Oooooh Udon!

Koya got quite a lot of promotion when it opened.  Lots of people went and lots of people waited outside to get in.  And lots of people enjoyed it.  It's mainly udon with a few other specialities.  They make udon in house, when the udon runs out, that's it for the day.  Even if you walk by now, there are still queues outside.  So finally I gave in.

My friend an I showed up around 2pm (after my hair appointment.  Note:  do not go here if you are unable to hold your hair back - it makes eating very difficult!)  Although there was a queue outside, it moved really quickly and we were inside in less than 5 minutes.  The decor is minimal and wooden.  Fits in with my thoughts of Japan.

There are so many different types of udon:  Hot udon in hot broth.  Cold udon with sauce - to dip or to pour.  Cold udon with hot  broth.  There is also donburi - food served over rice with a side of miso soup.  And a large selection of side dishes such as roast duck, fish and chips, pork belly and a selection of salads and pickles.

My friend and I went for vegetable tempura and hot udon with hot broth - smoked haddock udon and mushroom and walnut miso udon.  The smoked haddock udon was really good - full of flavour with a generous helping of fish.  The mushroom and walnut miso was also good, albeit a bit bland after a while. Both felt very healthy and satisfying.  I have to say I was disappointed by the tempura - the batter, although it looked good, was a bit too greasy for my liking. I guess though, if you are going to a specialist udon restaurant, then stick to udon!

Quiche - bake sale special!

So at work, we were asked to bake some items for a bake sale.  I have to say I was a bit nervous, especially after all my talk about loving cooking and food.  I'm also not a huge sweet fan, so when my colleague said she was making something savory, I just had to follow suit.  Decision decisions, cheese twists, cheese scones, tarts and quiche - my choice was made!  Quiche it will be.

To ensure that my quiche would be eaten by at least one person, I asked another colleague what type of quiche he would like.  Cheese, onion and spinach were the suggestions.  A sprinkle of sundried tomatoes and we are there!  And yes, I used pre-made pastry - sorry, I just did not have time to make my own...

Sundried tomato, cheese and spinach quiche

1 packet of rolled pastry

4 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 eggs

250g low fat creme fresh
Cheese of your choice, grated
Spinach, chopped and wilted
Half an onion thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to season
Pinch of parsley

1.  Get the pastry out of the fridge and leave for approx half an hour to ensure that it is soft.
2.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roll the pastry out so that it is an inch bigger on every side that your pan.
3.  Grease your pan with oil and then carefully put the pastry in the pan, ensuring the pastry reaches the edge of the whole pan.  Cut off any excess.  Layer with grease proof paper or foil and fill with baking beans.  Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes then leave to cool.
4.  In a bowl, mix the sundried tomatoes, eggs, creme fresh, grated cheese and onion.  Add the pinch of parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Pour the mixture into the pastry.  Cook in the oven for another 20-25 mins (or until set and golden brown on top)
6.  Serve hot or cold and with a side salad for a full meal!

Eating and drinking in Rome!





Lunch in the sun - Penne Arrabiata

           


Lots of vino!



Gelato - from the best place in Rome!

     



Pizza!

    


YUM! Spaghetti al vongole

 
 


Arrabiata, one more time!

   



Look at the colours!  Tomato And Buffalo Mozzarella Salad







Teaching Italians how to make Jagerbombs...

 


Pizza with lots of cheese and chili.  Drool.

   




And finally - my all time favourite, rigatoni alla carbonara!

 

To buy or not to buy - a bread making machine

I remember being young and trying to cook bread with my mother.  I also remember that it often did not come out well and it was a whole lot of work.  But fresh bread is such a luxury.  I love the way bread smells as it's cooking and then breaking into a warm piece and eating it with just melting butter.  You just can't beat it.

So when my friend told me about her bread machine, I was very interested.  It's a Panasonic Bread Machine SD255.  You basically put in a number of ingredients, press a few buttons, wait a bit and presto, fresh bread.  Various different types of bread depending on your mood (and ingredients!).  You can time it so that it makes the bread for a specified time later.  Just put all the ingredients in, set when you want it to be ready for and that's it. Amazing - fresh bread for weekend breakfast!  But best of all?  It also makes pizza dough!

