Manchester City v Manchester United

My actual dinner was the second half of the Braised Oxtails I had from yesterday, always very good on the second day I find, but equally as tasty some might say, was this evening's top of the table clash between Manchester City and Manchester United with two games to go following this one. My friend is a Manchester City fan and his mother-in-law is a Manchester United fan and his wife and I had as much fun watching those two throughout the game as I did watching the game itself, which I watched in The Waterman in Cambridge.
However, even throughout the game I could help but look on and be tempted by the lovely looking dishes coming out of the kitchen! The place is run by a Chinese couple and with tonight being Chinese night some of the dishes looked worthy of a return visit for a try. I've not been out for a Chinese meal in a while and with this place and nearby Hakka also well rated I'll have to return to the area in the not too distant future.

Braised Oxtails

Rain, rain and more rain equals stew in my book with something to soak it up with potato or bread being my preferred options. Today's stew is Braised Oxtails.

To start, I braise the oxtails, making sure each side is browned.

 

Next, I set aside the meat and brown medium diced onion, celery, leek and carrot in the same pan before adding tomato, crushed garlic, bay leaves and rosemary and cooking for a few minutes more.

Sitting the oxtails into the saucepan, I add the vegetables on top of them before pouring over half a bottle of red wine which I boil off until there's almost none left.

I then top up with chicken stock until it covers the meat, bring it to a simmer and cover the pot before putting it into the oven at 160 degrees Celsius (fan assisted) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, I lift out and set aside the oxtails and then reduce the stew to a thick consistency. At the same time I boil some new potatoes.

Next to plate up. Potatoes and oxtail positioned on a plate with the stew poured over. Beautiful. The meat falls off the bone and today's addition of raw tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes seems to make a difference giving the stew a sweeter but not overpowering finish.

Braised oxtails

Corner Room, Bethnal Green, London

I spent the day in London today as part of the second half of The Old Man's Birthday celebrations having been out in Cambridge yesterday and my sister, as she usually does, sourced an excellent lunch venue at the Corner Room in Bethnal Green. She has a blog that covers women's fashion, but this lunch was exceptional enough to warrant a rare exception to that rule and at £21 for 3 very high standard courses of food, who can blame her. I was camera-less on the day so she took some pics of the occasion.
I started with Sea Trout which came with shards of cucumber, celery and onion, the plate spotted with a green emulsion of some kind and sprinkled with fish eggs and crunchy, brown crumbs with a subtle nuttiness to them. This was good and wasn't overly fish; I experienced no lingering aftertaste. I don't usually go for fish eggs but they worked well in the context of the dish here.
My main was an Onglet (Beef skirt) Steak which came with discs of swede, long stemmed mushrooms and those crunchy, nutty crumbs, though bigger than on my starter. There was also a curve of tangy apple sauce and a light vegetable based cream. This was excellent, the soft beef with the apple being my favourite part of the meal until I tasted the lamb. Oh what amazing lamb! I'll definitely be having that should I visit again.
For dessert I had Leche Frita which was somewhere between a bread and butter pudding and freshly made doughnuts in terms of taste. The almost white insides were fried in a crispy brioche crumb coating and served with plump sultanas, cream and a curve of mango sauce. A very satisfactory end.
At every stage I was impressed with the attention to detail, the marriage of flavours and the thought put into getting different textures into each dish. This is a place definitely worth taking the effort to seek out on the first floor of Town Hall Hotel if you happen to be in East London.
My dinner later that evening at Highlight in Camden while watching on in horror as the poor second comedian got punched by a woman (not part of the act) pales (foodwise) in comparison!

