Month: October 2012

My eating escapade…part 1

When the divine Lucy S, author of the hugely popular food blog and twitter @LucyintheLarder, http://lucyinthelarder.com/ asked me if I fancied sampling a few eateries in london during her whirlwind 12 hour trip, I said sure! Little did I know I’d eat 20 dishes in the time it takes most people to do a days work…

The serious business of planning a hard days eating began bright and breezy at Caravan Restaurant and Bar http://caravanonexmouth.co.uk/ with strong, proper temperature coffee and a conflab. Various places and specific items were touted as a ‘must try’ and a hit list drawn up. I like a map so we noted the places and plotted a  route. Having heard murmurings that the breakfast was worth a go at Caravan we ordered creamy soy mushrooms on chargrilled sourdough and some cornbread French toast with avocado and bacon. I literally adore mushrooms on toast – it’s so simple and yet hearty with some throwback nostalgia to my youth I’m certain…or maybe it’s just the butter… These earthy mushrooms drenched in their soy based sauce did not disappoint, and matched against the milky sour charred bread made for a very pleasant start to the eating frenzy…and a rather filling one too! Oh well, one down 19 to go…and for your information eggy fried cornbread with smooth ripe avocado and crisp salty bacon is a right combo! 
Choosing to walk from Exmouth Market through Holborn down into Covent Garden meant walking off that breaking of our nighttime fasts and building an appetite for the next stop which was the much adored (by me) Fernandez and Wells. Most Londoners will know one of their beautiful coffee and sandwich locations and surely everybody loves their stark yet warm environs (lots of bleached wood which gives it a feeling of sitting around a huge chopping board…I mean this as a totally brilliant thing!) But above the aesthetic beauty is the spectacular food. I love the Lexington Street branch http://www.fernandezandwells.com/lexington.php and this started another theme of our day which was sitting at a bar, a way of eating (and drinking) that we both like very much. I have burned on my memory, from previous trips to F&W, their Morcilla (Spanish style black pudding), smoked anchovy fillets and an absolute all time favourite of mine, the prize Tuscan salami, Finocchiona (with fennel seeds). So the Morcilla got another airing (perfectly smooth and buttery soft and paired with crisp flattened bread which we spread it on like pâté) and smoked mackerel this time (buttery, smokey fillets that were meaty yet melt in the mouth) and Lomito (lomo) Iberico ham. It seemed down right churlish of us not to have a glass of Fino (a pale, dry type of fortified wine or sherry) with this feast (traditional surely?!) so we demurred and, all in the name of ‘having the full experience’…knocked it back…well, the sun was over the yardarm somewhere wasn’t it?!
Another much lauded (again by me!) place that made the list, and involved yet another perching at the bar experience, was our next stop (a shamefully few minutes later) at Spuntino. http://spuntino.co.uk/ Unlike F&W which nestles its outlets in hip areas or landmark buildings, Spuntino hunkered itself down in the still slightly less than salubrious part of Rupert Street.
Nonchalantly inhabiting its space with gay bars akimbo, a herbalist and a full nude striptease with hot girls (we’ll be the judge of that, dearie) it sits with the restaurant version of an invisibility cloak on. It’s industrial and anti-announcement street presence is the ethos of its brilliance. Entering into the former butchers, knocking shop and lord alone knows what, you are immediately transplanted into the buildings history and a casual air of depression area, speak easy rawness. There’s no telephone and no reservations…you just pitch up. We were daytime crowd so sat between a middle aged, but hip, natch, couple having an awkward date (and proving it never gets easier) and a uber cool couple (self proclaimed) of which the woman proceeded to try to interest the man in her ‘super hot girlfriend’ who is totally into money, has had a string of celebrity lovers but is SO down to earth and SO normal. The entertainment is free. The food is paired down, not quite to finger food but to hand food, and you just order whatever catches your eye. The very jolly and authentically accented barman (Canadian but lets not split North American hairs) inspired us and suggested and chatted away. Bear in mind we were pacing ourselves and had another three lunches to go we decided against the much coveted macaroni cheese and went with the fig, coppa (ham made from pig’s neck) and Gorgonzola pizzetta, a beef and bone marrow slider (mini burger) and the egg and truffle oil on/in toast. Nothing too rich then…
Lucy and I had devoured a brace of pizzas in Rome (on an hourly basis) and especially admired an apple and Gorgonzola masterpiece (which I will be attempting to recreate one of these days) so the fig version reminded us and was equally splendid. Sliders are big business it seems these days. ‘Dude Food’ is the absolute way forward in Oz apparently and you can see why really. Small yet packing punch with flavour, a cross between a taster and a starter, perfect for pre drinking lining of stomachs I thought (but kept to myself…one doesn’t want to seem too Prosecco addicted). I’d tried the egg toast before and remembered its utter indulgence and clawing richness. It’s really not for the faint hearted but has to be tried! The truffle oil kick is unctuous and heady so be warned but be brave…! Lucy was introduced to Dandelion and Burdock too. I described it as a cross between Vimto (or Dr Pepper) and TCP! Again meant in a loving way as a love Vimto and TCP is beyond criticism…
Having seen a restaurant with ‘Bill’s’ emblazoned upon it many foodie types may have at first made a connection to Bill Granger the celebrated Aussie restauranteur and food author. But it’s actually Lewes’s Bill Collison (ok, yes it’s not quite the grocery shop cafe it was in Lewes but that’s corporate roll out for you…) http://www.bills-website.co.uk/ I like it a lot and although came late to the party (didn’t go in my first Bill’s till it opened in Coventry Garden..it was so five-minutes-ago by then…) I have made up for it since. I was about to lie. Yes, actually, bald faced fib, and say it’s the lovely food and the bulging shelves of beautifully designed and colour drenched produce, the chalk board charm and whole ‘just walked into a posh green grocers’ ethos…but it’s none of these. It’s the Hedgerow Fizz I go for. So sue me. It’s the simplicity of it and the ultra quaffability! Make it at home with sparkling wine (try the English ones they are so special!), a dash of elderflower cordial and a blackberry floated in it. It’s the daytime version of a Twinkle (a vodka, elderflower cordial and sparkling wine cocktail. Bliss. Although I’ve gone off the name since a friend told me it’s what she calls her privates…! Anyhoo…I digress…) The blackberry turns the drink a glorious pink colour after a while…so I’m told. I really must try to wait long enough to observe this one of these days… We had no plans to eat at this point, thinking that a small rest might be in order and a chance to test my personal theory that a glass of bubbles settles the stomach and makes room for further indulgence…and two glasses (perhaps not in such rapid succession for future reference) would do the job twice as well. Then we spied the following collection of words that filled both our greedy hearts with joy…”lemon meringue pie cheesecake ‘in a glass’ with yoghurt ice cream”…well, I never! But did we ever! It’s a many varied taste experience, texture experience and even a warm and cold dual play…and all in one glass! The tingly tartness of the lemon shoots through everything and the clinging sweetness of the merengue is off set softly by the gentle yoghurt ice cream and the salt tinged crunchy biscuit base…swoon… 
Before I finish part 1 of this display of gluttony I think I should mention that, of course, I engineered our walking route to take us past the irresistible front door of Paul A Young’s multi award winning house of chocolate! http://www.paulayoung.co.uk/shops/wardour-street-soho/ I mean, Lucy had to try the international award wining sea salted caramel, right?! Proof that Brits know about chocolate and the European snobs (jealous) just have to get over it! And slinking into the shop under the guise of sampling a trade mark chocolate means the chance to try the other superlative flavour combos that include Marmite, black pudding, Bakewell Tart, black pepper and crystallised mint, tequila…ad lib to fade…
to be continued…

