I was in a bit of a moany mood today for a variety of reasons. I have another ulcer, which pains me to eat, drink, talk, basically it stops me from enjoying any of the things I love. So Mr p made me some eggs on toast for breakfast as I really fancied some. It was delicious. I had it with ketchup as well which added delightfully to the taste of the meal, but of course stung my ulcer immensely.
For lunch Mr P and I had done a bit of shopping and I was moaning about how cold and hungry I was so we decided to go to a noodle bar in Beckenham called Miso. I had a roast duck dish with noodles, duck sauce and Chinese leaves. I am usually a big fan of these kinds of places, but I wasn't too impressed by this dish. i know duck is usually pretty fatty, but this breast was really fatty, the sauce a little too sweet and thick, and the noodles were a bit overdone and glutinous. Also the portion sizes were huge, which isn't something I would normally moan about but they were a little overwhelming.
Because we had a late and large lunch we weren't particularly hungry for a big meal in the evening so Mr P made us beans on toast and I loved it.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Chicken and butternut squash risotto
Mr P and his mum went to the local greasy spoon, Rosie Lee's forbreakfast this morning, but as I was a little late in getting up I bought a brekfast pannini form a coffee shop at St Pancras. It was filled with egg, bacon (again not my favourite), sausage and ketchup. It tasted perfectly fine but although it was toasted on the outside it was pretty chilled in the middle, so I would have preferred it if it were a little warmer.
Mr P and I didn't really have any lunch after our late abnd big breakfasts. Plus we went to Harrow Borough fc to watch them play Chesterfield (Mr P's team) in the FA Cup, so we just shared a couple of packet of crisps, one salt and vinegar hula hoops and one oriental ribs flavour mccoys.
Mr P made dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious. He made butternut squash and chicken risotto. I didn't really watch him make it as I was too engrossed in either Strictly or X Factor, but I do know that he roasted the butternut squash before mashing it and adding it into the risotto. He also added cream cheese to it, which I thought was a very good choice. The chicken was still beautifully moist and tender, he's a very good chicken cooker in my opinion. He also seasoned it with lots a sage, which went perfectly. Yum yum yum.
Mr P and I didn't really have any lunch after our late abnd big breakfasts. Plus we went to Harrow Borough fc to watch them play Chesterfield (Mr P's team) in the FA Cup, so we just shared a couple of packet of crisps, one salt and vinegar hula hoops and one oriental ribs flavour mccoys.
Mr P made dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious. He made butternut squash and chicken risotto. I didn't really watch him make it as I was too engrossed in either Strictly or X Factor, but I do know that he roasted the butternut squash before mashing it and adding it into the risotto. He also added cream cheese to it, which I thought was a very good choice. The chicken was still beautifully moist and tender, he's a very good chicken cooker in my opinion. He also seasoned it with lots a sage, which went perfectly. Yum yum yum.
Friday, 5 November 2010
It's wine time
Cheap wine. My parents drink it, I drink it, you drink it, but are there any hidden gems?
The other week I did a scientific test on biodynamic wine and after re-reading it today, I've decided it was a bit too intellectual. I've also been giving advice and suggestions on more expensive wines. So, the plan: buy a bunch of cheap wines (sub £3) and see if they're any good. The caveats: They can't be on offer as that's cheating and my rules, my opinion. After last week's wine-less blog, this week is a veritable wine-fest.
I'll probably just swing by some supermarkets and see what I come across, no brain power necessary.
So after a trip to Tesco, I came back with Tesco Value Spanish wine, in a 750ml tetra-pak, red and white both £3.30 each (30p over budget, there were some at £2.99 but they sounded so hideous I couldn't even bring myself to buy them, yet alone drink them).
Right, here we go. Now a slight confession, I've had the value red before. Now before you stop reading my blog anymore, I decided a while back to get 'Any 4 x 185cl bottles for £5' on offer just to try a few and threw this one in for interest. The red is thin, watery, tastes pretty much like watered down wine, (the other 185cl bottles that time tasted like cheap wine too) Still, it's only 11% abv and if you can get past the fact that you're drinking wine from a tetra-pak, well, I'd have to say that this wine really isn't too awful. It is pretty bad, but it tastes too fruity rather than disgusting. Something to glug at, and not savoured. Luckily enough it was a similar affair with the white, fruity and drinkable, refreshing but certainly not interesting. I'd say for both of these, they get away with being OK because they're both 11% abv, so slightly under fermented and keeping a little sweetness to them gives them that over fruity character. If I went for a run and ran out of water I could drink either of these instead.
