Cibare Issue Six Spring 2016
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Contents
HEALTH AND NUTRITION Spring into change Hows the ‘New Year’ Going Spuds are not the Enemy
10 18 30
REVIEW Sketch 6 Black Cow Vodka 38 Bowled Over By Blowers 52
FEATURES Theo’s Rosties Macadamia Nut Oil 4 Really Different Places Spuds with history
36 14 40 50
GARDENING A year on the cutting patch
46
FOOD FOR THE SEASON Breakfast 4 Lunch 20 Gratin 24 Rosties 32 MASH 30 Coconut Soup 22 Super Food 28 Paleo Snack Ideas 56
BOOKS Ottolenghi 57
SOURCES AND CREDITS 2
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Cibare
Editor’s Note Well this year has started off a bit crap with the loss of some amazing people on this planet, but if you aren’t feeling the Rocketman/ Snape loss then maybe you are just a bit bored of this cold and are saving up for that holiday in the summer where you can rid yourself of those jumpers and prance around half naked with a cocktail! Right there with you my friends!!! Till then we are comforting you with great recipes of the humble and yes healthy potato! Yes you can actually be on a diet and eat a potato, or you can just smother in butter and enjoy its perfection! Read up how to do that and why you should in Cibare this issue, and of course don’t forget to find us in print in April in Central London! We cannot wait for you to see us!
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FOOD
Breakfast
Yogurt with Fruit
REVIEW
Tea at Sketch by The Editor
Sketch has been in my mind for some time now, but for some ridiculous reason I’ve not been. So this year the first thing I did was grab my best mate, made her take a day off work so that we could have some fun, and booked us in for tea. I’d seen so many photos on social media and drooled over their website way too many times. I was not disappointed, but even I will admit that the first thing I wanted to see was the damn toilets. If I saw one more pod photograph that I hadn’t taken, I was going to lose it! Off I went through the dark doors, through corridors and rooms, trying not to look at my surroundings (I wanted the first impact to be when I was ready to embrace it) and found my way to the great white staircase.
(a.k.a. pink room) and instantly felt transported into another era. Walking through, I just stared. We were a little early, the room was empty with just a few staff, so it was quiet and warm and kind of felt like a big, pink boob. Yes, a boob. It was covered with drawings in frames all with the same style of fun and honesty, with soft pink seating, pink lighting and very high ceilings rounded with dark skylights. It was so inviting and thankfully that’s where we stayed for tea. I really liked that we came quite early in the day, because although the room was a-buzz it wasn’t too full and noisy.
Time to think about what we wanted, though it was pretty obvious what we came for: an alcoholic and sugar-induced coma. We couldn’t wait! I ordered a Sketch Afternoon Tea with the Ceylon & Rose tea, and of It was lit in half-blue, half-pink lights. Be- course some cocktails which ‘have to come ing a lady I figured I’d go with the pink just first please!!!’ in case and wandered up to the pod room. It was quite odd, I felt like I was in a really We had to wait a little for the cake as we had well-lit scene from Alien. I found a way into the cocktail starter, which perfectly eased one of them, had a go. As soon as I could, us into the meal. But when the food came it got right out of there. It’s a toilet. Don’t be was immense, I wondered if I was going to fooled. Photographically on-point to the nth have to move in to finish. It actually wasn’t degree but just your basic toilet. Though, as any bigger than teas I’d had elsewhere, but you can see, I had to take a pic! there was a lovely variety of sandwiches and cakes to enjoy. I’ve been on this ‘Let’s eat But… coming back so saddened by the loo clean’ New Year kick, and although I knew I let myself walk head high into the salon I was letting myself in for a day of sin (very 6
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excited!) it had been a while since I’d been this naughty. But we all need cheat days and something to work up to. If you don’t enjoy your food, what’s the point? We started with the savoury - delightful sandwiches full of all-sorts. A simple cheese panini was the perfect hot place to begin and instantly sparked my taste buds into a frenzy! I was surprised something so basic would give so much pleasure but maybe that says too much about me. Nothing wrong with something simple when it’s done to perfection, that’s for sure. My egg sandwich was a mustardy delight, with a little fried quail’s egg on top... so good. That and the coronation chicken were my favourites. It had a strong curry taste that wasn’t overpowering, just a delight of flavours in a little sandwich. Having tried to steal my companion’s and almost had my hand bitten off, she gave in to swapping her egg sandwich for my salmon one. The other sandwiches were lovely but I would have had a plate full of just these three. I’ve never eaten so slowly in my life trying to pull out the flavour as long as I could. Then came the warm scones after the platters - don’t be fooled that you’re only getting that platter, you’re not. They came with strawberry and fig jams, so slice that scone in half and put one splodge of jam on each, it’s well worth it. Simple, but just a delight. Some things don’t need to be messed around with, a great jam will do it all for you with deep pleasure. Loved it.
lar favourites but the chocolate slices with their crunch and mint flavour were also just lovely (apparently) and stolen by my friend. (I figured I got the egg sandwich so I had to oblige.) Again, don’t think that plate of cake and scones is all you’ll get... A trolley came round with a choice of chocolate or lemon creamy cakes so we had those too! By this point I could not move so two more pots of hot tea were brought for us to help push these sweet joys down. I’m not sure how anyone can eat this much food without the joys of a hot tea, but everything we ate had its own wonderful tastes. Some may think it’s just ‘tea and cake’ but it’s obviously been joyously designed by a chef who’s taken their time to make that sandwich-something I can’t stop thinking about! The toilets and the tea are not the only reasons for coming to Sketch. This building is a true creative haven, hidden away behind the tourist hell of Regent Street. It gives you a true feeling of exclusivity without the member’s card. Each room is beautifully decorated in every detail, from the art on the walls and the lighting, to the chairs, cups and plates, to the waiters’ uniforms (very plain and kinda like out of an arthouse futuristic movie) - all of it just elegant and beautiful. Every room has its own big personality, from Aliens nest to warm boob, or a forest to a library.
Definitely worth an early cocktail and defiThen comes the real sugar rush! An amaz- nitely somewhere I’m going back to for a ing array of little cakes, and cheesecake too. proper meal very soon! Each one zings with their fruity additions. The blackcurrant cheesecake was just wonderful with a lovely deep pot of fruit and soft creamy cheese, and the little lemon tart was sharp and exciting. Those were my particu8
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HEALTH AND NUTRITION
The Herbalist Spring into change by Jo Farren
From the cold and dark winter emerges a glimpse of light and with it, a glimpse of the spring! Green in the trees and fields shows us the promise of colourful (and hopefully bountiful) seasons ahead. For me, this is the perfect time of year to implement change and personal growth. Forget New Year resolutions, the best and brightest change comes now! If you’ve made a resolution and stuck to it, well done you. If not, then now could be the right time.
change, the motivation and purpose needs to be there. Whether it’s eating cleaner, eating more veg or ditching rubbishy snacks, that sort of change really needs to be organic (no pun intended). I can suggest, motivate, guide and support but we all need our own lightbulb moment. With regards to health, wanting and needing to take better care of ourselves can come from a winter of illnesses or just generally feeling groggy and under the weather. Seeing the first light of spring can be the stick we need to encourage us and keep us on track.
