Tag: Food

Categories
Recipes Sides Starters

Chunky Guacamole

Here is another recipe that is ideal for outdoor summer eating. This avocado dish goes well as a starter with a barbecue, or side with a salad eaten al fresco, particularly if accompanied by an ice cold bottle of Mexican beer. It is based on a recipe for guacamole by those motorcycling masterchefs, those culinary cruisers, those grooming gastronomes (Ed: that’s enough alliteration, thank you) the Hairy Bikers.

Servings

This will make enough as a starter, or side, for 4.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, no cooking involved.

You Will Need

  • one mild chilli pepper, seeds removed
  • bunch of coriander leaves
  • two medium sized tomatoes
  • half a red onion
  • juice of half a lime, plus slice to garnish
  • 2 – 3 fresh avocados

Method

  1. Put the ingredients in a food processor with blade fitted, and blitz until well blended, but still with chunks of veg visible.
  2. Er, that’s it. Scrape into a bowl and serve.

Customise it!

Serve with tortilla chips or with veg crudites, like carrot and celery sticks. The idea of leaving it a little chunky is so that you can pick up some identifiable pieces of the veg, coated in the creamy green sauce. It’s important not to over pulse it in the food processor to the extent that you lose the chunks and it takes on the consistency of baby food!

Enjoy this while the sun is shining on us – it won’t last forever. ‘Avo’ nice day!

Categories
Mains Recipes

Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice

Today I’m pleased to announce we have our first guest post on A Different Kitchen! It is by my son Jonny, a talented, fast-up-and-coming young cook. If you’re finding that work makes you too busy to prepare tasty and healthy meals, try Jonny’s suggestion below.

Hi. My featured meal is a Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice. I like this meal because it is fun to make, healthy and tasty, with a spicy kick. It also reminds me of when I ate it in Bangkok on my 22nd birthday.

I cook for myself, alongside having a busy full-time job. Quite often this means I have to spend time researching and preparing reports and presentations at short notice, with tight deadlines. It would be easy for me to fall back on convenience meals from the freezer and microwave, but I try to avoid this. I don’t think they are as tasty or healthy as meals made from fresh meat and vegetables. I don’t mind using some ready-made ingredients, as this speeds me up (for example, the recipe below uses a jar of curry sauce that I like).

Cooking is also good fun and gives me a break from my work.

Servings

This will make enough for three main meals. I usually make enough in advance to give me a main meal each day for three days. This saves me preparation time on subsequent days.

Timings

20 mins to prepare.

You Will Need

  • 250g green beans
  • 1 red pepper
  • 100g garden peas
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 340g jar of Thai green curry sauce (I like Morrisons’ one, made with coconut, green chillies and lemongrass, but others are available)
  • Sprinkling of chilli flakes
  • 200g jasmine rice

Method

  1. Chop the chicken into chunks and fry in a wok, till they are turning nice and brown.
  2. Chuck in the green beans and the red pepper, chopped. Give it all a good stir.
  3. While it’s cooking, boil the kettle and add the water to the jasmine rice in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 – 12 mins.
  4. Add the jar of sauce to the wok and stir it in so it is all heated through. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes.
  5. Drain the rice and serve a third of it on a plate, along with a third of the curry.

Customise it!

You can add any other veg you like or have to hand. An onion would go well, or anything else green, like courgette or mange tout.

I serve this with a bottle of ice cold water! Earlier in the day I fill two thirds of a 2l plastic bottle with water and put it in the freezer till it’s frozen. Take it out of the freezer and it will slowly thaw, providing ice cold water all day. This helps me stay cool and hydrated in all the heat we’ve been having, and is a good accompaniment to the spicy curry.

Well done Jonny and thanks for sharing this delicious looking curry. Jon now has a repertoire of 10 recipes he’s mastered, each providing three days of main meals. All being well, he’ll share some more of these in future guest posts!

The author of a guest post gets to choose a favourite track of theirs for adding to the ADK Playlist. Jon’s choice is Electric Feel by MGMT. 

Categories
Mains Recipes

BBQ-Baked Fish

Our weather this weekend was just ridiculous – 30+ degrees C every day – so cooking out of doors was definitely on the agenda.

Fish baked on the barbecue is an idea I first came across in a recipe book by legendary outdoor chef, Keith Floyd. For me, this was a different way to cook fish and I have done this several times since.

Servings

This is a meal for two.

Timings

5 mins prep, 15 mins to cook.

