August 31, 2006
Take Two on Sachertorte
Yep, it's that time of year again. John's birthday is here. I'm still broke, so I thought I'd make him another chocolate cake to show off in the office. Last year, the effort ended in near-disaster, took 6h instead of...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:50 PM |
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June 08, 2006
World Cup Food
One thing I miss from Germany are the ingredients. I've just cut up a stale, burnt loaf of bread for John's sandwiches. The quality of food in the local Sainsbury's is atrocious. Back in Germany, even the lowliest village supermarket...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 10:08 AM |
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May 10, 2006
Eton Mess
The blog has been offline for a while because the Booties have upgraded some hardware. All BNA blogs seem to be back in service now. Good work, lads & lasses ;) Also, because this is Tadley, I can only go...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:08 PM |
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April 14, 2006
Bali Spice: A Balinese Dinner
In Bali it's common to cook up food early in the day and continue snacking on it throughout—this may contravene any known food hygiene legislation but is a boon for preparing dinner parties in advance ;) The vegetable dish, Sayur...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:14 PM |
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April 09, 2006
Babi Kecap
I promised some Balinese recipes, but haven't gotten around to blogging them yet. Babi kecap is popular and easy to make, once you have ground your pastes! It does, however, use almost ½ bottle of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:22 PM |
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April 06, 2006
Bali Spice: Nose to the Grindstone
'Bumbu' means spice (or flavour). 'Bumbu Bali' is, of course, the name of Heinz von Holzen's famous restaurant in Tanjung Benoa (Nusa Dua). However, it is also the name of a restaurant in Ubud—and in addition to their name, they...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 09:02 PM |
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September 23, 2005
Poule au Pot (Summer's Last Stand)
September leaves little to smile about. The sunny days of summer have been replaced by the leaden skies of autum and as the chill draws in, the clammy air creeps up my skin. It is now just above the temperature...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:21 PM |
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September 01, 2005
My take on Sachertorte
I don't usually bake. Where I come from, conditors serve a three year apprenticeship and we tend to leave these things to the professionals. However, tomorrow is John's birthday and I haven't gotten him a present (no, he can't have...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:22 PM |
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July 13, 2005
Wicked Fruit
Sorry to disappoint—this is just a recipe entry!...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:42 PM |
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June 23, 2005
Guts and Gusto
On a balmy evening at the end of the millenium, John and I sat on the terrace of a restaurant by the Szechunghsi Hot Springs near the southern tip of Taiwan and looked out over the valley below. It had...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:29 PM |
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May 02, 2005
Spring BBQ
I've been twitchy since the first buds appeared on the trees, but yesterday it finally looked as if it wouldn't rain all day, so we had a BBQ....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:51 PM |
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April 25, 2005
The Muntjak Deer
As I said, I'm too busy to cook these days. But needs must, so I defrosted what we had bought on the farmers' market last weekend (in addition to another pig's head): a Muntjak deer haunch and a packet of...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:23 PM |
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April 18, 2005
Wild garlic & nettle soup
The season of bounty is here again! I remember back in Scotland we used to pick handfuls of sorrel and large bundles of wild garlic. Right in front of our door, a large morel mushroom used to erupt from the...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:16 PM |
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April 13, 2005
Secret Flavours
Every cuisine has its secrets—often some herb or spice that is locally common-as-muck but fiendishly difficult to find back home. Sometimes it is just the way in which things are cooked. And occasionally it is something that, in one way...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:02 PM |
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April 11, 2005
Mutton with stuffed vine leaves
For the past month or so I had a big chunk of shoulder from a hogget (young mutton) in the freezer; bought at the last Basingstoke Farmers' Market and kept in anticipation for my sister's Easter visit. Alas, she never...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:00 PM |
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March 27, 2005
An Easter Picnic Lunch
It is still too cold and windy for the BBQ, but yesterday's sunny weather was ideal for a picnic lunch. It was also time to return to some traditional cooking. I still had half a pig's head and two trotters...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:37 PM |
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March 20, 2005