Spinach Filo Pie…

So, there I am minding my own business (that’s a first) and I meet a woman, a beautiful, sexy woman who is clearly a Bollywood film star or Mediterranean royalty. It turns out she is much more than all that she is a foodie!! Bliss! And not just any old foodie either, it’s only Tonia Buxton – the award winning presenter and author of ‘My Greek Kitchen’ and ‘My Cypriot Kitchen’!! Well, knock me down with a dolmade! There’s simply nothing this lady cannot do. Check out her website to get the full picture www.toniabuxton.co.uk.

I’m heading into the kitchen armed with ‘Tonia’s Greek kitchen’ (cookbook) and some Yamas! Smoked Greek Cheese which the lady herself gave me to try. A rummage through the freezer produced a packet of filo pastry (I’m so Nigella…) and cowering in the crisper drawer of the fridge is a bag of depressed spinach so this can mean only one thing…spanakopitta! With a smokey twist…

I have to admit at this point that I’m a lazy cook and tend to fling stuff together and freewheel through recipes in the most disrespectfully cavalier way. Tonia’s fantastic recipe is available in her book or on line so this is just a quick version of what I did and as Tonia says, ‘there’s room for interpretation’, which is a green light to me! So if you’re of a sensitive mind then look away…

So I chopped some spring onions (I started finely at the stark white end and the pieces got bigger and bigger towards the tubular emerald green end) and sweated them off in some olive oil, chucked in the spinach and wilted it into submission.

