Kedgeree at the end of Easter Weekend

Easter bank holiday weekend 2013 will go down as one of those bank holidays when little is achieved and you feel good about it.  Normally, a bank holiday is the perfect excuse for a food blow-out, plenty of shopping and cooking, but my one plan for the weekend got in the way.  Rather than mooching around markets and food fairs I went to Manchester for a stag do.

The details of the stag will remain the knowledge* of the attendees.  Suffice to say, by the time I got back to Leeds I was starving and probably still a little drunk.  A hot cross bun had been saved for my return but I had longer to wait for the meal of the day.  It's not a Celebration without a roast and we had bought a rolled pork shoulder joint to celebrate Easter.  If you want to read more about cooking pork please feel free to venture over to Everything But The Oink where I am eating every edible part of a pig over the course of the year.

Today I woke up relatively hangover-free and set about the order of the day.  Firstly, meal planning for the week ahead and writing a suitable shopping list, followed by a trip to Temple Newsam.  More specifically a trip to Home Farm to show R the lambs**.  The sun was shining when we set out but the clouds quickly gathered and cut off the little warmth that the sun was providing.

After a couple of cold and enjoyable hours at the farm we decamped back to Leeds for a warming pub lunch.  We found ourselves in The Adelphi.  We'd been to The Adelphi a couple of months ago for Sunday lunch and were so impressed with the food and the service that we were keen to go back.  By the time we arrived a brief twitter conversation had resulted in a reserved table.  It wasn't needed because we had the run of the place when we arrived, but within half an hour the pub was really filling up and we would have struggled to get in.

I ordered bangers and mash and Z chose chicken and leek pie.  We knew that the staff wouldn't bat an eyelid at us letting R share our food which makes life very easy indeed.  R isn't a fussy eater for a two year old, but occasionally he still picks at food that I know he loves.  Not ordering him his own food might seem a bit tight but I'd rather share than waste money.

While we waited for our food I had a pint of the wonderfully named Hoptimus Prime, Z had a hot chocolate and R had a glass of milk which was served in the cutest flip-top Kilner bottle.  When the food arrived R had more than his fair share of my bangers and mash and wasn't interested in Z's chicken pie.  He's a harsh critic as both meals were superb!  That said, I do have ongoing issues with pies that are actually a stew with a pastry lid.

With lunch out of the way we cracked on with the shopping and I re-thought our evening meal.  Originally we were going to have smoked mackerel fish cakes, using up a packet of cooked peppered mackerel that had been destined for Z's lunch last week.  After a hefty pub lunch I fancied something lighter but was determined to use the fish and not waste food.  That was when kedgeree struck me.  I have only eaten kedgeree a couple of times and I had never cooked it before, but how hard could it be? 

Cooked rice and smoked fish stirred into fried onions and curry spices.  I always have some home ground garam masala in the store cupboard so there was no need for curry powder.  The finished dish is garnished with a hard boiled egg.  It really is that simple.  I know that it is traditionally eaten at breakfast time, but in a society that worships the All Day Breakfast, why can't we eat what we want when we want it.  I'm hereby reclaiming kedgeree as a supper dish.

*drunken miss-rememberings
**he's currently obsessed with Timmy Time and Shawn the Sheep.

Friday Night Take-away - Filet-o-fish

I realised recently that, although we have been keeping to the tradition of the Friday Night Take-away for a couple of years, there is one take-away establishment that has escaped a mention.  Tonight we have set that straight by knocking up a couple of fish burgers for me and Z.

There was a time in my life when I was a regular visitor to the burger bar with the golden arches.  As a 6th form student I had a Saturday job as a till monkey in a supermarket.  Every lunchtime, for two years, I wandered across the road to McD's and ordered the largest burger on the menu*.  This trend came to an end when I went to university.  A combination of no Saturday job, not having much disposable income and there not being a McDonald's close to my flat meant that my burger intake wained.

