Well, I say festival, but farce might be closer to the mark. It wasn't very good.
It's hard to believe that the Halifax Food and Drink Festival has been going for 5 years. In that time I would have thought that the organisers would have learnt how to promote it. I live in Hebden Bridge, about 7 miles from Halifax, but I only heard about it when I saw a poster in Manchester Victoria train station. I saw nothing about it in Hebden Bridge, nothing in Todmorden, and nothing in Halifax, come to think of it.
Promotion that bad almost guarantees low attendance. And starting the festival on a Friday wasn't a good idea, aren't most people at work on a Friday?
To call it a festival was just downright misleading. There was nothing at all like a festival about it. It was like paying to get into a market, and I've been to better markets. Apparently Friday and Saturday had been so quiet that some of the stallholders didn't return on the Sunday. There was only 7 or 8 there on the Sunday, which was very disappointing.
Making matters worse was a painfully embarrasing cooking demonstration from Anthony Worral-Thompson. He thought we was somewhere near Darlington! He'd heard that Darlington was in 'the North', and obviously assumed that as he was in 'the North' he must be near there. Oh dear. He then took an hour to cook steak and chips and drank red wine from a bowl. I guess he'd had a few before he even got on the stage.
If Calderdale Council decide to continue with the festival they would do well to do a bit of market research beforehand to find out what people want from a food festival, and whether they want one at all. Assuming people do, then it would be worth asking them what they want, and maybe looking at other more successful festivals which take place around the area. Getting local restaurants on board would seem like a good idea as well - I'm sure they need all the help they can get at the minute.
Monday, 19 September 2011
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Wings at Manchester's Arndale Market
We've just come back from a day out in Manchester, but for a moment it felt like we'd had a day out in Kuala Lumpur.
In the Arndale Market, situated in a corner of the Arndale Centre, is a food court. But it's not one of those food courts which are packed out with fast food chains. Here there are independent outlets offering a range of Chinese, Greek, Indian and Mexican food and more.
The Chinese outlet is called Wings and will look familiar to anyone who has eaten in the hawker centres of South-East Asia. Fast service at the counter behind which stand steaming pots of rice and stock, and hanging up behind a glass shield are whole roast ducks and hugs slabs of roast pork. It looks so inviting, and the long queue suggests that this is the place to eat.
And it is. That's not to say that the other places aren't good. I'm sure they are, but we couldn't resist a taste of out travels. I had roast duck and char sui on rice, the missus had roast duck and roast pork ramen. The meat was excellent, succulent and authentically tasty. The ramen broth was equally good. I'd go back in a shot, but next time I'd leave with a whole roast duck, a bargain at £11.
Instead, this time we came home with a kilo of mussels from the fish stall (£3.50) and a little pot of fire (habanero salsa) from the Mexican stall. If the rest of the Mexican food is of the same standard, then we'll have to go and eat there as well. Though I think I'll choose something a bit milder than the salsa - it would be insane to eat too much of anything that is that hot!
As we left we walked through the grocery area where durian fruit was on sale. It's sickly-sweet smell hangs thickly in the air around Bukit Bintang, the area where we spent much of our time when we were in KL. That smell, together with our Asian lunch and the table of noisy, chattering chinese behind us when we ate transported us right back to Malaysia. The feet are getting itchy again.
In the Arndale Market, situated in a corner of the Arndale Centre, is a food court. But it's not one of those food courts which are packed out with fast food chains. Here there are independent outlets offering a range of Chinese, Greek, Indian and Mexican food and more.
The Chinese outlet is called Wings and will look familiar to anyone who has eaten in the hawker centres of South-East Asia. Fast service at the counter behind which stand steaming pots of rice and stock, and hanging up behind a glass shield are whole roast ducks and hugs slabs of roast pork. It looks so inviting, and the long queue suggests that this is the place to eat.
And it is. That's not to say that the other places aren't good. I'm sure they are, but we couldn't resist a taste of out travels. I had roast duck and char sui on rice, the missus had roast duck and roast pork ramen. The meat was excellent, succulent and authentically tasty. The ramen broth was equally good. I'd go back in a shot, but next time I'd leave with a whole roast duck, a bargain at £11.
