Writing At The Kitchen Table

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New Beginnings
2008-10-01 17:32:00
Still in it's embryonic stages, not entirely perfect but this is what the techno-nerds refer to as Beta: our new blog, revolving entirely around that most perfect of foods: chocolate. For those of you who still drop in occasionally, do call round our new blog for a cup of steaming hot chocolate - you won't regret it! And don't forget to tell us what you think:THE COCOA LOUNGEThanks for all your support for Writing at the Kitchen Table and we hope that you will enjoy the new blog and still get inspiration from the old one, as we continue to be inspired by all food bloggers out there!

A Tale of Two Soups
2007-12-14 13:18:00
Whilst the shimmering frost looks delightful and the pale blue/grey wintry sky are truly evocative of every other winter that has passed me by, I am already longing for the past (or, preferably future) summer. Despite the sun closing up early and denying us of mood-enhancing daylight, the days seem much longer as I shiver in my car on the way to work. Fortunately, we have Christmas to look forward to, and, although it?s gone before it seems to have barely arrived, the days leading up to Christmas are always thrilling. There?s the Gingerbread House to make, biscuits and cookies to take to work, the tree to decorate and presents to buy and wrap.So, because of all this extra activity, we need quick and nourishing meals, using up wilting vegetables from the fridge to ensure plenty of room for the seasonal extras. And what quick and nourishing meal do the Ericksons always turn to in days of financial hardship and droopy vegetables? That?s right, soup.The first soup, Mushroom and Wild Ric...
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A Little Vegetarian Butchery
2007-12-05 14:45:00
If you are a dyed in the wool, gnawing meat from the bone carnivore, it can seem a little daunting cooking for a vegetarian. After all, you can?t just serve them what you?re already having, minus the meat part. A plate of vegetables seems a little meagre.When I was a vegetarian, during my misspent youth, my mum used to spend hours pouring over Linda McCartney cookbooks, trying to find recipes that made my diet not only interesting, but nutritious. And it must have worked ? I was never ill ,although I was skinny as a rake (perhaps I should consider taking up vegetarianism again, in light of our current dietary issues). There wasn?t the vast array of vegetarian options that you have today. Perhaps through fear of the unknown, my mother refused to cook TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and to this day has a lifelong aversion to Tofu. Therefore, the bulk of my meals came from potatoes, cheese, onions and pasta. Fortunately for me, I adore anything starchy/carbohydrate heavy and it wasn?t...
More About: Vegetarian

A Sweet Thanksgiving Pt.3
2007-11-28 09:17:00
The third and final sweet treat of Thanksgiving was a spin on the classic Pumpkin Pie.I find Pumpkin Pie to be a little anti-climatic, possibly because it is not part of my foodie heritage and to that end, Paul is not a big fan of our Christmas Pudding.It is an interesting nuance of our foodie cultures that we expect certain foods at specific times of the year, otherwise it would seem as though something were missing. For example, I loath Christmas Cake, can't stand it, but I love the stiring and baking ritual of it, the smell of spices filling the kitchen as it cooks.Likewise, I find the pumpkin/eggy mixture to be a little cloying. One slice is always more than enough. Curiously, I adore Egg Custard Tarts, with their speckly Nutmeg tops, and Pumpkin Pie is merely an orange extension of that ancient tart.The Pumpkin Pie is steeped in history, just as our Christmas Pud is: the first European settlers (eventually deciding to live on the Plimoth Plantation in New England in 1621) disc...
More About: Sweet , Hank