The Cambridge Chop House

It's the start of the Old Man's birthday weekend and I had intended to book somewhere beforehand, but rather than imposing my will on him I let him choose to which I got the predictable response to the question: What do you fancy eating? - "I don't mind... food". You give people choice and they don't know what to do with themselves.
After 20 questions on what to eat (ending in "something meaty") we decide on The Cambridge Chop House and choose from their Pre-Theatre Menu of 2 courses for £12 served until 7pm on weekdays.
As a starter, I choose Warm Ham Hock Salad & Treacle Dressing, which I thought sounded interesting. In reality it doesn't really work. The flakes of ham hock fell apart nicely, the rocket leaves and boiled egg: fairly standard, the thin slices of fennel: a nice touch, but the treacle dressing did not go and there was just too much of it. Actually ruins the dish.
My main of Wiltshire Cured Ham, Duck Egg and Chips was better. The fried egg was cooked nicely with a runny yolk, the chips were irregularly chunky and all the better for it and the ham was tasty too, though meanly cut like supermarket sandwich ham. Overall it was slightly disappointing.
The pre-theatre menu was apt. After dinner the Old Man looks at his new watch as we walk away from the restaurant, when I ask if he's missing something on TV, then paradoxically states that he doesn't watch TV followed by he's missing Channel 4 News. At which point we are walking past the Cambridge Arts Theatre and I whip out tickets to Yes, Prime Minister; he's genuinely surprised and spend the evening genuinely Laughing Out Loud. Success.

Salmon & Broccoli Noodles

A bit of pre-work preparation for today's speedy dinner of Salmon & Broccoli Noodles as I marinade the salmon in Teriyaki marinade and leave it until I return home that evening. Upon return I cook the marinaded fillets in the oven for 20 minutes and with 5 minutes left to go boil a nest of noodles with florets of broccoli ( of the same size of yesterday). After transferring the noodles and broccoli to a bowl, I flake large chunks of the fillet over it with thinly sliced chilli and add a dash of soy sauce. I decline lemon juice on this occasion to retain the Asian flavours. The teriyaki salmon is the central taste in the dish.

Salmon & broccoli noodles

Cheese & Broccoli Pasta Supper

I seem to have collected plenty of vegetables in my fridge. The bottom drawer is full of them, they've even migrated to other level; no glass ceiling for a packet of spinach or a half eaten lettuce which occupy the middle and top shelves respectively. To reduce the defeict and possibly improve my health, I have a Cheese & Broccoli Pasta Supper. Wholewheat penne pasta and al dente broccoli florets mixed with Boursin cheese in a warmed bowl for a pleasant supper.

Cheese & broccoli pasta supper

Stuffed Peppers

A different way of using the weekend's chilli con carne today as I mix it with rice, stuff them into peppers, top with chilli flakes and bake them for 30 minutes, topping them with the goat's cheese I have left in the fridge after 15 minutes. Stuffed Peppers are almost as little work as is possible to do to get a proper dinner, though admittedly most of it was done on another day...

Stuffed peppers

Slug & Lettuce, Hannover Street, London

I was in London this evening and massively excited in advance of seeing Ryan Adams at the London Palladium, so I opt to have a quickish dinner at the nearby Slug & Lettuce on Hannover Street in London. After rejecting some other nearby options, McDonald's - I've got time for more than fast food and Garfunkel's - a terrible restaurant chain from previous experience, the Slug and Lettuce meets the requirement and with the branch in Cambridge having now disappeared it's something of a minor nostalgia trip. Upon entering, it's really dark and really busy; I only later realise that it's because it's 50% off food on Mondays - an added bonus.
They didn't have either my first or second choice, Steak & Kidney Pudding or Chicken Souvlaki respectively, so I had my first Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, no idea what it's supposed to taste like, I suspect the version I had was an approximation with thinly sliced steak cooked medium in a white crusty mini baguette with melted cheese and onion. Serviceable enough but I'd like to try the real thing at some point, however no complaints as it was half price.
However the real point of the evening was the gig and having seen Ryan two times previous, tonight was the best I have seen him. He played alone with only 2 guitars and an upright piano accompanying him in the red glow of the spotlights in the dark theatre and he opened with an amazing version of this song...