If we did treat** ourselves, normally in a moment of drunken abandon, I would stick to my guns and get as much meat as my wallet would allow and Z would usually order a filet-o-fish.  This left us with a problem.  For some reason, no matter which branch of McD's we staggered into, there were never any filets ready to eat.  This meant I had to either; A) wait for Z's filet to arrive, while my burger went cold, or B) eat my burger then sit there wanting a second burger watching Z eat hers.  Due to this, I have resented the filet-o-fish for years.

I do however love a fish finger sandwich.  The fact that they are on almost every pub menu is testimony to their greatness and, possibly, our inability to let go of more innocent times.  They do vary in quality, from reformed "white fish" in basic sliced white bread to monkfish goujons on ciabatta, and every thing in between.

To my mind a fish finger sandwich is a lunchtime treat and not an evening meal so tonight, I let bygones be bygones, set my resentments to one side and set about recreating the filet-o-fish.  Like the hyper-global-fastfood-chain I based my filet on 100% fish fillet.  To keep costs down I opted for coley but you could use any fish you fancy.  The fish fillets were coated in flour, egg and bread crumbs before being shallow fried and served in a bun with home made tartar sauce, cheese and lettuce.  This was every bit as good as I thought it would be and we didn't have to wait half an hour for it to be ready.

*washed down with a diet coke.  I am well aware of the irony of a greasy burger and a diet drink but I honestly prefer the flavour of diet coke to the full fat version.
**some treat!

Smoked Mackerel Thai Fishcakes

Yesterday I found myself looking into the fridge seeking inspiration for our evening meal.  I was faced with a motley crew of ageing vegetables and very little else.  There was one shining light, a packet of smoked mackerel that had been bought for Z's lunches.  For reasons that I might come to another day, Z hasn't been taking lunch with her to work this week, so the mackerel was in danger of being wasted.

Z regularly makes fish cakes for her and R's lunches at home.  I never get a look in so I decided to knock up a batch myself.  It was then I noticed that amongst the sorry looking salad in the fridge, sat the beginnings of a Thai curry.  There is nothing unusual about a Thai fish cake but I was unsure about the combination of Thai aromatics and smoked fish.

I decided to make a Western, potato based, fish cake and add the Thai flavours to the mix in the hope that the smoked fish wouldn't be too over powering.  To the smoked mackerel and mashed potato I added spring onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander.  I didn't bother with fish sauce as I presumed that the mackerel would be fishy enough.

Standard British fish cakes are usually served with peas and I wanted something along those lines to have with mine tonight.  Having searched the internet I came across Pad Prig King or Green Beans and shrimp.  Steamed green beans fried in red curry paste, is without a doubt the easiest side dish I have ever cooked.  I left out the shrimp but I can see how their sweetness would work in the dish.

I served the fish cakes and green beans with jasmine rice.  I was nervous when I took my first bite of the fish cakes, they smelled superb but I was still unsure about the clash of flavours.  I needn't have worried.  The fish cakes were great and the aromatics worked really well with the smoked fish with no individual flavour dominating.  I know that the meal wasn't authentic but I'd rather make good tasting food than let it go to waste.  With that in mind, Tonight's meal was a huge success.

Posh Fish and Chips

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are lucky to have Kirkgate Market in Leeds.  I know you can buy much more than food, but food is the reason I use the market.  I try to go every week but more often than not it's a couple of times a month tops.

I have even managed to change how I shop when visiting the market.  If I'm going to a supermarket I will have a list and slavishly follow it, only diverting from the written word if I stumble upon a bargain.  On the market my list tends to be a whole lot more generic.  For example my list today had Vegetables, Fruit (lots) and Fish*.  I keep the market list simple so that I can buy what looks best on the day.  If I have a particular recipe in mind I will be more specific but I have learned never to do this with fish.

Even in the height of mackerel season there is the chance that all of the good ones will have sold before you get to the market.  The cod you fancy might be more expensive than you budgeted for or, as happens to me all too often, there is something that just looks better than the fish you were looking for.

Today Fish Row was heaving with brilliant looking mussels.  I'm a sucker for moules mariniere but my eyes were turned by marlin steaks.  I'm all in favour of trying new things, so when young Mr Bethell from Bethell's suggested that the marlin was superb, we were in.  He also told us that unlike tuna, the marlin wanted to be cooked through but definitely fried, not baked or stewed.

