Food Glorious Food

USELESS FACTS

courtesy of Joanne Philips and Fiona Wilson, LIVS

1. It takes 40 minutes to boil an ostrich egg. 50 minutes soft boil, one and a half hours hard boil.

2. There are 3 times as many acres in Yorkshire as there are words in the Bible. Apparently true!

3. There is no Arabic word for camel. Not true!

4. A tribe in North Africa believe that eating lettuce is a mortal sin. Can’t find any evidence of this.

5. The banana is a herb. True.

6. Mary Queen of Scots was a great snooker player. True – she was called ‘Mary Queen of Shots’. Plenty of time incarcerated in various castles enabled her to become a formidable billiards player. The earliest recognised version of the game was invented in the 1340s in France. Played as an outdoor game similar to croquet it eventually moved indoors and onto a wooden table with green cloth to resemble the grass on which it had previously been played.

7. There are 1,200 species of buttercup. Not true, estimated at 600. 8. There are 22 miles more canal in Birmingham than Venice. Yes, there are more miles of canal in Birmingham but the exact amount of how much more is uncertain.

9. A cockroach can live for several weeks even with its head cut off. Not for several weeks but for one and it would die of thirst.

10. An early American death certificate:- He went to bed feeling well but woke up dead.

11. George Washington’s false teeth were made of ivory and tasted so horrible he soaked them in port each night. Possibly true or possibly American legend… Dentistry Today do record Washington’s Dentist, Dr. Greenwood, advising that Washington desist from soaking his dentures in port wine to minimise staining.

12. It is illegal to drink beer in a toilet in Canada. True but this has been lifted in some parts of Canada to enable women to take their drinks with them to ‘washrooms, hallways and stairwells’ to prevent drinks being tampered with.

13. In 1918 sand eels fell from the sky for 10 minutes near Sunderland. True! 14. 7,500,000 tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day. True.

15. The killer whale is classed as a dolphin. True

16. There is enough lime in the human body to whitewash a chicken coop. True according to Guy Murchie’s book, The Seven Mysteries of Life, published in 1999.

17. Only 6 people died in the Great Fire of London. Only 6 were recorded but the actual death toll was more likely to be several hundred and possibly several thousand. The fire probably destroyed the bodies, and the deaths of the poor and middle classes were probably never recorded.

18. There is enough fat in the body to make 7 bars of soap. True.

19. A ball made of glass will bounce higher than one made of rubber. True – if it doesn’t smash!

20. Sir Walter Raleigh’s wife had her husband’s head embalmed after his execution and carried it everywhere with her until her own death 29 years later. True!

KEEP IN TOUCH

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FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

OLIVIA POTTS, Central High, Class of 2006 and former Head Girl

Olivia talks us through how to make Clementine Sussex Pond Pudding, from her new book, ‘Butter: A Celebration’.

A Sussex pond pudding is so full of butter that at one point it was known simply as a ‘butter pond pudding’ – and the citrus element, the gorgeous surprise in the centre, is relatively new. The first recorded recipe for the pudding describes it as a piece of pastry wrapped around a ‘great piece of Butter’. It wasn’t until Jane Grigson’s recipe in English Food in 1974 that the Sussex pond pudding began habitually to include a lemon.

I agree with Grigson that the inclusion of citrus is essential: that contrast of bitter and sour with the rich, sweet butter sauce is the joy of the dish, but the thin-skinned clementine is a delightful alternative to the now traditional lemon. As they steam, the clementines almost candy inside, bathed in the spiced melted butter and sugar sauce, and the pastry is suffused with butter and infused with the fragrant spiced clementine.

The pudding should stand proudly when turned out, but will collapse when cut into, giving up its spiced citrus – and the combination of spectacle and spiced clementine make this a beautiful alternative to a Christmas pudding.

Serves: 4 Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total time: 3 hours 20 minutes 200g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 100g shredded suet (vegetarian is fine) 1⁄2 teaspoon fine salt 125ml whole milk 100g butter, cut into small dice, plus extra for greasing 100g light soft brown sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon ground mixed spice 2 clementines

1. First, generously grease a 600ml pudding basin (approx. 16cm diameter) with butter, and put a full kettle on to boil.

2. Whisk together the selfraising flour, suet, and salt in a bowl. Add the milk and bring it together into a dough, first with a knife, then, as the mixture becomes more cohesive, with your hands. 3. Reserve a quarter of the pastry for the lid and roll out the rest using a floured rolling pin to make a large circle. Ease this into the greased pudding basin and smooth it so it is flush against the side of the pudding basin.

4. Toss the diced butter, sugar and mixed spice together in a bowl, and place a layer in the bottom of the pastry-lined basin.

5. Prick the clementines all over with a sharp skewer. Place them in the pudding basin, side by side, and fill the rest of the cavity with the remaining spiced butter and sugar. Roll the reserved pastry into a 16cm circle, for the lid. Wet the edges of the pastry case with a little water, then place the lid on top, pressing gently to seal.

6. To prepare the pudding basin, place a piece of baking paper on top of a piece of tin foil, and fold both along the middle to create a pleat (this is so when the pudding expands, it doesn’t burst out of the paper). Place these two folded sheets over the top of the pudding basin, centring the pleat. Tie tightly with string. Alternatively, if you have heat-safe clingfilm, you can place a pleated disc of baking paper over the top of the pudding basin, and wrap the whole pudding basin twice-round in heat-safe clingfilm.

