Food-y Weekend

As I said in my last post, I was in London recently for an interview (the scary reality of only having one more year of university left!). Asides from work, it's always a great excuse to see my sister, which in turn is a great excuse for the one thing we do best together: eating. 

Em's always hearing about new great places to eat and Kopapa in Seven Dials (Covent Garden) has been on her list for ages. It's a great little place next to where 'Matilda' is on at the moment so a great spot for any musical lovers. 

It's an asian-fusion style place with a pretty exciting menu. We went for the small plates to share so we could have a taste of as much as possible- the waiter recommended about two plates per person as a guide on how much to order. 

We started off with babaganoush flatbread and olives. Since our family trip to Corfu last summer, I am addicted to this combination, but it was the mains that really got us excited. 

First off, the Chilli and Seasame salted squid. This was quite simply the world's most delicious calamari, served with an amazing dipping sauce (I have no idea what was in it, but whatever it was, I liked it). 

Then there was the roast Hake with quail's egg- the dinkiest bit of fish I have ever seen, but delicious all the same due to its glaze, and my general love of fish. 

We also took a recommendation from the waiter, which was the Dhal Inari pocket- a fragrant dhal wrap that was on a bed of pickled papaya and coconut. I normally hate coconut, but in this combination it was just perfect- sweet, but sharp from the pickling of the papaya... damn I'm hungry now. 

Heck, even the side of broccolini was amazing because it had crispy shallots on top of it. These people know what they're doing with even the simplest of stuff. 

It doesn't look like much but my god..the Dhal and Broccolini

Now, if you think I can't get any more excited about the food in this place, it's time to deal with pudding. My sister texted me before I came down just out of excitement from the menu and the reality exceeded my expectations. 

Em has a deep-rooted addiction to peanut butter, something I truly hate. However, the sight of a peanut butter parfait had got her pretty excited and pretty much was pure peanut. She was one happy lady. Similarly, I have a thing for salted caramel, so the sundae with chocolate and salted caramel sauce was just meant to be. It was incredible- the sauces were almost too rich, but the popcorn and ice-cream (a flavour which I cannot describe except for floral and citrus-ey) offset them nicely, enabling me to gobble the whole thing up. If you're there with another peanut butter lover, get this combo of puddings- Em said that the sauce from my sundae was pretty great with the remnants of her parfait. 

I think it's obvious I am very keen on Kopapa. Get yourself down there pronto. 

The following morning Em kindly took the morning off so that we could head down to The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell. It was another London-y haunt that she had wanted to go to for brunch and so we popped in and both had the eggs benedict- mine with bacon and hers with tea smoked salmon. It was nice, but nothing to shout home to the cows about. Anyway, it photographed well. 

I wonder if it was the afterglow of Kopapa that made The Modern Pantry not look as fancy- but it was pretty great weekend food-wise, that's for sure. 

Getting Lost: Le Marche, Italy

My Mum was driving, which should put the fear of God in most people, but this time it was doubled by the fact that she was trying to avoid a coach load of tourists on the autostrada- this was then followed by perilous country lanes up to the hills of Le Marche. 

The region includes the Sibillini National Park and towns like Sanarno in the winter are actually ski resorts, though with a very short seasons in comparison to Alpine Skiing. It's a further 1 1/2 from Ancona and involves the worlds windiest roads (in my opinion). 

We stayed in the Hamlet of San Vernanzo and the house we were in boasted beautiful views of the nearby Monte San Martino and Panne. It looked like it was something out of the shire and really was an incredible landscape. 

Casa Ginestra

Sadly, the weather wasn't really on our side for the week, but like classic English tourists, we persevered and had packed our wellies just in case. 

As my sister aptly said: 'there's one thing you can still do in bad weather...eat.'

So here are two highlights from the trip:

Monte San Martino: This was the only sunny day we had in Le Marche (most photographs are from this day) and we decided to wander around Monte San Martino- the streets themselves beat any museum, because the buildings have been so well preserved and cared for that it's beautiful. An added bonus was the village being on a hilltop resulted in beautiful views of Le Marche. 

While the village was stunning, our lunch was the highlight of the day. In the village square is a very average looking restaurant that is best to go to on a Sunday (apparently, it was the only day we went). The interior is pretty unexciting, but the food...well it was eaten far too quickly to even get a photo of it! 

Our italian is non-existent, therefore we never really understood what we were ordering- the main advantage of this was that the waiters would simply give us a selection of the food- but in Monte San Martino we didn't understand the system. Used to ordering a dish thinking it was for one person, we made the fatal mistake of ordering three pasta dishes thinking that shared between the four of us, it would make a nice light starter. We then proceeded to order four meat dishes and vegetables to share, thinking that would be enough. We really should have registered the surprise on the waiter's face. 