Taking the fishmonger at his word, I fried our two marlin steaks for a few minutes a side.  They were cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful.  Not as fishy as tuna, not even as fishy as salmon but a good meaty fish.  I cooked some home made oven chips while Z knocked up a salad to have with our posh fish and chips.  The final touch was a garlic and parsley salsa verde that really lifted the fish and was great to dip the chips into.

I'm not sure if I'll get marlin again.  It was really good, but somehow it was just not fishy enough.  If you're not keen on fish, either the taste or the threat of bones, it is probably a good bet.  I have no fear of bones and love the full on fish flavours.  Perhaps next time I'll have mussels.

*I know I didn't really need a list for so few items but I do like a list.

Red Mullet with Clams

It's been a while since I've posted a blog on Tonight's Menu, but that's not to say that I've not been eating well.  Work and real life, culminating in a well deserved holiday in Berlin, mean that it has been almost a month since the last post.  I never claimed that this would be a daily challenge for a set period of time, but I also never thought that I would miss more than a couple of days at a time.  I was thinking that I needed to go back and "recap" all of the meals that I hadn't written about, but that way madness lies.  I'm having a fresh start and it happens tonight.

I'm glad it's tonight too.  It's a new experience and one that I want to share*.  I love fish but I'm still a bit wary about cooking it so whenever I have a really successful meal I feel the need to shout from the rooftops.  Tonight was one of those meals.  I took a well deserved trip to pick up some fish from Leeds Kirkgate Market.  I didn't know what I was going to buy or what I was going to cook, thinking that the nicest looking fish would make my mind up for me.

I was right to trust my senses.  My favourite fishmonger** had some great looking hake steaks.  I thought about cooking a black eye pea and boarwors stew and poaching the hake in the same pan, but then I found the red mullet.  TV chefs will tell you time and time again to buy the best ingredients that are available.  If you are buying fish this has to be the number one rule.  I have stopped shopping for fish with a particular species in mind, instead I go and see what looks good on the day.  The difference is huge.  Brilliant mackerel is fantastic, buying mackerel because you wanted mackerel is not always a good move.

As the red mullet was so wonderfully fresh I decided not to make anything too extravagant with it.  I dusted the fillets with a little flour and fried them in butter for a couple of minutes a side.  I placed the cooked fish in the oven to keep warm while I quickly steamed some clams in the fish's frying pan with some butter and white wine.  I served the mullet and clams with some asparagus that I had saved from a supermarket graveyard and some new potatoes.  I have cooked more complex dishes in the last month, but none of them have left me feeling so satisfied.

For the record, I haven't stopped documenting the meals, so there may well be some post dated meals yet to appear.  I hope you like them as much as I did.

*not one of the many re-heated delicious dishes from the freezer stores of chez Tonight's Menu.
**yes I have one.

Olympic Food Challenge: Cayman Islands - Almond Tree Snapper with Lemon Herbed Butter

We are fast approaching the end of the Olympic Food Challenge.  After tonight I only have two meals to cook and then I'll have researched, cooked and written about the cuisine of twenty nine countries since the start of the Olympic Games.  Tonight's second to last nation is the Cayman Islands.

Before I get onto the meal, I need to tell you about one of the recipes that I found.  Even if I could have sourced the ingredients there is no way that I am willing to cook Turtle Cordon Bleu.  I know that I profess to be willing to eat anything, but when a meal consists of the young of an endangered species, wrapped in ham and cheese and deep fried, I'm out.

From the same site that brought you Turtle Cordon Bleu I also found Almond Tree Snapper.  We had snapper for the first time earlier this week and it was so good we were really looking forward to having it again.  Sadly, for the first time since the start of the Olympic Food Challenge, we were let down by the fishmongers of Leeds Kirkgate Market.  Snapper was off the menu.  Luckily the stall holders are not just sellers of fish, they also really know their product.

After a good chat with our fishmonger of choice, Z returned home with some hake fillets.  Not necessarily a Caribbean fish, but far and away the highest selling fish to R Bethell's Caribbean customers.

