ZEST COOKING

MY GLUTEN FREE BAKING – TO DATE!

2011-12-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

For a long time now, my best lady friend has been on a gluten free diet. I have not, in the past, paid a great deal of attention to this, other than make sure that everything is gluten free when ever she comes over for a meal.

But this year, whilst in America, we visited the Culinary Institute of America, and I noticed that one of the prominent bakers in that Institute had written a book on Gluten Free Baking – ‘Gluten Free Baking by Richard J Coppedge Jr. Published by Adams Media, USA’ - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - definitive work on gluten free baking by Richard J Coppedge Jr.

For some reason, this got me all excited, so I bought the book, and when I returned home, made up all the ‘flour mixtures’ and started baking. I found that all the breads rose quite well if you followed the instructions in the book, but to me, a gluten or normal eating person, the recipes didn’t taste 'normal'. I felt that the taste would be completely different from the tastes of normal bread, but there must be some way of baking gluten free bread that has a ‘similar’ taste to the normal breads.

So I got ‘looking on the internet’ – an enormous amount has been written on gluten free diets – and got 'experimenting', and I came up with a bread that is not too dissimilar to one that was published already – and what is more – the taste of that bread is not too dissimilar to the taste of normal bread. The bread dough doesn’t rise excessively but it tastes delightful.

So here is my version of multigrain bread, which is quite easy to make as long as you have the necessary ingredients – keeping in mind that some of the ingredients are a little more expensive than normal.

GLUTEN-FREE MULTIGRAIN BREAD

Ingredients:
Step 1
80 gm brown rice flour
80 gm sorghum flour
40 gm amaranth flour
40 gm tapioca starch
40 gm cornstarch starch
50 gm Chia seeds
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Step 2
2 eggs
2 additional egg whites
1 ¼ cup water at room temperature
40 gm vegetable oil
40 gm honey
10 gm apple cider vinegar

Preparation:
Step 1
Sift the flours, yeast and all other dry ingredients together into a medium bowl. Stir in chia seeds and combine.
Step 2
Combine the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl using a hand-mixer on low speed. When fully combined, slowly add dry ingredient mixture and mix until fully blended, with no lumps.
Step 3
Grease a 23 cm x 12 cm bread tin thoroughly (otherwise the finished bread WILL stick!), and pour the dough into the pan, and cover it with glad wrap. Turn on the oven to 45°C and immediately place the pan in it. Allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes. It should rise to near the top of the pan.
Increase heat to 180°C and bake for approximately 40 minutes. The crust should be golden-brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing it from the pan to finish cooling. Do not slice until the bread is no longer hot. It tastes really nicely! Fig 2 - a cut slice of the multigrain bread.

Fig 2 - grainy nature of the gluten free bread

Just to give you an indication of the ‘price’ of the various items in Australian dollars:

brown rice flour - $4.95 for 500 gm
sorghum flour - $8.50 for 623 gm
amaranth flour - $12.95 for 623 gm
tapioca starch - $2.10 for 410 gm
xanthan gum - $5.65 for 100 gm

so that all the ingredients for 1 loaf of bread come to approximately $6.50; normally, a loaf of bread ranges between $3.00 and $5.00.

I also wanted to make a pastry dough that stayed upright, intact and tasted quite reasonably. On the previous times that 'd attempted to do so - I ended up in a terrible mess, with the 'dough' not standing up at all! This I found in the Gluten Free Baking book that I previously mentioned – it tasted very nice but very different, but there are quite a number flour blends to make up before you start.

FLOUR BLEND NUMBER 1
INGREDIENT/ VOLUME/ WEIGHT
White rice flour/ 1 3/4 cup/ 295 gms
Potato starch 2 cups 225 gms
Tapioca starch/ 1 ½ cups/225 gms

FLOUR BLEND NUMBER 2
INGREDIENT/ VOLUME/ WEIGHT
White rice flour/1 ¾ cup/315 gms
Brown rice flour/1 ¼ cup/220 gms
Potato starch/¾ cup/90 gms
Tapioca starch/1 cup/125 gms

FLOUR BLEND NUMBER 4
INGREDIENT/ VOLUME/ WEIGHT
White rice flour/1 ½ cups/250 gms
Tapioca starch/1 ¾ cups/250 gms
Soy flour/2 ¼ cups/250 gms

FLOUR BLEND NUMBER 5
INGREDIENT/ VOLUME/ WEIGHT
White rice flour/1 ¾ cups/280 gms
Tapioca starch/1 ¼ cups/185 gms
Soy flour/1 ¾ cups/185 gms
Whey powder/½ cup/90 gms

3-2-1 PIE DOUGH
INGREDIENT/ VOLUME/ WEIGHT
BUTTER - COLD/12 Tablespoons/185 gms
FLOUR BLEND 2/2/3 cup/135 gms
FLOUR BLEND 4/¾ cup/125 gms
FLOUR BLEND 5/2/3 cup/125 gms
WATER - COLD/2/3 cup/165 gms

Fig 3 - 3-2-1 pie dough in 23 cm tart pan, already baked

BLUEBERRY STREUSEL TART (GLUTEN FREE) - one 23 cm pie

Ingredients:
Step 1 - Streusel topping
165 gm flour blend 1
¼ teaspoon baking soda
60 gm butter – cold
75 gm walnuts or pecans
115 gm brown sugar
Step 2
185 gm sugar
45 gm flour blend 1
1/4 teaspoon salt
600 gm Blueberries - fresh or frozen
1 x 3-2-1 pie dough – par baked
30 gm butter

Preparation:
Step 1 - Streusel topping
Rub together the flour blend, baking soda, butter and brown sugar until crumbly and then mix in the nuts – you can use the Kitchenaid.
Step 2
Whisk together sugar, flour blend number 1, and salt. Toss together with the blueberries - Fig 4,

Fig 4 - blueberries mixed with the other ingredients except the butter

and immediately place in the par baked pie shell - Fig 5.

Fig 5 - the blueberry mixture placed in the pie shell

Top with the butter - Fig 6

Fig 6 - the butter placed on top of the blueberry mixture

and then the streusel topping - Fig 7.

Fig 7 - the streusel topping

Step 3
Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 200°C for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the crust and streusel are golden brown and the filling is bubbling - Fig 8.

Fig 8 - the completed pie with some blueberry mixture coming 'through' the streusel topping

Thank you to Richard J Coppedge of 'Gluten Free Baking' for the above flour blends and the recipe for this tart.

So being a 'non gluten free' person and an ameteur baker - I feel quite proud of myself that I've come this far!!

AFTERNOON TEA AT THE BERKELEY HOTEL, LONDON

2011-11-16T02:14:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to be taken by my daughter, Aviva, to the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, London - Fig 1, to have afternoon tea together.

Fig 1 - the Berkeley Hotel

The afternoon tea which is known as a 'Prêt-à-Portea', is inspired by the themes and colours of the fashion world. The menu is changed every six months to follow the changing seasons in fashion.

This is a creative twist to the classic traditional English afternoon tea of, cakes and pastries, the Prêt-à-Portea resembling the latest catwalk designs for the style conscious, Fig 2,3,4.

Fig 2 - a 'Prêt-à-Portea' afternoon tea with fine-bone china by Paul Smith for Thomas Goode

Fig 3 - Aviva reading the Prêt-à-Portea menu

Fig 4 - the Prêt-à-Portea menu

The selection of loose leaf teas and herbal infusions include Loose leaf English breakfast, Earl Grey, Ceylon, Lapsang Souchong, Organic Assam, Vanilla, Pear Caramel, White Peony and the Herbal infusions Camomile Citron, Wild Blossom and Berries, Chocolate Mint Truffle and African Amber. ‘Well Being’ fruit infusions include Funky Fruits, Posh Pomelo & Melon, Gorgeous Ginger, Luscious Lemon and Amazing Apple - Fig 5

Fig 5 - the interesting array of teas

The mouth-watering selection of miniatures include savoury skewers, taster spoons, elegant canapés and tea sandwiches, as well as a collection of little cakes and pastries in in the colours of the fashion season and in the style of the world’s finest designers - Fig 6,7.

