Burns Night

Tags

Carro, cream, Haggis, Mustard, Potato, Salt and Pepper, Turnip, Whiskey

No formal blog today – but just wanted to share with you a  couple of pictures from our dinner to celebrate “Burns Night”….

We aren’t Scottish, but do you need to be Scottish to eat haggis? We have really good friends in Scotland and we toasted their health as we ate what we had prepared. The Haggis was bought locally from the butchers and we also bought individual portions – as we decided one for 4-5 people was a little extravagant, when Rory was just having a pork chop and wouldn’t even try…

Cooked in the oven, wrapped in foil and in a bath of water for around 55minutes and the Haggis was cooked to perfection. We served with Ian’s amazing roast potatoes and mashed carrots and turnips (Neeps). The sauce was a combination of double cream, Wholegrain dijon mustard, whiskey and salt and pepper to taste.  A little rich and strong for my pallet and I only had/tasted a little, but complimented the Haggis really well…

If you did or didn’t have Haggis to celebrate Burns Night – hope you have/had a good night…

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Greece

Tags

Corriander, Cucumber, Cumin, Fat free Yoghurt, Feta cheese, Garlic, Kalamata Olive, Lamb, Lettuce, Olive Oil, Pita Bread, Red Onion, Salt and Pepper, Tomato, White cabbage, White onion

So our dining experience around the world,  is now down to just three of us,  as Alastair and Emily have moved out to their own flat and Will is at Uni. However, we will still give it our best and hopefully share with you some fab recipes and a little history of the area.

Greece, one place I really need to visit as I am told it is very beautiful and a must place to go…One day hopefully! On the dream board….

Greece is officially known as the Hellenic Republic and from ancient times has been referred to as Hellas. Greece is a country situated in South Eastern Europe. The capital is Athens and Thessaloniki is often referred to as the co capital.

Greece is cleverly situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe and shares its land borders with Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania and the Republic of Macedonia.  Greece comprises of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecanese and Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands. We can find to the West the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea to the East and the Med to the South. Allegedly it is the 11th longest coastline in the world at approximately 8,500 miles and including a numerous amounts of islands of which around 230 are lived on. Mount Olympus is the  highest peak at 2,917 metres (9,570 ft).

The history of Greece can be traced back to its roots to the civilisation of  Ancient Greece, which is seen to be the beginning of western civilisation; and after many years of independence in the 4th century BCE, was unified by Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great conquered quite a large amount of the ancient world distributing Greek science and culture from the Eastern Med to the Indus River. Greece became a very important part of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century BCE and created the heart of its successor, the Byzantine Empire…More historic info can be found here

The food of Greece is very much Mediterranean and modern day cooking makes use of all the indigenous foods, such as olive oil, vegetables, lemon juice, herbs, grains – the most common grain being wheat  –  wine, fish and various meats. Also very very important are olives – which I adore and could quite frankly could live off!! – eggplant, which here in the UK we know as aubergine, cheese, courgette and yoghurt. Nuts and honey form the basis of Greek desserts and often contain filo pastry.  Mezés is a shared name for an assortment of small dishes, typically served with wines or Ouzo

Because we are trying to be good and shed some “lbs” for our summer family wedding we wanted something that all three of us liked, tasty, easy for a Monday evening and obviously Greek. We could have gone for Moussaka or Kleftiko with a Greek salad. However looking through our books we came across a recipe by “The Hairy Bikers” which is a favourite version of many – Lamb Kebabs. We have the recipe in a book but here is a link if you haven’t got the book. We are serving this with a traditional Greek Salad

Kebab in Greek is A Gyro or Gyros and is a dish that is made of meat, normally beef, chicken, mutton,pork or veal cooked on a vertical rotisserie. A vegetarian option can be prepared which would probably be Haloumi or Feta cheese and either option would be served in a Pita bread with tomato, onion and a tzatziki sauce.

The recipe we are about to use combines lamb leg steaks with lean lamb.The lamb is chopped, any visible fat removed and added to a processor with the lamb mince and onion, blitzed, then shaped into round balls.

France

Tags

Carrots, Chicken, Fry Light, Garlic, Mushroom, Onion, Parsley, Salt and Pepper, Stock, Tinned tomato, tomato puree

Well a Happy New Year to all our readers. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, I know we did and it was lovely to spend it with friends and family.

We haven’t been very active with our “Globe Trotting” of late, due to December and the Christmas season. However, today we begin our travels again, and for now most or all of our meals are going to be a healthier option as we have a wedding this year to get trim for. Not only myself and Ian but the bride and groom also wish to loose some weight.

