead for a few mins, using some of the extra dry mix to stop it sticking. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 15 mins.

2) While the dough is rising, put the remaining oil in a small blender with most of the basil, then whizz until the leaves are finely chopped. Toss the avocado in the lemon juice, then tear the mozzarella into rough pieces. 3 Using a little more of the dry bread mix to help you, roll and stretch the dough out to a rough circle on a large baking sheet.

3) Brush over the basil oil, scatter with the mozzarella and tomato slices, then bake for 10-12 mins until the base is crisp and the cheese melted. To serve, scatter with the avocado slices and remaining basil leaves, then season with freshly ground black pepper.

This was such an easy way to make the pizza base! I'll definitly be doing it again. The toppings were a revelation aswell. At first I found it odd that there was no tomato sauce in the recipe, however I found I much preferred the basil oil. It wasn't as heavy as your regular tomato based pizza and tasted far more authentic and fresh. The recipe made a pizza big enough for two very greedy people or four averagely hungry people for a starter.

Next up was a curry. This recipe, also from GoodFood (I bought my mum a 12 month subscription for Christmas, dead kind and completely selfless gift), billed itself as an introduction to curry. I thought this would be perfect for Gav's plain tastebuds and so gave it a try, here's the recipe:

(serves 2)
2 tbsp Pataks Tikka Masala curry paste

Half an onion , finely chopped

200g potatoes , cut into chunks

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

300ml vegetable stock , from a cube is fine

200ml can coconut milk

100g frozen peas

small bunch coriander , roughly chopped

1) Heat the curry paste in a large pan and stir in the onion. Cover and cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the potatoes, stock and coconut milk to the pan and bring to the boil.

2) Turn the heat down and simmer the curry for 20 mins until the potato has softened. Add the peas, bring back to the boil and simmer for 2 mins more. Season to taste and spoon the curry into bowls. Scatter over the coriander before you tuck in.

A very simple throw together curry that made a mild but very satisfying winter warmer. This served up two small portions (yes we admitted we were greedy with the pizza), and made for a very good lunch to take to work the next day.

Overall, two really simple recipes that I'm looking forward to adapting and cooking again. I'm starting to build up a collection of meals that are quick and practical/adaptable for when I have a place of my own and am limited on time/ingrediants. These will definitley be taking their place within that category. Any ideas for future pizza toppings from you lot?

Avocadon't? - Fruity Musings and a New Tea Room

Avocado is something that I've never really had but always fancied. I knew I'd love its creamy texture and the recipes I've seen it in always use ingrediants that really appeal to me; prawns, fresh salsa's, interesting salads, scallops. I often saw it used on the wonderful bitchin' camero blog along with unfamiliar American ingrediants, but then I found a recipe that used it in a sandwich and thought I'd give that a try.

It didn't go too well. I chucked a couple of avocados in my mum's tesco trolley and the next day cut one open for a suppertime snack. I was so disappointed! The insides were bruised and brown, and one half had to be thrown in the bin after my attempts to cut it resulted in an unappetizing mush. I managed to slice the other half and threw it on a sandwich with mayonnaise, turkey and some nice fresh tomatoes, but it just wasn't what I expected. The texture was very slimy and it didn't add much to the sandwich in the way of taste.

I had to throw the other fruit in the bin as I knew it wouldn't keep, and since this experiment I've bought another one from Morrisons and had the same issues. Both times I'd chosen fruit that was well within its sell by date, they just always seem to be terribly overripe.

After these two disasters I'd all but given up on avocados and stopped seeking out recipes that I'd never be able to do justice to. Until one glorious Saturday when I discovered a little gem of a tea room in the centre of Ormskirk. I'm so pleased with this find and I can find nothing about it online so you heard it here first people; get to twenty five's at the bottom of Aughton Street.

(This gloomy picture was taken when I walked past today, and it was all rainy.)

Until very recently it used to be a clothes shop called Fever, now it's a little cafe with comfy couches, outside seating, nice nick-nacks, and a small but perfectly formed menu. There's breakfast items available, exciting butties and a couple of small hot meals. They also do high teas on the little stands with selections of cakes and sandwiches, oh how I wish I drank tea! I decided to try the prawn, avocado and marie rose on brown bread, and was presented with this whopper of a sarnie:

It was dead DEAD yummy. The filling was plentiful and very tasty, although it was quite a challenge to eat because of the impressive doorstop bread. The salad ingredients weren't very imaginative but was dressed in balsamic, which complimented the fresh nature of the sandwich beautifully. And the avocado! It was creamy but still had a bite to it, which was definitley missing in the ones I'd bought. I really recommend this place as the prices are low and you get value for money in a relaxed atmosphere. They also sell cordials, teas, chutneys and other little treats. I bought a bottle of traditional lemonade for my mum which was gorgeous.

So, where am I going wrong? Clearly fresh tasty avocados are available somewhere. Is it because I'm buying them from a supermarket? Would I have more luck at a market? Is there a better time of year to buy them? Where do you source your lovely fresh avocados? And do you have any recipes you'd like to share? Feel free to comment with links and ideas!