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I have always wondered why people spend so much time travelling and then gushing about how good this or that was. Often the experience won’t be authentic and even if it is its probably not the best.

the most passionate people about their food and culture are ex-pats. Exhiles and migrants want something to hang on to. they want their identity and their history.

In my city (as in most) there is a vibrant and exciting melting pot of global culture. This includes food. Within a short uber ride I can “visit” all the continents and delve into mind blowing tasting experience that I doubt I could find without a world tour.

I think this concept will get expanded as the adventure continues but my mind is racing at the thought of persian biryanis, afghani kebab, south indian Dosa, punjabi curries, bangladeshi prawns. Across to sichuan exotica, handmade noodles, cantonese classics, japanese sushi, street food vendors with tacos styled from SoCal to the texmex border. Tennessee style fried chicken, Cuban sandwiches to ropa viejo.

How about markets and stores. There may be a call for brexit but the availability of Turkish and Eastern European, African and Asian ingredients is expanding.

Ask yourself  “How far can I go on a culinary journey within a few miles of my doorstep?”

You may be suprised. N

o jet lag. No queues. No passports. All foodie adventure.

 

 

Searching the net there seems to be lack of good recipes. Even hitting the books. Can’t find much.

The balance of fast searing and long braise seems to be up for debate.

I’ve got no doubt in this. It’s a marble free meat. The texture is tight. It’s a very hard working muscle.

It needs a quick cook. Too much it’s gonna get tough. Cook for hours you may be lucky but there is no collagen to melt in there. It’s solid protein. Too much work and it’s gonna get cramp!

It’s generally described as bland liver – which is not good- to tasteless rubber – worse.

So we have :

1. A meat that needs quick cooking

2. A meat that needs a little help to bring out its best

For me that shouts Chinese flavours. Seared in a rich, sweet, umami sauce.

Let’s add Chinese mushroom soy sauce. Pinch of sugar. Pinch of dried red chilli.

Stir fry with a bit of garlic and ginger.

2-3 mins max.

Serve as a bowl with stir fried leaves, kimchi, chopped spring onions, some steamed noodles or rice.

I like this hot – chopped scotch bonnets but any chilli will enhance things

 

Still not been shopping. Honestly! Ok. I have eaten out a few times and  I’ve been traveling for a few days.

But I’ve not restocked.

So its a month out almost.  I’ve got a few carrots and some celery that have held up.

The freezer is getting depleted. Time to empty the bottom shelf – rest of my game. Mallard, pheasant and pigeon. All breast meat. Limited stock.

Wild duck and pigeon can be liverish. Mixing 50:50 with white game (rabbit would also be good). game is low fat so add some bacon or belly pork.

A bit of sweet and sour is required to make it delicious.  Here it is marmalade and pickled onion.

Other sour options would be Red wine, balsamic vinegar, borretane onions, citrus (duck and orange), sour cherries, verjus….

The sweet could be a pinch of sugar, a spoon of honey or a splash or port/madeira…

Game casserole (Stew)

Ingredients

2 x pigeon breast

2x mallard  breast

2x pheasant breast

bacon lardons

4 carrots – peeled and cut big

1 stick celery – chop in 2

Pickled onions – 6-8 cut up into 1/4s

Stock ( I used up some Xmas turkey carcasse stock)

Herbs (bay leaves, thyme and woody herbs e.g. marjoram, rosemary, oregano)

To finish

Marmalade

Grain mustard

Method:

This is a slow cooker/crockpot dish.

Large dice your meats, throw in your lardons, carrots and celery, chopped onions and herbs.

Add stock ( I had roast turkey and some trotter gear).

4 hours on low should do.

ladle off the liquid and let the meats rest. Skim off the fat and then reduce in a frying pan with a spoonful of marmalade and a teaspoon of grain mustard.

Stir the whole lot together.

Serve with some steamed kale and mash potato or my favorite is boiled farro (spelt) which works really well.

(Could add cream and serve over rice as stroganoff with mushrooms but no need really.)

 

 

 

 

 

Never been a fan of flatfish. I like fish with a bit of body. Flatfish I always want for a mouthful rather than the picky little bits. I guess in reality Halibut is a flatfish but the filets are so big it doesnt count.

For this reason the lemon sole in the freezer has been there a couple of months. An awkward shape taking up more space than it deserved.

Looked for a few ideas online to inspire but as with most fish simple seemed the best option.

Baked lemon sole 

Ingredients

1 lemon sole – skin on, cleaned

Method

Simple. Oven at 200C. Oiled baking tray. make a cut down the spine (lateral line). Scatter some capers and their salt over the fish. In oven for 10mins. Done

Serve with a lemon and a side of buttered or creamed spinach

 

This has been an interesting experience. Two weeks and suprisingly not had to shop at all.

