Archive for September, 2010

When Hand To Mouth Met The Meatwagon

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

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I first heard about The Meatwagon a few months ago on the BBC 4’s Food Programme, and subsequently on a number of blogs. It seems to have become the stuff of legend pretty quickly, and for those into their food, you can understand why. The story goes that the owner of the wagon, Yianni, quit his job and headed for the US to research the perfect burger. He toured the length and breadth of the country (I may be embellishing here) picking up recipes, tips and tricks until he thought he’d cracked it. He then returned to London, formula in hand, bought a food truck and then hit the road spreading the good burger word. Insane and inspiring in equal measure.

Until last week, his burgers had evaded my jaws, but when I heard that he was pitching up at The Ship pub near me, I knew I had a date with meaty destiny, particularly as Yianni had picked up ‘Best Sandwich’ at the British Street Food Awards the previous weekend. As we approached the wagon, for some reason we felt a sense of trepidation, the kind you get when approaching an illegal rave. Would there be a huge queue? Would there be any meat left? What were we going to do if we couldn’t get our fix?

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The Pleasures Of English Food

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

I picked up this awesome little book called The Pleasures of English Food last weekend. Less of a cookery book, and more of a celebration on Britain’s clunary heritage, it’s part of Penguin’s English Journeys series, and was written by the late, great Alan Davidson, author of biblical Oxford Companion to Food.

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The blurb on the back does it much more justice than I ever could, so I’ve transcribed it for you lucky people. “Stargazey pie, Cheshire cheese, toffee apples, fish and chips, Sussex pond pudding, Cumberland sausages, pasties, gingerbread, dumplings and Cox’s orange pippins are just some of the edible delights in this gorgeous celebration of English food from across the country and its history. From the etiquette of afternoon tea to the origins of mince pies, from the best way to eat Stilton to how to cook a proper Yorkshire pudding, here are both well-loved favourites and unsung heroes from the nation’s mouth-watering heritage”.

Well worth a look if you come across it.

Chittlins and Pepsi

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Hip Hop and food have a special relationship. After guns, gang banging, drugs and ‘hos’, what rappers get down their necks is a pretty hot topic. MF DOOM has done a series of instrumental albums based around herbs, as well as the excellent MM FOOD. His output on the subject deserves a post all of its own.

But anyway, I was listening to the excellent ‘In Search Of Stoney Jackson’ by Strong Arm Steady on my way into work this morning, and aside from the top notch Madlib production I remembered there’s this quality food related number on the album, so I thought I’d share it. Enjoy.

The rest of the album is quality too, so go buy a copy from your local independent record store.

Local Hero #15 The Regency Café

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

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The Great British Fry Up is a thing of beauty when done right, and probably one of the most disappointing food experiences when it’s cocked up. These days the classic fry up at a ‘greasy spoon’ has increasingly been replaced by the ‘posh’, expensive version served in gastro pubs and the like, and many of the old school cafés have gone with it. Earlier in the year, an old favourite caff of mine, Rossi’s in Spitalfields, closed its doors after 50 plus years of serving happy punters. A sad day.

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Marmite Revival

Monday, September 13th, 2010

The nice people over at Marmite sent me this lovely vintage inspired, limited edition jar of yeasty goodness last week, and as one good turn deserves another, I thought I’d give it a bit of a plug.

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Created in honour of this year’s Goodwood Revival Festival in a limited run of 750 (I’m rather flattered), these retro jars will only be available at a 1960s style ‘convenience store experience’ at the event, which could be a welcome distraction when you’ve satisfied your inner petrol-head.

Goodwood Revival runs this weekend between 17th and 19th of September, so check it out if you’re in the ‘hood.

Feta & Lentil Bake

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

As man cannot live on smoothies alone, we’ve been cooking up some detox friendly solids too. This recipe is a bit of a remix of a Nigel Slater feta and lentil salad recipe, and it’s really delicious. You won’t even notice that it’s actually pretty good for you.

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Our detox is now over, but we eat this  pretty regularly regardless. It’s good served hot, but can be eaten warm or even cold the day after.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

200g green lentils

200g feta cheese

2 red onions, sliced

1 red pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Small handful of fresh oregano

1 heaped teaspoon of maras biberi or dried chilli flakes

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt a pepper to taste

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Chard Times

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

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After a pretty disappointing batch of rocket planted earlier in the Summer, we’re giving chard a go in our kitchen window box.

We’ve planted some Swiss and Rainbow, both of which seem to be settling in nicely, and all being well should provide us with tasty leaves throughout the Autumn and early winter.

They look pretty good too.

Nectrarine & Blackberry Smoothie

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

The missus and I have been on a bit of a detox for the past couple of weeks, in part due to our impending nuptials, and to be honest, it’s been a bit miserable. No booze, no bread, no dairy, no sugar, no caffeine, no red meat…no fun.

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But necessity being the mother of invention and all that, I’ve been having to find new ways to entertain my taste buds. This refreshing smoothie is a result of this experimentation, and proof that every cloud has a silver lining.

The grapefruit juice gives a slightly bitter but pleasant aftertaste, and the mint keeps it fresh. I like it cold too, so I’ll put the fruit in the fridge for a few hours / overnight before I make it.

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Ingredients

2 ripe nectarines, stoned and quartered

100g blackberries, washed

10 mint leaves

150ml fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

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