Fine Foodies November/December issue

Issue.5 Vol.1 November/December 2011

Fine Foodies Passionate about good food Picrkfurp ee you ie fooadzine mag INTERVIEW

The

Italian way

ANTONIO CARLUCCIO ON REVIVING BRITAIN S LOVE OF COOKING

Plus:

Nov/Dec 2011

] MASTERCHEF MASTERCLASS ] JOURNEY ACROSS SPAIN ] BAKING TIPS

Plan your perfect Christmas MIXING THE BEST TRADITIONS WITH A MODERN TWIST

Welcome

Fine Foodies Passionate about good food

Target Publishing Ltd, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Essex CM22 6HJ Telephone: 01279 816300 www.finefoodiesmag.com Editor: Rachel Symonds e: editor@finefoodiesmag.com t: 01279 810088 Contributing Editor: Sarah Willingham Contributors: Jennifer Britt, JJ Goodman, Jane Baxter, Janet Mendel Sub Editor: Jeff Munn-Giddings Group Sales Manager: Ruth Gilmour e: ruth.gilmour@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810084 Sales Executives: Ben Brooks e: ben.brooks@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810068 Production Daniella Randazzo e: daniella.randazzo@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810097 Design Clare Holland e: clare.holland@targetpublishing.com Administration/Distribution Julie Torkington e: julie.torkington@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810072 Accounts Lorraine Evans e: lorraine.evans@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 816300 Managing Director David Cann e: info@targetpublishing.com

W

ith the unseasonably warm start we’ve had to autumn (who’d have thought we’d see 29ºC in October?), it’s been

more salads than stews.

But before we know it, Christmas will be upon

us, and one of the biggest tasks is to decide what to serve on the big day.

We Brits spend in excess of £1.6bn each year on Christmas food and drink, and in excess of 10 million turkeys will be consumed on December 25.

There’s no doubt that the age-old tradition of turkey with all the trimmings is still the most common dish of choice for the festive meal.

However, increasing numbers of people are experimenting with something a little different, goose being one of the most popular choices as an alternative to turkey.

And so in this issue of Fine Foodies, Jennifer Britt explores how to plan your perfect Christmas meal, and suggests ways of combining festive traditions with a modern twist. Turn to page 20 to get started.

Also in this issue I talk to the much-loved Italian chef, Antonio Carluccio.

Antonio is one of a number of popular chefs campaigning to revive some of Britain’s once loved fruits and vegetables. Antonio wants to see more people eating beetroot and tells me why and how we can reignite our love of cooking and what the future has planned for him.

If you would like a little inspiration at getting creative in the kitchen, why not turn to page 26 for some recipe ideas.

And as always, we’d love to hear from you. If you’ve tried a dish that you want to rave about, or want to shout about why your local store is so great, email me at editor@finefoodiesmag.com and you could find yourself winning the star letter prize.

ISSN 2046-438X

Published by Target Publishing Limited. Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company plc www.magprint.co.uk ©2011 Target Publishing Ltd. Produced on environmentally friendly chlorine free paper derived from sustained forests. The Publishers cannot accept any responsibility for the advertisements in this publication. To protect our environment papers used in this publication are produced by mills that promote sustainably managed forests and utilise Elementary Chlorine Free process to produce fully recyclable material in accordance with an Environmental Management System conforming with BS EN ISO 14001:2004.

Rachel RACHEL SyMONDS

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sarah Willingham is one of the most successful people in the food industry, best known for appearing alongside top chef Raymond Blanc as an inspector on the popular BBC show, The Restaurant. With two business degrees, the self-confessed foodie most recently was acknowledged as one of the 35 most successful women under 35 in the UK, featured in the Courvoisier Top 500 and in Business Weekly’s young Entrepreneur of the year Awards.

For over a decade, Sarah has managed some of the biggest brands in the restaurant industry, including Pizza Express International. In 2004, she was part of a consortium which acquired The Bombay Bicycle Club in London, growing it from six restaurants to 17.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

Fine Foodies

Contents Passionate about good food

ISSuE 5 VOL.1 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

16 30 14 COvEr StOry

14

Antonio Carluccio The much-loved Italian chef on reigniting Britain’s love of cooking

FEaturES

20

The perfect Christmas Jennifer Britt explores traditional Christmas food with a modern edge

20 26

Recipe Challenge your skills in the kitchen with some ideas from MasterChef contestants

30 34

Recipe Learn how to be a better baker

Global foodie The delights of Spanish food are explored by writer Janet Mendel

rEgularS

26 6 8 10 12

Letters What you’re talking about this issue Foodie bites What’s going on in the world of fine food Shelf life Explore the latest products in store

Sarah’s view Fine Foodies Contributing Editor Sarah Willingham on introducing homegrown goodness to your family

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

16

UK fare Food from the Anglia region, plus sumptuous recipe ideas

24

In season What’s ideal for eating and cooking with at this time of year? Riverford Organic tells all.

38

Drink up From wines and cocktail ideas to the newest hot drinks

42

Fine Foodie hero Natalie Dimmock

Product news

Letters

Your foodies Sta Letterr

GREAT TASTE IN RECIPES Mouth-watering... loved the snacks feature (Fine Foodies, September/ October issue), some great recipes ‒ Mighty Spice is a recent addition to our shelves.

TWEET CORNER Fine Foodies asked the twitterworld how to make the best carbonara.

Recipes

Spice it up

Add a bit of spice Gregory-Smith, to your culinary offering with and his new book the help of John , Mighty Spice Cookbook.

MORWENNA TUDOR, VIA TWITTER Vietnamese lemongrass chicken with chilli and

Serves 4 Ingredients: • 6 lemongrass stalks, plus extra Method: stalks to serve • 2tbsp vegetable oil • To prepare the • 4 garlic cloves, lemongrass, remove finely chopped the really tough outer leaves Once the oil is • 1 red chilli, deseeded and cut off the smoking, chuck ends of the stalks. Starting and finely chopped in the at the fatter end, lemongrass, garlic • 500g/1lb 2oz boneless, skinless roughly slice and red chilli each lemongra and stir-fry for chicken 10 seconds, or ss stalk into rings. thighs, cut into until fragrant. bite-sized pieces You should see a purple band Add the chicken and then stir-fry • 2tbsp fish sauce in the rings. Stop for three to four slicing when there are minutes, or until the chicken • 1tbsp soy sauce no more purple bands and is golden and discard the rest cooked through.

• A pinch of sugar of the lemongra ss, as it will be too tough to eat. Give the lemongra • Tip in the fish • 1 handful coriander sauce, soy sauce ss slices a leaves, roughly quick blast in and sugar and a mini food processor chopped stir-fry for another • Rice noodles, to serve 30 seconds, then until they are very finely chuck in chopped. the chopped coriander. Serve • Heat a wok over immediately with rice noodles a high heat and and the extra add the oil. lemongrass stalks.

INSPIRED TO BAKE

I picked up my first issue of Fine Foodies and loved reading the interview with Mary Berry. I really got into the Great British Bake Off and, I have to confess that although I m usually a little reluctant at attempting any new dishes, this has really inspired me to try and do something a bit different ‒ thanks for the inspiration.

CHLOE RICHARDS, SURREY Issue.5 Vol.1 mber 2011 November/Dece

Fine Food ies Passionate

d food about goo upe Pick fre your die foo zine maga

INTERVIEW

The

Italian way

JUST SAY IT!

In a word, I would say it Plan your perfect Plus: Christmas [Fine Foodies] is fabulous, with some great recipes ‒ thank you.

CCio antonio Carlu n’s Britai on reviving ing love of Cook

MasterClass

Nov/Dec 2011

MasterChef ] s spain journey aCros ] Baking tips ]

Mixing the Best traditions with a Modern twist

BOTANICAL BAKER, VIA TWITTER

Singapore coco nut and

Ingredients:

• 1tsp tamarind paste • 400ml/14fl oz/1½ cups coconut milk • 250g/9oz raw large king prawns, peeled and de-veined

• 110g/3 3/4oz /1¼ cups bean sprouts • 110g/3 3/4oz rice noodles • 2tbsp vegetable oil • Sea salt • Coriander sprigs, to serve For the spice paste: • 2 lemongrass stalks • 1 red chilli • 4 garlic cloves

• 1tsp shrimp paste • ½tsp turmeric • 2tbsp vegetable oil 32

recipe2.indd

FINE FOODIES

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Method:

prawn laksa

• To prepare the spice paste, remove the really tough outer leaves of the lemongra and cut off the ss ends of the stalks.

Starting at the fatter end, roughly slice each lemongrass stalk into rings.

You should see a purple band in the rings.

Stop slicing when there are no more purple bands, as the tops will be too tough to eat. Set the tops aside to add to the laksa later and put the sliced lemongrass in a mini food processor. Add the other spice paste ingredien ts and blend to a smooth paste.

• Put the tamarind paste and 100ml/31 floz/1⁄3 cup water /2 in a small bowl.

Mix well and leave to stand for five minutes, or until the paste has dissolved, then remove any lumps. Heat a large saucepan over a medium

Serves 4

heat and spoon in the spice paste.

Stir-fry the paste for 30 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the coconut milk, prepared tamarind, 200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup freshly boiled water and season with a pinch of salt.

• Mix well, then turn up the heat to high and bring to the boil.

Add the prawns, bean sprouts and lemongra ss tops, turn the down to low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, or until the prawns have turned pink and are cooked through. Remove the lemongra ss tops.

• Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructio ns, drain and drizzle with the oil to prevent sticking.

Divide the cooked noodles into four deep bowls and ladle in the hot soup. Add a coriander to each bowl sprig and serve immediat ely.

32

@BROCKHALLFARM: recipe2.indd

SEPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2011

33

FINE FOODIES

33

Star letter – could it be you?

18/8/11 10:51:17

Do you have something that you d like to share with other readers, something that will inspire them, encourage them to visit their local store or is just good news? We d love to hear from you. And, of course, we d also like your comments about the magazine.

The winner of the Star Letter will receive a Fresh Fish Selection Box courtesy of Wing of St Mawes. The fresh fish box will contain a selection of the best and freshest seafood from the morning s fish markets, fully prepared and portioned, ready to cook or freeze. This box will contain at least 10 portions of fresh fish, typically haddock, whiting, plaice, lemon sole, hake, cod, pollack, sea bass, and salmon.

Write to: Rachel Symonds, Editor, Fine Foodies, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Bishops Stortford CM22 6HJ or email editor@finefoodiesmag.com

Tiny, crushed clove of garlic when crisping the pancetta and don t overcook the egg. Think silky! #doyoutrustmeattips fromaveggie?

@ENGLISHFOODIE:

Use good Linguine, f/r pancetta, f/r eggs, top o. oil and parmesan, avoid cream...

@FISHFACEEVENTS:

Add egg yolks at the last minute to thicken your sauce, also makes it richer!

@FIRSTTHYME

NO CREAM!! It s a dry dish.

READER OFFERS Please indicate below which free giveaway you are applying for and then post this form back to us at Reader Offers , Fine Foodies, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Bishops Stortford CM22 6HJ. Please tick:

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News update

Foodie bites A tAstE Of ChRistMAs

Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are joining the line-up at a Taste of Christmas.

