...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

There are many floating markets in the canels of Bangkoks' surrounding provinves, but perhaps the most popular is the Damnoen Saduak. Situated some 80km south west of Bangkok in the Ratchaburi province, this vibrant market features man fruit and vegetable laden small boats and are paddled by Thai women wearing bamboo hats.

The Damnoen Saduak canal was originally opened in 1868, commissioned by King Rama IV, of the Chakri Dynasty. This was to give waterborne travel access between the Ratchaburi and Samutsakhon provinces.

Damnoen Saduak canal also provides local farmers with adequate water for agricultural purposes. A number of canals were dug to connect with it by local farmers to get water to irrigate their land. As the excellent quality soil along the canal is very fertile, the area has a high potential for producing various kinds of fruits and vegetables.

The Floating Market is routinely crowded with hundreds of vendors and purchasers floating in their small rowing boats selling and buying agricultural products and local food, which are mostly brought from their own nearby orchards.

Phad Thai (Thai Fried Noodles)

Here's how to make phad thai with chicken and prawns, a staple on any Thai menu

Ingredients

400 grams rice noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1 small chicken breast, cut into 2 cm cubes
16 raw king prawns, shells off with tails intact, deveined
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons pickled white radish (optional)
50 grams tofu, cut into 2cm cubes and lightly fried
1/2 teaspoon dried chillies, chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced
1 cup beansprouts
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce)
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons coriander, roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into slivers
extra beansprouts

Method

1. Soak rice noodles in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain, but keep a little of the water back as this need to go into the wok and will soften the noodles.
   
2. Mix together the tamarind paste, sugar, crushed peanuts and lime. Set aside.
   
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok and fry chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Cook prawns until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
5. Add the rest of the oil into the wok and add the shrimp paste, pickled radis, tofu and chillies. Then add the noodles, beansprouts, spring onion and stir fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the chicken and prawns and then add the tamarind mixture.
7. Push contents to the edge of the wok, making a circle in the middle, to which you add the the eggs. Lightly scramble the eggs and mix into the main ingredients.
   
8. Stir fry till heated through.
9. Serve with the extra beansprouts, peanuts, coriander and lime.

...and that's how you make phad thai!

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Garlic Shortages

Recently, believing that the health benefit of garlic will protect against N1H1, the Chinese have begun to hoard their supplies. This has sparked a massive rise in demand and costs have dramatically risen, surpassing the prices for gold and oil. Comparisons are now being made with the "tulip mania", which the Netherlands experienced in the 1630's.

Under normal economic conditions, China produces around 3/4 of the worlds garlic supply, but farmers output has dropped by nearly 50% as a result of the global recession.

Maybe it's time to make that back yard garden dream a reality and put in a few bulbs!

Canary Island Mojo

Ingredients

1 small head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of cumin powder
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of coarse marine salt
Olive oil
1 1/2 red peppers, chopped and sorted into three even piles

Method

1. In a blender, combine all garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and add enough olive oil to give a paste like consistency.
2. Add first pile of red pepper and blend. Then add the next pile and blend again. Then the last pile and blend once more.
3. Add more olive oil if too spicy.
   

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Celery

Dutch gynecologist Van de Velde claims in his book "Ideal Marriage", that celery is an aphrodisiac. Some magicians during the middle ages claimed that a few celery seeds placed in the shoes can help a person fly! The Greeks used celery as a seasoning, the ancient Romans made a dessert from it and sixteenth century Europeans consumed every part of it including seeds and leaves, as a food, as a flavouring and as a medicine. The Romans also thought that eating it prior to drinking may prevent hangovers.
The combination of celery with apple is nothing new either. Waldorf salad is essentially in equal parts of celery and apples and walnuts. It is a staple for a vegetable soup base and offers a crisp fresh bite to salads. The following soup is my adaptation of a winter warmer I had on a visit to Hampton Court Palace.

Celery and Apple Soup

Ingredients

6 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
A handful of young celery leaves, roughly chopped

1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
5 apples, skinned, cored and roughly chopped
1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 litre water
1 tsp sugar
squeeze of lemon
Sour cream

Method

1. Gently sweat the chopped celery, leaves (hold back some for garnish) onion, garlic, apples and potato for ten minutes over a low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
2. Add 500mls of the water and bring to the boil. Once boiled turn down and gently simmer for 20 mins or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Process in the blender (I use a hand held one for convenience) until pureed.
   
4. Add remaining ingredients, including the remaining 500mls water and bring to the boil.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, shredded celery leaves and warmed rustic bread.
   

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Dried Noodles

It is a widely accepted theory that at around the 8th century the Arabs introduced a dried noodle to Palermo, Sicily. This, in turn, greatly influenced the regional cuisine of Italy. Many Sicilian pasta recipes still include other Arab gastronomic introductions, such as raisins and spices like cinnamon.

By the 1300's dried pasta became very popular for its nutrition and long shelf life, making it ideal for long ship voyages. Pasta made it around the globe during the voyages of discovery a century or so later. By that time different shapes of pasta have appeared and developing technology made pasta easier to make. With these innovations pasta truly became a part of Italian life.