Things in Batter
2007-07-16 14:16:00
For anyone who has tried to fry things encased in batter and failed, it can be quite daunting. For one thing, there?s all that hot, bubbling fat. Up until a couple of years ago, I wouldn?t even stand within a 10 metre radius of boiling fat, lest it should irrationally spew itself all over my delicate skin.Of course, whilst fat does spit a little, notably when you drop things in it, if you?re careful and sensible, there should be no house fires, no third degree burns and certainly no horrible fried food.And, unlike buying from the local chippy, you can control what goes in your batter, how long you cook it for and the cleanliness of the oil.We all know that fried food is almost as bad for you as dating an unrehabilitated serial killer but damn! it does taste good. There is nothing in the world so good as biting through crisp batter (drained thoroughly and not soggy) into white, flaky, creamy fish. And the best batter of all? Beer Batter.Beer Batter is like the Rolls Royce of the batt...
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A Lasagne For Summer
2007-07-06 11:55:00
A few weeks ago, we wrote about that Italian Restaurant/Frozen Meal/Much Maligned Classic, Lasagne . The debate between Paul and I, Bechemal Sauce vs. Ricotta or Cottage Cheese, is always omnipresent whenever one of us makes Lasagne. Some things will never change.And whilst I had stated that I would never fiddle around with the original recipe, retaining its slow-cooked ragu, I found myself bored in the kitchen last Sunday, wondering to prepare for supper. I wanted Lasagne but it seemed a little pointless spending three hours simmering a meat sauce for just the two of us. I got to thinking. As usual I had a drawer full of vegetables going wrinkly quickly. I had a tomato sauce recipe that was quick and delicious and I had a craving for pasta so I devised a vegetarian lasagne.I have a work colleague who is proud of her Lasagne. She says it has a ?vegetarian layer of spinach?. I question her time and time again on this ?vegetarian layer?.?Don?t you mean it?s a layer of vegetables? Becau...
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Omelette Arnold Bennett
2007-06-29 11:40:00
It is an accolade indeed to have a dish named after you, particularly if that dish becomes deeply ingrained within the lexicon of the modern kitchen.The most famous of all, Pavlova, named after Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova, is still a favourite dessert in homes and restaurants across the world, since its conception back in 1926. And indeed, the antipodeans seem to have the edge on culinary namesakes: Peach Melba (a fruity, ice cream concoction invented for Australian Opera singer Dame Nellie Melba by no less a culinary luminary than Auguste Escoffier), Lamingtons, and Anzac Biscuits (not strictly named after a person, but an important historical event).It is an indication of our enduring love of good food that it is considered an fitting tribute to have a dish named after you. Indeed, even most families have a - slightly more informal - arrangement: cakes/biscuits/style of roasting chicken named after grandmothers, great Aunts, mothers. This fond sentiment is a way of retaining the ...
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Two Ways with Risotto
2007-06-22 10:59:00
Risotto is a simple, versatile and comforting food. You can serve it simply, a la Milanese, or you can primp it up with all manner of sauteed vegetables, dot it flashes of shredded of meat or fish or even serve it sweet.Even better, you can use leftover Risotto to make Arancini (deep fried risotto balls) or fry up the cold, almost coaguluated rice in butter to serve as delicious, flavourful rice cakes.Risotto is never as difficult as you might think. It does require a level of patience but we're talking no more than 30 minutes of ladleing stock into the rice and some gently stirring. In fact, it's a bit of a no-brainer to prepare but the final result is truly sublime.My favourite way of serving risotto is with baby broad beans and peas (frozen of course!) stirred through it at the last minute. The bite of the tiny beans is wonderful and sweetness of the peas adds a certain something to the salty parmesan.I have meddled with the basic Risotto recipe on one occasion only, when I mad...
More About: Risotto , Riso

A Cream Tea
2007-06-19 09:01:00
As a child, I hated Scones and I despised Rock Cakes. I wouldn?t touch milk in any form, other than on cereal. I couldn?t stomach Mince Pies at Christmas-time and refused to eat raw tomatoes and onions.How times have changed. I still can?t stomach drinking milk and my stomach does flip-flops when I see Paul drinking a cold glassful with his peanut butter on toast. But, I now adore cheese and tomato sandwiches, I can just about manage raw red onion in a Greek salad and I made a large batch of Mincemeat last Christmas. I also have a newly discovered admiration for Cream Teas.If you?re not English, I imagine that you would have read about Cream Teas in old fashioned books. A Victorian whimsy that involved wealthy ladies sitting around white filigree tables sipping Darjeeling Tea from Bone China teacups and eating dainty sandwiches. It?s a fact though that we no longer have time for Afternoon Tea, our modern lifestyles are so hectic that that the idea of brewing tea in a china teapot is...

