December 20, 2016
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Latkes With A Slight Twist

This is one of those rare years where Christmas & Chanukah (the Jewish Festival of Lights) coincide. Both kick off on the 25th. So keeping with the spirit of the Holiday Season, I thought I’d share my Latkes recipe which I first posted last year. Similar to a Potato Rosti, the Latke is synonymous with the festival, when one is encouraged to eat oily foods based on the events on the miracle of Channukah. Happy Holidays Everyone!

simsalb's avatartaste2taste

Tonight is the first night of the Jewish Festival of Light, Chanukah and the tradition, based on the story of the holiday, is to consume lots of things connected to oil.  So, I decided I would share my own recipe for the ever popular Latke, a potato dish cooked in….you guessed, oil!

The Ingredients needed The Ingredients needed

This is a great way to cook one’s spud, tatty or even potato. delicious, irresistibly crispy on the outside and moist potato within and is popular in mainstream US cuisine too

The way I make Latkes is with a nod to the tradition but adding a little bit of something else. Being a veritable kleptomaniac, when it comes to the use of a dash of color, I thought it might be fun to help this classic dish along the culinary trail by bringing some colorful vegetable interlopers to the party

Ingredients (serves 6+) 

Plain, Carrot & Kale Latke mix Plain, Carrot & Kale Latke mix

  • 6 x large potatoes (peeled and grated)
  • 2 x large onions…

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December 11, 2016
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Pick 2#:Craft Beer & Food Pairings for Christmas & the Holiday Season: Sour Ale & Sea Bass

I have had a busy food blogging week attending & helping out Hannah, founder of Chicp (chicp.co.uk) at BBC Good Food Festive Fayre held in the spectacular and historic Hampton Court Palace, King Henry VIII’s former hunting lodge, on Richmond Upon Thames, Greater London. I also visited my favourite  food market area – Maltby Street (Ropewalk) & Druid Street in Bermondsey as my foodie friend Meredith (foodatheart.co.uk) was showcasing her vegan chocolates for the first time at the market. I  find these events inspiring as I get to meet some interesting people, finding about their food journey & tasting their craft foods. I will be writing about Chicp and some other artisans in 2017, so watch this space. Back to beer and food pairing with pick #2: Sour Dry Hop Ale (4.9% APV) by Anspach & Hobday (@AnspachHobday, anspachandhobday.com), who are based in Druid Street, Southwark,  London SE1 2HH in a railway arch next to the market. Thanks again to Lee from @beerasylum for the beer pick which is refreshingly citrus and tart, typical of a sour ale that is becoming more popular in the USA & UK. I decided to pair with Mediterranean roasted sea bass, which is easy to prepare & cook and makes a healthy meal.

Recipe (serves 1-2)

  •  Fresh whole sea bass, cleaned & gutted, leaving head & tail on( a small one serves 1, medium for 2)
  • 1 teaspoon of good quality olive oil
  • 1 large clove garlic, peeled and sliced
  • fresh herbs: rosemary, lemon thyme, bayleaf (from my garden)
  • freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
  • 2 slices & 1 wedge of lemon

Method

Sea Bass ready to roast

Sea Bass ready to roast

  • Heat the oven to 180C fan (356 F)
  • Rub a little olive oil over the skin, on each side
  • Season the inside & outside of the fish with salt & pepper
  • Stuff the fish with a few slice of garlic, herbs and 2 slices of lemon
  • Make 2-3 slits on each side of the fish
  • stuff a small sprig of rosemary & a slice of garlic in each slit
  • Put the fish in an oven proof dish drizzled with a little olive oil
  • Roast the fish for 20 minutes
  • Remove from the oven, cover with foil & leave for 5-10 minutes to finish cooking

To serve squeeze a little lemon over the fish. You can eat as is or remove the skin or fish for those that don’t like to see the head & tail! I serve with a simple salad of fresh spinach, tomato cucumber & a few olives, dressed with olive oil & sherry vinegar.

My Mediterranean roasted sea bass and Anspach & Hobday sour dry hop ale –  a tasty, match!

December 8, 2016
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Pick 1#:Craft Beer & Food Pairings: for Christmas & the Holiday Season: Dark Malt & Steak

The Christmas Holiday Season is so busy & “full on” –  can be a bit daunting with food, drink and celebration overload.  When we created our taste2taste.com  blog Simon & I decided we wanted to focus on local makers & suppliers. As the interest in craft beer continues to grow it provides great inspiration to discover, find out more, taste & write about it. In New York, we are big fans of @deciccosbeer in Westchester County that have a phenomenal range  – thanks to Brendon O’ Brien for all your expert advice helping us pair beers & hard ciders for Thanksgiving & July 4 holiday festivities (see 3 previous posts).  Over in London,  we now have Jason,  Lee & the team  @BeerAsylumPinner, in my home village. With over 350 bottled beers, rotating draughts of 4 that change weekly to enjoy in-store, or growlers to take away, there is a great range from both UK & Worldwide not easily found in London.  Lee picked out some great beers for me to pair with food so I shall be sharing these recipes over the next few weeks.  Here is pick #1.

Salopian Vertigo Beer - a match for the Christmas Holiday Season

Salopian Vertigo Beer – a match for the Christmas Holiday Season

Vertigo  beer (7.2% abv) from @SalopianBrewery in Hadnall, Shropshire is a dark, full bodied yet very smooth aromatic beer with a lovely malty, rounded taste-  slightly chocolatey in characteristic. I decided to keep it simple & pair it with a seared Sirloin steak for a meal that  is quick to  prepare  – just the thing if you are rushing out & about.

Seared Marinated Steak Recipe (serves 1)

  • 1 good quality aged steak – I used Sirloin from my local butcher
  • 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil  – I used Hillfarm rapeseed oil from Suffolk
  • fresh thyme, rosemary, bayleaf – from my garden
  • freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
  • Dijon mustard (optional)
  • knob of butter or dairy free spread (optional)
Steak marinating

Steak marinating

Method

  • Marinade the steak in 1 teaspoon of oil & herbs, season with black pepper only , no salt at this stage, leave for ideally 20 minutes so steak is at room temperature before cooking
  • Steak Searing

    Steak Searing

    Heat a frying pan to medium hot for a few minutes, add 1 teaspoon of oil & steak (minus bayleaf)

  • Cook for a few minutes each side until a good caramelised colour – I like my steak medium rare (3-4 mins).
  • Sear the edge with the fat layer for flavour & presentation
Steak seared - now leave to rest

Steak seared – now leave to rest

Season with salt and add a knob of butter/dairy free spread to baste which gives a great flavour & colour.

Very important to remove the steak from the pan & rest for 5-6 minutes for maximum taste & flavour, and so you don’t get the steak juices bleeding onto the plate.  I serve my seared steak with some Dijon mustard, steamed spinach & broccoli and roasted cauliflower – but would work well with sweet potato fries! Vertigo beer could also be paired with Simon’s Sweet N’ Sour Beef & Squash Stew. It would also work with dessert: a mince pie or even a choc chip cookie  would work with its chocolatey, malty notes and smooth finish.

Vertigo beer and seared steak – a great match!