As you may have guessed, we really over ordered- the first pasta dish, dyed green with nettles, was a huge serving plate worth of pasta- about 6 portions worth! It was followed by a similar plate of Strawberry risotto (interesting, but not my favourite) and then the house special, Angelica's pasta. This stuff looked like mini cinnabons; swirled pasta stuffed with (i think) pork and covered in a creamy sauce. The pasta itself was the winning ingredient- super light it was so easy to eat- we all finished the entire huge platter! After those three dishes we were pretty full, but then the mains followed! 

The mains were also delicious- get what is described as a sirloin steak in the english translation (what is actually means is half a cow)- they cook it until rare and then serve it up on a sizzling plate where it finishes cooking- amazing stuff. Also the potatoes were seasoned so that they were totally more-ish. I was in serious pain from my jeans waistband after this! 

Then they dished up the yummiest tiramisu- honestly I didn't think I could eat it but my god it was so delicious. I'm not a fan of coffee in puddings, but it really was fabulous. 

The view of Monte San Martino from the house

La Querche: This is actually just outside of Monte San Martino, and we visited there twice- the first time on our first evening in San Vernanzo, where the pizza and antipasti were amazing, but the second visit made this my firm favourite, just because of the whole experience. 

It was cloudy and drizzling slightly, but with such amazing countryside around we all agree to just deal with it and go for a walk. Dad had seen in the house book (a little guide the owner's had written) that there was a walk from the house to the 'nearby' village of Penna san Giovani. While the walk was described as 'not for the feint-hearted' we thought we'd be safe. We walked down into the valley and up again, only to find ourselves nowhere near Penna, but right outside the turning to the Agriturismo 'Le Querche'. Clearly we'd made a wrong turn- one that we later realised was rather lucky. 

The silver lining to the trekking going awry was this Agriturismo- a farm that has its own shop and restaurant. We walked in only to see the sign saying the restaurant was closed- however we went in to try and buy some bread and cold meats as a impromptu picnic. The failure of our Italian and the generosity of the owner meant that he simply looked confused gestured for us to sit down and laid the table for lunch. 

There is no way in hell that any swiss restaurant would open for 4 people to have lunch, but tired and wet I practically declared my love for this man and promising to feed us. He served up the simplest and delightful dishes. First, a huge platter of ravioli stuffed with ricotta and covered in a sweet tomato sauce. We polished the whole thing off in minutes. It was then followed by pork ribs cooked on an open fire and a selection of grilled vegetables. Hungry from walking and perfectly cooked we devoured everything. As if I couldn't love this place any more, we were each served panna cotta in a berry coulis. Amazing. 

The style of Le Querche grabbed me. It's not fancy at all, with the TV playing loudly in the background and harsh lighting. But the owner is so friendly, the food is simple, honest and tasty. I like a place where you can get rib sauce all over yourself and feel pretty comfortable. Who needs snooty fine dining when you can go here? 

Emma and I showing the latest in trekking Chic

And just for fun, here's a couple more photos from the trip: 

The Square in Ascoli Piceno 

Monte San Martino at Night

Sunday Funday: Brunchtime

It's deadline season and the flat have been bogged down with work- I've felt like a hermit for far too long.

I'm sure I'm not the only one- well I know I'm not because my flat have been feeling exactly the same. 

Merryn (one of said flatmates) put her foot down and told us it was high time we did something fun- the original plan was going out for brunch but then due to deadlines, we realised we could whip up one that was just as lovely. 

It's safe to say this has been an amazing Sunday as a result. 

So I crawled out of my duvet cocoon this morning, threw on some clothes and went for a wander with Merryn around town, finishing at the Quay. If you're ever in Exeter, head down there- there are some great pubs and little cafes, plus beautiful views of the River Exe. 

We finished our mosey around town with a trip to Tescos, picking up our brunch goodies: we went for the full show- fresh bread, sausages, bacon, beans...and to make us feel a little healthier, some fruit and greek yoghurt. We even mixed up some pancake batter, but were way too full to think about them (breakfast tomorrow though is going to be especially yummy with the mix all ready to go).

So here's a few pics of the day- if you're a student experiencing uni work blues, organise a brunch with your flatmates- between the 4 of us this only cost £5 each and was such a nice way to spend time together. 

Also, check out my flatmate Ali's blog for more food envy pics. 

Scrummy Scallops

While I was home I was treated to some amazing food- courtesy of chef Mummy. My Dad on the way home popped into Halles De Rive, an indoor market in the centre of town. For the first time ever, we decided to cook scallops at home. Since this recipe was such a success, I thought I’d share it with you- it’s really surprisingly easy to do and a great treat/something to impress someone with.

