How To...

... make lamb kebabs - A Masterclass.

First we prepare the meat marinade. I used 2 lamb fillets with the fat trimmed off by the butcher.

These are the spices we will use (anticlockwise from left to right): 1 small stick cinammon, 1 tsp garam marsala, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 juniper berry, 2 cardamom pods, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and roast in a hot oven (220°c for 5-7 mins)

While we wait for the spices to roast, we prepare the liquid bath for the meat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil.

Next add about 4 tbsp of pineapple juice. Pineapple juice contains enzymes that will tenderise the meat and act as a conduit for the spices to penetrate.

Then add the garam marsala. Sprinkle it over the lamb.

Take the spices out of the oven and transfer to a mortar and pestle, or if you are lazy, into an electric spice grinder.

Grind to a fine powder and add the warmed garlic...

... and pound to incorporate into the spices.

Add to the meat...

... along with 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Now cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for about 1 hour. Here I take a break and go for a run. You can fix yourself a drink and sit in the sun now.

[INTERVAL]

Back from my run, we now prepare the garnishes (from L to R): Romaine lettuce (or any lettuce really), cucumber, parsely, carrot, tomatoes (I am using cherry tomatoes as these are what I had in my fridge and they were getting a little squishy), onion, levant bread.

We prepare the salsa to go with the kebab first. Dice the tomatoes...

... then dice the onion and chop the parsley.

Assemble in a bowl and drizzle in some olive oil...

... followed by a lashing of Himalayan rose salt and some freshly ground pepper.

Mix thoroughly and cover and leave in the fridge. If you look closely there are some bits of salad onions that I had left over which I sliced in.

After 1-1.5 hours, take the meat out of the fridge. Scrunch up some kitchen towels, smooth out onto a plate, and drain the lamb fillets. Pat dry as we want to remove the pineapple juice as further marinading in the juice will cause the meat to disintergrate. Most of the ground spices will remain stuck to the meat.

Drizzle with some olive oil and salt with some sea salt. Return to the fridge.

Prepare the cucumber. Slice about 1/2" off the top and holding the small bit in one hand, scrape it back and forth the cut end. After about 10-15 seconds you will see a white froth developing. This is the bitterness from the cucumber being drawn out (or so my mother told me). Carry on for another 15 secs, then rinse off.

Grate. Prepare carrot in same manner, but omit the rubbing part.

Shred the lettuce, and transfer to a plate.

Now its time to cook the lamb. Take a griddle pan, or a frying pan, and heat on medium-high heat and drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil in the pan.


When the pan is hot, add the lamb and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Do not touch the meat at this stage even though it might be tempting. This will ensure an even cooking through as well as a proper searing that will help retain the juiciness. Have a sip of your drink instead.

Turn the meat over and cook for another 4 mins depending on your preference. The spice marinade will have formed a nice crust. Once cooked transfer to a plate and leave it to rest to 5 mins or so.

Slice the meat. Look at the pink juicy centre.

Assemble your kebab at the table on lightly warmed levant bread. I laid the garnish out in this order: Bread, lettuce on top, then cucumber and carrot. The meat went on next, with a generous helping of the tomato salsa. Finally, no kebab will be complete without some spicy garlic sauce. This was left over from the night before when we had fish tacos. The recipe for the garlic sauce is: 2 birds eye chillies, 2 cloves of garlic, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 4 tbsp natural yoghurt. Blend together and add a pinch of salt.

Enjoy your kebab messily (mine had bits of salsa and lettuce fall out in the eating process). Best had with a glass of light red wine like a Brouilly.

The Cooking...

... shall commence.

I know that I have promised to put a few more cooking posts up, but with exam preparation under way and the weather having gone all humid and stormy, it seems to have slipped my mind and I only remember it after I see the finished product on the plate as I'm about to eat it. Also, I'm trying to achieve some balance in content as I don't want to end up writing a food blog solely (which I may be prone to, given the gourmand that I am) so I'll intersperse the food prep posts and perhaps do one a fortnight or one a month during busier times.

So far I've prepared a few dishes which are quite picture friendly (Okonomiyake, fish tacos) and now I've jolted my memory I'll post tonights dinner preparation over the next few days. I think we're meant to be having lamb kebabs tonight, made from scratch.

Watch this space.

Wine, Women...

... and more wine.

This weekend just gone saw the vinyards of the region open to the public as they opened their cellars and bottles from the 2006/2007 vintage for sampling. The day started out threatening to rain, but after a lunchtime shower, the skies cleared and a very enjoyable day was had by all.

Gathering the troops from the station en route to the vinyard.

Vines from the new season (2007/2008)

This is a bunch of Sauvignon grapes that have yet to mature. These will most likely end up in a bottle and perhaps in my wine cellar.