Fig 6 - the range of fashion designers featured in the afternoon tea

Fig 7 - the afternoon tea 'tray'

Such delicacies include:-

Valentino orange and ginger clutch cake closed with oversized chocolate bow - Fig 8;

Fig 8 - Valentino orange and ginger clutch cake closed with oversized chocolate bow

Bottega Veneta colour blocking pink and gold pear mousse and clementine cremeux coat with matching macaroon button - Fig 9;

Fig 9 - Bottega Veneta colour blocking pink and gold pear mousse and clementine cremeux coat with matching macaroon button

Dolce and Gabbana signature gold starred chocolate éclair dress filled with hazelnut cream - Fig 10;

Fig 10 - Dolce and Gabbana signature gold starred chocolate éclair dress filled with hazelnut cream

Stella McCartney must-have polka dot sponge cake dress - Fig 11;

Fig 11 - Stella McCartney must-have polka dot sponge cake dress

Burberry Prorsum stylish black and white double breasted chocolate biscuit coat with snow white vanilla icing - Fig 12;

Fig 12 - Burberry Prorsum stylish black and white double breasted chocolate biscuit coat with snow white vanilla icing

Miu Miu winter spice glittery high-heeled shoe biscuit - Fig 13;

Fig 13 - Miu Miu winter spice glittery high-heeled shoe biscuit

Jill Sander pomegranate and grenadine mousse dress topped with colourful chocolate flower pattern - Fig 14;

Fig 14 - Jill Sander pomegranate and grenadine mousse dress topped with colourful chocolate flower pattern

Lanvin show-stopping cassis bavarois dress with crème de mûre jelly topped with signature folded meringue - Fig 15;

Fig 15 - Lanvin show-stopping cassis bavarois dress with crème de mûre jelly topped with signature folded meringue

Sonia Rykiel striped chestnut cream and almond sponge cake dress complete with trendy metallic sparkles - Fig 16.

Fig 16 - Sonia Rykiel striped chestnut cream and almond sponge cake dress complete with trendy metallic sparkles

Various other 'items' came with the afternoon tea, including duck liver mousse on a spoon - Fig 17; a beef roll, various sandwhiches and an egg mousse roll - Fig 18.

Fig 17 - duck liver mousse on a spoon

Fig 18 - a beef roll with relish, various sandwhiches and an egg mousse roll

Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea includes champagne and/or coffee if you want it, and all the afternoon tea is served on fine-bone china by Paul Smith for Thomas Goode.

Wording in part from the the Berkeley Hotel website.

HESTON BLUMENTHAL'S RESTAURANT AT THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL, IN HYDE PARK, LONDON - 'DINNER'.

2011-11-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

'DINNER' is the name of Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant in Hyde Park, London. In the past, the main meal - 'dinner' - was eaten at midday, whilst it was still light outside. But candles and, later, gaslight saw 'dinner' shift to later times. People working in the cities were taking a 'lunch' to work and having their main meal - dinner - at 5.00 pm when they got home. But even today, depending where you are in the British Isles, 'dinner' might still be served at lunchtime, but suppertime is the more preferable.

Ashley Palmer-Watts joined Heston Blumenthal at The 'Fat Duck' in Bray in 1999 when it had just received its first Michelin star. Within two years, he was promoted to Sous Chef and he became Head Chef in 2003. Since 2008, he has been the Executive Head Chef for the Fat Duck group. Ashley currently heads up the kitchen at 'DINNER' - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - the 'Dinner' restaurant with the 'pineapple logo' - the idea behind this is explained later on.

Aviva, James and I had a late sitting at 9.30pm. Walking in to the restaurant, you were immediately struck by the design of the whole space. You walked through 'wine storage areas' that were temperature controlled depending on the type of wine. Then you stepped into an 'open planned' room, that had partial walls to reduce the level of the noise. There was an 'open' kitchen' behind glass walls, and a 'chefs table' next door to the kitchen. In the 'open kitchen' the main courses are made; but there are two kitchens hidden in which cold things are prepared. There is also another kitchen downstairs where all the preparation is done. The waiting staff at 'dinner' were truly excellent, friendly and an absolute wealth of information about the 'dinner' menu.

We were seated at the table - Fig 2, on which was already placed the 'dinner' menu - Fig 3.

Fig 2 - Aviva, Barry and James at the 'dinner' table

Fig 3 - the 'starters' on the 'dinner' menu

We then had the opportunity to peruse the menu, which has its basis, cooking wise, from the 1300's onwards. Boston sourdough bread was served that was just delicious. Then the three of us chose different 'starters' - Figs 4a and b, 5 and 6.

Fig 4a - Aviva chose 'Meat Fruit' (c. 1500) which is mandarin jelly coated chicken liver parfait and grilled bread. The mandarin jelly tastes, and is real mandarin

Fig 4b - the mandarin split open to reveal the chicken parfait

Fig 5 - Barry had 'Savoury Porridge' (c. 1660) which consisted of snails cooked sous vide, girolles, garlic and fennel - it was absolutely delicious

Fig 6 - James had 'Rice and Flesh' (c. 1390) which consisted of saffron, calf tail and red wine - truly scrumptious!

Then we had the main course - Figs 6 and 7

Fig 6 - Aviva and James had different varieties of steak. The steak was cooked sous vide and was absolutely tender and extremely tasty. These steaks were served with mushroon ketchup, red wine juice and the famous Heston Blumenthal triple cooked chips

Fig 7 - Barry had Powdered Duck Breat (c. 1670) which was a piece of duck breast cooked sous vide with smoked confit fennel and umbles (liver, kidney and other portions of the inside of venison and other animals)

And then we shared two desserts - Fig 8 - Tipsy Cake (c. 1810) and Fig 9 - Taffety Tart (c. 1660)

Fig 8 - Tipsy Cake is pineapple brioche with split roasted pineapple. Hence the 'pineapple' as the logo for this restaurant

Fig 9 - Tafferty Tart with apple, rose, fennel and blackcurrant sorbet

The Sommeliars are expert in their choice of wine, and whilst we only had a few glasses of wine - it was really terrific wine that we chose.

The meal finished with a small shot glass of mint chocolate ganache, which was super.

So that was the ending to a fabulous dinner at 'dinner'. Bookings are at a premium, but if you happen to be in London - then try and go to 'DINNER' - it is fantastic and one worth the fabulous experience!

THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA

2011-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

I had the marvelous opportunity whilst visiting my brother - David and sister-in-law - Lauren - who live in upstate New York to go and visit the Culinary Institute of America - New York campus. The Culinary Institute of America has three campuses - one in New York; one in Texas and the other in California.
The Culinary Institute of America is located in Poughkeepsie - about 50 miles north of New York city. It is in a really beautiful location on the banks of the Hudson River. The Culinary Institute of America started off as being a Seminary for priests, who at a later stage sold most of the land to the Culinary Institute of America. So the Institute has some old buildings but some very new ones as well.

Fig 1a - The Culinary Institute of America

Fig 1b - the symbol of the Culinary Institute of America within the floor of the main building.

We arrived at the Culinary Institute of America just in time for lunch. There are four restaurants run entirely by the students of the Institute - the Ristorante Caterina de' Medici restaurant; the American Bounty restaurant; the Escoffier restaurant and the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe. We went to the Medici restaurant which is of course Italian. The restaurant is entirely conducted by students - both the chefs and the waiting staff. The Medici restaurant - Fig 2

Fig 2 - Ristorante Caterina de' Medici

has quite a comprehensive menu Figs 3,4

Fig 3 - my brother David, my sister in law Lauren, and myself in the Ristorante Caterina de' Medici

Fig 4 - Lauren perusing the menu

and I ordered Bresaola with olive oil and Grana Padano; Potato gnocchi with beef ragu; and finally three mixed sorbets. I specifically ordered the gnocchi dish because I felt that being an Italian restaurant - the gnocchi should be extra special! Well they were special but not extra special - I imagine that it takes some time to get the gnocci to that 'mouth watering' level! Everything was served neatly and correctly, and full marks to the waiters and their instructors. You couldn't help but notice that some of the waiters and waitresses were a little nervous, but that added to the overall charm of the restaurant. There was a note on the menu to engage the waiting staff in conversation - and this we certainly did. And it was marvellous what we found out. One stunning factor was the cost of attending the Institute, which amounted to quite a sum of money. It was not surprising, therefore, that two members of our waiting team, had taken some time off 'mid course', to get a job and earn more money.
After lunch was complete, we went for a walk around the immediate area Figs 5,6,7,8,

Fig 5 - Lauren and Barry infront of the main building

Fig 6 - the fountain opposite the main building

Fig 7 - the education center

Fig 8 - walkway up to the main entrance

and then went on a tour of the various kitchens in which the students were taught. One of the kitchens was at the back of the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe where we saw the trainee chefs putting the final touches to some desserts. And the next kitchen we went to was the 'bulk kitchen' where most of the meals for the staff and students was cooked. It really looked like a 'production line' and I suppose - considering the large number of people attending the Institute, it would really have to be like that. The next kitchen we went to see was the bread making kitchen - Fig 9.

