Tag: Snacks

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Blog Snacks

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Summer is cricket season, and there are few better ways to spend a warm, sunny evening than going to a Twenty 20 (T20) match. Especially so when you take along a rye sourdough doorstep sandwich, with pastrami, pickles, salad and mustard mayo, as shown in my photo above.

What’s the back story to my Pastrami Blast sandwich, as I call it? Read on.

In the T20 Blast (as the competition is called), each team has only 20 overs (i.e. 120 bowls) and about 90 minutes in which to score runs. The solemnity and gentle patience of Test cricket (which is played out over 5 days) goes out the window, as the batsmen try to whack as many shots as possible over the boundaries and into the crowd. The whole affair is accompanied by lots of cheering, whooping, hollering, bursts of fire, pop music etc. You get the picture.

Food and drink is an important part of the enjoyment. There is a good variety of outlets on offer at our local ground, and fans are free to bring in their own food if they wish.

When I was in Australia this winter (their summer) I enjoyed following the Aussie version of T20, which is aptly entitled The Big Bash. Adopting the Melbourne Renegades as my team, I saw them play home games at the Marvel Stadium. It is quite something having Marvel as your stadium sponsor – see my photo below. Who needs security guards or CCTV when you have Iron Man (in Hulkbuster guise from Avengers: Age of Ultron) making sure no spectators step out of line?

The T20 Blast reminds me a lot of baseball, which I have enjoyed watching on visits to the US, at the home stadia of the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.

I’m reminded of a meal I bought while at the Mets Stadium, billed as Hot Dog and Chips. Seeing the word Chips in place of the standard fare of French Fries that was on offer at every other American diner, I presumed the Mets were offering fans the plump, deep fried fingers of actual potato that we are more used to eating in the UK. Imagine my surprise when I found my Hot Dog to be served with what we in the UK would call a bag of crisps. Two nations separated by the same language, eh?

My most recent visit to the T20 Blast was to see my local team, Hampshire Hawks, play the Essex Eagles. With thoughts of baseball in my mind, I decided to make and take in my own deluxe sandwich, influenced by some of the great varieties I have enjoyed in New York delis. Here’s how I made my Pastrami Blast.

I began with a generously sized portion of freshly baked rye sourdough bread, and lined it with a blend of white wine mustard and mayo. To this I added about 5 slices of pastrami and some pickles.

Next up are sliced tomatoes and chopped scallions (or spring onions) picked fresh from the garden. The inside of the upper slice is also now lined with mustard mayo.

Next, I added pieces of crunchy iceberg lettuce, and pressed it all together.

Wrapped in foil, I opened it up at the game (see my main photo at the top of the post), enjoying it with a pint of East Coast IPA from the bar, and (you guessed it) a bag of chips i.e. potato crisps.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the baseball games I’ve been to in the US – watching the sporting drama unfold on the pitch, savouring the continuous round of hot dogs, beers and sodas, and observing the customs that are so much a part of the game’s culture. One is the 7th Inning Stretch, where the spectators are encouraged to partake in communal aerobic exercise (presumably to help work off all the calories consumed during innings 1 to 6).

There is also the singing of this classic, which I am adding to the ADK Playlist. In a rather neat closing link, I am going to see Billy Joel play live at Hyde Park in London this weekend. Wonder if he will play Take Me Out To The Ball Game?

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Recipes Snacks

Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Baguettes

I was lucky enough to enjoy today’s dish (shown above) on a lunchtime visit to the home of my good friends, Kelvin and Eva. It was another hot day and we had just been for a walk in the shade of the woods to cool down. We sat under the parasol in the back garden and enjoyed these amazing toasted baguettes.

I am pleased to say that Eva has agreed to write a guest post sharing the recipe. Over to Eva!

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One of my favourite hot weather snacks for this year is Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Baguettes. I used to make a lunch dish with mozzarella, a few tomatoes and fresh basil just spread out on a plate, served with a balsamic dressing. However, since eating this version on holiday in Tenerife, while overlooking the sea, with the sound of the waves and the fragrant smells of the flowers and trees nearby, I am now a convert to this version of the Italian starter.