Rolling fields with vines everywhere.

Hills in the distance, light as evening approaches.

Dramatic rays of sun poking through the clouds. Twilight approaches.

A Dark Cloud (Friday Choon)...

... has descended upon my heart and nevermore shall it lift again.

Latvia has unfairly taken the rightful position of Switzerland's place in the Eurovision 2008 Song Contest. For that I will join Stornisse and vow never to go to Latvia.

Let's see Paolo one more time.

*swoon*

eurovision suisse 2008 Paolo Meneguzzi - Era Stupendo
par jief75

A Pretty Good Week...

...overall.

1. Despite the crazy rigmarole required to collect and sign for a work parcel, I received another that was entirely unexpected which was a fabulous magnum of champagne. OH and I will be bathing in the stuff soon. Still no work parcel though. Oh well... Result: FREE CHAMPAGNE!

2. After the painful delay flying into London the last trip that resulted us being diverted to an airport nowhere close to our destination, OH trotted off to pay for an immensely expensive taxi ride, with the proviso that dinners and lunches for the duration we were in London were on me. I agreed, but also wrote a strongly worded email complaint to the carrier. After having forgotten all about it, I received an email today from the company apologising for the inconvenience caused, along with the full reimbursement. Dinners and lunches for the rest of the weekend are on OH. Result: FREE MEALS!

3. I am getting on very well with my boss. His partner is now eager to meet me after us having multiple conversations on the telephone. Result: FREE DRINK!

4. My pain-in-the-arse client has the limits of tolerance that my company is willing to take. As a result discussions have been had along the lines of 'understanding that we may not meet the service and dedication we may be able to offer, but throroughly understand should you wish to move to a different service provider'. Result: FREE OF STRESS!

5. OH and I have NOTHING planned this weekend, given the hectic schedule we are facing next week. Result: VEGETATING AND RELAXING.

Good Friday to all you lovely readers.

*doffs sun hat*

*bows*

*EXITS ROOM*

Midweek choon...

... this is one of the best I've seen in a while. Very funny, and now you too can sing along with wild abandon in the knowledge that you know the lyrics.

How to...

...make macarons: A Masterclass.

First, lets reveal the beast of a birthday present:




Method:

The ingredients (from left to right): dark chocolate, double cream, ground almonds, butter, icing sugar, caster sugar, eggs, red food colouring.

Background: pestle and mortar, 70's spice rack, stonebaked kitchen tiles.

Liquid refreshment for the pâtissier

Seperate the whites into a bowl...

... and reserve the yolks to make Hollandaise/Bearnaise sauce

Carefully measure the ground almonds and icing sugar

and sift together. The idea is to get a fine mixture but that meant I had to ground the almonds up and I couldn't be bothered so I abandoned this step half way through and dumped everything in au naturel but this shows up in the final product.

Whisk the eggwhites on medium, and gradually add the granulated sugar...

... until it forms soft peaks (the peaks will collapse gently when pulled)

Add some food colouring (nope, I didn't cut myself; and yes, I thought of the orginal unabridged Snow White story where her mother cuts her finger and 3 drops of blood fall into the snow)

Whisk the coloured egg whites until it forms stiff peaks. The peaks should now hold their shape when pulled.

Now add the ground almonds/icing sugar mixture, and fold in with deft movements. The air will escape and the end product should look like this:

and have the consistency of magma.

transfer mixture into pastry bag. (Note the coarse bits of the ground almonds)

Pipe onto a baking sheet with Swiss precision...

... then leave to air for about 1 hour so a skin forms on the macaron shells.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins at 160°c.

Meanwhile, we prepare the ganache. Break the dark chocolate into small pieces in a mixing bowl.

Transfer the double cream to a saucepan and gently bring to the boil.

Pour the hot cream onto the broken chocolate pieces and stir vigourously.

Then add a knob of softened butter and mix until fully incorporated.

See the glossy sheen this has now achieved? Leave to cool and set for 30 mins to an hour.

Remove the macaron shells from the oven (note the flecks of coarse ground almond)

Turn onto a cooling rack to cool before filling with the chocolate ganache.

I forgot to take pictures of the filling process (because I was now on Beer # 3), but I think you get the idea: fill pastry bag with chocolate ganache, pipe into one shell and sandwich with the other half. Chill in fridge and eat next day with gusto.

Verdict: Not Bad at all. Next time I will grind the almonds down to a finer consistency, and I will leave the egg whites out to age for a day or two as this reduces the water content and allows the macaron shell to retain a more chewy consistency. I would also add more colouring so the red/dark chocolate contrast is more striking, and I will definitely experiment with other flavour combinations. However, for a first attempt I hereby declare this a Success.