The freezer is still pretty full as are the cupboards. I am now on longlife milk and the only thing I have missed is yogurt and tinned beans! I wanted some cannelini beans and the cupboard is bare.

What have  learned so far?

1. I was very well stocked up
2. With a bit of thought two wweks is fine
3. It’s easier to do unhealthy carb based food
4. regularly changing newspaper in the bottom of the veg shelf of the fridge dramatically increases the life of vegetables

Week three may be a challenge…!

 

 

Bottom shelf of my freezer contains game meat. I finished off a fantastic loin of fallow deer before Christmas. Its all featered game now. The supermarkets stock dressed birds cheaply now and some farmers markets will have game dealers form local shoots.

Early season its partridge but after October its Pheasants and maybe a woodcock if lucky. A few ducks and an odd pigeon.

I am fortunate enough to be able to shoot my own and am always very grateful for any game. The whole concept of wild meat that has been free to roam and forage in the woods is much more appealing and interesting than the bloated adolescent poultry that is readily available in supermarkets.

When it comes to game there is a romanticised view of roasted birds served in a historic tableau with pewter jugs and bone handled carving forks. In reality many are overly hung and dissapointing tough.

After returning from a days shooting I hang birds for a short time. Partridge overnight and max 48 hours (plucking is much easier next day). Ducks next day and pheasant in early season its usually just overnight in the celler. In the midst of winter from late Nov through to end of January maybe 48 to 72 hours max. I am not sure that it achieves that much and unless you really like the stronger taste I think it is detrimental.

For pheasants unless I am feeling inspired to pluck I tend to make a nick in the breast skin and simply work it away with my fingers. the whole skin feathers and all can be turned inside out and the breasts removed. The legs likewise can be removed skin free.

If I’m not cooking it fresh I vacpac it and freeze it. Its a great meat for curries, stir fries and my favorites slow cooked winter stews and casseroles.

Italian Pheasant stew (serves 4)

Ingredients

2 pheasant breasts, cut into chunks

200g chopped belly pork (or bacon lardons)

1 cup chopped celery

3-4 carrots cut into large pieces

1 onion chopped finely

2 cloves garlic crushed

salt, pepper, italian herbs, bayleaf

2 pints chicken stock (stock cube)

borlotti beans (or other beans – drained tinned beans are fine)

mixed italian grains (eg farro/spelt/barley)

Kale

 

Method

Brown the belly pork in a casserole dish. Remove and then soften the onion, celery and carrot in the rendered fat and a splash of oil. add the garlica and herbs

Add the belly pork and the chopped pheasant and stir. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.

Cook on a very low simmer for 2 hours.

Add the beans and grains and cook for a further hour until the grains are soft.

(the grains can be cooked seperately and added at the end if required).

Serve in a bowl with some steamed kale stirred in and a drizzle of rich flavoured olive oil.

 

 

 

 

Sausages are a wonderful creation. For what is in essence a method of disguising, filling out and using up scraps of meat (or blood) that would otherwise be wasted it is amazing that the sausage is a staple of so many people.

Around the world countries all seem to have their own take on the sausage – from the meaty french toulouse, through the hearty south african Boerwors to the American Hotdog. The variety of sausages is vast and whilst the german boast a range of furters and wursts the biggest choice is for the great British banger which can be found in a wide selection of meats, flavours, styles and shapes.

Some of these are clearly copies or inspirations from afar. Chorizo and merguez styles being obvious. Others are classics such as the herby Linconshire or the wonderful peppery Cumberland.

One of my favorites though is to use a classic plain pork sausage and turn it into a classic italian sausage pasta sauce.

Italian Sausage Pasta

Ingredients

Traditional pork sausage

small onion chopped

tinned chopped tomatoes

garlic, crushed

dried chilli flakes

crushed fennel seeds

coarsely ground black pepper

taglietelle

method

Remove the suasage meat from the casings. mix in abowl with the chilli, fennel and pepper.

In a heavy casserole/Pan fry the onion in some oilive oil until soft and golden.

Pinch off small “meatballs” from the sausage meat. About 1-2cm diameter ideally. and fry meatballs until they brown.

Pour over the tomatoes and allow to bubble vigourously whils gently stirring to prevent anything sticking but not breaking up the sausage balls.

add a pich of sugar (optional but always good with tomatoe sauces)

Reduce down until sauce is rich and thick.

Cook the pasta (spaghetti or taglietelli is good although penne/rigatoni probably better)

when cooked (al dente) drain the pasta but retain a few table spoons of the pasta cooking water and stir into the sauce. This will loosen the sauce but also enrich it.

add the pasta to the sauce and stir in.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh grated parmesan

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired by some limp celery I searched the freezer in search of  a half turkey breast smoked a month or so back.

I had vac packed it so it has frozen well. Now it has defrosted the textrure is solid. it slices like ham – it had been brined-  so little suprise.

