Food

Went for the fish option. Pork is going to get overnight treatment with smoked paprika marinade.

^^I saw the Joliver recipe this morning whilst wondering what to do with me shanks. He is indeed a twat but once I'd read about whizzing up rosemary, thyme, garlic with butter and stuffing in along the bone I was sold. Added a couple of anchovy fillets too. It's in casserole dish with carrots, onions, red wine and bay leaves on a low heat right now. The house smells amazing. perfect for an unseasonably cold wet and windy afternoon.

That sounds superb!

It was pretty good. Falling off the bone tender and great flavour but I took my eye off the ball and let the pan juices dry out a bit too much in the last 45 mins which left it lacking a bit of sauce. Should have quickly done a red-wine reduction or something to add a bit of moisture. Hey ho. The other shank went in the freezer so i'll try it again next time the missus is out for the day.

Was always getting told off for buying moar spices ('we need galangal powder') until today when I won 100,000 nectar points in a random Schwartz draw to which I'd automatically been entered. I'm rich I tell you, riiiiiiiiiiich

What can you/will you get with that?

Also, any good recipes involving stale baguette? I've got one and a half which I don't want to waste. I could throw them at swans though.

ribollita

couple of recipes here
http://www.tuscanrecipes.com/recipes/ribollita2.html

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/03/nigel-slater-classic-ribollita

made a version of this for one or my soup nights and it's great..

i fucking love a ribololita. best made with black cabbage that you can get off the fruit and veg stand at brixton WPM of a sunday. also a great way of using old parmesan cheese rinds.

Brixton WPM is no more as far as I'm aware...

wut??? when did this happen? we were there about 2 weeks ago

i bet those hippie fucks at U75 have a hand in this if it's true.

WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE WHITE PEOPLE?

http://www.brixtonblog.com/brixton-farmers-market-to-close/30460

don't worry I'm sure another one will take it's place...

you'll probably have to go to the greengrocer in herne hill now for all your spring green/kale/cabbage needs now..

Its one of those things, even though Brixton is becoming a foodie destination

stopped reading there. let it fucking burn.

Cheers, that looks great.

Has the roti lady in Brixton found another home yet? Still the best Caribbean food I've eaten.

Ribollita.. Now we're talking

Not very summery imho

had a great very tomato and basil version without the greens, in florence a couple of years back, that was amazing... We weren't in summer, but it felt very summery, and not too heavy.

Italian aperitivo on Stroud Green rd, 10£ for a drink and this board.

The Italian Farmes
Italian approved

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What can you/will you get with that?

Not spices, maybe an upgrade on our food processor and a healthy donation to the food bank to share the serendipity.

Got chatting to a Spanish lad at work who was complaining that he missed eating meals with just a spoon (as you do) so I went on a hunt for his favourite recommendation, Chorizo con Lentejas, a bit hearty for this time of year but bloody filling... followed this recipe...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/11332950/Chorizo-and-lentil-stew-with-spinach-recipe.html

Phone link fail

good recipe

I never cooked a curry dish in my entire life.

Leaving on the side the recipes for the moment, what basic set of spices do I need to gather for Thai/Indian currys? Where do I get them in North/East London? I want an authentic place..

Please make sure you provide also some useful answers on top of just making fun of my lack of knowledge on the field.

Any mad good veggie recipes? Looking to wow the Mrs. @Cazakstan ?

I made an awesome veggie vindaloo once which she requested the recipe for, not sure if she's made it yet. It's by Ottolenghi.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/17/two-potato-vindaloo

Thai and Indian although having some crossover are completely different currys. Indian first. Ground Tumeric is in everything, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala (which is a combination), cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon sticks, curry leaves (buy fresh and freeze), mustards seeds (brown and yellow), whole cumin seeds, cayenne pepper, ground asafoetida. Fresh ginger, chillies and garlic are a given.

Additionally for Thai you'll need lemon grass (can also be frozen), kaffir lime leaves, nam pla (fish sauce), green peppercorns. Fresh chillies, limes, coriander and galangal. Off the top of me head.

I can't recommend Madhur Jaffreys Curry Easy enough, buy it now.

Also, just buy the small jars from a supermarket, you can get massive deals if you buy big bags of spice from Indian shops but unless you're using it up it'll lose flavour due to exposure to light and air.

Oh and curries are in bowls not square plates. x

Was also about to recommend a few things from Plenty More by Ottolenghi, braised kale with crispy shallots is a blinding side dish of his.