#(Originally was thinking of maybe going with the Lady of Shallot)

[tulmultuous]

ii - Ruin - Maen Arthur

The 25 ton capstone of an ancient burial chamber near Reynoldston, north of Cefn Brynis, West Glamorgan (SS490905) is called Arthur’s stone and his ghost is occasionally said to emerge from underneath it – it is explained as a stone that was tossed from Arthur’s shoe

Text from: A Gazetteer of Arthurian Onomastic and Topographic Folklore by Dr. Caitlin R. Green (see page 9 of the linked PDF)

This was entirely experimental, and went in a totally different direction, in part because @mortiscausa had mentioned Wales/the Welsh influence somewhere as an additional layer to the challenge which I gladly accept, and partly because look at the ink bleeding effect on those brushes.

It did not help that I revisited the palette, and saw some of the amazing pieces that had already been posted. And that locked in landscape.

[not-in-wonderland-alice]

Taipei for the first time

【Česky】

It’s already been a month since I packed up my life and moved to the other side of the world seeking adventures. I’ll be honest with you. It’s hard! But that’s life, there are ups and downs, good days and bad days. And even if there are bad days, I try my best to make the good ones out of them.

Although I don’t have many classes, I need to study hard in my free time. Chinese is still the most challenging class for me. What’s different from my home university is that we aren’t used to reading so much, here it is chapter or two per week.

On the other hand, free days are perfect for catching up with the school, doing nothing or finally some trips and adventures. On Saturday’s early morning we prepared for the first visit to the capital city. There are few travelling options. We’ve chosen the nearest bus stop, which is like 30-minute walk far from our dorm. There is ticket machine o if you prefer it the old way… a nice lady behind the small window. We’ve got a student discount so one-way trip cost us 105 TWD. The bus stopped on a few stops in the city and then straight on the highway and to the Taipei city centre, near to the main bus station, it was a 1-hour ride.

I don’t know how it is in city public transport but in the bus between cities is, of course, an AC, USB hole for charging phones, free Wi-fi and in some tv/tablet with some movies, music, games... In the Czech Republic, Regiojet buses and Trains use them too.

I was expecting a massive shock when I will come to almost 3 million cities. I don’t know why, but there was no wow effect. Might be, because I have already seen some big cities and I am kind of used on Taiwanese culture.

We’ve got off the bus near the main bus station which is right next to the main train station. Unfortunately, the first impression I got wasn’t so pleasant. The surroundings of the bus stop were just… ugly! Broken window of a now empty shop, dirty covers, garbage… The main station itself really improved my impression on Taipei so far. You know these parking houses with few floors. This was the same principle. You buy a ticket on the ground floor and then you go to one of the 5 floors to find your gate and you get on the bus. Strange thing for me that the ticket gets left right corner ripped off although there is perforated whole right part of the ticket. And when you get off the bus you need to return the ripped ticked to the driver.

After we walked a bit around the station we decided to walk into one of the 9 Taipei Districts. We walked past the National Museum, The President’s office, where they were preparing a huge stage with a speaker desk. I just found out it was because whole Taiwan will be celebrating "Double Ten Day“ in the other words Anniversary of founding Republic of China (Taiwan).

Political window

PRC = People’s Republic of China = the big, mainland China

ROC = Republic of China = Taiwan

Then we visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, former President of the Republic of China. This memorial hall is located in colossal areal of rectangular shape. On the west side you can see the main gate. If you wall through the gate you will find yourself on the Liberty Square. On the north and south side are placed National Theatre and National Concert Hall. And on the east side is erected the memorial hall itself. Do you remember how I said I wasn’t feeling the wow effect? Here it comes. Honestly… until this moment I thought how weirdly empty the streets of Taipei are. In this place, it changed. From above all the tourists seemed like ants... taking selfies.

On our way to the botanical garden, we as usual stopped for some bubble tea. If you don’t know what this phenomenon is, let me introduce it in a small cultural window.

Cultural window

Many of you might be surprised that these world-famous drinks formed in 80. years of 20. century right here in Taiwan. The classic version is black tea with milk and black „jelly“ or how Taiwanese say „QQ“ Tapioca balls (Tapioca is some kind of starch from some kind of plant, doesn’t matter, it tastes delicious.) Nowadays are popular fruity flavours, green tea, oolong and jellies in a wide range of flavours. You can find bubble tea vendors and shops almost on every corner in Taiwan.

We got a small break and relaxed in the botanical garden too. You can explore bamboos, water lilies, ferns or maybe some cactuses, have fun in the herbarium or look at the birds and squirrels fooling around. Botanical garden has free entry and if nothing it is a nice walk.

In the original itinerary, the almost last stop was the Museum of Contemporary Art. I haven’t got inside in the end because our plans unexpectedly changed, and we’ve headed to the MRT. I was so scared but using the MRT is soooo simple and easy. We are lucky because our school ID card in addition to the opening a variety of doors also works as a contactless credit card. You just simply put some money on it in the information booth (or if you are more experienced or brave you can use the machine), then you ta pit, get through the turnstile and you are free to enjoy your ride. When you are leaving the MRT you need to ta pit again and get through the turnstile out. Price is variable, it depends on how many stops did you ride through. We’ve went through almost half of the red line and paid only 20 TWD.

We’ve been standing in front of the Elephant mountain, which provides one of the best views on Taipei. Unfortunately, 400m separates you from the beautiful scenery. Now hear me out... 400m… which you must climb by stairs… very loooong and exhausting stairs. But I have to say... damn it is worth it. I think any time during the day. Up on the hill, there are a lot of spots to get the best glimpse on the sunset, sunrise or night city or whatever. There place is usually packed with tourist, but you can always look through the trees. We’ve been there for the sunset and night Taipei.