Starting on December 2, the three-day event at London’s Excel will see the two chefs host individual cooking demonstrations in front of a 2,000 strong crowd.

Other renowned foodies such as Gary Rhodes, Michel Roux Jr, Rachel Allen, Atul Kochhar, Theo Randall and Mary Berry will also be on hand to educate and inspire with demonstrations and an array of seasonal activity.

• For more information and tickets visit www.tasteofchristmas.com

Learn how to be a Masterchef Food and wine lovers can learn from the best as big names from MasterChef take to the stage in November.

MasterChef LIVE takes place from November 11-13 at London’s Olympia, and features the chance to cook with the show’s presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Visitors can also watch numerous theatre sessions hosted by John and Gregg, while the Cook-Offs will see previous champions compete head-to-head. In addition, MasterChef The Professionals judge Michel Roux Jr will be wowing audiences with his signature dishes in

the Chefs’ Theatre.

Once again MasterChef LIVE will be home to London’s finest speciality food market, showcasing over 120 producers. The Producers’ Village hosts a collection of the very best international producers of artisan food and drink. And finally, following its debut last year the Wine Show is running alongside MasterChef LIVE, where you can learn how to pick out the perfect wines in tasting sessions with celebrity experts including Oz Clarke and Tim Atkin.

Visit www.mastercheflive.com for more information.

REkiNDlE OuR lOVE Of suNDAy luNCh

The RSPCA has launched a new campaign to get the nation back to cooking up a traditional Sunday lunch.

Research shows there has been a 50 per cent decline over the last two generations in the number of families sitting down to a meal together on a Sunday.

And so the RSPCA created the Big Sunday Lunch, taking place at the end of October, to encourage friends and family to get together around a dining table while raising funds for the animal charity.

Recipe ideas are available at www.bigsundaylunch.co.uk

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

World’s priciest pud created... in Windermere We all like a bit of extravagance every now and then but one hotel has taken things to extreme lengths by creating the world’s most expensive dessert – costing a whopping £22,000.

Marc Guilbert, the award-winning head chef at Lindeth Howe Country House Hotel in Windermere, created the chocolate pud that beats previous records thanks to its pricy list of ingredients, which includes gold, Champagne caviar and a stunning two carat diamond.

The pudding, which was launched during October’s National Chocolate Week (October 10-17), is made with four different types of the finest Belgian chocolate flavoured with a combination of peach, orange and whiskey. Styled like a Fabergé Easter egg, it is layered with Champagne jelly and a light biscuit joconde, finished with bitter dark chocolate and glazed with edible gold leaf.

The pudding is decorated with intricate handmade chocolate flowers and is served with Champagne and strawberry caviar. It also comes with one of the finest and most expensive bottles of dessert wine, Chateau d’Yquem, which is priced at around £500 per bottle.

The dessert will appear in the Guinness Book of World Records once it is bought by a customer.

Issue.3 Vol.1 2011 July/August

Fine Food iesFine FoodiesFine Food ies Issue.4 Vol.1 September/October 2011

Issue.2 Vol.1 May/June 2011

d foodPassionate about good food Passionate about goo about goo d food Passionate upe Brand Pick fre Pick up new your free your die foodie foodie foo zine magazine INTERVIEW magazine maga

Mary, queen of cakes

MARY BERRY ON ENCOURAGING THE NATION BACK INTO THE KITCHEN

Plus: Inside the ] ASIAN t FOOD EXPLORED ] FOCUS ON YORKSHIRE world’s bes ] RECIPES WITH SPICE restaurant HAM SARAH WILLING NOMA REPORTS FROM

20/6/11 14:43:53

Sept/October 2011

July/August 2011

] FRANC ] BARBECUE IDEAS DESSERTS ] SUMPTUOUS

INTERVIEW

THE SATURDAY KITCHEN CHEF TALKS HOM E-COOKING

ON HIS JOURNEY DHRUV BAKER MASTERCHEF SINCE WINNING

Plus:E IN FOCUS

James Martin

Plus:

] SUMPTUOUS ] DAIRY DELIGHRECIPES ] IN SEASON TS

Back to Nature THE ART OF FORAGING

cover james martin.indd

May/June 2011

Life of a hef MasterC

INTERVIEW

Global foodies ITALIA

EAT LIKE THE

NS

1

Fine praise The results are in...and you, our readers, have confirmed that you love Fine Foodies.

Since our launch at the start of 2011, Fine Foodies received a fantastic response. The results of our recent reader survey show that some 93 per cent of you find the editorial valuable, while 92 per cent of you find the products highlighted in the magazine valuable when making a purchase.

Jess Vaughan said: Great recipes! First time I ve read it but it stands out from other magazines. High quality and good layout.

Meanwhile, Pauline Snook enthused that Fine Foodies is a wonderful magazine. Keep doing what you are doing. Best magazine out and Michele Orban added: Very informative food magazine, originals recipes, local food suppliers .

What do you think of Fine Foodies? Email me at editor@finefoodiesmag.com

YEO VALLEY CHURNS UP THE CHARTS

After the success of last year s rapping farmers, the challenge was on for Yeo Valley this year.

And so The Churned has been born, the new farming-inspired boyband, which, at the time of Fine Foodies going to press had broken chart history by entering this week s Official Singles Chart at number 67. No advertising soundtrack has entered the Official Singles Chart at a higher position.

The Churned s video for the first single, Forever, is being screened during the X Factor on ITV1.

We created Forever to convey our passion for sustainable farming, delicious organic produce and to showcase our West Country roots, said Yeo Valley s Ben Cull. • You can view the video at www.youtube.com/yeotube, which has over clocked up more than 230,000 plays. It is also available to view at Itunes.

BRITS FEAST ON REGIONAL FESTIVALS Thousands of people around the UK have been getting into the festival spirit.

First, there was the 2011 Stone Food & Drink Festival, which attracted some 17,000 visitors for a weekend of all things gastronomic.

In addition to browsing over 70 stalls in the Gourmet Marquee and taking in the finest local produce in the Taste of Staffordshire Marquee, visitors enjoyed demonstrations by top local chefs and got the chance to sample 30 different beers from Staffordshire brewers in the Titanic Best of Staffordshire Beer Festival. In addition, the High Street Farmers Market saw its biggest-ever crowds.

Over in Dorset, activities from falconry and bee keeping to apple identification and foraging walks took place during the Feast of Dorset festival.

Thousands of visitors attended the event, which saw celebrity chefs take to the cookery theatre, including MasterChef winner Mat Follas, and Lesley Waters, who demonstrated local ingredients available to visitors this harvest season.

Award-winning deli

A Suffolk deli has proved its worth by winning the Best Delicatessen category in the Suffolk Food and Drink Awards for the fourth time in five years.

Lawson s Delicatessen, in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast, won the title this year, which followed on from last year s national accolade of Deli of the Year.

The deli prides itself on stocking many products made in the region, working with everyone from artisan bakers and salami makers, to smokers, cheesemakers, and fruit growers.

DELI SUPPORTS LOCAL FARMERS

Staff at a Harrogate deli have literally been giving it some welly for charity.

Weetons, which makes the famous Weeton s Welly beef wellington, is raising funds for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) by wearing their wellies to work, with wellies used as collecting pots around the shop.

Weetons is owned, managed and supplied by farmers, and Director of Operations, Jo Loftus, said: We ve built up close links with the local farming community and we like to think of ourselves as a farm gate for local produce. In fact, since we launched Weetons in 2005, we have stocked more than 1,200 lines of Yorkshire food from local farms and small producers. Farmers are the lifeblood of our business and it s crucial we support them every day, not just in times of crisis.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

9

Product news

Shelf Life What’s neW in the World of great-tasting food

liMited edition Cheddar launChed

To celebrate a decade in business, Godminster has created a limited edition traditional farmhouse cheddar.

Made using milk from the Godminster Farm at Bruton in Somerset, in partnership with Green’s of Glastonbury, the handmade traditional vintage cheddar truckles, which weigh two kilos each, are unwaxed. Using artisan skills, the Godminster Cheddars were matured on racks for nine months and the characteristics are rich, full-bodied and long on the finish with a nutty and savoury bite.

Brightening up your breakfast Being gluten free does not have to mean a disappointing breakfast experience, says Nature’s Path.

And to prove it, the organic cereal company has created two new gluten-free cereals, which are endorsed by the charity Coeliac UK. Maple Sunrise is made from wholegrain corn flakes, brown rice puffs and a maple syrup flavour, combined with the extra textures of flax, quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. Then there is Os, a gluten-free cereal designed for children with crunchy O-shaped pieces.

dorset delight

The colder months are perfect for porridge, and this year, Dorset Cereals has added a new twist.

Its new hearty recipe is made from traditional jumbo oats mixed with real gingerbread pieces and packed in a handy new jumbo sachet. The Gingerbread variety can be ready to enjoy in three microwave minutes or slightly longer if made in the more traditional fashion on your hob.

10

FINE FOODIES noVeMBer/deCeMBer 2011

Ethical and indulgEnt

When you buy Organic Seed & Bean Company chocolate, you can be confident it has been made ethically.

That’s because it has just been accredited with 100 per cent ethical status by The Good Shopping Guide, which, it says, makes it the only chocolate company in the UK with this standing.

Handmade in the UK using only organic or Fairtrade ingredients, the Organic Seed & Bean Company’s range of bars and snacks include Chilli and Lime chocolate and Lemon & Poppy Seeds creamy white chocolate bars.

JUICE IT UP!

It’s a busy time over at juice maker Organic Village.

Not only has the brand launched its latest offering with Pomegranate Juice, they have also sponsored the recent Urban Music Awards International Artist of the Year accolade.

The Soil Associationcertified Pomegranate Juice is not made from concentrate, contains no added water, no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. The juice is pressed from sunripened fruit growing in the organic orchards of Anatolia.

Reader offer Fine Foodies is offering readers the chance to win one of two cleanse, detox & Energise hampers courtesy of Birdfood. hampers include three packages of the Raw Superfood Energy Balls in Spirulina, acai and cacao, two tins of the Raw Superfood Breakfast Blends in Macadamia, Mulberry and chia Seed and almond, inca Berry and chia Seed, and two tins of the dukkah nut and Spice Blend in & lemon and Macadamia, cashew and chilli. See page 4 for details.

Regular bite

Sarah’s view

L

Each issue, Fine Foodies Contributing Editor, Sarah Willingham, gives her view. This issue, she talks about the beauty of creating good eating habits from a young age.

ittle Marly, little

Jerusalem artichokes, red

divine Marly...

cabbage, courgettes

one who’s now

Minnie, number

wholesome

baby number

(although I keep forgetting to

five, thinks that

and special

four, my last little

pick them so they’re more like

the reason why

about us all

ball of brilliance,

spending a

marrows), sweet, sweet onions

Marly’s food is so

my first blue-eyed baby and

and garlic, potatoes, peas,

special is because the

my first spring baby!

beans, spinach, tomatoes,

whole family made it.