The only difference between this recipe and one for bread crumbed cod*, is the addition of salted almonds in the breadcrumbs.  I found salted almonds in Sainsbury's, but I'm sure they are widely available.  We served the fish with roasted peppers, courgettes and sweet potatoes**.  It's a shame that we couldn't get snapper but that can wait for another day.  Adding almonds to bread crumbs is a good idea and one we'll definitely be using again.

*apart from the fish.
**fish and chips on a Friday?

Olympic Food Challenge: Vanuatu - Citrus baked fish in coconut cream

A couple of thousand kilometres off the Queensland coast of Australia lies the island group of Vanuatu.  The South Pacific islanders sent a team of five athletes to the Olympic games and one athelete to the Paralympic games but so far they have failed to pick up any medals.  I could really have done with bumping into one of them at some point as finding out about their food has proven to be tricky.

After what felt like an aeon I found a list of recipes on Travel Blog, a site I had never discovered before.  My eye was drawn to recipe twenty one of twenty nine, which is a Green PoPo Curry.  I then spent another lifetime trying to decipher what PoPo was* before deciding that a different recipe was perhaps the best way forward.  Citrus baked fish in coconut cream was the recipe that I settled on.

 
Apart from that fact that we have never cooked snapper before tonight, I really liked the idea of baking fish in coconut cream.  I failed to buy any banana leaves for authenticity, so I used tinfoil to wrap the snapper in.  I don't know if the leaves would have imparted any flavour but the fish was very tasty without it.  As the recipe asked for half a tin of coconut cream I used the other half to cook wild rice in as an accompaniment.  The rice was finished with lime zest, coriander and a couple of chillies.

If you can cope with a whole fish on your plate this is a dish well worth trying.  We'll be having snapper again in a couple of days, I hope it's as good as this.  Even if it's close I'll be happy.

*papaya, if you are interested.

Olympic Food Challenge: Libya - Herbed Rice with Cumin Marinated Fish

After yesterday's hangover induced comfort food, I am back in the saddle and raring to crack on with the Olympic Food Challenge.  I was surprised when researching my previous nineteen countries that I hadn't found more fish dishes.  This time around my countries seem to be more interested in their fishing grounds, which suits me fine.

The first fish dish is actually billed as the accompaniment to a traditional Libyan rice dish of Ruz Hoot bil Kusbur or Herbed Rice with Cumin Marinated Fish.  The fact that this is a fish dish is not the only reason that I picked it.  It was the main factor but not the only one; the flavours in the rice were really tempting.  The deciding factor was the marinade for the fish.  I don't think I have ever used a tablespoon of cumin in anything.  It is a spice that can overpower other flavours if not used judiciously, but I went along with the recipe

I am very glad that I trusted Libyan Food because the finished dish was superb.  The cumin, garlic and lemon juice in the marinade combined really well to flavour the fish*.  I don't know if the breadcrumbs tempered the flavours but the result was great.  The rice was also really good.  I didn't have any fish stock so used vegetable stock instead but again the combination of flavours and the addition of whole roasted corriander seeds gave the dish an extra bite.

This is without a doubt one of the best meals we have cooked during the Olympic Food Challenge.  I would go as far as saying it warrants a gold medal.  Libya didn't get any medals during the Olympics and they only have a team of two entered in the Paralympics.  I hope they do well, I'll certainly be cheering them on after this dish.

*I chose coley, you can choose what you want.

Olympic Food Challenge: Slovenia - Trout with Herbs

After nine days of great dishes as part of the Olympic Food Challenge, I'm starting to crave some simple food.  Last night Z and I were discussing life after the Olympics and decided that we both fancied a takeaway.  Well it's Friday and traditionally we would be trying to recreate a take away meal at home, but tonight we're eating Slovenian.  The fact that we're having Trout with herbs, means that the other tradition, Fish on Friday, is going to be upheld.

I know that stuffing and baking a trout is not the most adventurous meal that we have cooked as part of this challenge but if Ben Ainsley can slow down in order to win a gold medal then so can I.  There was another reason for picking this dish over any of the others that I found.  The inclusion of Pumpkin Oil.  We found out about pumpkin oil at a food event last year and have been enjoying it ever since.  I hadn't considered putting it on fish and not being one to look a gift horse in the gills, Z was dispatched to buy trout.