After two hours of chilling when it got quite cold (by that I mean it was 30°C and when the temperature drops to 24°C I am freezing... see... one month on Taiwan and my perception of temperature changed a lot., we’ve decided to go on diner with friends. We choose a smaller bistro. Boys decided to try a fried squid but we sticked to the beef with shallot.

Whereas the last bus leaves at 23 we’ve got back to MRT, and on the bus home. Positive is next Taipei adventures waits… just in a week!

And if you would think my life gets boring here… as I was lying down, writing this article I got feeling like I was in a train. I looked on my roommate and understood she is shaking too. I texted my friend in Taipei and asked him if I am going mad or…?

And that’s how I experienced my first earthquake ever!

[bebethsas]

Legends Summarized: King Arthur

I’m posting this for two reasons:

1) I REALLY LOVE THIS CHANNEL (seriously you guys, check it out, it’s run by two incredibly talented, incredibly intelligent individuals), and I really love Red’s cover of ‘If Ever I Should Leave You’ from Camelot on the endcredits.

2) Upon hearing said cover, my mind of course went: ‘you know what ship this song fits pretty well? Shirbert. It fits Shirbert pretty well.’ And I insist that this version fits better than the original b/c it’s quieter, more down-to-earth (the original is more dramatic, operatic, with sweeping music and an echoing end-chorus/ stanza.) and well, I’m sorry Robert Gould but Red’s voice is more soothing to listen to. (YES I SAID IT.)

(You can go back and watch the entire video--you’re gonna wanna watch it twice in order to catch all of Red’s commentary AND all the visual jokes she adds in her drawings, btw ;)--OR keep reading down below to see why I think this song fits Shirbert. Of course, I recommend doing BOTH but hey, it’s your call.)

reasons:

it’s literally a song sung by a guy saying that there isn’t one moment of the year that he could bear leaving his love’s side/ could bear ending this flirtacious ‘relationship’ they’ve got going on and permanently go away. (yes I know Gilbert left Avonlea, but you must admit, now that he’s back it’s going to take something huge to pull him away from her (yes I know, like his future at medical college, shut up I’m making a romantic point here))

it’s Arthurian. It’s freaking Arthurian (hello? the reenactment of the Lady of Shallot boat scene--which I still believe is going to happen in season 3, btw, I don’t think that false alarm of it in season 2 is all we’re going to get). It’s ALSO sung by a knight the the Queen he loves (who loves him back). (you will have to pull my personal headcanon that Gilbert is the knight in white armor to her Princess Cordelia/ Queen Anne from my cold dead hands)

Or maybe I’m a little tired and I heard a lovely cover of a nice love song and I’m seeing patterns that aren’t there. Oh well.

GO WATCH OVERLY SARCASTIC PRODUCTIONS ON YOUTUBE

AND GO WATCH ‘ANNE WITH AN E’!!

[ancientbrit]

Natter # 19  09/04/2016

Subject: MI MG Natter #19 Date: September 4, 2016 at 10:16:01 PM PDT Cuttings continue to delight me. Out of the pot of eight "Seven Sons" I took on the 9th of July, I notice that there are at least two cuttings sending out new growth. Given the date and not knowing their growth rate I will probably need to protect them over the Winter. That's probably true for all the other cuttings that I am seeing now sending out new growth, amongst which are Fuchsias - at least eight different varieties and about 30 total in number. Then there is the very precious Daphne and the two Viburnum carlesii, two different Jasmine, and others. It has been a rather successful Summer I think. I have really enjoyed the eight or so propagation talks I have given so far and I am just starting to hear back from some of the attendees about their successes or otherwise. I have one more talk to give, in September I think it is, but I cannot remember when or where, so I hope whoever asked me to do it, remembers in time to remind me! Today I lifted the last of my Ailsa Craig onions and I will check their weights in a few days to see if I can challenge my record. The shallots are doing very well too and I will probably lift them next week after the expected rain has moved through - might make them put on a little weight. Right now they are about the size of a soft ball so they are not doing badly at all. I will be lifting my spuds in the next few days too I think, although I don't expect too much from them. I was a bit lax in looking after them this year, forgetting to earth them up, so I am not sure what I can expect, but I will soon find out I guess! Further to that, I had a few seed spuds left over from the planting. I had cut them to make the most  of the seed, but I ran out of space and they have been sequestered in the garage since I bought them at the F&G show in February! I was totally amazed that they are still viable, although the original seed tubers have shrunk somewhat. As an experiment I took them over to the ex-Onion patch and planted them today, just in time to catch the first rain drops. My hope is that they will grow and produce a few small spuds in time for Christmas Dinner. They will take a little while to show above ground being a bit whizzened, but with the promised rain to come in the next few days I think they will make it. If they don't there is always TJ's to rely on. My next year's veggie crop will be somewhat different I feel. For a start I won't grow Sun Gold tomatoes again. Great taste though it has, the skins are rather tough and the plant itself grows like a weed. I find it difficult to get into my greenhouse right now as it has grown up to the roof and has come down again in several places and I am fed up with ducking every time I go in. It has also compromised a nearby cucumber which has since stopped producing, when normally it has produced something like 3 every two days. I will probably return to my old favorite English Heirlooms - Ailsa Craig and Alicante - lovely fruit about the size of a golf ball and masses of them. Perfect fruit, red, no blemishes and great flavor. Plus of course my banker - Early Girl. My Melons haven't done so well this year either. Although they were kept watered every day, the leaves have shrivelled and although they set fruit which has grown, the whole lot fell down the other day, so down they stay and I hope they do something - grow a bit bigger and ripen, but who knows now that Autumn seems to be here. I will have erected my fence too before Winter comes, to keep out those dad blasted deer. They have totally destroyed my runner bean crop, by eating every leaf and flower from ground level up to about seven feet. What set above that had been hidden until yesterday and now I find that they are too far gone - just tough and stringy. A total waste of time, money and effort. The Cool Plants & Hot Topics event gets ever closer and just to give you a heads up, you should know that together with Joan Helbacka's talk on Spring Bulbs, you will be offered the chance to order some of those self-same bulbs from Brent & Becky's Bulbs then and there. We have arranged to have Brent & Becky's catalogues available at the event, so that bulbs that take your fancy at the talk can be ordered before you forget. I have ordered their bulbs for years and I have to say that they are of first class quality and then some. I do hope that you will all attend the event and/or volunteer in some way. Whichever, be assured that your presence is needed - we won't be able to do it without you - quite literally and as we hope that it will become an annual event we must remember that you only get one chance to make a first impression. As of this moment, there is just one volunteer for the afternoon shift and I am not sure what we are going to do about that. There was a request sent appealing for volunteers a few days back but the response has been miserable, hopefully it will be alright on the day, although I would rather KNOW it was going to be okay before going in. Last week a client referred to me as "The Hat guy without the hat". I had to explain that both hats are in the shop for their annual refurbishment. The BIG hat had become a trifle heavy on long periods giving me a headache. My birthday hat was starting to get a little the worse for wear and so my friend who made both hats is also refurbing this one too. Bracing things up, probably replacing a couple of tea bags and shuttlecocks and generally giving it the dust & clean it deserves. One or the other, or maybe even both will be back in service by September 24th - wouldn't be a MG plant sale otherwise now would it? Today (4th September) Karin, Paula and I started under several clothing layers. 'Twas a mite nippy at first, but eventually were rewarded and things warmed up - clients started to arrive too, which is always a good thing. Old friends and new arrived over the hours, including my old drinking and dancing partner from last year. Lovely lady and I don't think I will ever forget the story. Just wonderful! I have been sticking cuttings into one of Alison's "Forsythe pots" as she has great success with hers. everything seemed to be going well, although the center pot was getting through water at quite a rate which puzzled me - until that is a looked through the windows one day and saw my cat Pickle drinking from it! There were several samples brought in that had obviously been effected by the dry Summer. Cucumbers, other squashes, tomatoes and on. At least I would hope that by next year people will remember about watering regularly and sufficiently. Previously I had no idea that irregular watering and/or varying temperatures caused cucumbers to develop bitterness, in spite of what Carin had to say. I just have never had the problem, thinking that since cukes are about 90% water they obviously need a fairly copious supply to grow properly. Perhaps I have been lucky in that regard. Rhododendrons also seem to be getting affected, as we had a second sample brought in with collapsed leaves and shrivelling stems. We suspected a nasty sounding fungal attack - 'can't remember the name now and I certainly couldn't spell it without referring to the treatise, but we sent it in for confirmation. The year seems to be dwindling down quite noticeably now, although I did promise an Indian Summer to a couple of ladies, so I will keep my fingers crossed - it has always worked in the past, but maybe this year........! Until next time then, Your fearless leader, Gordon