By far the most exciting of

something very

Saturday making food

salad, mint, basil, peppers,

Grandad planted a lot of it,

all, more than anything else,

beetroot and very mild chilli

Monti dug it up from the

they actually planted the food

hurrah I have finally had a

(with my Indian food

garden with his new

with me and Grandad, watered

baby to be weaned during

addiction they have to start

gardening tools, all three of

it lovingly, then picked it and

harvest. Can you believe it? No

early to survive in our house).

them picked the plums and

now watch Marly eat it is about

As a mum, this is it for me;

apples, hanging so low that

as basic as it gets.

shopping in the organically

for little Marly. That

‘imported from Kenya’ section

knowing that Marly’s first food

they were nearly on the floor,

of Waitrose for me.

is all from our garden makes

and Nelly got very, very wet

it’s the norm, but here, where

me want to burst with

washing them in a big bucket

you can get what you want

grown purée factory is in full

excitement. I really believe

outside the back door. They all

when you want it from our

swing and my kitchen is a

that you influence a baby’s

chopped and stoned

supermarkets without ever

conveyor belt of steaming and

eating habits in their early

(supervised by Daddy), I

really understanding where it

stewing from garden to

years so while I can control

stewed and steamed and they

came from, it can be hard to

mouth (well quarter mouth,

what goes into his mouth, I

pureed. Just about maximum

find the motivation to do it

quarter face, quarter floor and

will. With a freezer packed full

love in those ice cubes of

yourself.

quarter me!). The other three

of wonderful concoctions

food, I think.

have all at some point helped

made up of any random mix

with the chopping, juicing

of the above I can sit back

gratification where everything

simple things I can’t remember

and, apparently the most

happy that at least his first

is so readily available there is

a more indulgent afternoon. FF

exciting, the blending.

couple of months are about as

The Willingham home-

Damsons, wild plums,

pure as you can get.

apples, pears, elderberry, figs, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries and any mix of the above.

12

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

In a world of instant

In most of southern Europe

But having found the time this year for one of life’s very

In your

DISCOVER THESE PRODUCTS IN STORE NOW

In your store

HAND-CRAFTED THE TRADITIONAL WAY

Organic Village Cheeses are 100% organic hand-crafted using traditional methods. The range is certified organic by the Soil Association, and made with organic sheep and goat s milk from farms in the Balkan Mountains. Choose from their creamy Gouda Cheese (£3.59 200g) or Mediterranean feta style White Cheese (£2.69 200g). They combine authentic centuries-old recipes with advanced technology to provide the highest quality. Organic Village is about sourcing the tastiest and purest of produce ‒ delicious and packed full of goodness. Available from selected natural health stores and specialist food outlets.

Go to www.organicvillage.org to find a store near you.

The perfect Christmas gift for Foodies!

A year s worth of fantastic restaurant discounts with The Gourmet Society.

Throughout the UK and Ireland there are thousands of great restaurants offering members up to 50% off their meal when they dine out with their discount dining card.

Choose from big names like Loch Fyne and Hotel du Vin, awardwinning independents, family favourites and even Michelinstarred eateries for those indulgent moments.

All restaurants offer one of these great deals: 2 for 1 meals 50% off food L 25% off food AND drinks L L

Three Gold Stars for Three Fennel

Pukka s organic Three Fennel tea is a delicious blend of sweet fennel, wild fennel and fennel leaf. These three varieties of fennel create an abundance of flavour and are each renowned for supporting healthy digestion. This flavoursome tea combines plump, juicy fennel seeds from Turkey, fresh wild fennel from Bulgaria and feathery fennel leaf from Somerset. Of the 7482 products entered into this year s Great Taste Awards, Three Fennel was one of only 114 awarded the prestigious three stars. Pukka s Night Time and Three Ginger were each awarded two stars and Cleanse and Detox one star. For more information call 0845 375 14744, email: sales@pukkaherbs.com or visit www. pukkaherbs.com

You can buy membership for just £29.95 (RRP £69.95)! Each member receives a dining card and a printed restaurant directory.

HOW TO ORDER: Visit www.gourmetsociety.co.uk or telephone 0845 257 4477 quoting FINEFOODIES on both occasions.

T s and C s: Vist www.gourmetsociety.co.uk.

A PRESERVE FOR EVERYBODY

Thursday Cottage s Blood Orange Marmalade is made with fresh blood oranges grown on the slopes of Mount Etna.

Perhaps its the simplicity of the recipe ‒ just oranges, fruit pectin and pure cane sugar ‒ that makes the product such a success. Hand pouring also helps produce a fine mix of peel and fruit throughout the jar. With over 120 products to choose from, including the award-winning fruit coulis range, Thursday Cottage has a preserve for everybody. Recommended retail is an affordable £2.39. Call 01621 815429, email jams@thursday-cottage.com or visit www.thursday-cottage.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

15

UK fare

Eat like the Anglians There’s no denying that the people of East Anglia like their food.

What’s more, they make it well. Fine Foodies explores all that the east of England has to offer.

F

rom ice cream and flour, to oils,

areas they operate in.

Take Suffolk Larder as an example; the

honey and sausages, producers

company sources many of its ingredients

from the east of England are

from Norfolk and Suffolk, and all the recipes

making a real mark in the world

are hand mixed, weighed, and produced in

of fine food.

small quantities. The product range includes

But what’s so great about the food and

Suffolk Vinaigrette, made from local honey,

drink offering from this part of the UK, and

and Herbal Tomato Sauce, made from

what could you expect to be its signature

locally-grown tomatoes, onions and mixed

dishes?

herbs, mixed in fellow Suffolk producer,

The Anglian region covers the six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

So important is food production in the

Aspall Cyder.

Then there is Hillfarm, located in the picturesque Suffolk countryside, which began producing extra virgin rapeseed oil

Anglian region that a body has been formed

and has now expanded to make creamy

to help champion these businesses. Tastes of

mayonnaise. The fields where the crops of

Anglia works by supporting and promoting

rapeseed are grown are within minutes of

business that originated in the region.

the press used to make the oil, meaning

Sticky toffee pudding

Hillfarm products have a low impact on the

By Galton Blackiston for Hillfarm Oils

“The Eastern region has an abundance of local produce to offer, from fresh fruit and vegetables to spicy preserves. Behind these

environment and full traceability.

Ingredients:

fantastic products are passionate small to

Heritage

• 110ml Hillfarm Rapeseed Oil

large businesses dedicated to regional

Many of the food producers around today

provenance and sustainability,” said

have been in the business for many years.

• 4 eggs

Membership Officer, Marilyn Snell.

“This fervour for food is supported by

Take the Marriage family, who have been

• 175g light, soft brown sugar • 225g self-raising flour • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda

flour millers in Essex since 1824 and farmers

• 2tsp Camp coffee

research that shows over 70 per cent of

in the local area since the 17th century. As W

• 275ml boiling water

consumers would like to buy local. Tastes of

H Marriage & Sons, the fifth and sixth

• 225g stoned chopped dates

Anglia ensures a connection between the

generation family-run company produces

region’s farmers, producers, chefs, caterers,

premium quality wheat flour and sources

wholesalers, retailers and tourist outlets –

wheat flour from Essex.

helping to provide vital links within the region and beyond.”

Locally sourced

Or you could look to Musk’s, the wellknown sausage brand that has called Newmarket its home for decades. In fact, Queen Victoria was on the throne when

Producers in this region pride themselves on

James Musk, trading from a butcher’s shop

sourcing their ingredients from the local

on Newmarket’s High Street, founded the

16

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Method: • Line a 20cm loose bottom cake tin with greaseproof paper. Mix together the Hillfarm Oil and sugar, then slowly add four beaten eggs. Fold in the sieved flour and set aside.

• Meanwhile mix the bicarb and Camp coffee and pour this over the dates, followed by the boiling water. Mix well, allow to cool for 10 minutes and then pour onto the creamed

company in 1884. His recipe has been

travelling around the Mediterranean I was

which has recently been crowned Best

passed down through the generations and

so impressed by the quality of the food

Essex Food Product in the Essex Food &

to this day remains a closely-guarded

that when I returned I wanted to improve

Drink Awards 2011.

secret.

the quality of the food in the UK, and

The company’s Chris Sheen said: “East Anglia is the bread-basket of England! The

particularly where I was, East Anglia.

Jane Hadley established Hadley’s Dairy Ice Cream in 2001, being made on the farm in Colne Engaine, Essex. The ice

soil produces great crops and the

Award-winning

livestock, particularly pigs who become

Food and drink producers are flying the

from Marybelle Dairy in Saxmundham

Musk’s Newmarket sausages, are reared in

flag for the region, with many brands

and free-range eggs from Brick Kiln Farm

the best conditions to produce a

picking up some impressive accolades.

in Stanway.

succulent meat.”

Richard Seymour, of Seymours, which

Sutton Hoo Chicken boasts Free

cream is made from local milk sourced

“I’m still so shocked that I won,” said

Range and Organic Free Range in its

Jane. “I’ve picked up lots of awards for my

supplies a range of oils, added: “East

portfolio and prides itself on high animal

ice cream over the years, but this is really

Anglia may not be the first place that

welfare standards. Most recently, it was

special as it’s fabulous to win in the region

comes to mind when one thinks of

named Best Producer and Best Suffolk

and I’m hoping this accolade will help put

delicious infused olive oils, vinegars and

Product at the 2011 Suffolk Food & Drink

my ice cream on the map throughout the

freshly roasted spices, but Seymours of

Awards.

county.”

Norfolk’s range of products has caused

Then there is the small ice cream maker

quite a stir in the last few years. After

based in the Essex town of Colchester,

mixture. Bring together to create a very runny batter. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for one hour 15 minutes or until springy to touch.

• Serve with butterscotch sauce and cream.

and reduce by about 50 to 75 per cent until thickening.

• Then add the hard butter and sage off the heat and whisk in until melted. Pour over the steaks and serve with new potatoes and green veg.

Pork loin with sage and Uncle Cornelius finest spiced ginger

Mince pies

By James White Drinks Serves 2 Ingredients:

• 1 batch almond pastry (see below)

• 4 large boneless pork loin steaks, well trimmed of fat • 1oz butter • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves • 15cl Cornelius Ginger Drink • 2 tablespoons white wine • 2oz hard butter for the sauce finish • Black pepper and sea salt Method: • Melt the 1oz butter in a frying pan until browning, add the meat and fry for two minutes each side. Transfer to hot plates and, using the same pan, add the ginger and wine,

Find out more about Anglian food at www.tastesofanglia.com

From WH Marriage & Sons Makes 12 Ingredients:

• About 400g mincemeat • Caster or icing sugar for sprinkling • Plain or fluted round cutters (8-9cm/3¼-3½in and 6.5cm/2½in mince pie or bun tin For the almond pastry:

• 225g Marriage’s Finest Plain flour • A large pinch of salt • 50g ground almonds • 85g icing or caster sugar • 175g unsalted butter, chilled and diced • 1 large egg yolk Method: • Heat the oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4.

• Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured work surface to about 4mm/¼in thick. Cut 12 rounds using the larger round cutter and 12 rounds with the smaller cutter, re-rolling the trimmings as necessary. Press the larger rounds into the depressions in the mince pie tin, gently pressing the dough against the sides of the tin with your thumb to remove any air bubbles. Put about 1½tsp mincemeat into the centre of each pastry case.