France is where our finger landed today so heading West from our last destination we travel back to Europe and one of my favourite countries.

Officially The French Republic, France is a Sovereign State, which encompasses an area in Western Europe and many overseas areas. The part of France in Europe is known as  Metropolitan France and spreads from the Mediterranean to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. France is approximately 640,000 square km and is a population around 67 million. Its capital is Paris and is its largest city and chief commercial and cultural centre.

During the Iron Age, what is now Metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. In 51 BC the Gauls were conquered by the Roman Empire and were held until 486. The Gallo-Romans confronted migration and raids from the Germanic Franks, who controlled the area for hundreds of years, which eventually created eventually the medieval Kingdom of France. In the Late Middle Ages France arose as a major European Power, which included the victory in the Hundred Years’ War (1337 to 1453). There was a huge national development during the Renaissance which saw the start of a global colonial empire then religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestants controlled the 16th century. Under the rule of Louis XIV France became Europe’s leader in political, cultural and military power. France saw the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century and at the back end of the century the monarchy was defeated in the French Revolution… Further reading can be found here

Throughout France’s long history she has been one of the foremost world centres of culture, making considerable contributions to philosophy, art and science. France receives around 84 million tourists on an annual basis, which is apparently more than any other country in the world. it also boasts the 6th largest economy and according to “Credit Suisse” she is the 4th wealthiest nation in the world in relation to collective household wealth. A high standard of living is very much enjoyed by the French and the country also presents well in education, life expectancy,health care,human development and civil liberties.

The French love food and cooking and combines traditions and practices of France. Le Viandier  was one of the earliest recipe collections dating back to medieval France and authored by Guillaume Tirel a court chef known as “Taillevent.”The 17th century saw French cuisine, very, very influenced by Italian cuisine and chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême fronted movements that saw the shift that French cooking needed and was guided away from its foreign influences and from then on in saw France develop its own native style. For more information please continue reading here

France has many fabulous dishes and we could have picked one of so many. It is only Monday evening though and something simple needed to be prepared and cooked and also the fact we were trying to be healthy and shed a few lbs needed to be considered… Our book shelves are full of cookery books and many low fat or healthy eating, but I already had a low fat version of this recipe that in itself looked simple and also tasty. Chicken Chasseur… Sauce Chasseur can be called and can be known as “Hunter’s sauce” and it is a simple  brown sauce used in French cuisine. It often includes mushrooms and shallots. It may also include tomatoes and a finishing of fine herbs.  The name comes from the French word for “hunter“, referring to the traditional pairings with venison, rabbit, wild fowl, and other game meats. Traditionally, while returning from the hunt, the hunters would pick the mushrooms that they would subsequently use within their dishes. Chasseur is believed to have been invented by Philippe de Mornay, who is also credited with inventing Mornay sauce, Béchamel, sauce Lyonnaise, and sauce Porto. 

Mushrooms, onions, carrots and I use one half of a double pack of lardons, that can be found in the supermarkets. This is around 86gm and shared between the recipe is negligible, in my opinion,of fat..

Peru – Dinner party

Tags

Balsamic vinegar, Beef tenderloin, Broiled, Brown Rice, Brown sugar, Caster sugar, Chilli, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coconut, Condensed milk, Corn on the cob, Corriander, Dried Fruits, Egg whites, Eggs, Evaporated milk, Lime juice, Pecans, Peru, Port, potatoes, Prawns, Rasins, Red Onion, Red wine vinegar, Salt and Pepper, Shrimps, Soy Sauce, Star anise, Sweet Potato, Tomatoes, Vanilla esscence, Water, Yellow pepper

We find ourselves tonight sharing our evening with friends, something you may have gathered already we love to do. Why should tonight be any different so we decided again to share our dining experience with our friends. We spun the globe to land in Peru…

The republic of Peru is situated in Western South America, to its West The Pacific Ocean, South is Chile, Bolivia is to the Southeast, Brazil to the East and Colombia and Ecuador to the North. Peru is an enormous biodiverse country with environments extending from the “dry plains” of the “Pacific Coastal Region” in the west to the pinnacles of the Andes mountains spreading from the North to the Southeast reaching the tropical Amazon Basin rainforest.

Peru is divided into 25 regions and is a representative democratic. A country that is developing with a high Human Development Index score. The predominant financial activities comprise of agriculture, fishing, manufacturing and mining. There is a population is approximately 30 million and is very multi cultural which include Europeans, Amerindians, Asians and Africans with Spanish being the chief language spoken. However, there are a considerable number of Peruvians speaking indigenous languages. Because of the combination of traditional customs Peru is widely varied in areas such as literature, music, art and cuisine.