[yummraj]

A delivery pop up (delhi NCR) of fusion onam sadya , bengali dishes by Pritha sen & Malayali dishes by Prima Kurien)

This is a series about how eating out is, post COVID lockdown. Read about the previous dining out / takeaway / home delivery experiences after the COVID pandemic lockdown here – amar Jyoti tres spectra threesixtyone Tenali bagundi potbelly divine cafe lungta 

In a NUtshell

An OUT OF THE WORLD experience – food (heaven), everything else (hell) – meeting expectations, items promised in the menu missing, logistics, packaging. Lunch arrived at 3.30 pm!!! No expectation setting, no warnings, no proactive updates.

Address & other details: onam pronam

Meal for 2: ₹ 2600

Cuisine type :  vegetarian

Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by YUMMRAJ were visited by YUMMRAJ himself & he has paid for the full Bill & tips also. http://www.yummraj.com does not have even one featured / sponsored reviews. YUMMRAJ believes in going to a restaurant in anonymity, as a normal guest, experience everything & give a honest account of the same to you.

I rate all the food items & then give a final overall rating which is a simple average of the individual item ratings. What the ratings stand for: 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Disaster

Short description- in case u r in a hurry

Our first onam sadya was at our friend Dilip Jayaram’s house in mumbai 5 years back. We were floored the the amazing food that we had that day. The standards were set just too high. We’ve had many more sadyas since then – some great, some good.

Kerala has a more plural religious mix than most other states of India – slightly more than 50% is the hindus & 45% is Muslims & Christians put together. Onam is a harvest festival (originally based on Hindu mythology) that is celebrated by people from all religions. Interestingly sadya is eaten during this festival by malayalis from all religions & the food is vegetarian for all.

Traditionally this multi dish meal is served on a banana leaf. There is a certain logic to which curry / item is served in which part of the banana leaf. A ripe small banana is also served along with the rice & Curries. Sadya has a sweet dish as well. We were told that most people eat the Curries / chutneys in a certain sequence.

We have been to many pop ups by food historian, journalist & food artist Pritha Sen & have always loved them. Each of her pop ups are unique & totally different from the past ones. We vividly remember food that we had a 7 years back, by Prima Kurien, at Dastkar haat, Delhi. She runs a catering business, serving some great Kerala food in Delhi NCR.

So when we heard about the collaboration by these two ladies for onam, we were super excited. The idea was to have onam sadya with Kerala dishes & bengali dishes that go with the theme.

When we read the social media post further, we got to know that the event is being organised by THE SOUL FOOD COMPANY. We had a slightly strange experience with them few weeks back. Nevertheless onam pronam seemed to be way more interesting, to avoid.

We paid the full amount for onam lunch (Sunday 30th August) in advance 6 days before the lunch. Payment options were google pay or bank transfer. The guy from SOUL FOOD told us that he will send details of delivery on Sunday.