Then drained and cooled it and added the eggs and seasonings and the all important Smoked Greek Cheese. Yamas! (Greek for cheers!) are the only people who make this and it’s feta cheese (but you can’t call it feta once it’s smoked apparently…always learning!) that has been naturally smoked over beech wood. Yum.

As I had two packets I slung it all in! Actually, I ate a lot of it first during the ‘tasting’ stage when I was seeing what it was like. Amazing how many times you have to taste something before you can be sure it’s nice all the way through…

Layering the filo sheets with a brushing of the guilty pleasure that is butter and then the aromatic, dark green filling specked with creamy white cheese (tasting as I go…under the excuse of ‘…then taste for seasoning’ and yes I do need a whole tablespoon full to test the seasoning. Thank you…) and, finally, repeating the layering of the pastry sheets.

Cooking this, as I am, in an Aga meant a little guess work on the timings but the transformation from the pastey, cadaverous white of the uncooked dish (that spinach gets everywhere…!) to the St Tropez golden, brittle topped, finished product is a wonder to behold.

This was so easy to make and I can already imagine variations akimbo that I’ll be trotting out at any possible moment. Be warned dinner guests…

 N.B I drained the spinach mixture quite thoroughly and I used an extra egg. I also used two packets of filo ready made pastry (which I didn’t cut to the roasting tin’s size, I just ruched it about a bit to fit it all in). Yes, yes I could have made baklava or some such with the couple of remaining sheets but I didn’t. So there. I just cooked them all. I’m lazy (and greedy), what can I say…

 

Water…

There is a VLOG available to watch which is based on this BLOG.

Alarm rings and I wake up and scratch my face and hello! That feels like a spot! Oh no and I’ve got a day in public ahead! An immediate trip to the bathroom mirror reveals a red patch and a deep-seated, angry seed of humiliation and pain, conveniently and deliberately positioned on my chin. Rather than shy away from its prevailing obviousness…I embrace it. I need to know what causes these buried poisonous mines…

Why? Why? I ask of literally everyone. Everything from being run down, times of lunar activity and pollution is blamed. Water seems an issue. Hmmm…I’ve not had as much as I should, I guess, recently, I mean, I have been rather busy and I’ve…hold on a minute! ‘As much as I should…’?!?! What does that even mean?!? So with my Miss Marple beret on, I begin to try to find out…

And this is what I discovered…

I clearly know nothing about the necessary human consumption of water! Nothing I tell you! Everything I thought I knew is now rocked with uncertainty. So I’m going outline it all to you and see if between us we can make some sense of it and find a path through it all? Because, all we want is a definitive instruction to follow. A rule. Right?! At least a set of parameters for Neptune’s sake!! That’s not too much to ask, is it?!? Jeez…

Ok, so TOP FACT is – eight glasses of water a day, right? 

Er…well, no. (After all, what size glass? Do you know?) And then it turns out that not everyone needs that much water – you get some of the water you need from food; climate effects the amount you need, as does your weight and the exercise you do (or don’t do!) etc. etc…eh?!?

Crikey. Right, basic anatomy is that we are about 60-70% water. Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. You need water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes toxins and waste, and protects your joints and organs.

We lose water when we sweat, when we breathe and in body waste. Diuretics like caffeine and alcohol also contribute. It’s estimated that an adult loses up to 4-5 pints of water per day normally! An athlete can lose up to 3 pints of water in just one hour of continuous activity. Dunno if this applies to swimmers though? I’ll pop Becky Adlington a note through. Because if it is true then another reason to avoid public swimming pools…anyway I digress…

Our bodies can survive without some nutrients for months, but we can only live for 3 – 5 days (extreme estimates go as far as 10 days) without water. Inadequate fluid intake leads obviously to dehydration which in turn leads to lots of noticeable bad things like constipation, tiredness, dry skin, bad breath and headaches. The real damage comes from ongoing dehydration or chronic dehydration which has been linked to kidney damage, blood pressure issues, joint pain, digestive disorders and high cholesterol. Recently links have been suggested between chronic dehydration in the elderly and the on-set of brain diseases like dementia. Water is vital in nearly every function of your body – so make sure you are getting enough!

So look out for signs of dehydration, please. The best being the colour of your wee! Before you flush have a gander. If it’s anything darker than a pale yellow then it’s a sign you could do with some water. Although some medication causes changes in colour and smell and, of course, Vitamin B2 Riboflavin gives you an alarming radioactive looking wee! (I aim to have one crystal clear wee every day! I’m SO rock and roll…)

Learn to read your body because pains in joints and muscles, lower back pain, headaches and constipation, along with strong odour (uff!) and colour to your wee are all possible indications that you may not be getting enough water.

