#Jamie Oliver books might be yummy

[fazcinatingblog]

There's a snail in my letterbox and twice I've reached in and put my finger in it honestly please snail my letters are not yummy, go bother someone with yummier mail

[foodiefrens]

Cooking in the time of Covid-19

These days I am reminded of the epic love story, “Love in the time of cholera”, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  In fact, I had intended to title this post “Life in the time of Corona” but the reference seems a bit tired by now.

Reading is a wonderful way of travelling without leaving home.Actually so is cooking. The smell of lemongrass and Thai basil will take you right back to the streets of Bangkok and the aroma of ripe tomatoes and bell peppers from a luscious ratatouille (photo) accompanied by a cool glass of Rosé will transport you immediately to sunny Provence. So now that you cannot actually cross borders, I recommend you put on your apron and travel around the world with my favourite cookbooks and go-to recipe websites.

CHINESE CUISINE

There are eigh major Chinese cuisine: Anhui (徽菜; Huīcài), Cantonese (粤菜; Yuècài), Fujian (闽菜; Mǐncài), Hunan (湘菜; Xiāngcài), Jiangsu (苏菜; Sūcài), Shandong (鲁菜; Lǔcài), Sichuan (川菜; Chuāncài), and Zhejiang (浙菜; Zhècài) cuisines.

My paternal and maternal grandmothers were from the provinces of fujian and chaozhou (in province Canton bordering on Fujian) respectively and I’ve never needed a cookbook. Whenever I crave Chinese food, I just ring my mum or I search on the web and just tweak the recipes based on my experience.

Most Chinese restaurants around the world serve some variation of Cantonese food, although in recent years, the popularity of Sichuan food has led to a proflieration of Sichuan restaurants. However, more does not mean better and most Sichuan restaurants are really nothing at all like the real thing (I should know, I have eaten in Sichuan, China). While preparing for my trip to Sichuan last autumn,  I chanced upon Fuchsia Dunlop’s “The Food of Sichuan” as part of my travel research . Since my return from Sichuan armed with Sichuan pepper and doubanjiang and with the help of Ms Dunlop’s cookbook, I’ve been able to whip up delicious mapo tofu (photo above), gongbao chicken and other delectable Sichuan dishes.  Thanks to the popularity of Sichuan food, you’ll be able to find most of the ingredients you need in your local Asian grocery shops.

Ever wanted to make your own char siew (marinated roast pork), dim sum and Peking duck etc? Then Andrew Wong’s The Cookbook might be just what you need. But be warned - the recipes do call for some experience in Chinese cooking. I’ve had to improvise or interpret some recipes to make them work. But my har gau (photo below) and char siew tasted very close to the ones I’ve eaten in Hong Kong and his Xinjiang lamb ribs recipe alone makes it worthwhile to buy this cookbook.

INDIAN CUISINE

I’ve been cooking with Dishoom’s recipes since I got the cookbook a month ago and every recipe I’ve tried (apart from the chapati - photo below) has turned out super yummy. See my post on 2 Mar. for more details on the cookbook.

ITALIAN CUISINE

The story of Harry Cipriani’s famous bar in Venice where incidentally the Bellini cocktail was invented, is told here in The Harry’s Bar cookbook which contains many recipes for Italian classics. Learn how to make your own pasta, cook an al dente risotto and succeed in finally making a super tender osso bucco (stewed veal shanks - photo below with risotto milanese). What the cookbook does not have is a recipe for tiramisu. I do however, have a great recipe for tiramisu and the next time I make it, I’ll remember to post the recipe.

Another Italian cookbook I like is Jamie’s Italy. Like all Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks, the recipes are not complicated and easy to replicate.

JAPANESE CUISINE

Fans of gyoza, tempura, soba (photo below), ramen and other Japanese comfort food will be happy to know that Japanese Soul Cooking is just the cookbook you’d want to have. I’ve tried many recipes from it and have been satisfied with the results. My only complain is that the measurements are in U.S. imperial units so conversion is necessary if you live in a metric world like me.

But what to do if you’re like me and what you really, really love about Japanese food is sushi and sashimi? Even if Jiro would never encourage anyone to try making sushi at home, I would. I basically taught myself how to make sushi, although I must confess that I have stopped making nigiris (fish on top of rice) and only make makis (rolls).  Unfortunately I don’t have a good cookbook on making sushi that I can recommend but if you have access to superfresh fish (forget it if you don’t because not only might you risk food poisoning, it’s too much effort for too little pleasure!), then go ahead and try making them yourself. I recommend a make-your-own sushi party. Invite some friends, find a recipe or two on the internet, buy the ingredients and have fun practising together. If all else fails, you can just make wraps using the seaweed (in a sushi restaurant, this is called a temaki and is a cone-shaped wrap) and still enjoy a good meal.

