Baudy Beetroot Risotto

Last weekend, on a tip shared by shunafish we decided to wander down to the 10 Year Anniversary of the Islington Farmers Market. Usually it's held on a Sunday, but this particular weekend it was held on a Saturday.

I get really excited about Farmers Markets. When i lived in NYC i used to get up early early on a saturday morning and take a long subway ride from Harlem to the Union Square Greenmarket. The market featured the best of the local farms in the New York metropolitan area. Incredible veg, fruit, one stand devoted to exotic salad leaves, a fab herb stand with a different herb sorbet each week -- thyme, lemon balm, rosemary. Cheeses, breads, cakes and gorgeous flowers. For a while i was working a couple of blocks away on 5th ave and would go there for lunch on wednesdays and fridays. i remember buying sweet succulent heirloom tomatoes that i would eat like an apple with just a sprinkling of salt. or i would pick stuff up for an impromptu sandwich -- sourdough bread, mizuna, smoked meat and creamy goats cheese from Ronnybrook farm. people would get really excited when the first crops of the summer would appear. they'd go crazy for ramps in early spring and you'd have to elbow your way in to get some before they'd sell out.

A few years later i moved out of the city to the hudson valley -- closer to some of the farms that were selling at Union Square. Kels and I would go every saturday to the Rhinebeck Farmers market. This one was as much about seeing neighbors and friends as getting incredibly fresh, just picked produce. I needed Kelsie there to stop me from buying up everything i saw.

And now, having moved to London I've been enjoying visiting the different markets. So i jumped at the suggestion to check out Islington's.

We did a quick circuit through, noting the roast lamb, roast pig (we ended up getting this), veg stands, bread stand, cheese stand and fresh herb stand. The organic veg stand had a special offer on: 5 veg for £5. What a bargain! We ended up with a bunch of beets with their tops intact, a bushy fennel, courgettes, spring onions, and a head of oak leaf lettuce.

Which brings me to this dish. I saw one in the June issue of delicious magazine and knew i wanted to try it out. And not being content to settle for 1 recipe also spent some time trawling through my collection for similar. What's interesting is that the majority suggested finishing the risotto in the oven not on the hob. Not sure why. I combined the recipe elements and while delicious called for mascarpone, i opted for goats cheese. The sauteed greens were a fantastic complement -- iron/earthy tasting against the creamy slightly sweet taste of the risotto.

Beetroot Risotto serves 4
(from June 2009 delicious magazine)

500ml vegetable stock
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
25g butter
2 small pink onions, finely chopped (i used 1 large red onion)
3 garlic cloves crushed with salt
5 small beetroot peeled, halved and finely sliced
3 lemon thyme sprigs
300g risotto rice
200ml dry rose wine (i used white)
5 Tbsp mascarpone (i used one log of welsh goats cheese)
100g Grana Padano, finely grated

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Put the stock and 350ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.


2. Meanwhile heat 4 Tbsp olive oil and the butter in a heavy casserole and fry the onions and garlic over a medium heat until softened. Add the beetroot and thyme and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.


3. Stir in the rice until well coated, then increase the heat and add the wine. Boil until it evaporates. Season well and add all but about 200ml hot stock, and heat until bubbles appear around the sides. Cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.


4. Stir in the rest of the stock. If the rice is done but still has a little bite, eave to rest for 5 minutes. If still underdone, cook for up to 5 minutes more. Stri in the cheese.


5. Trim the beetroot greens and roughly chop. Heat the remaining oil in a wok, add the leaves and season. Turn the heat down and add a little water, cover and cok for a few minutes until just wilted.


6. Serve the risotto topped with the sauteed greens and a shaving of Grana Padano.

2...Sixteen: A heart and soul warming oasis

I'm not sure if you've noticed but since we've moved to the other end of Crouch End we've stumbled across quite a few good places to eat. Thanks to our good friends Julia and Perry we were introduced to a recently opened venue called 2...Sixteen run by the larger than life Yvette. The name of the restaurant is a great mnemonic device, as that's its address on Middle Lane. We went back last night for more of Yvette's great Caribbean fusion food and again were treated not only to some sublime flavours and textures, but also got the chance to find out more about Yvette.



The restaurant is modestly furnished and features a changing collection of art by local artists in the community. One wall is rendered in wood cladding and you get the feeling you could be in a secret beach hut somewhere in the Caribbean. The other walls are a warm red. There's a tiny bar in the back which Yvette plans on kitting out with some tables so that she can serve tasting portions of some of the menu selections to go along with her oh so good Rum Punch.




On this particular night we were determined to work our way further through the menu and try new dishes instead of gravitating to the immediate favourites from last time which were succulent spicy Jerk chicken and Yvette's signature dish 2...Sixteen fish stew that features whole tilapia, okra, pepper and more of her magic spice combinations.

So we ordered Saltfish Fritters for a starter and Mutton Stew and Ackee and Saltfish for our mains. The saltfish fritters were cooked in a wonderfully light batter and were served with a spicy aubergine mayonnaise that offset the saltiness of the fritters.