For me, of course, health and nutrition go hand in hand. If I have a patient who needs help with diet, the likelihood is that the best health benefits are going to happen when those changes have been made. I never suggest dietary measures for a laugh, but always Spring is when I usually get most of my new with your best interests at heart and springpatients through the door. That is partly time is the most efficient time to make these because we’ve all been there and tried the changes for the best effect. strict New Year’s resolution malarkey and from there, whether it’s been a success or I wrote previously about nettle soup, which failure, we realise that long-term change is one of my favourite things ever, and spring needs to happen in order to help maintain greens are also a perfect ambassador for good health and habits. this season, related to both herbal medicine and nutrition. Soups and stews are amazing For those of you who want to make a dietary health tools and foods which I rave about 10
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PICTURE CREDITS: Oksana Tkachuk
For me, this is a time of year which is most efficient for change and movement. Think spring greens, spring cleaning, longer days and the promise of new and refreshed life. These things are all part of nature’s bigger picture to encourage and celebrate rebirth and newness.
constantly, along with my old favourite the and gain to someone else. The quick-fix is slow cooker, which brings me nicely onto BIG business and something I would urge my next subject. anyone to avoid. Taking a sensible approach to your own health is far more successful, a There’s no need to put that slow cooker lot cheaper and miles healthier. away just now. Lots of nutritious spring and summer recipes can be put together in this As someone who’s been there, done that trusty kitchen essential, they’re not just for and got the t-shirt, I have professional AND hearty winter stews! I discovered this a few personal experience and expertise in dealyears ago while I was struggling to prepare ing with change, particularly with regards good, fresh, seasonal food with a newborn to diet and lifestyle. Working with someone in tow. Without the slow cooker I would have like me who’s ‘been there’ does make a difbeen completely lost and survived solely on ference I find, because you get the undertoast - not good for anyone! standing and the right motivation for you. I know what works and what doesn’t because You can adapt pretty much any recipe to be I’ve done the legwork! slow cooker friendly and spring stews are no So for those of you who have stuck to your exception. Play around with combinations resolutions: awesome, that’s amazing (and and find your favourite. I reckon my nettle maybe let us know what kept you going??). soup would work well in the slow cooker. And for those of you who haven’t but want The main things you need to consider are to, now is the time! Spring can be a hugely cooking time (it takes a lot longer) and you motivating time of year and is when most of generally need about 1/3 less fluids. You can my patients STICK to their changes. So go even try a healthy morning porridge in there, for it! leaving it on low overnight, though I won’t lie, I haven’t yet managed this successfully. MY TIPS Start making changes at a pace which suits you — I find myself saying this a lot! If you know you need a kick start and want to jump into it feet first, then do it. Put a date in the diary, do a massive healthy food shop and GO! If you know you need to do one thing at a time then start a staged plan and stick to it. Put realistic goals and start dates in your diary and work with them.
* Pick your time * Plan your change * Plan meals, find things which are easy and convenient to prepare - dig the slow cooker out again! * Plan exercise into your life. Do what you like to do, don’t force yourself to the gym if you hate it. Find a salsa class, swimming pool or rambling club locally. * Give yourself a pat on the back for your achievements on a day to day/week to week basis. Don’t beat yourself up about a slip up, just get back on that wagon. * SHARE your success with us - what works for you, decent recipes and so on. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing some best practices in the coming months... Go for it!
Same goes for exercise and don’t forget to pick something you love to do! Health is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, so you need to do what will work long-term for you. Starting a regime then stopping, then starting something else and stopping that is something I see often. And people wonder why it doesn’t work! It seems as if this kind of pattern leads to extreme regimes which involve ‘curing’ you, promising incredible weight loss and Love, health and happiness frankly unachievable and hard-to-maintain Jo ‘results’, usually at high financial cost to you
Aren’t I pretty. Why don’t you put your business in our magazine right here. Get intouch! editor@cibare.co.uk
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REVIEW
Macdamia Nut Oil by The Editor
I met up some time ago with a lady that I knew who is a trainer and body builder whom I hadn’t seen in a while, who was telling me about how she had started a Macadamia nut oil business. She couldn’t buy it in the UK without selling an arm and a leg and apparently she thinks it’s amazing. She proceeded to tell me that she had been adding it to her shakes initially till she learnt more about it, and started using it in and on everything and that’s when she decided that she wanted to go into business with it. I of course had no idea and she gave me a bottle and asked me to try it. Yeah I don’t just use any old thing so I did some digging of my own and decided to write an article about oils.
we can have one every day! In fact it was a really good idea to do that and let’s face it we all jumped at the chance to eat this delicious fruit. But at the moment the coconut rules the oil industry with is Thai flavours (let’s face it!) and its ‘let’s use this in everything’ advertising that it’s receiving. The only thing is that as amazing as it is, is there something better for us?