On Sunday morning we checked. We were told that lunch will reach by 1.30 pm. At 1.05 pm, we were told that the lunch will arrive between 2-2.15 pm due to ‘extreme delay in kitchen’. When we connected with them at 2.20 pm, we were told ‘delivery guy got caught in rain. He will reach really soon’. The really soon of course did not happen. We thought at that point – Even the best in the hospitality industry make mistakes, but the best ones make up for it (I always admire TAJ hotels on this front).

We were thinking of calling friends to share the food. Thanking our luck that we did not do – else we wud have had to keep our guests waiting till 3.30!!!

The food came in a torn paper bag. Inside the bag were two kinds of paper/papier-mâché containers. The paper ones were un-sealed (2 of them were closed using cello tapes).

Many liquid items had spilled out. In a situation where restaurants are going the extra mile to deliver safe food, I don’t even know if someone has drank some of the sambhar onway, or ate some curry, before delivering to us.

There were 6 items for which we paid but did not receive – Payasam, Pachadi , Aumbole, Samandhi podi (totally unacceptable), Mango pickle (ok, don’t mind that much), Ripe Banana (no worries). The courier boy either ate lunch from those or he just threw them away to reduce weight of the bag.

SOUL FOOD company’s actions led to us getting FOUL MOOD on an otherwise lovely Sunday . Second time in a row!!!

The way I see it is SHIT HAPPENS. But what one does in such situation, (‘to set expectations’ / update / proactively communicate/ make it up / apologize etc) differentiates the serious long term players vs. the non serious/ inexperienced players. The guys in question here did not bother to do any such thing – it’s the worst thing to do, to keep people sitting & waiting for food. An intimation & expectation setting would have led to arranging alternative options.

The heavenly food made up for all the torture. We were speechless after eating the food.

Detailed description – in case u hv the time to njoy reading:

The choice of bengali dishes was stunning. It blended beautifully with the concept. For someone who did not know this was fusion, he/she might not have understood that this is a marriage of two different cuisines from two places 2400 km apart, with almost everything different but for the love for CPIM & literacy (Ha Ha).

All bengali Curries except malai curry were cooked without onion & garlic.

Teetar daal (daal with karela, this making it bitter – meaning teeta in bengali) – it was outstanding, the grains of daal cud be felt, grated coconut gave it texture, ginger made its presence felt – we just cud not stop raving about it. Rate it 4.75/5

Inji curry (Kerala) was made from ginger juliennes, tamarind & jaggery. It was neither too sweet nor too sour. Infact the ginger pieces, when chewed, tasted a bit bitter. Very different from the ones we have had before. Enjoyable. Rate it 3.5/5

Chenchki (Bengal) was made from stem of banana plant (called thore in bengali). This was mind blowing. Juicy, crunchy, minimally spiced. Flavors of methi made its presence felt. Grated coconut added texture & flavor. Absolutely stellar. Rate it 4.95/5

Sambhar (Kerala) was thick (maybe due to leakage as well). It hit the perfect spot when it came to the balance of taste & flavors. Absolutely loved the vegetables – they were able to retain their texture well. Rate it 4.75/5

Thoran (Kerala) was made with French beans, topped with grated coconut. This was good but we have surely had much better. The beans were crunchy, on the borderline of being sub optimally cooked. Rate it 3/5.

Morich jhol (Bengal) – I guess the thin gravy from this had leaked away too. What remained was a thick dry gravy that climbed to the vegetable – jhinga tori/ ridge gourd. The split yellow pea dumplings were daanedaar & absolutely wonderful. Loved it. Rate it 4.75/5

Theeyil (kerala) was whole shallots in thick gravy of roasted coconut, dhania & tamarind. This one was one of the few dishes which had more spices. The texture was grainy. The taste was a medley of sweet, sour & salt. Very enjoyable. Rate it 4.5/5

Chorchori (Bengal) – this is a melange of vegetables, bori (vadi/ lentil dumplings) & a saag. Pumpkin, gourd, brinjal etc were the veggies, pui shaak (Malabar spinach) was the saag. Spicing was apt. The vegetables retained their main texture, yet mixed beautifully with other vegetables. It was like the best of orchestra. Rate it 4.5/5

Pachidi (Kerala) – we did not receive.

Chhokka (Bengal) – pumpkin & Bengal gram curry. Slow cooked. Lovely texture. The Bengal grams & pumpkin had become soft, yet retained their texture. Methi flavor made its presence felt. Rate it 4.5/5

Okan (Kerala) – this was a curry of cow peas (a kind of lentil) & ashgourd. Two distinct textures. Two distinct mouthfeel. They came together very well. Rate it 4.5/5

  Malai curry (Bengal) – this was bottle gourd cooked in coconut milk & with onions. This was very good on its own. Coconut milk flavor or texture did not make its presence felt. Never had this earlier. Always have tasted chingri malai curry (prawns) or evening crab. Rate it 3.5/5

Kootu (Kerala) – this was a dry curry of green banana & full moong dal, cooked in coconut oil. Fabulous. The robust flavors of curry leaf & coconut, the fantastic texture of both the main ingredients & the beyond perfect taste. Rate it 4.95/5

Rice (Kerala) was outstanding. Never had this as good outside Kerala. Perfectly cooked. Did not leave a grain of it. Rate it 4.95/5

Aumbole (Bengal) – we did not receive

Sambharam (Kerala) – this had a thin raita kind of base, with raw onions, ginger in it. Ginger made its presence felt.

Absolutely loved the jujube pickle (Bengal). Could not stop eating that. Sticky. Sweet & sour. Flavor of ginger. Perfect. Rate it 4.95/5

Til badam jhuri (Bengal) – very interesting, like podi. Loved having it with rice.

Payasam (Kerala) – did not receive.

Samandhi podi, mango pickle – did not receive.

Overall rating of food at this pop up averages out to 4.43/5

A phenomenal score for such a long menu.