Instead, this time we came home with a kilo of mussels from the fish stall (£3.50) and a little pot of fire (habanero salsa) from the Mexican stall. If the rest of the Mexican food is of the same standard, then we'll have to go and eat there as well. Though I think I'll choose something a bit milder than the salsa - it would be insane to eat too much of anything that is that hot!
As we left we walked through the grocery area where durian fruit was on sale. It's sickly-sweet smell hangs thickly in the air around Bukit Bintang, the area where we spent much of our time when we were in KL. That smell, together with our Asian lunch and the table of noisy, chattering chinese behind us when we ate transported us right back to Malaysia. The feet are getting itchy again.
Monday, 5 September 2011
Jamie Oliver's Brisket Chili
Without a doubt this is the finest Chili you will ever eat. And if you like this, then I would recommend giving his braised oxtail a go, just as easy and just as tasty.
I made the chili for 2 hungry adults, and it fed us handsomely.
First of all, finely chop an onion, a chilli or two and a couple of cloves of garlic and soften over a low heat. I used some Hotel Chocolat Cocoa & chilli oil to try and add a bit more flavour.
Whilst the onion, garlic and chilli mixture are cooking score a 1.5lb piece of brisket. Season the meat and then rub in some ground cumin seed, dried oregano and a good amount of paprika. This then goes into a casserole or pan which can go into the oven. Fry the meat over a medium heat, to get some colour. Turn it regularly to ensure it gets browned on all sides.
Add the onion mixture to the casserole along with a cinnamon stick, 3 bay leaves, about 400ml of good beef stock and about the same amount again of passata or a tin of chunky chopped tomatoes.
Turn up the heat and get everything simmering vigorously, the put it into a medium oven (160 Celsius) for about 3 hours, until the meat pulls apart with little effort. If you want you could add some kidney beans a few minutes before serving to add a bit of texture.
True enough, just like on the tele, the meat fell apart. And it tasted very, very good. I now understand why Jamie and Gennaro react they way they do to some of the stuff they cook. It made us go "umm" and "cor" and make bold statements of intimate activity to each other. Satisfyingly big chunks of rich meat, and some small slithers, in a moreish, slightly sweet, spicy, savoury sauce. It didn't stand a chance. We finished the lot off in two big bowls each. Writing this I simply want to eat it again right now.
I made the chili for 2 hungry adults, and it fed us handsomely.
First of all, finely chop an onion, a chilli or two and a couple of cloves of garlic and soften over a low heat. I used some Hotel Chocolat Cocoa & chilli oil to try and add a bit more flavour.
Whilst the onion, garlic and chilli mixture are cooking score a 1.5lb piece of brisket. Season the meat and then rub in some ground cumin seed, dried oregano and a good amount of paprika. This then goes into a casserole or pan which can go into the oven. Fry the meat over a medium heat, to get some colour. Turn it regularly to ensure it gets browned on all sides.
Add the onion mixture to the casserole along with a cinnamon stick, 3 bay leaves, about 400ml of good beef stock and about the same amount again of passata or a tin of chunky chopped tomatoes.
Turn up the heat and get everything simmering vigorously, the put it into a medium oven (160 Celsius) for about 3 hours, until the meat pulls apart with little effort. If you want you could add some kidney beans a few minutes before serving to add a bit of texture.
True enough, just like on the tele, the meat fell apart. And it tasted very, very good. I now understand why Jamie and Gennaro react they way they do to some of the stuff they cook. It made us go "umm" and "cor" and make bold statements of intimate activity to each other. Satisfyingly big chunks of rich meat, and some small slithers, in a moreish, slightly sweet, spicy, savoury sauce. It didn't stand a chance. We finished the lot off in two big bowls each. Writing this I simply want to eat it again right now.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Spaghetti Vongole
Us Brits are a nation of animal lovers, apparently. A fact reflected in what we eat. Although there are an odd few who keep chickens, sheep and even pigs as pets the vast majority of us don't. Because we want to eat them.
Admittedly some of those who keep farm animals as pets do end up eating them, but I can't imagine a chicken called Sally tastes a great deal better than one called £5.99 from the butcher. Familiarity may breed contempt but it doesn't guarantee flavour.
