Tag: Cookery

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Blog Drink Mains

Atlantic Coast Express

The next adventure on our foodie travels around Cornwall is a trip to Padstow, by bike along the Camel Trail.

Padstow, shown in my photo above, is a compact, picturesque and very popular little fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall.

The Camel Trail follows a disused railway line along the bank of the River Camel estuary all the way from Wadebridge.

This coffee stop along the route is housed in a refurbished railway carriage. It takes its name from the train service that used to travel this line back in the day: the Atlantic Coast Express. You place your order, then collect it when the toot-toot of the old steam whistle sounds.

There’s a relaxed vibe, with people chatting, checking the map, or just enjoying the views across the estuary.

It’s a good place for a spot of bird watching.

The cakes at Atlantic Coast Express are all locally sourced and look great. We shared a peanut butter chocolate brownie, giving us the energy boost we needed to complete the 5 mile ride into Padstow.

Padstow has been rather thrust into the foodie scene since celebrity chef, Rick Stein, set up his seafood restaurant here. It’s proven such a success that he’s followed it up with a cafe, deli and cookery school. Other restaurants and outlets have followed,  meaning the town now boasts a varied and quality food offering, whether sit-in or takeaway, to suit every taste and budget.

We bought these fillets of Cornish hake from the wet fish counter in his deli.

Arriving that evening at our next motorhome stopover, I cooked them in a foil parcel on the Cadac (my gas bbq). Ten minutes was all that was required, then a squeeze of fresh lemon and a few twists of black pepper. We served them up with Cornish new potatoes and broccoli.

A bottle of Cornish IPA was a perfect accompaniment to the meal, also biked back to the van in my pannier, from the Padstow craft brewery.

We had live music at our campsite last night, and this timeless classic is one of the tracks the band performed. It could be a motivational song when it comes to cycling, considering all the hills here in Cornwall! This is Jackie Wilson with (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.

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Mains Recipes

Golden Corn Chowder

Fresh, golden sweetcorn is now arriving on the shelves of our supermarkets and market stalls. This is normally the time of year when I make a pot of sweetcorn soup, or chowder as it is traditionally known. This week’s creation is shown in the photo above, garnished with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and some snipped scallions from the garden.

We are so used to having sweetcorn processed and ready-prepared for us, whether in tins, freezer packs or in cellophaned trays, that it can seem a bit strange at first to see them in natural form.

However, preparation isn’t difficult – I pull back the outer leaves to reveal the plump golden corn on the cob. Gathering the peeled-back leaves with my fist to form a grip, I stand the ear of corn in a flat-bottomed dish, and cut down the side with a sharp knife. Moving around the cob, all the corn then gathers in the bottom of the bowl.

And don’t discard those trimmed stalks just yet – snap one up to put into the chowder as it cooks, and it will add extra corn flavour (just remember to remove it before wading in with your blender, however).

One of the special pleasures about using fresh corn in this way is that one can appreciate why it is called sweet corn – taste a spoonful of this chowder and you may well wonder whether sugar has been added. However, there is no artificial sweetener involved – the pleasant taste is genuinely coming from the natural sweetness of the fresh corn.

Servings

For me, this made 2 adult portions with some leftovers for a lunch serving the next day.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, 20 mins to cook on the hob.

You Will Need

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 – 3 celery sticks
  • 1 red pepper
  • 3 ears of fresh sweetcorn
  • 400ml vegetable stock
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • a dash of milk
  • 3 scallions
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

  1. Drizzle some oil in the bottom of a large saucepan and place over a medium heat on the hob. Add in the crushed garlic.
  2. Roughly chop the onion, celery and pepper, and add to the pan. Put the lid on the pan and let it all cook for 5 mins, while the veg sizzles and softens.
  3. Meanwhile, peel back the outer leaves of one ear of corn and gather it as a grip with your fist. Stand the cob up in a flat-bottomed bowl and cut down through the corn with a sharp knife, moving around the cob so that all the kernels fall and collect in the bowl. Repeat with the other two ears of corn.
  4. Lift the lid of the pan and add in the corn. Give it a good stir, then pour in the veg stock.
  5. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 mins or so. Tear in the thyme leaves and add a few twists of salt and pepper.
  6. If you wish, snap one of the trimmed corn stalks in two and drop it into the pan – this will help add extra corn flavour as the chowder cooks.
  7. After 20 mins, remove the corn stalks and add a splash of milk.
  8. Blitz the soup with a handheld blender so that it takes on a thick and creamy texture, but with some of the corn kernels still clearly visible.
  9. Ladle into 2 bowls, topping it off with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and chopped scallions.
  10. Serve on its own or with some fresh, crispy bread.