Fig 9 - a view into the bread making kitchen

The students working here are on 'night shift' where they start at about 10pm and work through the night to get fresh bread ready for the morning rush. They make a variety of different types of bread with an enormous variety of different seeds and grains. The next kitchen we visited was the cake making kitchen where students had to be precise and were weighing out the different constituents in preparation for their baking. They were making cakes, biscuits and brownies, and we were permitted to taste a coconut macaroon that some of the students made.

Interesting, the students are given an exercise where they are required to make the same tasting food in three different ways - one using a normal technique; one using gluten free techniques; and one using techniques for specific allergies to a particular product. This is extremely important considering that a significant number of the population are either gluten free or allergic to some particular product.

One thing that I noticed that was not readily apparent, was the almost complete absence of molecular gastronomy teaching, products or techniques. Being one who is very interested in molecular gastronomy techniques - it's absence was a little disappointing.
And finally the tour took us to all the four restaurants previously mentioned Fig 10,

Fig 10 - the outside of the the American Bounty restaurant

where the aim behind each of the restaurants was fully explained.

Really a thoroughly delightful day in an absolutely beautiful location.

WHICH KITCHEN KNIFE DO I BUY?

2011-07-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Which kitchen knife do I buy?

This post was brought about as a result of my daughter and son in law asking me for the name of a good set of knives to buy. And after pondering about it for some time -I consider it a very useful and important topic to write about.

You see - a knife should in a way be an extension of your hand, except your 'hand' has a a sharp cutting edge. As such it must be extremely comfortable to handle and should not unduely weigh your hand down, so that with minimal use, your hand gets tired. The balance of the knife in your hand must be near perfect, otherwise you are not going to get the ultimate out of your knife. So perusing the knife departments of the kitchen ware stores, or looking 'on line' one sees about 50 different knife brands, and each knife brand has as many as 130 different knives Everten

Now many of these knives are formulated for different specific circumstances, like cutting tomatoes; slicing smoked salmon; cutting fish and meat; etc., but there are also a whole range of general purpose knives such as the 'cooks knife' - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - two types of 'cooks knives' - a 'Furi' knife on top and a 'Wusthof Trident' knife on the bottom.

And I ask myself 'why is this so'. And the answer is very simple. In order to acheive the parameters mentioned above, and considering that there are so many 'grips' and so many different sized hands - that must be part if not all the reason why there are so many cooks knives. So that would mean, that if say a woman and her partner are doing equal shares of the cooking - you would, theoretically, require two different knives.

So then - which knife do you choose? And the answer to this question is quite simple. The person who is buying the knife for her/himself has to go into the kitcheneware store and actually handle the knife and see whether it fullfills all the parameters mentioned above eg: balance. So, for example, a person doing most of the cooking may find that a 'Global' knife suits them best as a cooks knife; a 'F.Dick' knife is well balanced for cutting bread; a 'Wusthof Trident' knife is best for boning out fish; etc.

So what I am getting at is that 'sets of knives' look great in a block in your kitchen, but it is quite rare for a single person to use ALL the knives in the block. Sure a 'knife block' may be cheaper to buy, but if you are cooking seriously, a range of differing brands will give you the ultimate feel when using knives.

I personally use a Furi knife as my cooks knife - Fig 2,

Fig 2 - a 'Furi' cooks knife on the top; a 'Furi' general cutting knife in the centre; and a 'Furi' vegetable knife at the bottom.

but use a Japanese branded knife for cutting sushi - Fig 3;

Fig 3 - a sushi knife.

a small 'Global' knife for cutting cores out of vegetables; a 'Wusthof Trident' knive for deboning fish; and a 'Kruger' knife for deboning meat - Fig 4;

Fig 4 - a 'Wusthof Trident' knife for cutting fish and a 'Kruger' Knife for cutting and de boning meat.

and a 'F. Dick' scalloped knife for cutting bread with - Fig 5.

Fig 5 - a 'F.Dick' scalloped knife for cutting bread.

But as I was saying before - just as there are so many cutting tasks to do - there are an equal number of different knives to do it with!

So if you are going shopping for a knife/knives - go to a kitchen store; try out the knives (perhaps more than once) and only then will you have a good idea of which knife suits you best!

And just a word on the sharpening of knives. I think that I can say that ALL knives need sharpening. A quick sharpening before each time you use a knife makes the cutting with the knife so much easier. Either you can learn how to sharpen the knife yourself using a 'steel' or a ceramic sharpener, or all good kitchen stores have a knife sharpening service. You will be very wise to avail yourself of this - it will make use of the knife so much easier.

SMOKING OF FOOD

2011-06-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

SMOKING OF FOOD

Smoking of foodstuffs has been a cooking technique that I, personally, have not tried before, and yet the basic smoking of food is relatively easy, and has, in fact been done for hundreds of years – all that it requires is a container that can be heated up, a smoking mixture and a receptacle for holding the food to be smoked, that can be tightly closed.

I bought a metal steamer, filled it partially with the smoking mixture - Smoking Foods , and smoked my meat – and it was absolutely marvellous. You have to decide whether you are going to ‘hot’ smoke the food or ‘cold’ smoke the food – I chose initially to hot smoke the food, and the results were stunning.

So this is what I did.

Fig 1 - a metal steamer.

I bought a metal steamer (Fig 1) from the Asian store, but there are many other utensils that can be used going from the very simple (like I did) to the more complicated smokers that can be bought commercially - Misty Gully .
I initially chose to smoke using an 'Oolong tea' smoking mixture, which consisted of long grain rice, oil, sugar, spices and some Oolong tea (Fig 2).

Fig 2 - the long grain rice plus sugar, tea and spices in the base of the steamer.

But the range of substances that can be used is enormous. If you desire to give a ‘wood’ smoke flavour to the food, then apple wood (Fig 3),

Fig 3 - apple wood chips from Misty Gully.

hickory and other woods can be used. One must ensure that the wood is free from insecticides, the wood is in a fine chip form, and the wood is completely wet before smoking is begun.

I chose initially to smoke quail meat Fig 4. Quail is not a thick meat and therefore the amount of time that it is smoked is relatively short.

Fig 4 - quail prior to deboning.

What I did was to butterfly and then debone the quail (Fig 5),

Fig 5 - the quail deboned.

marinate it in a pepper, salt, mandarin and ginger mixture (Fig 6),

Fig 6 - quail marinated in pepper,salt, ginger and mandarin peel.

and then after about one hour, clean off the marinating mixture (Fig 7),

Fig 7 - the marinating mixture washed off, the quail dryed and placed in the steamer.

and smoke it (Fig 8,9,10,11). The smoking mixture was placed in the base of the steamer; the heat was turned on and I waited till I began to see some steam coming off the smoking mixture. I then placed the container with the meat on top of the smoking mixture containing base, put on the lid, and the smoking was done for a period of 5 minutes and the smoking continued with the flame turned off for a further 5 minutes – at the end of this time – the meat had a distinct but subtle Oolong tea flavour to it.

Fig 8 - once smoke begins to emerge from the steamer, the lid is placed on, and the heat is continued for another 5 minutes.

Fig 9 - the steamer opened at the conclusion of 5 minutes with the heat on, and 5 minutes with the heat turned off.

Fig 10 - the quail taken out of the steamer.

Fig 11 - the quail meat divided into two ready for final frying and serving.

Fig 12 - final brief frying of the quail prior to serving.

Just before serving, I placed the meat in a hot frying pan for just one minute (Fig 12) to heat up and crisp the quail, and then the quail was eaten.

Possible health danger.

I suppose that one reason that 'held me back' from smoking food was the possibility of a health danger - after all, eating smoked food is akin to smoking a cigarette Ask the Experts: The dangers of barbecued meat . But on looking through some of the published literature on smoking food, it appears that long smoking with certain dry woods can give a slightly higher health risk than you would get from other cooking methods. From my own point of view - short hot smoking using materials other than wood for the smoking mixture, pose little danger of any health risk occuring. You can definitely find out more on this subject by reading the abundant articles on the internet.