• Dampen the edges of the pastry cases using a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Cover with the smaller rounds and seal the edges by gently pressing down with an upside-down round

cutter or small glass that just fits inside the rim of each depression. Make a small steam hole in the centre of each pie with a skewer or cocktail stick. You can also cut a small star or Christmas tree shape out of each lid before using to cover the pies.

• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until firm and just golden; richer pastry tends to brown very quickly.

Leave to cool in the tin for several minutes so the pastry firms up, then carefully un-mould and cool on a wire rack. Serve dusted with sugar.

For the almond pastry: • Put the flour, salt, ground almonds and sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until thoroughly combined. Add the diced cold butter to the bowl and process until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and process briefly until the mixture comes together to make a ball of soft but not sticky dough. If there are dry crumbs, add icy water a teaspoon at a time, until the dough holds together.

• Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for about 15 minutes until firm but not hard.

• The dough can be made up to five days in advance and stored tightly wrapped in the fridge. Remove from the fridge for 15 minutes before use, to ensure it is not too hard.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

17

Interview

Cooking, according to

Carluccio

Most of us have eaten in one of his restaurants, or tried his simple Italian dishes.

Now, Antonio Carluccio is on a mission to revive one of Britain’s once muchloved vegetables, as he explains to Fine Foodies Editor, Rachel Symonds.

T

here’s no doubting where

remember them as these little balls in a

important. If you are brought up that way

Antonio Carluccio’s roots

bottle full of vinegar, the way you find

with food, you remember it. They helped

lie. From the still thick

them in supermarkets. But fresh beetroot

me to become what I am,” he said.

Italian accent despite his

is amazing.”

years in the UK, to the

Antonio sets out to reverse the

And taste is the most important aspect of cooking for Antonio – nothing fancy, just

recollections of his early food memories

negativity surrounding this root

good taste, and that has been the premise

and favourite dishes. Antonio is Italian

vegetable, and during the episode reveals

of many of his TV shows and books –

through and through.

just how versatile it is.

demonstrating how easy it is to whip up

But this month sees the much-loved

“You will see me show you how to cook

great-tasting Italian food.

cook join a stellar line-up of TV chefs for the

the beetroot,” he explained, adding: “I do a

latest series of the Great British Food

lasagne without using pasta – I use thin

minimum fuss. I live by that principle,” he

Revival, being screened on BBC2. The premise of the campaigning series is to take different celebrity chefs, who explore a type of food that was once popular but in recent times has become less so. The idea is to rekindle the nation’s love of these foods, and includes everything from garlic and peas to rhubarb and rare breed beef.

And for Antonio? He chose the humble beetroot.

“I have lived here for 36 years and I find British produce fantastic,” he says. “I love the beetroot, I remember it from when I was growing up.”

Yet the beetroot is not in favour the way it used to be. In fact, Antonio’s episode of Great British Food Revival reveals that a worrying half of our beetroot fields have been lost in the last 30 years, a trend which is expected to continue, and this is thought to be because of the way we in the UK perceive its taste.

But this is not how Antonio remembers beetroot.

He points out: “There are so many different varieties and flavours, white, pink for example, but there has been a rejection of beetroot because people

slices of cooked beetroot and then I put in

says. “The only thing we must remember is

between some smoked ham and some

good food is about taste – don’t worry

Bechamel – that’s it and it’s fantastic!”

about the look of the food, it is the taste

18

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Italian influence

“My motto is Mof Mof… more flavour,

that’s most important.

“I’m not as creative as other cooks.

Often described as the Italian godfather of

Heston Blumenthal is hyper creative but

gastronomy, Antonio was born on the

sometimes that hyper creativity does not

Amalfi Coast in the south and raised in the

help because no one can cook these things

wooded north-west, and at the age of

in their own kitchen. Simple cooking is a

seven he discovered his life-long interest

major feature of Italian food.”

in hunting and collecting mushrooms and funghi with his father.

Antonio has lived in the UK for many

Yet he believes that simplicity is not something Britons always follow.

“British food is fantastic, there’s fish,

years, first hitting British TV screens in the

vegetables, fruit, meat, and it can be really

early 1980s. His first book was An

first quality, but people don’t always like it in

Invitation to Italian Cooking, and he has since written 13 books, and made many popular TV shows, including Antonio Carluccio’s Northern Italian Feast and Southern Italian Feast. He was also famed for his books on mushrooms, a passion that still exists today.

But although he made his name in the UK, it is Antonio’s Italian roots that have shaped his approach to cooking.

“My mama used to cook extremely well, and my Papa was a fantastic critic.

The children would sit around the table and listen to that – taste was always very

the way that other countries like their own cuisine – British food is suffering a bit of a Cinderella story.”

And Antonio’s favourite dish?

“I could cook a spaghetti with tomato and basil, very simple. Or I could eat a wonderful risotto with truffles if I was looking for something more sophisticated.”

Reviving cooking Before finding his way into television, Antonio was first and foremost a cook and restaurateur, taking over the Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden in 1981, which

traded for 26 years. In 1991, Antonio

people to make good food.

perhaps some more TV next year – I

opened a deli next to the restaurant and

“We don’t cook these days the way we

in 1998 started the first Carluccio’s Caffè,

used to,” he says. “Start and be bold – take

mushrooms,” he says. “I’m still inspired, I

which began the popular Carluccio’s

a piece of meat, for example, and see

find a lot of interesting things. A book I’m

chain that exists today. Although no

what happens, whether you boil it or

reading is about 150 years of Italian food

longer a director, he continues to work

roast it, and then you learn from it. And if

and so I have been interested in the

with the Carluccio’s team on menu

it goes wrong, you don’t have to show

development of food in the last 150

development and chef training. In 1998,

anyone! It is all about confidence.”

years.” FF

Antonio was awarded the

Despite a 50-year cookery career,

Commendatore OMRI by the President of

there’s still plenty on the horizon for

Italy for services to Italian gastronomy, the

Antonio, who last year filmed the Two

equivalent of a British knighthood. In 2007

Greedy Italians series with fellow Italian and old friend, Gennaro Contaldo.

“I’m writing my autobiography which is very enjoyable – for me anyway, and

he was awarded an honorary OBE. And because his roots are in cooking, he is passionate about encouraging

would like to do something about

Great British Food Revival is being screened on BBC2 during November, and includes names including Michel Roux Jr, Ainlsley Harriot, John Torode, Gregg Wallace and Raymond Blanc.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

19

Food focus

Christmas traditions...

when past meets present

Jennifer Britt offers some inspiration for Christmas traditions combined with modern ideas.

I

t’s Christmas Eve. There’s snow on

“Turkey. It’s our best seller without a

There’s something about Christmas

the ground and a chilly bite in the

doubt, “ says the company’s Steve

that has people snuggling luxuriously in

air as the file of customers

Harrison. “But we also sell a lot of

blankets of nostalgia and habit.

collecting their festive provisions

pheasant, grouse, woodcock, pigeon and

Epicure from Petty Wood is another

from Allens, London’s oldest

duck – all game is in season for Christmas.

established name with a history going

butchers, on Mount Street, Mayfair, starts

People also love pigs in blankets, sausages

back to the high colonial era when it

to stretch back around the street corner.

wrapped in bacon, we sell thousands of

started importing exotic canned fruit and

those.”

vegetables to broaden the horizons of the

Jolly goodwill is kept simmering with mugs of hot tea and coffee served by the shop’s retinue of cheery and attentive staff.

Perhaps you are already forming a

middle class British kitchen.

Among its contributions to today’s Christmas table is goose fat. Epicure is the

mental picture of the closing chapter of A

biggest importer of this ingredient that

Christmas Carol and Mr Scrooge in his newly-discovered benevolence, sending a bird to grace the Christmas table of the Cratchit family!

Allens of Mayfair is indeed an establishment of Victorian origins.

Although not quite of the vintage of Charles Dickens, it has occupied the same shop on the ground floor of a mansion block since the 1890s when Mr Robert Allen opened for business.

But the queue out of the door just described was a scene from December 2010 and without a doubt will form again this year... although there is no guarantee of a return of last year’s pre-Christmas white.

Despite its antique shop front and style of fittings, Allens, whose patrons include Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux Jr and Nigella Lawson, is the model of a modern business with an online mail order trade bustling away behind the scenes and supplying customers across the country.

And what will most of them serve for Christmas lunch?

many now consider indispensable to

20

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

delivering a traditional Christmas lunch, although as a popular tradition this one is less than a decade old.

“We started importing it eight years ago but it’s only about four years ago when the Jamie Olivers, the Nigellas and the Rick Steins were talking about it that sales took off massively,” says brand manager John Holland-Pemble.

Epicure’s most loyal customers are ‘creative cooks’, people who enjoy being imaginative with recipes and flavours.

But when it comes to Christmas?

“It’s don’t mess with our Christmas... it’s turkey and the trimmings all the way.

They’d be very, very traditional,” says John.

Oldest is the latest So, is the modern British culinary sense of adventure completely trumped by the “just like granny used to do it” Yule rule?

Yes and no, suggests Scott Goodfellow, Managing Director of Cole’s Traditional Foods, which has been making puddings

since 1939. “On Christmas Day many cooks like a conventional pudding, the family favourite,” he says.

But while tradition may reign on December 25, today’s Christmas extends over a lengthy period, pre- and- post the big day, so offers plenty of other pudding occasions when people feel less constrained by sticking to tradition.

Cole’s Traditional Christmas Pudding is its number one, but it also caters for people who find the conventional pud a penance rather than a treat.

Brandy, Port and Walnut Christmas Pudding, or the Caribbean Rum and Double Cream are a bit more daring – and lighter – and this year there is a new gift pack of three mini puddings, Light and Fruity, Champagne Pudding and a Chocolate Fudge Steamed Pudding.

Turkey tradition

before it goes in the oven with his Lemon,

Lavender, which is our sweet and sour

One British festive tradition that Rupert

Basil, Bay and Juniper Vinegar because it

blend and you’d put a real oriental slant

Parsons, of Womersley Fruit & Herb

helps to tenderise the meat. “You can also

on Christmas lunch.”

Vinegars would like to hit on the head, is

stuff the bird with a whole lemon because

How about something completely

that of moaning about how dry and

citrus is very good for bringing out flavour

different from the Christmas basics of a

bland the turkey is.

as well as helping to keep the meat

big bird, sugar confections and lots of

moist.”

dried fruit in some form or another?

“I love having turkey. I like tradition and I like to get the best out of it. If you are

And turkey doesn’t have to be cooked

Here’s someone who seems to have a

going to have turkey you have got to

the same every year, points out Rupert. “If

fresh take on Christmas fare – Axel

make it taste absolutely great,” says

you want to be a bit more outlandish, you

Steenberg, of Steenbergs Organic. The

Rupert, who will be drizzling his bird

could use our Lime, Black Pepper and

specialist in spices and other store

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

21

Food focus cupboard essentials enjoys a Christmas special of herring and beetroot.