The newest fad is avocado oil, but like the coconut it is not actually that easy or sustainable to grow. At some point we actually going to have a shortage especially if I’m eating an avocado every day and so is everyone else. What will we eat with our eggs? But For many years we have been lectured on most importantly how will I cook them if we the virtues of using the correct oils in our can’t use coconut oil? food. Going from Vegetable oil, to Rapeseed, Olive, and now Coconut and Avocado oil, but There is another oil that is actually just as is there something else? good for us but is a more sustainable product for us to produce to our health conscious The thing that most of us are worried about needs? is cholesterol and what it’s doing to our bod- Macadamia nut oil. ies! I remember a time when ‘they’ found out This tasty big nut that we know and love and that avocados where bad for you! They were of course is that it’s the most expensive nut too high in fat and in turn high in cholester- on the market. (I love the Friends scene ol! My dad was mortified and didn’t eat one where Ross and Rachel are stuck in a hotel for years until it became our new fad that room as Ross drew on Rachel’s face. So she this kind of FAT was the good idea and now decided to find the most expensive thing in 14
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their bar which was the macadamia nuts, we are going with it. which she then decided to spit around the When we heat up oils they will eventually room at Ross’s expense to his despair!) reach their smoking point which means that at that point, all the good fat that we are enFor quite some time the macadamia nut was joying will start to turn into those really bad only produced in a few places in the world fats that will clog up our arteries. Rememfrom where it began in Australia, but now ber that cholesterol! there are many more orchards around the world mainly in the US and Hawaii where So here is a chart to show you what does they grow happily and in abundance and what. (Now I’m no scientist but I would they grow much faster than avocados and take these at a roundabout scale as I looked coconuts! through many a website that seems to know what they are talking about.) Apparently if you use plants that have been ‘grafted’ then the avocados can produce Olive Oil 200C fruit within the first one or two years but if Avocado Oil 270C you plant seedlings then it can take between Coconut Oil 350C 8-20 years! (Grafting is a horticultural tech- Macadamia Nut Oil 400C nique where tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two Now just from these you can see what you sets of vascular tissues fuse together. I had can use to fry up your eggs in the morning, no idea either.) roast your tatties or add to your sauces. That is up to you. A coconut other the other hand isn’t really much better. Although it can produce their I think it’s good for us all to make our own first fruits within six to ten years it takes fif- decisions on what we eat and how we cook teen to twenty years to reach peak produc- it. Knowing this I’m still going to keep using tion in good growing conditions. all of these oils in different ways. I wasn’t thrilled with using coconut oil in everything The macadamia tree on the other hand only anyway due to its taste and it’s so different takes 5 years to start to fruit and becomes a to olive oil that I found it almost sweetenmature tree at only 10 years so in the greater ing. I really like macadamia oil though as its scale of nuts and oils its doing really well. quite nutty and almost olive like in flavour so it’s a good compromise for certain things. But other than its sustainability what is the But make no mistake ALL of these oils are real reason for us to start switching to mac- amazing for you and used properly can benadamia nut oil? efit your entire body from your skin and hair to your digestive system in wonderful ways. Well the thing is that we are all looking I think long gone are the days where we are something to cook with. I just love the taste afraid of fat! of olive oil and will happily dip my bread into it and of course some balsamic vinegar. I love it so much that I actually went olive oil tasting whilst on a wine tasting trip. But do I cook with it? Yes. Should I cook with it? Well Buy your macadamia nut oil it depends on what I’m cooking and how hot www.ennoblement.co.uk 16
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HEALTH AND NUTRITION
How’s the ‘New Year New You’ Going? by Denise Chester
We’re coming to the end of the first quarter of 2016 and it’s a good time to review your progress since January 1st. Remember New Year? Did you make any resolutions? How’s that going for you? Maybe you don’t do resolutions but did decide to eat better, be more active or improve your health? Perhaps you made a promise to yourself that things would change in 2016 and you’d take steps to lose weight, get fitter and improve your energy levels? For many of us, the year starts with great intentions, high motivation and determination that this year, things will be different…. Only to find a couple of months later we’ve fallen off the wagon, lost interest, given up and gone back to our old ways. This is a crucial time because a common response to this is to think “I’ve failed, this just isn’t going to work, I’m never going to lose weight/get fitter/feel better,” and to just give up on everything. But there is another way. Instead of throwing in the towel, here are my thoughts and suggestions to help you get back on track:
plans into action, do you need to readjust your goals? There’s no shame in admitting that you don’t have the time to fit everything in, or that you left the blocks too quickly. It’s a much better strategy, both mentally and physically, to start slowly and build up. Can you fit one short run and one gym session into a week? Think how much more motivating it would be to achieve a realistic goal than to miss an unachievable target. You’ll feel like you are winning rather than failing.
• Revisit your goals and resolutions and ask yourself – were they realistic? Maybe ‘working out five mornings a week’ was a bit over-ambitious. Perhaps ‘running 5k three days a week’ was too much of a stretch, particularly if you haven’t put a pair of trainers on since your last P.E. lesson.
• Do you need to reset your goals to take into account what you have achieved? In a beginners’ class but getting bored? Finding your gym workout tedious? Move up a level or change your routine!
• Do you enjoy the activity you set yourself to do? It might be good in theory to start a boxing class or join a Zumba group, but if you discover that a dancing or hitting the pads just isn’t for you, why do it? Instead of feeling embarrassed that you signed up, bought the gear and then discovered that your chosen activity isn’t for you, be proud you had a go, be brave and admit it didn’t quite work out as hoped, and move onto something else. Always be true to yourself or it just won’t work.
• On that theme, are you just bored in general? Variety is key! Why stick with just Now you’ve had a few weeks to put your one activity and do it over and over again? 18
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Walk, run, dance, bike, punch, bounce, get muddy, get sweaty, get still, lift weights, push things, row. There are hundreds of ways to get active. Mix it up. • Whatever your goals were, did you involve or consult with other people who are affected? Did you decide that joining a football club/netball team was for you, but your partner/spouse isn’t exactly over the moon about the two week-day training sessions and the weekend matches? Getting the support of those around you, and working out a schedule that suits everyone fairly is essential. • Did you support your activity goals with nutritional changes? If you’ve increased your activity levels, it’s likely you’ll need to increase energy intake as well. Or perhaps you don’t need to change how much you eat, but what you eat?
PICTURE CREDITS:Comaniciu Dan
• With nutritional changes did you go out all guns blazing? Giving up wheat, dairy, gluten, sugar and alcohol, and adding more water, vegetables, protein and chia seeds all at once is just too much. Work on one thing at a time until it becomes ‘normal’, then move onto something else. Success rates increase dramatically when we tackle things one at a time. • On that note, do you know that what you want to do is actually right for you? Or are you just following what a friend/website/ magazine/celebrity is doing? Nothing works for everyone, and unless you get professional advice, can you be sure you really need to make so many changes? • Finally, did you need to prepare more? Perhaps you could have gathered more recipes, bought new equipment, learnt new cooking techniques and got better advice before you embarked on your new regime? You wouldn’t do a parachute jump without some kind of training and education first, shouldn’t you do the same with changes that have a direct impact on your health?
FOOD
LUNCH Taste The Rainbow Sandwich
Apples in Almond Butter
FOOD
Coconut Soup by Ying Bower
For a long time this has been an all-time favourite dish and it always seems to be the one that Ying has to hand. Her cupboards full of herbs from Thailand (even though you can buy them locally), and her fridge always full of little bags of meats or fresh vegetables. Every little thing gets used and amazing concoctions are made from them. “But in Thailand we don’t eat potatoes”. So seen as this is our potato/Spring issue Ying has added a Zinging dish instead, full of flavours and admittedly no potato although she says that you could add it if you really want to. (If you do try it, I would add them somewhat cooked and warm them up in the soup). It’s incredibly simple and Ying likes to have it as a side to rice dishes especially chilli pork!