7. To steam, place a clean tea towel in the base of a large saucepan. Fill the pan halfway up with boiling water. Lower the prepared pudding into the pan: the water should come about two-thirds of the way up the pudding basin. Put the pan over a very low heat and cover with a lid. Steam for 3 hours. Keep an eye on the water level, checking every 30 minutes or so: it is dangerous for the pan to boil dry, so top up with boiling water from the kettle, if needed.

8. To serve, lift the basin carefully from the pan of water, and remove the wrappings and any string. Run a knife around the edge of the basin, being careful not to cut into the pastry. Place a serving plate over the top of the pudding, and swiftly invert.

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

ANNA HEDWORTH, Central High, Class of 1988

My name is Anna Hedworth, my passion is food, cooking, creating, and bringing people together. I love cooking so much, it’s a joy to me. I currently own two busy and successful restaurants in Newcastle upon Tyne, Michelin rated Cook House and newly opened Long Friday, where I cook at and run both. I have recently opened an exciting new Test Kitchen & Event Space alongside my restaurants, bringing talks, classes and education to the city. I have also launched our Cook House Online product range, delicious condiments, sauces, drinks, and hampers from the restaurant, spreading our delicious message far and wide. Now available nationwide and with plans to branch into crockery and homeware for the kitchen in the pipeline.

I am very passionate about food provenance, providing people with better food, and teaching people how to cook interesting yet delicious food that doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I am kept quite busy by all of the above, but am driven by new exciting projects, improving my life, my community and my city. I love writing and I published my first book in 2019, ‘Recipes and Stories from Cook House – how to leave your job and open a restaurant even when you don’t know how’, named a Sunday Times Food Book of the Year and a Telegraph Food Book of Autumn 2019, among other awards. I started life as an architect and designer but jumped headfirst into the world of food in 2014 and haven’t looked back.

Spiced Pancakes with Toffee Apple Caramel Sauce - Serves 4

We have served these pancakes since day one at Cook House, people come back for them time and time again. We change the toppings season to season, poached rhubarb and raspberry, warm roast peaches, plum and ginger compote, and this Toffee Apple Caramel which is a perfect warmer for Winter. They make a great weekend breakfast at home if you fancy something indulgent on a Sunday morning.

160g Plain Flour 10g Baking Powder A pinch of Fine Salt 20g Caster Sugar Half tsp Cinnamon Half tsp Nutmeg

40g Melted Butter 2 Free Range Eggs 75g Yoghurt 150ml Whole Milk

For the Pancakes, mix all of the wet ingredients together in a bowl, and then mix all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Next sieve the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. It is ok if there are still a few lumps.

To cook the pancakes melt a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan and heat till sizzling, swirl to cover the whole pan and add more butter if it is shy. Add dollops of pancake mix, a large, heaped serving spoon per pancake, they will expand quite a lot, so leave space, 3 in a pan at a time is ideal. Cook for around 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown, flip and repeat, they should be springy to the touch when done. You can keep them in a low oven while you prepare them in batches.

Toffee Apple Caramel Sauce (Makes 1 small jar, approx.)

As well as pouring this over your pancakes, this sauce jarred up makes brilliant little Christmas gifts!

60g Soft Brown Sugar 60g Caster Sugar 2 tbsp Organic Apple Juice 100ml Double Cream 25g Salted Butter, room temperature, cut into cubes ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg For the Toffee Apple Caramel Sauce, add apple juice and the sugars to a heavy based pan and stir together until combined. Place over a medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir, just swirl the pan around if needed). Once the sugar has dissolved turn up the heat and allow to bubble for 4 minutes until it starts to look like caramel, in texture and colour. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the remaining ingredients (take care as it can rise up or spit, just keep stirring) Any you don’t pour over your pancakes will keep for weeks in the fridge. Serve your pancakes warm with diced apple, Greek yoghurt and plenty of warm caramel.

CHARLOTTE HARBOTTLE, Church High, Class of 2006 Charlotte established her own Butcher’s in Newcastle and is one of only a handful of female butchers in the country. She shares some expert advice on steak.

Which cut of steak is the best?

This is a question I get asked all the time. The answer is ‘it depends’.

Initially ask yourself if you’re looking for flavour or texture? Are you wanting something that packs a punch or something that is melt in the mouth?

Recommended cuts

Flavour: Rib eye, Sirloin, Rump, Bavette, Cote de Bœuf, Onglet

Texture: Fillet, Fillet Tail, Châteaubriand, Flat Iron, T-Bone

Sirloin and rump are meaty cuts with a band of fat on the outside with rump having a slightly more irony flavour and it’s better if it’s cut quite thick. Rib eye has a pocket of fat in the centre which means it’s best to be served medium to well done just to make sure that the fat renders nicely.

These cuts can be more expensive and if you’re wanting something a bit cheaper Bavette/Flank steak or even Chuck work well after they have been in a marinade, using beer or red wine vinegar can also add to the texture being softer. These steaks work well if they are cooked in oil but you can use different fats or butters to make them even juicier. With all meat, giving it the chance to rest is always a good idea as is making sure it’s at room temperature before you cook it.

For the softer cuts of steak, it’s best if you cook these in butter or beef dripping just to inject some flavour into these tender cuts. Fillet is notorious for being quite expensive but often the tail end is a lot cheaper – it’s not as uniform in size but you get the same experience without going overboard price wise.

Sharing cuts like T-Bone, Cote de Boeuf and Chateaubriand are also a great way of having steak as they are designed for sharing and it’s best to roast them and carve and serve in the middle of the table.

It’s not about being right or wrong when it comes to steak – it’s about working out what you’re looking for and then pairing the right cut with the dish you want.