What you need: Serves 3 people

-       Scallops (ask your local fishmonger the recommended amount for however many you’re cooking for- for a main I’d say between 5-6 scallops, for starter, about 3.)

-       3 handfuls of asparagus

-       3 handfuls of beans

-       1 lemon

-       1 pack of lardons (or a pack of back beacon, chopped up)

-       Little bit of butter

-       Little bit of oil

(As you may have guessed, when my family cooks we don’t use precise measurements!)

First things first in terms of prepping the Scallops is to remove the muscle that’s attached to them and the orange thingy, called a roe if they have it (the ones we cooked with didn’t, but lots do- it’s edible, but apparently an acquired taste). They should just look like short fat cylinders now.

This is quite a quick recipe, because everything is either fried or steamed. It worth having everything prepped and ready to go before you actually cook anything.

So, we had our scallops with greens- asparagus and green beans. Top and tail the beans and get rid of the woody stalks of the asparagus

and they’re ready to be boiled/steamed. Might as well get the kettle boiling at this point (especially if like us your kettle takes an age for anything more than a cup of tea’s worth of water). I also quartered a lemon at this point to have ready as a garnish.

Scallops taste great with smoky flavours, so first up we fried some lardons (it’s chopped up bacon bits- conventional back bacon is nigh impossible to get in Swiss supermarkets). Once those are cooked, put them aside in a warm (no hotter than 60 degrees) oven on a plate with some kitchen roll). Next it was getting the veg on- aspagagus in the kettle and beans on the boil.

When your veg are a minute away from done, or even already cooked, drained and back in their pans to keep warm it’s time to cook the scallops. Drizzle a little bit of oil and butter and heat it (but not too much because you don’t want the butter to burn). Next its time to pop your scallops on and fry on one side for 30 seconds, until the side touching the pan is golden-brown.

Key tip: place your scallops around the frying pan at the points of a clock face so you can turn them in the same order they were placed in the pan. Makes sure that each and every one is cooked perfectly!

Flip over for another 30 seconds- and at this point we kept them on for 10 seconds longer for those that needed it. Serve immediately on the plate with greens and then sprinkle with lardons. Squeeze some lemon and a touch of pepper and it’s an amazingly filling yet light springtime dish.

 

This could, of course be better presented- but it's so yummy! 

Hope you enjoy!

Lunch at Ottolenghi's

Last weekend I had a weekend away in London to see my sister- the main purpose of the trip was to go and see Wicked, the musical as a belated Birthday present, but more on that in another post.

Em had seen Ottolenghi’s in Islington while out with her friends and had been looking for an excuse to splash the cash to go there- so me coming down apparently was the perfect excuse! It’s the chef Yotam Ottenleghi’s restaurant and has the best window display of food I’ve ever seen. My mum has his book Plenty- but the recipes involve a crazy amount of ingredients and are relatively complex, so coming down to the restaurant and having the pros do it was a great way to try out some of his food!

Em looking suitably excited

We headed down from Angel tube station for an early lunch and there was already a serious queue there, but the set up is a kind of salad buffet that the waiters serve for you- so it meant waiting for a table was occupied by salivating over the amazing spread- and I didn’t even get a chance to photograph the incredible pastries and breads.

The entire menu sounded incredible and it was pretty hard for Em and I to choose. However, our waiter was amazing at recommending things to try and pretty much ordered for us! I went for the salmon with mango, papaya, coriander, spring onion and chilli salsa (it’s pretty rare for me to get a decent piece of fish on a student budget), the radish slaw and aubergines with walnut yoghurt, nigella seeds, herbs and spicy walnuts. Em went for the filo pastry, basmati rice with lentils, chickpeas, pistachios coriander and toasted spices and roasted root veg.

 

Possibly the best salmon and salad I've had

The food was out of this world- you could see why each dish had so many ingredients, because they all played their parts in the flavourings of the dishes. What was amazing was everything was so wonderfully flavoured, but not overwhelming or an attack on your taste buds. It also was so filling! What effectively was a plate of salad kept me going the entire day, to the point that Em and I only had a tiny meal before the theatre that evening and were fine hunger-wise. I was seriously impressed.

 

There was too much choice! 

Also, an added bonus was that lovely waiter- we were debating between trying a grilled pepper dish and the roasted veg for Em, so he came over partway through our meal with a little taster plate- it was also delicious and is one of those things that makes a restaurant- after all, the food is part of the experience.

It was about £30 for the two of us- so pretty pricey in my book, but considering how little I ate for the rest of the day (a rare occurrence for me) I guess I saved money elsewhere? All in all, it was worth the wait- certainly join the queue if you’re ever in Islington, but he has four restaurants all over London- just check out the website.