“Well, actually it is very traditional, just not a British tradition. It’s in honour of my Scandinavian ancestry and we have it on Christmas Eve,” explains Axel, who on Christmas Day reverts to old-fashioned homemade Christmas pudding made with dark stout-type ale – even more traditional than using spirits – and goose.

But is goose traditional? Or is it trendy?

Or is it both? It certainly pre-dates turkey, which was a 19th century introduction to the festive feast, as regular Christmas fare.

At least it’s what the reasonably well off might have eaten. For the poor, having meat of any description would have been a treat and many would have probably been grateful to put a rabbit in the pot!

Goose hasn’t been part of living tradition for most British families, so these days it seems positively novel.

“There is a real sense of people experimenting with food by going back to the future,” agrees Axel. “The oldest thing is the latest thing.”

The sweet stuff When it comes to gingerbread, there is no place more traditional to be baking it than

Christmas inspiration New ideas for your Christmas shopping basket... try these and they might become a Christmas tradition.

• Red Nose Reinbeer Ale from Somerset’s Cotleigh Brewery is a richly flavoured, deep copper-coloured seasonal ale with chocolate, toffee and nut flavours. Christmas in a bottle.

• Wild Thing Organic from Vintage Roots is a range of a white Sauvignon, a red Merlot and a Tempranillo rosě, with a percentage going to the Born Free Foundation.

• A Milk Chocolate Flower Pot from Holdsworth Chocolates filled with individual handmade chocolates is decorated with a festive red poinsettia flower and matching bow to make a pressie or a table decoration. Their mini chocolate puds are topped with crystallised peppermint leaves and real cranberries.

• Steenbergs Fairtrade Christmas Tea and Christmas Drinking Chocolate are Fairtrade, delicious and spicy. The tea has a strong hit of orange while the chocolate is full of smooth vanilla.

• Belvoir Fruit Farms non-alcoholic

Mulled Winter Punch combines nutmeg oil and mixed spice extracts with blackcurrant juice, red grape juice, elderberry juice and orange juice.

• The Christmas Cracker from The Pickled Village is a feisty chutney with a chilli kick.

If you can’t take the punch, try Christmas Cheer as a mellower alternative.

• Beautiful on the eye, ethically sourced and full of scrummy, handmade organic, dairy-free chocolate truffles, Booja Booja’s The Artists Collection is a new range presented in gift boxes handmade and painted by a community of artists in Kashmir.

• Divine’s Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Discs combine this Fairtrade brand’s 70 per cent dark chocolate with the fruity tartness of real raspberries. There’s also a mint variant. One more sweet fact... this brand is half-owned by a co-operative of cocoa growers in Ghana.

• Epicure’s Vermouth & Chicken Wine Reduction will add a depth of subtle flavour to your turkey gravy.

• Wilkin & Sons Tiptree Christmas Conserve is a rich spicy plum jam, perfect for Christmas breakfast toast.

Market Drayton in Shropshire. It’s called the ‘home of gingerbread’ because of the spice

Pudding Chutney made with traditional

about food and drink are keen to

trade connections of one of its sons, Robert

Christmas pud ingredients captures that

rediscover authentic traditions, rather

Clive, or ‘Clive of India’, the 18th colonial

fusion of a very old idea – after all, we all

than invented, commercialised ones.

administrator and adventurer. He may or

want some figgy pudding and have been

may not literally have introduced the

singing about it for a very long time –

Gin, made with Bramley and Gage’s own 6

townsfolk to ginger but it’s a good story.

with a new way of presenting it.

O’Clock gin, which took Gold as best in

Image on Food is based in the town,

The Kents ran a pub and then a hotel

His biggest seller at Christmas is Sloe

class at the 2011 International Wine and

making decorated gingerbread in all kinds

before setting up in the preserving

of shapes – Father Christmas, fir trees, stars

business so Christmas being hectic isn’t a

Spirit Competition.

and penguins are some of the seasonal

new experience. Their super-size

after the first frost in October, steep them

ones – decorated with colourful royal icing.

preserving pans are on full throttle

in sugar and gin and then drink the sloe gin on Christmas Eve,” he explained.

“Traditionally, you harvest your sloes

“Obviously, gingerbread at Christmas is

throughout the autumn in preparation for

a very traditional thing but what we find is

the festive season. It’s not just that chutney

that people like tradition but in new and

is the classic accompaniment to the turkey

November for the first frost so if you want

innovative ways,” says Gemma Hopcroft, a

leftovers and cold meats and cheeses, but

sloe gin for Christmas you can’t wait for

member of the youngest generation

it is also in demand for hampers.

the frost to split the skins, but putting

working in this family baking business.

“And if people want to give just a small

Nowadays you might be waiting until

them in the freezer does the same job.

“More and more people are making

One of their novel ideas is to put a

gift, a jar of chutney is perfect,” says Claire.

collection of festive gingerbread shapes

“Even the most expensive chutney is not

sloe gin at home, more than have done

on lolly sticks in a cute silver bucket to

that expensive and it lasts a lot longer

so in 100 years I would think, yet we sell

make a ‘bouquet’ and this year a

than a bottle of wine!”

more sloe gin every year,” says Michael.

gingerbread cookie advent calendar.

Michael Keen of liqueur makers

“Thing is, by the time you read this, if

Tradition with a twist is a speciality of

Bramley and Gage agrees that a quest for

you haven’t already made sloe gin it will be

Claire Kent, of Claire’s Handmade, and her

genuineness is the mood of the moment.

too late for this Christmas, so you will have

chef husband Michael. Their Figgy

People who are curious and adventurous

to rush out and buy a bottle of ours!” FF

22

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

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KING AMONGST TURKEYS

If you re not already familiar with Copas Turkeys, it s time you were... The Copas family maintain the highest welfare standards and old-fashioned production methods (such as plucking by hand and game-hanging) to guarantee a deliciously dense, yet succulent meat with a full traditional flavour. Stocked by some of Britain s best butchers, farm shops and deli s, their turkeys have been described as fantastic (the BBC s Hairy Bikers), a king amongst turkeys (Tom Parker-Bowles), incredibly flavourful and moist (Allegra McEvedy). Whilst their award-winning range of accompaniments, hampers and gift vouchers make the perfect gift for foodies! Order soon to avoid disappointment!

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Tilly Confectionery, or better known as Mrs Tilly s, is a family run business who pride themselves in the production of high quality confectionery, using traditional methods and only the finest of ingredients. With two Gold Star Great Taste Awards recently under their belt for their Tablet and Fudge, Mrs Tilly s have just launched their new 150g gift range, along with two new mouth-watering flavours. A delicious Rum & Raisin Fudge and also a luscious all natural Orange Fudge, using natural fruit pieces. A perfect treat for any Tilly s fan, or just a nice size to share, to spread the guilt!!!

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NEW TWIST ON AN OLD FAVOURITE

As the winter nights begin to draw in, our minds are turning to hot chocolate… House of Dorchester has risen to the challenge and created a lovely new twist on this old favourite with their real flakes of milk and dark chocolate creating the ultimate luxury drink when stirred and melted into hot milk.

For the more adventurous, their stir-in hot chocolate spoons are available in four tempting flavours: caramelised hazelnut, chocolate fudge, milk chocolate with mini marshmallows and chocolate orange… a perfect indulgent treat or gift! Available at www.hodchoc.com.

Get 10% off with the foodiexmas discount code.

Dessert for all tastes and occasions

Cartmel Village Shop is delighted to have been awarded gold stars in the Great Taste Awards. Sticky Toffee Pudding has received the much coveted 3 gold stars. Charlotte Sharphouse, Operations Manager says; We have made the decision to grow the Cartmel range of puddings and wanted to offer a core range of desserts that would suit all tastes and occasions.

Along with chilled puddings a range of ambient products is also available including jars of Sticky Toffee and Sticky Chocolate Sauce and Sticky Toffee Chocolates, completing the range of artisanal, handmade products. Email nicepeople@ cartmelvillageshop.co.uk, visit www.cartmelvillageshop. co.uk or call 015395 58300.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

23

In season

Festive fare from the field T

he weather may be

of squash still available, but there are

organic ones may not look cosmetically

starting to get gloomy,

English apples aplenty over the coming

perfect. They re back-breaking to pick by

but the fruit and veg

weeks. Plus, look out for other wonderful

hand too. But because they are grown

coming in from the fields

seasonal veg coming in from the fields,

ever-so-slowly, they tend to taste better,

is still getting better.

such as cauliflower, kale, red cabbage,

so the field workers roll their sleeves up,

radicchio, romanesco, and roots such as

think of Christmas dinner and persevere.

parsnips and maincrop potatoes.

Soggy, overcooked sprouts are about as

You may think that harvest time is

over now the nights are drawing in and the leaves are well and truly turned,

Come December, it s all about festive

unappealing as veg gets. If you must

but the reality is that we are still in the

veg ‒ starting of course, with love-them-

cook them in water, avoid boiling and

middle of the best time of year on the

or-hate-them Brussels sprouts. Without

steam them as briefly as possible. Even

farm.

the artificial sprays that protect

better, try roasting or stir-frying them so

conventionally-grown sprouts, Riverford s

they keep their crunch. FF

Not only are there plenty of varieties

24

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Recipes by Jane Baxter, Riverford Field Kitchen, taken from the Riverford Farm Cook Book

Winter salad with spiced pecans, pears and blue cheese Serves 4-6 Ingredients: • 300g mixed winter salad leaves • 75g pecan nuts • A pinch of cayenne pepper • 1tsp Worcestershire sauce • A dash of Tabasco sauce • ½tsp salt • 3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced • 3tbsp basic vinaigrette • 75g blue cheese (try gorgonzola or dolcelatte), crumbled Method:

until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven

For the vinaigrette:

• Wash and dry the salad leaves and set

and leave to cool.

• 240ml sunflower oil

aside.

• For the vinaigrette, combine the

• 4tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar

• In a small bowl, mix the pecans with the

ingredients vigorously. Put the pears and

• Garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a

cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce,

salad leaves in a bowl and toss with the

Tabasco and salt. Scatter them over a

dressing. Divide between four plates,

• 1tbsp Dijon mustard

baking tray and bake in an oven preheated

scatter over the blue cheese and pecan

• Sea salt and black pepper

to 200° C/Gas Mark 6 for five to six minutes,

nuts and serve.

little salt

Wok-fried Brussels sprouts with ginger Serves 4 Ingredients:

Method:

• 3tbsp sunflower oil

• Heat the oil in a wok, add the

• 2 shallots or 1 onion, finely

shallots or onion, plus the garlic

chopped

and chilli, and fry quickly for

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

about two minutes, without

• 1 chilli, finely chopped

browning.

• 600g Brussels sprouts, finely

• Add the shredded sprouts

shredded

and the fresh and crystallised

• 4cm piece of fresh ginger, cut into very fine strips

ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes.

• 4cm piece of crystallised stem

Add three tablespoons of

ginger, cut into very fine strips

water, cover and steam for

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

three minutes. Season to taste and serve.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

25

Recipes

MasterChef

know how

Described as “the cookbook you have always wanted in your kitchen” the new MasterChef Kitchen Bible offers inspiration from winners, past and present.