Homemade spring vegetable pizza

For the dough:

- 300 g flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

- 170 ml water

Put all the ingredients in the breadmaker.  Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a try and put it in a 180 C oven for 15 mins.  Take the dough out and stretch it out over the tray again - it will have shrunk a bit in the oven. 

Now for the toppings!

- Tomato sauce

- Pesto

- A selection of vegetables, such as asparagus tips, mushrooms, onions

- Dried chili flakes to taste

- Fresh buffalo mozzarella

- Fresh Parmesan

- Fresh basil

Cover the dough in your chosen sauce - we went for half tomato, half pesto.  Then arrange the vegetables and mozzarella cheese to your liking.  Sprinkle the chili flakes, herbs and finally grate some Parmesan over the top.  Pop it in the oven for another 15 mins or until the cheese is golden brown.  Enjoy with a cold glass of white wine!

A nice surprise on a cold Saturday

I love a good food surprise. A couple of Saturday's ago we went to visit a venue for the wedding (it was beautiful, unfortunately we can't afford it) then we were supposed to meet a friend. Unfortunately the friend had to cancel so we had a free afternoon. Bonus, let's go to a museum! On the way I was struck by hunger. And this hunger was huge (and of course turned me into a massive grump-a-lump!) so en route to museum we HAD to find food.

Walking around Clerkenwell during the weekend is like walking around a ghost town. Nice, except if you are really hungry. Down this road, around that corner, up that street and hey presto - Smiths if Smithfield! Bubbling with action and sound, this place is an oasis in a dry urban desert.

It was about 3:30pm so we had no trouble getting a table (although it was still quite busy). It's a very open space with a bright airy feel and loud music. The weekend menu consists of a range of English and American brunch specials such as all day fry-up, eggs Benedict, mac and cheese, pancakes and a personal favorite, corned beef hash. There was also a large range hot and cold sandwiches. Drink choices include the usual brunch choices - bloody Mary's and mimosas, coffee and juices - as well as the more unusual - big kids alcoholic milkshakes.

We went for a bloody Mary each and an SOS Club - chicken, bacon, egg mayo, tomato and lettuce in thick slices of bread - and a halloumi sandwich - with tapanade, lemon and rocket in focusia bread. The drinks were lovely with lots of tomato juice (hate it when there is too much ice and not enough juice!) and well flavoured with lemon wedges and a stick of celery. I have to say, the sandwich was probably one of the best club sandwiches I have ever had. I admit a am no club sarnie specialist but looking around, it seemed a popular choice. It was huge but filled with lots of juicy chicken, salty bacon and just enough egg mayo to give it sauce but not make it too goopy and sickly. The halloumi sandwich was equally nice: simple and tasty with the peppery flavour of the rocket complementing that of the cheese. The only minor downfall was a lack of lemon, which would have helped minimise the salt in the cheese.

The main thing that let the place down was the stroppy, inattentive waitress. I don't like complaining about waiting staff. I've done my time and it can be a very tiring and trying job. But this woman was a bit much. She did not crack a smile the whole time and it took us a good 15 mins to catch her attention to as for the bill and another 10 mins just to pay the bill. Hopefully she was just having a bad day! Overall a great place. I'll defo be going back soon to try the corned beef hash and mac and cheese!

Breakfast at Plan 9, Maida Vale

If I'm completely honest, I prefer spending weekend mornings at home cooking up exactly what I want, in my pj's, lounging around watching Saturday Kitchen. But sometimes, especially if it's nice outside and there's nothing in the fridge, a visit to the local brunch place is a treat. 

I've been to Plan 9 once before, a year or two ago.  I remember enjoying it then.  There was no real good reason that I'd not gone back, except laziness I guess.  So when picking a place to go last weekend, this was the obvious choice - especially as the other two diners had not been before.  The interior is quite quirky - I think the full name is supposed to be Plan 9 Space and Time Cafe and they have tried to add an element of sci fi to the space.  There are not that many seats - a couch, two armchairs, maybe 4 tables with a couple of chairs around each and 3 or 4 more tables outside (complete with blankets for chillier days).  There are also a couple of computers which I assume is for customers wanting to surf the web.  It's very relaxed and possibly a little worn.

