One is the loneliest number

Passionfruit Caipirinha Number 1

In 2006 I spent 12 days in Brazil.  It was my first trip to South America and I loved it. Well, most of it.  One thing I never truly got my stomach around? The caiparinha. I tried them every which way - au natural. With strawberries. Even with my beloved maracuja. Nothing worked. Cachaca was not my friend. Just like tequila. 

Fast forward 6 years.  I'm a quasi pseudo proper grown up now and last month had to travel back to Brazil for work. Arriving into Rio de Janeiro Saturday evening to prepare for the week ahead I spent a lovely Sunday doing some work (sat at the roof deck pool of my hotel), popping by Ipanema beach to check out the "sites" and doing a bit of shopping.  As the balmy humid day started to come to a close I remembered all of those futile attempts with the caipirinhas back in 2006 and thought...heck, why not give it another go? You never know right?

Well apparently I have "matured." I have become what I can only describe as - more of an alcoholic -  because quite simply - I loved them.

Here I was, thinking I would just try ONE caipirinha just to confirm my continued dislike...and ended up having not one, not two...but many (as the week progressed and work took over I still managed 1-2 an evening) culminated with arriving at the Rio airport 3 hours too early for check in for my flight back...and consumed three more.  But then I remembered, in the fair words of Three Dog Night - one is the loneliest number. So I was in fact, doing myself a favour cramming in just as many as I could.

Meat-Off

Meat Fest at Salt Lick

Piling it up and pairing it with some local beer.

Was too busy eating to remember to shoot a pic of the food. But basically $50 a person!

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of 72 hours in good ol' Austin, Texas.  Flying over with RL to visit the lovely KC we spent 72 hours drinking, dancing, shopping and eating.  The highlights of the Lone Star State?  George teaching me the 2-step at The Broken Spoke, the "Urban Cowboy" and the meat fest at Salt Lick BBQ.


The following week I was back in the UK and with JB-P in tow we headed out to the relatively new Pitt Cue BBQ in Soho.  I've been complaining for years about the lack of good 'cue in London - and with a lot of hype around this place (and queuing outside for about 2 hours - the place has about 4 tables) I was hoping to get me some seriously tasty meat.


So - in the end how did they stack up?  I've broken it down into a few categories...


Best Meat: Winner - Salt Lick.  Even though Pitt Cue's brisket and pork ribs were super tasty - they paled in comparison to Salt Lick. In particular the brisket - it's the stuff of legend.


Best Sides: Winner - Pit Cue BBQ. Clearly the focus at Salt Lick is on the meat - the sides are standard (basic potato salad, beans, white bread) and play second fiddle. Contrary to this, Pitt Cue puts it's sides at centre stage.  Vinegary slaw and pickles, baked beans with lots of hammy essence, burnt end mash (creamy mashed potatoes topped with crispy ends of the brisket), grilled sourdough. And while waiting at the bar? Deep fried pickled shitake mushrooms. Sounds weird. Tastes phenomenal. Pitt Cue is definitely aiming for the gourmands here.


Best Drinks: Tie. Salt Lick is BYOB which adds to the authentic feel.  Eating some 'cue and drinking local Texas beer - definitely can't be topped.  That said, the yuppy in me can't deny Pitt Cue's great job at the whiskey cocktails.  They mix them up strong and tasty - throwing in egg whites and pickled beet juice where necessary.  Plus the bartender kept giving me samples to try...which means they started to taste even better and better...


Cost: Winner - Salt Lick. It's not even close here.  Salt Lick was "all you can eat" - yes this is partly why everything is bigger in Texas...and even when finished we were given a massive plate to take home.  In contrast, Pitt Cue - adding in the yuppy Soho factor, the bill came out at around 3 times as much as Salt Lick.  That said, until something better comes around -I'll definitely be back when the 'cue craving comes back.

Just bEAT it.

In the past week I've had a slight obsession with cooking beetroot.  Just counting off the top of my head, since Tuesday I've managed 5 meals with it (of 2 variations).  Tuesday I made some roasted beetroot, cauliflower and coriander fritters (not as crispy as I'd like, but still a nice new addition to my favourite food group - the "fried fritter").  This served as a hearty side dish for (count: three nights).  Then Friday - in preparation for the snow I whipped up a beetroot puree and used it as a base added to some home-made pizza dough...and then topped that off with feta, caramelised onions, grilled chicken and broccoli (count: two nights).

That leaves me to an hour ago - about to head downstairs to the gym I did a quick scurry of my fridge to grab anything "past date" to throw in the trash.  That's when I noticed two lonely little beets that had rolled into the back of the fridge.  Sad and with only each other for company - I thought I'd take them out to see if they were in any state for a good scrubbing or if in fact - they were destined for the basement bins.

After giving them a wash and a little squeeze I thought they had just enough life in them left - but what to do?

For one I just peeled and cut into pieces for a bit of roasting alongside my baked sweet potato fries I'd scheduled for tonight's pre-Superbowl festivities.  But the other? This is where things got exciting...