Ingredients: 1 tin of coconut milk 1 stock cube with 200ml of hot water 1-2 chicken breast or thighs 2-3 slices of galangal 1 stalk of lemon grass 1 big onion 1 big chilli 1-2 tomatoes, chopped into big chunks Coriander and spring onion to sprinkle 2-3 lime leaves 2 tblsp of fish sauce 2-3 tblsp of lime juice
Method: Bring the coconut milk to the boil then add some stock (if you have it) or a stock cube. Add all the spices and lime leaves and boil for 5 minutes. Then add the chicken, onion, tomatoes and chilli and leave to cook for 10-15 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat, sprinkle some coriander and spring onion on top and enjoy your meal!
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FOOD
Gratin The Ultimate Cheese and Bacon Potato Gratin by Emma Walton
For me, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. Piles of buttery mash remind me of pork chop dinners cooked by my Mum. Jacket potatoes instantly take me back to Bonfire Night, watching the fireworks with a tin foil wrapped potato topped with chili con carne. There is a potato dish for every occasion! But my all-time favourite potato side is the Potato Gratin. A classic dish made with layers of thinly sliced potato and crispy lardons, drowned in infused cream and topped with a molten layers of sharp cheese. I won’t lie. This really isn’t diet food. But for me, potatoes are best served smothered in butter, cheese or even better, both! I’ve been cooking this dish for years and because of its rich creamy texture and thick layer of melted cheese I try to save it for special occasions. It always takes pride of place on the dinner table at Christmas and Easter but I’ve been known to bring it out on the odd weekend just because! The best thing about this recipe is that it never disappoints. Potato, bacon and cheese is a winning combination. Whether you call it potato gratin, potato bake, patates au gratin or scalloped potatoes, one thing remains 24
the same. There is nothing more satisfying than that moment when the first person sinks their spoon into the soft, floury layers of potato and as they move the spoon of gratin from oven dish to plate, lardons come tumbling out from between the slices of potato and the thick layer of cheddar and gruyere produces long stringy ribbons of cheese. After that everyone will be fighting over this humble side dish! Forget the joint of meat, the Ultimate Cheese and Bacon Potato Gratin will become the star of the meal.
The Recipe Ingredients: 150g lardons 2 tbsp butter 1kg baking potatoes 600ml double cream 4 cloves of garlic (crushed) 2 bay leaves 100g grated parmesan Salt and pepper to season 125g grated cheddar cheese 125g grated gruyere
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Method:
Begin by pre-heating your oven to 375F / 190C. Fry off the lardons in a small frying pan until crisp and browned. Remove from the heat and place to one side. Using the remaining butter, grease a large oven dish. Begin by layering the potato slices in the bottom of the dish, sprinkling the lardons in between the layers until all the potato slices and bacon have been used. In a milk pan, bring the double cream, garlic, bay leaves, parmesan and salt and pepper to the boil. Once it reaches a boil let it
gently simmer for 5 minutes until the cream has become infused with the bay. Remove the bay leaves from the pan and pour the heated cream over the potatoes and bacon. Cover the oven dish with tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes uncovered until the top begins to brown. Finally, sprinkle an even coating of the grated cheddar and gruyere over the gratin and bake for a final 15 minutes. Serve piping hot with the cheese still melted and stringy.
FOOD
Super Food Meet The Black Chick Pea by Samina Iqbal
Everyone is familiar with the humble chickpea. You get them in salads, falafels and of course the go-to healthy snack: hummus. But have you come across the black chickpea yet? It has a buttery, nuttier flavour than its paler cousin. It is however a little powerhouse of nutritional goodness. It is full of protein, so an excellent choice for vegetarians. In fact, 2-3 tablespoons of black chickpeas constitute one of your five-a-day recommended portions of fruit and veg. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron, so are good for anyone who suffers with anaemia or low energy levels. Furthermore they have cardiovascular benefits, as they reduce the risk of heart disease as contain folate which helps minimise the narrowing of arteries. The black chickpea’s key qualities are its high fibre content and low glycaemic index. Basically this means they’re FAB for weight-loss, as they fill up your stomach - making you feel fuller for longer - and the carbohydrates in them are digested slowly, which stabilises blood sugar levels. A definite bonus. 28
So far black chickpeas are not commonly found in supermarkets - you may have to look in an Asian or Turkish food store instead. A well-kept secret in the Indian world, they are a real superfood and very tasty with it! Here’s my favourite black chickpea recipe.
KHALA CHANA MASALA Ingredients: Black chickpeas* 1 medium onion, chopped 1 green chilli, chopped 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed An inch of ginger, peeled and chopped 1 can of chopped tomatoes ½ teaspoon of chilli powder, turmeric, and garam masala Salt to taste Handful of washed, chopped new potatoes Bunch of coriander, washed and chopped 1 tablespoon oil (some prefer coconut oil, others use ghee, whichever suits you)
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Method: Fry onion in oil. Add salt and dry spices, then add ginger, garlic and chilli, followed by the can of tomatoes. Add a dash of water and allow the paste to thicken. Add black chickpeas (drained) and potatoes,
with enough water so that the potatoes are covered. Cook for 25 minutes and add coriander. Serve with a plain indian rice or chappati. *Black chickpeas can be purchased in a can, pre-cooked and stored in brine. Drain and rinse before using. Or if you buy the dried ones, they need to be soaked overnight then boiled until tender, usually for 1-2 hours.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Spuds Are Not Your Enemy
Whenever I speak to someone about healthy plex carbohydrates and bad/simple carboeating, weight loss and diets, I hear over and hydrates and the Glycemic Index (GI). over again that they cut out wheat, bread, potatoes, pasta and most other carbohydrates. The Glycemic Index is a relative ranking of carbohydrate (scale of 0 to 100) in foods acIs that really the way forward? cording to how they affect blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates with a low GI value (55 or Potatoes have been around for years and less) are more slowly digested, absorbed and years, and the staple food for many cultures metabolised, causing a lower and slower rise over the years. So why are they considered in blood glucose and therefore insulin levels. ‘evil’ when it comes to health and weight Low GI foods also leave you fuller for longer. loss? However it’s also important to take porIt’s hard to say which diet came first: the GI tion sizes into consideration, because the diet, the low carb/high fat diet, Ketogenic way GI is measured is not always relevant to diet, the Paleo diet, or even the Atkins diet. the amount of that specific food you’re eatBut all of those, and some others, ban the ing. For instance, carrots are high GI. But consumption of potatoes and other types of for carrots to have the same effect on blood carbohydrates. Why? sugar levels as one slice of white bread, you probably would need to eat approximately To me personally, the ‘Why?’ is not really 1kg of carrots, if not more. And unless you’re clear. Carbohydrates are one of the three a carrot addict, I doubt you would ever eat major food groups or macronutrients. Hence that much in one go. an important part of the building blocks of our body and health. Coming back to potatoes, their GI varies depending on cooking method. A baked potaCarbohydrates are our main source of fuel. to’s GI is higher than a boiled or mashed poOur body, tissues and cells find it very easy tato. However, remember that it’s often easy to convert carbohydrate into energy. But to eat more mash than boiled potatoes! So to become energy, carbohydrates need to next time you make mash, check how many be converted into sugar/glucose, and that’s potatoes you use. Portion control is very imwhere we differentiate between good/com- portant. 30
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PICTURE CREDITS: Nednapa Chumjumpa
by Anne Iarchy
It’s also important to know that potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as phytochemicals, such as carotenoids. For instance, a medium-sized potato (approx 150g) with skin is high in Vitamin C, contains quite a lot of potassium and vitamin B6, and some trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. The biggest part of a potato is starch. Some of it acts in the same way as fibre does. The amount of fibre depends on the way the potato is cooked and if it’s warm or cooled, and fibre is an important ingredient for healthy digestion. Some people claim sweet potatoes are better for you than normal potatoes. Calorie-wise there isn’t much of a difference. GI-wise, there is a slight difference but again this depends on the cooking method. As for vitamin and minerals, a sweet potato is rich in different ones than a regular potato.