Customise It!

A couple of spuds will help bulk out the texture of the chowder if you wish. I have kept the dish vegetarian, but if you don’t mind your meat, then some finely chopped strips of salty bacon will also go down well as a garnish.

When it comes to pairing a fave musical track with Golden Corn Chowder, I am rather spoilt for choice. David Bowie’s Golden Years? The Stone Roses with Fool’s Gold? Maybe The Black Keys with Gold on the Ceiling? All would be excellent choices, as is this: Anymore by Alison Goldfrapp.

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Bakes Desserts Recipes

Blackberry & Apple Crumble with Custard

You want comfort food? Here you go!

As my recent posts show, I’ve been making the most of blackberry season, and the generous bounty of juicy, fresh fruit burgeoning on our local hedgerows (see It’s Blackberry Time!).

This dish sees them combined with windfall apples that have tumbled on to the lawn from the trees in our garden, and topped with crumble. Serve it warm with a dollop of vanilla custard. And relax!

Servings

6 adult portions.

Timings

25 mins to prepare, and another 25 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • 4 large eating apples
  • 350g blackberries
  • 85g plain flour
  • 85g wholemeal flour
  • 85g butter
  • 85g caster sugar

Method

  1. Switch on a fan oven to 180C.
  2. Prepare the crumble by combining the flour, butter and sugar in a bowl. Rub together between the fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs in texture. Set aside.
  3. Put the blackberries in another bowl and place in the microwave on full power for 5 – 6 mins until soft and juicy. Remove and squeeze the juice through a sieve into a bowl, leaving the pips and pulp behind (to be discarded).
  4. Peel and slice the apples, discarding the cores. Scatter across the base of a casserole dish, then cover with the blackberry juice. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Place in the oven at 180C for 25 mins.
  5. While the crumble is cooking, make up some custard using a store cupboard mix like Bird’s, following the instructions on the packaging.
  6. Serve the crumble warm in a bowl, with a swirl of yellow custard alongside.

Customise It!

Cooking apples can be used in place of the eating variety, but you will need to sprinkle over a few large spoonfuls of sugar to counter the bitterness. Replace around 30g of the wholemeal flour with oats if you wish, to give the crumble an added oaty, biscuity taste.

I had thought of featuring another Oasis track here today, but after yesterday’s controversial concert ticket sale I reckon everyone’s heard enough of Noel and Liam just for the moment. Let’s hope the Man City front line this season isn’t as sluggish as the Ticketmaster website, eh lads?

Disco has been taking its place at this year’s Summer Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with full orchestral backing and being televised by the BBC. Here’s one of the tracks that’s been performed really well: Yvonne Elliman with If I Can’t Have You.

Categories
Bakes Desserts Recipes

Lemon & Blueberry Ricotta Muffins

Today’s bake recipe features muffins with a healthy dose of Sicilian style.

Ricotta is used widely in Italian cuisine, for everything from pastries to pasta sauces. It is made from whey, the watery by-product of other cheeses, such as mozzarella. High in protein and calcium, it is slightly lower in fat than many other cheeses.

It adds a silkiness to the texture of this muffin mix, working well with the tartness of the lemon zest and the sweetness of the bursting berries.

Buon appetito!

Servings

Enough here for 12 generous muffins.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, 20 mins to bake in the oven at 160C.

You Will Need

  • 200g plain flour
  • 80g wholemeal flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarb of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 140g fresh blueberries
  • 1 egg
  • 120ml milk
  • 90ml veg oil
  • 110g light muscovado sugar
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 250g ricotta cheese

Method

  1. Turn the oven on to 160C. Prepare a muffin tin or mould.
  2. Sieve the flours, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a bowl, and stir to mix.
  3. Add in the blueberries and stir so they are coated in flour.
  4. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the milk with the veg oil. Stir in the sugar, lemon zest and ricotta.
  5. When the oven is up to temp, pour the contents of the second bowl into the first, and stir to combine.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the tray or mould, and bake in the oven at 160C for 20 mins.
  7. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack, before devouring.