MIXED BEAN AND POTATO SOUP

2010-09-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have a easy bean soup to make!

I decided to make a soup out of beans that I have hardly ever used before. So I went along to the Middle Eastern Store and bought Great Northern beans, red kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas and I noticed on the shelf some dried Lupini beans. I thought that they looked very interesting – much the same ‘looking’ as lima beans, or so I thought!

Well I soaked all the beans overnight, and the next day I began to make my soup. After adding all the requirements, I allowed the soup to simmer for about 1 ½ hours and then I tried it. It was the most sour horribly tasting soup that I’ve ever had. So I thought – what have I put in the soup that would make it so horribly tasting, and I finally honed this down to the Lupini beans - I better go to the internet, to find out more about Lupini beans.

Well I got a shock because I thought Lupini beans were the much the same as Lima beans. But Lupini beans have got alkaloids in them which are slightly poisonous, and when leached out make the water/soup completely sour. The thing you must do when preparing Lupini beans, is to change the bathing water every day, for about 5 days; boil up the beans; change the water again and then the Lupini beans become a very tasty addition to the menu! This ‘after the event’ knowledge on what to do with Lupini beans makes me wary that if I ever come across an ingredient that I don’t know what it is or does – I will always go the internet first and look up the ingredient!

For those of you that may be interested – there are in excess of 100 bean types that may be used in cooking – I bet that you have only come across perhaps a dozen of these types!

So, to get back to the recipe!

Ingredients:
Step 1 - Fig 1, Fig 2, Fig 3 and Fig 4
200 gm of chickpeas – soaked overnight
200 gm of red kidney beans – soaked overnight
200 gm of yellow lentils - soaked overnight

Fig 1 - red kidney beans; lentils; and chickpeas

Fig 2 - 200 gm each of the red kidney beans; the lentils and the chickpeas

Fig 3 - the beans are immesed in water and kept like this overnight

Fig 4 - engorged beans after an overnight soaking

Step 2
1 brown onion
3 potatoes - Fig 5; Fig 8
vegetable stock cube

Fig 5 - three potatoes are used

Preparation:
Step 1
The following day, the beans are brought to a boil over a low flame for about 30 minutes - this gets rid of the starch that comes out of these beans Fig 6.

Fig 6 - as the water boils, white starch like material comes to the surface which is skimmed off

Step 2
2 tablespoons of olive oil are then placed in a saucepan, and a finely chopped up onion is fried gently - Fig 7. Three potatoes that have been peeled and diced up roughly, together with the boiled beans, a vegetable stock cube and enough water to fully cover the contents of the saucepan - Fig 9. I then add some pepper and salt, and allow the mixture to slowly simmer for about 1 ½ hours, by which time all the beans are tender and the soup is ready to eat.

Fig 7 - the onion is gently fried in olive oil

Fig 8 - the diced potato is ready to add to the mixture

Fig 9 - all the ingredients and the water are added, and the mixture is left to slowly simmer for 1 1/2 hours

Fig 10 - the final soup ready in a bowl to eat - yum!

Presentation:
Two bowls of this yummy soup together with crusty bread makes a very nice meal!

CARROT, LENTIL AND POTATO SOUP

2010-05-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Step 1
½ cup of red lentils - Fig 1
Step 2
30 gms butter or oil
1 brown onion - Fig 1
Step 3
3 - 4 carrots - Fig 1
3 desiree potatoes - Fig 1
1 ½ liters water
vegetable stock cube
Salt and pepper
3 drops Tabasco sauce – optional

Fig 1 - the basic ingredients.

Preparation:
Step 1
Place the red lentils in water and wash them thoroughly to get rid of the grit and the starch.
Step 2
Place butter/oil in a saucepan over low heat and put in diced onion - Fig 2 and allow to cook till the onion is translucent.
Step 3
Peel the carrots - Fig 3 and dice them up and place them in the saucepan. Allow them to cook slowly for about 5 minutes. Peel the potatoes - Fig 4 and cut each into 8 pieces, and place in the saucepan. Drain the red lentils - Fig 5 and place them in the saucepan together with the vegetable stock cube - Fig 6; 1 ½ liters of water; the seasoning and the Tabasco sauce if using.

Fig 2 - onions cooking in the saucepan.

Fig 3 - carrots added to the saucepan.

Fig 4 - potatoes added to the saucepan.

Fig 5 - red lentils added to the saucepan.

Fig 6 - vegetable stock cube added to the saucepan.

Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 25 minutes - Fig 7.

Fig 7 - soup simmering away in saucepan.

The soup can either be eaten the way it is or can be food processed for a smoother result - Fig 8.

Fig 8 - yummy processed soup!

Eaten together with a slice of crusty bread – it is terrific!

SOUS VIDE COOKING AT HOME

2010-02-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

Sous vide is the French term for 'under vacuum'

For a while I have been fascinated by the idea of ‘sous vide’ cooking at home. Sous vide was first discovered in the 1700’s and later used in the 1970’s in commercial food preparation in France. After a thorough search of the internet for the various items of equipment required for successful sous vide cooking – ie: a thermal circulating bath and a vacuum sealer - the possibility of doing it at home seemed a little remote, because the cost of these equipment items was rather expensive.

But then I came across a site on the internet - ‘Sous Cooking at Home’. This is an Australian- based firm selling the temperature bath at a reasonable price. This equipment together with a vacuum sealer gets you all equipped to do sous vide cooking at home.

So, let me have a few words to say about sous vide cooking before I provide some simple recipes.

Sous vide cooking is the process of cooking vacuum sealed food - hence the need for a vacuum sealer - Fig 1 and 2 which I obtained from CrazySales ,

Fig 1 - vacuum food sealer

Fig 2 - proper placement of the plastic container bag

in a low temperature water bath - hence the need for an accurately controlled water bath Fig 3 and 4, which I obtained from Sous Vide Cooking At Home, that achieves texture and doneness of food not found with other cooking techniques. By this means, all the juices of the food being cooked are kept within the food and are not permitted to be released. And by cooking at a low temperature for a long period of time, the various collagen fibers which can give meat and fish their toughness, are slowly dissolved, leaving meat (other foods as well) delightfully tender and completely moist – and this is basically the whole idea behind sous vide cooking.

Fig 3 - the 'sous vide cooking at home' set up

Fig 4 - the constant temperature device on top and the water bath down below

Meat when cooked using the sous vide method has a very mild flavor. The reaction that brings out the flavor in meat is called the Maillard reaction. Maillard found in 1910 that the basic browning of the surface of meat that occurs at high temperatures caramelizes the sugars and so gives meat its characteristic taste. So nearly all meat is put into a searing frypan just after it is taken out of the sous vide cooker, and the meat surface is quickly browned. A short resting phase is then required to relax the meat before it is eaten.

So knowing the very basics, there are three recipes that I would like to share with you. The cooking of :

a fillet of ocean trout/salmon;
a loin of lamb;
a beef rib eye steak.

Other items can most definitely be cooked using the sous vide technique.

1 - SALMON WITH CUCUMBER-DILL BASE - serves 4
Ingredients:
Step 1
30 gm butter
1/2 small onion - peeled and chopped
1 stick celery - chopped
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
juice of 1 lemon
Step 2
4 skinless salmon fillets
Step 4 - base
2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and diced
60 ml sour cream
30 ml mayonnaise
minced fresh parsley
1 bunch of dill
salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:
Step 1
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is translucent. Add the cloves and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice.
Step 2
Place one piece of fish into each of four food plastic bags. Divide the onion mixture evenly among the pouches and vacuum seal each bag Fig 5.
Step 3
Place the pouches into the sous vide cooker at 40°C and cook for 40 minutes Fig 6. Cooking for longer periods can result in a loss of textural quality.

Fig 5 - the salmon being vacuum sealed

Fig 6 - the salmon in the sous vide cooker being kept at 40°C for 40 minutes

Step 4 - base
In a small bowl, stir together the cucumber, sour cream, mayonnaise, parsley and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed.

2 - LOIN OF LAMB - serves 2
Ingredients:
1 lamb loin - trimmed of fat, sinew, and silver skin
5 gm olive oil

Preparation:
Put lamb Fig 7 and oil in a vacuum bag and seal Fig 8. Cook sous vide at 57°C for 30 minutes for medium to medium rare Fig 9,10 and 11.