The mutton stew featured cubes of meltingly tender mutton that tasted and felt like it had been slowly cooked in the oven for many hours. It was flavoured with a spice combination that complemented the flavour of the meat without overpowering it. Ackee and saltfish was my favourite. I'd never had Ackee before. It's part of a fruit and looks a bit like scrambled egg. The dish had a heady kick of scotch bonnet that i can best describe as brain lubricating. After one bite i just felt this delicious glow wend it's way from my belly to my brain.





We drank a bottle of crisp rose that was a great foil to the spiciness of the food. Our pudding was gold leaf dusted chocolate boxes served with a fruit coulis that Yvette whipped up of mango and raspberries, served with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Truth be told, i'd skip the chocolate boxes and go for just the fruit and ice cream.

The total bill was a very reasonable £39 which included 1 starter, 2 mains, dessert and a bottle of rose.

On both occasions Yvette came out from the kitchen to meet and greet her customers. She really makes you feel welcome and like you're one of the family. It's that kind of warmth and genuine pleasure in serving her food to her guests that makes Yvette so special.



We got the chance to ask her a few questions last night.

What's the philosophy behind 2...Sixteen?
I love food and people. I like the self satisfaction it gives me that I can cook for people and can cook for anyone in the world. it the pleasure of seeing other people eat my food.

What is your idea of comfort food?
It has to be fish or seafood. Seasoned with fresh ginger, spring onions, fresh coriander, soy sauce and cooked en papillote.

What are your favourite food places in Crouch End?
I like the Clocktower shop for their fresh herbs and leaves and pea shoots. They have a nice markety feel to the shop and not unreasonable prices. For breakfasts I like Banners. It's casual, it's unpretentious, it is what it is.

What's your essential piece of cooking equipment?
My dutchy pots. The oldest one i have is 40 years old. They're cast iron, and they say the blacker the pot, the sweeter the food.



Sweet or savoury?
Savoury

Guilty pleasure?
Walkers Cheese and Onion crisps with Lucozade[Yvette looks horrified and laughs]

Who has been your biggest influence?
My grandmother. She was very adventurous and with food. She was always experimenting. When we moved here from Guyana she managed to give the food an essence of home and adapt to what was available.

There is a wealth of new ingredients and flavours to be found in Caribbean food. Yvette is on a mission to make it accessible to everyone and anyone. And she is doing a great job of it so far!



2...Sixteen / 216 Middle Lane N8 7LA / tel: 02083482572

Another discovery in Crouch End: Troodos Greek Restaurant

In our new neck of the woods there are several eateries along Priory Road that we've promised ourselves to try out in the very near future. Troodos is one of them. We have walked by it on several occasions and have been intrigued by their menu and specials board.

On Saturday we decided to give it a go. We were there very early, about 6 PM, and nearly had the place to ourselves save a lone diner. The owners and staff were seated at the back, acknowledged our presence and carried on with their conversation. In the background Greek news on the radio was playing.

Our friendly, laid-back waiter came by with menus. I didn't get past the first page where several set menus were described. We decided to go with the Fish Meze at £14.30a person, and a bottle of crisp dry Retsina.

Shortly after that the cold Meze started coming. First a big sectioned platter of taramasalata, two types of potato salad, houmous, marinated beans, and a cucumber salad. Then separate bowls of smoked salmon salad, octopus salad, prawn cocktail and crab stick cocktail. All accompanied with piping hot pitta. Something told me to hold back on the cold stuff but i couldn't restrain myself. It was mostly good, our favourites being the octopus and marinated potato salad. I mostly avoided the taramasalata which was a lurid E-number pink and i can't really abide by crab stick.

Next up was the fried selection which was our favourite of the whole meal. Sardines and squid rings were lightly battered and fried and served with wedges of lemon. Totally my kind of food -- they weren't chewy or stodgy at all.

By this time we were definitely in that glazed eye stage where we know we've had too much to eat but keep going. The final offering of a massive plate of grilled fish and a bowl of Greek Salad came out. We were reassured by our waiter that we could stay as long as we needed to finish. I was able to muster a few bites but really was overstuffed. The grilled fish that night was salmon and red snapper. They were a bit overdone which was disappointing and were served with deep fried scampi which is not something i'd usually go for. No complaints on the greek salad which had a simple dressing and gorgeous creamy feta.




We both hit our limit and decided to take the mostly uneaten grilled fish home along with the leftover fried fish. By the end of the meal the place had started filling up, the Greek news was switched over to Rebetika and it definitely felt more like restaurant, less like a dining room in someone's home.

I can imagine on a really hot day that this place would be an oasis. The Mediterranean blue walls can almost evoke the sea or sky and have a calming, cooling effect. We will definitely be back in July or August to try Troodos again, with bigger appetites.

Troodos/179 Priory Road, London N8 8NB/02083429188

a nice slice of cake

a nice slice of cake
Originally uploaded by silamuta

hi. just to say we have not forgotten bout travels. just have been busy moving, again, and wondering where in the world to put stuff when you have moved into a small house. ah yes well there go. eek! anyhoo, in between unpacking and stuffin and getting our healing dog back mel made a yum victoria sponge. back with more info very soon esp now that we have broadband again. yay!