Holy Flip Batman! Sainsbury's, you've outdone yourself on the cheap wine. They have a Sainbury's House Wines section. Amazing. There is a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Soave, Chardonnay, Generic Medium, Generic Sweet, Generic Rose all at £3.49 each, and if you're really treating yourself there's a range of French AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) House Wines including Generic Claret, Rhone and Beaujolais, a Rioja and a Chianti for £3.99. An absolute bargain. I didn't try all of them but on the whole, fairly obvious examples of some popular grapes and regions.
Well done Sainsbury's, I'm totally impressed with the gusto you've put into peddling super cheap wine on to the masses. Helping them avoid quality in exchange for the obvious. However, you do have a massive range of wine and are only employing the obvious supply and demand reaction to uneducated penniless consumers. Luckily everyone else, I'm here to help you navigate the myriad of the supermarket shelves.
Turns out then, that you get what you pay for. Time to answer the question “Are there any hidden gems?”. No, there isn't.
Buy this instead: La Gioiosa Merlot 2007, £6.50, Northern Italy, nice and plumy.
Moving on.
A few weeks ago I mentioned Hungary, and their wines. Now, I said I'd emailed a merchant called Mephisto Wines (www.meohistowines.com) asking for some samples and guess what, they sent me some. Well, these wines aren't cheap, they all retail about £7-£10 which I don't think is too bad for the quality of wine your getting and for the leap of faith your taking with opting for a Hungarian wine. Well, let's take that leap off the table because I'm gonna tell you what 3 of them are like. Great. I actually mean they're great tasting.
The Nyakas, now Mephisto sent me this wine and I can't find it on their website, great. Anyway, a wholly unpronounceable white grape variety called Irsai Olivér, similar in style to viognier and in genetics to muscat, so it tasted pretty. Quite syrupy look about it in the glass with a light gold hue in colour. Tasted and smelled floral, lavender and possibly herby with a hay field feel. Weird really, off dry and unusual, my mum liked it.
The second white was Malatinszky's Noblesse Serena, 2009. (Nobless...Brilliant. Where's my sensible hat?) Anyway, it's another pretty, but not as floral as the Nyakas, blend of 50% Chardonnay with Reisling and Muscat Ottonel. So similarly straw like in colour and it swings pretty syrupy in the glass too. Fresh and fruity, with a clean long finish, just not my type of thing. Not enough acidity and a little too weighty for me, I prefer a crisp refreshing style of white.
Now, the red Takler Kékfrankos, (Kékfrankos being another indigenous grape of Hungary, no I can't pronounce this one either) was more my type of thing. Deep red in colour with tawny notes, low in tannins. Excellent full, concentrated flavours with cinnamon, dried fruit and blackcurrants. A proportion of the wine is aged in steel vats and a small amount is aged for 6 months in oak and that brings through a small amount of spice, but there's an unusual aftertaste, sort of aniseed feel to it, definitely not unpleasant, but a little unexpected, I guess that comes from trying something new. I could quite happily sink a few glasses.
Thanks Mephisto, you rule.
That's it for now, you can follow me on twitter @danprobert and you can come and see me in-store at the Adnams Cellar & Kitchen Store in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Should you wish.
The other week I did a scientific test on biodynamic wine and after re-reading it today, I've decided it was a bit too intellectual. I've also been giving advice and suggestions on more expensive wines. So, the plan: buy a bunch of cheap wines (sub £3) and see if they're any good. The caveats: They can't be on offer as that's cheating and my rules, my opinion. After last week's wine-less blog, this week is a veritable wine-fest.
I'll probably just swing by some supermarkets and see what I come across, no brain power necessary.
