Sopressata

My friend Mr. James Iacoi makes the best homemade sopressata  aka "soupy". Sopressata is an Italian dried sausage and boy does Mr. Iacoi make a good one! Mr. Iacoi makes his sopressata with pork and spices in the style of Calabria, where his family originated from. His family's tradition is to make the soupy every January and that way the dried sausage is ready by easter.

Dried meats are becoming more and more popular. And charcuterie platters are exciting and mouthwatering.

Thank you for the delicious soupy Mr. I!

Happy Eatings!

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Fried Bacon Sandwich - or how to recover your camping mojo

My love of camping and the great outdoors is nothing new. There's almost nothing I like better than heading off in Daisy, our camper van, for a week, a weekend, or even a night, exploring new places and heading back to our home from home at the end of the day. I love eating outside, sitting out under the stars, but am equally happy (OK may be not quite so happy, but you know, happy enough) huddled in under the canvas awning, or even in the van, with a bottle of red wine playing Uno as the wind howls and the rain lashes down. I've eulogised plenty about it all before so I won't go on about it...

Sometimes, though, there are moments when it's not quite what it cracked up to be. Don't get me wrong it doesn't put me off for the next time, but there are definitely challenges that make unbidden thoughts flash through my head. 

Mainly "What on earth possessed you?" type thoughts. 

We had a moment like that this last week, camping on Shell Island in North Wales. The campsite itself is an odd sort of place - out on a causeway, you can camp in the sand dunes or facing inland with views over the salt marshes to the mountains beyond. It should be the best place to camp in the world ever. For various odd reasons, it's not quite that good, but we still had a great time. However, one night, the wind got up, blowing straight across the site.

"Will the kids be alright?" (they sleep out in an awning most of the time)

"Yeah, sure"

The wind got stronger. We went to bed ourselves, having checked everything twice.

The wind got stronger. 

There was banging and flapping. Noises we couldn't identify.

The Husband valiantly got back out of bed to do more checking.

In the end, we just couldn't cope with the idea that somehow the wind would whip up the awning, blowing the kids straight over into the salt marshes that we were camped right on top of, so we brought them in to the van and I spent a largely sleepless night with Pink on one side of me, out of her sleeping bag, legs thrown over mine, muttering to herself as she tends to do, and the Husband, family duly safe and protected, snoring loudly in my ear on the other... It could have been worse, I suppose - Blue got to sleep on the floor of the van, nose to nose with the dog.

After a night like that, the best thing of course is a morale boosting bacon sarnie (sorry, all you vegetarians out there, but it really is), but no ordinary bacon sarnie - allow me please to introduce (drum roll please) 

the Fried Bacon Sandwich. 

For this, you need to make sure you are the person cooking the bacon. And really, given that just looking at it makes your arteries tense up a little, it should only be eaten in dire need. But it is so good.

Cook the bacon up for all the sandwiches you are making - then make everyone else's sandwiches first (part of the treat is that only one person gets it). DO NOT clean out the pan you cooked the bacon in. At the same time, make sure there's a coffee on the go somewhere. We take a stove top espresso maker with us - it has justified its van space on many occasions.

Butter 2 slices of pappy white bread, and lay one butter side up on a plate, or the table, or wherever, and put your own bacon on the bread along with any sauce you choose (red tends to be my choice). Heat up all the left over bacon fat/oil that's still in the pan, then place the second slice of bread, butter side up, in the hot fat and fry gently till crisp. Depending on how much fat there is in the pan, the bread may absorb it all. You won't be eating these often, so that's OK. Once the bread is crisp, remove from the pan, and place butter side down (the butter will have gone all melty, by the way. Mmmmmm).

Slice the sandwich in 2, take your sandwich and cup of freshly brewed coffee somewhere far away from husbands, children and dogs, with a view, and enjoy 5 minutes peace and quiet. 

Mojo restored, you can crack on with the rest of your day - whatever that might involve.

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Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese

"You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese."