You Will Need

  • Tin foil
  • 2 fillets of fish
  • handful of spring onions
  • juice of half a lemon
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • cherry tomatoes on the vine
  • sprinkling of herbes de provence

Method

  1. Start by tearing off a large sheet of foil, and brush it lightly with oil.
  2. Place a couple of fish fillets in the middle (I used cod loins, but other fish will do just as well)
  3. Give the fish a topping. This can change depending on what’s in season and what you have to hand. I had a good crop of spring onions from the garden, so chopped these over the fish, adding the juice of half a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few twists of black pepper.
  4. Then gather up the sides of the foil to form a parcel, crimping the edges together in a pasty-type shape.
  5. Place the parcel on the griddle plate of the barbecue and close the lid. Leave it for about 10 – 15 mins.
  6. We have a glut of cherry tomatoes in the garden at the moment, with all this hot weather, so I snipped off a vine and cooked this also on the griddle, alongside the fish parcel. I brushed the vine and tomatoes in olive oil and gave them a sprinkling of herbes de provence. They look great on the plate and provide a rich, squishy sauce to complement the fish.
  7. Take care when opening the fish parcel as there will be a sudden escape of heat. The flesh of the fish should be in flakes, and some parts of the underside will be lightly charred (see the photo above, taken as the parcel was opened). This is a really nice part of the dish, as it gives it a taste and texture you will not normally get when cooking fish in a more conventional way, like in an oven or a pan. Don’t overdo it though, or the fish will burn!

Customise it

There’s lots of scope for playing around with the topping – parsley goes well if you have it, and also a few capers.

My BBQ-baked fish and tomatoes was served with a few new potatoes and lightly steamed summer green veg, washed down with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc – dining al fresco, of course!

As for the musical accompaniment to this post, the last time I blogged about a barbecue meal I opted for The Doors’ Light My Fire. This great track by The Prodigy was in close contention, so here it is in its own right, now added to the ADK Playlist. It’s the song every barbecue chef should be humming as they warm up their grill, and guaranteed to get the party going:

I’m a Firestarter!

Hey, hey hey!


Categories
Desserts Recipes

Heatwave

There seems to be no sign of our UK summer heatwave relenting: new record temperatures, and forecast to stay very hot again this weekend. On top of that, we are now (in my region) officially in drought, so alongside all the good advice we’re getting to plan ahead, stay out of the sun, drink water etc, we are now instructed not to use hosepipes for watering gardens and washing cars, to protect our river levels. All very sensible, of course.

Now I have some good advice of my own to impart: make strawberry ice cream.

There you go – some practical, free public health guidance that I am pretty certain you will not be receiving from any official government agency. Don’t mention it – you’re welcome.

To enjoy the cooling effects, just follow the steps below.

Servings

This will make around 1kg, so usually enough for 9-10 servings.

Timings

15 mins prep and 35 mins churning.

You Will Need

  • an electric ice cream maker
  • 400g fresh strawberries
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 220g granulated sugar
  • 220ml full fat milk
  • 400ml double cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Ensure the drum of the ice cream maker is completely frozen. I leave mine in the freezer for 24 hours before making.
  2. Chop the strawberries and combine in a bowl with the lemon juice and 70g of the sugar. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  3. Remove from the fridge and strain through a sieve, saving the pink liquid. Mash half the strawberries and mix with the liquid, keeping the other half aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the rest of the sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved, and then stir in the mashed strawberries and vanilla extract. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  5. Remove from the fridge and pour into the drum of the ice cream maker. Proceed to churn for 35 mins. Add the remaining chopped strawbs during the last 5 mins of churning.
  6. Switch off, and scrape into a plastic container. Seal and place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours.
  7. Place 2-3 scoops in a bowl, serve with a piece of shortbread if you like.

    Find a shady spot and enjoy – ideally with this seasonal track from The Jam on your headphones.
Categories
Blog Snacks

End of the Party

While sampling the foodie delights of the West Midlands, during my stay here for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, I’ve had the great fortune to come across the Merry Mouse. Who, you say?

The Merry Mouse is a Deli Van that visits the markets around the region. It’s particular speciality is local cheeses – often produced by small farms. You can’t fail to notice the distinctive livery.

Aided by helpful descriptions of the cheeses, and the knowledgable seller, I decided to put together my own Merry Mouse Cheeseboard.

First up was Cheddar Hop – a wedge of tasty, mature cheddar that had been rolled in toasted hops. This gives it a spiced and smoky flavour, with best bitter notes.

Accompanying this was a piece of Colston Bassett Stilton. The description given by the MM was that this was simply the best Stilton you can get. I’m not inclined to disagree with that assessment.

Finally, we had a slice of Cote Hill Blue, a soft and unpasteurised creamy blue brie-style cheese, made on a small farm in Osgodby, Lincolnshire.

Served up with some oatcakes and red grapes, and with the closing ceremony of the Games on TV, it made quite the occasion.