The fish was stuffed with a heady mix of parsley, tarragon, chives, dill and rosemary, sprinkled with lemon juice and pumpkin oil and baked for around 20 minutes.  To keep it simple we served the fish with some boiled new potatoes and steamed carrots.  It made a refreshing change from the big punchy stews that we have eaten recently.  For the record Slovenia have already won one gold and two bronze medals during London 2012.  Go Slovenia.

Olympic Food Challenge: Central African Republic - Fish and Greens with Fufu

Tonight's Olympic Food Challenge meal comes from Central African Republic (CAR).  CAR is a land locked country in the heart of Africa so I was surprised to find this recipe for Fish and Greens.  It turns out that meat is scarce in CAR, so freshwater fish is one of their main sources of protein.

Z has had a great day trawling around Kirkgate Market, looking for the ingredients for the next few days meals and picking the knowledgeable brains of the stall holders.  The recipe for Fish and Greens does not specify what fish to use.  Having consulted the staff at R Bethell's fishmongers Z decided to buy catfish.  We have never had catfish before but the jolly fishmonger assured Z that we should cook the head as well as the steaks so that's what we planned to do.

When we opened the bag of fish there was no head to be seen so we just cooked what we had*.  The catfish skin was salted** and then fried in more oil than I would normally use.  Onions and garlic were added next and softened.  The final ingredients were a tin of tomatoes, spinach and seasoning.  The whole lot was simmered until cooked.

 

We served the fish with another first for tonight, the African staple, Fufu.  Traditionally, fufu is made of cooked cassava, yams or plantains which are pounded until they form a firm dough.  The staff at Spice Corner suggested that a packet of plantain fufu, made the same way as polenta, would be acceptable and much less time consuming than making it from scratch.

CAR have never won an Olympic medal even though they have sent a team to every Olympic games since 1984.  Perhaps one of their six athletes will bring home the gold this year.  Tonight's meal certainly did.

*a bit of a relief if I'm honest, the fishmonger's description of cutting the head in half so that the brain could melt into the sauce was a little off putting!
**to break down the slime!

Friday Night Take-away - Fish Fingers

There are two steadfast Friday traditions in our house and it's not often that they converge.  Today however, both Fish Friday and Friday night take-away are singing from the same hymn sheet.  I had sent Z shopping earlier in the day to get provisions for the weekend.  Included on her shopping list was cod.  I was planning to roast the cod wrapped in bacon and serve it with bobby beans* and roasted cherry tomatoes.

When I got home from work, it turned out that the dinner plans had taken a change of path.  Z had cooked R some fish fingers with some of the cod that she bought on Kirkgate Market.  She and my mum both liked the look of the toddler's food so much that they decided to knock my plans into a cocked hat.

The thick fillets of cod were sliced into fingers and rolled in beaten egg and breadcrumbs before being shallow fried.  We stuck with the bobby beans and some new potatoes as the accompaniments but really it should have been chips and mushy peas to really recreate the take-away experience.

*Green beans, French beans, call them what you want.  I had never heard them called bobby beans before moving to Leeds but it's such a cute name it will probably stick.

Tandoori Mackerel with Spiced Potatoes

Last night we had planned on having Tandoori chicken as our Friday night Take-away but inspiration came along.  Instead we had oregano chicken from a book that Z bought me.  I was still in the mood for a tandoori so we switched it to tonight.  However, we try not to eat the same protein or carbohydrate on subsequent days, so chicken was off the menu.

Instead we got a couple of mackerel from Kirkgate Market, which the fishmonger insisted were small.  Have you ever noticed how things are bigger in the kitchen, than they were in the shop where you bought them?  Rather than two small fish, enough for one per person, we had what seamed to be a bottle nosed dolphin each.  Admittedly, by the time I had filleted them they were a bit more manageable.  I smothered the fillets in tandoori paste and popped them back in the fridge until we were ready for them.

