Food

The Spanish don't fuck about, most of the arguments I've seen at the dinner table have been about food...

Chucking donkeys off churches is fair play though.

I love how ambivalent the english are about recipes, adding a little of this, a bit of that, recipe magpies the lot of us, not so on the continent. There's a definite right way to make certain dishes, and they don't include fucking about, chucking in a bit of this and a bit of that..

Love how passionate the continent is about even the simplest of foods, let along the regional specialities...

That's changing... Until very recently animals were either food or beasts of burden, very little in between apart from dogs... Anyway...

One of the wonderful things about being out in Oz is getting to eat avocado on toast for breakfast regularly, so delicious... The quality is amazing out here, never a duff one unlike back in the UK... Couple of slices of toast, sliced avocado, salt, pepper, olive oil and a few speckles of sriracha... Nom...

m8 have u even Londoned recently? Try to eat a brunch without avocado on ficking toast. Avocado on toast literally attacks you in the street. Must be smashed avocado though, cos that's what chef does.

(Not missed the point that avocados in this country are mediocre with epic food miles.)

Good haul of oyster mushroom varieties today! No decent boletes yet though and didn't spot any parasols

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Watching documentary called Steak Revolution, so fucking hungry now.

what's it about? is it about steak?

How the fuck did you guess that?

I have accidentally moved into a house with an induction job. My saucepans were all copper and are no good. Help me. What pans are good? Will my enamelled cast iron le crueset pans work? Should I keep it or rip it out and fit gas?

I hate induction hobs, you get used to them eventually but would move back to gas in a heartbeat if I could... But I'm stuck with induction...

Cast iron pans are fine IME...

They're okay but you'll never wok. Alone or with anyone else.
Making a serious point here.

I had to get a flat bottomed wok, works OK with practice but not ideal... I may not have moved over here if I'd known about the cooker issue... #fulldisclosure

Breakfastin' like it's ma birthday.
(S'not)

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Fried some chicken thighs on Sunday that I brined last week. And they are super tasty even if I say so myself. A bit salty, as I left them in the brine a half hour or so too long, but even with the frying and the crispy exterior, the flesh is still moist and flavourful.

Will do again..

Went to Portland Restaurant at the weekend http://portlandrestaurant.co.uk/

Had the tasting menu, food was very good and decent service and relatively informal. Would recommend it.

The Crispy chicken skins, liver parfait, candied walnuts & pickled grapes snacks were great as was the Roasted baby celeriac, pickled blackberries, Innes curd & Autumn truffle. Other courses were also mainly very good.

The Yorkshire pork neck, hispi cabbage, blood-sausage & plum which was the nominal main course didn't hugely impress me. It was perfectly nice but not up to the standard of the other courses.

Was in Vilnius last Saturday, had dinner here with friends: http://www.lokys.lt/en/about_us

Very much recommended, good menu based on game and typical dishes.
Had venison steak with cepes and baked apples.

Unrelated, I'm finally going to Lisbon for the first time in my life this weekend, if you have any good tips for seafood,typical,local and street food just send them this way, thanks :)

Nice! Needs buttermilk though. The acid in the buttermilk helps to break down the meat and adds a nice tang to the final product.

I did this the other weekend. Spatchcock-ed and mesquite smoked. Soo tasty. I do love my Oxo poultry scissors.

I do need to work out a better finish for the skin though.

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did buttermilk dip before dredging in seasoned flour, might try a buttermilk brine next time..

Anyone been to Essaouira? Headed there next month. Friend of mine came back with duff spices but hoping to load up on some decent mixes.

@snowy_again, you got any info on spices from essaouira?

Induction Disc - goes down as interface between hob and pan.
I got one, works fine.

late to the party on butter dishes but I've done extensive research.

1. Charity shops yield good cheap options
   
2. Scandi stainless steel ones are nice, but knife scraping on metal hurts me
   
3. I quite like glass ones
   

Curry goat prep for the extended family this weekend

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