Easy Teas - Beef Stroganoff

I grew up thinking stroganoff was a fairly brandy infused boozy affair, using only the finest fillet of beef, my mum's recipe, not mine, for treat dinners at the weekends.  Now adays, it's more a mid week meal for us, extravagent!  No, as a good bit of rump steak will do the trick just as nicely and there's no booze in it, who knew?  This recipe's a tweeked Rick Stein recipe, so good, too easy and accompanied by shove in the oven, chips, a really convenient school night supper.

Hastily taken picture, just before eating

Serves 2

375g Rump steak, cut against the grain, into 0.5cm strips
1tbsp unsalted butter
splash of rapeseed oil
Hot paprika to taste (I use, just under a tbsp)
175g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
150ml soured cream
Squeeze of lemon juice to taste
Salt
Pepper
Flat leaf parsley

Place the butter in a large heavy based frying pan and add your paprika with the onions and cook on a low heat until translucent and sweet.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they're just loosing their 'rawness', then transfer the mixture to a plate and keep warm.

Using the same pan, heat the rapeseed oil and brown the steak at a fairly high heat, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, you may need to do this in batches. 

Season the meat as you go, only cooking the beef for about a minute.  Take out of the pan to rest, meanwhile returning your onion mixture to the pan and pour in the soured cream, bring to the boil and simmer for another minute, though not too long as the sour cream tends to split.

Finally return the steak to the pan to heat through but not cook, add the lemon juice to your liking and add the flat leaf parsley.

Serve with the before mentioned oven chips, or make your own, if you're so inclined.

Restaurant Mark Greenaway

It’s been on my ‘must eat’ list for a good while now and how it’s taken me this long I’m not entirely sure. I suspect my mischievous and rather noisy 2 year old might have something to do with it. As a restaurant catering better for those without children in tow, I was delighted to become Lunchquests’ ‘special guest’, having bagged the 1000th follower spot on Twitter.

Mark Greenaway, at 35, has created quite a reputation for himself.  He has 3 AA rosettes under his belt, voted rising chef of the year in 2011, shortlisted for Restaurant of the Year 2012 and recently appeared on Great British Menu (for the second time).

Mark Greenaway’s’ restaurant now occupies what was formerly Librizzi’s.  Now with a clean, fresh make over, soothing blue walls, bistro chairs, vintage chandeliers and custom stainless steel, it has a very unfussy, laid back feel.  We dined on a particularly blustery day and there was a fair bit of whistling through the windows, a bit distracting but comes with the beauty of Edinburgh’s traditional sash and case windows.

Interior

Never one to pass up a soup course, Blythe ordered the Jerusalem Artichoke Veloute, velvety smooth and super shiny.  I didn’t get a taste but it seemed to tick all the soup experts’ boxes.  I was busying myself with my ham hough and pork ballotine, served with a beautifully sweet, seared scallop and tiny chewy apple meringues and a contrasting wild garlic mayonnaise, both in colour and taste.  This really was a stunning looking dish, with a taste that far surpassed its appearance.

Pork Balloutine

Our mains followed suit, with an impressive crispy, skinned, flaky, fleshed sea bream fillet accompanied by razor clams and butter sauce.  Blythe’s cauliflower risotto was as silky as expected with a soup like consistency, tiny nuggets of cauliflower and al dente rice.

I’m not normally one for desserts but was easily talked into the Peanut Caramel Cheesecake.  An almost infamous dessert that, like many of the dishes, has followed Mark from his previous home in  Picardy Place.  And rightly so!  A peanut butter wafer construction, surrounded by warm toffee sauce (poured at the table) with tempered chocolate, studded with roasted nuts, a dessert truly worth loosening the belt buckle for.  Blythe’s Rhubarb and Custard fishbowl was a more delicate affair.  Rhubarb sorbet was accompanied by tiny meringues, rhubarb compote, fluid gels and crisps, displaying a love of modern techniques, making for an interesting, palate cleansing close to a meal.

Dessert

We finished with good espressos which were delivered promptly so they were at the right temperature (lukewarm espressos are a pet hate of mine) and petit fours, which were yet another showcase of the kitchen’s talents with all things sweet. 

This really was a beautiful lunch, the time, consideration and construction of the dishes is something to be marvelled at, yet the flavours are simple, unfussy and complimentary.  The staff are efficient, friendly and clearly happy in their new location.  I hope Mark Greenaway’s’ flourishes to become a firm favourite in Edinburgh’s restaurant scene, it’s a new one in mine!