The fish were roasted in the oven set to its highest temperature*.  While they were cooking I tossed some parboiled potatoes in some butter which had been flavoured with turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel and mustard seeds.  Finally I fried some onions and peppers and added some leftover madras sauce that we had in the freezer.  The fish more than stood up to the strong flavours and the potatoes made a great change from rice.  With a few tweaks we'll be doing this again.

*I only wish my oven's highest temperature would be higher.  Tandoori and pizzas really need a scorching oven.

Fish Pie

Today has been great.  Two play dates, plenty of quality time with family and friends and to top it all off a cracking fish pie.  We started off with a visit from York*.  One of Z's colleagues was in town early to drop his partner off for the Leeds 10k.  That left him at a lose end.  We invited him and his little boy around to ours for bacon sarnies, coffee and so that the two toddlers could run around for a couple of hours.  R is about 8 months younger than our guest and the difference was staggering.  The range of language, dexterity and turn of pace that I am about to encounter is quite simply scary.  I think I'm going to need to get into shape!

They left, before lunch, to pick up their runner.  I know nothing about 10k's and what a good time represents but you never know what this time next year will bring.  Before heading out for our second play date of the day we had time to knock up a quick fish pie.  Cod cheeks and smoked haddock were poached in a pint of milk with some onion, black pepper corns and parsley stalks for about five minutes.

Once lightly cooked, the fish was flaked into the bottom of an oven proof dish with some prawns and garden peas and set aside.  The infused milk was then slowly poured over a roux to form the sauce for the pie and the whole lot was covered with a generous layer of fluffy mashed potato.  The completed pie was then covered and placed in the fridge until it was needed.

Our second play date took us to Leeds Museum with friends from the other side of Manchester.  We completely forgot that when he left Leeds to find his fortune, the museum didn't exist.  Fortunately all men are able to navigate by pubs, even in towns that they have never been in before, so it wasn't long before he turned up with his daughter.  This time R was the elder of the two toddlers but rather than lead by example he regressed to crawling around the place. I think he was flirting!

Back home all that we needed to do for our family meal was put the pie on the oven for around 45 minutes.  The fluffy mash was even creamier once it had soaked up some of the white sauce and the fish was cooked perfectly, because we had only partially poached them earlier.  Hopefully after all of the excitement and a really comforting meal, we won't hear a peep out of R until it's time to get up.

*not all of it!

Tuna Nicoise Salad

Today was the first day of this year's Leeds Waterfront Festival, a couple of days of activities along the Aire as it passes through the city centre.  With Z's mum visiting and a toddler to entertain it seemed rude not to pop along for a nosey.  We had planned on getting to Granary Wharf in time for lunch but, somehow, we managed to get out of the house in good time so we arrived just after eleven when things were just getting set up.

R enjoyed toddling around the place and was fascinated by the boats and stilt walker but we can only keep him in one area for so long as he tends to get bored*.  We wandered along the waterfront taking in a classic French car display, craft market and boule demonstration before getting to Clarence Dock where the main event of the day was taking place, the Dragon Boat Races.  I don't know if it's the fancy dress, the overall excitement of the races or the fact that the theme from Hawaii Five-o is played during each race, but I love the whole spectacle.

After a couple of races, including the inevitable Pirates verses Vikings race, we needed lunch and so made our way back along the waterfront to Brewery Wharf, where we stopped off at Azucar for tapas.  Never having eaten there before I asked the waitress about portion size and she suggested two to three items from the menu each would be plenty.  She wasn't wrong.  For the three of us, plus R, we ordered seven items and we couldn't finish all of them.  There is clearly a huge difference between Spanish tapas and Yorkshire tapas.

For the record we ordered; calamares, croquetas de bacalao, chorizo al vino, jalapos, tortilla espanola, huevos rotos and patatas bravas.  The food was good, not that expensive and it came out fast, which is always a bonus if you are ever out eating with R.  With hindsight we needn't have ordered the huevos rotos.  They were nice but unnecessary.  We were then faced with a dilemma.  We had decided, before leaving the house, that we would choose what to cook for the evening meal after eating lunch.  With such a varied meal behind us we were scratching our heads a little.

