Summer Solstice picnic

This weekend I'd invited a few of my friends round for dinner, as it was a good friend of mine's birthday. However with the weather being so beautiful and it being the summer solstice, I thought it would be much more fun to head to the local park (Wanstead Park), embrace the weather, and have a picnic! So we packed it all up and headed out- what could be better than good food, good company and champagne out in the sun? I'd baked some salmon with lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and vine tomatoes, made a fresh pesto and pine nut pasta and tender stem broccoli salad, a green salad, and avocado salsa. To finish, a huge summer berry pavlova. It was so picturesque that I had to take a few photos....

The Great British Summer!

Getting better at styling whipped cream- I find it so easy to over whip it

Mary Berry eat your heart out.

Simple and fresh- lemon baked salmon, green salad, radishes, roasted vine tomatoes and lemon vinaigrette.

Cheers!

Visit to Madrid

I've just got back from a lovely long weekend in Madrid, visiting a friend of mine who's working out there for a few months. I thought I'd take advantage of having her as a tour guide and the free accommodation, so off I went. My visit coincided with the Real v Atletico Madrid football match, so the city was buzzing, and we passed the days meandering around and exploring. Of course I tried to experience and document as much food and drink as possible (and did a pretty good job, eating at minimum 6 times a day). The gin and tonics were huge and all came with complimentary little tapas (olives, crisps, nuts etc.)...what more do you want?

Fishbowl g&ts in Lavapies

Spider crabs- a delicacy in Madrid

Empanadilla- the Spanish equivalent of a pasty.

Madrid is full of great little tapas bars, coffee shops and food markets. From the big and overwhelming choice of tapas and cocktails at Mercado San Miguel (definitely worth a visit- you could easily pass away a whole afternoon eating and drinking your way around here), to lovely hidden bars such as Los Chuchis in Lavapiés, which we accidentally stumbled upon and felt obliged to have a Tinto de Verano (red wine cocktail) in. The only reason we didn't order the slow roasted pork that kept floating past our noses was because we were full after having accidentally ordered a whole tortilla each in the previous bar- delicious, but filling.

Seafood plates at Mercado San Miguel- choose from garlic prawns, scallops, mussels, oysters and razor clams cooked fresh.

Paella to share at San Miguel market.

Tapas selection- Galician octopus, salmon and dill, anchovy and red pepper, herring and mustard on Melba toast.

Sangria cocktail.

Fried calamari, whitebait and langoustine cones at San Miguel market.

Paella time.

We also stumbled upon Mercado de San Fernando, a fairly small indoor market full of an assortment of independent eateries- from traditional Spanish food through to Mexican and Japanese. I was also impressed to see that the small beer store here sold a huge selection of imported beers, some that I recognised as local breweries from nearby my family home in Suffolk. The atmosphere in the market was brilliant- it was a Sunday afternoon, and there was life music, people dancing, and everyone eating and drinking. A great place to while away an afternoon.

Spinach tortilla to the left, chorizo to the right. Serious comfort food.

It's not glamorous but it does taste good.

Los Chuchis in Lavapies- 2 x Tinto de Verano's por favor

Other places to mention are Café El Mar, again in Lavapiés; a bohemian, laid back little health food (don't worry it tastes good too) shop and cafe, with really tasty cakes, coffees and juices, with some sweet personal touches- my coffee came with a teaspoon full of dark chocolate chips to stir in/eat, and each of our cakes came with a single red heart sprinkle dotted in the corner (I know, I'm a ridiculous girl- so easy to please).We also went for a less glamorous, but still delicious, calamari sandwich and beer, which I can honestly say had no nutritional value whatsoever, but tasted pretty good and soaked up some of the sangria.

Late night churros.

A great place to visit to escape the hustle and bustle of the city was the botanical gardens. As you'd expect they were really tranquil, and a lovely place to chill for an afternoon once you are tired of walking. There was a great herb garden, and some beautiful vegetables, so I enjoyed wandering around them.
 