A Trip to the Farm Shop
2007-06-04 11:28:00
Most of us are lucky enough to live near a farm shop or farmers markets. These little places are potentially the future of shopping as we know it, so we had better get used to getting all of our fresh produce from them.And why not? Seasonal, locally grown vegetables, organically produced dairy products, apple juice made from the fruit of apple trees that grow just up the road from you. Furthermore, if you buy organically produced goods from your local farm shop, you will, on average, save up to 25% than buying the same goods from your local supermarkets so-called ?organic? range.Of course, there are always those who find that the supermarket is more convenient, closer by, and has everything else you need to get all under one roof. This is undeniably true. However, just a once a month visit to your local farm shop will provide you with the best tasting vegetables and meat you can find in the area.You do have to exercise a little caution when you go organic food shopping. Not everythi...
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Some Old Favourites....and Some More That Just Didn't Make It
2007-06-01 08:30:00
I always consider these "and here's some I didn't blog about" posts to be a bit like sawdust or clip shows - a sort of filler because there's a lack of inspiration and/or time. And that's exactly the case here. Well, I'm not suffering from lack of inspiration but more lack of time. This Boiga Ballyhoo that Paul insanely embroiled us in is in full swing in our kitchen and there seems to be no end in sight.Not only are we grilling every evening (and, I admit it, sometimes just using the griddle pan - rain, you know) but we also have a 'social' barbecue organised for Saturday. I am refusing to eat any more burger based food products and am instead doling check sheets out to our hosts and forcing them to mark the burgers out of 10 instead.Don't get me wrong. We had a fantastical response and every single burger sounds absolutely delicious. It really will be hard to judge which lucky person will be the recipient of a 5 gallon drum of Goatslick...that's why I'm passing the tasti...
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And a Slightly More Sedate Supper...
2007-05-31 07:54:00
(Summer by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1563)After all that exciting baking and curious combinations, I thought I would cook us something that uses up those inscrutable veggie scraps from the fridge, one chicken breast that I had leftover and frozen, some crumbled Feta from a half opened pack and some dregs of Bulgar Wheat.Yes, it's another one of those 'End Of the Month' dishes that I seem to spend more time cooking than anything else!Actually, in spite of the ingredients perhaps being a little past their Use By Date, this dish was delicious and, according to Paul, exactly what he was craving. Furthermore, it was low fat to boot!The beauty of this kind of dish is that it looks stunningly colourful, like you've spent hours slaving over it and all the ingredients are fairly interchangeable. No chicken? Then you could flake some salmon or ham or smoked fish, maybe some duck or turkey. Vegetarian? Skip the meat and use more vegetables and cheese. Don't have any Bulgar Wheat? Then use Cous...
More About: Supper , Suppe