A quick tour around Kirkgate market, forced partly by the need to get out of the rain, gave us the inspiration we needed.  With such a large lunch, all three of us wanted a salad and with green beans, free range eggs and fantastic tuna all available, a nicoise salad made perfect sense.  I won't try to teach you how to boil an egg.  I won't describe the process of searing raw tuna.  I'm not going to tell you what dressing to pour over the salad, which should include green beans, tomatoes and olives.  I will suggest in the strongest terms that you give this a go.  Fresh tuna is as far away from tinned tuna as you can get.  It is not cheap but it is fantastic.

*I can't imagine where he gets that from.

Gravad Lax

There are some dishes in the world that make me want to cook them.  The idea of making my own bacon at home sounds great.  I'd love to have a go at making black pudding or haggis from scratch.  The only reason I haven't been allowed to make my own brawn is Z wouldn't let me buy a pan big enough to fit a pig's head in*.  However, at no point in time have I had a burning desire to make gravad lax.  I do like salmon, in fact there aren't many denizens of the deep that I don't like, I've just never felt the need to cure my own. 

So why, ahead of all of the other potential food challenges, have I ended up making gravad lax?  The answer lies, as is so often the case, on my weekend forray to Kirkgate Market.  I was shopping for the ingredients for our mezze meal on Saturday and in the back of my mind was the potential of making my own dolmades.  I already had most of the items I needed in the house but I was lacking vine leaves and dill.  I finally tracked down the leaves but not until it was too late to do anything with them and I had already bought a large bunch of dill.

On Sunday I had a different mission, I was off to Blackburn to pick up a Victorian cast iron fireplace for the living room.  My first stop was the local Co-op to get the money to pay for the fireplace and to purchase something to break a tenner, so that I had the right change.  One of the items I bought was a packet of salmon.  I now had dill and salmon and my mind started racing.  On returning to Leeds with a rather large item of antiquity my first priority was to look up a recipe.

Dill, sugar, salt, white pepper and gin were all mixed together and used to cover the salmon.  The recipe said that you should leave the mixture for at least 48 hours and by the time it came to eat the fish, we were well over that.  I was dubious as to whether the cure would have worked but I needn't have worried.  The cured salmon was as good as any smoked salmon that I have bought and the accompaniments of pickled cucumber, mustard sauce, a side salad and brown bread were perfect.  To say that I hadn't planed to make gravad lax, I am glad that I did. The flavour was fantastic and after the hot sultry day we have had, it was the perfect evening meal.

*I am still working on this one.

Mackerel Fish cakes

After last night's pasta with its slow cooked sauce, Z decided to raid the freezer for tonight's meal.  What she found was a box of mackerel fish cakes.  Now these were no ordinary fish cakes.  To start with they were home-made, not shop bought.  They were made using the remains of the massive mackerel that I bought a couple of weeks ago and so they were already infused with the flavour of the chimichurri sauce, which is a great start.

The real advantage of home-made fish cakes is that you can monitor the quantities of the ingredients.  All too often shop bought fish cakes are far to heavy on the potato and scant on the fish.  They should be fish cakes, not potato cakes with a hint of fish.  The balance is important.

The final crowning glory to these fish cakes is that they were coated in garlic-bread crumbs.  A while ago and in a complete break from tradition, we managed to have left over garlic bread.  This got crumbed and frozen for a rainy day and that day came.  The extra hint of garlic really set off the fish cakes.  Z served the fish cakes with oven chips* and a side salad.  The salad dressing was based on tartar sauce, to go with the fish. She really thinks of everything.

*well, the oven was on.

Chimichurri Mackerel

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice a slight gap on Tonight's Menu.  "What happened to Thursday 7th June?" I hear you all cry.  In a nutshell work happened.  Yesterday was always going to be a long day, not only was I covering the late shift, but due to the caretaker being on holiday I also had to open up in the morning.  The long shift wasn't a problem, in fact it worked in my favour as I could take today off as time owed.  The problem was a call to reception at 8:30pm from a tenant who had an emergency and needed to work later than usual.