Fig 7 - the loins of lamb trimmed of all fat and sinew

Fig 8 - the loins of lamb vacuum sealed in a plastic bag

Fig 9 - the lamb in a vacuum sealed bag in the sous vide cooker

Fig 10 - sous vide cooker set at 57°C

Fig 11 - the loin of lamb completely cooked

Presentation:
Sear lamb on both sides quickly in a very hot frypan, rest for 5 minutes and serve.

3 - MARINATED SOUS VIDE RIB EYE STEAK – serves 6
Ingredients:
Step 1 – steak marinade
1 jalapeno chilli
1 stick of lemongrass - white part only
25 gm ginger
125 gm soy sauce
15 gm ground cinnamon
475 gm pineapple juice - extracted with juicer = 1 pineapple
360 gm brown sugar
125 gm salt
1000 gm water
Step 2 – meat
6 rib eye beef steaks
reserved cold steak marinade

Preparation:
Step 1 – steak marinade
In a large saucepan, bring chili, lemongrass, ginger, soy, cinnamon, pineapple juice, sugar, salt, and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Let steep for 2 hours. Strain through chinois into medium bowl and refrigerate until cold.
Step 2 – meat
Immerse the rib eye steaks - Fig 12 in the marinade and let stand - Fig 13 for 5 hour. Take out the beef and dry them; seal in a bag under vacuum - Fig 14 and cook sous vide - Fig 15 at 55°C for 5 hours - Fig 16 and 17.

Fig 12 - the rib eye steaks

Fig 13 - the steaks immersed in the marinade for 5 hours

Fig 14 - the marinated steaks vacuum sealed in plastic bags

Fig 15 - steaks cooked sous vide

Fig 16 - the steaks at the end of 5 hours

Fig 17 - a cut section of the meat showing the red nature of the steak

Presentation:
Sear steaks on both sides quickly in a very hot frypan, and serve.

If you get the equipment mentioned in this blog, you can prepare these items very easily as it takes a lot of the variability out of cooking!

NOTE:
If you are placing a lot of liquid in the cooking bag; it is worthwhile freezing the bag before sealing it - otherwise as the vacuum is applied, the liquid seeps out, and it is very difficult to seal the bag properly.

JUICING THE PASSION FRUIT!

2009-12-29T03:54:00.000-08:00

Have you wondered how to get juice and pulp out of a passion fruit relatively cleanly? Well – I’ve got one answer! I use the juicing attachment of my food processor - Fig 1, although you can do it (more slowly) with an ordinary juicer or a spoon.

Fig 1 - the juicing attachment of my food processor.

With the passion fruit stable - Fig 2, cut it in half – you will lose relatively little juice - Fig 3.

Fig 2 - passionfruit layed out before they are cut into halves.

Fig 3 - passionfruit divided into halves.

Then apply the passionfruit halves - Fig 4, to the rotating juicer, and hey presto – you are left with three things.

Fig 4 - passionfruit half applied to the rotating juicer.

There are the empty shells Fig 5,

Fig 5 - the empty shells.

there are the seeds - Fig 6,

Fig 6 - the seeds of the passionfruit.

and there is the juice relatively free of seeds - Fig 7.

Fig 7 - the juice of the passionfruit.

If you are not completely happy with the clarity of the juice – a quick pass through a strainer will do it! Normally, 10 passionfruit provides between 180 ml and 200 ml of juice - Fig 8.

Fig 8 - the juice of the passionfruit in a storage container.

You will have enough seeds to do most things with - Fig 9 – I normally discard half of the seeds that are collected.

Fig 9 - the seeds of the passionfruit.

Now that is a very simple way to obtain passion fruit juice. Passion fruits are in season now and are relatively cheap. Juice as many as you can and store the juice in the freezer.

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE

2009-12-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

This is a simple dessert but it looks SO effective – people will think that you have gone to a lot of trouble but YOU know better!

Ingredients:
Step 1
2 punnets strawberries
2 egg whites
½ cup of caster sugar - Fig 1

Fig 1 - the caster sugar, eggs and strawberries.

Preparation:
Step 1
Take the cores out of the strawberries and cut them into halves. Put the strawberries directly into the bowl of a food processor - Figs 2 and 3. Add the two egg whites and the caster sugar, and process on medium speed for 12 minutes - Fig 4.

Fig 2 - halved strawberries, sugar and egg white put in the food processer.

Fig 3 - during the course of processing.

Fig 4 - processed for 12 minutes - note the large increase in 'bulk'.

Step 2
The strawberry ‘foam’ or mousse thus formed is tipped into a bowl, and the bowl then refrigerated for about 2 hours - Fig 5, until ready for serving. It can be refrigerated up to a day.

Fig 5 - the mousse is tipped into a bowl which is then refrigerated.

Presentation:
Serve the strawberry mousse in small bowls - Fig 6 with a strawberry on top.

Fig 6 - strawberry mousse in a bowl for ready for serving.

EXPLORATION OF THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO

2009-12-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

While this blog is principally related to simple cooking ideas and recipes, I have included my recent trip to Morocco, both because it contains matters related to food and because I think that you would find it of interest! I am going to tell the tale of our trip in a number of parts - so keep looking!

Part 1 - Marrakesh.

Aviva (my wonderful daughter), James (my wonderful son-in-law) and myself left bitterly cold, wintery Luton Airport in London at 6.00am one Friday morning in November and, after a rough journey accross France and Spain, landed at Marrakesh in Morocco at 9.00am. Travelling from 2C in London to 25C at Marrakesh was quite a pleasant shock!

We were picked up by 'Atlas Amazing Tours', the tour company we had hired for our trip, and an attempt was made to take us directly to our Riad*(Dar One) (*explained shortly) but there was massive activity as a result of filming 'Sex and the City - 2'. We eventually got to our Riad via a back route. It was a beautiful Riad - so peaceful with its water fountain containing swirling roses as you walked in the front door! - Fig 1

Fig 1 - the swirling roses in the water fountain gave a very peaceful effect.

*The average Riad containing several bedrooms and a sitting room, is built in a square around a central open space which extends from the ground floor to the roof. Light is thus let in and available to all rooms.

We were placed in a first floor bedroom. There are two floors and on the top floor/roof, which was open to the sun, we had our breakfasts - Fig 2.

Fig 2 - James and I having breakfast on the roof.

Fig 3 - looking down to the floor - it was extremely serene inside the Riad

When night time came, looking upwards gave the feeling of looking into a void. The two pieces of canvas are used to shade the inside of the Riad from the direct sun Fig 4 a and b.

Fig 4a - Aviva looking out from the roof - note the two pieces of canvas.

looked as they were an 'interloper' at night.

Fig 4 b - looking up into the void.

Marrakesh consists of a Medina - a walled off part of the city - as well as the area outside the Medina. The Medina is constucted with only very narrow pathways between houses Fig 5a and b;

Fig 5a - Aviva in the narrow pathways between houses.

5b - the narrowness creates warmth in Winter and a coolness in Summer.

the house being walled off from the pathways but having an open inside to let the light in. These Medinas were made intentionally in this manner to keep the heat out in the summer and the warmth in during winter.

In Marrakesh we visited the Palace of Bahia, the beautiuful gardens of Jardin Majorelle that was established by Yves St Laurent - wonderful tranquil gardens with lots of colour Fig 6,

Fig 6 - the Jardin Majorelle

and tiny tortoises in the water Fig 7.

Fig 7 - tiny tortoises lying in the water and in the sun.

In the Saadian tombs, the Kings 'companions' are buried according to their importance - the lesser favored Queens had flat tombs, the more favored Queens had slight projections at the surface of their tombs Fig 8.

Fig 8 - the less favored 'companions' are buried in the back of this picture; the more favored are buried in the front!

The Koutoubia Mosque Fig 9.

Fig 9 - the Koutoubia Mosque with a 'hangmans pole' at the top! It really points towards Mecca.

We thought that the 'hangmans pole' at the top of the Mosque was to hang people on - but no, it points in the direction of Mecca!

We ate lunch in the French area of Marrakesh - Fig 10 and because it was Friday, we ate a Tagine of couscous and vegetables - Fig 11. It was just delicious, and the chicken Bestila was divine as well! A Bestila is traditionally a combination of pigeon meat, almonds and sugar all wrapped in a filo like pastry - Fig 12.