Freya's First Time...
2007-05-29 21:26:00
Almost inconceivable isn't it? A member of the Daring Bakers who has completed three of challenges with mixed results (remember my Red Velvet Cake? Apparently Petroleum BP are interested in my recipe - they're looking for a new type of impermeable rubber for car tyres) who hasn't cooked one thing for Dorie Greenspan's From my Home to Yours.It's not that the recipes were difficult or didn't appeal to me, far from it. I was just having problems deciding which recipe to make. Dorie's easy, friendly style makes even the most complicated looking cake seem achievable. Missing some of the ingredients? Dorie gives us side-bar options and encourages us to experiment with her recipes to find results that suit us.From My Home to Yours has captured the imagination of the baking sector of the food bloggers like no other book. A google search for Dorie Blog Recipes brings up more than 77000 results, and not all of these lead back to her own personal blog.Us Brits haven't embraced baking i...
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Freya's Boiga Ballyhoo Entry and 60 Second Ice Cream!
2007-05-20 18:50:00
I suppose it seems only right that I should support my husband's food event, Paul's Big Burger Ball y hoo (just 5 days to go, folks!). Whilst I am unhappy about donating our meagre supplies of Goatslick (it's a great mixer with vodka - seriously!), I do like the idea of a good food contest. I realise that I am exempt from winning the competition. However, when I knocked up this vegetarian sandwich yesterday, Paul suggested that I should at least put it forward as inspiration for other people.Of course, it can only be cooked on a grill if you have a grill-safe skillet (or frying pan to us Brits) because it involves small mushrooms and scrambled eggs. Sounds like breakfast so far? Try adding some Parmesan, truffle paste, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and parsley to the mix and you've got a winner for your vegetarian (or hamburger squeamish) guests. Furthermore, if you're not using the grill, then you can just rustle this up in the kitchen (as I did) for a quick snack.The recipe is ...
More About: Ice Cream , Econ , Cream

Yes, Another Potato Curry
2007-05-19 10:21:00
For those of you who found the Sag Aloo (Bombay Potato es) recipe interesting, Ithought I'd share another Indian potato dish with you. This recipe utilisesconsiderably more spices than the Sag Aloo, but most of them you will already have inyour store cupboard.I adapted this Cauliflower and Potato dish from a recipe by Atul Kochhar, one ofBritain's most innovative Indian chefs. It takes absolutely no time at all to make,literally the time it takes to find the spices out of the cupboard (in my case, thiscan sometimes be several hours), and chop the cauliflower and potatoes, plus a coupleof tomatoes.Unlike some curries, there is no need to sauté onions beforehand to add that extraelement of flavour but the addition of Nigella (Onion) seeds and layering of spicesgives the distinctive "Indian Restaurant" flavour that is so hard to replicate athome. Despite this, the cauliflower is never overpowered and I liken this dish to aspicy cauliflower cheese (although it has no cheese in it).Paul...
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Third Time Lucky Bro...Blondies
2007-05-17 08:37:00
These "Third Time Luck y Blondie s" are so named for a reason. Of course, everything has a reason behind it but this title is particularly pertinent to me.Have you ever baked a recipe from a cookbook, either penned by a reliable cook or that has been recommended by another reliable cook, only to find that the first recipe you cook is completely duff? Bowed but not beaten, you give the book another go. Perhaps the oven was too hot or you didn't sieve the flour for long enough.(left) Bad Blondies (above) Great Blondies!Deep down you just know that you did everything to the letter, yet you still plough on, like the culinary powerhouse you are.The next recipe is also a stinker. And the next. And then the book is relegated from "next to the bed" status to "shoved away in the spare room under the bed" status.The book I am referring to is Tamasin Day-Lewis' latest, Tamasin's Kitchen Classics. And indeed, this book is her own original take on classics from across the world. I have previous...
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Weekend Herb Blogging - It's Always Potatoes For Me
2007-05-12 11:26:00
So, on those days when you come home from another bad day at the office, beleaguered and barely able to think about cooking but your stomach is telling you "feed me right now!" you need something comforting but tasty. You don't want chocolate (OK, so maybe you do, but you also need nutrients and something flavourful), you don't want (or can't afford) a takeaway and toast and peanut butter seems like a band-aid on a decapitation.Enter Bombay Potatoes ! From what Paul tells me, Indian food isn't as popular in the US as it is over here. With Chicken Tikka being adopted as one of the country's top ten indigenous dishes, Indian food is to British cuisine what hamburger is to the bun.Yet many people choose not to cook it at home. Perhaps people are scared off by the seemingly endless lists of exotic spices, the slow cooking, the heat or the amount of ghee (clarified butter) that is so crucial to achieving that distinctive Indian flavour.Whatever the reason, I am here to prove that th...
More About: Blogging , Weekend , Blogg , Herb