This review was written for Lunchquest, find the full review here....http://lunchquest.co.uk/2013/05/mark-greenaway-2/

So worked out this Bloglovin lark!

If I had any followers, you could follow me through Bloglovin.  Other than that it's a really good way to orgniase the blogs I snoop at.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Grilled Oysters with Pernod Cream

We hosted Christmas for the first year ever this year.  It's a fair bit of pressure when you have fairly hard to please parentals eating your food.

It went pretty well, bar dropping the pan of roasters on the floor, and not reading the actual recipe for Fennel Butter Cream oysters and realising, come the time, that I didn't have half the ingredients.  Hence the following recipe.  I have to say, the oysters were the highlight of the meal,  purchased from Welch's along the road in Newhaven.

We had some au natural with a bit of pickled chilli Mike had made a couple of weeks back, and the rest in the following sauce and grilled.  Some call it blasphemy, I call it delicious.


knob of butter

1 celery stick, finely chopped

25ml Pernod

100ml Double Cream

Salt and Pepper

Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Melt butter in a smallish frying pan, add celery and fry for 2 mins.  Pour in the Pernod and set on fire, reduce till about half the liquid remains, add double cream and let it bubble for another couple of mins until it's a bit thicker, then season to taste with salt and pepper and a wee squeeze of lemon.

Add a tablespoon or two to your freshly shucked oysters and put under the grill until nice and golden brown.

Enjoy responsibly, preferably with a wee glass of champagne.

Timberyard Visit

After the social media build up to this restaurant, I was quite excited to be visiting last Thursday lunch.

As the daughter of a painter and decorator, I have many  a childhood memory of visiting Lawson’s Timber of a Saturday, waiting around for what seemed like hours, when there’s was way more exciting things to be doing.  Today, it’s much more up my street and I could pass away many an hour without complaint.

It’s super industrial, lots of bare walls, lighting flex and oversized shades, tables (from Atrium days gone by), vintage bits and bobs, comfy sofas and throws in case anyone’s chilly!  Good toilets too, with a wine fermentation soundtrack to boot!!!

But what about the food? Overall, it was great.  Tasty, locally sourced ingredients, simply put together but with much evident skill, showcasing that often simplicity really is best.  They smoke their own, bake their own and even aerate their own water.

We opted to do bites as starters, so in the throws of Oyster season we decided on an oyster each and I opted for the raw beef fillet with pickled cucumber and wood sorrel.  I am a big raw meat and pickle fan and this was a beautifully executed plate of beef, the pickled cucumber bringing a sweetness to an already very tasty plate.  Sitting next to me the crab mayonnaise with fennel toast was being demolished by a very satisfied sister who, living in Leeds,  loves coming up for a good ‘non chain’ restaurant meal.  To follow was my fillet of mackerel, with caper and raisin dressing accompanied by a warm potato salad, the biggest mackerel fillet I’ve ever seen, perfectly cooked, and with a crispy skin.  

Captain Fussy, the aforementioned painter and decorator, opted for the day’s special of Venison Stew and mash.  A lovely hearty stew, tender chunks of venison and a mash that must have been cooked with some form of dripping, giving you that good ‘but you know it’s probably bad for you’ sensation.  

I was a little underwhelmed by the cheese board but I think that has more to do with me eating too much cheese than anything else.  My partner had the chocolate and salted hazelnut pudding, I managed to get a bit but found it hard to detect the salted part.  We couldn’t stay for coffee but my sister sent me a picture of some petit fours in a cigar box (like) and she didn’t even save me one!

I don’t really concern myself with the wine list but we drank a South African Chenin Blanc which according to my partner has been on the Radford’s wine lists since the good old Blue days and very good it was too.  We didn’t get a chance to sample cocktails, it being a lunchtime affair, but we’ll be back to try what promises to be an interesting line up.

I loved Timberyard, I really did!  We had a mini tour from Andrew and there’s a load of space that they haven’t used yet, space for smokers, herb gardens, outdoor drinking and dining and a whole other floor, so plenty to look forward in 2013 I suspect.

Timberyard is a true family affair with the Radford’s utilising their children’s skills in kitchen, bar, marketing and management.  It’s isn’t like anything else in Edinburgh, it’s brave and interesting and all quite exciting and I hope it succeeds.  With the Radford’s behind it, I really doubt there’s any question.

