EASILY INFLUENCED

Yesterday, while trying to wake up, I was reading a few of my favourite blogs and as usual my mouth was watering when I read Orangette. I love this blog, the food is invariably gorgeous (and Molly shares my love of banana bread), the writing is honest and personal, and the photography is uncluttered and beautiful, if you don't read it yet you really should start. So, yesterday I read Molly's account of a recipe from Casa Moro and very quickly decided to recreate the meal I had eaten in Moro in August.

Have I mentioned that we went to Moro? Probably not as I was in deep blogging malaise over the summer, completely unable to cook or write, I even wrecked a batch of blueberry muffins that I have made a million times before. In August we had a weekend in London and as part of that weekend we managed a trip to Moro. I had been itching to go since buying Casa Moro a few years ago but somehow none of our rushed trips to London had seen it happen - another oddity that has just occurred to me is that I still haven't bought the first Moro book. Anyway, on a hot August night we found ourselves in the restaurant imagining how great it would be to regularly pop in to eat a few tapas at the long zinc bar instead of having to get our fix in one fell swoop. We were ravenous and guzzled the bread (twice over - oops) and, discussing the meal over dinner last night, both agreed that we would eat everything we had again in a second (although maybe not in one sitting). The flavours were beautifully matched and although we had struggled to finish our main courses we somehow convinced ourselves that ice cream would be a good idea, it was.

That evening in Moro I had wood roasted chicken with pistachio sauce and tabbouleh. Obviously I can't quite manage wood roasted chicken in my flat so basic oven roasting had to suffice but with very little effort I found Moro recipes for both tabbouleh and pistachio sauce in The Observer Food Monthly. I did some shopping, some (a lot) of chopping and stirring and we sat down to a passable, and very tasty, imitation of the meal I had been served two months ago. If you make the sauce don't both trying to chop pistachios in the food processor, it just reduces the outside of the nut to dust while leaving the rest whole, I found a mezzaluna much more useful for this rather long winded task.



TABBOULEH
serves 4

85g fine bulgur wheat
400g tomatoes, diced
4 spring onions, finely chopped
3 small bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (use a very sharp knife or mezzaluna so that the herbs don't get bruised)
1 small bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped

For the dressing:
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground allspice
2 tbsp of lemon juice
3 tbsp of olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

According to the recipe with fine bulgur all you have to do is wash it well in a sieve and shake it dry and it will have absorbed enough water for it to swell. If, like me, you can only get medium bulgur, it needs to sit in cold water for 3 minutes to swell before it is put in the sieve.

Mix all of the salad ingredients together and then make the dressing by adding the garlic, salt and spices to the lemon juice so that the flavours disperse properly and then stir in the olive oil. Toss the salad just before you are ready to eat and finally check it for seasoning.

PISTACHIO SAUCE
serves 4

100g shelled unsalted pistachios
2 tbsp of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 dtsp of finely chopped mint
1 dtsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of caster sugar
7 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp of finely grated lemon zest
4 tbsp of water
1 tsp of orange blossom water (optional)
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Finely chop the pistachios by hand or in a food processor. Mix together with the other ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

NIGELLA EXPRESS

I can't resist buying a new Nigella book as soon as it comes out so as soon as I got back from holiday (well a few days after if I'm being honest) I went straight out to buy Nigella Express and looked through it a few times mentally bookmarking some must try recipes.

On Wednesday I made coq au riesling which was delicious, but then chicken thighs, leeks, bacon lardons, and mushrooms are never going to taste bad when they are cooked in a whole bottle of wine so that wasn't a huge surprise. I stupidly didn't buy the nice easy boned skinless chicken thighs that are recommended but went to the butcher and bought whole legs and proceeded to get very frustrated doing a very bad job of trying to bone them, definitely not one of my skills. We ate it with buttered linguine which was perfect but annoyingly hard to eat and there's a single portion left in the freezer for a solitary supper.