Rasa Sayang: Cheap, cheerful and oh so good

Note: please keep in mind that the photos in this post were taken with a cameraphone -- apologies for the graininess.

Kelsie met me downtown for dinner last night after I finished work. She was shuttling her family around (they're visiting from up north), and wanted us to go out after she dropped them off at the show they were going to see.

On this particular occasion I wanted to a) not spend a lot of money; b) try someplace new that neither of us has been to before; c) stay close to the neighborhood where my office is (Piccadilly Circus) whilst avoiding the countless chains and tourist traps; and most importantly d) have something really tasty.

We started our meal with a couple of starters: Roti canai and Fried wontons. The roti had a beatufiul soft texture and was accompanied with a bowl of sweet/sour/spicy/earthy red curry sauce. The fried wontons were stuffed wtih vegetables and prawns and were accompanied by a sweet chilli sauce.


Roti canai

For our mains Kelsie had Sinagpore fried rice and I had Nasi Lemak. The Singapore fried rice was redolent with sesame oil and came topped with crispy shallots. There was cabbage and seafood mixed in.


Singapore Fried Rice

The Nasi Lemak was my idea of a perfect combo meal. Tender chicken in a hot curry sauce like we had with the roti, hard boiled eggs, steamed rice, the most brilliant dried tiny anchovies, extremely flavourful and spicy sambal and some cooked veg with red peanuts made up the plate. Combining the fish/egg/chicken/peanuts in one bite sent me on a wild ride of texture and taste. This is the kind of food i love!


Nasi Lemak

We ordered a crisp dry Pinot Grigio to go with the meal and the total of the bill was a very reasonable £35. Our servers were friendly and very efficient. Over the course of our meal the table next to us turned twice and there was a steady stream of people coming and going.



Would we go back? Absolutely, definitely. I've already promised our server Joyce that i'll be back in for lunch some time next week!

Antepliler: Turkish Food Galore in Green Lanes

On a cold Saturday evening last week, we met up with our friends Julia, Pezza and Liz for a Turkish feast at Antepliler. Green Lanes up in North London is a 5 block microcosm of Turkish food. Up and down both sides of the road are Turkish grocers, Turkish pastry shops selling the most delicate baklava you can find, and of course some of the best Turkish kebab places to be found.

One of the gems is Antepliler. When you enter you immediately face the large wood burning oven, where all the magic takes place. It's decked out with traditional Nazar Boncugu (evil eye) pendants.

The dining room has rows of tables all pushed together for optimum seating capacity. On this particular Saturday night, as with most nights Antepliler was bustling. We were elbow to elbow and by 7:30 a queue had already started forming at the door.

The menu had sections for soups, cold starters, hot starters, Pide (Turkish pizza), and grilled kebab dishes.



We opted for some houmous, grilled sukuc (Turkish sausage), and grilled eggplant salad to start. A big basket of bread straight from the big oven came as well and we tucked in. The eggplant salad with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and onion had a nice smoky depth from the grilled eggplant.





Our mains started arriving soon after. We shared a Pide which was oozing with melted cheese and spinach; kebabs covered with melted cheese and chopped pistachios; 'regular' shish kebab with tender chunks of lamb that had a spicy marinade; and another kebab of lamb and grilled shallots bathed in a sweet tangy sauce of pomegranate molasses. The mains were accompanied by rice, grilled tomato, more chopped salad, and more bread.




The dinner came out to about £12 a head including 2 bottles of wine, and there was more than enough food that we went home with two doggie bags of leftovers.

Will we go back? Most definitely -- for the food and for the vibe.

Pesto, pasta and potatoes!?

It was warm and sunny yesterday. Spring has been forcing it's way out. Our sidewalks are covered in a confetti of tree blossoms. And one of the many cravings consuming me lately has been for a proper taste of summer in the form of fresh pesto.

Usually i make pesto in my trusted Magimix. But last night i opted for more rustic approach and decided to make it in my pestle and mortar. The result last night was a chunky, oozy pesto that filled the house with gorgeous smells. and it really wasn't that much more work. I opted for a 'traditional' way of serving it with pasta, boiled potato and green beans. On confering with my Italian teammates Roberto and Massimo at work today, neither had heard of mixing potato with pasta. Nevertheless the smell and taste met with Roberto's approval.

Pesto, potatoes, green beans and pasta
Serves 4

125g pinenuts, lightly toasted
4-6 cloves garlic chopped
large bunch of fresh basil, about 50g, leaves roughly torn
1 tsp salt
50 g parmesan, freshly grated
50 g pecorino, freshly grated
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
350 g pasta, preferrably trenette (i used spaghetti)
8 new potatoes, halved
handful green beans, topped and tailed

1. Put the pinenuts, garlic, salt and basil in a mortar and pound into a pasty pulp.
   
   
   
   


2. Slowly add half the olive oil and half the cheese, stirring all the time. Keep stirring and add the rest of the oil and cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning.
   
   
   


3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the potatoes and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and let cook for another 8-10 minutes until almost al dente. Add the beans and cook for another couple of minutes.


4. Drain, and stir in the pesto. eat and enjoy!