Peru has fantastic gastronomy and this has grown equally from immigrant and local customs. Foods enjoyed and cooked by ancient customs are still enjoyed in today and also profit from African, Asian and European influences. The natural characteristic “harvests” of Peru is very mixed with, the greatness of seafood, potatoes, grains and tropical fruits.

Peruvian food has really expanded over the world and equally is loved on all parts of the globe, thanks to its fresh and exceptional flavours and meals are never rushed.

The staples of indigenous Peruvian cuisine are corn, potatoes and chillies, and these have prevailed through centuries of colonial rule and immigration.

The amount of food being served at a dinner party in a Peruvian household,because of their class, is normally large amount, even by US standards. Potatoes and rice will be served along with bread and other starches. On completing your meal you would place your cutlery diagonally across the pate, with the points facing to the 10 O Clock position on the plate.

The host and the honoured guest usually sit next to each other (males to the right of the hostess, and females to the right of the host); if there is a hosting couple they usually sit together.

For our dinner party we/I opted for some traditional Peruvian food and hopefully we will do it justice and our friends will love what we have offered them..

Our appetiser/starter is a Hot Stone Shrimp(Prawn) Ceviche – Peru is one of the countries that states ownership to ceviche, which is made of raw fish and chilies, cured in lime juice and it has become their national dish. It has been one of South America’s best-kept secret for centuries, but Ceviche has become a very trendy starter/appetiser. The birthplace of Ceviche is argued between Ecuador and Peru, but with both countries having wonderful varieties of seafood, it could have come from either from the ancient Incas. Each South American country has given the ceviche a twist of its own by adding extras. 

Lancashire bonfire supper night

Tags

Apples, Bicarbonate of Soda, Black Peas, Flour, Golden Syrup, HP Sauce, Lancashire, Minced beef, Oatmeal, Onions, Oxo, Potato, Red cabbage, Salt and Pepper, Sugar, Treacle, Vinegar

I (Fiona) grew up in Lancashire which is a county in North west England. Lancaster is the county town, but Preston is the administrative centre. The population of Lancashire is around 1.5 million and covers 1,189 square miles and we are know as Lancastrians. Lancashire was founded in the 12th century and today it borders Cumbria to the north, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south and North and West Yorkshire to the east.

Lancashire developed as a main profitable and manufacturing region during the Industrial revolution. Liverpool and Manchester became the largest cities and governing world commerce and capitalism as we know it today was born. Lancashire had several mill towns, one of which I was brought up in and my grandmother used to work in the cotton mill in the town. By 1830 approximately 85% of all cotton produced worldwide was processed in Lancashire. As well as cotton there were collieries contained within the Lancashire Coalfield and the pits were at their most productive in 1907, producing over 26 million tons of coal. By 1967 there were only 21 collieries. 1993 saw the last coal mine closed.

Blackpool was a popular holiday destination for the people of Lancashire’s mill towns, particularly during wakes week. Manchester and Liverpool  grew into its largest cities, dominating global trade and the birth of modern entrepreneurship.  The county was cause to experience a significant boundary reorganisation in 1974, which saw Manchester and Liverpool and some of the surrounding urban areas to create the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The north part of Lancashire, Furness and surrounding area, were merged with Westmorland and Cumberland to create Cumbria. During this reorganisation it lost around 709 square miles to other counties but gained a little from the West Riding of Yorkshire. The coastline is the Irish sea to the West…

The county of Lancashire is a fabulous county and a county of real taste and home to some of the nation’s best food producers, old style brewers and chefs and Lancashire is celebrated “far and wide” for its customary produce and dishes. Lancashire hotpot, obviously is originally from Lancashire and is traditionally cooked with lamb, mum used to cook that for us as children and even now when she visits will knock one together and it still tastes as good as did back 40 or so years ago. Mum was a good cook of home cooked food and we never went hungry. We had a variety of food and a lot native to where we came from…Fish and chips – yes they originated from Lancashire – first fish and chip shop in Northern England opened in near Oldham, around 1863, we obviously had Hotpot, Chorley Cakes, Eccles Cakes, Parkin and Potato Hash…when we got in from school if we were hungry we would have Butter Cake which was simply a slice of bread and butter…

we had lots of evenings with family friends and especially New Years Eve, holiday weekends such as May Day and also Guy Fawkes night/firework night, much like we are doing tonight (without the bonfire) and we had suppers of Black Peas, Potato Hash, Treacle Toffee, Toffee Apples and Parkin and bonfires and fireworks… Tonight may not be last night –  5th November –  but busy working families get together at weekends and that is exactly what we did…