It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable 11 days at Birmingham 2022. The elite sports have been great to watch, and the Festival Sites, other cultural activities and local food and drinks, a joy to experience. All in all, it’s demonstrated the rich diversity of the West Midlands. The Games have shown once again the power of sport to bring people together and overcome barriers – something we were all in need of after the last couple of years of enforced separation and restrictions.

During the Ceremony, the Commonwealth Games baton was handed on to Regional Victoria, in Australia, who will host the next event in 2026. I will be visiting Victoria this winter and am looking forward to discovering more of the local food and culture there (including the local cheeses). However, more of this in a few months’ time

For now, it seems apt to close an amazing 11 days with this track from one of Birmingham’s own – The Beat.



Categories
Blog

Stairway to Heaven

Regular visitors will know that my blog is founded on the twin themes of good food and great music. When I discovered, therefore, that Warwick (where I am staying while at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games) has a great cafe at the end of a walk known locally as the ‘Stairway to Heaven’, I just had to pay a visit. And let me say straight away that there are no prizes for guessing the latest track to be added to the ADK Spotify Playlist.

The walk in question is a canal towpath alongside Hatton Locks – a flight of 21 individual basins within which the water level is made to rise and fall through the opening and closing of lock gates. This enables canalboats to gradually negotiate a total climb of 45 metres over a distance of 4km, via a series of steps.

It starts at Bottom Lock, continues through Middle Lock and (you guessed it) ends at Top Lock, which is where Hatton Locks Cafe is situated, in an old red brick cottage. It really is a lovely location, with fine views, and has a lot of character – the small cafe building crammed with canal boating memorabilia.

Two particular points I found noteworthy about the cafe. Firstly, it has one of the best ranges of speciality teas that I have come across in a cafe of this size. After some deliberation, our eventual selections were a strawberry and raspberry infusion, and a green tea. Secondly, the chalkboard outside implores you to try one of Debbie’s famous home-made scones. Tempted, we did indeed give one a try, with butter, and it was delicious (so thank you, Debbie).

Initially I had presumed that the name given by the local boatmen was inspired by the famous song. However, the canal has been here since 1799, and Led Zeppelin IV wasn’t released until 1971, so this can’t have been so. Maybe it was the other way round? This is not so far-fetched – the band are originally from the West Midlands after all. Is it possible therefore that this is the place that inspired what many of Led Zep’s fans consider to be the band’s finest hour?

I pictured Jimmy Page sitting here at a picnic table, taking in the beautiful views as he picked out the first few bars of that famous intro on his acoustic guitar. While sipping a lemon and ginger tea. And munching on one of Debbie’s scones.

It makes me wonder…

Categories
Blog Drinks

Save it for Later

Next stop on my foodie tour of the West Midlands, while here for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, is Hill Close Gardens in Warwick. It’s a set of Victorian gardens that was nearly lost to housing development in the 90’s, only to be rescued through the campaigning work of some dedicated locals. The gardens are now restored and open to visitors, giving an insight into how our forefathers managed a plot of land to feed families with a healthy crop of home grown fruit and vegetables. Additionally, it shows the role gardening played in supporting their wellbeing, through respite from busy lives as merchants and shopkeepers in a growing 19th Century English town. It’s a lesson many of us would do well to remember today.

At this time of year the trees are full of traditional varieties of English apple that you will not find on the shelves of our supermarkets. Golden Delicious? Pink Lady? Jazz? No, nowhere in sight. However, if you’re interested in seeing the likes of Cox’s Orange Pippin, Ross Nonpareil, Laxton’s Epicure or the wonderfully middle-England named Reverend W. Wilkes (shown in the photo above), then this is the place to come. They are here in abundance, weighing down the heavily-laden branches of some very old trees.

The Gardens are managed on a not for profit basis and run largely by volunteers. Other fruit and veg spotted on our trip included beans, plums, courgettes and beetroot, to name a few. It is possible to buy some of the produce, including bags of windfall apples, but I opted for a bottle of juice made from the apples in the gardens. It’s already been chilled and opened, and tastes delicious!

Back at #B2022, since my last post we have attended a couple more events. The Lawn Bowls at Leamington Spa was all about precision, skill and strategy, while the Basketball 3×3 at Smithfield a frenetic and action-packed race for points against a fast beating clock. Both were excellent spectator sports in their own way.

On the musical side, it’s good to see that the soundtrack at events and Fan Festival sites is featuring Birmingham musicians, like Duran Duran, ELO, Slade and Joan Armatrading. My personal favourites are UB40 and The Beat, who have many great tracks. I will get some of these added to the ADK Playlist. By the way, did I mention that we have saved some of that lovely apple juice in the fridge for later?