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So, variety is key to having a large spectrum of different vitamins and minerals inside you. The saying ‘eat like a rainbow’ is an important one. The more colours you eat, the wider the variety of vitamins and minerals you will get. So should you cut spuds out or not? In my humble opinion, the answer is no! If you are living a healthy lifestyle and integrating exercise into your daily life, having potatoes on the day you’re exercising is definitely a good option for giving your body energy. However, like with any other food, don’t forget portion sizes. In the same way that pasta should be a side dish, so should potatoes. So your plateful of mash with a few sausages and gravy might not have the right proportions. But having a few new potatoes, a quartered roast potato, or a few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes can easily be part of a varied and healthy diet.
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FOOD
MASH Food for the season By Dani Gavriel and Elsye Quail
Is there anything more British than Mash??!! A staple diet since birth and that many arguments have been had as to whether you have it lumpy or smooth, with Salted butter or without and with cream or milk! I once saw Marco Pierre White whisk his mash to perfection. An idea I have pondered over for some time. My Mother never whisked. But Mash is a great recipe that can be energized, manipulated and played with on many levels with adding other ingredients to it that will change it completely although we don’t’ want to lose it’s buttery perfection. We have pulled together some lovely ideas for you to enjoy with the help of Dani Gavriel and Elyse Quail, so that if you are adding a sausage or going veggie, you can enjoy this perfect side dish. Or of course just have it as a main!
Variations:
Cabbage & Kale Add sautéed finely sliced Savoy cabbage & shredded kale. Swede & Carrot Add steamed diced carrot and swede and mash to a purée then add to the potato mash. Cheddar Mash Add finely-grated mature cheddar cheese to the mash whilst hot to slowly melt in. Herb & Parmesan Add a bunch of fresh finely-diced parsley and a teaspoon of thyme along with a handful of finely-grated Parmesan. Mustard Mash Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the mash. Horseradish Mash Add a tablespoon of horseradish sauce to the Base mash mash. Packet of Maris Piper potatoes Garlic Mash Large spoon of fresh cream Add crushed garlic to olive oil and sauté Knob of butter lightly for two minutes on a medium heat Freshly cracked salt & pepper then add to mash. Dash of milk Apple & Bacon Mash Dash of olive oil Add half a finely-diced apple and diced panMethod Boil potatoes, once soft mash and add ingre- cetta to a pan and cook gently for 5-10 mindients one by one, leaving the fresh cream utes then add to mash. until last.
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FEATURE
ROASTIES by Theo Michaels
Meanwhile strip the rosemary, give it a little rub in your hands to release some of the oils When you fancy something a little different and drop into the bottom of a roasting dish. to roasted spuds, these rosemary roasted new potatoes have a great fragrant aroma Drizzle a few glugs of olive oil over the roseand a wonderful texture. Go on, you know mary, add the sliced onion and season. Mix together to let infuse while your potatoes are you want to… cooking.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
Once the spuds are done, drain and leave for a moment to steam dry.
1kg new potatoes A handful of stripped rosemary A few good glugs of extra virgin olive oil Plenty of seasoning 1 onion, sliced
Pour into the roasting dish and mix well with the rosemary, onion and olive oil. If they look a little dry, add more olive oil and season well. Don’t go light on the rosemary, make sure you have enough to taste!
Method: Cut any large potatoes in half and par boil them in salted water until just al dente. Test by inserting a knife into one - it should give a little resistance but don’t overcook! This should take about 12 mins, give or take, on a rolling boil.
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Pop into an oven at 180C for 20 mins, but check after 10 mins. You don’t want them to dry out, just have enough time to finish cooking and give a nice golden colour. Done!
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REVIEW
Black Cow Vodka by Andy Tudor
Dorset… countryside, lighthouses, museums, cottages. Even if Bournemouth was on the tip of your tongue (where I went to University) with its touristy Summer, vibrant night scene, and epic beaches, it’d be a far cry from London Fashion Week, Damien Hirst, and celeb-spotting at the Chiltern Firehouse.
For this review I had mine both ice cold served at Shoreditch eatery The Tramshed and later at room temperature and it was equally great in both scenarios. Definitely a comfortable ‘sipping’ drink. Although they have a variety of tweaked vodka-based cocktails on their website (including a Moscow Mule variant of the “Dorset Donkey”) it’d be perfect for a traditional espresso martini Because that’s the world that Black Cow lives also. in. A pure milk vodka, it’s made authentically as the invention of West Dorset dairy Espresso Martini farmer Jason Barber, triple-filtered and 2 shot of Black Cow Vodka hand-bottled. Yet it then whisks its way to a 1 shot of coffee liquor select number of establishments and events 1 shot of espresso coffee around the world - Singapore, Australia, and Shake vigorously and serve in a cocktails London. glass. With contemporary branding befitting of high fashion rather than rural kitsch, Black Cow has been the preferred tipple of choice at a number of big events held at Fitzroy Place, the Viet Grill, Rules Restaurant and of fans such as Daniel Craig, Liz Hurley, and Heston Blumenthal. Virtually odourless and with a smooth and creamy taste as you’d expect, it still retains the bite of a vodka but with the delicate softness of vanilla.
