What can I say... with all the best intentions I haven't posted in months!


But I do have a good reason. 


The first quarter of 2011 started with the end of a job that I have had for the past 6 years... needless to say that was a busy time full of distraction. Three days after I finished, I jumped on a plane and spent 7 weeks rushing around Australia and New Zealand catching up with friends, family and indulging in some much needed sunshine. 

Murrays Beach, NSW, Australia

Optio Bay, Coromandel Peninsular, New Zealand

Green Lake, Rotorua, New Zealand

The trip ended with a wonderful 8 days in Thailand lolling about in the ocean and enjoying the scorching Thai sun, followed by a not so wonderful flight home that ended up taking 12 hours longer than it should have! 


So here I am, back in the UK ready to write. As you can imagine, a trip that that covered Australia, New Zealand and Thailand was filled with some amazing foodie delights.... and once I've got the rest of my photos organised I'll post all about it. However, in the meantime I am going to devote a post to comfort food, because lets face it - after 12 hours waiting in airports hoping that your plane is going to be allowed to take off soon, comfort food is just what the Doctor ordered!!


My comfort food of choice is Linguine pomodro - simple but delicious (and seriously high in Carbs!!) I have been after the perfect tomato sauce for pasta, for as long as I can remember. Yet every time I tried it turned out ..... disappointing. Then, I attended a cooking demonstration at La Cucina Caldesi and learned the secrets to a proper Italian tomato sauce. These are going to sound obvious.... but trust me they are small gems that make a massive difference:


 - Use a generous amount of olive oil (dieters look away now!!)
 - Onion should be cooked on a moderate heat for a longer period of time, as opposed to a blazing hot pan that scorches the onion. This brings out the sweetness of the onion. 
 - Garlic should be squashed with the flat side of a knife and removed from the sauce before serving. This will allow the garlic to delicately flavor the sauce as opposed to over power it. (DO NOT use a garlic crusher)
 - Salt the dish well (again this is comfort food - so no space for moderation!)
 - When using canned tomatoes try and use an Italian brand... as Italians know when to harvest tomatoes for the best results.

Ms McGarves Salsa di Pomodoro - Makes enough for one severely jet-lagged person!! 


4 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, squashed (as per above)
1 400g tin of tinned tomatoes
A generous pinch of salt
pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan - for serving


Heat the olive oil in a moderately hot pan for a couple of minutes and then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion for about 8-10 minutes until tender and transparent. The aim here is to not let the onion brown at all. Turn the heat up a little and add the tomatoes and season with the salt. Cook for a further 8-10 minutes allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken.


Taste and add more salt if required and add pepper to taste. Remove the garlic (the clove should be about to fall apart, but for the most part still intact). 


Serve on a bed of linguine, top with shaved Parmesan and enjoy with a large glass of your favorite wine!!  


Buon appetito!!

Where have you been International Foodie??

No doubt you have noticed my absence from the blogsphere of late... I have no real excuse - except to say that I've been busy, or rather distracted, and with the distraction has come the dreaded lack of inspiration. Or in other words... 'I've got nothing to write about'!


I have been feeling a little like I have lost my my foodie-mojo lately... so in an effort to try and re-ignite the passion for both cooking and writing I thought I'd do a round up of some of my foodie highlights of 2010... I Hope it works!!


2010 started and ended with bitter cold and huge amounts of snow. However, despite these inclement conditions our local farmers market soldiered on and provided cake, bread and wonderfully knobbly vegetables to grateful Hampstead residents:

I love this shot below because it looks like the tags are actually the cakes raising their hands begging customers to buy them!

During the long weekend in April a group of us took a leisurely stroll through the Heath and ended at a pub called The Old White Bear, where we played dominoes as we waited for our lunch. One thing I love about England is that walks through the countryside always end in a visit to a pub!

In June Chief Recipe Taster and I had a great evening out at the Taste Of London. We went from stall to stall trying wine, prosecco, limoncello and sampling tasters from some of London's best known restaurants (including one of my personal favourites, Salt Yard). Being a typical London event, we did all he above... in the rain!! 

Then, perhaps the highlight of the year, we took our first trip to the amazingly cool city of New York... what a place!!

  
There were familiar sites around every corner, and foodie treats galore. I mustt admit I was surprised to see fresh food stalls all around the city, selling fruit and veg that you would have to go to specialty organic shops to procure in London.

Seriously - that was the best (and the biggest) hot dog I've EVER had!!!!


We had a great afternoon at an uber-cool outdoor Brooklyn cafe, where the juice was served in jars and dogs got a little respite from the heat!

We couldn't resist a momentary lapse into extreme tourist mode to get at least one cheesy group shot (we were hoping to run into one of the Huckstables here)!