Customise It!

Ricotta is readily available in shops, but if you can’t locate it or wish to switch it up, greek style natural yoghurt or cottage cheese could be used instead. Feel free to chuck some poppy seeds into the mix to add further visual interest, and a little extra crunch.

I’ve used a mixture of plain and wholemeal flour, as I am currently experimenting with using more wholemeal in baking. However, you can use all plain flour if you wish. I’m also trying to use muscovado more in baking, but you can use caster sugar if that’s what you have available.

I have no doubt that Paul Weller and Mick Talbot would approve of a little Italian style, so let’s add this track to the ADK Playlist: The Style Council with Shout to the Top.

Categories
Blog

Arbroath Smokies

My foodie journey north in our motorhome has now reached Scotland. Climbing the east coast, we stopped in Angus to seek out the famous Arbroath Smokies.

The Smokies are haddock, caught fresh in the North Sea and unloaded from the fishing boats in little Arbroath Harbour (shown in my photo below), where they are then smoked.

Smokies are one of those delicacies that benefit from a Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI. This is a status that is given to regional speciality foods that use traditional methods unique to a particular location. It is designed to stop cheap imitations that are made elsewhere, or to lower quality standards, being passed off on shoppers as the real thing. Other famous examples of a PGI are French Champagne and Parma Ham from Italy.

In such exalted company, you would be excused for thinking that, nowadays, the Arbroath Smokie might be the subject of the full celebrity foodie treatment: perhaps a modern visitor centre with an audiovisual introduction, factory tour, cafe and souvenir shop with a coach park outside full of tour parties. Well, prepare for a surprise.

The process for catching, producing and selling the fish looks like it has hardly changed in decades. The centre of operations remains a modest-sized smokehouse and shop front on the harbourside, accessed on foot via some old narrow lanes.

The rear of the somewhat humble building still looks out directly on the North Sea. The whole operation is full of charm.

The service is friendly, with lots of free tasters over the counter, and the prices reasonable. We were momentarily tempted by the business’s other delicacy, Firecracker Salmon, which is local salmon smoked with a chilli kick, and which tastes amazing. However, we settled on a couple of Smokies to take away. The skilled shop assistant filleted them for us in seconds.

When we reached our motorhome stopover for the night, I wrapped the Smokies in a foil parcel and warmed them outside on the Cadac, for about 15 mins. The aroma that was released as the foil parcel opened was awesome. My main photo at the top of the post captures that moment.

I served them very simply in the evening sun, with a half of lemon to squeeze over, sweetcorn and some boiled new potatoes. They were delicious!

Coincidentally, around this time I managed to buy some tickets to see ABC early next year. With full orchestral backing, Martin Fry will be performing The Lexicon of Love in full, along with their other hits.

This tribute to a Motown legend just has to be the next track for the ADK Playlist, therefore: ABC with When Smokey Sings.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Korean Salmon Noodles

Here’s another tasty dish using the Korean Sauce recipe you can find in my Korean Pulled Pork Sandwich post. The Sauce is really is versatile and, once made up and in a jug in the fridge, it can spice up and make more interesting a variety of other dishes.

In today’s offering, it serves both as a topping for baked salmon, and as a stir fry sauce for veg, served over noodles as shown in my photo above.

Servings

A main meal for 2.

Timings

With a batch of the Sauce already made up, this dish takes a further 15 – 20 mins.

You Will Need

  • a jug of Korean Sauce – follow here for the recipe
  • 2 salmon fillets
  • 1 onion
  • a few mushrooms, chopped
  • half a green pepper, and half a red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 pack of fresh beansprouts
  • 1 pad of dried noodles
  • a few scallions, chopped

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a roasting tray and place the salmon fillets in it. With a basting brush, spread a few spoonfuls of the Korean sauce over the top of the fillets and place in the oven for 15 – 20 mins.
  2. Heat some oil in a wok and chuck in the onions, mushrooms and peppers. Stir fry until the veg is all nicely charred. Add in the beansprouts and a few spoonfuls of the Korean sauce. Stir again so that all the veg is coated in the sauce.
  3. Place the noodles in a pan of boiling water for about 2 mins, then drain.
  4. Serve the stir fried veg over a bed of noodles, topped with the salmon fillet. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Customise It!