- Anthony Bourdain 

I am feeling very inspired right now. Yesterday I was sent some beautiful cheese from my friends at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company in Point Reyes Station, CA. I received the Toma and Orginial Blue. Both cheeses are very special. They each are simple, yet complex with different flavor notes. The Toma is described as being "creamy, buttery flavor with a grassy tang finish" while the tangy Original Blue notes are "sweet, fresh milk with a medium-to-strong punch of blue flavor". They are both unique and extremely mouth watering!

"Cheese. Milk's leap toward immortality"

-Clifton Fadiman 

 Cheese excites me and you know why if you have ever tried Point Reyes Cheese. When you try their cheese you not only taste the savory deliciousness of the product itself, but you taste generations of hard work, happy cows and passionate people. And whats better than that?!

One of my favorite quick appetizers (or even desserts) is stuffing a fresh summer strawberry with Point Reyes's Original Blue cheese. It is the perfect balance of sweet, savory, salty, fresh and decadent. So simple but so yummy! It also makes the perfect 4th of July treat because it is red, white and blue after all!

So don't just stand there, click here and order some fabulous Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese! 

(Their packages make the perfect gift to somebody else or even yourself!) 

Thank you SO much Point Reyes Cheese! That was so kind of you! 

Happy Eatings! 

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Chocolate Courgette Cake

My friends, it's time for me to leave you for a while. The RJ summer holiday is upon me (it's been a long time coming)  combining the heady weekend that is CarFest South, followed by a week on the mid-Wales coast (don't say a word). But I couldn't leave you without one last courgette-y flourish.

Peeking out from the tin - don't be shy now!

The southern venue for CarFest - the brain child of Chris Evans, raising money for Children in Need - is literally on our doorstep at the fabulous Laverstoke Park Farm.  As 'local' residents, we were lucky enough to get first dibs on tickets, and most of our friends will be there. It'll be almost like a village fete, but with everything on a much bigger scale. The kids are looking forward to the bouncy castle city, sing along Jungle Book, the Dancing Diggers, Keane & Scouting for Girls. The Husband is looking forward to the cars, the aeroplanes and The Wurzels. I'm looking forward to fantastic food generally, the Best of British Tent in particular, a silent disco, and the various musical delights of Texas, Keane, Amy MacDonald, Scouting for Girls and Jools Holland. Nothing edgy or out there (we're not talking Glasto, Reading or the Isle of Wight here) but hopefully brilliant family entertainment. And as you can see - something for everyone.

By the way, after my rant about the Great British Bake Off, earlier this year, I thought it was only ethical and right that I refrained from entering Cakes v Pies which will be judged by no less than Mary Berry & the Silver Fox himself, Paul Hollywood. Besides, moral highground aside, I'd like to have a couple of drinks and a boogy and not have to worry about soggy bottoms...

That's not to say there isn't cake knocking around the RJ house this weekend. We have 2 lots of friends coming to stay with us for the weekend to join in the jollification, and with the recent rain we've had, the courgettes have put in some more action. There was only one thing for it.

Chocolate Courgette Cake

The original recipe got mixed reviews on the Good Food website - as I read down, I felt excited that I would be producing a culinary marvel, and then as the reviews continued, I felt less encouraged, but I made my own tweaks, and soldiered on to produce what I think is a pretty good cake, especially considering it used up 2 courgettes. You might think the addition of custard powder is a bit random, and indeed it was. I didn't have enough cocoa, and then I thought it might make the cake a little less chocolatey if I added in some custard powder as a substitute. In the end, well, I'm not sure if it added anything or just made up the measurement. Give it a go and see what you think.

One caveat - I'm not entirely sure my scales were working right when I made this (which is one of the reasons why I've included the link to the original recipe), but this is what I think I used...

It's not a beautiful looking cake in its unadorned state, but looks aren't everything, as I've said before, and once slathered in some chocolate icing, well, does it really matter?