Then on Thursday as part of a ridiculously busy session in the kitchen I made mini meatloaves, rocky road and chocolate-chip cookies. The meatloaves came out looking more like giant meatballs and while they were good straight from the oven and eaten with a green salad they were so much better cold and dipped in mayonnaise (for me) and English mustard (for Chris). The rocky road and cookies were to sell at a Macmillan charity coffee morning at work, they were both good although I could have made the cookies a little smaller and flattened them a bit as they didn't spread as much as I thought they would and the rocky road was great but super rich, a small piece went a very long way.

Needless to say I'm pretty pleased with the book (but questioning just how express some of the recipes will end up being) and have more recipes waiting to be tried so let's see if they all live up to the first few.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

So we're back, and no not just from yet another long extended absence from cooking and blogging (ok well a bit of that), this time we're back from holiday. One week in Chicago, one week in New York, lots of time with some very good friends, good food, and most importantly of all sunshine. After the worst summer I can remember I had forgotten how good it feels to leave the house in a skirt and a summer top with no worries of chills or rain later in the day, on the first day I was hatching plans to move somewhere where the seasons mean more than just slight variations on mildly crap weather.



After an early flight from Heathrow and the stunning sight of Greenland's coast we somehow managed to stay awake long enough to shock our bodies straight into the correct time zone and woke up on Sunday to the promise of dim sum, the Chicago jazz festival in the sun, and finally more Chinese food courtesy of Ed's Potsticker House. A quiet labor day followed with a trip downtown and a dinner at home but on Tuesday we were treated to a trip to the Vienna Beef factory for lunch, the quantity of toppings on the Chicago style dog was pretty ridiculous, more toppings than hot dog, and I'm still more than a little scared of the fluorescent green cucumber relish. I definitely prefer the simpler NYC style hot dog with bun, sausage, maybe a little sauerkraut, mustard and maybe some ketchup.



We went to the other end of the scale for dessert and made a trip to the Vosges Chocolate shop in Lincoln Park - so so good, I particularly loved the hibiscus caramel and the peanut butter chocolates, but I wouldn't say no to anything from there (except maybe the bacon flavoured chocolate). A lazy architectural river tour in the sun rounded off the afternoon nicely and I'll just gloss over the slightly disastrous evening meal in Greektown...




Wednesday was our friend's birthday and we celebrated in style. An Italian Beef sandwich for lunch (drool inducingly good) followed by a bottle of wine at the top of the John Hancock Center and finally the main event, dinner at Schwa. I loved the small dining room where we were treated to a table looking straight into the kitchen. The only people working at Schwa are the chefs; they seat you, cook for you and present the dishes. We went for the nine course tasting menu and, while I won't go into every dish in detail, I will gladly pause to remember the thyme ice-cream (a whole bowl would be a beautiful thing), the surprise extra course of a quail's egg ravioli topped with truffle infused butter (I would go back for a repeat appearance of this, I wanted more and I wanted to lick the plate clean), and the dried prosciutto slices which I could eat out of a bag like crisps.

After a quietly hungover day that involved a lunch of a pulled pork sandwich for me and an oyster po' boy for Chris, a visit to a few galleries, and dinner with friends we were set up for (oops) another hungover day to be spent in the single minded pursuit of a Chicago stuffed pizza. After a few false starts we ended up at The Art of Pizza. I've been trying to describe this meal and all I can say is that you think you know what these look like but until one of these monsters is sitting in front of you waiting to be eaten you really have no idea. One slice was more than enough but somehow that didn't stop me having a little more and feeling like I was slipping into a cheese coma later in the night.




Having eaten our way around Chicago we were ready for New York and arrived to a room on the 37th floor of our hotel and a stunning view.



New York was a New York tends to be, busy with way more to do than you could ever manage in a week but there were definitely a few highlights. We went up to the top of the Rockefeller Centre twice during our week. Once on Sunday afternoon and then again on Friday night, it's great. It was quick to get in, quiet both times, and there is loads of space to wander around and see the view and, dare I say, it is better than the Empire State Building. I know everyone should go to the top of the Empire State Building and it is a must see but the main benefit of the Rockefeller is that your view actually includes the Empire State Building.




New York food obviously included pizza (vastly preferable to the Chicago variety), bagels, two visits to the burger heaven that is Shake Shack, and a Magnolia Bakery cupcake but a standout was Pearl Oyster Bar.