Beautiful botanical gardens

Herb garden at the botanical gardens

One thing I did learn from my trip, is how much Spanish people drink and eat. They don't seem to do big meals...it's more about constantly grazing throughout the day. I was totally on board with this concept and felt it important to immerse myself in the culture, so we pretty much ate and drank our way around the city...my kind of long weekend! I had a lovely time in Madrid, and although ate and drank far too much and spent rather alot of money, it was worth it. Now back to reality...! 

'Tis the Season...Asparagus!

 
Fresh, British asparagus is one of my favourite things on this earth. I get far too excited when I see it start popping up on stalls in the London markets. This is one vegetable that should not be messed about with in my opinion. Simplicity is key. My favourite way to eat it is boiled or steamed until just tender (over-cooking is such a crime), and then served with melted butter, salt, a grind of black pepper, and crusty bread to mop it all up. It's the perfect starter or light lunch.

That being said, I do love asparagus in a salad, quiche or frittata...I mean I love it done any way really. But when it's as fresh and gorgeous as it is at the moment, I don't like to mess around too much. You just don't need to. It's also packed full of nutrients and vitamins apparently, so you can feel good about yourself whilst eating it...(just ignore all the essential butter, bread...salt...). That's got to be a plus.

Happiness is...this small asparagus stall on the side of the road.

At my family home in Norfolk, we are lucky enough to have a small asparagus farm, Goddard's, right on our doorstep near Redgrave. This consists of a small unmanned stall on the side of the road, with an honesty box, and boxes of asparagus picked that day. What could be better than buying a bunch of asparagus for £2 from a tiny stall on the side of the road, whilst actually being able to see it growing in the next field. Heaven. This is the best asparagus I've tasted, probably because it couldn't be fresher unless I actually grew it myself (one day...).

Fresh honey on sale too

Would this whole box be the best birthday present ever? Probably.

 Asparagus with DIY Hollandaise Egg  

 

Asparagus with eggs is a classic. Poached or boiled, it makes a great lunch, especially with a bit of hollandaise sauce. This is a recipe (if you can call it that) which aims to cut out the fuss of making hollandaise. The idea is that your turn your normal boiled egg into a DIY hollandaise sauce, by adding a couple of drops of white wine vinegar, and a little knob of butter, right into the top of your boiled egg once you've cracked the lid off it. Then just dip your buttered asparagus right in there! It's quite a fun little trick, totally delicious and a bit indulgent. 

DIY hollandaise and asparagus with soldiers of course

 
 So if you haven't embraced the asparagus season yet, I recommend you do so asap. It's the easiest thing in the world to cook, it has a flavour like nothing else, and is good for you (I mean, I'm clearly not really into health food, but it's an added bonus). So go and support our fantastic British asparagus farms and traders everyone!

Final Project on the Leiths Foodstyling course

For my final session on the Leiths food styling course, we had to style a food of our own choice and take along appropriate props, working with photographer Stuart Ovenden, to create a great final shot. After um-ing and ahh-ing for a good 6 weeks over what I was going to make, I eventually chose a lemon tart, as aside from loving a good tangy lemon tart, I wanted to create a simple, clear, uncomplicated and striking image. So on the Friday night before my shoot, I went out and bought all my ingredients, and baked about 10 lemon tarts...! (Slight over-exaggeration there, but I did bake alot of them- you need plenty back ups, especially with lemon tarts that crack so easily)

My un-pimped lemon tart

I used a Rachel Allen recipe, which includes some orange juice as well as lemon, and this adds a nice sweetness to the filling, whilst mellowing out the very tart lemons. I got alot of compliments on it from people on the course when we eventually got round to eating it, so I'd definitely use the recipe again. Find it here: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/607601

My work area...playing around with topings and props

My slot was in the mid morning, which was nice because I had a chance to see what other people were doing first. I thought about adding raspberries to my tart, or topping it with whipped cream for a kind of lemon meringue effect, but in the end decided to keep it really simple and just scatter pistachios over it, and use these lemons that were still attached to the branch that I picked up from Natoora (http://www.natoora.co.uk/shop/index.ep), a great little green grocers nearby to Leiths.