Jewels of New York

I love this website and I say website because I've never been fortunate enough to eat their food.  Colaborating in 2009 these two lovely ladies set up Jewels of New York to uncover the hidden gems of New York, combining home cooking with the beauty of everyday things.

They claim to provide, what they describe as good, seasonal, everyday home cooking.  If I could turn out everyday, home cooking like this, i'd be a very happy lady.

The styling is awesome, simple but pretty and makes every dish look super appetising.  I won't say anymore and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Spring Breakfast Tart

Creamy Sunchoke Soup

Spring Garden Salad

Pickled Ramps and Ramps Butter

White Asparagus Bruschetta

Check them out at Jewels of New York
All photos from Jewels of New York website.

I love lamb!

I'm not going to lie but I bought it because it was cheap.  Breast of lamb, what does one do with such a cut and on my google investigation found that recipes were a bit thin on the ground.  Not a wonder either as I later found out, this is the bit the butchers (quite literally) give away.  Oh well!  Cue Hugh and his trusty meat bible, I came across this recipe for Breast of Lamb Ste Menehould. It takes a while and a bit of organisation but god damn it, it's worth it.  This was a double whammy!  First time I made Tartare Sauce too.

Serves 4

1 breast of lamb
2 carrots, sliced
2 onions, sliced
A sprig of rosemary or thyme, or both
1 glass of white wine (I used red)
1 glass of water
Salt and Pepper
Dijon or English mustard
2 eggs, beaten
Dried breadcrumbs
100g butter, melted

First bit....

Place breast of lamb in a casserole dish, with the carrots, onions and herbs scattered in and around it.  Pour the wine and the water over, season and cover with lid.  Bake in low oven (140C/Gas Mark 1) for 2.5-3hrs basting several times during, until the meat in tender.

Raw Breast of Lamb

With Veg and Wine

Remove from the oven and cool till able to handle.  Place the meat between 2 chopping boards with weights on top, I used cans of chopped tomatoes.  Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

Cut into goujon size pieces, brush with mustard of choice (I quite like the English for the heat), dip in the beaten egg and cover completely with breadcrumbs.

Lamb with a bit of English

Arrange on a wire rack and brush with the melted butter, place in the oven at (180C/Gas Mark 4) for 15mins....turns the grill on and grill each side until you start to get wee black burnt bits.  And you're done, that's it!  We had this for dinner so had with a bit of mash and the aforementioned Tartare.

The Tartare

The Finale

They're amazing, while a bit time consuming and a bit fiddly, they're probably the best, fancy goujons i've ever had, melt in the mouth but with a crispy tartness that's just ace!

Recipe from Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's, The River Cottage Meat Book

Cultural Coffee

I have to admit, I have a slight obsession with Melbourne's cafe culture, that, and I do love a bit of well executed latte art.  Supreme Coffee seem to be the coffee of the moment in Melbourne and this is their cafe/roastery.  If my holiday scheduling goes according to plan, i'll be settling down for a wee coffee there next summer, here's hoping! Oh and maybe one of those bacon/pesto/scones.

Photos courtesy of The Selby

Lunch of the Week

Lunch of the week! but it's only Wednesday but this salad was so good that I've nominated it already.  Popped down to Out of the Blue Drill Hall to the food market and picked up some golden, pink and red beetroot from Phantassie Veg.  Roasted in the oven, served with red onion, a few walnuts, some rocket and feta and an olive oil and wholegrain mustard dressing, pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

Roast Beetroot and Feta Salad

Smitten!

This is totally stolen from one of my favourite recipe blogs Smitten Kitchen.  I don't even like boiled eggs, but even i'd give this a go.  The recipe's always sound amazing, the photographs make you want to be in the kitchen with her and overall she sounds like a really nice woman.

soft eggs with buttery herb-gruyere toast (pic stolen from Smitten Kitchen)

I'm off to boil some eggs!

Wellington Coffee

Undoubtedly the best place to grab a coffee in Edinburgh, Wellington Coffee have just undergone a wee refurb.  Popped in the other morning and what a beautiful job they've made of it, mosiac tiled floor, wood cladding on the walls and a tiled ceiling.  Gladly the coffee hasn't changed at all (well except that it was in a much smaller cup) but now there's much nicer surroundings in which to enjoy it.

Orange Blossom Water

Well, well people, only a year and a bit later and i've managed to retrack my passwords and hack into my blog account.  A lot has changed, (not my lack of blogging though) and I now have an 8 month old competing for my time.