Okra Lasagne...Just Kidding!
2007-05-10 19:37:00
Well, kidding about the okra in any case. We did, in fact, make a lasagne this weekend. I wouldn't have minded okra in it, but then, I am American and Freya says we don't know how to make lasagne.Okay, I'll admit that what generally passes for Italian food in the US would probably go down the waste disposal in Italy, but cottage cheese and spinach are good in lasagne regardless. Besides, Freya isn't allowed a high horse as she grew up in a country obsessed with Spaghetti Bolognese. Actually, with what Brits try to pass off as Italian she doesn't even deserve to ride a pony. This isn't a criticism. I enjoy food of any kind, authentic or not.The first lasagne Freya made for me was in Wisconsin at my parent's farm. It was her first visit to Door County and while she loved the idea of a pool table at the grocery store, she wasn't too keen on the absence of vegetarian mince. She was reduced to cooking with actual meat. This was difficult for her at the time as she was still flirt...
More About: Kidding , Okra , Kidd , Lasagne

Bank Holiday Baking
2007-05-07 21:41:00
Bank Holiday s are supposed to be a restful time, where you just put your feet up, eat junk food all day, watch reruns of old movies and curse the rain.For me though, a Bank Holiday is the only time I get to spend baking so I gleefully plan what I'll spend time prepping, weighing, kneading, baking and eventually eating.For some time now I had Brioche in mind, but I was also a little fearful. Anyone who is a novice but passionate baker will have read that Brioche dough is tricky to work with. It is not like normal, stretchy, 'dry' bread dough: Brioche gets its unquestionably light texture from the addition of eggs, lots of butter and milk. Suffice to say, the dough is incredibly sticky and impossible to knead by hand. Nor would you want to. The key to Brioche is a soft, almost cake like texture, but with greater delicacy. It has a gently yielding crust that gives way to its tender interior. This is achieved, not only through the addition of the eggs, milk and butter, but through mi...
More About: Baking , King , Bank

Lemons for a Great Cause
2007-05-03 08:17:00
I used to hate Lemon Meringue Pie. It always reminded me of Lemsip, an over-the-counter lemon-flavoured cold medicine that always makes me instantly vomit.I didn?t realise at the time that not all Lemon Meringue Pies came out a packet and that the curd wasn?t just a reconstituted custard flavoured with a peculiar lemon flavoured capsule of oil. When faced with such atrocities as a child, it?s easy to understand now why so many British people are still squeamish about trying new and different foods. If it isn?t flavoured by an innocuous capsule or powder, it must be feared.Fear of food is something that must be overcome as soon as you are in the position to take charge of your own kitchen (or someone elses) lest you should end up refusing to try anything that doesn?t look good. Regular readers of this blog will have seen us chart the many new things that I have previously been squeamish about but tried anyway and then added to our regular menus. The best way to do this is to become a...
More About: Great , Cause , Lemons , Mons

Asparagus
2007-05-02 08:54:00
If you?re British you look forward to the first asparagus of the season. Along with Rhubarb, it seems to symbolise the onset of Summer.Now, I?m not going to treat you like idiots. You all know that the best way to have Asparagus is steamed and dripping with butter but what about when you get sick of having it that way (if that?s possible)? Or how about surprising those people who say that Asparagus is over-rated (my grandparents, for example)? Last night we drove to our local PYO farm shop and bought two bunches of Asparagus to cook in other ways that still highlight the delicacy of this long-limbed emerald beauty.There is nothing like eating a stick of asparagus in the car, revelling in the slightly bitter ?flower? and marvelling at the sweetness of the stalk, so sweet that it almost tastes like pea pods. Later on in the season, the stalk will become woody and you will snap more and more of it off before preparation. For now though, it is another welcome treat from Spring.Other tha...
More About: Para , Spar