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If you’re not a fan of traditional grain or grape-based vodka then this is a hearty recommendation. Clean to the lips yet warming to the stomach and rumours are no hangover ;-)
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FEATURE
4 Really Different Places CARIBBEAN, INDIA, JAPAN, MAYFAIR...
My taste buds have travelled far and wide to bring you this piece. by Gemma Speakman You’ve got a stinker of a head cold. How many times have you just skipped a meal or, when you have chowed down — desperate even for some taste bud reverberation from the food you so normally love — realised that sadly, truth be told, you might as well have served yourself up a helping of cardboard on cardboard? A good meal is a total waste, no, a total frustration when you can’t smell properly, which indicates how closely intertwined smell and taste actually are and how it’s actually both of those senses hard at work that makes the food so satisfying and good. Or tells you it’s off and not to eat it to preserve your constitution. This former fact is notable when you start to smell the relatively new Caribbean affair, RUDIE’S on the High Street in Stoke Newington. You get a whiff of the place a fair way off (starts kind of at the humungous ‘Beyond Retro’) then it thickens as you approach. The mouth saliva obliges in anticipation but the absolute sensory deluge that transcends once the doors open is something you can’t quite prepare yourself for. It is probably one of the only places I’ve been to eat where I’ve genuinely been tempted to stand and fan the aromas into my face feeling like I am tast40
ing the food without anything actually going past my lips. It smells SO good. This jerky, smoky, but all the same slightly indistinguishable scent keeps you guessing, and annoying other diners by swishing doors, trying to pin down what it actually smells of. Smoke? Chilli? Secret Caribbean ingredients? There’s an impenetrable depth to it and the contents of the YA MAN! meat platter are the same. No wonder: ’24 hours in our own secret real jerk marinade cooked over the charcoal and wood smoke on the traditional drum’. It’s delish but a small tip: don’t have the Peppa Shrimp as a starter before the jerk as the fish is so spicy it kind of momentarily disables the taste buds, making the intricacies of the jerk a little redundant and wasted. I’d recommend having it afterwards instead, with one of their amazing salads especially the avo, mango and cucumber salad, Y.O.M. The rice and peas feel meaty and wholesome and the curried ox tongue is excellent too. Don’t skimp on the dessert either as the sorbets are total solace in your hot mouth afterwards and the rum cake with rum caramel sauce and ice cream is like a sumptuous Christmas pudding where you least expect to find it.
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The whole place feels quite joyful. Decked out with great lighting — amazing bespoke palm tree oversized lamps that emit a soft and sunshiny glow — pot plants propping up pops of luscious green and the occasional vase of flowers (although those at the door needed a replenish, desperately), with a great bar (at which you can sit and eat). Soft colours with exposed painted walls and wonderful accompanying music means there is a relaxed, holiday vibe about the place. They also have very unique wall decoration in the shape of crumpled, what look like record sleeve covers, in a mix of heady red and orange with a sepia veil. They feature pictures and scenes from Caribbean island life ‘Get Ready Rock Steady’ and are a welcome eye distraction on an otherwise plain bit of wall.
to Rudie’s — if you could bottle that authentic smokey drum smell, I’d be first in line. Rudieslondon.com
Next up west, to 8 Mount Street, to probably one of the most un-bohemian neighbourhoods London has to offer, Mayfair. It was a while after I had dined here that it suddenly dawned on me that this restaurant (named after its address) is a confusing place to visit because, certainly from an interiors perspective, it really hasn’t worked out what it is supposed to be. It’s kind of like a well dressed aristocrat with a really dirty call girl as a mistress sending him astray and making him all confused. That might sound about standard, but here the top floor is (ironically) very ‘brassy,’ thanks to the panels that are all over one wall, trying to reek elegance with This place in the middle of what is now an badly placed multi-blooming purple orchids über-trendy Stoke Newington is definitely on the bar. on the visit list. SN is quite the place now — it was one of my old stomping grounds as a kid It feels like a hotel lobby with diners perched and how it has changed! Back in the 80s it on an unimaginative brown bench praying was awash with very pedestrian curry hous- for an early check-in without as much as a es and dodgy looking blokes hanging outside cushion for comfort on the hard surface of the many dodgy looking boozers. Fast for- the bench. But then paradoxically and all of a ward 20 years and it has transformed itself sudden when nature calls, the toilets downinto ‘trendstown.’ ‘Yummy mummy-ville’ is stairs are as though you’ve just stepped into a term I oft hear when it’s referenced. But to a whore house in Soho - all screamy, oranme, early-ish on Friday evening, it felt more gey red walls with mirrors EVERYWHERE than that. It had a buzzy and happy excita- that compel you to feel out of sorts and send bility with lots of different places to eat and you into an involuntary kind of anesthedrink, albeit hard to decipher from the out- sia, crashing into mirrored walls, thinking side, establishments here preferring a very you’re heading towards the exit and vice cool, borderline absent outside sign except versa. It’s stupefying, like you’ve just swalfor the bar called HUH? Huh?! lowed a really overpriced ridiculous Mayfair drug or fallen into G.A.Y by way of a mysteriAnd if you need to work up an appetite or in- ous subterranean tunnel. cite a thirst, browse some cool art in HANG UP (81 Stoke Newington High Street, hangup- But then off you go, back upstairs to forget pictures.com) or rummage for vintage finds your sins and resume normality with your at Beyond Retro which takes up a staggering posh food and slightly insane (albeit lovely) eight numbers on the High Street, stashed to waiter. The food is very good though, so it’s a the rafters with old treasures in a large art shame. First up shredded crab, though it felt deco building with a cafe. But an aside note too stringy, like I was eating crab ‘noodle’ 42
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which was odd — sometimes things are better left as they are, chunky and meaty. The tomato and goat’s cheese salad was super tasty but that’s not down to kitchen finesse, let’s face it, more your supplier. The Dover Sole was immense — more so because it was presented by our very charming Hungarian waiter as ‘Mike, or used to be Mike.’ This caused a lot of laughs, almost mirroring the psychosis of the interior set-up. In a very serious restaurant with pandering waiters, our Hungarian friend pulls out a hugely unexpected joke about murdering a fish that we can’t stop sniggering about.