Seared tuna with an Asian glaze

By Angela Kenny (Semi-finalist, 2009 series) Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 8 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients: • 4 carrots • 4 courgettes • 8tbsp dark soy sauce • 4 limes • 6tbsp Demerara sugar • 12-16 Charlotte potatoes, peeled and sliced into discs • 60ml (2fl oz) white Miso paste • 60ml (2fl oz) Mirin

26

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

• 90ml (3½ fl oz) dry sake • 2tbsp rice wine vinegar • 1tbsp oil • 4 tuna steaks, 175-200g (6-7oz) each • Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: • With a potato peeler, shave the carrots and courgettes into long strips. Place in a mixing bowl with 3tbsp soy sauce, the juice and zest of 1½ limes, and 4tbsp sugar.

• Put the potatoes in a large pan with boiling water to cover and the white miso paste.

Cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes

are tender and then drain.

• Place the mirin, sake, remaining sugar and soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and the juice and zest of the remaining limes in a frying pan over a medium heat and reduce to a syrup consistency – about 10 minutes.

• Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Heat another frying pan until hot, add the tuna, and sear on both sides for about three minutes.

• Once the tuna is cooked, transfer it to the frying pan containing the glaze and turn to coat it. Heat the ribbon vegetables in the glaze for two minutes, then serve with the tuna and potatoes.

Open lasagne of roasted squash and wild mushrooms with sage butter

By Tim Kinnaird (Finalist, 2010 series)

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Serves 4

• 1 garlic clove, finely choppped • 3tbsp Marsala wine

Ingredients: For the pasta: • Good pinch of saffron strands

• 2-3tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley • 100ml (3½ fl oz) double cream

• 150g (5½oz) Tipo “00” flour

For the sage butter:

• Salt

• 75g (2½ oz) unsalted butter

• 1 large egg

• Small bunch of fresh sage, leaves only

• 1 egg yolk For the squash: • 1 small crown prince squash peeled and seeded, about 350g (12oz) peeled weight, and cut into bite-sized pieces • 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • ¼-½ tsp chilli flakes For the mushrooms: • Knob of butter • 200g (7oz) mixed wild mushrooms, such as girolles, porcini, and pied blue, wiped and evenly chopped

Method: • Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425° F/Gas 7).

Soak the saffron in 2tsp warm water for 10 minutes. Make the pasta dough, adding the saffron and water to the dough with the eggs.

• Put the squash on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil, and scatter over the salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Roast for 35 minutes or until soft and tinged with brown. Shake the tin occasionally for even roasting.

• To cook the mushrooms, melt the butter in a large sauté pan until it foams, add the mushrooms and salt and pepper, and fry over high heat for four to five minutes or until just

turning golden. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and fry for one minute. Add the Marsala and bubble for a few minutes. Stir in the parsley and cream and set aside.

• For the sage butter, melt the butter in a heavy pan and cook gently until it turns a warm nutty brown. Take care not to burn it.

Set aside.

• Divide the dough into two and roll into sheets. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Brush off the excess flour from the pasta, place in the water, and boil for four to five minutes or until al dente. Drain in a colander and then cut out 12 8cm (3in) diameter circles using an oiled round pastry cutter. Brush with olive oil and set aside.

• Just before serving, tear up nearly all the sage leaves and add to the cooled butter.

Warm gently for one to two minutes and also warm the mushroom mixture and squash.

Stack up the pasta separated by a layer of squash and a layer of mushrooms. Spoon over the sage butter and garnish with the remaining sage.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

27

Recipes

Lavender mousse with hokey pokey and a blackberry sauce

By Mat Follas (Champion, 2009 series)

Preparation time: 50 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients: For the blackberry sauce: • 300g (10oz) blackberries • 200g (7oz) caster sugar For the lavender mousse: • 13g (½ oz) gelatine leaves, cut into pieces • 500ml (16fl oz) whole milk • 5 egg yolks • 40g (1½ oz) caster sugar • 500ml (16fl oz) whipping cream • 20g (¾ oz) lavender flower heads • 12 drops lavender essence

the boil. Place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and mix. Stir in the milk.

• Return to the pan, stirring and warming gently for five minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Drain any excess water from the gelatine and add to the pan and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

• Whip the cream until stiff peaks are formed.

Add the lavender heads and combine. Stir in the lavender essence, a drop at a time, until the flavour is to your taste. Gently fold in the cream.

• Remove the glasses from the freezer and pour the crème anglaise over the frozen berry sauce. Return to the freezer for 20 minutes.

• To make the hokey pokey, heat the sugar and golden syrup slowly in a saucepan, stirring constantly for three minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and then pour onto a silicone sheet and leave to cool. Put into a plastic bag and gently smash it.

• To serve, make a line of blackberry sauce on each plate and top with the reserved blackberries. Add the frozen mousses and put a piece of broken hokey pokey in the top of each one and add a small pile of hokey pokey crumbs alongside.

For the hokey pokey: • 75g (2½ oz) caster sugar • 2tbsp golden syrup • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda Method: • Set aside 12 blackberries of different sizes for decoration. Then put the remaining blackberries in a pan with the sugar and add 100ml (3½ fl oz) cold water, stir and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the sauce to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for five minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half and thickened. Pass through a sieve, discard the blackberry pulp, and leave to cool.

• Transfer the sauce into a jug and pour a little into four freezer-proof glasses, which the mousse will be served in. Put the glasses in the freezer and set the rest of the sauce aside in the refrigerator.

• For the lavender mousse, put the gelatine in iced water for about 10 minutes to soften. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring it to

28

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

MasterChef Kitchen Bible is published by DK, £26. Available from all good book shops and www.dk.com. You can also catch the new series of MasterChef the Professionals on BBC Two this month.

Recipes

Better baking

With the Great British Bake Off series inspiring us to get back into the kitchen, Step-by-Step Baking teaches us some essential techniques.

Apple pie Perhaps the ultimate in home-baked comfort food, this autumn pie is best served warm with vanilla ice cream Serves 6-8 Chilling time: 45 minutes Special equipment: 23cm (9in) shallow pie dish Ingredients: • 330g (12oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting • ½tsp salt • 150g (5½oz) lard or white vegetable fat, plus extra for greasing • 2tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling • 1tbsp milk, for glazing For the filling: • 1kg (2¼lb) tart apples • Juice of 1 lemon • 2tbsp plain flour • ½tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste • ¼tsp grated nutmeg, or to taste • 100g (3½ oz) caster sugar, or to taste

30

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Method: • Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the fat, cutting it in with two round-bladed knives.

With your fingertips, rub the fat into the flour until crumbs form. Lift the mixture to aerate it.

• Add the sugar. Sprinkle with six to seven tablespoons cold water. Mix with a fork.

• Press the crumbs into a ball, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease the dish.

• Flour a surface. Roll two-thirds of the dough out to a round, 5cm (2in) larger than the dish.

Using the rolling pin, drape the pastry over the dish, then gently push it into the contours.

• Trim any excess pastry, then chill for 15 minutes until firm. Peel the apples, cut into quarters, and cut out the cores of each quarter. Set each quarter, cut-side down, on a chopping board and cut into medium slices.

• Put the apple slices in a bowl and pour on the lemon juice. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar over the

apples. Toss to coat.

• Put the apple in the pie dish and arrange so that it is slightly mounded in the centre. Brush the edge of the pastry with water. Roll the rest of the dough to a 28cm (11in) round. Wrap it around the rolling pin and drape it over the filling. Trim the top crust. Press the edges together to seal, crimping with the back of a knife as you go.

• Cut an x in the top crust. Gently pull back the point of each triangle to reveal the filling. Roll out the trimmings, cut into strips, and moisten.

Lay on the pie in a criss-cross pattern.

• Using a pastry brush, glaze the pie with the milk so that it bakes to a golden colour.

Sprinkle over sugar. Chill for 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 220° C (425° F/Gas 7).

Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce to 180° C (350° F/ Gas 4) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Insert a skewer through the steam vent to check the apples are tender. Serve warm.

Boeuf en croûte

Also known as Beef Wellington, this rich and luxurious dish is simple to finish off and serve, perfect for entertaining Serves 6 Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 42-60 minutes Ingredients: • 1kg (2¼lb) fillet of beef, cut from the thick end, trimmed of fat • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 2tbsp sunflower oil • 45g (1½oz) unsalted butter • 2 shallots, finely chopped • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 250g (9oz) mixed wild mushrooms, finely chopped • 1tbsp brandy or Madeira • 500g (1lb 2oz) puff pastry • Beaten egg, for glazing

Method: • Preheat the oven to 220° C (425° F/Gas 7).

Season the meat with salt and pepper.

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the beef until browned all over. Place the beef in a roasting tin and roast for 10 minutes.

Remove and leave it to cool.

• Melt the butter in a pan. Fry the shallots and garlic for two to three minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring, or four to five minutes until the juices evaporate.

• Add the brandy. Let it bubble for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

• Roll out one-third of the pastry to a rectangle, about 5cm (2in) larger than the beef. Place on a baking sheet and prick with a fork. Bake for

12 to 15 minutes until crisp. Cool.

• Spread one-third of the mushroom mixture on the centre of the cooked pastry.

Roll out the remaining pastry and place it over the beef, tucking in the edges. Brush the beaten egg around the edges, and press down the raw pastry to seal.

• Place the beef on top and spread the remaining mushroom mixture over the meat. Brush the egg all over the uncooked pastry case to glaze. Slit the top for steam to escape. Bake 30 minutes for rare, and 45 minutes for well done. If the pastry starts to become too brown, cover loosely with a sheet of foil.

• Remove from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. Slice the dish using a very sharp knife.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

31

Recipes

Chocolate Amaretti roulade

Crushed Amaretti biscuits add texture and crunch to this beautiful and indulgent roulade Serves 6-8 Preparation time: 25-30 minutes Cooking times: 20 minutes Special equipment: 20 x 28cm (8 x 11in) Swiss roll tin Ingredients: • 6 large eggs, separated • 150g (5½oz) caster sugar • 50g (1¾oz) cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting • Icing sugar, for dusting • 300ml (10fl oz) double cream or whipping cream • 2-3tbsp Amaretto or brandy • 20 Amaretti biscuits, crushed, plus two for topping • 50g (1¾oz) dark chocolate

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FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Method: • Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F/Gas 4).

Line the tin with parchment.

• Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and beat with an electric whisk for 10 minutes until creamy. Remove from the heat. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a clean whisk till soft peaks form.

• Sift the cocoa powder into the egg yolk mixture and gently fold in, along with the egg whites. Pour into the tin and smooth into the corners. Bake for 20 minutes or until just firm to the touch.

Cool slightly before carefully turning the cake out, face down, onto a sheet of baking parchment well dusted with icing

Step by Step Baking,

by Caroline Bretherton, is published by DK, £25, dk.com

sugar. Cool for 30 minutes.

• Whisk the cream with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Trim the sides of the cake to neaten them, then drizzle over the Amaretto or brandy. Spread with the cream, scatter with the crushed Amaretti biscuits, then grate over most of the chocolate.

