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Category Archives: Alcohol
Edible Gold has Papal Blessing
Maize or corn, call it what you will, we know came to Europe from the South America’s - another nugget from the heavy swag bags of the 15th century Genovese adventurer, Christo Columbus (1451-1506). Farmers across Southern Europe where it could best be grown took … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Food of the Ancients, Game, Mineral Waters, Nonna's Cooking, Polenta, Real Italy, Wild Funghi
Tagged Bergamo, Bianchi's Frith St Soho, Boletus Aereus, Cepes, Christo Columbus, David Hockney, Fellini's 'Juliet of the Spirits', Genovese, Harry's Bar, Milan, Paiolo, Papal Feasting, Parc des Sources (Vichy), Polenta, Polenta Bramata, Porcini, San Pellgrino Terme, Veneto, White Polenta, Yellow Polenta
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First Choose Your Trotter, then Find Your Feet
Pig’s trotters were elevated from food of the immigrant poor to a delicacy for wealthy Londoners around 35 years ago. Pierre Koffmann, probably the finest French chef in London since Auguste Escoffier and Michel Bourdin left town, made the pig’s trotter his … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Black Peppercorns, Blue Collar Gastronomy, French Markets, French Regional Foods, French supermarkets, Great Chefs, London Dining, No Compromise Shopping, pied de Porc, Pork, Simple Food, Stocks and Stock Making, Trotters, Vinegars
Tagged 'In Search of TASTE' Magazine, Au Pied de Cochon, Auguste Escoffier, Bearnaise Sauce, Brasserie Lipp, Charcutier, Elizabeth David, Estramadura, FDIN, Jamon Iberico, Koffmann's Knightsbridge, Koffmann's Pieds de Porc, Michel Bourdin, Morrison's Supermarket, Pata Negra, Pieds de Porc Truffes, Pierre Koffmann, Plebeian Food, Saucier, Ste Menehould, Waxy Potato Varieties
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Deh-Ta Hsiung – The Quiet Revolutionary
When Deh-Ta Hsiung walked down the gangway of the P&O SS ‘Corfu’ and came ashore at Tilbury on Boxing Day in 1949, he was young man arriving in the right place at the right time. He was just 17 and that time … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Burgundy, Chicken, Classic Rice Dishes, Dim-Sum, Fish, Food Influencers, Foraging, Game, Ginger, London Dining, Memories, Onions, Pork, Real Chinese Cooking, Rice, Traditions at Table, Vinegars, Wines
Tagged 'Lady Precious Stream', Ballymaloe Co Cork, Bean Sprouts, Chinatowns, Cognac, Deh-Ta Hsiung, Dim-Sum, Dylan Thomas, Festival of Britain, Kai-Lu Hsiung, Ken Hom, Ken Lo, Oxford, Peking, Rice Wine, Ridley Scott, Royal College of Art, Sherry & Port, Shih I Hsiung, Slade Art School
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Mobile Speck Knodel & Strudel
After 15 or more years working in high pressure restaurant kitchens, with their long hours and back-to-back shifts, Franz Schinagl knew he had to break free from his last posting as chef at Asia de Cuba. “As exciting as it was, I became so thin and … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Austrian Cooking, Beef, Black Peppercorns, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Bread, Curing and Smoking, Good Potatoes, Onions, Pork, Rare Roast Sirloin, Salad, Simple Food, Slicing Machine, Stocks and Stock Making, Veal, Wines
Tagged Advantage Austria, Apples, Asparagus - white or green, Austrian Wine, Bermondsey, Bodo's Schloss, Chef Karl Eschlboek, Fergus Henderson, Franz Schinagl, Knodel, Marco Steiner, Nuernberger Sausages, Oma's, Raisins, Schnitzel, Speck Mobile, St John Bakery, Stroh Rum, Strudel
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Going Undercover Dining in Hoxton
A morning of delight and discovery as I take a route across London on a new-to-me train through smart clean stations – is this really London I ask myself. Get off at Hoxton Station, through the empty barriers and, in less … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, American Dishes, Baccala, Coffee, Comforting Foods, London Dining, New Chefs, Perfect Eggs, Phoney Cooking, Salad, Salad and Digestion, Salt Cod
Tagged 'In Search of TASTE' Magazine, Andy Lynes, Brandade, Chef James Ferguson, Fergus Henderson, Herdwick Lamb, Kohlrabi, Menu de Marche, Metro Newspaper, Onglet, Panna Cotta, Picpoul de Pinet, Polenta Cake with Blood Orange, Rochelle Canteen, St John Bakery, The Beagle in Hoxton
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This Lent’s Seeming +40 Days
I am not a man alone in feeling the Lent just past seemed to run for more than 40 days and nights. Friends who denied themselves of their favourite indulgences were unanimous in remarking Lent 2013 seemed longer and so harder … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Basilicata, Best Pasta, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Cocktails, Dry Martini, IGP, Lenten traditions, Real Italy
Tagged 40 Days Fasting, Carre d'Agneau, Chabichou, Chaource, Confits for Cheese, Fasoldo, Fried Quail Eggs, Gallucci & Gilmour, Gorgonzola Dolce, IGP Fagioli di Sarconi, Lent, Lindt Conching, Lindt Easter Bunnies, Lucania, Martini Cocktail, Mosto, New York University, Peppe Zullo, Prof Marion Nestle, Puglia, Quince Confit from Lucullus, Turkish Honey
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A Perfumed Potager in L’Orne
There are buds showing and daffodils coming up right now all showing us Nature’s rebirth, but a finely tended garden in mid-summer is another thing altogether. I saved this piece for our winter time with the intention of delighting my readers. I write … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Bread, Chicken, Food travel, French Regional Foods, Organic Food, Pigeoneau, Poulet Fermiers, Salad, Salad and Digestion, Simple Food, Terroir
Tagged 'The Scented Kitchen' by Frances Bissell, Boudin noir, Calvados, Cider, Cidre, Eco-Tourisme, Floc de Gasgogne, L'Orne, Mortagne-au-Perche, Normandy, Pineau de Charentes, Pommeau, Potager, Prospect Books, Raymond Blanc. Chateau de Villiers, Serif Books, Tom Jaine
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