ent and loyal to itself. 8mountstreet.com
Back over East for one of the best curries in London - to the charming Abdul Yaseen’s (ex-Cinnamon Club) newly launched restaurant Darbaar, housed in Spitalfields. Royal-inspired modern Indian cuisine, it’s all sleek wooden lines and wonderful gold chandeliers, reams of copper and pops of blue, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows that give it a very warm and earthy feel. In the main dining area you are drawn by the very large and modern kitchen awash with busy people preparing wonderful things for your delight, plus a very impressive clay oven that The lamb chops were really very good too, sits atop the kitchen counter, slaving away although the raisins were overpowering and all evening churning out naan breads by the too many in what should have been left as a bucket load. simple dish, powerful enough by itself. The side accompaniments, spinach, greens and If you’re lucky enough, you’ll have Abdul gratin, were all very satisfying but again, come out punter-side and cook you up your hard to go wrong with such simple dishes. very own Indian pizza — correct term, nanThe lemon tart for dessert was good but in za. For topping, think sumptuous chicken all honesty, also quite forgettable. I’ve had tikka, paneer, red onion, fresh coriander and better ones from leading supermarkets. a special mystery chilli sauce atop a crunchy and light Indian bread. Although I think the The lighting here is at the right setting - not convivial proprietor may have been working stark but not so dark that you can’t see your the room that night! food. But when you look upwards you realise it’s all terribly unimaginative spot lights The food was a delight from start to finsuspended from ugly rectangular boxes that ish and highly recommended is the shrimp are obliterating beautifully high corniced cocktail, the sufiyani lamb seekh kebab with ceilings. Oh to think of the chandeliers, vin- green spices plus the kid goat biryani. The tage bulbs and general light wonderment spiced carrot cake was a wonderful way to that could have been here! end a meal that was generous in size and bursting with taste. A truly regal banquet. On my way out assessing the crowd, it was hard to decipher who the clientele was. Don’t be shy about going to the toilets here From what I could gather, it was mostly either. As some of you might recall from an tourists not locals. And the price is probably earlier column, at a certain M in the city, the main reason for this. It’s not cheap as an Darbaar has invested in what are known as eatery and in all honesty if you know London ‘Tokyo’ toilets. You can do your business and and you know good food, you wouldn’t dine basically have a wash and blow dry down here. It’s good but there are a whole host of there afterwards, for free. Oh and a heated other places that do what they do loads bet- seat at a temperature of your choice. darter AND in an interior setting that is consist- baarrestaurants.com. 44
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Finally back central, to Kanada-Ya in Haymarket for a Japanese truffle ramen (exclusive to this branch). The place is small and feels slick and efficient from the moment you step in. It’s predominantly decked out with wood with pops of red, mirrors on the ceiling, bobbing opaque white lights and a sensible slightly bouncy floor that I really liked. It houses a tiny kitchen from which these amazing soup concoctions continually effuse.
And for the distinctly lunchtime feel of the place (this is not a place to linger over a big meal) £14 for a single bowl of ramen is quite steep, especially as it’s likely you’d come here with at least one friend. If truffle isn’t your thing, try the vegetarian ramen or the chicken paitan instead — the latter a comforting winter warmer with pork and leek but again, at £11 it’s steep for chicken soup. The popcorn chicken side dish is great and crunchy and a nice contrast to the noodly Downstairs, the toilets have a distinct out- soup. doorsy feel, like they might sit well inside the enclaves of a forest camp, but in a good For a mouth cleanse (which I needed) try the way. It feels raw and unfussy inside with no only ice cream available which is the green wood staining or distressing on the go and tea ice cream (matchka). For me, sadly the not a vintage chalk paint finish in sight. It’s temperature in my mouth after the soup was functional and clean like the food it serves. the only positive as it didn’t taste of anything The truffle ramen (18 hour pork bone broth, at all, though it was a lovely shade of green. I chashu pork collar, spring onion, porcini am just not a fan of green tea, I just don’t get truffle paste) was however quite heavy and what it is all about at all. Give me a strong cup rich, especially with the optional extra of of Yorkshire Tea any day. kanada-ya.com egg topping, plus another dollop of truffle paste. By the end of it, as much as it was a unique-tasting dish, I felt a little queasy.
FEATURE
A year on the cutting patch by Emma de Sousa
Back in November 2014 I took on an overgrown, unloved allotment near to where I live. When I first showed it to my husband he looked at me as if I was mad! But after five months of backbreaking work, digging, clearing and dumping rubbish, it started to resemble somewhere I might – just might – be able to grow something. So in March 2015 I started my journey of growing and with the help of my beloved greenhouse (that’s right, beloved – now I have one I will never be without) I began sowing seeds. A few tomatoes plants here, unusual salad leaves there, pak choi and courgettes amongst other things. And of course my real passion in life: flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. During that first year at the allotment I totally got the bug. When I was a child growing up, my Dad was always ‘down the allotment’ and still has one at the age of 84. I remember spending many happy hours making mud pies, eating dirty carrots and probably not being very helpful, but having a good time nonetheless. Maybe that time spent on Dad’s allotment has rubbed off on me.
but the older you get (in my early 40s I don’t consider myself old yet!) your likes start to change. Now nothing gives me more pleasure than pottering around in the fresh air, being at one with nature and having the perfect excuse to don my welly boots and old tracksuit bottoms! Often the only company I have at the allotment is the resident robin, who waits anxiously for the odd worm as I dig the ground, and the local ginger cat whom I’ve nicknamed Marmalade. (The poor thing gets called something different by the other allotment residents, he’s probably a very confused pussy cat.) And of course our resident fox Hank, who often sits in the early morning sun just metres away from me, watching my every move out of one eye whilst pretending to sleep with the other. There is just something special about the early morning peace and quiet on my little patch of heaven.
At the end of 2015, almost a year to the day later, I took on another neighbouring allotment in an equally bad state and plan to grow many more varieties of veggies this year, and of course tons of flowers. Anyone who knows me knows that my passion in life, aside from I am a fairly late starter. Growing up, there my children and animals, is flowers. I have was always something more exciting to do, been a florist for over nine years and made 46
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it my mission to not only to build a business around them, but to learn how to grow them from seed and eventually get my own piece of land where I can grow for my business, as well as just for pleasure on my allotment. My ideal would be to have a house with land, an old beautiful barn with a veggie patch and a field full to the brim with seasonal cut flowers. I could run my business from there and keep a small farmyard of animals (for pleasure only – I’m veggie so no animal-eating). Ahh, if only....
FEATURE
Spuds with a history. by Roz Lishak
It’s a root veg, mostly found with orange-coloured flesh, but white and even purple varieties can be found. You can mash, chip fry or boil it and it’s a fabulous source of carbohydrate. Of course you’ve guessed, it’s a... Well, I imagine most of you either said sweet potato or yam. But do you know sweet potatoes are a variety of the humble potato and not the same beast as a grown yam? Interestingly, I also discovered that the orange variety we commonly use today was introduced to the US many decades ago so that shippers could distinguish it from the white potatoes everyone already knew. The producers and importers happened upon the African word ‘nyami’ and they were swiftly labelled ‘yams’!
confide that my super-secret, superhero ingredient is the wonderfully versatile sweet potato. This widely consumed veg is a safe ingredient for dogs and a very hearty and healthy addition to a nutritionally balanced canine diet. After all this in depth ‘underground’ research I’ve been digging around to do, here’s a little levity to lighten the load: What did Mr Potato Head say when he left the fancy dress party in his Arnold Schwarzenegger costume? “I’ll be baked.”
To this day, this variety of potato is often called a yam, even though IT IS A POTATO. King Edward would be rolling in his vegetable patch if I didn’t get to the root of this question, but what’s in a name? And why in Canine Corner am I sharing a few thoughts about the humble sweet potato (not yam, remember)? Well, when asked what sets our woof-tastic canine cookie range apart from the rest, I 50
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FEATURE
Bowled over by Blowers by Matt Phillips
There wasn’t one but two brands of cigars featuring the Huckleberry Finn/Tom Sawyer writer: Great Mark Cigars and the rather imaginatively-named Mark Twain Cigars. I wonder how many meetings they had before deciding on that catchy title?