Creamy Prawn Linguinie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
16 king prawns, shelled and de-vained with tails intact
200 grams shrimps
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
4 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
Juice of 1/4 lemon
150 grams cream
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Rocket for garnish
Fresh Parmesan

Method

1. Gently saute onion and garlic till onion is transparent.
2. Add tomatoes and wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. While sauce is simmering cook the linguine.
4. When linguine is almost cooked, add cream, parsley, prawns and shrimps and gently heat through.
   
5. Drain linguine and toss with sauce.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan and top with rocket.
   

Kimchee (Korean Pickled Cabbage)

Ingredients

2 large Chinese (Napa) Cabbages

1 Chinese radish or daikon, sliced thinly

2 bulbs garlic

10 cm piece of ginger

4 medium onions

1 pear, roughly cut into chunks

1 apple, roughly cut into chunks

1 cup chilli powder (this will be very hot, but it's the way they like it in Korea!)

1/3 cup nam pla (fish sauce) or alternatively replace with soya sauce or anchovy paste

1/4 cup honey or sugar

1. Wash cabbage and cut into 2.5cm slices and pre-soaked for 3 hours in a brine solution of 10 litres water and 1 cup salt
2. Remove cabbage and rinse thoroughly.
3. Gently squeeze water out of the cabbage and place into a large container.
4. Blend garlic, ginger, and onions in a hand held blender.
5. Add the pear, apple, chilli, nam pla and honey and blend until well combined.
6. Pour into the dish containing cabbage and mixe well.
7. Cover and sit for 1-3 days at room temperature to ferment, then refrigerate in self sealing bags (to contain the smell).
8. Kimchee will keep indefinitely.

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Kimchee

The first known reference to Kimchi dates back to around 3000 years ago. The first literature the referred to it is found in the first Chinese poetry book called Sigyeong, where it is called "ji". Throughout the period of the Three Kingdoms of Korea (57 BC - 668 AD) it was called "dimchae", "chimchae" or "timchae".

Prior to the 12th century, kimchee was made only with cabbage and beef stock, but then began to evolve as spices and other flavours developed, giving it more of a sweet and sour taste. Chilli was introduced to Korea after 1500, as it is native to the Americas and was not known in Korea or Europe until then.

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Hangi's

Hangi are a cultural icon to the people who settled in New Zealand circa 700 years prior to the European explorers. The method is essentially stone age, but has survived as a method of cooking for the New Zealand Maori and similar techniques for other Polynesian cultures for cooking for the masses at celebrations.

There is strong evidence to suggest that there was contact between the Americas and Polynesia, during the pre-Columbian era as cooking methods and some ingredients - namely the sweet potato, which is indigenous to South America. This vegetable is called kumera in Maori and has significant spiritual meaning to them. Exactly how it arrived in New Zealand is not yet clear and continues to be a topic of discussion.

New Zealand Maori Hangi

Method

1. 
   
   Begin with digging two holes approximately 2 metres long, 1 metre wide, and 1 metre deep. Then lay down a dozen railway irons, cut into 30cm lengths. This replaces the traditional rocks which are not as efficient. Then on top of this build a bonfire and set alight.
2. 
   
   In the meantime, prepare the vegetables, which generally consist of peeled kumera (sweet potato) and sliced pumpkin, cabbage, and puha or watercress. Wrap each food type in separate tin foil bundles and place into wire baskets, which have been lined with damp linen sheets.
3. 
   
   Take out the white-hot irons out of the fire hole and place them in the adjoining empty hole. This is best done with rakes as the irons have holes you can hook on to. This must be done quickly - you don't want to lose the heat from the irons. The food baskets are then placed evenly on top of the irons. Make sure the linen is still damp. On top of the baskets you position six large, thick, dripping wet sacks. The dirt originally dug from the holes is now shovelled on top and patted down to ensure no steam leaks out. Always keep an eye out for escaping steam - it means your oven is leaking and the food is not being evenly cooked.
4. 
   
   After 4 hours remove the meat and vegetables and serve to your guests with various salads, breads, and sunshine.
   

Lamingtons

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
4 cups caster sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
500 grams desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190 Celsius.
2. Grease and flour an 20 x 30cm baking dish.
   
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each egg. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk and then beat well.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
   
6. Stand for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.
   
7. Store overnight to give the cake a chance to firm up before Icing.

Icing

1. In a large bowl, combine caster sugar and cocoa.
   
2. In a saucepan, heat milk and 2 teaspoons butter until the butter is melted.
   
3. Add the milk to the sugar mixture and mix well to create a fluid, but not too runny icing.

Assemble

1. Cut the cake into 24 squares.
   
2. Place coconut in a shallow container.
   
3. Using a fork, dip each square into the icing, then roll it in the coconut.
   
4. Place onto rack to dry.
   
5. Continue for each piece. The Icing will drip, so place a sheet of parchment paper under the rack to catch the drips.
6. The sponge can also be cut in half horizontally before icing and sandwiched with cream!
   