There is a more practical view of animals in other parts of the world. Dog may not feature on many menus seen by tourists in South-East Asia but it does appear in the diet of ordinary people at home in Vietnam and Cambodia. France hasn't produced any famous jockeys and I can't help but think that the reason is because they'd rather eat horses than watch them run round a field.
Put simply, some animals are meant to be eaten and some aren't. There was no heartache, then, when we recently said goodbye to our clams.
We had only had them for 24 hours before we decided that they would make a much better spaghetti vongole than a house pet - having said that, we live in a flat so they weren't such a bad idea. We bought them from the excellent fish market in Kirkgate Market (terrible website alert!) in Leeds.
The stalls at this market sell a range of fish that I haven't come across in this country. Fresh conger eel, clams, parrot fish are some of the more exotic varieties on offer. The stalls also provide the restaurants of Leeds with their fish so it would be safe to assume that there is a high turnover of produce, which means the fish is fresh.
Once you've got some clams making spaghetti vongole is straightforward. We used about 100g of clams per person, and cooked them in a pan along with 4 cloves of garlic (we like garlic), half an onion, a small glass of wine, a chilli and olive oil. The clams cook till they open and then get mixed with cooked spaghetti.
This is the kind of meal that would cost the best part of a tenner in a restaurant, yet at home it can be made for a couple of quid. It's well worth it.
Admittedly some of those who keep farm animals as pets do end up eating them, but I can't imagine a chicken called Sally tastes a great deal better than one called £5.99 from the butcher. Familiarity may breed contempt but it doesn't guarantee flavour.
There is a more practical view of animals in other parts of the world. Dog may not feature on many menus seen by tourists in South-East Asia but it does appear in the diet of ordinary people at home in Vietnam and Cambodia. France hasn't produced any famous jockeys and I can't help but think that the reason is because they'd rather eat horses than watch them run round a field.
Put simply, some animals are meant to be eaten and some aren't. There was no heartache, then, when we recently said goodbye to our clams.
We had only had them for 24 hours before we decided that they would make a much better spaghetti vongole than a house pet - having said that, we live in a flat so they weren't such a bad idea. We bought them from the excellent fish market in Kirkgate Market (terrible website alert!) in Leeds.
The stalls at this market sell a range of fish that I haven't come across in this country. Fresh conger eel, clams, parrot fish are some of the more exotic varieties on offer. The stalls also provide the restaurants of Leeds with their fish so it would be safe to assume that there is a high turnover of produce, which means the fish is fresh.
Once you've got some clams making spaghetti vongole is straightforward. We used about 100g of clams per person, and cooked them in a pan along with 4 cloves of garlic (we like garlic), half an onion, a small glass of wine, a chilli and olive oil. The clams cook till they open and then get mixed with cooked spaghetti.
This is the kind of meal that would cost the best part of a tenner in a restaurant, yet at home it can be made for a couple of quid. It's well worth it.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Rabbit with pasta
There is something gloriously retro about eating rabbit. Not that it featured a lot, in fact at all, in my 1980's childhood. It went out of fashion long before that. I suspect that once the country was spared the hardships of rationing, and was introduced to convenience foods, rabbit went off the menu completely, only to be seen again following the rise of the TV chef.
It was a TV chef (Jamie Oliver) inspired recipe which provided the basis for this dish of rabbit with pasta.
First of all the meat is marinated in olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and fresh herbs. We picked some lemon thyme and fennel from the Incredible Edible beds in Todmorden yesterday so that's what I used. Incidentally, we picked the herbs from the beds at the police station, which must be one of the few times some has reached in through the bars of a police station, rather than reaching out.
After marinating for about 4 hours the meat was browned in a big saucepan and then following it into the saucepan went a glass of white wine, 3 bay leaves, a chopped up lemon, salt and pepper and enough water to just about cover the meat. This went into the oven, at about 170-180 degrees, for a couple of hours.
After the rabbit had cooked for a couple of hours it came out of the oven to cool down, and I then picked the meat from the bones and strained the cooking liquid. The shredded meat I added back into the liquid, with a good knob of butter and heated it through whilst I cooked some pasta.