That thirst for fame, or the desperation to hold onto it, means established names will do anything to keep their profile fresh. Yes, she was legendary in the Carry On films but have you seen Barbara Windsor in that God-awful bingo advert?
Twain had his fingers in many pies and, when not contributing to the American tobacco industry, he could be found doing his bit for bakers on Mississippi with Mark Twain Flour. That’s right. Flour.
Honestly, it’s enough to have you reaching for Boots paracetamol. And does anyone really believe that Peter Andre actually does his weekly shop in Iceland? Allow me to sidetrack slightly and ask the question, whatever happened to Bejam? Answers on an email to Cibare magazine please. Of course, celebrity endorsement isn’t a modern phenomenon. (Try saying those last two words together after a couple of drink.) You can go all the way back to the 19th century where American literary giant Mark Twain was putting his name to all sorts of products with the kind of enthusiasm now
PICTURE CREDITS: http://www.twainquotes.com/Flour.html
The fact that we’re living in such a shameless time for celebrity endorsement can probably be summed up by the breaking news that the entire cast of TOWIE just attended the opening of a crisp packet here in deepest darkest Essex.
PICTURE CREDITS: claudiodivizia
*Warning, this article contains several generally reserved for someone out of product placements for comedy reasons. Geordie Shore.
See, that’s where your modern celebrity is your five-a-day but who could blame you if going wrong. Listen up Ronaldo, forget af- it did? tershave and get yourself endorsing rolling pins… Made from Chardonnay grapes, it’s a great wine to have over a light lunch throughout It’s not all bad news though. Some famous the cricket season. people are putting their names to some very tasty products, one being legendary cricket Staying in France, we move down to Côtes commentator Henry Blofeld and his excel- du Rhône for the red wine in Blowers’ collent wine range. lection. The certification of French wine from this region is a complicated business, on par with trying to explain the rules of test cricket to our friends from across the Atlantic (they generally lose interest when you state that a game lasts five days…) and Blowers’ Rhône falls under the Côtes du Rhône VilLast year, Blowers appeared on BBC’s Room lages Massif d’Uchaux class. 101 and promptly submitted hotels that couldn’t supply proper English Mustard at The Rhône Valley suffers for its wine and meal times for the dreaded trap door. when the infamous Mistral wind blows through the region it’s very much a case of I once went through a slight phase of boy- rolling out the covers and the umpires decotting Colman’s English Mustard because claring ‘no play today’. it was made in Norwich and I’m an Ipswich Town fan… My wife said it was the most ri- But the results are worth all the suffering diculous thing she’d ever heard and prompt- and what you get with Blowers’ Rhône is a ly stocked up on Norfolk’s greatest export. full-tasting red with a blackberry finish that It’s never been mentioned again. will complement an evening of meat on the grill and a summer barbeque. Henry Blofeld is a Norfolk man too but his wine range is very much French-themed so So there you have it: our faith in celebrity let’s kick off with the Bourgogne Blanc. endorsement restored thanks to the legendary Henry Blofeld and two great wines that Around 60% of the grapes grown in Burgun- will hit winter for six. dy are dedicated to the production of white wine and it’s here, in the sub-region of Côte Cibare magazine readers can get their HenChalonnaise via Montagny, that the 2012 ry Blofeld wine via www.thewinecompany. Blowers’ White Burgundy was born. co.uk/blowers And it’s perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months with a real fruitiness in taste and hints of citrus alongside apples and pears in the finish. I’m not saying that the White Burgundy should become part of 54
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PICTURE CREDITS: David Franklin
You will struggle to find someone more English than Henry Blofeld. Educated at Eton, he’s always immaculately dressed in a bow tie which is a great effort when you consider he’s spent the majority of his 50 years in cricket behind a microphone… on radio.
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FEATURE
A Paleo Lifestyle Tips
BOOKS
Cookbook Review
Ottolenghi by Rebecca Stratton
Everyone reviews new cookbooks but I think the real test of a good book is if it’s still on your shelf and, more importantly, still in use years later. This one was published in 2008 after the runaway success of the deli of the same name which, if you’ve never been, is a wondrous place.
of these would turn a simple plate of grilled meat or fish into an absolute feast.
Next up, meat and fish: Courgette-wrapped Lamb Kebabs, Seared Tuna with Pistachio Crust, Seafood, Fennel and Lime Salad and Roast Chicken with Saffron, Hazelnuts and Honey. My words don’t do it justice but trust At the time I worked a street away from the me, the pictures do! deli and visited practically every other day. I was positively giddy when the cookbook was Lastly my favourite, the Baking and Patissereleased so I could capture some of the Ot- rie Section. I have cooked practically every tolenghi magic at home. recipe from these pages. My most-used recipe of the entire book is Brioche. It’s easy to The book starts with a brief introduction to make (if you have a mixer with a dough hook), the deli, the chefs, their philosophy and the easy to prove (overnight in the fridge) and ingredients. Luckily you can now buy some easy to eat (especially if you throw in chocof the more unusual ingredients very easily olate chips). Try it, you’ll be converted – it’s – think pomegranate, molasses and Sumac. the bread recipe for people who don’t make The book is divided into three main sec- bread! Other recipes include Jerusalem Artions: Vegetables, Pulses & Grains, Meat & tichoke and Swiss Chard Tart, Caramel and Fish and Baking & Patisserie. Macadamia Cheesecake, Plum, Marzipan and Cinnamon Muffins, Pistachio and RoseThe first section is a page turner, using every water Giant Meringues (they are famous for type of vegetable and salad you can think of these) and Sour Cherry Amaretti. (I found this book a godsend when using up my veg box). Favourite recipes are Figs with There is also a larder section of useful and Young Pecorino and Honey, Sweet Broccol- reliable recipes – custards, jams, pastry and ini with Tofu, Sesame and Coriander, Cara- more. This is an absolutely amazing book melised Endive with Serrano Ham, and Ko- with stunning photography and tempting sheri (a wonderful Egyptian rice dish). Any recipes but also just a really great read.
Send love to the Cibare Team for this amazing issue Check them out on
www.cibare.co.uk/team ... and sign up to our newsletter! Photo Credits
Spuds are not the enemy © Nednapa Chumjumpa Gemma Speekman Denise Chester © Comaniciu Dan A Year On The Cutting Patch © Emma de Sousa
Cookbook Review © Ottolenghi Matt Philips © claudiodivizia © David Franklin © http://www.twainquotes.com/Flour.html Jo Farren © Oksana Tkachuk