I'd been meaning to use up some dried figs this weekend and figured that what better place than a "healthy" cookie.  Packed with oats (dietary fibre - YAY!), dates (potassium - BOOYAH!), and dark chocolate (an antioxidant POWERHOUSE I say!) I thought that certainly that would balance out the minimal requirements of butter and sugar.  First things first though...was that above mentioned trip to the gym.  That is of course - until I got distracted by that lone last beetroot. Cunning fellow.  Can you see why I love him so much? He artfully manipulates me baking cookies over a visit to the elliptical machine.

Inspired by the last beetroot I decided to whip up these SUPERFOOD cookies (have I convinced you yet?) and set to the task at hand.  After creaming the butter and sugars (brown and granulated), I went to town healthifying these guys up.  In went the fibre, the potassium, and the antioxidant POWERHOUSE... clearly you can see where this is going?

I used that last little beet and grated it up and added it to the cookie dough mixture (IRON, VITAMINS A, B6, C, FOLIC ACID, more FIBRE!). So what that my countertop looked like the forensic site of a mass murder? All in the name of health!

And let's be serious. The best bit? My cookies are PINK!


I can't believe this website exists, but I love it. Just a little sad I didn't come up with it first: http://www.lovebeetroot.co.uk/ 

Cranking it out on Sunday night

Beetroot, potato and dill soup

Empanada assembly

Buffalo chicken filling

Beef and onion filling 

Pretty pastry!

As lovely on the inside as on the outside

I had a marathon cooking evening last Sunday.  After a morning spent gobbling shumai at Chinatown's Jade Garden celebrating the year of the dragon and an afternoon modelling for my friend's photo shoot*  I needed a good ol' fashion hunkering down with my kitchen.  I'd been whipping up bits and bobs over the past couple of weeks but I wanted to make some stuff that was not only tasty, but could fill the freezer with some goodies to tuck into after a long day.  The following recipes were cranked out over what seemed like just a few hours...

Beetroot, potato and dill soup:


Now some of you know I'm obsessed with beetroot.  Yes it's delicious, but more importantly the colour just makes me smile it's so dang pretty.  Case in point, my favourite OPI nail colour - Miami Beet.  I used some farmer's market beetroot to make a healthy, thick, and wonderfully flavourful soup.

1 small onion, diced

1 pound beetroot, peeled and cut unto medium sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into medium sized pieces

1.25 litres chicken (or vegetable) stock (quantity will vary depending on how much veg you use)

4 tablespoons dill 

salt and pepper

Non-fat greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

1. Sautee onions in 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until light brown / golden

2. While onions are cooking roast beetroot in a 176C / 350F oven with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt - stir occasionally - about 30 minutes (they won't be fully roasted)

3. Add roasted beetroot, potato and stock to the onions, bring to boil and then lower heat, cover, and cook until all veggies are soft
4. Add dill

5. Transfer everything from pot to food processor and blend until smooth (it will still retain a distinct texture).  At this point you may need to add a bit more stock to thin it out 

6. Add a decent spattering of salt and pepper 

7. Serve with a dollop of the greek yogurt swirled into the soup and sprinkle a wee bit of dill on top for garnish

Next up on the menu?  Empanadas.

Now I have never in my life made empanadas.  Nor have I ever really considered it.  I'm not into Mexican food and so it was never something that interested me. The realisation that you don't need to necessarily fill it with traditional flavours somehow has always escaped me.

Now - to give you some context of where I was coming from....

Recently, for the NFL Playoffs and upcoming Superbowl I've been seeing "game day menus" splattered across all my favourite US based foodie websites and it got me thinking... I really wanted to make some buffalo wings.  The recipes looked tasty and you just can't get good wings in London. Reason enough.

But then I thought,  since I'm not actually throwing a party, and chicken wings are not the champions of the freezer - what else could I do?  And that's when the light bulb went on - why not make some sort of buffalo chicken concoction and wrap it in some sort of delicious pastry, e.g. empanada dough?  

After doing a bit of googling I knew I definitely didn't want to go the puff pastry route and instead went ahead with a dough that was a little bit of research, a spot of guesswork, and a whole lot of luck.  It was, unequivocally - one of the best if not THE BEST (savoury) pastries I've ever made. Inside the dough I made 2 fillings. One, the inspirational buffalo chicken and the other beef and onion.  I was in heaven, and still am - the recipe made me 20 empanadas.  Even after eating them for three nights straight (and feeding a friend in the process) I still easily have a week's worth left.  They should get me through to the Superbowl in fact. (GOOOOO PATS!)

Empanada dough:

4 cups flour

2 sticks (226 grams) butter

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup ice water

I more or less followed this preparation from epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cafe-Azuls-Pastry-Dough-107241

Empanada filling 1, Buffalo Chicken:

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded - I used the microwave (just call me lazy bones or smart)

4-6 green onions - white and pale green parts sliced thinly

1 bunch coriander

1/3 cup cream cheese

3 tablespoons hot sauce

1/3 cup blue cheese salad dressing

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Easy peasy - just mix it all up in a bowl!  And don't worry about the measurements.  Fact is I'm not entirely sure how much of anything I used...trust your taste buds people.