Mix up the stir fried veg as you wish – bok choi, mange tout or carrot sticks would all be excellent. Sprinkle sesame seeds over if you like – they go really well with the Korean Sauce.

Next track for the ADK Playlist is from a band whose music I have been exploring recently. I always thought PSB stood for Purple Sprouting Broccoli, but now I know it also stands for Public Service Broadcasting. They make an interesting sound, incorporating samples from classic, archived audio files, with clear influences including David Bowie and Kraftwerk. Here’s a track to introduce them by, using Mission Control’s commentary on the moon landing. This is Public Service Broadcasting with Go!

Categories
Recipes Sides

Korean Cauli Roast

Here’s a delicious side dish that is built for sharing as part of a spicy banquet or feast, ideally with some cold drinks. Give everyone a fork each and let them tuck in, choosing a roasted floret or two and twirling it round to become coated in the spicy Korean Sauce.

The recipe for the Korean Sauce can be found in my Korean Pulled Pork Sandwich post. Although I made the Sauce originally to pour over pulled pork, I found it goes equally well with other dishes, as shown here with roasted cauliflower florets. If you’re not making the pulled pork, or if you want the Sauce to be vegetarian or vegan, just add water in place of the pork juices.

Servings

Served alongside other sides and mains, this will feed 4.

Timings

5 mins to steam the cauli, then 20 mins to roast.

You Will Need

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • a saucepan of Korean Sauce (vegetarian version)
  • 3 – 4 scallions
  • half a carrot
  • a handful of sesame seeds

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180C.
  2. Put the cauli florets in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water for 5 mins (I find this helps the cauli become tender and succulent in the roasting process).
  3. Warm the Korean Sauce on the hob or in the microwave.
  4. Remove the cauli from the steamer and lay out on a roasting tray.
  5. Brush all over with the Korean Sauce, and put in the oven for 20 mins.
  6. Remove the roasted cauli and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle over some generous spoonfuls of the Korean Sauce, and garnish with chopped scallions, carrot sticks and sesame seeds.

Customise It!

There will already be chopped chilli in the Korean Sauce, but you can add a bit more as a topping if you want an extra fiery kick. Matchsticks of cucumber also work well as a topping, and give a kind of antidote to the heat!

Here’s an old track I heard in a friend’s car the other day, and which I hadn’t heard in years. It has a really catchy chorus, so you may find yourself humming it, as I have been this week. This is Dr. Feelgood with Don’t You Just Know It.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Korean Pulled Pork Sandwich

I ordered this for lunch recently in a hipster cafe-bar that had a very tempting variety of dishes on the menu. I thought it was amazing so decided I would try to recreate it myself.

I’ve roasted pulled pork before in my electric slow cooker, but hadn’t really created anything I could call a Korean sauce.

After a bit of reading up, I treated myself to a couple of specialist ingredients I hadn’t bought before, but which seemed to be quite key to the whole concept: rice vinegar and Gojuchang paste. The rest of the ingredients, such as dark soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and so on, are things that I tend to have in usually.

I’m glad I invested in the specialist foods – particularly the Gojuchang paste, which has a distinctive dark and smoky taste with a chilli kick. I found both in the Asian aisle of my local Sainsbury’s.

Servings

A meal for 4 with some left over for lunch the next day.

Timings

20 mins to prepare the pulled pork, then 6 hours in a slow cooker. It took me about 25 mins to make the sauce while the pork was finishing off.