  
Our year ended off with a trip to Paris... the Foodie capital of the world and my dream city. 

There is no food-relevance to the shot below... I just love it!!!

Well, upon reflection I guess I actually have loads to write about!! 


No excuses now.


I'll see you in a couple of weeks!

Total Greek Yoghurt and the perfect Afternoon Cake

There are a handful of great food magazines available at the moment, but one of my favourites is Australian Gourmet Traveller. I've been a devoted reader for a number if years and I must admit I cant help but get excited every time I collect a new edition. It’s a great magazine, glossy, inspirational, totally indulgent and while I admit that the recipes aren’t always practical, every now and again when you have the time and the desire to be impractical you’ll find it’s well worth the effort!

I recently discovered a fantastic recipe from the January 2010 edition: Yoghurt and Almond cake. This recipe was an attractive option as Greek yoghurt and ground almonds are two things always found in my shopping trolley. The Greek Yoghurt used in this cake provides a substantial and velvety finish that when combined with caramel nectarines makes the perfect ending to an Autumnal mid-day feast with friends!    

I chose to use Total Greek Yoghurt. Its been a favourite for a while, the appeal being that it has many variants - Full Fat, 2% or even 0% - so its perfect if you love the decadence of Greek Yoghurt yet don't want the guilt of full fat!!


Yoghurt and Almond Cake


140 grams Self-raising flour
4 eggs, separated
110 grams white sugar
210 grams Total Greek Yoghurt (I used full fat)
80 mls Olive Oil
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
70 grams of ground Almonds
110 grams of caster sugar


Preheat oven to 180C. Sift flour into a bowl and set aside. Whisk yolks and white sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy (5-7 minutes). Add yoghurt, olive oil, rind and juice, stir to combine, then fold in flour and ground almonds and set aside. Whisk eggwhite in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (2-4 minutes), then gradually add caster sugar and whisk until firm peaks form (1-2 minutes). Fold eggwhite mixture through yoghurt mixture, pour into a buttered, floured and base-lined 23cm-diameter springform cake tin and bake until golden and a skewer withdraws clean (35-40 minutes). Cool in tin on a wire rack. 


Caramel Nectarines*


3 Nectaries, cut in wedges and stones discarded
200 grams white sugar
juice of 1 orange


Place nectarines in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine sugar and 60ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals, then cook until caramel (8-10 minutes). Add orange juice (be careful as mixture may spit), stir to dissolve. Pour over nectarines stir to combine and set aside for 1 hour, then spoon over cake, scatter with shaved almonds and serve with vanilla ice cream ... or more Greek yoghurt

  

Discover the Origin

I have never been much of a port fan. Currants, sultanas and raisins are about the only foods I don't eat, and all the ports I've tasted in the past seem to have had a definite 'curranty' flavour. However recently I discovered a gem in the port world... Ruby (or pink) Port. Served chilled and accompanied by nuts,chunks of parmigiano or green and blacks dark ginger chocolate, Ruby Port is a stunning alternative ending to any meal.

The Douro region of Portugal has been producing port, including the Ruby variety, for 2000 years. Yet I had never heard of it. In fact I went to Portugal a few years ago and I am ashamed to admit that I only realised Portugal had such a proud heritage of Port production, because so much of it was for sale in the Duty Free section of the airport! 

I never would have found Ruby Port (let alone fallen in love with it), had it not been for Discover the Origin - a campaign designed to raise awareness around five key European products:

• Parma Ham
• Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• Burgundy Wines
• Douro Valley Wines
• Port

The concept of the campaign is one that I feel I can really get behind. Its all about knowing where the food and drink you consume comes from. Its about understanding the rich cultural backgrounds of some of Europe's oldest food and wine producing areas, and crediting these regions for giving birth to these products. 

This is especially important when you live in a city that imports products from all over the world through-out the year. In our superstore dependant state its possible to forget that food has a point of origin beyond Sainsburys or Tescos!

The campaign promotes good eating and sociable living by encouraging consumers to shop for specialist products, where possible, and enjoy well prepared foods matched with exceptional wine. Doing so with friends and family, despite the hectic pace of modern life!   

This was demonstrated perfectly when Discover the Origin hosted an event at La Cucina Caldesi. Watching reputable London Restaurateur Katie Caldesi effortlessly prepare and cook white bean crostini, pasta al forno and pan fried duck breast with blackberry sauce was a treat in itself. Getting to taste wines and ports from the above mentioned region while Katie cooked was truly the cherry on top. The evening was proof that it really is worth the effort to Discover the Origin of what we eat!

For more information on Discover the Origin see: http://www.discovertheorigin.co.uk/ 


Picture credits - My encouraging South African supporter and Chief Recipe taster!