350g self-raising flour 
35g cocoa powder
15g custard powder
1 tsp mixed spice 
250g caster sugar
500ml grated courgettes (measure by volume in a measuring jug, but it's about 2 medium courgettes; if using 1 overgrown one, peel first and take out seeds)
175ml vegetable oil 
3 eggs  
160g toasted unsalted pistachios roughly chopped

100g dark chocolate
50ml double cream

Line a 23cm cake tin with greaseproof paper.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder , custard powder, mixed spice and caster sugar togeter in a bowl.

Squeeze the grated courgette to get the liquid out, then mix together with the vegetable oil, and eggs.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then stir through the pistachios. Scrape the (surprisingly thick - which is why I wonder about my scales) batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for between 45 minutes-1 hr till a skewer comes out clean.

Not a partcularly attactive cake...

 When cool, make the icing - break the chocolate into a bowl, then heat the cream till hot but not boiling. Tip the hot cream over the chocolate and stir till melted and combined. Leave the icing to cool and thicken up, then spread over the cake.

but with icing, who cares??

Enjoy.

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Greek Yogurt with Honey Comb and Mint

Bees. I wouldn't want to mess with them, but they sure are amazing. In my opinion bees are growing in popularity and recognition of their importance. In more and more places I have been seeing food prepared with bee pollen, honey comb and honey. So bee cool and eat more bee products!


Ingredients:

1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tbs. honey
1 tbs. honey comb, cut into chunks
1 tsp. freshly sliced mint

1. Place the yogurt in a bowl and top with all of the other ingredients. Enjoy!

Happy Eatings!

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The Ironing Queen Part 2 - and some home truths, thanks to Tefal

One of the things about getting older is learning and, perhaps more importantly, accepting, truths about yourself.  

Truths like I am never, ever going to be asked to present Blue Peter (why not?? I'd have been great). Truths like if you eat too much cake you will put on weight, whatever anyone tries to tell you (or you try to convince yourself of) otherwise.

Truths like, actually, the ironing does matter to me.

There. It's out there now.

But honestly, I NEVER KNEW.

Believe me when I say I'm just as surprised as you are about this. 

As I said in my first, heady post about the Tefal steam generator iron that I wrote, never did I expect to be so thrilled by an iron. Never did I think an iron would inspire me to re-write an Abba song in its honour. And, let's be honest, I would probably never have considered a steam generator iron purely on basis of cost. Having used one for 3 months ( when I can fight the husband off it ) I really think I'd have trouble going back. It really makes ironing so much easier. And while I'm never going to skip joyfully to the pile of ironing the fact that it will be over so much more quickly due to the power of the steam is a big incentive.

So here's what I like about my Tefal steam generator iron:

It has a big tank for water so you don't have to keep refilling

There's a good number of safety features including an automatic shut off - ideal if you get distracted and wander of - as I frequently do.

You get real steam - no mucking about with little puffs or splutters - this is full on crease-killing steam.

As a result, it laughs in the face of the Husband's 100% cotton double cuff shirts, yet with a couple of bursts from the steam jet - where (get this) the iron doesn't even have to touch the fabric -  it can make the creases drop out of some of my more delicate tops .

Short of actually doing the ironing for me, there's not much more I could imagine you'd need in an iron.


This is all very well, but that doesn't necessarily turn me into someone for whom the ironing matters, only that I am someone who can see the benefits certain innovations can bring to an iron, and by definition, the whole tedious task of ironing.

So, here's the thing. In July, along with the Tefal Optigrill and the ingenio pans, we were also shown a new range of  'intelligent' steam generator irons. A slightly scary, apocalyptic kind of concept of irons that can think for themselves. There's the easy use iron - one setting, no buttons or dials to fiddle with, irons everything, an 'in between' kind of iron, and a full on bells and whistles type of iron, with every setting and possible combination of settings under the sun. 

For the purposes of this post, I was sent one of the intelligent 'easy use' steam generator irons. "How can it possibly be so different?" I thought.