It made a really nice change from chicken and beef, and with a couple of tweaks is something I'd do again. I'd leave out the fennel next time, as it had a slightly medicinal edge to it, which may have been exacerbated by the Aussie viognier I used. Pinot Grigio never fails when I use it in Italian food, it has such a well rounded taste it can go with just about anything. The viognier had too much of a mineral taste.
From a rabbit costing £3.50 there was enough meat to feed 4 people, which makes it really good value. As it is the extra is now sitting in the freezer waiting for a day when cheese on toast for lunch just won't do.
It was a TV chef (Jamie Oliver) inspired recipe which provided the basis for this dish of rabbit with pasta.
First of all the meat is marinated in olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and fresh herbs. We picked some lemon thyme and fennel from the Incredible Edible beds in Todmorden yesterday so that's what I used. Incidentally, we picked the herbs from the beds at the police station, which must be one of the few times some has reached in through the bars of a police station, rather than reaching out.
After marinating for about 4 hours the meat was browned in a big saucepan and then following it into the saucepan went a glass of white wine, 3 bay leaves, a chopped up lemon, salt and pepper and enough water to just about cover the meat. This went into the oven, at about 170-180 degrees, for a couple of hours.
After the rabbit had cooked for a couple of hours it came out of the oven to cool down, and I then picked the meat from the bones and strained the cooking liquid. The shredded meat I added back into the liquid, with a good knob of butter and heated it through whilst I cooked some pasta.
It made a really nice change from chicken and beef, and with a couple of tweaks is something I'd do again. I'd leave out the fennel next time, as it had a slightly medicinal edge to it, which may have been exacerbated by the Aussie viognier I used. Pinot Grigio never fails when I use it in Italian food, it has such a well rounded taste it can go with just about anything. The viognier had too much of a mineral taste.
From a rabbit costing £3.50 there was enough meat to feed 4 people, which makes it really good value. As it is the extra is now sitting in the freezer waiting for a day when cheese on toast for lunch just won't do.
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Grilled mackerel with minted potato salad
This lovely dish couldn't be easier or cheaper.
We had some egg yolks left over after making some coconut macaroons (2 egg whites, 160g dessicated coconut, 100g sugar - whisk then put some blobs onto some baking paper and bake in the oven at 180 for 12ish minutes) which were, well still are in fact, delicious. With the egg yolks we made some mayo. Homemade mayo really will put you off shop bought for good.
If you want arms like Popeye then whisking mayonnaise is the way forward. But if you want to make your life a lot easier then a blender comes in very handy. All it takes is 2 egg yolks, a teaspoon of dijon mustard (and some english mustard if you fancy), a dash of white wine vinegar and some oil. We tend to use normal vegetable oil (which more often than not is rapeseed oil) so that the mayo doesn't take on a taste of oil, but some recipes I've seen suggest olive oil. So use whatever takes your fancy.
Put everything except the oil into a blender and give it a couple of short bursts, then switch to constant and start trickling in the oil. It'll take quite a bit, something like 150-200ml. It's done when you have a thickish pale yellow sauce. It will need a little bit of seasoning, which is best done at the end. If you're using pepper, use white rather than black to prevent very visible black bits in the mayo.
We had a mackerel in the freezer and felt like having a light Sunday lunch, so we thought we'd have it with a potato salad made with our homemade mayo.
It doesn't take a lot of explaining really. We boiled some new potatoes, cut them in half and then mixed them with some mayo, some chopped gherkin and some fresh mint for a very tasty potato salad. We simply topped that with a grilled mackerel fillet, and there you have it. A very rewarding tea for very little effort.
We had some egg yolks left over after making some coconut macaroons (2 egg whites, 160g dessicated coconut, 100g sugar - whisk then put some blobs onto some baking paper and bake in the oven at 180 for 12ish minutes) which were, well still are in fact, delicious. With the egg yolks we made some mayo. Homemade mayo really will put you off shop bought for good.