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Lamingtons

Ah....lamingtons....this really makes me homesick, and as a true blue Kiwi, I shall be putting a lot more of our delicious cuisine on here to share with you. I've not seen Laminations anywhere in my travels outside New Zealand and Australia, so this is something you really should have a go at. Our cousins across the pond claim ownership of the lamington, yet it remains an iconic treasure of New Zealand. Maybe, like the Pavlova, it's just so lovely that we have just accepted them to be "antipodean".
Lamingtons are named after Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland, Australia from 1896 to 1901. Armand Gallad, the resident chef of the Governor, was requested, at short notice, to provide something to feed unexpected guests. According, Gallad cut up some left over French vanilla sponge cake baked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut (an ingredient not widely used in European cooking at that time). Lady Lamingtons' guests then asked for the recipe. Another account claims the dessert resembled the homburg hats favoured by Lord Lamington. A further alternative origin is that One of Lord Lamington's servants, possibly Gallad or a maid, accidentally dropped a sponge cake into a dish of chocolate. Later on it was discovered to be very nice with desiccated coconut sprinkled over the top.
After leaving Queensland, he went on to become the Governor of Bombay in India for 4 years. He died at Lamington House, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1940.

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - The Evolution of Greek Cuisine

Greek food began to take on influences of other cultures as far back as 350 BC when Alexander the Great extended the Greek Empire through Europe to India. In 146 BC, Greece fell to the Romans, resulting in a fusion of Roman and Greek influences. The Byzantine Empire began in 330 AD, when Emperor Constantine transferred administration and power to Constantinople. Centuries later, this turn fell to the Turks in 1453 and was part of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 400 years and some classic Greek dishes still have Turkish names. With each successive invasion and settlement came more culinary influence, including Venetian, Balkan, Slav and English, resulting in a cross pollination of culinary influences and adaptations, which are seen throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

• The first cookbook was written by the Greek food gourmet, Archestratos, in 330 B.C., which suggests that cooking has always been of importance and significance in Greek society.
• Modern chefs owe the tradition of their tall, white chef's hat to the Greeks. In the middle ages, monastic brothers who prepared food in the Greek Orthodox monasteries wore tall white hats to distinguish them in their work from the regular monks, who wore large black hats.
• Many ingredients used in modern Greek cooking were unknown in the country until the middle ages. These include the potato, tomato, spinach, bananas, and others which came to Greece after the discovery of the Americas – their origin.

Spanakopita - Greek Spinich and Feta Pie

Ingredients

125 gram bag spinach, finely shredded
1 onion, finely chopped
250 grams feta cheese
125g ricotta cheese
5 eggs
8 sheets filo pastry
60 grams butter
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 celcius.
   
2. Wash and dry spinach, and chop coarsely and place in a mixing bowl.
   
3. Add onion, crumbled feta, ricotta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste and combine with spinach.
4. Fold each sheet of pastry to form a rough square and cover with a damp cloth.
5. Place a piece of folded pastry into a greased baking dish (approx 24cm x 27cm).
6. Brush pastry with melted butter and repeat process with two more folded pastry sheets, brushing butter between each sheet as you go.
7. Place spinach mixture onto pastry.
8. Beat eggs and pour evenly over the spinach mixture.
9. Cover with the remaining filo pastry, brushing with the melted butter in between each sheet and on top of the final covering sheet.
10. Cut into squares (this will make it much easier to serve once cooked).
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
    

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - ANZAC Biscuits

New Zealand and Australia share a tradition of Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Air Corps) Biscuits. Both countries claim to have invented them, but the popular story that has emerged is that it was one of the food items that women in both countries sent to soldiers during the First World War. This was a hard, long-keeping biscuit that could survive the journey by sea, and still remain edible. These were known as Soldiers' Biscuits, but after the Gallipoli landings in 1915, they became known as Anzac Biscuits. Soldiers themselves may have made a similar form of biscuit from ingredients they had on hand: water, sugar, rolled oats and flour.
The traditional Anzac Biscuit is hard and flat - ideal for dunking in tea and then eating. During the First World War, some soldiers used broken biscuits to make a form of porridge to add some variety to their diet.
Over the years, softer and chewier versions of the biscuit have developed. There are many recipes for Anzac Biscuits. Common to most is the inclusion of rolled oats, coconut, butter and golden syrup. Eggs almost never feature. This may be because eggs were in short supply during the First World War. Many varieties of biscuit do not have eggs, however, and like Anzac Biscuits rely instead on chemical rising agents such as bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). It has become traditional for New Zealanders to eat Anzac Biscuits in the lead up and during the Anzac Day celebrations.

ANZAC Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1 level teaspoon baking soda

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons boiling water

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 Celcius.
   
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Melt butter and golden syrup together in small saucepan.
   
4. Dissolve soda in boiling water and then add to dry ingredients and mix.
   
5. Shape with your hands into 3cm balls and flatten out on a lightly greased baking tray.
   
6. Cook until golden brown on 180c (approx 15 minutes).
   

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Sheep

Initially, sheep were kept solely for meat, milk and skins. Archaeological evidence from statues found at sites in Iran suggests that domestication of woolly sheep may have begun around 6000 BC, but the earliest woven wool garments have only been dated to two to three thousand years later. In that era of the Bronze Age , sheep with all the major features of modern breeds were widespread throughout Western Asia.

The raising of flocks for their fleece was one of the earliest industries, and flocks were a medium of exchange in barter economics. Numerous biblical figures kept large flocks, and subjects of the king of Israel were taxed according to the number of rams they owned.

Sheep meat and milk were one of the earliest staple proteins consumed by human civilisation after the transition from hunter/gatherers to agriculture. Sheep meat prepared for food is known as either mutton or lamb. "Mutton" is derived from the Old French moton, which was the word for sheep used by the Anglo-Norman rulers (Normans) of much of the British Isles in the Middle Ages. This became the name for sheep meat in English, while the Old English word sceap was kept for the live animal.