Fig 10 - the French area of Marrakesh

Fig 11 - couscous and vegetables - yum!

Fig 12 - a chicken Bestila

As far as food stores were concerned, the spices were all amazing; there was just pile after pile of bakery items Fig 13;

Fig 13 - bakery items galore!

and mounds of beans and olives Fig 14.

Fig 14 - beans and olives galore!

The dried fruit stalls were stunning as well. There were four different types of dates with the Medjool date being the most expensive Fig 15.

Fig 15 - piles and piles of dried fruit!

Part 2 - Marrakesh

2009-12-15T01:21:00.000-08:00

As night time approached, we went to the market square - Djemma el Fna - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - the famous market square Djemma el Fna.

It was just packed with people with all sorts of activities taking place. There were snake charmers - Fig 2 and 3,

Fig 2 - snake charmers.

Fig 3 - snake charmers.

little monkeys on ropes; all sorts of games to play - Fig 4;

Fig 4 - trying to get a small ring on a bottle top using a fishing line - it is nearly impossible to do!

and all types of different foods to eat - including snails, sheeps head - Fig 5,

Fig 5 - people sitting around waiting for their sheeps head to be served!

a 'chocolate' like cake and wonderful tea made out of many different spices - Fig 6 and 7.

Fig 6 - some of the many spices used to make the tea drink.

Fig 7 - Barry sampling some of the tea.

and wonderful fresh juice to buy - Fig 8.

Fig 8 - Aviva drinking some of the red grapefruit drink - really yum!

And, ofcourse, there was 'Coca Cola' - Fig 9.

Fig 9 - Coca Cola is everywhere!

A was really a world of variety and wonderment.

Fig 10 - Beghir being made - a type of fried pancake.

In the morning we were treated to a true Moroccan breakfast. We started off by having a mixture of orange and grapefruit drink. Then there were a number of different breads. One type, called Beghir - Fig 10, was like a fried pancake.

Fig 11 - a bubbly pikelet (top) and a fried flat bread (bottom).

Another type was like a bubbly pikelet - Fig 11, and a third was like fried flat bread - Fig 11. There was also French toast made out of thick cake like bread. All these were served with either honey (a favorite of Morocco), fig or strawberry jam, and tea and coffee. At some breakfasts, later on in our trip, we had a semi soft-boiled egg with cumin seeds on it; the egg was absolutely delicious!

Fig 12 - the domed, ornate entrance to the Marrakesh Medina, with the Moroccan flags either side.

The entrance to the Marrakesh Medina - Fig 12.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the souk in the Medina. The pathways are quite narrow and getting lost is relatively easy to do!

Part 3 - to Ouarzazate and the northern Sahara.

2009-12-15T00:40:00.000-08:00

The next day we set off in an south easterly direction toward Ouarzazate, over the High Atlas Mountains - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - the road tracking across the High Atlas Mountains.

with a stop at Alt Benhaddou - Fig 2 and 3 - one of the great Kasbahs left in Morocco (a Kasbah has four lookout - one at each corner - which were used as the forts of the various tribes that lived in or invaded Morocco. The great Kasbah at Alt Benhaddou was used to film 'The Gladiator', 'Laurence of Arabia' etc., and is quite imposing.

Fig 2 - the great Kasbah of Alt Benhaddou

Fig 3 - the enormous expanse visible from the top of the Kasbah.

We stayed overnight at Dar Daif. As night was falling we drank mint tea and ate almond biscuits in the serene setting sun outside our room. Dinner was accompanyed by a man playing a lute - a mixture between as oud and a banjo - Fig 4 - who sang simple Moroccan songs that were really catchy. It was just wonderful.

Fig 4 - a Moroccan man playing the 'oud'/banjo.

We began our dinner with a red grapefruit drink with dates and olives or Zitoun. Then we had Harira soup - Fig 5 - chickpea and mutton soup - yum!

Fig 5 - Harira soup.

Then we had couscous tagine with chicken - Fig 6, and then a mixture of fresh fruit and Mouhallabiya - a milk pudding. It was a really delightful meal. Alcoholic beverages are not really permitted in Morocco although some restaurants serve them under their 'secret menu'!

Fig 6 - couscous with chicken.

We passed valleys with palm tree groves producing dates

Fig 7 - lots and lots of dates!

on our way to the Todra gorges. Some of the gorges were up to 600 feet high - it was really impressive - Fig 8 and 9.

Fig 8 - very high gorges.

Fig 9 - the gorges are used in the summer for rock climbing.

Then on to Efroud where a four wheel vehicle drove us far into the desert. It took approximately one hour. Towards evening we ended in a place called Zagora where we jumped onto camels. Actually, they were dromedaries - Fig 10: they have one hump where camels have two humps.

Fig 10 - Aviva, James and I set trail on our Dromedaries.

These dromedaries took us further into the dessert where we saw the sun setting - a most beautiful sight! The desert (the north part of the Sahara desert) is a desolate place with only a very occasional tufts of grass; the occasional Berber tent and its folks - Fig 11

Fig 11 - a Berber man in his tribal dress, dispensing water for us.

and unending sand dunes - Fig 12.

Fig 12 - the unending sand dunes of the Sahara desert.

Fig 13 - the sun setting on the Sahara desert.

It was really quite strange - some of the Berber tents have solar panels now!

Fig 14 - the 'three musketeers' on the top of endless sand dunes.

We came back from our dromedary ride at night time and we slept in a Berber tent at Auberge Dunes d'Or. It was really quite warm in the desert but it got a little but chilly at about 4.00am. Thank goodness we were under Berber blankets - Fig 15 - they are SO warm!

Fig 15 - Barry under a Berber blanket.

Fig 16 - our little fire could be seen for kilometers in the empty desert.

When the outside fire went out and we were alone in the desert, it was totally dark except for the bright stars - just wonderful! Zagora is about 30 kilometers from the Algerian border, and at present, Morocco has a very poor relationship indeed with Algeria.

Early the next morning, we settrack in the 4 WD once again across the nothingness Fig 17 - the Sahara desert, and went back to Erfoud and our car once again.

Fig 17 - the complete 'nothingness' which makes up the bulk of the Sahara desert.

Part 4 - from the desert to and including Fes.

2009-12-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

We travelled quite far in a northerly direction that day, crossing the Atlas Mountains into cool forests full of Cedar wood to a 'Swiss' village at Ifrane that really looked like a Swiss village - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - the 'Swiss' village.

Like Lucarno in Switzerland, the lion - Fig 2 - is representative of this 'Swiss' town!

Fig 2 - the lion of Lucarno in Morocco.

And then onto Fes where we stayed at a Riad called Dar Attajalli - this Riad like the other we had stayed at was extremely comfortable.

And for breakfast, we had a whole range of Moroccan cheeses - Fig 3.

Fig 3 - three different types of Moroccan cheese - two soft and one hard.

And a srange sort of starter - Fig 4, that consisted of avocado, a mixture of watermelon and strawberries and a milky cream mixture!

Fig 4 - avocado and watermelon-strawberry mixture.

In Fes we had a guide who took us to the Kings palace where, because the King was in Fes, we were allowed to take photos of certain places outside the palace only - Fig 5.

Fig 5 - Aviva and I standing outside the Kings palace.

We were taken to an old Islamic school - the Medersa with its intricate and ancient carvings and ceramic work - Fig 6 and 7.

Fig 6 - inside the Medersa of Fes with its intricately sculptured archways behind.

Fig 7 - the very careful sculpture in plaster.

We went to the pottery works where people do intricate designs by hand; the tannery where men still ply the ancient art by treading on the skins with their bare feet and making all types of colors for the leather - by really ancient methods. The skins are initially put in a lime solution to rid them of all fatty tissue - Fig 8

Fig 8 - large vats of lime solution used to de-fat the animal skins.

Fig 9 - the various colors used to color the leather.

Fig 10 - the skins are in these vats for many weeks.

and then colored - Fig 9, and the color is then fixed - Fig 10 - all a time consuming method!

And food - there was food galore!

Fig 11 - note the green stamps on the meat.

The green stamps on the meat - Fig 11, indicate that the meat is of 1st quality - the best possible to buy!

Fig 12 - just a reminder where the meat comes from!!

The camel's head - Fig 12, by the side of the meat indicates that the meat comes from camels - it is not mutton!