• Starting from one of the short sides, roll the roulade up, using the parchment to help keep it tightly together. Place on a serving plate with the seam underneath.

• Crumble over the extra biscuits, grate over the remaining chocolate, and dust with a little icing sugar and cocoa powder. The roulade is best eaten on the same day.

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Global foodie

Taste Spain’s vibrant flavours

Cookbook author Janet Mendel gives us a taste of Spain’s regional foods.

T

salad theme. One Catalan salad, amanida, starts with a bed of greens onto which are spread celery, tomatoes, roasted peppers,

aste an olive, a slice of salt-

on bread or cocktail sticks, fritters and

olives, sliced sausage and strips of

cured ham, a sweet, briny

croquettes – can be passed as hors

anchovy. Another, xató, includes salt cod.

prawn. Sip a little wine. Taste

d’oeuvres at a drinks party. Many tapas

some more, sunny paella,

can become starters, side dishes or main

Valencia and true paella

chilled gazpacho, hearty ox-

dishes.

Heading south from Catalonia, you come

tail stew, fish crisply fried in olive oil.

Spain offers a wealth of vibrant flavours.

Tapas primer

Regions explored

to the Levante, or ‘east’, made up of the Valencia Community plus Murcia.

Regional variations are best characterised

Valencia, where rice is grown, is the home

by the old Spanish saying, referring to

of paella.

The word tapa means ‘cover’ and the

both summer weather and cooking

custom originated in bodegas, where

techniques: “In the east you simmer, in

anywhere else in the world, you might be

wine is dispensed from barrels. The wine

the south you fry, in the centre you roast,

surprised to find that the authentic

glass was covered with a tiny saucer to

and in the north you stew.”

Valencia version contains no seafood.

keep out the fruit flies. Place a few olives or a slice of homemade sausage onto the saucer and – olé – tapas are invented.

This broad generalisation provides some clues to cooking styles around Spain.

If you learned to love paella as made

That’s right no prawns, no lobster, no mussels or clams. No squid, no sausage nor strips of red pimiento.

to taste authentic Spanish food. Tapas are

What simmers in Catalonia

tiny portions of food served to

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, the

coloured a sunny yellow by saffron.

accompany a copa of fino (dry Sherry),

region on Spain’s eastern Mediterranean

Nevertheless, popular paellas everywhere

vino, (wine), cava (sparkling wine) sidra

coast that borders France at the north

in Spain are made with a mixture of

(cider), or cerveza (beer).

and historically includes Valencia to the

chicken and shellfish. Paella rice, by the

south and the Balearic Islands to the east.

way, is a medium-short grain, somewhat

There’s no better place than a tapa bar

Tapas can be so simple; olives, toasted almonds, paper-thin slices of cured ham,

What simmers in Catalonia? Perhaps a

Paella on its home ground has beans and snails, rabbit or chicken. The rice is

like Italian arborio rice.

aged cheese, and boiled prawns. Then

kettle of fish – suquet – a seafood stew

follow salads and cold dishes – shellfish

with potatoes, tomatoes and ground

groves (look for luscious Clementines in

cocktail, stuffed eggs, potato salad,

almonds, or rabbit slow-cooked with a

this season) and market gardens. This is a

marinated mussels. Tapas de cocina – hot

herbal bouquet of snails, or arros negre,

great place to eat your vegetables –

cooked dishes – may be served in

rice tinted black with squid ink.

maybe prepared in a tortilla, a fat

earthenware ramekins. They include

The Catalans are famed for their sauces

The Levante is also known for its citrus

omelette incorporating potatoes or

meatballs, tripe stew, chicken with garlic,

– allioli, garlicky olive oil mayonnaise,

kidneys in sherry sauce. The fritos, fried

served with grilled meat and vegetables,

foods, include croquettes, batter-dipped

or picada, a pesto of almonds or

Fry it in olive oil

prawns, vegetable fritters, and fried fish.

hazelnuts, saffron and sometimes a touch

Following the Mediterranean coast south

of chocolate, added to chicken or meat

you enter the large region known as

cooking to the innovative and trendy.

stews, and romesco, a deeply flavoured

Andalucia, which includes eight provinces

Tapas by definition are bar food.

mixture of ground nuts and dried sweet

(Almería, Granada, Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva,

Nevertheless, many of them translate very

red peppers. Romesco is sensational with

Sevilla, Córdoba, and Jaén). Of these, five

nicely to home entertaining. A spread of

grilled prawns.

have sea coasts (Mediterranean or

Tapas range from very traditional home

salads and cold dishes is very nice for a buffet dinner. Trays of finger foods – bites

34

FINE FOODIES november/december 2011

In Barcelona and environs you can expect to find lots of variations on the

aubergine and courgette.

Atlantic), one has a river port with sea tides, and only two are landlocked. The

coastal regions are famous for their

through the region of Extremadura,

burning ovens. Not all pigs wind up in the

seafood and the inland ones for their olive

especially famous for its hams from a

oven at a tender age. Many grow up to be

oil (Jaén has more olive trees per square

special breed of pig, called ibérico. If

the sausages for which the region is

mile than anywhere else in the world).

prosciutto rates a nine on a scale of 10,

famous. The most outstanding sausages

ibérico merits a 15. It’s that good. Oh, by

are red chorizo, flavoured with garlic and

olive oil, obviously. Fried fish is tops. Little

the way, it’s very expensive, served on

paprika, and morcilla, blood sausage

fish such as fresh anchovies (boquerones),

special occasions.

spiced with cinnamon and cloves.

oil golden and crisp. Or, try them in a

Big roast country

grows in La Mancha. Saffron is the stigma

mixed fish fry with rings of calamari, a few

The central high plateau comprises the

of autumn-blooming crocuses.

prawns, a fillet of a larger fish.

autonomous regions of Castilla-Leon,

Remember, in the south you fry... in

lightly floured, come out of the bubbling

Andalucia’s famous contribution to world gastronomy is gazpacho, a word

Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon.

The capital of Spain, Madrid, is in the

Precious saffron, essential for paella,

The region is renowned for its small game. Partridge is cooked in a vinegar marinade, while wild rabbit and hare go

that has entered the lexicon as any cold

centre. When wool was an important

into robust hunter’s stews. It’s also known

soup. Actually, gazpacho is your original

export, huge herds of sheep moved across

as Spain’s breadbasket, for the vast

peasant food, a very simple concoction of

these lands, from north to south, mountain

stretches of wheat fields that produce

fresh, raw tomatoes, bread, garlic and

to lowland, and back again with the

much of the country’s cereals. In Spain,

olive oil. With accompaniments of

seasons. It is still sheep country, famous

you can expect to find very serious bread,

chopped green pepper, cucumber,

now for its sheep’s milk cheeses, such as

freshly baked every day.

onion, tomato, and croutons, gazpacho is

Manchego, and for baby lamb roasted to a

a great way to celebrate summer.

turn in old-fashioned bread ovens.

Moving up the western boundary of Spain, bordering Portugal, you pass

Suckling pig, cochinillo, also emerges crackling and succulent from wood-

While every region of Spain has some version of cocido, a meal-in-a-pot, Madrid’s is exemplary. Into a big soup pot go chicken, ham, beef, chickpeas,

november/december 2011 FINE FOODIES

35

Global foodie sausages, meatballs, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, turnips and onion, all to simmer until succulent. First the broth is served with soup noodles. Platters of meats and vegetables follow, a real feast.

The green north The top of Spain, from Galicia in the west, through Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Rioja and Navarra, is frequently called green Spain. Open to storms and mists from the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay, it is rolling country of green meadows and lush pastures where dairy cattle (and dairy goats, too) thrive. Some of the country’s best cheeses come from the north. Try

Recipes Here, Janet offers recipes for three classic tapas, any of which would serve very well for home entertaining.

Tortilla de Patatas (potato tortilla)

onto the plate. Add a little more oil to the pan, if necessary, and slide the tortilla back in to cook on the reverse side, about three minutes more. Slide

Cabrales blue cheese, smoky Idiazábal, sharp Roncal,

(pictured opposite)

buttery Tetilla.

As a tapa, the tortilla is cut into

• Cut into squares for tapas or slice in

Now, about those stews. The most famous one is fabada, a hearty bean and sausage stew from Asturias.

In Galicia, white beans are stewed with ham, potatoes and turnip greens. Seafood stews, calderetas, appear too, usually with potatoes, fish and shellfish.

Seafood, often very simply prepared, is superlative along these northern coasts. In the Basque Country, txangurro, a crab gratin laced with brandy, chipirones en su tinta, squid cooked in their own ink, and merluza a la vasca, fresh hake in a white wine sauce, are outstanding. Of special note are dishes made with dry salt cod. One of the best is bacalao al pil pil with lots of garlic.

The inland provinces of La Rioja and Navarra are famed for their wines and for their piquillo peppers.

Small red peppers, slightly piquant, piquillos are stuffed with fish or prawn and gratined with a creamy sauce.

Look for tinned piquillos at your favourite food shop.

thick squares and served with

wedges as a main dish. Serve hot or

bread. Tortilla also makes a nice

cold.

Sweet stuff

out onto a serving plate.

lunch dish and is grand packed in a picnic hamper.

Makes 12 tapas or four main dishes.

Ingredients: • 120ml/4fl oz olive oil • 1kg/2¼lb potatoes, peeled and

Albóndigas en Salsa de Almendras (meatballs in almond sauce)

thinly sliced • 2 tablespoons chopped onion

Meatballs are favourite tapa bar

(optional)

fare. This version, with a saffron

• 6 eggs

and almond sauce, is especially

• 1 teaspoon salt

delicious.

Method:

Makes about 36 meatballs: 12

• Heat the oil in a non-stick or well-

tapas or 4 main dishes.

seasoned frying pan (24-26cm/910in). Add the sliced potatoes and

Ingredients:

Spanish bake shops proffer a tantalising array of small

turn them in the oil. Let them cook

For the meatballs:

cakes and pastries. In Spain, they are served with

slowly in the oil, without browning,

• 340g/12oz minced beef

coffee, tea or sweet wine.

turning frequently. If using onions,

• 340g/12oz minced pork

Here is a list of some you might enjoy sampling:

add them when the potatoes are

• 2 slices stale bread, crusts removed

almendrados, almond cookies; brazo gitano, which means ‘gypsy’s arm’, a filled cake roll; coca, a Catalan pastry topped with candied fruits; ensaimada, from Mallorca, a spiral bun good for breakfast or with cream filling as a dessert; torta de Santiago, rich almond torte; yema, egg yolk candy.

Special for the Christmas holidays are a trio of anisescented biscuits from Andalucia – mantecados, roscos and polverones; marzipan from Toledo, and turrón, almond nougat candy, both a hard type studded with whole almonds and a soft brown, fudgy sort, from Jijona (Alicante).

Such varied and vibrant flavours, and yet so easy to translate to your home kitchen. You’ll find all the ingredients you need to prepare Spanish food at your favourite food shops. ¡Que aproveche! Enjoy! FF

partially cooked. The potatoes will

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

take 20 to 30 minutes to cook.