So after a trip to Tesco, I came back with Tesco Value Spanish wine, in a 750ml tetra-pak, red and white both £3.30 each (30p over budget, there were some at £2.99 but they sounded so hideous I couldn't even bring myself to buy them, yet alone drink them).
Right, here we go. Now a slight confession, I've had the value red before. Now before you stop reading my blog anymore, I decided a while back to get 'Any 4 x 185cl bottles for £5' on offer just to try a few and threw this one in for interest. The red is thin, watery, tastes pretty much like watered down wine, (the other 185cl bottles that time tasted like cheap wine too) Still, it's only 11% abv and if you can get past the fact that you're drinking wine from a tetra-pak, well, I'd have to say that this wine really isn't too awful. It is pretty bad, but it tastes too fruity rather than disgusting. Something to glug at, and not savoured. Luckily enough it was a similar affair with the white, fruity and drinkable, refreshing but certainly not interesting. I'd say for both of these, they get away with being OK because they're both 11% abv, so slightly under fermented and keeping a little sweetness to them gives them that over fruity character. If I went for a run and ran out of water I could drink either of these instead.
Holy Flip Batman! Sainsbury's, you've outdone yourself on the cheap wine. They have a Sainbury's House Wines section. Amazing. There is a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Soave, Chardonnay, Generic Medium, Generic Sweet, Generic Rose all at £3.49 each, and if you're really treating yourself there's a range of French AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) House Wines including Generic Claret, Rhone and Beaujolais, a Rioja and a Chianti for £3.99. An absolute bargain. I didn't try all of them but on the whole, fairly obvious examples of some popular grapes and regions.
Well done Sainsbury's, I'm totally impressed with the gusto you've put into peddling super cheap wine on to the masses. Helping them avoid quality in exchange for the obvious. However, you do have a massive range of wine and are only employing the obvious supply and demand reaction to uneducated penniless consumers. Luckily everyone else, I'm here to help you navigate the myriad of the supermarket shelves.
Turns out then, that you get what you pay for. Time to answer the question “Are there any hidden gems?”. No, there isn't.
Buy this instead: La Gioiosa Merlot 2007, £6.50, Northern Italy, nice and plumy.
Moving on.
A few weeks ago I mentioned Hungary, and their wines. Now, I said I'd emailed a merchant called Mephisto Wines (www.meohistowines.com) asking for some samples and guess what, they sent me some. Well, these wines aren't cheap, they all retail about £7-£10 which I don't think is too bad for the quality of wine your getting and for the leap of faith your taking with opting for a Hungarian wine. Well, let's take that leap off the table because I'm gonna tell you what 3 of them are like. Great. I actually mean they're great tasting.
The Nyakas, now Mephisto sent me this wine and I can't find it on their website, great. Anyway, a wholly unpronounceable white grape variety called Irsai Olivér, similar in style to viognier and in genetics to muscat, so it tasted pretty. Quite syrupy look about it in the glass with a light gold hue in colour. Tasted and smelled floral, lavender and possibly herby with a hay field feel. Weird really, off dry and unusual, my mum liked it.
The second white was Malatinszky's Noblesse Serena, 2009. (Nobless...Brilliant. Where's my sensible hat?) Anyway, it's another pretty, but not as floral as the Nyakas, blend of 50% Chardonnay with Reisling and Muscat Ottonel. So similarly straw like in colour and it swings pretty syrupy in the glass too. Fresh and fruity, with a clean long finish, just not my type of thing. Not enough acidity and a little too weighty for me, I prefer a crisp refreshing style of white.
Now, the red Takler Kékfrankos, (Kékfrankos being another indigenous grape of Hungary, no I can't pronounce this one either) was more my type of thing. Deep red in colour with tawny notes, low in tannins. Excellent full, concentrated flavours with cinnamon, dried fruit and blackcurrants. A proportion of the wine is aged in steel vats and a small amount is aged for 6 months in oak and that brings through a small amount of spice, but there's an unusual aftertaste, sort of aniseed feel to it, definitely not unpleasant, but a little unexpected, I guess that comes from trying something new. I could quite happily sink a few glasses.
Thanks Mephisto, you rule.
That's it for now, you can follow me on twitter @danprobert and you can come and see me in-store at the Adnams Cellar & Kitchen Store in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Should you wish.