 

Jamie's Italian, Cambridge

I took a stroll after lunch today as an act of settling the food and ended up wandering the streets of Cambridge with a friend, badly dodging the rain showers and taking shelter in a couple of pubs, by which time it is dinner time and as we are walking past Jamie's Italian, Cambridge we have an impulse dinner.
Jamie's is on the site of the former Corn Exchange box office (now situated on the opposite side of the street) and having been several times into the former box office, I'd always though that it was a bit small for a restaurant. I was right, that area is a bit small. Which is why it is only the bar. The main body of the restaurant is behind the bar in a large square room with pillars and a high ceiling with a dome in it's centre. As an eating venue it's quite impressive with a good buzzy atmosphere.
As it's an impulse dinner, I head straight to the menu and have pasta, in particular Wild Rabbit Tagliolini and my friend has Ravioli, a Wild Mushroom Panzerotti. Both are good and since this is just a flying visit I look forward to coming back for a more considered sampling of the menu.

Aubergine, Pepper & Feta Cheese Salad

After having pre-packaged food for various meals lately, yesterday's dinner sandwich and a very salty Greggs Steak Bake for lunch today, it's time for a healthy dinner. Vegetables, but how to make them satisfying? I roast and skin some sweet peppers and while they are in the oven, I griddle slices of aubergine. I then toss the aubergine and peppers with lemon juice, thinly sliced garlic and chopped herbs, ensuring that all the juice from the peppers is included. This is key in the Aubergine, Pepper & Feta Cheese Salad, as it contains a lot of flavour. I season and crumble over Feta cheese for a very satisfying vegetarian dinner.

Aubergine, pepper & feta cheese salad

A Railway Dinner

I try and leave work early today to get down to London for the start of watching my first night of boxing, but in accordance with Sod's Law more things than anticipated crop up which need to be done before leaving. When I finally get away, I'm too late for the train I wanted and the wait at Cambridge Rail Station gives me some time to burn and since it was coming up to 6pm, a belly to sate.
Did you know that Network Rail take a 20% cut of everything bought at rail stations they own? Explains why everything is so expensive doesn't it and explains why I try not to buy anything at rail stations. I think about that as I munch on my M&S Chicken, Chorizo and Pepper sandwich.

My railway dinner

 

Meals of the Boxing Greats

I have Crispy Chicken Fajitas again. However I am looking forward to tomorrow night when I go to my first ever boxing match and this gets me thinking about the favourite meals of the Boxing Greats...

1. Muhammad Ali: Chicken and Rice. Simple. Effective. Classic. But not particularly interesting... so how about...
2. Ricky Hatton: His local Chinese takeaway. I like Ricky because he comes across as a normal kind of guy. Food in training being boring, but then going on a massive binge after a fight. Sounds good. I love the next one because it's sooo bonkers...
3. Mike Tyson: Vegan. Yes, Vegan. As in Vegan: A person who does not eat or use animal products. Mike Tyson: Vegan. THIS GUY BIT OFF EVANDER HOLYFIELD'S EAR!!! VEGAN!

Crispy Chicken Fajitas

You can't have amazing food every time, indeed I don't expect today's Crispy Chicken Fajitas from a Fajita kit to match up to the Mexican food I had at Wahaca in February. It's just quick, easy and not really like Mexican food at all, but sometimes the convenience is the key aspect of a meal. What I create doesn't look anything like what's on the lurid red and yellow box, but is a passable meal all the same.

Crispy chicken fajitas

Pork with Mushroom Risotto

I have yesterday's Pork with Mushroom Risotto today. There's a bit of playful switching of typical roles today with risotto taking on a savoury, meaty quality compared to the juiciness of the pork (with the sweetness of onions). For the risotto I usually add white wine, but I buy Vermouth in the supermarket on the way home to go in the rice. A straight drink Vermouth is disgusting, but really is more at home in cooking or as a minor element of a cocktail. It's very tasty and I almost forget to take a photo...