LEVANTINE CUISINE

Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant (a large area of eastern Mediterranean). Hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh etc. made popular by Yotam Ottolenghi (an Israeli based in London) are part of the Levantine cuisine and even if some of these well-known dishes originate from countries neighbouring the Levant, they have become part of the its cuisine.

There is a reason why Ottolenghi is so successful - his cookbooks work! I have Jerusaleum (my favourite of all), Nopi and Simple and use them regularly. Be warned though, Simple may mean easy and the recipes are not difficult, but doesn’t mean quick (cross-references make for deceptively short recipes but in fact take time to put together).

THAI CUISINE

My go-to Thai cookbook cookbook is The Food of Thailand by Sven Krauss, who was executive chef at the Thai restaurant in the beautiful Sukothai hotel in Bangkok. I ate in the restaurant more than two decades ago but a quick check on the web showed that the restaurant is still beautiful and the food is still good. All your favourite Thai classics tom yam goong, beef salad, pad Thai, green curry etc. are featured in this cookbook and the recipes are easy to follow.

THE MUST-HAVE COOKBOOK (ESPECIALLY FOR BEGINNERS)

Remember Ferran Adria of the El Bulli fame? In 2011 he published a book called “The Family Meal” and it is a great resource for beginners and advanced cooks alike. Every day at 6pm the staff at El Bulli would stop to have a 3-course meal. These meals are prepared by the staff for the staff. And because the kitchen brigade is international, there are recipes from all over the world such as gazpacho, Thai curry, miso soup and Mexican chicken. The book is divided into 31 three-course menus with measurements provided for 2, 6, 20 and 75 portions. Each step of each course is documented with a photo  and the explanations are clear and concise. I once hosted four 15-year old teenagers over the Easter holidays and in return for my hospitality, they cooked me a meal from the cookbook. Every course turned out tasty and as it turned out, they really had fun.

ONLINE RESOURCES

I am old-fashioned when it comes to books. And cookbooks are no exception. There’s nothing like browsing through the pages and being inspired by the lovely food photography. And on a practical level, analog cookbooks allow me to make notes directly on the page. Yes, the pages might get dirty in the process but that makes it all the more charming (I did say I was old-fashioned that way).

Having said that, I regularly use the internet to find recipes and be inspired. I try to avoid using random recipes as my experience has been disappointing. If the source is not proven, you’ll end up with disappointments. My favourite websites are the recipes section of BBC (and BBC GoodFood) and The Guardian (How to make the perfect...). The NYTimes has great recipes but you’ll need to be a subscriber and there’s the conversion issue with measurements. 

I am a big fan of Nigel Slater’s recipes. They are so varied (Italian, Thai, French, Levantine etc), easy to follow and works well everytime. Even his cake and dessert recipes are fantastic. I have two of his cookbooks and I use his Kitchen Diaries so often that it’s falling apart. He also has recipes on his website and contributes to The Guardian and BBC.

If you read German and are looking for recipes, then I recommend the websites of Essen and Trinken and Brigitte. I use them for classic German/Austrian dishes and sweets (cakes and desserts) and so far my German guests have not complained. German language versions of The Harry’s Bar, Jamie Oliver, Ottenlenghi and The Family Meal (Das Familienessen) cookbooks are available.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

As with a meal, I will end here too on a sweet note*

*homemade mango tart (short crust pasty base, mascarpone filling topped with fresh mangoes) 

If you have any questions, send me an email at foodiefrens@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, stay safe, happy cooking and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

[chiakisonic]

Spare your time for some old, good soul´s shouting session

And every night I tell myself to get through it. I tell myself to bear with it just for a tiny bit longer. But, my dear reader it is getting harder and harder to do so. She´s a monster.

What was there to her is there no longer. There are two faces she wears. One at day...one at night. Sometimes the one for the night switches out for the one she´s wearing during the day. And that´s when my pillow gets soaked. No, not with my tears. Years of that have ended. The pillow is thoroughly soaked with the liquid she pours over it while violently shaking my shoulder and asking me:„Well don´t you agree? I´m right aren´t I?? Look, look  at the family on your father´s side HA! THEY ARE ALLLLL JUST COLD-HEARTED MONSTERS!!!!” Or so she says. The content always changes. I mean, the theater can´t perform one play every day of a week, can it? In a sense, she´s a theather herself. She performes a one-man show 2-3 times a week, whenever she gets a change to do so. I don´t get to see all her plays, “unfortunately”.For it has been four years since I abandoned this house of horror. There´s no home for me. A cliché thing to say? A thing that would a hot-blooded youngster say? Maybe you are right. But...yeah...sorry,not in this case, buddy. Just bear with the fact I had  it fucked up and maybe so did you, so what? Do we shake hands? What for? Would it wipe all those  memories that keep you up on bad nights? Yeah, as if darling.

I don´t consider this what you call a home. This is just a house. A fucking house. With like 6 rooms if we don´t leave out the bathroom. Yeah let´s not leave out the bathroom ´cause you know that bathroom has seen more messed up things than any other room in this house. And I´m not talking about “that” mess.