• 3 tablespoons onion, finely

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FINE FOODIES november/december 2011

• Beat the eggs in a bowl with the

chopped

salt. Place a plate over the potatoes

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

and drain off excess oil into a small

• ½ teaspoon salt

heatproof bowl. Add the potatoes to

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

the beaten eggs and combine well.

• 2 eggs, beaten

• Add a little of the reserved oil to the

• Flour for dredging meatballs

frying pan and pour in the potato-

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

egg mixture. Cook on a medium heat until set, without letting the

Method:

tortilla get too brown on the bottom,

• Combine the beef and pork mince

about five minutes. Shake the pan to

in a bowl. Soak the bread in water or

keep the tortilla from sticking.

milk to cover until soft. Squeeze it out

• Place a flat lid or plate over the pan,

and add to the meat with the garlic,

hold it tightly, and reverse the tortilla

onion, parsley, salt, nutmeg and egg.

Janet Mendel is a food writer based in southern Spain. She is the author of My Kitchen in Spain, Traditional Spanish Cooking and Tapas - A Bite of Spain.

She blogs about Spanish food at www.mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com/

Knead well to make a smooth mixture.

• ½ teaspoon saffron

saffron, clove and salt. In a food processor

• Form into 25mm/1in balls and roll them

• 1 clove

or blender, grind together the toasted

in flour. Heat the oil in a large frying pan

• ½ teaspoon salt

almonds, bread and garlic with the wine to

and fry the meatballs until browned on all

• 175ml/6 fl oz white wine

make a smooth paste. Add the spices to

sides. Remove and drain.

• 240ml/8 fl oz chicken or meat stock

this mixture.

• Chopped parsley

• Stir the almond mixture into the oil in the frying pan and add the stock. Bring to the

For the sauce: Ingredients:

Method:

boil, then add the fried meatballs. Simmer

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Place three tablespoons of oil in a clean

the meatballs for 20 minutes in the sauce,

• 40 almonds, blanched and skinned

frying pan and fry the almonds, bread and

adding a little additional liquid if needed.

• 1 slice bread, crusts removed

garlic until golden. Remove. Set aside a few

• Serve the meatballs garnished with the

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

almonds for garnish.

reserved toasted almonds and chopped

• 10 peppercorns

• In a mortar, crush the peppercorns,

parsley.

Salpicón de Mariscos (shellfish cocktail)

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

This makes a lovely starter for a dinner

• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

party. Turn it into a luxury version by

• 1 teaspoon salt

substituting chunks of cooked lobster

• Lettuce leaves, to garnish

for the prawns and mussels.

• Sliced avocado, to garnish

Makes 12 tapas or six starters.

Method:

• In a small bowl mash the egg yolks with

Ingredients:

• Remove mussels from shells, discarding

the crushed garlic. Whisk in the oil,

• ½ kilo/1lb mussels, scrubbed and

any that have not opened. Save a few on

vinegar, parsley and salt.

the half-shell for garnish. Cook the peeled

• Add the prawns and mussels to the

• 250g/½lb peeled prawns

prawns in boiling salted water for one

tomato mixture. Stir in the dressing and

• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

minute and drain.

chill, covered, until serving time. Serve on

• ½ onion, chopped

• In a bowl combine the chopped

a platter or on individual salad plates,

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

tomatoes, onion, green pepper and

garnished with lettuce, avocado and

• 2 hard-boiled eggs, yolks separated

chopped egg whites.

reserved mussels on the half-shell.

steamed open

from whites • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 5 tablespoons wine vinegar

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

37

Drinks update

Drink up BEER BaDgE Of hONOuR

WiNtER WaRMERs As the winter weather sets in, why not warm up with the hot cordial range from Bottlegreen?

With six flavours to choose from, the cordials are perfect for every winter occasion.

You could dilute the fragrant ginger and lemongrass cordial with hot water, ideal for keeping toasty on bonfire night, or

alternatively, try lime cordial, as the zesty flavours of fresh limes blended with rare aromatic bitters creates a zingy winter combination and is perfect as a warming treat after a festive night out.

The cordials are also a great option for fruit tea lovers looking for a caffeine-free alternative.

PErFEct PaIrINg

A Yorkshire brewery has teamed up with a top chef to explore the craft of food and beer pairing.

Ilkley Brewery is working with Great British Menu chef, Stephanie Moon, to ensure you get the most out of your food by pairing it with the right beer.

The brewery points out that, while wine has, for many years, been the go-to drink as a fine dining tipple, they are passionate about putting beer on the menu as a carefully crafted, delicate and flavour-filled alternative to its corked counterpart.

38

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

A pub in south Wales has been named as the first official outlet for The Beer Academy in Wales.

Founded in 2003, The Beer Academy is an international body designed to help people understand, appreciate and enjoy beer sensibly.

The Bunch of Grapes, in Pontypridd, has been declared the official Welsh arm and has already attracted 165 members, who get access to exclusive events such as tutored tastings, and beer and food matching events with worldrenowned beer writers including Melissa Cole and Roger Protz.

Nick Otley, Managing Director of The Bunch of Grapes as well as the Otley Brewing Company, said: “We’re really keen for more people to join the Beer Academy at the Bunch and learn about what makes real ale so special. It’s fast becoming a drink of choice for a younger, more discerning drinker and this is reflected in our member base, which is made up of a large proportion of under 35s.”

Drinks update

The cocktail master

tips fOR wiNE LOVERs If wine is your favoured tipple, take heed from advice from the experts about getting the most from your glass.

Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator, which draws in and mixes the proper amount of air for the right amount of time allowing wine to breathe, has created a step-bystep guide to learning about taste and enjoying red wine like an expert.

Tips include: • Before doing anything, check the temperature of your bottle – a red should be between 14 and 18° C, just below

room temperature and cool to the touch.

• Take a look at clarity – is the colour consistent?

Even red wine should be clear when held up to the light, not cloudy.

• Swirl the wine around in the glass and observe how the wine behaves on the side of the glass.

The wine or ‘legs’ should run down the side of the glass at a consistent speed. The legs tell you about the alcohol content of the wine; the slower they descend the more sugar in the wine and therefore the higher the alcohol content.

• Are there any flavours that shouldn’t be there? It is estimated that approximately seven per cent of wines are corked – if there is no smell, a rancid smell or if the wine smells of something strange such as plastic, this could be why.

• Your smell receptors are located in the back of your mouth in the soft palate, which is why you’ll see experienced wine tasters making that slurping noise! Try holding a little wine in the bottom of the mouth and drawing air across the palate.

NEw uSE FOr wElSh black bITTEr Welsh black bitter isn’t the first ingredient that would spring to mind for a shampoo, but that hasn’t stopped one innovative brewer.

Llangollen Brewery unveiled its Beer Shampoo at the recent Llangollen Food Festival, an annual culinary spectacle in its 14th year which attracts independent producers from across England and Wales.

Using its Welsh Black Bitter, the brewer created soap and hair products.

40

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

JJ Goodman was one half of a duo who won the 2008 series of The Restaurant. He went on to open The London Cocktail Club, and is Fine Foodies’ resident mixologist.

tHE CLOVER CLUB iNgREDiENts: • 50ml Bombay dry gin • 20ml lemon juice • 20ml grenadine • 1 egg white This is a true gin lover’s classic. This drink hails all the way from 1911 Philadelphia, from the club with the same name.

Also try this drink garnished with a mint leaf to produce the somewhat similar drink known as a clover leaf.

Fine Foodie hero

T

here could be

things you are really interested

worse jobs in

in and I really enjoyed

life than

marketing.”

working for one

But Natalie also enjoyed

of Britain’s

travelling, and decided to take

luxurious chocolate makers.

three years out to see the

Yet that’s the life for Natalie

world, returning in 2009.

Dimmock, who is a marketing

“It was fantastic but it was

expert at House of Dorchester,

three years living out of a back

a company which makes some

pack and living in hostels and I

really rather tasty chocolates.

was just ready to come home

Not only is there lots of

and get back into my career.

chocolate in the office for

Now, I have the house and the

people to enjoy, but for Natalie,

garden and the job!”

eating it is part of the job

When she came back in

description when she’s

2009, Natalie worked on a fixed

working on new product

term contract with fellow

development.

chocolate maker Green &

“We probably do eat more

Black’s, helping with the big

chocolate than the average

changeover of their products

person just because we have

to Fairtrade status. And that

so much of it around,” Natalie admitted. “When we’re trying new products, If you want to be really super technical about it, you can take a mouthful – the same way you do with wine – and spit it out, but you tend not to.”

Natalie Dimmock

Fine Foodies celebrates those making great food. Here, we talk to Natalie Dimmock of House of Dorchester Chocolates.

But Natalie certainly earns her chocolate points in one of the more extreme ways.

“To burn off all those chocolate calories, I run

gave her the introduction to the world of premium chocolate, and she joined House of Dorchester at the beginning of this year.

“My job is about how we can move the House of Dorchester brand forward. I’m involved in everything, from

up with friends,” she said.

career I worked for a German

relaunching the website,

So, what’s House of

paint company, so you could

which is very new, to new

say that I literally watched paint

products, to developing our

dry for a living!” Natalie said. “I

chocolate lovers club, which is

Dorchester all about?

The company specialises in

marathons and I’ve just booked

high quality, luxurious

started working for them in

about getting people talking

my place in the Frankfurt

chocolates, all of which are

stock control, and within quite

about chocolate,” Natalie said.

Marathon in a few weeks – I

made here in Britain, at its

a short period of time it gave

lived in Frankfurt for a few years

factory in, funnily enough,

me a great business sense but I

especially busy time for House

so it will be great to also catch

Dorchester. Many of the

realised that side of things

of Dorchester what with

products are either hand made

wasn’t for me.”

Christmas coming up, and

“When we’re trying new products, If you want to be really super technical about it, you can take a mouthful – the same way you do with wine – and spit it out, but you tend not to.”

42

or hand finished here in the UK.

When she got promoted to

Of course, now is an

then before you know it,

work on new product

Valentine’s Day and Easter. But

development, it was the

for Natalie, she is actually now

House of Dorchester has

marketing side of the role she

working on what you will find

allowed her to get back into

found she loved.

on the shelves for Christmas

For Natalie, working for

her marketing career. She had

“Discovering marketing was

2012!

fallen into marketing at her

more of an evolution, I think –

previous job, and has never

as you go through your career

me, it is seasonal so it really

looked back.

you realise what you are good

does change. As soon as we

at – and of course the things

are done with our spring

marketing for a number of

you are not so good at. But it’s

products we are onto

years. Very early on in my

also important to realise the

Christmas next year.” FF

“I have been working in

FINE FOODIES NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

“There is no typical day for

T

hursday Cottage is famous for our lemon curd - we sell more than any other product we make. Perhaps the secret to success is the fact we start with whole fresh lemons which we juice and zest by hand. The result is a wonderfully lemony curd that has an army of followers both at home and abroad. Available in all good farm shops, delis, garden centres and food halls countrywide.

THURSDAY COTTAGE LIMITED

Trewlands Farm, Tiptree, Colchester, Essex, England, CO5 ORF Web site: www.thursday-cottage.com Tel: 01621 814529 Email: jams@thursday-cottage.com