It's been a great year but a busy year and there's lots of eating related stories that I should have documented.  Onwards and upwards though and now i'm back on it.

Inspired by Mr Ottolenghi himself, I tried using Orange Blossom Water in last nights dinner.  It scares me a little, super potent and I was kind of worried about over doing it.  Just a couple of drops in the boiled water for the coucous with soaked sultanas, green pitted olives, flat leaf parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper and you know what?  It was okay, it must be, i'm eating the rest it for my lunch as we speak.  You can only just taste it but I think that's probably a good thing.  Next, on to desserts I think!

Predictable September

Well as suspected, i've been utterly rubbish at regularly posting.  Probably just having too much fun over the summer.  But the transition from summer to winter has clearly started.  The nights are a wee bit darker, certainly windier and all I want to do is stay indoors.

So as Autumn creeps in, i'm starting a September to do list, mainly food orientated (surprise) but my thinking is if I put it in print, I might actually pull my finger out.  So the list looks like this:

Make lavendar shortbread
Perfect stewing
Eat at 1 Castle Terrace
Get up to Anstruther for Fish & Chips
Cook a leg of lamb
Conquer the art of Duck Confit
Purchase raised beds and sow what little there is left to sow (and protect from frost).

I'll keep you updated!

Keeping It Local

So we decided to boycot the Taste festival this year and do something a little more back to basics.  We decided to take a trip to the East and visit the 3 Harbours Festival.

Running now for 2 years, it stemed from Edinburgh’s neighbouring coastal towns and a long-held tradition of making a living from the sea.  We visted on Sunday, the weather wasn't bad, there was live music, an ale tent, arts, crafts, face painting, kite flying and best of all food.

Mussels with Wild Garlic, Samphire & Thistly Cross Cider

  The mussels were from Duck's At Kilspindie House but The Gothenburg, Bosai Edinburgh and the local fisherman were there aswell.  I'd have tried more too if I hadn't devoured a full breakfast that very morning.

I Love The Fat Duck

Well it’s been a bit of a super foodie week this week. I went to ‘The Fat Duck”. It was amazing and I’m not just saying that because you’re supposed to, but because it actually was.

I don’t eat in lots of three Michelin star restaurants, far from it but I’m not sure every three star michelin restaurant experience would be like this one.

At The Fat Duck they have an uncanny ability to make you feel at home, from the minute you walk in you feel at ease, they’re friendly, not something I expected and even when the theatre begins, it’s almost like it’s all a little tongue in cheek.

14 courses and I can could proudly recite all their ingredients, I listened, you’re literally told a story, you do listen because no one else in the country cooks and creates like he does so it’s the least you can do.


The best dish for me, was without a doubt the ‘Sounds of the Sea’, vegetable and seaweed foam – sea, tapioca and baby eel – sand, seaweed and sea pods, and the most mouth melting cured mackerel, yellowfin tuna and halibut. All raw and all an absolute delight and all eaten while listening to ‘the sounds of the sea’ through the ipod delivered to your table in a shell. The snail porridge is as good as reported, the Mock Turtle Soup a little weird but if I’m there, I’m eating it and I’m eating it all. The pigeon breast with blood pudding and confit of umbles was a treat for someone with a rich palate and adventurous tastes, but even as someone who will pretty much try anything, the pigeon heart is not something I would be in a hurry to try again.

Mock Turtle Soup (c.1850)

Snail Porridge

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and truly believe it was worth every penny.  I even left full and a little pissed and a little further educated in the wonderful and weird world of Heston Blumenthal’s cooking and for that I am truly grateful.

It's a Banana Bread kind of night!

It's truly miserable! I'm in, just me and the dog and an over abundance of bananas from the 2 weekly organic box. Banana bread it is - recipe to follow. I'm away to eat mine with a cup of tea!

Banana Bread (makes one loaf tin full) adapted after much practice.

75g melted butter
55g golden caster sugar
55g demerara sugar
100g wholemeal flour
2tsp baking powder
2 eggs
4 super ripe bananas (mashed)
50g pecan (or any other nut)

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 170C or gas 4. Line a 450g loaf tin with baking sheets. Mix together the butter, sugars, flours, eggs and bananas. Add nuts of choice and pour into your tin.

Bake in the oven for an hour and you done. To check if ready, pierce a knife through the middle, it should come out clean when done. Easy!