Fig 13 - our guide pointing out the finer points of making a Tagine.

Our guide pointed out the way to cook a Tagine properly: cook the fruit separately and add it just before serving - Fig 13. Also with a chicken Tagine, squeeze lemon juice over the chicken and leave it for about a day! This simple process changes the taste of the Tagine significantly.

Fig 14 - heaps and heaps of dried fruit.

and then, of course -

Fig 15 - a 'Dentist' surgery.

Who can resist a 'Dentist' surgery - Fig 15?

And the great Medina of Fes is layed out like a post card - Fig 16.

Fig 16 - the sprawling city and Medina of Fes.

At night, we ate amongst other things, beef meat balls in a mixture of Moroccan spices - Fig 17. It was truly yum!

Fig 17 - the yummy mixture of beef meat balls with Moroccan spices.

Part 5 - from Fes to Rabat and back to Marrakesh.

2009-12-15T00:14:00.000-08:00

We caught a train the next day to go in a westerly direction to Rabat – the political capital of Morocco – on the sea shore. We were met in Rabat by one of Aviva’s friends who used to work at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne when Aviva was there. Alexandra or ‘Alex’ originally comes from Paris where she met Ismail, a Moroccan man working for Connex. He was sent out to Australia and Alex came with him. I met Alex through Aviva and she is a really nice lady as is her husband. She took us to her house, which is a very fine house in a very fine area of Rabat. They have one son called Ilias - Fig 1.

Fig 1 - James,Barry,Aviva,Alex,Ismail holding Ilias.

They looked after us really, really well!

We visited the Hassan Tower and the ‘Mohammed V’ Mausoleum (grandfather to the current King) - Fig 2.

Fig 2 - the 'Mohammed V’ Mausoleum.

And, of course, a visit to the ‘Souk’ within the walled Medina - Fig 3.

Fig 3 - the Souk in the walled Medina.

On the Saturday an annual festival called ‘Aid el Adha’ was held. In this festival, every family that is able takes a sheep - Fig 4.

Fig 4 - a person carrying home a sheep.

The sheep is slaughtered in the morning and the heads are cooked on the street corners - Fig 5

Fig 5 - the smoke arising out of the cooking of the sheeps heads.

while the sheep’s meat is left for a day or so to mature. All of the morning the towns in Morocco are full of butchers with their sharp knives, going from house to house slaughtering the sheep. Each family is supposed to keep one-third of the meat, give a third to their neighbors and a third to the poor who cannot afford to slaughter a sheep. Ismail took us to the sea shore where you could see a red wash coming from all the blood that had flowed through the drains in town.

We waited for the train at Rabat station, and whilst we were waiting we just had to take a photo - Fig 6!

Fig 6 - Barry, Aviva and James.

After Rabat we went by train to Casablanca (also on the coast) and then inland in a southerly direction to Marrakesh again for one night before we went back to wintery, blustery London!

Fig 7 - clear, sunny Marrakesh!

It was so warm in Marrakesh - Fig 7 – and so cold in London.

I hope that you have enjoyed my foody travelogue of Morocco!

Lychee and peach dessert - simple and fabulous!

2009-11-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

This dessert is very easy to make, but there is NO need to tell anyone that! It consists of a can of lychee nuts and a can of sliced peaches in syrup. I know that this sounds very simple, but it is luscious to eat!

Ingredients:
1 can of lychee nuts (565 gm) - drained (Fig 1)
1 can of natural sliced peaches in syrup (825 gm) - drained (Fig 1)

Fig 1

Preparation:
Pour the liquids into a container - (Fig 2).

Fig 2

Put the lychee nuts into a food processor together with the sliced peaches - (Fig 3).

Fig 3

Process these ingredients until they form a rough texture but are not yet completely smooth - (Fig 4).

Fig 4

Transfer into a bowl and refrigerate until it is cold. It is now ready to eat - (Fig 5).

Fig 5

The syrups, if retained make a fabulous cold drink - (Fig 6)!

Fig 6

Spaghetti with mushrooms and a dash of cream.

2009-11-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

A very simple recipe to produce a quite filling main course for 2 people. It can easily be increased by doubling or trebling the amounts of ingredients in the recipe.

Ingredients:
Step 1
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 brown onion
Step 2
1 x 200gm packet of cup mushrooms - (Fig 1) - (other mushrooms can ofcourse be added, and this will add to the flavour of the total dish)

Fig 1

1/2 a vegetable stock cube
salt and pepper - to taste
approximately 20 ml of pouring cream (35%)

Step 3
spaghetti - (Fig 2)

Fig 2

Preparation:
Step 1
Place the oil in the saucepan and dice up the onion. Gently fry the onion over medium heat until it becomes translucent - (Fig 3).

Fig 3

Step 2
Add the mushrooms that have been de stalked and sliced up or quartered - (Fig 4).

Fig 4

Cook using gentle heat until the mushrooms are tender, and then add the salt and pepper and a dash of cream - (Figs 5,6,7).

Fig 5

Fig 6

Fig 7

Step 3
Mean while, boil a large saucepan of salted water, and add enough spaghetti for two people - (Fig 8).

Fig 8

When the spaghetti is al dente, remove it into a strainer - (Fig 9); place on a plate, and add the mushrooms - (Fig 10) - the result is really nutricious and delicious!

Fig 9

Fig 10

Soy marinated chicken thighs - a simple dish for main course.

2009-11-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

This simple recipe produces tasty chicken thigh pieces in a hurry! Buy a packet of chicken thighs (Lilydale; Home brand; organic) at the supermarket that have been de boned and de skinned - there are normally 5 - 7 chicken thighs per packet (depending on the size of the chickens) - this will feed 3 people. It is important to cut off any excess fat before marinating the chicken pieces.

Ingredients:
Step 1
1 packet Lilydale chicken thighs - (Fig 1)

Fig 1

4 tablespoons soy sauce - (Fig 2)
4 tablespoons sweet soy sauce or Ketchup Manis - (Fig 2)
2 tablespoons mirin - (Fig 2)
a few grinds of white pepper

Fig 2

Preparation:
Step 1

Fig 3

Un roll each chicken thigh and cut it into 8 pieces - (Fig 3, 4, 5). Do exactly the same with the remaining chicken thighs.

Fig 4

Fig 5

Put the chicken thigh pieces into a non reactive dish, and immerse in the sauces - (Fig 6, 7).

Fig 6

Fig 7

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2
At the end of 30 minutes, remove from the refrigerator, and place the chicken thigh pieces and the marinade in a heated frypan over low-medium heat - (Fig 8)

Fig 8

Pan fry for 2 minutes then turn over each piece (Fig 9). Pan fry the other side for approximately 3 minutes. The longer the chicken thighs are pan fried, the drier they become. The total time of 5 minutes produces well cooked pieces that are not dried out.

Fig 9

Step 3
Put these thigh pieces on a plate - (Fig 10) together with some of the remaining sauce and serve with a salad or chip potatoes. These chicken pieces are really tasty!

Fig 10

Light soy sauce can be used if you require a more subdued flavour (Fig 11).

Zucchini soup - yum!

2009-10-28T02:13:00.000-07:00

I obtained the idea of this recipe from a recipe published by The Australian Womens Weekly cookbook series. I find this recipe really luscious, filling and easy to make. Some people may think - what zucchini? - yuk! But believe me, this recipe does not taste like you might think zucchini tastes like!

ZUCCHINI SOUP

Ingredients:
Step 1
60 gm butter
1 medium onion – chopped
6 medium zucchini – peeled and chopped
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
water to cover zucchini
Step 2
salt and ground white pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Preparation:
Step 1
Heat the butter in a medium saucepan and add the chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped zucchini and the chicken/vegetable stock cube and the water, bring to the boil and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Remove from the heat and process with a Bamix and when processed, adjust the seasoning and add a pinch of nutmeg.

Presentation:
Serve it in a soup bowl.

Note: the butter adds to the flavour of the soup; the soup can be made more/less intense by adjusting the amount of water added; this soup may be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

WATER can save a Hollandaise sauce!

2009-10-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I have made a Hollandaise sauce in the past which ended up curdling, and a curdled sauce is not very pleasant looking, to say the least!

A Hollandaise sauce is used traditionally to accompany such foods as egg Benedict and asparagus,and is the basis for a number of other sauces.