You Will Need

For the Pulled Pork

  • Joint of shoulder of pork between 1kg – 1.4kg
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1 500g carton of tomato passata
  • 60ml cider vinegar
  • 1tsp paprika
  • 1tsp ground cumin

For the Korean Sauce

  • oil
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, chopped into fine rings with seeds removed
  • 60ml dark soy sauce
  • 2tbsp rice vinegar
  • 50ml runny honey
  • 1tbsp Gojuchang paste
  • cornflour
  • water

To Serve

  • Brioche rolls
  • spring onions
  • half a carrot

Method

  1. Switch on the slow cooker and turn to a high setting.
  2. Heat a little oil in a wok or large frying pan and sear the pork on all sides. When nicely browned, transfer to the slow cooker bowl and season with a few twists of sea salt and black pepper.
  3. Put the other ingredients into the wok or pan, and stir to combine in the heat. When warmed, pour over the joint of pork. Put the lid on the slow cooker and leave on a high heat for 30 mins. Then reduce to medium setting and leave for 5 and a half hours more.
  4. Start making the sauce about 40 mins before the pork is due to finish.
  5. Heat some oil in a saucepan and add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli. Leave until sizzling and softened.
  6. In a jug, combine the soy, rice vinegar, honey and Gojuchang paste, then pour into the saucepan. Give it all a stir and leave to simmer.
  7. When the pork has completed its 6 hours, remove it from the slow cooker and leave to rest in a rectangular serving dish.
  8. Tip the juices from the slow cooker into the saucepan and stir.
  9. Add a paste of 2 tbsp cornflour and 1 tbsp water, stirred so it forms a creamy liquid. Stir it in and watch the sauce thicken. Do this again until the sauce has a thickish consistency so it will cling to the pork when poured over.
  10. Using 2 forks, dive into the pork joint and pull it apart from the centre. You should have lovely soft, flaky fibres of tender meat. Pop one in your mouth to appreciate how good it tastes.
  11. Pour the sauce into a jug and serve alongside the dish of pulled pork.
  12. Serve with the rolls, halved and lightly toasted on the inside, with a garnish of chopped scallions and carrot sticks.

Customise It!

I will be posting other recipes that use the Korean Sauce, but which will be vegetarian or vegan. For these, don’t add the pork juices, and use water instead.

Here’s a track for the Playlist from The Wedding Present. I’ve seen them live a few times and they are always worth the ticket price. Their sound is a cross between Buzzcocks and Orange Juice, so no surprise that I’m a fan. This is My Favourite Dress.

Categories
Bakes Blog

I am a Bake-Off Winner!

This week I’ve received the exciting news that I have won an award in the Great Bloggers’ Bake-Off 2023!

My Spicy Veg Strudel was joint winner in the Savoury Bake category, along with a magnificent Courgette and Mint Tart. You can check out all the award winners here.

I very much enjoyed entering the Bake-Off for the first time, and winning an award is, shall we say, the icing on the cake.

Well done to Mel and Gary for organising and hosting such a fun event, and Jeanne for judging. Massive praise to all our Bake-Off entrants: you demonstrated the creativity and innovation of the online baking and foodblogging community, with such a consistently high standard of bakes.

So here’s a well done message to all involved in customary ADK style: Fatboy Slim with Praise You.

Categories
Blog

The Great Bloggers’ Bake-Off 2023!

It’s arrived! This weekend of the 26th and 27th August sees The Great Bloggers’ Bake-Off 2023 taking place.

It is being hosted by Mel, Jeanne and Gary over on Caramel. The theme this year is Express Yourself, so expect to see lots of culinary creativity and innovation on display.

Please go take a look at some of the amazing bakes emerging from the ovens of the WordPress baking and foodblogging community. There’s an emphasis on fun and celebration – all participants deserve praise for their efforts, so feel free to leave some likes and appreciative comments, please.

I’m pleased to say that one of my creations from A Different Kitchen is included in the many entries, so do keep a special eye out for this.

Being a food blog with the strapline Good Food, Great Music, I have given some thought to what an appropriate playlist might be for the Bake-Off. Martha & the Muffins, perhaps? Sweet? Bread, Sugababes or the Spice Girls?

And then there is that famous TV show to acknowledge. Maybe The Proclaimers with Sunshine on (Prue) Leith? Frankie Goes to (Paul) Hollywood, anyone?

The Stones have a few contenders – Brown Sugar obvs, but also, perhaps, It’s Only Swiss Roll (But I Like It) (erm, one of their lesser-known hits).

Well done to all our Bake-Off entrants – you are all stars. May your meringues be majestic, and your Battenburgs beautiful. And to all you Victoria Sponge makers, here’s a musical reminder not to forget the baking powder: Gabrielle with Rise.

Enjoy this year’s Bake-Off, everyone.