You Will Need:

  • One fresh baguette
  • One good quality buffalo mozzarella cheese
  • 2-3 ripe tomatoes
  • A hand full of fresh basil leaves
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Balsamic glaze

Method

  1. Cut the baguette into 15 cm long sections and slice through each section to make two halves.
  2. Put the inside of each slice under a grill to crisp it up.
  3. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, and arrange them on top of each baguette half, finishing with the basil leaves.
  4. Sprinkle some sea salt over each slice along with a generous drizzle of good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
  5. To make it look even more appetising, I finish with a balsamic glaze!
  6. The perfect drink for me to accompany this little snack is a cool glass of French Rosé! A truly European feast!

As a guest poster on A Different Kitchen, I get to choose the latest track for adding to Kevin’s Playlist. Having been given the inspiration for this dish on holiday, it has to be my favourite Spanish song which we heard played and sung several times on our walks along the promenade. It’s a very catchy song and you won’t be able to get it out of your head for some time!!

This is La Camisa Negra  (the black shirt) by Juanes.

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Recipes Snacks

Eurovision Popcorn

This weekend I am looking forward to watching the Eurovision Song Contest. It is, believe it or not, the 67th year of Eurovision. How much it has grown in that time, with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world each year, on TV and online.

This year is something of a one-off, however. The tradition is that the country that wins, hosts it in the subsequent year. 2022’s winner was Ukraine, immediately presenting a challenge as to the 2023 host. As most of you will have noticed, our friends in Ukraine are currently otherwise engaged in repelling an act of aggression from a neighbouring state, to the extent that hosting a massive, televised, international song contest is not exactly a top priority right now.

Step in the UK, who were runners-up in 2022 and have kindly offered to act as host this year. The musical extravanganza will take place on Saturday night, in Liverpool. The acts will follow in the footsteps of the city’s considerable pop music heritage, including the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Echo & the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Lightning Seeds, The Farm, and more…the list goes on. No pressure then!

Most of us in the UK have grown up with Eurovision as an annual event. In the early years, the UK had a reasonable degree of success, but wins, and indeed high rankings, have been hard to come by in recent years. The suspicion was that our well-publicised rejection of certain European institutions (I am refusing to mention the ‘B’ word) was translating into low scores from the juries of our neighbours. That theory was thrown into doubt last year, however, when Sam Ryder’s Space man came 2nd in the voting overall, teeing up the UK to act as surrogate host for Ukraine.

Over the years, Eurovision has grown into what is now a week-long event, with semi-finals in the lead-up to Saturday’s final. It’s a sign of its success, with so many more countries (including EU accession states from the former Soviet bloc, and even our friends down under in Australia – G’Day!) now wanting to associate themselves with membership of such a great European institution (I am still refusing to spoil the mood by mentioning the ‘B’ word).

Eurovision night is television party night, so get those finger foods ready. My staple, while watching the show live, will be homemade popcorn. The recipe for this is already posted, from my last major televised party occasion, the NFL Superbowl – please see Smoked Paprika Popcorn for details. It really is very easy to make, nutritious, fills the kitchen with a wonderful aroma and tastes great!

As it’s Eurovision, here are some alternative, themed options for toppings you can add at stage 6 in the recipe:

  • France: infuse a crushed clove of garlic in some olive oil, then shake over the popcorn to coat, with a few sprinkles of herbes de provence
  • Italy: drizzle over olive oil and a shake of pizza seasoning, then mix to combine
  • UK: drizzle rapeseed oil over the cooked popcorn, with a few twists of Cornish seasalt and cracked black pepper, then combine
  • Australia: an homage to our friends down under – mix a couple of tbsp Vegemite with the same amount of boiling water, to loosen, then coat the popcorn and mix

Feel free to come up with your own combinations for popcorn toppings and give them a try – German Mustard, Swiss chocolate, Balsamic vinegar and Scotland’s Irn Bru are all just waiting to take their place in this – a kind of crazy Eurovision Popcorn Contest, no less.

Musical choice for the ADK Playlist has to be the track that has brought Eurovision to the UK this year. Here is Sam Ryder with Space man.

Enjoy Eurovision, enjoy the popcorn.

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.