Mushroom risotto

 

Pork Steaks with Caramelised Onions

What is it about pork that loves it's sweet companions? Apple is the classic partner; honey is another well-known pairing, so I'm sure that Pork Steaks with Caramelised Onions will be excellent. It still amazes me when I think about it how harsh, tear inducing raw onion, becomes kind, comforting and sweet after cooking, especially after being sliced finely and sautéed slowly as it is here. Preceding the onion, I sear the pork steaks and transfer to a casserole dish after which I sit the onion on top together with garlic, butter and a few juniper berries for occasional, pleasing bursts of cleansing bitterness. I then finish the dish off in the oven for 20 minutes, which brings the juices out to soak up with some bread. A quick Monday night dinner I'll be having again.

Pork steaks with caramelised onions

Mushroom & Feta Pancakes

I enjoyed yesterday's Toad in the Hole so much that I continue the batter based theme today with Mushroom and Feta Cheese Pancakes. Who needs measurements right? I'll just combine the salt, flour, egg and milk until I get a liquid of suitable consistency and stick it in the fridge to rest until I need it, right? Right. Half an hour later with the frying pan warmed I pick up the jug filled with batter and it pours slowly, lava like into the pan where I frantically encourage it to fill the area before it sets. Damn, too thick. Some emergency milk addition later and I'm happy to say that it's more liquid consistency allows me to make 3 pancakes. A good save.

Mushroom & Feta cheese pancakes

Toad in the Hole

It's Grand National day and a special day it is too when normal folk venture into the artificially lit shop of a bookmakers with screens on one wall, the pull outs from the Racing Post showing the runners and riders of the day's races on another, a fruit machine or two and the sales desk, usually at the far end of the shop. However today there are betting slips for the National strewn across the tables and the regulars, squinting into the sunlight on the regular occasions that the door opens, complaining that they're not getting their regular service. I stick £2 each on Ballabriggs, Chicago Grey and West End Rocker for wins and finish disappointed, which is more than I can say for 2 of my horses.
I decide that Toad in the Hole is a good way to commiserate, sausages in a primary sea of onion batter with a secondary splash of gravy. Lovely.

Toad in the Hole

The Burleigh Arms, Cambridge

Dinner in the pub tonight, The Burleigh Arms (confusingly not on Burleigh Street in Cambridge) and I'm tempted by the Steak and Kidney pie on the blackboard. This will be beautiful, chunks of beef falling apart under a fork's nudge in a beautifully savoury gravy contained within a top and a bottom of pastry with mash... but hang on, hang on. This a pub, much as this is one of the best pubs in the city, it's still worth checking if a pie in this place means stew in a ceramic dish with a pastry lid. Unfortunately that is exactly what it means here. I choose instead a Burger with Bacon and Stilton Cheese with Chips. Still at under £7.00 for this lot it is good and it is a hell of a lot better value than most places in Cambridge. This is a good pub; there's a Billy Connelly impersonator on tonight and after finding that my pint of Bombardier is off, they are more than happy to replace it and bring it over to where I am sitting, free of charge. An excellent pub.

Cumin Salmon Spaghetti

I thought this would be a good day to try something a little different like Cumin Salmon Spaghetti. Indeed, despite my dislike, nay hatred of raw tomatoes, I decide to chop them and toss them with lettuce, spring onions and pasta. I think it's good to re-tackle things previously hated without doing this I wouldn't like such beautiful foods like olives, peas, salt and vinegar crisps and the like.
However, I make something of a hash of dinner, I can't taste the cumin on the salmon probably due to the fish making up a minute proportion of the meal compared to the other. And I still hate raw tomatoes. Massively hate raw tomatoes.

Cumin salmon spaghetti

 

Mushrooms on Toast

Almost a vegetarian dinner today with Mushrooms on Toast, though there is something meaty about mushrooms, especially when I sauté them with classic pairings like garlic. I also add chopped spring onions and a grating of Parmesan cheese. Okay so I added chopped pancetta as well; the mushrooms complementing the inherent saltiness of the Italian pork when on crunchy toast.