Rating of the organisers – 0/5

Wud be wary to order again from SOUL FOOD, fearing FOUL MOOD. Hope they learn from their mistakes.

Onam pronam (SOUL FOOD COMPANY) A delivery pop up (delhi NCR) of fusion onam sadya , bengali dishes by Pritha sen & Malayali dishes by Prima Kurien)

[drawerevent03-blog]

On days like these

“On days like these when skies are blue and fields are green” it’s hard to imagine that we were ever in winter or in early Spring. That there were ever days when the trees were bare, the vineyards grey and empty. The cherries in our garden have come and gone, the strawberries are retreating, the peonies struggling with the heat. White asparagus is becoming a distant memory and the broad beans are starting to wilt. Right now I’m drinking an iced, herbal tea – a real summer drink. Our tomatoes are just around the corner, as are the plums and peaches. Does life really go this fast? Did spring really happen?

I guess it did because I have photographic evidence. Many weeks ago, just when we were getting very tired of winter, I planned a little spring blogpost. To celebrate early spring and all it brings. The cherry blossoms were at their best and I was playing with a few little recipes I wanted to share. A lot of our energy has been devoted to other things lately, workshop season, developing our new website, travelling. But here it is finally, a little souvenir of spring, of cherry blossoms before they were fruits, of branches before they were green. And two recipes that don’t really rely on seasonal ingredients so they can be made any time of the year. Two crumbles of very different origins.

The opening lines of this blog post are borrowed from the song “On days like these” which features during the opening credits of the film “The Italian job”(written by none other than Quincy Jones). It’s played a big part in our lives recently as my husband loves it (too much). Recently he drove to Holland to pick up our brand new Bracco Italiano puppy and according to him he listened to the song on repeat the whole way up and down Europe. Which probably means close to a thousand times. From an Ipod without headphones or speakers (which probably mean he didn’t really hear it very well – that Land Rover is loud). I’m very glad I wasn’t on that trip but how glad am I that we got that dog. So beautiful and heartwarming. We let him sleep in our bed the other night which is the first time that has ever happened. You’ll see a lot of Monte Cristo in the future.

RUE LOUDENNE

I have been talking a lot about our new online magazine over the past year, made a few announcements that haven’t really come true. But now we’re ready. Within very few weeks we’ll be up and running. First a soft opening over the summer and then in full force from September onwards. This is not a hoax 🙂 You can find us at www.rueloudenne.com The title is borrowed from our address, a simplified version. We think of our house as a home and haven for our family but it’s also very much a house of food. A place where food, good produce & cooking is of the highest importance. I have been thinking about it for a while now, because people sometimes ask me, what is my message, what am I trying to do, to achieve? Of course I’m very fond of France, proud of it’s culinary traditions and happy to live here. I’m thrilled if people come to our beautiful region because they’ve found out about it through me. I love it when people like my recipes, find my books useful or entertaining. But none of that is really my message.

The one point I would most like to get across is this. Cook real food, then sit down with your family and eat it. Simple as that. Of course it’s fun to get a little elaborate or go to lenghts sourcing the finest produce, even growing it yourself. But cooking doesn’t need to fancy or expensive to serve its purpose. A thoughtful, simple meal, enjoyed with your kids at the end of the day has never been more necessary or more in danger. The family meal needs a home. Rue Loudenne will do its best. But ours is not a preaching site, there are no taboos, no food snobbery, no exclusivity. It’s a “house” of food which is open to everyone who likes to eat and cook. Rue Loudenne will have entries 2-3 times a week, not just from me but from my friends, from my husband and from all sorts of people I admire and like. We will broaden our horizons, travel a bit. Recipes will be more accessible and better filed (so you can find all recipes for artichokes when they are in season etc). We’ll have current information about our events and activities, such as workshops, our future farmers market, pop-ups and special events we are planning. We’ll have an online shop, we’ll produce more things to sell ourselves. There will be a wine corner, a dog corner. Maybe even a cocktails corner.

Mostly we’ll be there regularly and it will all be delicious.

As for my beloved Manger it will not cease to exist but it will take on a less prominent role. We won’t change a thing but posts will be less frequent (ehrm if that’s possible). My idea is to do 4 posts a year, to celebrate each season. I have always adored writing and cooking for Manger but while our format has proven popular and successful it also comes with restraints. There are times when I simply want to share a lunch I just made, a story I heard.

Manger has brought us together and given me so many opportunities. Without her (of course she’s a girl) I wouldn’t have done any of the things I’ve done, no cookbooks, no rue Loudenne, no tv show.

She will forever be honorary chair lady of the food board – queen of my kitchen.

Merci my friend …

ps Very soon we’ll be announcing the workshop dates for 2018. As always we’ll shake things up a little bit, try new things. I hope you will like what we’re offering.

The girls dresses are from Marie Puce Paris.

Leeks with hazelnuts and goat’s cheese crumble

25 g/ 5 ounces hazelnuts, ground coarsely 6 medium-sized leeks, washed and trimmed 2 garlic cloves, sliced finely 1 tablespoon salted-butter 1/2 glass glass of white wine 1/2 glass chicken or vegetable stock 230 g/ 8 ounces goat cheese (choose a firmer one, in the style of a brie) Two shallots, sliced fried until golden and crispy Olive oil A handful of salad (I used shiso salad) Coarse sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the dark green tops of the leeks and the roots and remove the outer layer from each one. Rinse under cold water. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, then the wine and simmer to reduce, about 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat, cover and cook until the leeks are tender, about 10 minutes.

In another pan, sauté the shallots in olive oil until golden and crispy. Set aside.

Make the crumble:

In a food processor, combine the hazelnuts and goat’s cheese, add a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse a few seconds until you get a crumble.