Beef goulash
A lovely day off work at long last, so I enjoyed a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes and a cup of tea whilst watching a bit of daytime television - perfect.
As we went shopping in Croydon we ate some lunch in a cafe in a shopping centre there. I chose a smoked salmon wrap, whicih had salad, brie and bacon as well as the obligatory smoked salmon. I asked for it without bacon as I'm not a huge fan of it, particularly when it is cold and ultra crispy. However they forgot to leave it out, so I found it very salty and not my favourite wrap in the world. I had it with a diet coke - a treat for me as I very rarely have fizzy drinks.
For dinner Mr P's mum made us dinner which was so nice. Its lovely to just relax sometimes and have someone else serve you dinner (although I often get that with the wonderous MR P's cooking talents). Anyway, we had a beef goulash with rice and some lovely sour cream on top. Delicious. We had it with a bottle of red wine, which all went down a treat.
As we went shopping in Croydon we ate some lunch in a cafe in a shopping centre there. I chose a smoked salmon wrap, whicih had salad, brie and bacon as well as the obligatory smoked salmon. I asked for it without bacon as I'm not a huge fan of it, particularly when it is cold and ultra crispy. However they forgot to leave it out, so I found it very salty and not my favourite wrap in the world. I had it with a diet coke - a treat for me as I very rarely have fizzy drinks.
For dinner Mr P's mum made us dinner which was so nice. Its lovely to just relax sometimes and have someone else serve you dinner (although I often get that with the wonderous MR P's cooking talents). Anyway, we had a beef goulash with rice and some lovely sour cream on top. Delicious. We had it with a bottle of red wine, which all went down a treat.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Chorizo and new potato salad
Was feeling a little tired after a very late night the night before, so had to indulge in a sau=sage and egg sandwich with tfomato sauce, which was an absolute taste sensation.
For lunch I went to Pizza Express on a work outing and had a al tirolo on a romana base. So thats a trio of mushrooms and ham. Yum yum and much much needed.
Mr P and I have his mum to stay for a while, so we took her out to Joannas in Crystal Palace where we shared a nice bottle of Montepulciano. I had chilli chargrilled squid, which if I'm honest wasn't sensational, it was a little bit cold and chewy. For mains I had a chorizo and new potato salad with a poached egg. The chorizo salad was really delicious. Very meaty and tyasty sausage with fried new potatoes. I also ahve to say that the green beans in the salad tasted really fresh and had been cooked perfectly with still a little crunch. The salad had a perfectly cooked poached egg on top, whihc went really nicely with the other ingredients, however it tasted a little bit too much of vinegar, I'm not sure if this was the vinegar used in the water when cooking the egg, or a dressing applied afterwards, but it was a little too vinegary for my taste buds. To finish I had a Baileys liquer coffee, which unfortunately was one of those times when my eyes were too big for my belly and I couldn't finish it all.
A nice relaxing evening in a lovely setting.
For lunch I went to Pizza Express on a work outing and had a al tirolo on a romana base. So thats a trio of mushrooms and ham. Yum yum and much much needed.
Mr P and I have his mum to stay for a while, so we took her out to Joannas in Crystal Palace where we shared a nice bottle of Montepulciano. I had chilli chargrilled squid, which if I'm honest wasn't sensational, it was a little bit cold and chewy. For mains I had a chorizo and new potato salad with a poached egg. The chorizo salad was really delicious. Very meaty and tyasty sausage with fried new potatoes. I also ahve to say that the green beans in the salad tasted really fresh and had been cooked perfectly with still a little crunch. The salad had a perfectly cooked poached egg on top, whihc went really nicely with the other ingredients, however it tasted a little bit too much of vinegar, I'm not sure if this was the vinegar used in the water when cooking the egg, or a dressing applied afterwards, but it was a little too vinegary for my taste buds. To finish I had a Baileys liquer coffee, which unfortunately was one of those times when my eyes were too big for my belly and I couldn't finish it all.
A nice relaxing evening in a lovely setting.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Morrocan fayre
Raisinless muesli for breakfast again followed by a bowl of spicy butternut squash and sweet potato soup with a triangular Tesco finest wholegrain roll.