Mutton is the meat of mature sheep usually at least two years of age
Lamb is for that of immature sheep less than a year

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 500gram racks of lamb (6-8 ribs in each)
3 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed

Herb Coating:

3/4 cup soft, fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

Method

1. Trim as much fat as possible from racks and remove silverskin with a fine, sharp knife.
2. Combine mustard, soy sauce and garlic. Spread on meaty part of racks.
3. Mix crumbs, melted butter and herbs on a plate.
4. Add rind and press the lamb onto the crumbs so they stick to the mustard coating.
   
5. Pat any remaining crumbs on top.
6. Place lamb, crumb sides up, on a roasting rack in a foil-lined pan.
7. Roast at 200 celcius for 20-30 minueted, depending on how pink you like it.
8. Rest for 5 minutes in a warm place and then carve into cutlets and serve.
   

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Salads

The basis for the word salad is 'sal', which is the latin word for salt, as salt was at one time the main ingredient for a salad. This word features in Old French as salade and then in late 14th century English as salad or sallet.


Romans were very fond of salads consisting of a selection of raw vegetables, accompanied by a dressing made with oil, vinegar and often brine - closely resembling many of the salads we eat now.
Hippocrates and Galen believed that raw vegetables easily passed through the system and did not create obstructions for what followed, therefore they should be served first. Others reported that the vinegar in the dressing destroyed the taste of the wine, therefore they should be served last. With the fall of Rome, salads went into decline western Europe, although raw vegetables and fruit were eaten on fast days and as medicinal correctives. It remained a feature of Byzantine cookery and re-entered the European menu via medieval Spain and Renaissance Italy.

Portuguese Tomato Salad

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes
1 large salad onion
1 desert spoon oregano
1/4 cup of olive oil
coarse sea salt

Method

1. Submerge tomatoes into a bowl of boiling water for two minutes, then drain and rinse with cold tap water.
2. Peel off skin and discard.
3. Roughly chop tomatoes and place in salad dish.
4. Peel onions, slice rounds and separate.
5. Add salt, olive oil and oregano and mix thoroughly.
   
6. Sit at room temperature until ready to serve. The salt will draw out the acid in the tomato and form a natural marinade.

The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table: Recipes, Portraits, and History of the World's Most Beautiful Fruit

Scotch Eggs

Scotch eggs were an invention of the London institution, Fortunum and Mason and date back to the early 1700's.

Serves 4

Ingredients

450g pork sausage meat
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned flour (1 tablespoon flour,1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon thyme, 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg)
4 medium sized free range hard boiled eggs
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method

1. Sweat onions until they turn transparent.
2. Combine onions with sausage meat, Worcestershire sauce and then add the seasoned flour and blend together wit your hands.
3. Divide the mixture into four equal pieces.
4. Mould each piece of meat around and egg and carefully roll each egg between your hands to shape the sausage meat coating.
5. Place the beaten egg and breadcrumbs in two separate, shallow dishes.
6. Dip the eggs first in the beaten egg, and then in the breadcrumbs, coating thoroughly. Set aside.
7. Fill a large saucepan with enough oil to come up to 1/3 of the pan and heat.
8. Carefully lower eggs into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry for approximately 5 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown.
9. Drain on kitchen paper and serve either hot or cold.

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Cassoulets

Cassoulet is a bean stew which is cooked in an earthenware casserole, hence the name. It is one of the classic dishes of the Languedoc, and of France. This famous stew - and “stew” hardly conveys the complexity of its flavours - is subject to much debate about what constitutes a “true” cassoulet. Cassoulet is a paradigm for a culinary understanding of the Languedoc, for there is a different recipe in every kitchen.
The history of cassoulet is linked to the area of Languedoc. One legend places the birth of cassoulet during the siege of Castelnaudary by the Black Prince, Edward the Prince of Wales, in 1355. The besieged townspeople gathered their remaining food to create a big stew cooked in a cauldron. There is however some circumstantial evidence pointing to the celebrated cuisine of the Arabs as the provenance of cassoulet, already having made its mark on the beans stews to the south in Muslim Spain of the twelfth century.

Catalonia also has a close historical association of Languedoc with the Aragonese-Catalan Empire. Cassoulet has alot in common with the bean and sausage dishes of Catalonia’s northernmost province, Roussillon, with its l’ollada, that in turn is related to the escudella of Catalonia. This, of course, leads us to the olla of Castile and Cervantes. The bean in all these early bean stews was fava bean or hyacinth bean, because the white bean which we use today with cassoulet, did not appear in Europe until after Columbus’s second voyage in 1493, and one of the first references in Languedoc to this bean is in Clermont-sur-Lauquet in 1565, by the name monges.

Cassoulet (Mixed Meat and Bean Casserole)

Ingredients

Serves 8

1kg dried white beans
200 g bacon rind, chopped
300g fatty bacon, chopped
4 portions of duck or goose confit (or alternatively 2 duck thighs and 4-5 tablespoons of lard)
40cm fresh pork sausage, sliced into 2cm chunks
750g pork shoulder or shin
3 cloves garlic
1 bouquet garni
1 onion, spiked with 2 cloves
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Soak the beans over night, drain and place into large saucepan.
2. Pre heat oven to 160 c.
   