I had read about this place a few times and heard very good things about their lobster roll. Our friend from New Hampshire, who is an expert on New England style seafood, loved the bucket of steamers to start but they weren't really for me (the bellies were a little too squidgily large for my precise texture requirements). The lobster rolls were stuffed to bursting with beautifully cooked lobster in mayonnaise and what looked like a basic hot dog bun seemed to have been dunked in butter and toasted (imagine Homer Simpson when he thinks about food and this is a pretty good impression of how this memory makes me feel). Then there were the skinniest little straw fries I have ever eaten and all I can say is yum. It isn't a light meal so be prepared to do nothing afterwards but go and eat and enjoy.

The one big letdown of our trip was lunch in Balthazar. I had been looking forward to this but we won't be going back. The people on the door were friendly, the well executed bistro classics that I expected were good (not exceptional but good), the busboys and wine waiter were great but our waitress was bad. I've been a waitress and I know what a horrible job it is but please don't ignore us and then trip over yourself to fawn over the next table, don't try to change our minds over the wine we want and then forget what we've ordered (three times), don't come over to check how the food is and not bother to listen, and don't recommend a dessert (yet another menu item that you just love so much you have to tell us about it) when we've told you that all we want is an espresso. Balthazar is clearly a little too pleased with its position in the New York social scene and that attitude just isn't for us.

Ending on a happier note, one day it poured with rain and we took ourselves off to have lunch in the bar at The Modern (Moma's restaurant). There is a three page menu, and the sizes of the courses increase from light starter to main through the pages. We ordered two lighter courses each and it was the perfect quantity for a delicious leisurely lunch, good unobtrusive but attentive service, a glass of wine, and a wonderful dark chocolate and pistachio dessert to finish. I would go back in a flash and it is open all afternoon and evening so perfect for a late afternoon lunch on a lazy day.

Anyway, one horrible bout of jet lag later we are finally getting back to normal. Life is calming down, the weather is getting cooler and, as usual, that will be my cue to get back in the kitchen and start cooking again. The swift post holiday purchase of the new Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver books are already inspiring me to get going.

WHEN ONLY CAKE WILL DO

Some days (more often than not) chocolate is necessary, occasionally the only thing to eat is lots of buttered toast, but yesterday I needed cake.

I spent the morning wondering how best to tackle the cake craving only managing to come to the conclusion that it must include chocolate. I went to the Broughton Delicatessen for lunch and bought a salad box of chickpeas with red peppers and feta, couscous with dried fruit and nuts, and spinach with green beans and baby corn, but somehow didn't want a slab of the fabulous looking chocolate cake that they had on the counter, I had to make my own to satisfy this very specific urge.



So, having eaten my lunch and read this week's copy of 'Grazia' (the only acceptable way to read celebrity gossip) I made a quick trip around my favourite blogs and quickly found a banana bread with chocolate and cinnamon sugar on Orangette. As our freezer is overflowing with very over ripe bananas this was perfect. If you can't wait for your bananas to defrost then do what I do and just chuck them on an oven shelf as the oven is warming up. I had to make a couple of small adjustments to the recipe, I don't own a square cake tin (another thing for my wish list) so had to use a 20cm round springform tin which meant that the cooking time was about 10 minutes longer. I also didn't top the cake with the full 2 tablespoons of sugar because, as I was sprinkling it on, it seemed a little too much. Anyway, the cake was delicious and is still delicious today. The perfect antidote to my craving.

BAKED FETA

Our kitchen is a frustrating place to be at the moment, I have been trying to take pictures but it is impossible. I normally rely on our bright under cupboard lights and cooker hood lights to light the worktop properly as our main lights are completely pathetic. However, a while ago one of our under cupboard lights went on the blink, literally. It flickered on and off before deciding whether to grace us with its presence while we prepared dinner and now it is just off and if we even try to switch it on in the hope that it will show a sign of life it interferes with our radio reception, and as BBC Radio 2 is our usual dinner accompaniment this is not good. Now, as if this wasn't annoying enough, our whole cooker hood has stopped working, no extractor fans and no lights. So we are in gloom and, as I'm sure you all know, gloom and digital cameras do not mix. Without photos I am never very inspired to post but after my recent long absence I decided that this lack of photos could not put me off.