Some Dishes I Forgot To Blog About...
2007-05-01 08:40:00
Whilst I recover from the Darkest Crepe Cake, I thought I'd share with you some meals that I have made recently but just haven't gotten around to posting. I have this funny feeling that most people prefer to look at dessert rather than dinner (and who can blame them?) but I rather enjoyed these meals and I'm quite proud of them because they were made, swallow-like, on the wing.The first meal was my take on a restaurant classic from the 70s that involves piping mashed potato onto a thick piece of cod or haddock, then covering the creamy potato with scalloped potatoes to replicate scales. This is then baked until golden. Now, I had planned this for supper one night and then forgotten which cookbook I had found the recipe in so had to literally make it up as I went along.I used smoked haddock instead of plain because I love the smoky, flakiness. I also considered omitting the mashed potato and just scalloping the fish but I can imagine very few meals that aren't enhanced by mash. I...
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Daring Bakers II - This Time, It's Personal
2007-04-29 13:25:00
As a member of the Daring Bakers , this time of the month comes around all too fast. There are some members who, consummate professional bakers to the last, spend the month perfecting the allocated recipe. The finished article looks (and no doubt tastes) stunning. I am not like this. I started my cake on Thursday Night and, not realising that I would spend most of Saturday incapacitated by a mini-migraine, am now left with a partially finished cake in the refrigerator. Not to worry. Brilynn of Jumbo Empanadas, who chose this month?s recipe (a Martha Stewart recipe no less), was canny and selected a cake that can be made over several days. And thank goodness for this. Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake is not a cake to be taken lightly. I have wanted to make a crepe cake since I read about one in an old issue of Saveur magazine. I lusted after the wafer thin layers, sandwiched together with a delicate cream. Brilynns recipe takes that delicate cake to the next plateau. Imagine this: o...
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Truffle Chicken
2006-12-10 21:52:02
Regular readers of this blog will be aware of my love for that most knobbly and odourous of all fungi, the truffle. Whilst I cannot afford the real thing, whole, at least until my dog sniffs one out that isn?t riddled with truffle-sozzled maggots, I make do with Salsa Truffina which affords me a hint of the real thing and goes quite a bit further.After the success of the Spinach and Truffle Triangles, I was keen to try this pungent, mushroom-laced paste again. This weekend was that time.My husband bought me a copy of Rick Stein?s latest book, French Odyssey, which accompanied his BBC2 show. During the course of the six episodes Stein travelled around France on a barge, experiencing every facet of French cuisine. His reverence to such food luminaries as Elizabeth David and Richard Olney are clear throughout the show. He loves French food and has no reservations condemning British cuisine for slipping by the wayside. He is quite right too. We do not love our fresh produce in the sam...
More About: Chick , Chicken

A Slow Baked Weekend
2006-12-10 21:52:02
The weekend passed without fanfare. I didn?t have much time to cook and even if I had been granted an extra 12 hours tagged onto Saturday for good behaviour, my husband was wielding over the kitchen with a power drill and saw as he replaced the saggy old ceiling.As I choked back plaster dust, I did, however, manage to make a jar of Quince Brandy. It wasn?t much of a stretch of the skills to prepare: cut the quince into eighths without peeling or coring, poke into a sterilised jar alongside a stick of cinnamon and some star anise and bathe generously in brandy (i.e. fill to the top). It does look lovely, I must admit, but waiting 6 months before consumption will be a test of my patience. Quinces are a magical fruit, rare enough that I had never seen one in the flesh until a few weeks ago but their popularity is on the increase. If you have a Quince tree in your garden, consider yourself blessed. These golden skinned fruits, regarded by the Romans as a symbol of love and happiness, ar...
More About: Baked , Weekend , Week , Slow