If you want arms like Popeye then whisking mayonnaise is the way forward. But if you want to make your life a lot easier then a blender comes in very handy. All it takes is 2 egg yolks, a teaspoon of dijon mustard (and some english mustard if you fancy), a dash of white wine vinegar and some oil. We tend to use normal vegetable oil (which more often than not is rapeseed oil) so that the mayo doesn't take on a taste of oil, but some recipes I've seen suggest olive oil. So use whatever takes your fancy.
Put everything except the oil into a blender and give it a couple of short bursts, then switch to constant and start trickling in the oil. It'll take quite a bit, something like 150-200ml. It's done when you have a thickish pale yellow sauce. It will need a little bit of seasoning, which is best done at the end. If you're using pepper, use white rather than black to prevent very visible black bits in the mayo.
We had a mackerel in the freezer and felt like having a light Sunday lunch, so we thought we'd have it with a potato salad made with our homemade mayo.
It doesn't take a lot of explaining really. We boiled some new potatoes, cut them in half and then mixed them with some mayo, some chopped gherkin and some fresh mint for a very tasty potato salad. We simply topped that with a grilled mackerel fillet, and there you have it. A very rewarding tea for very little effort.
Friday, 12 August 2011
Lamb meatballs with Romesco sauce
We had a trip to Ilkley. There's a few good reasons why you might go to Ilkley, for us it was meat and cold water.
The cold water in question was the Ilkley Lido. Its about 15 minutes walk out of the town centre, near the rugby club and offers a heated indoor pool as well as an unheated outdoor pool. After getting a lot of enjoyment out of the Lido at Portishead when we lived in Bristol we were keen to go to Ilkley's pool.
It is a very picturesque setting, with Ilkley Moor just a short way up the hill, and the water is very cold. Well, cold anyway. But for the perverse this is all part of the fun.
For the meat we went to Lishman's. Makers of the Yorkshire sausage and an award winning banger - the Champion. Its one of those butchers where you just want to buy a bit of everything. We bought some sausages, we just had to, some pig cheeks and the lamb mince for this dish which I had been wanting to do for a while.
It was extraordinarily good meat. I could almost smell the field that the lamb had been gamboling about in.
Using a pound of mince for two people I seasoned it with salt, pepper and paprika in the absence of pimento - although I don't know if there's a lot of difference. I made the seasoned mince into 10 meatballs and fried them slowly in some olive oil. Once they were nice and brown I added the romesco sauce and just heated it through for a few minutes, and served them with rice.
Romesco is a Spanish, or to be more precise Catalan, sauce of tomatoes, peppers and almonds. I googled for a recipe and found this one.
It was a lovely dish. Rich, slightly spicy and a little sweet with a nice toasted nutty flavour from the almonds which went really nicely with the browned meatballs. Definitely one for the repertoire.
The cold water in question was the Ilkley Lido. Its about 15 minutes walk out of the town centre, near the rugby club and offers a heated indoor pool as well as an unheated outdoor pool. After getting a lot of enjoyment out of the Lido at Portishead when we lived in Bristol we were keen to go to Ilkley's pool.
It is a very picturesque setting, with Ilkley Moor just a short way up the hill, and the water is very cold. Well, cold anyway. But for the perverse this is all part of the fun.
For the meat we went to Lishman's. Makers of the Yorkshire sausage and an award winning banger - the Champion. Its one of those butchers where you just want to buy a bit of everything. We bought some sausages, we just had to, some pig cheeks and the lamb mince for this dish which I had been wanting to do for a while.
It was extraordinarily good meat. I could almost smell the field that the lamb had been gamboling about in.
Using a pound of mince for two people I seasoned it with salt, pepper and paprika in the absence of pimento - although I don't know if there's a lot of difference. I made the seasoned mince into 10 meatballs and fried them slowly in some olive oil. Once they were nice and brown I added the romesco sauce and just heated it through for a few minutes, and served them with rice.
Romesco is a Spanish, or to be more precise Catalan, sauce of tomatoes, peppers and almonds. I googled for a recipe and found this one.
It was a lovely dish. Rich, slightly spicy and a little sweet with a nice toasted nutty flavour from the almonds which went really nicely with the browned meatballs. Definitely one for the repertoire.
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