Shooting a Persian Love cake on the day

It was such a fun day- after I'd had my turn in front of the camera, I just sat around watching everyone else produce delicious looking food, chatting to the others on my course, and pretty much having a 6 course lunch (I felt it was important to try everything everyone had made...). I'm really sad my course is over, as I have absolutely loved it and learnt alot from it, but I'm keen to continue building on what I've learnt, and have already been assisting my tutor Katy Greenwood on shoots which has been great experience. So here it is, my final project from my Leiths foodstyling course:

My Final Project- Lemon tart with pistachios, food styling by myself, photographed by Stuart Ovenden.

Holiday Paella!

Noticing there was a brilliant big paella pan in the villa we were staying in in La Palma, we decided to embrace our inner Spaniards and create a paella. So off we went to the local 'HiperDino' (supermarket) where we got incredibly carried away buying huge prawns, mussels and other seafood treats.

I love paella, because aside from being delicious and fairly easy to make, it really denotes a sense of occasion. You only make it when your having a bit of a family party, or a number of friends round for dinner. It's quite a grand dish I think (although I suppose it doesn't have to be quite as grand if you have any sense of control), using saffron and often mixed seafood. I always think it looks absolutely splendid when served steaming from the pan, like a giant golden sun beaming at you from the middle of the table. It's a real sharing dish, with everyone digging in and fighting over the prawns. It's a bit like a lucky dip, exciting to eat because it's full of hidden treasures, with ingredients varying from recipe to recipe- mussels, squid, chicken, rabbit, chorizo and prawns...whatever you choose to put in it really!

We made up our recipe as we went along, and if a Spanish person reads this, they'll probably be appalled. But it was really simple and tasted beautiful, and that's what counts for me. Obviously just make sure all your seafood and meat is cooked right through before serving:

Serves 4-6

4 chicken breasts
Chunk of chorizo (around 150g)
1 large onion (red or white)
2 cloves garlic
450g paella rice
2 litres chicken stock
2 good pinches saffron
Table spoon of Mixed Paella spice (if you can get it- we were able to buy this in a pot in the HiperDino)
2 handfuls of frozen peas
400g mussels (can use frozen)
2 big prawns per person
2 small squid, sliced into thin rings
Chopped Parsley 
Lemon wedges

1. Heat a really good glug of olive oil in a paella pan, over a medium heat.

2. Cut the chicken into chunks, and add to the pan. Fry for 5 mins or so, just to seal it.

3. Chop the chorizo into small pieces, and add to the pan. Stir continuously, and it will release a great smell and gorgeous paprika oil which will flavour the dish.

Paprika oil seeping from the chorizo

4. Next add a chopped onion, and a couple of cloves of crushed garlic. Fry for a few minutes, until the onion softens.

5. Then add the rice and stir, so that it is coated with the oils from the pan.

Get that rice in

Make sure every grain is coated and glossy from oils of the pan

6. Add the stock (you probably won't be able to fit it all in in one go, so in that case add it gradually), spices and saffron and stir. Cover with some foil, and allow to simmer on a medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Hubbling and bubbling

7. Add peas and the mussels and any remaining stock and stir. Then re-cover and cook for about 5-10 mins.

Starting to come together now

8. Place the prawns on top, re-cover and cook for 5 more mins.

9. Scatter the little squid rings on, and cook for a further 5 mins.
 
10. Once all the seafood is cooked and piping hot, remove from the heat and scatter lots of chopped parsley on top (this makes all the difference).

11. Season with salt and pepper, then serve with some good wedges of fresh lemon.

Got my fair share! Serve with tons of fresh lemon juice.

  

Holiday Wining and Dining

I was lucky enough to go on holiday to La Palma last week, one of the Canary islands. I absolutely love going to new places, particularly looking forward to sampling local delicacies, indulging in lots of good food and wine! I enjoy nothing more than a pre-dinner ice cold gin and tonic and of course, a few tasty snacks with it, watching the sunset over the sea. Holiday food has to be simple and stress-free. When you've got such great fresh produce, why mess with it- just a simple marinade of olive oil, salt pepper and maybe some fresh herbs and garlic, and whack it on the barbie. I love the Mediterranean diet of lovely clean salads, lots of olive oil, and grilled meat and fish- heaven!