This blog could potentially turn very very dull over the winter months with my soupy luncheons. There will be very little to report. However I was discussing this with a colleague who came up with the great idea I could talk about what I would have preferred to have for lunch, a genius idea I think.
So what I would have liked to have had is a grilled halloumi salad with some very ripe and shiny red tomatoes, some rocket and some olive cous cous. I would also have preferred to have it sat outside a little greek resturant with a large glass of fruity red looking out onto a sparkling blue Mediterranean sea with the sun reflecting off it and the noise of the waves and cicadas in the background. However I was instead sat at my desk attempting not to get crumbs stuck between the keys on my keyboard. Great.
I met up with a couple of friends for dinner at Souk Medina on Shorts Gardens near Covent Garden. I have never been there, but absolutely loved it inside. With its low lighting, rugs, cushions, lanterns and low seating it felt as though I had been transported to North Africa.
We shared a bottle of red wine and had a set menu which consisted of:
Starters: -
Humous,
Pitta,
Vine Leaves,
Merguez sausages with potatoes
Mains: -
Cous cous
Chickpeas
Creamed spinach (absolutely amazing)
Chicken tagine
Lamb tagine (this one wasnt so nice as the meat tasted like perfume and not something I'm a big fan of, it also had lots of fruit in it, which I am also not a fan of)
Dessert:-
Baklava
Mint tea
It was so so nice and i shall definitely be returning. During our dessert the music suddenly got turned up very loudy and out came a belly dancer. An odd cmoment, but amusing nonetheless.
This blog could potentially turn very very dull over the winter months with my soupy luncheons. There will be very little to report. However I was discussing this with a colleague who came up with the great idea I could talk about what I would have preferred to have for lunch, a genius idea I think.
So what I would have liked to have had is a grilled halloumi salad with some very ripe and shiny red tomatoes, some rocket and some olive cous cous. I would also have preferred to have it sat outside a little greek resturant with a large glass of fruity red looking out onto a sparkling blue Mediterranean sea with the sun reflecting off it and the noise of the waves and cicadas in the background. However I was instead sat at my desk attempting not to get crumbs stuck between the keys on my keyboard. Great.
I met up with a couple of friends for dinner at Souk Medina on Shorts Gardens near Covent Garden. I have never been there, but absolutely loved it inside. With its low lighting, rugs, cushions, lanterns and low seating it felt as though I had been transported to North Africa.
We shared a bottle of red wine and had a set menu which consisted of:
Starters: -
Humous,
Pitta,
Vine Leaves,
Merguez sausages with potatoes
Mains: -
Cous cous
Chickpeas
Creamed spinach (absolutely amazing)
Chicken tagine
Lamb tagine (this one wasnt so nice as the meat tasted like perfume and not something I'm a big fan of, it also had lots of fruit in it, which I am also not a fan of)
Dessert:-
Baklava
Mint tea
It was so so nice and i shall definitely be returning. During our dessert the music suddenly got turned up very loudy and out came a belly dancer. An odd cmoment, but amusing nonetheless.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Thai red curry
I've decided to start taking the raisins out of my muesli because I just really don't enjoy my breakfast with them in it. So i painstakingly removed all the raisins from my breakfast this morning, therefore making it far more enjoyable.
For lunch I had spiced sweet potato and butternut squash soup with a rye and pumpkin seed roll.
I made a chicken thai red curry for dinner. I fried a few spoons of red thai curry paste in some oil before adding some chopped onions and chicken. I then left it sizzling for about five minutes before adding a tin of coconut milk, some fish sauce, some mushrooms, courgettes and red pepper. I then left it simmering for about ten minutes and then served it with fine egg noodles. I loved it and even went back for seconds.
For lunch I had spiced sweet potato and butternut squash soup with a rye and pumpkin seed roll.
I made a chicken thai red curry for dinner. I fried a few spoons of red thai curry paste in some oil before adding some chopped onions and chicken. I then left it sizzling for about five minutes before adding a tin of coconut milk, some fish sauce, some mushrooms, courgettes and red pepper. I then left it simmering for about ten minutes and then served it with fine egg noodles. I loved it and even went back for seconds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)