I have a kielbasa in the fridge as well as half a green pepper.

This can only go one way – GUMBO.

Gumbo is a perfect mix up of whats available. The name has different etymological interpretations but in essence a gumbo is a dish based on a roux with a mix of ingredients that are locally available.

Having tried Gumbo in its native Louisiana it is pretty obvious there are many variations depending upon the region, the family, the restaurant, the seasons etc.

Its important to define we are talking authentic Cajun Gumbo here not Creole gumbo or “new orleans” gumbo. This is a rich dark thick soupy stew.

The roux is the key. Based on the techniques of classic french sauces this flour and fat combination provides a thickening and richness to the sauce. Exactly the same here althought the roux is cooked for longer and much darker to provide its own flavour.

Herein lies the art of the gumbo

The Gumbo at Cafe Vermillionville in Lafayette is the colour of dark coffee chocolate brown and just as rich.

My favorite combination is chicken and sausage and a great recipe is in Southern living

Recipe

For my personal take on gumbo i use my own smoked chicken or turkey and a smoked sausage – A soft Kielbasa is about as close as I can get to Andouille.

The holy trinity of celery, green bell pepper and white onionall chopped into fine dice.

Do this before making the roux – the roux is your focus here.

Get a heavy bottomed pot – a cast iron le Creuset type pot is ideal although a “black pot” is the authentic article.

Use a half cup of a bland oil – I use a light rapeseed but sunflower or vegatable oil is fine. use an equivalent amout opf plain flour.

Stir together into a uniform consistency. It should be almos liquid not a paste. add a bit more oil if you need to.

Heat on a medium heat and stir constantly.  As the oil cooks out the starch in the flour the colour will change. This requires patience and attention. if you burn the flour it is ruined and will taste bitter and horrible. You are looking for a dark roux and your effort will reward that but you may need nerves of steel to know when to stop the change.

As a guide the following sequence may help.

The colour goes through straw, to peanut butter to brick red to milk chocolate to dark chocolate.

I tend to stop it at milk chocolate colour as it turns darker when the trinity is added. A word of warning – the roux at this stage is extremely hot. It looks like a nice sauce but do not be tempted to taste it!!

When its reached the desired colour add the trinity and stir vigorously. The vegatables will cook in the roux and sweeten.

I add the spices here. Simple teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder and a pinch of oregano. a teaspoon or two of cajun spice pwder will also work ( I like original Slap ya mama) As they cook over a few minutes add small amouts of hot water or stock which will halt the roux cooking and also create a thick rich sauce.

The roux will take a lot of liquid and you will be cooking it down so you can make it thinner than you will want to end up with.

Add your meat at this stage. If you are using raw meat pre fry it.  Here I add the smoked turkey and the kielbasa.

Get it to a simmer and let it do its thing for a hour or so.

Keep an eye on it so it doesnt stick to the bottom and burn.

You should have a lovely mahogany brown gumbo ready for a small scoop of plain boiled white rice and a few finely chopped spring onion tops.

 

 

 

End of the 1st week. The sell by dates are all going out now.

Ate the last of my sourdough with some mushroom pate which was on the brink.

Overall the 1st week has been interesting. I’ve not had to shop and normally on a weekend I would be planning some inspired dish from a TV or book inspiration.

Instead I am looking at what I’ve got and where it will stretch out to.

My concerns of running out of fresh produce are not yet realised.

The bottom shelf of my fridge still looks fairly healthy. I have a decent onion stash left.

Carrots and Kale still looking ok. Few brussels left. A red cabbage. I had 1 1/2 celery bunches and one is looking very unhappy. I will have to use that today.

Freezer has hardly been touched and is still pretty full.

I’ve found a few cartons of UHT long life milk so tghat should tiude me over.

I am missing yogurt so may use one to make some.

Apart from that things are looking good for another week – will have to get creative with the veggies as they will start to deteriorate soon.

 

 

End of the week! As its dry January I will treat myself with some ginger Ale!

I have a few bottles of squash, juice, cans etc so holding up on the alternative drinks front.

So whats for dinner? (I had the remaining Pinto beans with some chopped ham and more pickled jalapenos – thats the end of the home pickled ones although I have a jar or two of store bought ones for Tacos).

Late in from work but I had defrosted some Cod from the freezer.

Its friday so fish seemed appropriate. This was Waitrose Cod Saltimbocca. looked interesting so I had bought it and put it staright in the freezer. Forgotten about it.

Defrosted it looked a littel boring so teamed it up with chopped stir fried Brussels sprouts with chorizo.

I put some Rapeseed oil on tyhe cod and it took on a golden colour in the oven.

The sprouts and chorizo are a fine match. sprouts should be available more of the year. I may try to grow some for next winter. the tops are good too.