3. Cover beans with cold water and boil for five minutes.
4. Drain the beans, then tip back into the saucepan and cover again with warm water.
5. Add the bacon rind, bacon, garlic, bouquet garni, onion and season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook for an hour on a very low simmer.
7. Take out confit meat and put to one side, then melt confit fat in a separate pan.
8. Add chopped pork, season with salt and pepper and brown.
   
9. Remove pork to one side and brown sausage.
   
10. Reserve the cooked confit oil.
    
11. Tip beans, onion, garlic and bouquet garni, along with cooking liquid, into a large oven proof dish.
12. Place a layer of the confit and pork, then a layer of beans, then add the remaining meat, excluding the sausage.
13. Top with the sausage pieces and pour in the cooked confit oil.
14. Cook in oven for one hour.
    

...A Bit of Ramdom Food History - Garlic

The word garlic comes from Old English garleac, meaning "spear leek." Dating back over 6,000 years, it is native to Central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Egyptians worshipped garlic and placed clay models of garlic bulbs in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Garlic was so highly-prized, it was even used as currency. Folklore holds that garlic repelled vampires, protected against the Evil Eye, and warded off jealous nymphs said to terrorize pregnant women and engaged maidens. And let us not forget to mention the alleged aphrodisiacal powers of garlic which have been extolled through the ages.

Surprisingly, garlic was frowned upon by foodie snobs in the United States until the first quarter of the twentieth century, being found almost exclusively in ethnic dishes in working-class neighborhoods. But, by 1940, America had embraced garlic, finally recognizing its value as not only a minor seasoning, but as a major ingredient in recipes.

Quaint North American diner slang of the 1920's referred to garlic as Bronx vanilla, halitosis, and Italian perfume.

Garlic Soup (Aigo Boulido)

Ingredients

4 bulbs of unpeeled garlic, cut in half horizontally
500 mls water
4 slices bread
Mature pecorino or sheeps cheese
1 Bay leaf
Handful of sage, torn
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Pour a large glass olive oil inside an oven-proof dish and place each half garlic head, cut side down into the oil.
2. Roast the oven for about an hour or until the garlic is soft throughout and nicely browned. When ready, you'll be able to lift the top halves of each garlic head like a hat.
3. Mash garlic with potato masher.
   
4. Place garlic in a saucepan with water and a pinch of salt.
5. Add bay leaf and simmer with lid on for 15 minutes.
6. In the meantime toast the break and sprinkle with grated percorino.
7. Remove saucepan from the heat and blend..
8. Add sage and season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Put toast into individual serving bowls and ladle soup over.
10. Finish with a trickle of olive oil.
    

...A word on Live Bird Pies

Here is a dish, inspired the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence, suggesting that blackbirds were baked in a pie and flew out upon cutting into it. The pies were obviously baked prior to tethering the poor little things inside, but produced a spectacle of unrivalled proportions, fit for a King!

If you want to go the whole way with this (why you would, goodness knows and I suggest you get counselling), it is essentially safe for the birds, but a pleasant alternative would be to use wind-up toys instead and these such medieval automata and table toys were actually sometimes used!

Medieval Blackbird Pie

Ingredients

Prepare the largest pie shell and top lid which your pastry pans and oven will accommodate.

A "spring mould pan" or one allowing easy removal of the pie crust is best.

Butter for greasing baking pan

2 or more cups of dried beans

Live tethered birds, frogs, turtles, or wind up animals

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220 c
2. Very lightly grease the large pie pan, then dust with flour
3. Reserving sufficient dough for a top crust, press in a reasonable thick bottom pie crust
4. Fill the pie shell with dried beans, or other reusable filler, to weigh down the crust as it bakes to avoid bubbling. Apply and carefully seal the upper crust to the lower
5. Glaze with egg yolk mixed with cinnamon
6. Bake 40 minutes at 220c or until golden brown
7. When cool, carefully gain access to the bottom crust and cut a large hole 0 10-15cm in diameter - through which remove all bean filler, reserving the piece of cut crust.
8. Into the well-cooked shell, insert the live or wind up animals immediately before serving. If possible, replace the pastry cut so as to "close the hole".
9. Scrupulously carefully, cut around the circumference of the crust at time of serving, about 1/4 way around the pie. Equally gently, cut toward the centre, taking extreme care not to touch the animals. Lift out upper crust portion.
10. The birds or frogs will happily "liberate" themselves on the table in order to amaze and amuse the festers.
11. This pie makes a dramatic finale to a formal feast.
    

...A Word on Tortollini

Written literature of ravioli and tortollini firstly appeared in an Anglo-Normal vellum manuscript called "Forme of Cury" and were called ravioles. It is thought that Sicilian ravioli and Malta's ravjul may be older than the northern Italian versions.

There are many similar foods which appear in other cultures, including the Chinese wonton or "jiaozi"and ravioli and tortellini are collectively referred to as "Italian jiozi" or "Italian wonton". In eastern and central Europe there is the pierogi, in Russia the pelmeni, the Ukrainian varenyky, the Tibetan momo, the Turkish manti, German Maultaschen, and Jewish kreplach.

