Isn't it strange how two Western cultures can create their own version of the same imported cuisine? "Moo shu beef", "egg rolls", "crab rangoon"... What are these odd things? They're found on menus of most Chinese takeaways (sorry,"takeout") in America. Yet in the UK they're completely alien. In my limited understanding, immigrants of different areas started these restaurants on different sides of the Atlantic and imported their food, Westernised: in the US, Hunan-influenced culture settled; in the UK Cantonese-style food dominated. General Tso's chicken is one of these American staples, as I found out Continue Reading ››
I've been trying video recipes again. Sadly not at the luxurious Food@52 kitchens but in my own.
Freedom Food are asking for people to come up with a video recipe featuring Freedom Food ingredients and Fairtrade produce, so I've gone with pork and pineapple to recreate that Chinese takeaway classic, sweet and sour pork. It takes around ten minutes to cook and is really versatile - you can swap out the pork for chicken or … Continue Reading ››
Yes! It's sprout season again. Please don't just boil them and leave them alone, there's so much more to the little farty ball. Like here, a Brussels Sprout gratin baked with potatoes and cream for a great side dish.
I was chuffed with how everything turned out save for one flaw. To quote Michel Roux Jr "where's the sauce?!" It needed a meaty gravy just to lend a little more moisture. But beyond that, it was dead good. A sprout is for Winter, … Continue Reading ››
Here's a dish perfect for this time of year, but still doesn't feel like stodge-o-rama thanks to the amount of veg involved. The star ingredient is the sausage, a meaty banger from Simply Sausages. I used their No.1 Recipe Smithfield Original, a relatively unadorned sausage which gives the pork plenty of space for flavour. Mrs. Spud and I thought it was quite simply the best sausage we've ever eaten.
The … Continue Reading ››
Practically every element of this could be substituted: the definition of a store-cupboard clearout dinner! Change the chorizo for another cooked meat, throw in another cheese and it's off in another direction altogether. A blue cheese and salami version could be pretty good too...