In a small bowl,make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the olive oil, mustard and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the leeks in an oven-proof dish, and place the crumble on top. Place under the grill for a few minutes until golden. Pour the leek stock into a deep plate or bowl, transfer the golden leeks with the crumble, into the bowl, and scatter the salad (optional) and shallots all over. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Cod with gratinée chorizo

(for 6 people)

6 cod fillets 230 g/ 8 ounces chorizo 45 g/ 1/2 cup tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 45 g/ 3/4 cup tablespoons of breadcrumbs 15 g/ unsalted butter Olive oil Piment d’Espelette Coarse sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F/200°C

Fry the chorizo in a pan and cook on a medium heat until it becomes golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside. In a food processor, combine chorizo ​​with parmesan and breadcrumbs. Add softened butter and pulse until you get a crumbled mixture. Place the cod filets on a baking dish, generously smooth the crumbled chorizo mixture on the cod and place the dish in the fridge for 30 minutes. Transfer the fish in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cod is cooked through and the chorizo is golden and sizzling. Sprinkle a dash of piment d’Espelette and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Source: http://mimithorisson.com/2017/06/11/on-days-like-these/

[the-coconut-asado]

‘FRISCO FOOD DECODED

There are times – desperate, self-loathing times - when Starbucks can be your best friend. San Francisco at 5.30am is one of those times.

When you sleep the sleep of the terminally insane after an eleven-hour flight, and the only thing that will stop the spiteful, insistent pumping in your head is a flat white and a toasted bagel, the Green Machine on Grant Street delivers when all around it are resolutely shut until way after sunrise.

Are you going to San Francisco? If so, you will need to plan your food because ‘Friscans breakfast late and dine early. Like, 5PM early. The rest of the time, many a working San Franciscan can be seen gliding purposefully, some on rollerblades, most in smart-casual, clutching their macrobiotic lunch boxes on their way to their fintech start-up/angel investor / power spin at Soul Cycle. All pencil slender, glowingly healthy slaves to the algorithm.  

After 9PM, when most of Europe and all of South America is just getting started, no one seems interested in rustling you up something tasty. Some restaurants start managing you out of the door after 8 in the evening. Room service grinds to a similar halt and good luck trying a delivery app if you don’t have a US phone. One evening recently, rabid with hunger after a full day at work and a lengthy late workout, the lady in my hotel reception took pity on me and surreptitiously shunted me a note with the name of a local pizza takeaway, which delivered until 2AM. The pizza was delicious – mushroom and feta on a crisp, sourdough crust – but I am sure I detected a hint of New York, not SF, sass when I made the phone order.

However, when you do succeed in squeezing your food into a 9-5 window, it’s worth the time management. I have my personal favourites, and there isn’t a spoonful of spirulina among them. Here are my top five:

Mr Holmes Bakehouse

If you spot badgers as a pastime, then you have the skills to catch Mr Holmes in the few hours they are open. To be fair, this Mr Holmes is an outpost of the Los Angeles original and their tiny premises serve up unctuous, matcha-iced croissants, doughnuts filled with chilli-lime crème pat and more, between 7AM and 2PM. Maybe go a little later if you are on your own: it’s more lower Nob Hill than Tenderloin  - the epicentre of the City’s crack problem -  but it still doesn’t feel like the safest district to walk around before daybreak.

Chinatown – Old and New

Aside from Sydney, no one does Chinatown like San Francisco. My first experience of it was eating Dim Sum at the City View Restaurant (which, by the way, has no view, of the City or otherwise). We went in intending to order sensibly. Half an hour later we’d gone rogue, stuffing succulent Duck Gyoza into our mouths like Animal the muppet. Newer to the area, China Live on Broadway is a multi-layered emporium of bistro, fine dining and shop. It’s also opposite that 50’s style homage to Psycho, the Royal Pacific Motel, which I intend to stay in someday just for the Instagram creds.

 Not something I normally say about a Chinese restaurant, China Live serves a number of delicious vegetarian dishes.  These include red dumplings stuffed with scallops and peas, together with some imaginative fish and seafood, heroing the Dungeness Crab (seems to be a thing in this City). 

The shop also sold a work of art masquerading as a frying pan which I have been tearing my hair out trying to track down online ever since.

The Food Trucks near Battery Street

If you like Viet, Thai, Indonesian or Malaysian food, then google map these trucks on a Wednesday. The tastiest of them all is The Chairman, serving baked or steamed Bao. Too cool to make an obvious pun of their name and speciality, they let you do the math. 

Their crispy pork belly baked Bao is like a luxe burger and the bao chips with seaweed salt (basically deep-fried wonton wrappers) are the fries you never knew you needed.

Boudin’s Sourdough Factory

Yes, it’s by Fisherman’s Wharf, yes, it’s a tourist trap, but damn it! I love their chewy sourdough. Hollowed out and filled with New England Clam Chowder and a basil and cucumber cocktail on the side, thank you please. I used to be able to buy a loaf at the airport in departures, and it was still tasty when toasted a week later in London.

Contigo

In need of some sophistication? Poor you! Well, rich you if you fancy heading to this delicious riff on a Spanish Tapas kitchen in the Castro District. Some lovely vegetarian options, but my hands down favourite dish was their beef cheeks. Not on the menu now as we head into summer, but their current menu is sporting some pretty compelling mechouli lamb.

Wherever you choose to leave your heart, honeymoon or get drunk in San Fran (all genuine songs about the City), try out any or all of these three nods to its cuisine. And eat them at whatever time of day you like.