Mushrooms on toast

Top 3 Food Themed Simpsons Moments

I'm at a friend's today for Shepherd's Pie (that's the one with the lamb), so flash, indeed any photography is somewhat frowned upon. I can however report it was tasty, though by admission of the chef, missing onion!
I recently watched the episode of the Simpsons where Homer becomes the food critic of the local newspaper which reminded me that food features heavily in the show, so I've put together my top 3 food based moments:

1. The one where Homer goes to the Springfield Chili Cook Off and eventually eats Police Chief Wiggum's super hot chili, though not without some side effects...
2. Some of my favourite Simpsons episodes are those based around Krusty the Clown and though Bart eating a jagged metal Krusty-O is good, I prefer the moment in the Lisa's First Word episode where his Krusty Burger fast food chain run a promotion during the 1984 Olympics involving giving away free burgers every time the USA get a gold medal. Then the USSR pull out. With massive US dominance at the games, Krusty gives away more burgers than anticipated, leading to $44M loss due to the promotion and Krusty memorably promising to spit in every 50th burger.
3. From the aforementioned episode when Homer becomes a food critic, one of my favourite bits is when he's sat at the kitchen table with Maggie and Santa's Little Helper assisting him with his review...

Club Sandwich

I cannot possibly have another full meal after this weekend of eating with the family, including this lunchtime (treated to my Mum's chicken Rempah-chin (Chinese curry), Chinese seasoned pork and stir fried vegetables with rice) so I opt for a Club Sandwich. I have no bacon, so I use pancetta instead which I regard as an excellent betterment. The only thing I have missing is the cocktail sticks for authenticity, but hey, I'm not in a club either.

Rempah-chin

Club sandwich components

Club sandwich constructed

Easter Sunday Dinner

Usually at Christmas catering duties are shared between the wider family with my Mum doing Christmas dinner every other year, alternating with my Aunt who lives a 10 minute drive away and this is usually the only time of year that the wider family get together, so it is a rare event to have everyone together outside of December, like at my Aunt's today.
My sister and I arrive early and take our cousin for lunch and a few drinks at The Anchor in Little Paxton. Though there was a tempting Sunday roast on offer, I have fish and chips, my sister has a hot smoked mackerel roll and chips and my cousin has a vegetable pie and chips. Strangely the pie comes in a ceramic bowl with no lid, potato or pastry, to speak of. But this is only a minor aberration on an otherwise excellent rural pub, the only one in the village. They have dedicated fish and pie menus as well as football on the television and is very much a local though with a relaxed atmosphere.
Some drinks later we stagger back to my Aunt's for Easter Sunday Dinner where a Malay-Chinese-English feast awaits. There is a coriander flavoured pork curry, stir fried vegetables all served with white rice together with a rhubarb pie and custard for afters. My favourite was the pork curry and unfortunately the rhubarb pie was a little watery, others said it was sour, but I found the tartness pleasant when contrasted with the sweet custard.
Later at home, I undo my top button of my jeans while slouching on the sofa. Like Christmas in more ways than one.

Montaz, Brampton

Something of a surprise for dinner today as for the first time since January I have dinner with the mother, father and sister. Even more surprising than that, we go to an Indian restaurant. For some reason my folks don't go to Indian restaurants, in fact my sister and I reckon the last time we went with them to an Indian restaurant was something like 15 years ago. A looong time ago, so this place, Montaz in Brampton must be good.
It's only upon arriving that I realise that I have been to a Montaz, it's St Ives branch, several times previously and always found it consistently good, so this bodes well.
It's plainly decorated, but full of people, mostly in family groups with a relaxed vibe. Food wise, I have the chef's special, prawns, lamb and chicken in spicy, surprisingly creamy, onion and bell pepper sauce, which frankly is a bit of a random combination. It's tasty, but perhaps would benefit from a focus on one meat. Dad had the seabass which was a good light alternative to some of the more stodgy fayre typical of Indian restaurants. Mum had Mala king prawns, which had a tomatoey, spicy pineapple sauce which was on the sweet side for our tastes. However, the best of all was my sister's lamb shank, cooked slowly until the meat was falling off the bone with a spicy chickpea based sauce with a moderate chilli hotness aftertaste, a pleasing alternative to the typical European style of a red wine sauce with potato mash. As with most curry houses the desserts were not really worth having. I had a Funky Pie; James Brown would not have approved. However, if the Godfather of Soul was partial to a curry, I'm sure he'd like what they do here cooking European staples like lamb shanks and seabass fillets in sub-continental styles at a reasonable prices, you'll get change from £15 for a main dish with rice and a vegetable side. Definitely worth going again.