Sunset G & T in the garden, overlooking the Atlantic

Eating out

The Canary Islands are techincally part of Spain, and this really shows in the food they eat. Paella is big, seafood too, and of course bacalao (salt cod). Things I always enjoy in the Canary's are Croquettes (bechamel mixed with fish or chicken, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried till crispy), Pimientos de Padron (Padron peppers- small green peppers, which although mainly mild, 20% are very hot- it's always fun to gamble with your taste buds...), and Papas Arrugadas (wrinkled, salt baked baby potatoes) served with Mojo Rojo, a red pepper based sauce/dip made with garlic, paprika, and cumin, and Mojo Verde, similar, but made with coriander. All these together + a mixed salad, make for a perfect tapas style lunch.

Pimientos de Padron- lovely gleaming salty peppers. Brindisa in London sell these (uncooked)- I bought my brother some for Christmas (don't say I'm not a generous sister).

 

Freshly baked herby rolls with Mojo Rojo and Aioli- this was served to us in a brewery we visited.

A classic- crispy and salty Calamari with tons of fresh lemon squeezed over it. We always order a big plate to share and then fight over it.

Funny little raspberry sugary shots served after a meal

No holiday's complete without a Belgian waffle smothered in ice cream, cream, chocolate sauce and jam!

Cooking in

In the evenings, we tended to barbecue at home a lot- why wouldn't we with a view like that? I have to say the boys do the barbecuing in our family (rightly so), and they tend to do an alright job, although the first BBQ of the holiday almost always involves a fire that won't light, Dad getting hot and bothered, and us eating chicken wings that have been cooking for two hours late into the night...! But it's all part of the holiday...
 

Squid rings fried in paprkia and spices, served with lemon and sweet chilli sauce

Chicken kebabs on the BBQ, marinated in olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper.

A holiday favourite- giant prawns baked in tin foil with butter. Served with bread for dunking.

Great setup: chicken kebabs, mixed salad with olives and artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and Papas Arrugadas.

LEITHS Foodstyling session 6- Trifles!

Very overdue, but I thought I'd share some pictures of my final food styling evening class at Leiths. It was trifle night, lead by Katy Greenwood. I'm embarrassed to say that I ended up being quite late for this class (anyone who knows me will tell you this is very unusual), due to an absolute nightmare with my trains (jubilee line closed, etc. etc.). In fairness, I do have to get from about as far East as you can go in London, right over to the West, so it's amazing I hadn't had trouble until now really.

Anyway, I unfortunately missed the demonstration, and when I arrived, Katy told me I had 5 minutes before everyone was presenting their trifles. So, slightly panicked and very flustered, I rolled up my sleeves, and with the remaining berries and leftover custard and basically anything I could lay my hands on, did my best to create a layered trifle. We took in our own props, and I had chosen a fairly simple, elongated glass dish to serve my trifle in, which I rapidly started filling.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with what I managed to create in my short space of time. It's funny, I wonder if I'd have put more time and thought into it, whether I would have created anything better. It seems that sometimes a bit of time pressure can be a good thing, in stopping you from over-thinking where you're placing every single berry or blob of cream. The look I went for was relaxed and achievable (I didn't think precise and detailed would work at this stage of the game...!). I have to say, I was fairly pleased with my trifle- I much preferred it to my Greek salad that I'd spent so long on the week before. I got some good comments on it too, so I'm glad I persevered in my horrific journey there (eventually having to hop into a £25 taxi!).

Here are some pictures of my trifle:

Mixed berry trifle, layered with raspberry jam, custard, lady fingers and amaretti biscuits, topped with cream, passion fruit and pomegranate!    

I think the passion fruit and pomegranate saved the day on this occasion- they always looks great sprinkled over desserts!