On the left 'my' iron; on the right, the easy use intelligent iron

Well, it can be different. The 'intelligent' iron irons perfectly satisfactorily, but just not quite as brilliantly as the one I already have. The Tefal demonstrators explained that this was the case with the easy use iron. It's really for someone who knows they need to iron a shirt occasionally, but really doesn't care that much about the extent of the ironing. It's for people who don't sort their laundry, only ever use one setting on the washing machine, and only iron when the need arises. The level of ironing is traded off against the ease of use. In that respect, Tefal have got it bang on. It is incredibly easy to use. Simply turn it on and go. No need to stress about what setting to have it on - no risk of ruining your other half's silk shirt.  There is no temperature control - it just miraculously doesn't shrivel your delicate stuff, while at the same time pretty much gets the creases out of cotton, and has the same automatic shut off features that I like about 'my' iron. If ironing really didn't matter to me, I would be singing the praises of the easy use steam generator iron. 

But it turns out that I like my ironing to be of a slightly higher level. You see - ironing apparently does matter to me. The easy use iron was OK, but for me the finish wasn't quite as good as the one I've been using for the last 3 months. The shirts weren't quite as crisp, the pillow cases just not quite as flat. But then, if I'm honest, I have been known to use different settings on the washing maching, and to take washing off the line in order (iron then non-iron - but only for the purposes of putting stuff in the airing cupboard you understand).

The ironing pile - on a good day

So would I swap? Well, you guessed it - no way. I still don't LIKE ironing, but it turns out that when I do, it matters.

You can by the Tefal Steam Generator Irons from John Lewis and Argos. The Easy Control model retails at £199, and my favourite, the Pro Express, retails at £279.99.

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Lumpfish Roe - The Perfect Appetizer

Lumpfish roe is usually considered as an alternative to caviar. It belongs to the family of cyclopteridae. It is mainly used as an appetizer. Here are some recipes that you can try:

Three-fish blinisWholemeal flour 140g (5 oz)Easy-blend dried yeast 1 sachetSalt ¼ tspCaster sugar 1 tspLukewarm water 175 mlEgg white 1Lukewarm milk 175 mlMelted butter 1 tbspToppingSour cream 120mlBlack lumpfish roe 1 jarPickled herring 150gSalmon trimmings 75 gFresh chives to tasteLemon wedges to taste

Method of preparation

Take a large mixing bowl and inside it mix the ingredients such as flour, salt and sugar. Make a hollow space in the center and pour the combination of lukewarm water and egg yolk. Whip it properly so that the ingredients are properly mixed. Then, include the flour in a gradual manner so as to make a thick mixture. Wrap the bowl with a cling film and keep it in a warm place. In the meantime, start preparing the topping. Include the sour cream and stir it well so as to get a smooth mixture. After that, take the lumpfish roe and separate it carefully. Cut the pickled herring and the smoked salmon using scissors. Wrap the topping carefully and let it cool. Then, start cooking the blinis. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Include the egg white and whip it nicely until the ingredients are properly combined. Take a heavy skillet and heat it over moderate temperature. Then, include the melted butter into the pan and swirl it nicely so that the pans are coated well. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture. Cook it over average heat for 2 minutes until bubbles start forming on the surface of the blini. Let it set. Flip the side and cook the other side until it becomes golden brown. Keep the blinis in the oven so that it stays hot.

Take the leftover mixture and repeat the process. In order to serve, pour a teaspoon of sour cream into the center of each blin. Then, make a proper topping for the first 6 blinis using lumpfish roe. Top the rest using herring and the leftover smoked salmon. Transfer it into a serving plate and spread the chives over the blinis. Then, serve it along with lemon wedges.

Smoked salmon and crab canapeSmoked salmon 100gWhite crab meat 100 gMayonnaise 1 tbspDill to tasteLemon zest and juice 1 lemonBlinis 1 packetsLumpfish roe 1 jar

How to prepare?

The first step is to slice the salmon and crab meat nicely. Take a bowl and mix the ingredients such as salmon, crab, mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice and zest. Keep ready the blinis and pour ¼ of the mixture into each blinis and make a proper topping with lumpfish roe. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

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Roger Olsen has published 2 articles. Article submitted on August 12, 2013. Word count: 455

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