Empanada filling 2, Beef and Onion:

2 large onions

5 cloves garlic

1/2 pound ground beef

Some sort of tasty / spicy sauce concoction you have in your fridge. I used: http://www.maryberry.co.uk/dr_productsdetail.asp?productID=9 but even BBQ would work

1. Saute onions and garlic until golden

2. Add beef and cook through

3. Add your choice of sauces, salt and pepper if required

4. Place it all in the food processor until big pieces of onion are smoothed out
5. When assembling you can throw in a few nuggets of delicious blue cheese (or some other kind) if you so fancy an extra pop of flavour

Once again - couldn't be easier!  Of course with both fillings - empanada assembly required! Or not - both are yummy simply eaten with a spoon...

* My wonderful friend SA-L is in the process of creating a number of shots for her "fallen angels" shoot.  Over coffee in December she said to me "Do you want to model for me..." YAY! I said. (I've seen what she can do with photos as she's a professional retoucher - HELLO photoshop GOODBYE under eye bags)!  Only she hadn't quite finished yet.

"...as a tired secretary.  I'll be putting you in some hideous suit and you need to look really sad."  she continued.

HA!  It was still brilliant fun!  We were outside for a while in the cold so I'm fairly certain there are also  a few images of "tired secretary blowing her nose." Totally the new facebook profile pic. Stay tuned. :-)

These are a few of my favourite things...

As 2011 closed off in the unseasonably mild New England, I squeezed in some of my favourite eats of all time.  And when I say SQUEEZED, I mean that quite literally.  I was into my elasticised reindeer flannel PJ bottoms the week before Christmas.  I was a glutton.  But you do know, gluttony is good.  I think I may have single handedly pulled the US out from the economic crisis with my excessive mass consumption of alcohol, restaurant attendance, and general food consumption (the record was going to the grocery store 4 times in one day).

North Carolina BBQ,  my new favourite spot when visiting the Shinnicks:  http://hillsboroughbbq.com/

Lobster Connection (must be pronounced with a Yankee accent to sound like Lobst-AH Connection). I cry when home and this place is closed. 

 

Not much to look at, but my favourite holiday treat: Gingerbread blondies with white chocolate chunks.

Chocolate, pecan and caramel tart

Vino. Consumed with my two closest friends from University. That fact alone made everything taste wonderful! 

CANDIED BACON AND POMEGRANATE COCKTAILS.  Need I say more?

Say hello to Bob.  He was my date for New Year's Eve.

Time to make the doughnuts - Part 2

Deep fried deliciousness

Last year I forayed into the wild wander of the baked doughnut.  It was good, real good.  And I was even able to tuck the "guilt" under my crumb and sugar filled napkin because well, after all - we all know "baked" foods are healthy, right?

This week finds me home in the US for the holidays, tucked into 54 Lakeside Ave and trying to unwind into relaxation with some baking, eating, drinking and (of course) shopping.  So where to start?...catching up on the much missed pumpkin season (they don't really do the pumpkin spice excitement in the UK).  First up out of the kitchen... some pumpkin-spiced doughnuts. These are finger-lickin' good but the recommendation is to get a whole lotta fingers to eat them.  Even cutting the recipe in half I managed to make 16 doughnuts.  With just Mama Cupcakes and I in the house over the past couple days - that's been a whole lotta doughnut for 2 people.  On the positive side of things we've done well stretching our bellies in preparation for Christmukah festivities coming up tomorrow.  Stay tuned...there's a caramel pecan and chocolate tart cooling on my kitchen counter and if I have one more notch on my belt available for loosening...then I plan on some gingerbread and white chocolate blondies too...

p.s. recipe was great as is, but I made a few adjustments...skipped the doughnut holes and just made more of the regular ones.  also, replaced milk for cream, and used some toasted pecans on top of some of the glaze.

Seasonal musings

DirtyWorms

Timing hasn't always been my strong suit.

At the moment I've just finished cleaning my flat.  The taxi to the airport is ordered (don't be jealous, but YES I am so lucky to be able to travel for work on a Sunday).  So I'm left with a quandary, use these few hours to try and catch up on a back-log of blogs I've been meaning to write or try and get some Christmukah shopping in.  Knowing how little time I have before I head stateside I was leaning towards attempting the insanity of Oxford Street.  Then, remembering I've been complaining this week about being run-down because I'm always, well... running around - I opted for my mental and physical well being instead.

But the reason I'm finding things quite funny at the moment is that while I'm sat here listening to Christmas music and eating my leftover makeshift Thanksgiving dinner (pathetically made around 10 pm Thursday night), I present you with my Halloween themed cupcakes.  So much for separation of candy corn, candied yams, and candy canes.

I present to you:

Dirty Worms Cupcakes (devil's food cake* with peanut butter frosting**)

* I replaced the recipe's sour cream with reduced fat creme fraiche
**Cream and cream cheese make this frosting one of the best "eat by the spoonful" varieties I've had in a long time

To give it the Halloween effect I just ground up chocolate wafer cookies and used some juicy little gummy worms in and around them.  Mmmm, delicious.