Breadcrumbed Pork Chops

A different way with pork chops today, as rather than have a typical marinade and grill combination, I bake the chops in the oven with a garlic & breadcrumb crust. It's definitely less messy than the grill method and prevents the flat from being filled with smoke from a hot griddle. These Breadcrumbed Pork Chops could be said to be a very lazy version of a Schnitzel and it seems only right that I have the lazy version of chips with them. Potato wedges.

Breadcrumbed pork chops

 

Prawn and Broccoli Noodles

What motivates someone to have a certain dinner?
Weather? Cold - stodge with gravy; Hot - BBQ or salad;
What you had yesterday? Don't have the same thing today;
The item shortly to go bad in the fridge? Ding! Me today...
These prawns were bought reduced anyway and today's the very last day... Dangerous. There's a bit of whiff as I open the packet, I even have to pick out the single prawn that is blackening ominously, but I throw caution to the wind and fry the good ones in butter with chopped chilli and garlic and toss with lemon juice and what was supposed to be blanched broccoli. More mush than freshened - a disappointing lack of watchfulness on my part there. I serve this with noodles.

Prawns and broccoli

Fruity Lamb Tagine

I exit Europe for today's meal influence and skip across the Mediterranean for a North African Fruity Lamb Tagine. I could have done a more European style stew but feel like having the fruity, spicy sensation of something my exotic on my tongue, albeit a version modified from that which you can create in Morocco.
In this recipe the Ras-el-Hanout spice mix and the dried apricots underpin the dish.

Fruity lamb tagine

Pan Seared Chicken and Rosti

A late supper today of Pan Seared Chicken and Rosti following a reviving lunch, after a job interview, at Tapster in Westminster with my sister. In a way she is right in that I should at least talk about the best meal of the day which was lunch; we shared  I had rabbit stew and almond tart, she had cold beef salad and lemon posset. All were good and decent value too, even without the Tastecard discount. To contrast, the seafood pie in d'Arry's last week was £12.50 and terrible, today's rabbit stew (that was falling off the bone in a succulent wine based gravy) with rice was around £14. £1.50 more and infinitely better value.
However, this a dinner blog to record every dinner: the good, the bad, the ugly and occasionally mundane. While I'd love to eat something brilliant every day, the reality is something rather different. I'm going to make a collage of all my dinners at the end of the year, the art world has been warned!

Pan seared chicken and rosti

 

Pie and Mash

Firstly regarding yesterday's Spinach & Feta Pie, I can confirm that it makes a better lunch as well as attracting envious glances from work colleagues...
Onto today and I have Pie and Mash. The pie is a Pieminister Moo Pie and I have a 50/50 mix of potato and parsnip mash on the side. The sweetness from the parsnip in the mash contrasting with the gravy's saltiness. The pie is quite impressive for a shop bought pie, decently meat heavy with tasty gravy, well worth buying again.

Pie and mash

 

Spinach and Feta Filo Pie

The sunshine of the past week is reminding me of a week I had in Crete to escape last year's British autumn and the excellent Greek food in one particular taverna in a remote village, close to where we were staying. A case of the least accessible place having the best food on this occasion. Thoughts of that persuade me to have a first cack-handed attempt at a Spinach & Feta Filo Pie.
It could do with a little more browning and judging by the liquid on the board, I should have wrung the spinach out more than I did. Nice to do something completely different from my normal though. I eat this hot and while it's good I think that it would be better served cold. I'll find out at lunch tomorrow.

Spinach & feta filo pie