The menu consists of breakfast fare (served all day) - fry ups, eggs in various forms, sausage and bacon butties - as well as a selection of sandwiches and cakes.  Drinks included coffees and teas as well as 5 or 6 different options of fruit smoothies.  We went for a couple of smoothies, a coffee, a couple of fry ups (one veggie, one regular) and a bagel with cream cheese and salmon, scrambled eggs and a side of sliced avocado.  The smoothies were tasty - I think they were made from frozen fruit though.  Overall the fry ups were made from good quality produce, not greasy and enough to fully fill you up.  The pork sausages were possibly a tad over perfumed, but that was the only criticism.  The bagel (which I got to choose from  4 different varieties) was lightly toasted and stuff with lots of delicious smoked salmon and just enough cream cheese.

Strangely there does not seem to be a toilet in the place - I didn't ask but I'm not really sure where it would fit?  Also ventilation is slightly lacking, so we smelt a bit like sausages when we left - not so much of a problem in summer though as you can just sit outside.  They also sell a number of various American treats, such as Pop Tarts, Oreo Cookies and the absolute best, Kraft Mac and Cheese (the Cheesiest!).  It does seem to be quite a popular place on the weekend, so make sure you show up before noon to ensure you get seated quickly.  They also have a Tex Mex evening on Thursdays which I have yet to try - it's only a matter of time as you know I love burritos!

Cheese, I need cheese!

So today was going to be the day I finally tried the amazing sounding cheese plate at Cochonnet.  We have been there so many times, really love it - the Mediterranean pizza is superb as is the Caesar salad, or on a nice sunny day, enjoy your meal in their outside terrace around the back.  We have surprisingly never tried the cheese plate though.  Reason being that it is listed on the dessert board, rather than on the menu, and by the time we realise we are already stuffed!  But this time I had remembered and I was ready.  You can imagine the disappointment then when I was told that as the chefs were having a break (OK, so it was 4pm), they were only serving pizza.  So no cheese plate for me today.  Do they really need a chef to place a few pieces of cheese on a plate. Really?!?  And who was cooking the pizzas?

Anyway, in my disappointed state I sipped some wine and contemplated what to do.  Then I had a brain storm - wasn't there a deli a few shops away?  Would I be saved?  I ran over (because it was raining) and I was greeted with an extensive selection of pastas, salads, meat and yes, of course, cheese!  Most of the cheeses in there were Italian.  Now, I used to think that French cheeses were the best and nothing else came close. But I obviously had not really explored Italian cheeses.

Often when you think of Italian cheese you think of mozzarella and parmesan. But there are so many more!! Pecorino, cambenzola, ricotta, taleggio, provolone, fontina, toma - the list goes on and on! But my personal favorite has to be Gorgonzola. So sweet and smooth, nutty and strong - perfect on bread, pasta, pizza, risotto or simply on it's own. I'm drooling just thinking about it.  So with a chunk of Gorgonzola, a few slices of mortadella and a smile on my face, off home I went. Here is what I ate:

Stuffed portobello mushrooms
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course

4 large portobello mushrooms (try and get them as concave as possible so that they hold the filling better)
Gorgonzola cheese
Soft cheese such as ricotta or cream cheese
Garlic powder
Other optional fillings: tomatoes, ham, spinach, onions, asparagus, peppers - anything you want really Breadcrumbs

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees 

2.  Remove the stalks of the mushrooms and finely chop any fillings

3.  Mix together the Gorgonzola, soft cheese, garlic powder and fillings

4.  Season the mushroom well with salt and pepper before spooning the mixture into the middle of the mushroom.  Leave some space around the edge of the mushroom as the mixture will melt and if possible you want it to not overflow.

5.  Put it in the oven for 15 minutes

6.  Take out of the oven and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top

7.  Place under a hot grill for a few minutes or until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown

8.  Serve over salad or with a side of vegetables as a main course.  Or simply, with a side of Mortadella, as I did!