Categories
Blog

Warwick Food Market

For the next week and a bit I am based in the West Midlands with tickets for a number of events at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. In between enjoying the great sport I am sampling the various foodie delights of the region – starting today with the Saturday Market in the old town of Warwick.

The Market was full of stalls from local producers selling fruit and veg, craft beer, coffee, cakes, cheese and much, much more. You can see a few of these from the photos.

We are self-catering in our motorhome while here, and managed to do our shop for the next few days. This includes a salmon and broccoli quiche and a slice of local cheddar coated in roasted hops – one of my favourite cheeses. Some more of these purchases will feature in future posts.

One of the best things about today’s Market was the big screen showing live action from the Games. So with shopping done, we could sit in a deckchair and watch the marathon live from Birmingham 2022.

Local markets are always interesting to explore, and a great way to get yourself some fresh tasty food while supporting local producers.

Categories
Breakfast Recipes Snacks

Banana Oat Breakfast Bars

The recipe for these first appeared on page 66 of the February 2005 issue of Sainsbury’s Magazine. I know this because I ripped the page out and have kept it carefully ever since. I have lost count of the number of times I have made these – the recipe has proved reliable as a fresh, tasty and healthy snack for breakfast, lunchboxes, car journeys, filling the gap at half-time at a football match etc.

Servings

Depending on how you cut these, it will make 16 squares or around 20 rectangular bars.

Timings

15 – 20 mins preparation, plus baking time 25 mins.

You Will Need

  • 75g mixed nuts
  • 110g margarine
  • 75g demerara sugar
  • 3 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 200g rolled porridge oats
  • 75g self-raising flour
  • 40g dried cranberries
  • 2 medium ripe bananas
  • 1 egg

Method

  1. Spread the nuts across a baking tray and toast in the oven at 180C for 5 mins.
  2. While the nuts are toasting, combine margarine, syrup and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until all have dissolved into a thick paste.
  3. Remove the nuts from the oven and chop in the food processor with blade fitted. Leave the oven on.
  4. Combine nuts, flour (sifted), oats and dried cranberries in a bowl.
  5. In a separate bowl, peel and mash the bananas, and mix in the egg.
  6. Combine the banana/egg with the oats/flour and give it a good stir. Finally , add in the syrup/sugar paste. Mix well so that there is no dry flour and all the oats are covered in the brown syrupy paste.
  7. Tip the combined mixture into a traybake tin. The one I use is 20cm square, but it also works with a rectangular tin measuring 25cm x 16cm ( I have made both with these ingredients).
  8. Bake in the oven, still at 180C, for 25 mins.
  9. Remove and leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, invert it on to a chopping board, then carefully invert it back again on to another board. You can then chop it into rectangular bars or squares, as you wish. These will keep in a tin for up to 3 – 4 days, though they are usually all gone well before that!
Categories
Recipes Snacks

Fruit and Nut Booster Balls

Ever find yourself tempted to snack between meals, and picking up a packet of biscuits or something else sweet-loaded to give you a quick sugar rush? Mmm, yes – me too. Try these energy booster balls as a healthier, tastier and ultimately more satisfying alternative.

The recipe is based on one originating from Sainsbury’s Magazine and (as with most things on the ADK blog) has been developed and customised through trial, experience and error.

Servings

This should make around 12 energy balls.

Timings

15 mins to make. They can then be eaten straight away but will taste better eaten cold from the fridge.

You Will Need

  • 100g mix of cashews and pistachio nuts
  • 150g mix of pitted dates and dried apricots
  • a sprinkling of cacao nibs
  • a few drops of orange essence
  • 4 tablespoons of desiccated coconut

Method

  1. Finely chop the nuts and the dried fruit. This is better done by hand rather than the food processor, as bitter experience shows the dried fruit makes a real mess of the blade!
  2. Put the chopped nuts and fruit in a bowl and add the cacao nibs and orange essence. Mix it all together into a sticky paste.
  3. Pull off a tea spoon sized piece of the mix and roll between your palms into a ball. Roll it then on a plate on which you’ve sprinkled the desiccated coconut, till it’s covered all over, then set aside. Repeat until all the mixture has been used, and you have around a dozen energy balls.
  4. Place in a sealed container and store in the fridge. Eat within 3 – 4 days.

Customise it!

You can try mixing in other types of nuts or dried fruits. Seeds also go well – the smaller the better so maybe sunflower or chia seeds. Omit the cacao nibs if you wish, and switch the orange essence for another flavour. Rolling in coconut isn’t compulsory, though it adds presentationally and stops the ball sticking to your fingers! Try covering half in coconut and half without. Cocoa powder is another option for a coating, and (with imagination) can help give the illusion that you are eating a truffle.