Creamy Tortollini with Pine Nuts, Bacon and Spinach

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 Packet fresh spinach tortellini (roughly a handful per person)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
100 grams chopped pancetta or ham
6 buttons mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine
300 mills cream
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 handfuls of baby spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan

Method

1. In a small, non stick frying pan, dry roast the pinenuts until just golden. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan and gently sweat onion and garlic for about ten mins.
3. Add pancetta, pinenuts and mushrooms, cook for a further 3 mins.
4. Add wine and cream and gently heat through and simmer for 10 mins.
5. While sauce is simmering boil about 2 litres water in a separate saucepan.
   
6. Add tortellini and boil until just cooked.
   
7. Drain and then add to sauce.
8. Add baby spinach and stir through till spinach is wilted.
9. Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle parsley and parmesan over the top.
   

...A Word on Sesame Oil

Sesame oil, also known as gingelly oil or til oil, is produced from sesame seeds and was one of the first crops used for oil. The Assyrians used the oil prior to 600BC and added it to food, ointments, and medication - although this was mainly only for the wealthy as it was very expensive.

Southeast Asain cuisine uses the oil as a flavor enhancer and was probably introduced into China early in the Christian era, with the first firm evidence of it in China dating from the end of the 5th century AD. The non-roasted sesame oil found in supermarkets is not a good substitute for the sesame oil used in Oriental cooking. As with sesame paste, the difference is that Oriental oil is pressed from toasted sesame seeds. The lighter oil is found in Indian cooking, while Asian countries favor the darker variety.

In India, it is mainly used as a cooking oil. The Tamil language calls sesame oil Nalla Ennai, translating to "good oil". The Telugu language calls it Nuvvula Noone, translating to "cooking oil". The Kannada language refers to it as yellenne from the word yellu for sesame. It is sacred in some Hindi communities and poured into lamps to remove obstacles and difficulties presented in life.

...A word on Lentils

Lentils are a legume and are lens shaped seeds. Originally from the Near East, lentils have been part of our diet since the aceramic Neolithic period and was one of their first domesticated crops. Lentils contain 26% protein, making it the third highest level of protein from any plant based food, with Soyabeans and hemp coming in at first and second. It is an essential part of the diet in many global cultures, particularly in Nepal and India, who have a large vegetarian population. India has the highest production in the world, producing 1,400,000 tonnes per year. There, lentils are boiled with vegetables and then spices are added to make many side dishes such as rasam, sambar and dahl. These can be served with rice and Indian breads.

Lentils can be used to make nutritious and inexpensive meals with or without the inclusion of meat and feature in soups throughout Europe, India, North and South America, the Mediterranean, and Middle East. Often rice is added and in the Middle East it is referred to as mujaddara or mejadra, and in India it is called khichdi.

Chinese mixed seafood with vegetables

Ingredients

100 grams tiger prawns, de-vained and cut into three sections
6 large scallops, sliced into three pieces
100 grams squid
1 1/2 tea spoons salt
pepper
6 table spoons vegetable oil
5mm piece of ginger, sliced into match sticks
1 medium green chili, sliced on an angle
2 spring onions, sliced on an angle in 2cm pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 each of green and red pepper cut into chunks
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced on an angle
1 rib celery, thinly sliced on an angle
2 tablespoons chicken stock (preferably home made)
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Mix together sherry and cornflour to form a paste and set aside.
   
2. Clean squid under cold running water and made a criss-cross score (being careful not to go all the way through the flesh). Do this about 1cm apart, then cut the squid into 2 cm chunks
3. Coat seafood mixture with salt, pepper to taste and 1 1/2 teaspoons oil
4. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a wok or frying pan and add prawns, scallops and squid
5. Cook over a high heat for 1 1/2 minutes the remove from pan and set aside
6. Add remaining oil and add ginger, garlic, spring onions, peppers, carrot, celery and chilli.
7. Stir fry for 30 seconds, then add stock, soya sauce and sherry and cornflour paste
8. Bring to boil and add the cooked seafood and cook for a further minute
9. Add sesame oil and serve with steamed rice or fried noodles.
   

Lentil, Split Pea and Ham Soup

Ingredients

1 large ham or gammon steak, cut into rough chunks or 1 ham/gammon hock
1 Onion, finely diced
1/2 cup split yellow peas
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup toor dahl
4 litres water
2 large potatoes, roughly diced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 desert spoon parsley, finely chopped
Creme fresh

Method

1. Wash peas and lentils thoroughly.
2. Put peas, lentils, ham, potatoes and water into a large saucepan.
3. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 2.5 hours, stirring from time to time.
4. Skim off the "scum" that rises to the top as it appears.
5. Take off the heat, remove meat, and with a potato masher, break up the peas and lentils so it forms a more "pureed" consistency.
   
6. Tear into rough pieces and return to the pot.
   
7. Add carrot, celery, and salt and pepper.
   
8. Add more water if too thick and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Serve with a dollop of creme fresh and sprinkled parsley.
   

Portuguese Algarvian Vegetable Soup (Soupa da Legumes)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
4 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 small carrot, extra thinly sliced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 litres water
500 mills water extra
1 teaspoon dried corriander
1 handful spinich, leaves whole
Salt to taste

Method

1. Add olive oil, potato, onion, garlic and carrots to sauce pan.
2. Lightly sautee to soften vegetables, about 5 mins, stirring frequently so potato doesn't stick to the bottom of pot.
3. Add water and bring to boil.
4. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Blend until smoothe.
6. Add extra water, sliced carrot and spinich and cook for a further 5 minutes or until carrot has cooked through and spinich has wilted.
7. Serve in warm soup bowls with coarse rustic bread.
   