Clam Sourdough Crostini

It’s the texture of Sourdough that I think is so wonderful – and the way it sponges up the juices of whatever you are cooking. This little number, inspired by a recipe from Harts in Brooklyn, could be served equally well without the clam shells, but the end result wouldn’t look as pretty and scooping out the clam meat at the table at the table is part of the fun. Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. Olive oil

50g diced pancetta or lardons

4 garlic cloves, 2 sliced 2 left whole

2 banana shallots, finely chopped

½ a fennel bulb, chopped

2 strips lemon zest

1 bay leaf

½ tsp. ground fennel (or smash fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar)

1 glass dry white wine

500g clams

1 tsp chilli flakes

Small bunch parsley, torn

Drizzle of single cream (optional)

2-3 thick slices ideally San Francsico sourdough

How to Make

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan.  Add pancetta or lardons and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp (around 3-4 mins). Add sliced garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden.  

Reduce heat and add the shopped shallots and fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and onion is translucent. Add lemon zest, bay leaf, ground fennel, ½ cup wine and a pinch of salt. Increase heat, stirring occasionally, until wine is mostly reduced but mixture is still reasonably fluid (this should take about 2-3 minutes). Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; discard lemon zest and bay leaf.

Wipe out the frying pan and pop back on the heat. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil until sizzling. Add sourdough slices and griddle golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen towels, then cut 1 garlic clove in half and rub one side of each toast with cut side of garlic.

Back to the frying pan for one last time and heat 1 tbsp. oil.   Crush the remaining garlic clove and add to the oil, stirring, until it begins to turn golden. Add clams, the pancetta/ garlic mix and remaining ½ cup wine. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until liquid is reduced by half and clams are open (discard any that do not open), which should take 5–7 minutes. Add a drizzle of cream if desired, together with the chilli flakes and parsley and cook 1 minute longer. Taste and season with kosher salt and more chilli flakes.

Place fried bread on plates and spoon clam mixture and cooking broth over. Drizzle with oil and serve.

Pork Belly Bao

Like I said, food orgasm meets coma once you have eaten a Mr Chairman Bao. Here is my version, using a marinade mix for the pork from China Doll in Sydney.

Makes 10 bao.

Ingredients:

For the Bao dough:

250g plain flour

2 tsp dry active yeast

1 tbsp. Caster sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

100ml tepid water

50ml milk

1 tbsp. sunflower oil

Chopped spring onions and coriander to serve.

For the char siu pork

2 tbsp. sunflower oil

1kilo pork belly, no rind and cut into thick slices

2 tbsp each   dark muscovado and 2 tbsp. light brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Small piece of ginger, sliced

2 star anise

80 ml hoi sin sauce

100 ml Shaoxing wine

2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

100 ml water

¼ tsp five spice powder

Kosher salt and black pepper.

How to make

First, prepare the pork (you can do this ahead and re-heat).

Heat the oven to 160C, or Gas 3.

Season the pork belly generously, heat the oil and brown the pork in a large pot, in batches. Drain and put to one side.

Mix the hoi sin, Shaoxing wine and dark soy sauce in a jug. Drain the saucepan of oil, then put back on the heat, add the sugar and a little water, and watch closely until it starts to turn to caramel. Working quickly, add the chopped garlic, ginger and star anise, stir then add the soy, Shaoxing and hoi sin mix. Add the pork back to the pan, stir to coat, then add the water and the five-spice powder. Cover and pop into the oven for about 1.5 hours.

Take the pot out of the oven and remove the lid (take care to use oven gloves - don’t forget the lid is hot too). Put it on a hob ring and turn the heat up medium/ high, then stir the pork belly while the sauce bubbles down to a sticky mess. Cover and leave to one side.

If you want everything to be ready at the same time, start making the buns while the pork is in the oven. Tip the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl, preferably in a free-standing mixer with a dough hook. Add the yeast to one side of the flour and the salt to the other (mixing the salt and yeast too soon prevents the yeast from activating). Then add the water, milk and oil and mix with a dough hook for about 10 minutes, until the mix is smooth and elastic.

Pop the ball of dough into a greased bowl, cover and leave for an hour in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

After an hour, tip the dough onto a floured board, and roll it into a sausage, then cut it into 10 equal portions. Have some squares of baking parchment cut and ready on a lightly oiled baking tray or two. Roll each portion of dough into an oval, lightly oil the flat surface, then lay a greased chopstick across it. 

Flip one side of the dough over the chopstick so you end up with a half-moon shape, then slide the chopstick out and lay the bun on a square of baking parchment. Repeat with the other 9 portions.

Leave the buns, lightly covered, to rise for another hour.

Heat the water in your steamer, and when coming to a rolling boil, add the buns (as many as will fit at a time) cover and steam for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

If you cooked the pork much earlier, reheat by adding a cup of water to loosen up the sticky caramel mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate or board and slice up or shred. Chop the spring onions (green stalks included) and roughly chop the coriander.

Spit each bun, fill with sliced/ shredded pork, add some spring onions and coriander and serve.

Turmeric Cake

I have never eaten this in ‘Frisco, but I feel that I should have. It’s almost vegan (properly vegan if you swap the milk for almond milk), has the anti-inflammatory rhizome-du- jour, turmeric, as it’s hero ingredient, and has the taste and texture of a light fudge. This is originally a Syrian delicacy and you can find a version in the Almond Bar cookbook. They also sell a delicious version at Café Pera in Twickenham, which uses coconut oil as its fat. It is a combination of the two on which my recipe is based. Serves 10-12.

Ingredients:

440g fine semolina

100g chickpea flour

60g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled and grated

250g coconut oil, melted then cooled.

385g unrefined caster sugar

375 milk or almond milk

2 tbsp. tahini

1 tsp vanilla essence

Whole blanched almonds, toasted.

How to make

Preheat the oven to 190C/ Gas mark 6.

Rub tahini over the base and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin and put to one side.

Combine the flour, chickpea flour, semolina and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, milk, grated turmeric and 60ml water and whisk together. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth and golden yellow.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and top with the lightly toasted whole almonds. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake turns a golden brown, then remove from the oven and leave in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out carefully onto a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate.

This tin will keep in a tin or wrapped in clingfilm for a week.