I have to get back to that house every fucking weekend. Every friday I try to delay going home as much as I possibly can. Two nights. Two nights that might be for a change good nights, but mostly they are bad nights. Sleepless nights. No, not sleepless because I spend all night watching some stupid videos of cat hanging on the toilet paper. I would gladly take that.

They are nights of shouting. Nights of glass shattering on the floor. Nights of checking whether she locked the door and didn´t leave the stove on. Nights of biting my hand in order to not say anything that would cause even more of a rage in her. And I must say that I stopped seeing bite marks as a hot thing after I started doing this. Although it is still better than saying something out loud. Oh God, when I do say something. You can basically see the devil smiling in the background of it all. For it entertains him a lot when she gets violent.

She sees me coming home as a theater sees getting a full-house. And that´s when actors try to give the best performance possible, right? And my dear reader, that´s exactly what the main protagonist of this play does. She gives it her all. And we are there. To listen, To watch. But not to give any reaction. The funny thing is that in the theater, after the play is over, the audience shouts “Encore! Encore! ENCORE!” Unfortunately in our case, we shout “No more, no more please…”. Woah I told myself to not make this that dark and deep. Hmm..how I told you who I am? I don´ t recall introducing myself.

I´m a person who somehow made it through elementary school when the theater gave performance about 4 times a month. Not that much you say? They were just setting the buidling up during that time. Rome wasn´t build in a day either. Well, you weren´t to see Roman´s empire neither to see that little building getting bigger, so let me bring out some of that yummy dish from my fridge of madness for you.

The only thing that has made me feel warm for at least a bit during that time was the heater and even that one was on a intensity level 3 out of fucking 5. Ah, how I miss that old rattletrap sometimes. We spend some nice nights together. Me with my back againist that noisy, rusty oldie. With a book in my hands. Or with a pen and some notepad, writing about adorable animals finding peace outside the forest. You would say “Why did a forest animal leave a fucking forest- its home, its main tent? Wasn´t it born there?” So what. If you were born in a taxi because you mother didn´t make it to the hospital ´cause of a traffic jam, would you spend your childhood in that taxi and call the taxi-driver your father? Is that your point there? Just sit down and let me continue with this story of mine. Because it´s my time to shine, not yours. You are there to make feel less miserable than I already do. I don´t want to write things just for myself. I want you to read them. I want you to give it at least a ONE THOUGHT. You think about stupid things all the time. Mainly in the shower (sometimes when you jerk off there). What I mean is, give some thought to other things than just whether some of the Kardashians got pregnant (and since I´m such a considerate writer, let me just tell you that two of them got knocked up just so you can concentrate on this once again and look that stuff up later). I begged my grandmother to let me stay at her place. And she didn´t know why. 

I didn´t have a heart to tell her that her dear daughter is having a party by herself whenever she gets more dough a month from her dear son-in-law than usually. I didn´t have a heart to tell her that I had to wake up at 3 am every day just to check out that she´s still breathing and hasn´t left the fucking stove on. I didn´t want to tell her about all those bottles hidden in the washing machine, kitchen cupoboards, trunk and even behind cooking books from fucking Jamie Oliver in the kitchen. That fragile old lady would probably end up getting even more sick and I would lose the only place I could´ve stayed at over the weekend when I was a kid. And I didn´t want to bet my safe place on that. So I stayed quiet. I stayed quiet and did my job as a little guardian of the gas stove and front door. I was matured at a young age. I just had to. Years passed by and I got to that point during which people around you ask “So which high school are you going for?” And I told them the name of a high school that was as far as possible but not too far so that they wouldn´t have any objections to letting me in. There´s this thing in our country with fancy blue-red-white flag (no sorry, not France I do look french when I try out my snobbiest snobby face before the mirror, but I´ve never set a foot into that country of over-priced souvenirs with Eiffel tower on them), which you take at the end of your last year at the elementary school. It´s a national test, something like GPA but much easier. Anyway, if you get at least 90% percent from both tests(maths and native language), you can get into any high school of your choice without struggling with the entrance exams. And I studied my ass off for this to happen. And I made it happen. I got in my top choice school and despite the fact my parents weren´t thrilled, I registered for a dorm accomodation. And given that I´m from quite afar, they accepted my request and I got in. I was thrilled. I played it cool by saying “Oh nice at least I can spend those years at a decent, big-city high school”. But inside? “I can finally leave, manage a normal sleeping routine and have a place at which I can put my guard down and relax”. And I left. I did so alone, with no classmate on my side as the others. I went by myself and it was possibly the best choice I could´ve made at that time. (THANK YOUU ME FROM THE PAST BEAR IN THERE A BIT LONGER IT WILL GET BETTER!). I also remember one saying I told myself over and over during those bad nights. Fire tests gold, hardships test brave souls (the book in which I found this quote- An introduction to ancient philosophy, is my father´s, it was the only book small enough for me to hide under my bed where it was safe from her anger)...