...A Word on Portugal

I took a very bold step this week and invited one of my Portuguese friends to try my version of a staple here in the Algarve. My local cooking is improving but my Portuguese is still embarrassingly bad. This is a style of soup you will virtually find in every Portuguese household, restaurant or snack bar and was one of the first things that made me fall in love with the country. It is eaten all year round and delicious accompanied by the local wood fired baked bread. I have taken the liberty of adding garlic and coriander, which is not strictly authentic, but does carry very well with the flavour of the carrots and potatoes.

Portugal has endured a very turbulent history and has had foreign occupation since time began. Living in this country makes me feel a little compelled to inform the reader of a brief time line of its trials and tribulations and makes me feel proud that it has become the safe and secure little piece of paradise that it is today.

Portugal sits in Europe's most south western part of the continent, with Spain surrounding it's north and east. The cuisine is not to be confused with it's neighbour, although at one time shared the same domain, but has it's own distinct style and taste due to it's cultural and historical background. To the south and west is the Atlantic Ocean and enjoys a climate similar to Mediterranean countries, making it very favourable conditions for Fig, cork and olive trees to grow. Portugal entered the European Union in the 1980s and subsequently embarked on exporting it's superb olive oil - now ranked 8th in the world.

Portugal has been inhabited since pre-historic times with Neanderthal and has Paleolithic art, which suggests it is one of the earliest civilisations of Europe. Tribal hunter gatherers occupied the valley of the Tagus River during the Palaeolithic period, around 7000 BC, this is supported by archaeological remains of oxen, deer, sheep, horses, pigs, and various shellfish, which have been excavated and date to this time.

Celts, Phoneticians, Carthaginians, Romans,Visigoth, Berber and Muslims have all occupied the peninsula at various times, bringing with them their various culinary influences. Between 711 and 1492, which they called Al-Andalu. There was constant conflict with the northern Christian kingdoms and in 1085 Alfonso VI of Castile The capture of Toledo in 1085 by Alfonso VI of Castile led to Moorish decline and by 1236, after the fall of Cordoba, the only territory ruled by Muslims was the Kingdom of Granada in Spain. Alfonso III conquered the Algarve in 1249 and this concluded the Portuguese Reconquesta. Granada then became a tributary state to the Kingdom of Castile, ruled by Ferdinand III. The surrender by Muhammad XII of Granada occurred on January 2, 1492 to Ferdinand and Isabella, "The Catholic Monarchs" (and famous parents of Katherine of Aragon).
The Portuguese Empire was the first global empire in history and is the earliest and longest lived of all the modern European colonial empires, lasting close to six centuries, from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the handover of Macau in 1999.

...A Word on Deep Fried Mars Bars (absolutely nothing at all about scallops!)

This article is not about anything to do with scallops, but I just couldn't resist writing about Scotland's flagship gastronomic cuisine crime....Deep Fried Mars Bars. These have to perhaps go down in cooking history as possibly, in my opinion, the most hideous creation of all time that ever hit oil.

Originally a novelty item, appearing in the 1990s in Scottish "chip shops", a Mars Bar is coated in the same batter as fish and chips and then deep fried and offered up together with chips. It was and rapidly developed into a cult following with mass media reporting it as an iconic urban Scottish favourite amongst Neds and international backpackers.

A study reported in one of Britain's medical journal's - The Lancet - points out concerns about poor diet and physical health problems experienced in Scotland. Reportedly, First Minister Jack McConnel, leader of Scotland's executive cabinet was quoted as saying that Scotland is "one of the unhealthiest nations in Europe."

Researchers also discovered that in addition to this delectable disaster, other bizarre specialities are available including; deep fried ice-cream, pineapple rings, picked eggs, Snickers bars and bananas.

Scotland's indigenous food culture was in the past comparatively healthy, including oats, root vegetables, venison, fish and seafood. However, due to the shift to the cities during 18th and 19th centuries with the coming of the industrial revolution, much of this was lost and the high level of calories required to perform the heavy physical jobs resulted in more consumption, with fatty food being an affordable source. Notably, deep frying also killed off bacteria and viruses, which would have been common place amongst food. Also, at the time, Scotland was successfully building an importing empire which included sugar and may be attributed to their partiality to sweets.
Needless to say, DFMB's are now an endangered species and have gone into decline in recent years. It can however, still be found in various fish and chip shops throughout England, Northern Ireland, and of course Scotland. There are chip shops to be found along Edinburgh's Royal Mile who not only cater to this perverse market, but also dish up other treats such as deep fried pizzas and kebabs, and lovingly prepared haggis pakoras. Also, sadly, the DFMB has made guest appearances in a chippie in Sydney's Campbell Parade, using a variation with the batter and finished off with a dusting of sugar. There is even shop in Wellington's Strathmore Park serving up deep fried Moro bars as a tempting alternative.

Fried Crumbed Scallops

Ingredients

Serves 4

24 Plump fresh Scallops, roe on
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup hard bread crumbs
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 100c.
   
2. Wash scallops and pat dry with clean towel.
3. Put flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
4. Add paprika and salt to flour and mix evenly.
5. One scallop at a time, dip into flour mixture, then egg, then roll in bread crumbs and place scallops on one level on tray.
   