I finally got home at 10pm, having informed Z to go ahead and eat without me.  It looks like I missed out on a cracking plate of tagliatelle with a bacon, cabbage and cream sauce.  These things happen, it's not the end of the world and at least I got a day off out of it.

To me a day off in Leeds tends to mean one thing, a trip in to town for lunch and a mooch around Leeds Kirkgate Market.  We stopped for lunch at The White Swan where I had a great Roast beef* sandwich, which was smothered in the best home-made horseradish sauce I've ever had the pleasure to eat.  It was like Russian Roulette with the occasional bite sending pleasurable nose numbing heat through my senses.  We had such a good time that I almost forgot to pay, but I remembered before we got to the door!

With the embarrassment of almost running off without settling the bill avoided we headed down to fish row on the market with one item on our shopping list, mackerel.  We still had some chimichurri sauce left over from our steak night.  With deep slits cut in the flesh of the fish, I rubbed the sauce all over them and baked them in the oven set at its highest temperature.  The punchy sauce mellowed with cooking but went really well with the oily fish, boiled Jersey Royal potatoes and asparagus.  As food filled days go, they don't get much more tasty.

*No, I have not eaten enough roast beef this week.

Pepper topped Coley

There are positives and negatives to living as far away from our parent as we do.  My Mum is in Edinburgh while Z's Mum is in Windsor and her Dad is in deepest Shropshire.  At around four hours in the car to see any of them we don't meet up that often but when we do we always have a good time. 

One of the real bonuses of visiting family members that live miles away, is that you get to dip into a new local food scene.  Visiting Z's Dad gave us a day out in the foodie Mecca of Ludlow.  A recent trip to Edinbugh let us eat at The Dogs* and no visit to Windsor is complete without a farmers market or a trip to the Windsor Farm Shop which sells produce from the Royal farms.

Tonight's menu was inspired by the discovery, at the back of the fridge, of spoils from one of our visits to the Windsor Farm Shop.  A jar of caramelised peppers.  Z wanted the peppers smeared onto the top of a piece of white fish and baked and who am I to argue.  The peppers are sweet and sticky with a nice background kick but they are not so strong that they over powered the coley. 

We chose coley in the end because there is no reason not to.  It's a well flavoured white fish and usually costs half the price of cod or haddock.  If looks are that important to you, fine, but preserving the fish stocks and saving pennies are higher on my list of priorities.  The more pennies we have the more chance we have of going on family visits and picking up more fun food.

*a must if you get the chance

Mackerel Fish Cakes

There has been quite a lot of chatter about fish cakes* on my Twitter feed recently, so when Z offered to make a batch of mackerel fish cakes for tea, I could hardly say no.  Z looks after the boy on Thursday and Friday so managing to knock up a batch of fish cakes whilst toddler wrangling was a herculean feat.

Z used peppered smoked mackerel** as the fishy part of the mixture along with mashed potato, softened leeks, sweetcorn and parsley.  The mixture was shaped into cakes, coated in egg and bread crumbs and put into the fridge so that they would hold together better in the oven.

Apart from the egg everything on our plates this evening had been reduced for quick sale, including the breadcrumbs which we make from stale bread and keep in the freezer.  The fish cakes were much lighter than any that you could buy pre-made.  All to often bought fish cakes have far too much potato and not enough fish.  Z got the balance just right.

*including images of Finnish cakes decorated with fish!
**it's one of R's favourites.

Moules Mariniere

I don't know how things work in your house but in ours the birthday boy or girl gets to choose the evening meal.  They also get to put their feet up and stay away from the stove.  The usual birthday meal consists of a huge steak and too big a portion of chips.

Tonight it's my birthday and I fancied a change.  I love mussels and don't eat them anywhere near often enough.  It was with this in mind that Z journeyed to Leeds Market.  She returned home with a couple of kilos of the biggest mussels I have ever seen.  She was a bit wary of cooking them as she had never cooked mussels before but I assured her everything would be ok.

As I suspected the mussels were perfect and the creamy white wine sauce was perfect.  Not all traditions were broken as we did have chips but what are moules without frites?  For an extra birthday treat Z made a couple of rhubarb and apple crumbles, my favourite.