[burgerteamgo]

Clyde Common - ...Chewy...

We each had the Clyde Common Rodeo Burger during Happy Hour (bacon, American cheese, fried shallots, Marshall's habañero BBQ, pickles, $8). We also got a side of fries ($4). Karen had a glass of the House White wine ($6) because she’s not picky about her wine, only her burgers.

[Garbled voices]

T: Whoops, my phone wasn’t working. I fucked up the recording. I think we were talking about melty cheese?

K: A lot of melty cheese.

T: You know I’m a fan.

K: There’s a sweet flavor to this burger. I think it’s the ketchup, one of those organic ketchups that has cinnamon and crap. It’s kind of distracting.

T: I like ketchup on burgers, but I also don’t want it to be too distracting. That’s why Heinz is perfect.

K: Heinz can never be beat.

[Silence]

T: This bun is really… dense. Soft, but dense. I’m not really sure what kind of bread this is.

K: The meat doesn’t have a ton of flavor.

T: Yeah, my burger is definitely well done.

K: Same.

T: This kind of reminds me of a super fancy Big Mac.

K: Yeah. It mostly tastes like bread and cheese.

T: Lots of cheese….Oh, I just some bacon. Nice, thick bacon.

K: Haven’t gotten to the bacon yet. But I love the pickles.

[Silence]

K: Can you taste the fried onions?

T: I got a couple. They were really crunchy.

K: I haven’t noticed them yet.

T: I don’t notice the flavor, only the texture. I mostly taste cheese.

K: No complaint there.

T The bread reminds me of baked bao. That thick and doughy consistency.

K: I was thinking it was like a soft pretzel, but stickier.

T: Mmm, a burger on a soft pretzel? I’d eat that.

K: I finally got to the bacon. It’s really smokey.

T: I think I saw there was something jalapeno-y on here. But it’s not that spicy.

K: Habañero barbeque sauce.

K: I feel like this burger is too messy for a fancy place like this.

T: That’s why it’s on the happy hour menu. Everyone’s de-stressing from the day. You’re allowed to be messy.

K: Yeah, people at happy hour are animals, more beast than man.

[Silence]

K: Wow, this bread is super chewy. It’s hard to swallow.

T: You really gotta chew to get this burger down.

K: That explains our lack of talking.

T: I am chewing A LOT. Now that I’ve made it to the middle, I’m starting to get the spice and sweetness from the barbecue sauce. I really like it, but it’s only at the center. All the edges were dry.

K: Yeah, I never got every flavor in one bite.

T: You have to eat around the burger then into the center where it’s better.

[Silence,chewing]

T: Man, that bite took awhile to get through. Really bready.

K: Between the bread and cheese there’s a lot of… stickiness.

T: Kinda gummy.

K: Thank god for the crispy onions.

T: Yeah, when you actually get a bite of them they’re great.

[TJ finishes his burger]

T: Karen, you’ve got a lot of chewing left.

K: Working on it. Is this the same burger they had last time you came here?

T: I can’t remember the last time I managed to catch happy hour here. The burger used to be really plain. You had to add bacon and cheese separate, but every basic component was the best possible component. Like the Grain & Gristle burger.

K: Mmm, Grain & Gristle burger…

T: I used to work really close to here. It used to be the best $5 burger you could get downtown and you used to be able to ask how you wanted it done. I think it’s trying to be a super fancy Americana/fast food/woodsy type thing.

K: It’s trying to be a lot. It’s trying to be highbrow and lowbrow at the same time. Not sure it's completely succeeding at either. The cheese and patty are lowbrow, everything else is highbrow, including the price. It’s old and new Portland mashed together.

T: Question: When someone says, “Let’s get a burger,” do you automatically assume that means a cheeseburger?

K: Yeah...(thinking)...yeah, of course. Burger automatically means cheeseburger to me.

T: Exactly. If there’s a burger, I want cheese on it. Always. Even if cheese is extra, because that’s how you eat a burger.

K: Cheese is always implied.

T: When someone says, “Let’s get a burger,” and chooses not to get cheese, and they’re not lactose intolerant, I feel like they don’t understand what a burger is.

K: Yeah, but you’d never say, “Let’s get cheeseburgers.” Right?

T: No. Even Popeye’s friend says “hamburgers.”

K: Why does that distinction even exist?

T: Yeah. I’m pretty sure cheese was invented before hamburgers. It’s not like cheese wasn’t always an option. Hamburger should imply that there’s cheese included.

K: Follow up question: Why is the term “hamburger”? Did burgers used to be made of pork?!

T: We’re going to need to do some serious burger research...but not right now.

K: I finished! This is the first burger I’ve finished in a long ass time.

T: Well, it was appropriately sized for you. It’s a dainty burger “for her.” Not that women can’t eat just as big a hamburger as a man can, but you know, sexist marketing and all.

K: Thanks for clarifying. In my case, this was the perfect small burger for me and I just happen to be a lady. Maybe some man would also just want a dainty-sized burger.

T: Totally. But not me. Ever.

Sides

T: The fries are the same, which is good. Slim, greasy but crisp. Perfectly salted.

Ambiance

T: Clyde Common is nice. Hip. Very Hip. In that tavern-y way. Too hip sometimes. I recommend getting a seat by the windows. Then you can watch all the guests coming out of the Ace Hotel. They all look like they’re from LA and New York. It’s fascinating to watch.

Taste

K: $8 is a lot for a happy hour burger. I wasn’t super impressed with the flavors, plus all that chewing. I’ll give this burger a 5.

T: This definitely isn’t the burger I loved when I first came to Portland. I’d give it a 5 as well.

*Bonus Info: The term “hamburger” originated in Hamburg, Germany. So the “ham” prefix has nothing to do with pork, thank goodness.

Clyde Common 1014 SW Stark St Portland, OR 97205