6. Continue with the rest of the scallops and place tray in fridge for 30 mins to "set" crumb mixture.
7. Heat a frying pan over the hob and add about an inch of oil.
8. Test with one scallop first and oil is ready when you hear sizzling.
9. Fry in batches until golden brown (about 2 minutes), arranging scallops around the edge of the pan - don't over crowd the pan - and place in the oven in an oven proof dish which has been lined with kitchen towel while you finish frying the remaining scallops.
   
10. Serve with baked potato with sour cream, lemon wedges, tartare sauce and crispy green salad.
    

...A Word on Green Lipped Mussels

The recipe that follows got invented during during weekends spent at an old friends parents holiday home in the Coromandel peninsula, New Zealand. This is pretty much a dish that you can adapt to your own tastes, using the key ingredients of cream and wine as a base. I've done it adding chilli, crushed tomatoes and roughly chopped red and green peppers. We have a luxury of having Green Lipped Mussels, which are endemic to New Zealand and have the added benefit of being very cheap. So cheap infact that we refer to them as the "poor man's oyster"! Green lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) differ from other mussel species due to its dark brown to green shell, and has a green lip around the edge of its shell. It is one of the largest mussel species and can grow up to 24 centimetres in length.

As well as it's obvious culinary charm, over the past 30 years an enzyme has been extracted and has been developed into tablet, powder, capsule and liquid forms to treat arthritis, osteoporosis and other debilitating conditions by acting as an anti-inflammatory and is now taken as a food supplement for these conditions in over 20 countries. It is manufactured into a various hollistic forms for the following conditions:

• Asthma
• Arthritis
• Bowel Disease
• Menstrual Pain
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Reduces Inflammation
• Increase Joint Mobility
• Free Radical Scavenger
• Protects Gastrointestinal System
• Psoriasis
• Dermatitis
• Skin Problems

They are farmed in New Zealand by attaching themselves to a suspended rope, which causes no disturbance to the sea floor and help keep the waters clean as a filter-feeder, feeding on surrounding suspended biological matter. Their flavour is somewhere between a clam and an oyster. Mussels of any sort should be bought with the shell tightly closed and if the shell has not opened after cooking, be discarded.

Mussels in White Wine, celery and Garlic

Ingredients

Serves 4

24 mussels
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 Spanish (red) onion, sliced lengthways
3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
2 cups white wine
1 cup cream
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method

1. De-beard mussels and clean shells. Keep in cool water until ready to cook.
2. In a large saucepan, gently sweat onions, celery, ginger and garlic for 5minutes.
3. Add wine and bring to the boil, reduce head and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add mussels and cook until their shells open (disguard any that have not opened).
5. Stir in cream (do not boil or cream will separate) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide into 4 large soup dishes and garnish with chopped parsley.
   

...A Word on Tomatoes

The next recipe is adapted from my mother's, which she used to make as a concentrate and preserve for winter. It's the best thing possible for a sore throat!

Tomato is originally from the Americas, and evidence points to it first being grown as a household edible plant by the Aztecs in Mexico. It belongs to the nightshade family and is closely related to tobacco, potatoes, eggplants, chillies, eggplant and belladonna. The name "tomato" comes from the Nahuatl language, which has been spoken by the Nahua people since the 7th century who lived in Central Mexico and was originally "tomatl". The Pueblo people - traditional communities of Native Americans living in the southwestern USA, believed that eating the seeds gave them the power of divination.

After the Spanish colonisation of South America the tomato found it's way initially to the Caribbean, then the Philippines, South West Asia and Europe. Mediterranean cultivation began in the 1540's and Spain by around 1600. It was only incorporated into the Italian cuisine, initially in Naples, in the late 17th or early 18th centuries. Until then, it was used as a table decoration. In 1598 a publication by an English "barber/surgeon" appeared and is one of the earliest known references to tomatoes in England. A chap called Gerard, an "authority" on the subject, believed the whole plant was poisonous and not for human consumption and therefore was not eaten by Britain or it's colonies in the Americas for some years to come.

Tomatoes did however surface as a consumable food by the mid 1700s in Britain and later that century featured in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as being used in soups and garnishes.

In the USA, in 1887 the ambiguity of the tomato's status (fruit vs vegetable) caused controversy due to tariffs being imposed on vegetables, but not fruit. In 1893, the Supreme Court defined it as a vegetable , strictly for the purposes of being included in the tariffs, because it was eaten as a savoury rather than a desert (Nix v. Hedden) and was only referenced in this manner for the interpretation of the Tariff Act of March 3, 1893.

Rustic Spicy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 kilo tomatoes (choose your favourite full flavour tomato), chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
5 cloves of garlic 3 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoons cayanne pepper or one medium chillie, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 dessert spoon flour
1 litre of water
500 mls milk
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot and add onions, garlic and celery.
2. Turn heat down to minimum and sweat with lid on for ten mins.
3. Add tomatoes and cayenne pepper.
4. Add flour and stir until combined.
5. Slowly add 500 mls of the water, stirring constantly.
6. Blend with hand held processor until slightly "almost, but not quite smoothe - bits are good".
   
7. Add dill and cook over a medium heat, stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan for 20 mins.
8. Add the remaining water and bring to a gentle simmer
9. Take a ladle of the soup mix and pour it into 500mls of warmed milk, stir.
10. Add the milk mix back into the soup and add salt to taste.
    
11. Heat through and serve with crusty buttered bread.