But let’s get real here too…thirst itself is an obvious sign of dehydration! You may well say, ‘well obvs‘, but bear in mind the fact that you need water long before you feel thirsty. Couple this to the fact that the body does not distinguish between hunger and thirst messages (it’s very cavalier in this way) so when you feel hungry you might just be very thirsty.

Right, OK, now we are getting somewhere. We know facts. We know figures. We know things about our bodies…so we should now know how much water to drink every day. Right?

Wrong.

Recent studies have revealed that, ‘there is no set requirement of water per day and as every individual has different water consumption requirements it is difficult to apply a general rule. You should drink when you are thirsty.’ (Hoorah we worked that out too! That means we are clever like ‘experts’…)

Some of these cuddly experts believe you can estimate the amount of water you need by taking your weight in POUNDS and dividing that number in half. That gives you the number of FLUID OUNCES you may want to drink each day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you might want to drink at least 80 ounces of water or other fluids per day. And the ubiquitous eight glasses theory? Well, experts (again…but not so cuddly, more frown-y) say that you should drink at least eight glasses of water every day. They go on to explain that a ‘glass of water’ is about half a pint or about 285 mls – so that would mean around 2 – 2.5 litres a day. This estimate, however, assumes that your environment is normally cool, you are about 150 pounds (about 68 kilograms or just over ten and a half stone in old money), and exercise in some form, about 20 minutes a day…AND btw men and women need different amounts…! See? That’s not a cuddly, embraceable fact. That’s a generalised, useless statistical fact…

We are also warned (by the frown-y ones again) to keep in mind that at least twenty percent of the water you need comes from the foods you eat (fruit and veg mainly – don’t think Dairy Milk counts…sadly. I’ll check though…) The rest comes from what you drink.

Water is probably the best choice because it’s cheap (ish) and has no calories or added ingredients. BUT (you knew there’d be a but didn’t you?) tap water comes under a lot of flack from health type experts because it can potentially contain lots of things we don’t really want to be guzzling back. Chlorine kills any bugs in the water making UK water some of the safest in the world but is also criticised for it’s subsequent killing off of the friendly bacteria in our digestive tracts! So, if we don’t have your house fitted with a reverse osmosis or some such filtration system then are we ruining our gut microbiota?

Many turn to bottled water. That’s an understatement! It’s currently the world’s best selling soft drink! BUT (ditto with the but thing) bottled water has many critics. For a start it is about 500 times more expensive than tap water and is currently more expensive to buy than milk! How can this have happened?!? Especially when, as a conservative estimate, 30% of bottled water is simply repackaged tap water. Plastic bottles are super environmentally bad (not just the recycling nightmare but the transportation etc.) and are thought to leach toxins into their contents.

Sweetened soft drinks and sodas have added sugar that adds extra calories. Sports drinks contain minerals that may help keep your electrolytes in balance, but look out for added sugar and calories that you may not want. Fruit and vegetable juices are good because they have vitamins and minerals – read the labels, however, as vegetable juices may be high in sodium.

(If you have any kidney or adrenal problems, or your doctor has you taking diuretics, you need to consult with your doctor about how much water to drink each day, obviously.)

There is a huge question mark over caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee, whether they count. Too much caffeine can make you feel jittery and it is a diuretic, so, I think it shouldn’t. Same with those ‘carbonated soft drinks’ which are bad and wrong anyway…! There is some dissent in the ranks regarding fizzy water too, so I think exercise a level of common sense? After all, carbonated water is better than dehydration but plain, fresh and clean water is still tops. Our watery experts say that our piped, fresh, clean water to our homes is some of the purest and healthiest in the world. (I’d love to get into a mass…er…huge debate about bottled water vs tap but I’ll save that for part two!)

AND experts (nutrition-y ones with glasses, I think…) say don’t drink the water you need per day all at once. Divide the amount you need and drink several glasses of water throughout the day. This is especially important if you engage in lots of heavy exercise. Avoid drinking too much liquid with food and slow down the rush of water through your system by adding a few dashed of lemon or fruit juice!

I keep a bottle of water (plastic and refilled from the tap) by me at all times and just have a swig from it every time it catches my eye!

So…hmmm…is it true that all we need to do to be hydrated, have glowing skin, and an round regular constitution is to listen to your body (it knows what it is doing so trust it!) and make firm friends with water, use common sense and sip, sip, sip?!? I’m still not certain (and I’m no expert…) but it’s a good place to start. AND as I always say…why risk it?