Book Cover of the Week
2006-12-10 21:52:02
My love of Christmas is no great secret. I was planning on putting up our Christmas Tree this weekend but unfortunately our greyhound Coney had an nasty encounter with a horse that didn't think much to our mini-racer and consequently she suffered a rather nasty kick to the head. Luckily Coney just came away rather dazed and with some gory cuts and bruises but she'll be OK.Anyway, if posts are rather sporadic for the next couple of days this is the reason. We are feeling rather discombobulated and all plans for cooking this weekend (which included a brace of Partridge that I was going to write about plucking and drawing - with photos - and some chicken livers which was going to be a follow up article to my offal piece) have gone somewhat to seed.Here then is my book cover of the week, Elizabeth David's Christmas, which is an essential guide to traditional recipes, along with some more unusual and forgotten dishes from times gone by. I am particularly excited by the spiced beef rec...
More About: Book , Cover , Week , Over

The Latest Rundown of our Freezer Contents
2006-12-10 21:52:02
And so, after all of the unwanted excitement of the weekend, I did very little cooking, but, suffice to say, I did have a couple of stiff drinks to settle my ravaged nerves.For those who have wished Coney well, a brief update: she is doing fine now apart from a big plaster on her chin and top of her skull. The vet noted that if she had been any other breed she might have sustained more damage but apparently greyhounds have brains the size of walnuts (and Coney has displayed this on more than one instance) so walked away virtually unscathed, albeit wobbly. She also happily devoured a couple of pigs ears (hers and Maxs?) despite having almost bitten all the way through her cheek, although she is having issues yawning: she has to do small yawns (try yawning without opening your mouth really wide, it?s quite difficult) and, as a regal greyhound, she yawns a lot whilst surveying the silly things that us humans and Max get up to.Anyway, before the whole sorry incident, we had gone shoppi...
More About: Free , Content , Contents , Down , Test

A Quick, Spicy Supper
2006-12-10 21:52:02
Due to popular demand (mostly from Kathryn at Kathryn Cooks With Jamie), here is my recipe for Keith Floyd?s Burmese Prawn Curry.More of a spicy stew than an actual curry (no curry powder goes into the mix), this is a really quick but tasty supper dish. I used frozen raw prawns because I think they have a better texture and taste than the pre-cooked ones you buy on the chiller in the supermarket but whatever you have would be fine. The flavours of this dish are very bold, incredibly savoury and really satisfying.I used chopped fresh cherry tomatoes because I didn?t have any large tomatoes but - to ensure that if you replicate this dish all goes well for you - I would recommend large vine tomatoes because the small ones tend to collapse and you?re left with just the skin. This dish would be far better with whole chunks of lovely, fresh tomatoes. Also, my stocks of chilli powder had inexplicably depleted (we NEVER run out of chilli powder for the simple reason that chilli is my husban...
More About: Quick , Spicy , Spic , Supper , Suppe

Coney's Sore Head
2006-12-10 21:52:02

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Salt Beef
2006-12-10 21:52:02
I enjoy cooking the dishes that my grandparents and great grandparents before them would have prepared. Salt Beef is an Irish dish that originates from the 1800s and is still traditionally served with boiled cabbage in its cooked form, Corned Beef. Corned Beef in the UK is something different altogether; a compressed lardy lump of what smells and tastes a little like Pedigree Chum dog food. The texture is dry yet greasy and is often served in sandwiches with tomato ketchup. My dogs love it although I would rather have my sandwich empty than filled with tinned corned beef.In the US, the Americans have embraced the Irishness of the dish (many of them of Irish immigrant blood) and still serve it as part of St Patrick's Day celebrations. But it is also served in the form of Pastrami (after the meat has gone through the process of being seasoned heavily with black pepper and then smoked) which is thinly sliced and served in delicious sandwiches. I suppose that the thought of salting mea...