There are three very important things to know about the making of a Hollandaise sauce. Firstly never use an aluminium pan because it will turn the sauce a greenish colour. Secondly, be very careful with the heat that is applied - too much heat and the sauce will curdle. And thirdly, it is best to use a bain marie or a container placed over a pan of boiling water.

Hollandaise sauce is a mixture of butter, egg yolks, water, seasoning and lemon juice and as it turns out this combination is rather useful, because, if the mixture is inadvertently heated too much and ends up curdling, the addition of a tablespoon of cold water can bring the curdled mixture back into a sauce once again! The absolute wonders of water.

So don't be afraid to make a Hollandaise sauce - if it does go wrong, a little cold water will get it back on the right track again!

My favorite shops

2009-10-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

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A1 - LEBANESE BAKERY
This is the store to go to if you are wanting Middle Eastern items. It is not only a bakery but also a grocery shop full of Middle Eastern items at very reasonable prices; every type of bean you can think of, as well as spices galore!
The store is located at 643 Sydney Road, Brunswick, 3056, Victoria.

ARTHUR'S POULTRY
I found Arthur's relatively recently in my continual search for good food stores, after going to other stores for some time. Arthur's is at the Prahran Market, has extremely friendly staff, and their poultry products are extra fresh.

CHEF'S HAT

This enormous store has all that you may want as far as cookery hardware (saucepans, plates, glasses,etc.) is concerned, and has a whole range of commercial items as well. Located just opposite the South Melbourne Market at 131 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, 3205, Victoria.

CLARINGBOLDS
I have bought all my fish at Claringbolds for 14 years and since I formed 'Zest Cooking' in 2001 - that is the only store I go to! Claringbolds is at the Prahran Market, and they are so accommodating - they will do exactly what you want them to do with the fish in question.
They have the freshest of fish, and for many recipes I request that the fish be filleted, boned and de skinned - they will do this with pleasure. They have a wide range of fish for sashimi and you can purchase sushi there as well.
I purchase all my oysters, scallops and crab meat there, and for more specialised items like Sea Urchins; Salmon Roe; Patagonian Tooth Fish; eel; etc. - they either have these items in stock or will get them in if given notice.
The staff there are extremely friendly and helpful and will readily advise you of a fish they have in stock and how to cook that fish.

FOOTSCRAY MARKET
Looking for some strange Asian vegetable? The Footscray Market is the place to go! Very reasonably priced, you can get everything Asian, and since most of the Asian people shop every day - the vegetables are very fresh indeed.

ISTANBUL BUTCHERS
This is an Halal store at 609 Sydney Road, Brunswick, 3056, Victoria, and has a whole range of Turkish and Lebanese meat cuts. Here you can buy true 'kibbeh' as well as the special dried and spiced beef called Bastrouma - just lovely! The meat here is cheaper than in other parts of town, and you can get all sorts of wierd and wonderful cuts. A visit here is well worth your while.

MEDITERRANEAN WHOLESALERS
This is a very large store, open to the public, that has everything at remarkably low prices. You can buy items like olive oil for cooking, cheeses, Italian products, a whole range of dried and fresh pasta of every kind and shape, tinned items, breads and cakes and liqueur and wine. It is located at 482 Sydney Road, Brunswick, 3056, Victoria.

MINH PHAT
If you ever want anything Asian, then this store is the one to go to! Actually there are two stores - one next to the Queen Victoria Market (125 Therry Street, Melbourne, 3000, Victoria) and the other one in Richmond (178 Victoria Street, Richmond, 3121), the latter store being a 'super' store. You can buy everything from Soy sauce to white fungus; from lychee nuts to lotus seeds to Jelly fish. Anything and everything you want - you can find it in these stores.

NEIL'S MEATS
I found Neil's - also located at the Prahran Market - after looking around for some time, and I would say they are really special! You can buy Wagu beef, aged beef and any other type of meat possible. I have found that if you want a 'strange' cut of meat, they will prepare it for you or, if possible, get it in. The meat is carefully and fully prepared with only the minimum fat remaining.

PETE AND ROSIES

This store, also at the Prahran Market is a favorite of mine for cheeses. They have a wide variety of both local and international cheeses, as well as many other items of a delicatessen nature.

RUSSO'S
I have purchased my fruit and vegetables at Russo's for many years. I in the main see either Paul or Frank, and they have been extremely helpful to me. They are situated at the Prahran Market, and the fruit and vegetables I bring home are always fresh. The ripeness of the fruit depends on what I ask for, and if for some reason the fruit has gone bad on the inside, you can take it back and get it replaced at no charge at all!

SCULLERYMADE
This beautiful store with wonderful people on the staff posesses everything hardware that you could possibly want for cooking. Go there - you will NOT be disappointed. It is located at 1400 High Street, Malvern, 3144, Victoria. Well worth a visit!

THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT

This store adjacent to the Prahran Market is a store you would love to be let loose in with money matters being taken care of by someone else! It is a treasure trove of both food and hardware items, and for all specialty items - you just cannnot go past it! It has nearly everthing you may want as far as cooking is concerned.
Essential Ingredient has a large food section, a large section for kitchen hardware, an appreciable cooking book section, and it also has a cooking school. I could literally live in this store!

2009-10-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

A beautiful meal in a few minutes!

SEARED TUNA – BARRY’S RECIPE

Ingredients:
Step 1
Tuna steak/s
soy sauce
english mustard
pepper

Preparation:
Step 1
Take a tuna steak (or multiple tuna steaks) (approx 150 - 200gms each ), bring to room temperature (A)

(A)

and coat the top side with hot english mustard and some pepper (B).

(B)

You can, if you like, cook the tuna steak straight away OR you can leave it in the soy sauce within the cool frypan for approximately 15 minutes to marinate.

Step 2

With the frypan on medium heat and the soy sauce starting to bubble inside the frypan, place the tuna steak with the mustard side down (C) and sear for 2 minutes.

While this is searing, coat the exposed side with mustard and sprinkle some pepper (D),

(D)

and sear this side for 1 - 2 minutes. By this time most of the soy sauce will have dried up – it’s finished and ready to serve (E).

(E)

Presentation:
This is beautiful served with a mixture of mashed potatoes and mashed parsnips. Or with a small salad - the whole dish looks and tastes terrific.

This fish comes out with its centre NOT completely cooked through (F) - the correct way for cooking fish! The hot English mustard is rendered quite a lot milder by the cooking process.

(F)

When making puddings and creme caramels - DO NOT USE ELECTRIC BEATERS!

2009-10-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

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One thing that I found out rather painfully a few years ago, was that when making desserts with eggs, sugar and milk or cream, and then placing the desserts in the oven to cook and set - it is strongly advised not to use an electric beater during the beating process. The use of an electric beater puffs up all the ingredients with air, which is then eliminated as the dessert cooks. The result is that a ramekin that was full at the beginning of the cooking process turns out to be about one- third full once the cooking has finished! Rather than have this DISASTER happening - I use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients, and the result is a very nice looking dessert!

Recipe for extremely luscious vegetable soup

2009-10-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

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VEGETABLE SOUP - BARRY’S STYLE

Ingredients:
Step 1
40 gm butter or olive oil
1 brown onion - diced
3 medium sized carrots – peeled and cut into small pieces
4 small purple sweet potatoes – peeled and cut into small pieces
500 gm frozen peas
4 medium sized zucchinis – peeled and cut into small pieces
2/3 cup dried red lentils – soaked to get rid of the bulk of the starch
2 cubes of Massel chicken stock (vegetarian)
2 liters of water
6 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)
salt and pepper – to taste

Preparation:
Step 1
Melt the butter in a largish saucepan and add the onion and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes and the peas, and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Then add the zucchini, red lentils, stock cubes, water , Tabasco and salt and pepper; bring to the boil and allow to cook over a low heat for about 30 minutes. It may be necessary to remove any scum from the surface initially – this scum is not harmful but is just starch from the lentils.
Step 2
Remove from the heat and break up the pieces in the soup and make the soup smooth with a Magimix – check on salt and pepper – and enjoy!

Beginning blogging

2009-10-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

I saw the movie 'Julie and Julia' recently, and I thought - wouldn't it be a great idea if I had a blog just like Julie's. Here I could record some simple recipes that could be used by everyone, and also list some of the shops that I regularly frequent to purchase the produce that I use, as well as discuss the equipment that I find so handy.