Food for thought
The purpose was to start an association of Britain’s culinary scribes. Twenty five years later there are almost 400 members who include some of the most influential voices in food writing and broadcasting. To celebrate a quarter of a century the British Guild of Food Writers has published How the British Fell in Love with Food.
It’s a fascinating historical record from the arrival of avocado in our supermarkets in 1970s to the food blogs of the 21st century.
It’s a fascinating read and includes some superb examples of creative food writing as well as some delicious recipes, here are a few to whet your appetite.
*How the British Fell in Love with Food is published by Simon & Schuster and can be purchased at www.amazon.co.uk
Serves 4
12 large diver-caught scallops,
trimmed Sesame oil Salt and pepper
Watercress leaves ½ cup creme fraiche
Sweet Chilli Sauce: 10 cloves of garlic,
peeled 4 large red chillies, stems removed
3 thumbs of fresh ginger,
peeled and roughly chopped
1 thumb of galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
8 lime leaves
3 lemon-grass stems, remove the two outside leaves, discard the top third of the stem and finely slice the remainder
1 cup fresh coriander leaves }
1½ cups unrefined golden caster sugar
100 ml (5 fl oz) cider vinegar
50 ml (3½ fl oz) Asian fish sauce
50 ml (1¾ fl oz) tamari
Put the first seven ingredients of the chilli sauce in a food processor and puree to a coarse paste. Put the sugar in a saucepan with four tablespoons of water and place on a moderate heat, stirring well until the sugar dissolves.
When it has, remove the spoon and turn the heat up to full. Boil for five to eight minutes and do not stir until it has turned a dark caramel colour (but don’t allow it to burn). Now stir in the paste, bring the sauce back to the boil and add the last three ingredients. Return to the boil and simmer for a minute. Leave it to cool before eating.
Lightly oil the scallops with sesame oil and season, then grill each side on a char-grill, overhead grill or skillet for 90 seconds. Sit them on a bed of watercress, put a dollop of creme fraiche on top and drizzle generously with sweet chilli sauce.
Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book published by Michael Joseph. There is no need to restrict this salad to summer. It works well with frozen broad beans.
1 ripe avocado Lemon juice Olive oil Salt, pepper
250g (8oz) shelled broad beans
Soured cream
Chopped parsley
Peel and dice the avocado, sprinkling it immediately with lemon juice, oil and seasoning. Cook the beans, and then skin them — this is essential. Arrange beans and avocado on a plate, preferably a bright pink plate to show off the different greens. Pour over a little soured cream and sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 4
Tagliatelle made with 200g (7oz)
Italian 00 flour and 2 free-range eggs, or 500 g (1lb 2oz) fresh tagliatelle, or 250 g (8 oz) dried egg tagliatelle
40g (1½ oz) unsalted butter
Grated rind and juice of 1 organic lemon
3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, sage, rosemary and chives
150 ml (¼ pt) double cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper
40 g (1½ oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan. Add the grated lemon rind, the chopped herbs, cream, salt and pepper. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes.
Add the lemon juice to the pan and bring back to the boil, then take the pan off the heat and keep warm. Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain but do not over-drain, and then transfer to a warmed bowl. Dress immediately the pasta with the sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Toss very well and serve at once with the remaining cheese separately.
“This is my favourite summer sandwich. Rocket and avocado go marvellously well together, but I confess I like a touch of other flavourings in it as well, as a kind of background track to the two stars. This amount will make two fairly large and bulky sandwiches, which provide an excellent and satisfying lunch for two people.”
Serves 2
2 tbsp soft goats’ cheese
4 slices of your favourite brown bread, buttered
Smear of Marmite, Vegemite or Vecon
About 10 thin cucumber slices
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced
20 or so rocket leaves Tiny drop of Tabasco (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Smear the goats’ cheese on the buttered side of two slices of the bread and smear the Marmite or whatever on the other two slices. Lay the cucumber slices over the cheese, season with pepper, then lay the avocado slices on top of that, followed by the rocket leaves. Season with salt and Tabasco, if using. Then cover with the other pieces of the brown bread. Press the tops gently down and slice the sandwiches in half with great care.
Serves 6
175 ml Pimms
3 sheets gelatine
400 ml lemonade Juice of half a lemon and half a lime
½ pint double cream
Grated rind of an orange
2 tbsp unrefined golden caster sugar
½ lb strawberries
Peeled segments of two oranges
Mint sprigs and borage flowers
Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Heat half the lemonade until just about boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine. When the gelatine is dissolved, add the Pimms, lemon and lime juice, and the rest of the lemonade. Pour through a sieve into a bowl and refrigerate until set. Lightly whip the cream and stir in the sugar and orange rind. Slice the strawberries. To serve, dollop some jelly in a glass, and top with strawberries and orange segments. Finish with a blob of the orange cream and a long sprig of mint tucked in the side.
Serves 4
175 g (6 oz) salmon
175 g (6 oz) brill or turbot
175 g (6 oz) cod fillet
Juice of 2–3 lemons
1–2 fresh green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
1 small mild onion, chopped
½ avocado, peeled, stoned and cubed
2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
Remove any skin or bones from the fish and cut the flesh into small cubes. Put the cubes into a dish with the lemon juice, turn to coat all the fish and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of five hours. Drain the lemon juice from the fish and combine with the chopped vegetables, olive oil and coriander.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour over the fish in a serving dish. Leave in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
If you are lucky enough to have a glut of mackerel this recipe is perfect. The fish will keep refrigerated for up to one month.
Serves 4
4 fresh mackerel or herrings or 12-16 sprats
150ml (5fl oz) white wine vinegar
150ml (5fl oz) dry white wine
62g (2½oz) thinly sliced onion
225g (8oz) ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 sprigs of fennel
2 small bay leaves
1 teaspoon white mustard seed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Lots of freshly ground pepper
Pour the vinegar and white wine into a stainless steel saucepan, add the sliced onion and tomatoes, herbs, mustard seed and seasoning. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Meanwhile gut and fillet the fish. Roll the fish fillets or lay flat in a casserole or sauté pan. Pour the pickle over the top. Cover and bring to the boil, simmer gently for 4-5 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Serve chilled.
The Durrus Fete is on Wednesday, August 11, this year and takes place in the gardens of the Durrus Rectory. The fete has three distinct places to eat — a garden lunch with all produce from the local area, a barbecue with locally sourced meat and afternoon tea. Elizabeth Warner and her team will run a fabulous cake stall showcasing the most vivid taste of west Cork in the form of local baking. All the proceeds from this fete go to supporting local and international charities.
Contact Canon Paul Willoughby on 027 61011 or see www.durrusfete.ie
* O’Brien Chop House in Lismore in association with Green Saffron & the Dungarvan Brewing Company are having a “Beer and Curry Feast” on Friday, August 27 at 7:30pm. Chop House Chef, Eddie Baguio, and Arun Kapil have created a delicious authentic curry feast using Green Saffron’s Indian spices as well as local produce such as Michael McGrath’s lamb, Dan Aherne’s organic chicken, hand-reared Ballyvolane House saddleback pork, and potatoes and vegetables from Ballyvolane’s walled garden.
The Dungarvan Brewing Company’s Head Brewer, Cormac O’Dwyer, will showcase each of his craft beers which will compliment the curries perfectly. To book contact 058-53810
www.greensaffron.com and www.dungarvanbrewingcompany.com
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