On Saturday it was cold here, in a way that shouldn't happen at the end of July, with all the flooding in England recently I can't really complain but I do still feel pretty hard done by this summer. We went for a walk in town and got wet before deciding to go for a drink while we decided what to do about dinner and somehow found ourselves back at the old standby of lamb burgers in pitta bread but this time the burgers were flavoured with zahtar and the pittas were spread with baked feta for a salty taste of Greece. I have touched on baked feta once before but it deserves a place in the spotlight.

BAKED FETA

1 block of feta cheese
1/2 red onion finely chopped
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil

Place the feta in a large square of tin foil and top with the onion, lemon juice and oil. Seal the foil parcel and sit it on a baking tray. Place in a hot oven (a precise temperature doesn't matter here as we're talking cheese softening not precise cookery so any medium/hot setting will do) and leave for 20 minutes before unwrapping and devouring. It is good as a dip or as a sandwich in pitta bread with salad. This is best eaten straight from the oven as it does harden up again eventually.

ONE MONTH ON...

...and I'm finally writing again. Is anyone still there, are you still looking? I'm sorry. I've been writing and rewriting this post for a week now wanting to make up for my slovenly approach to blogging but all I have is this, a brief summary and a promise of better things to come.



Our holiday in the Lake District was just what we wanted and needed, some sunshine, a little too much local ale, and a gorgeous cottage. But since then life has taken a turn for the worse. We've had too much to think about and on top of it all have barely seen summer.

I was starting to feel exhausted coming to work in a procession of soggy shoes, the bottom of my jeans wrecked from soaking up the endless rain, and giving the local takeaways way too much business (I'll introduce you to our favourites one of these days). But, last week, things started to look up. I found bargain flights for our trip to Chicago and New York in September (and am already dreaming about sitting in Madison Square Park with a Shake Shack burger), we went out for a great dinner and drank cocktails until 3am, we made brunch and went for a walk in the Botanics, and then last Wednesday I turned 28.

I don't believe in working on my birthday so we woke up a little late and the sun was finally shining. Chris went to pick up my birthday cake along with some croissants and pain au chocolat from our local bakery. We slowly got ourselves ready, booked a three night trip to London to coincide with a one day festival, and headed out to eat lunch on the terrace at Oloroso. One relaxed lunch, one and a bit bottles of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, two sale tops, one new bottle of Marc Jacobs cucumber eau de toilette, a lip gloss, and a few cocktails later and all was looking a bit rosier in our world. We drank some more, ate some cake, enjoyed the day and on Thursday woke up to more rain.

Still, all was well and I had a birthday party to plan. On Saturday Chris and I went to buy mojito ingredients (mojitos three times in one week is possibly a little excessive no matter how much you kid yourself that all that mint and lime goodness cancels out the rum) and food. Having spent an age trying to decide what to make we eventually spent Saturday afternoon preparing courgette fritters, pea and garlic crostini, caponata topped crostini, cheesy feet shaped biscuits, houmous, baba ganoush, and some cocktail sausages from Crombies. We cooked our food, drank with our friends, and saw the sun come up at 5am. Needless to say Sunday was a painful experience with the one bright point of a very juicy cheeseburger.

QUICK UPDATE

Just a brief update before we jump in the car for four nights in the Lake District.

On Saturday night I walked for 26.2 long miles. Saturday was miserable but despite the mud at the start it was surprisingly fine and, as it is nearing midsummer, the sky started to lighten at 3.30am so by the time we reached the sea it was dawn. Anyway, aside from the supportive cheers of drunk guys out on a Saturday night, one of the highlights was stumbling past three very supportive husbands who had driven down to the route with a camping stove to make bacon sandwiches and tea for their wives and their walking group. The wives had continued walking but the husbands still had plenty of food left so were doling out bacon rolls to anyone who wanted one, which we did and it revived us amazingly well at 5am. We finished shortly before 9 and I went home and fell into bed incapable of movement. If you fancy doing the moonwalk next year I recommend it, just do the training and be prepared to lie in bed all day afterwards, oh and try not to be too grouchy when the wonderful volunteers tell you there's not long to go even though you still have five miles left and are already exhausted!