Easter Bunny Recipe
(This entry will probably elicit hate mail...) I know it's a week early, but you don't get a hare at the farmers' market every day and the freezer is already packed with pigs' heads and trotters that I have hoarded...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:58 PM |
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March 09, 2005
Exotic Veg
Curse my curiosity, but the stall at Reading market intrigues me. It sells the most exotic vegetables I have seen anywhere in the UK, even in Deptford....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:42 PM |
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February 25, 2005
Going the Whole Hog (1: Feijoada)
Farmer's markets never really took off in Stirling. In the end I gave up going to the smattering of stalls that lined the gravelly parking place on the first Saturday of every month. It may be that Stirling is actually...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:51 PM |
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February 18, 2005
Round-the-World Shopping in Reading
Farmer's markets and local, seasonal produce are all very well, but after a while I feel like I start growing cobwebs eating English peasant food. I miss a good curry. And I miss the vibrancy and bustle of multy-cultural Deptford,...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:18 PM |
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January 31, 2005
Seasonal game(3)
This is the last of the seasonal game for now... Mixed Game Casserole with Blueberries & mashed Root Vegetables...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:19 PM |
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January 24, 2005
Seasonal Game(2)
Roast Partridge with Potato & Celeriac Gratin...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:17 PM |
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January 20, 2005
Seasonal game (1)
There is a farm shop in the area! It is not actually in Tadley but in a six-house-hamlet that calls itself 'Little London'(!). As soon as we could, we beat a path to its door. It was not strong on...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:24 PM |
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January 10, 2005
Curry Night (2)
Lamb Dilpasand A rich, oniony, nutty curry based on a recipe by Mridula Baljekar, Indian Cooking, Coombe Books (1993, ISBN 1 85813 130 8). A bit of an effort, but well worth it. 500g cubed lamb; 125g natural yoghurt (full...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:16 PM |
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January 04, 2005
Walnut, Roquefort, Pear & Watercress Salad
I'm just tucking into some of our last Christmas leftovers. With our move to Tadley completed, I have been cooking again and it is time to revive my recipe column. So here it is: Roquefort, Pear & Watercress Salad with...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:32 PM |
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December 23, 2004
Tadley's National Dish
The Tadley Butty 1 large plate of chunky chips; 4 slices of buttered soft white bread; good handfull of sauce sachets Liberally drizzle the chips with ketchup and brown sauce. Line them up on a buttered slice. Roll the bread...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:10 PM |
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November 06, 2004
Dark Delights
For his last night in Stirling before starting his new job, I cooked John a dark, dark dinner....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:47 PM |
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October 27, 2004
Pumpkin gallore!
Just in time for Halloween, the shops are flooded with pumpkins. Halloween is a celtic festival, you know, and it is the Irish who brought the art of pumpkin carving to America. But apart from carving, you can always eat...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:36 PM |
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October 22, 2004
Apple Nobby Cake
We have a glut of apples at the moment. Before the birds and squirrels make short work of them, I sent John into the garden to pick a few for a quick autum treat. I know some mean German cake...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:39 PM |
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October 21, 2004
Curry Night (1)
Always a treat, if not quick to prepare, we aim to have a curry every week. As the chill of autum draws in, the chilli heat drives the cold away and earthy spices warm the body. During the drizzly Scottish...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:58 PM |
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October 15, 2004
Stout, steak and kidney pie
Autum is here. The trees on the hills are blushing with the first colours of fall, mist creeps into the valley at night and the time has come for warm, comforting dishes....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:13 PM |
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October 09, 2004
Venison with cider and black pudding
Stirling's once-a-month Farmer's Market has gone to crap. Once you could buy Gloucester Old Spot pork and propper game there. It was a bijou version of a proper market like the ones I remember from my childhood, an embryonic promise...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:16 PM |
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September 23, 2004
Jerk chicken with rice & peas
Jerk chicken with rice & peas are of course Jamaican; but for me they (and curried goat and saltfish patties...) will always be associated with New Cross, SE London -- the only place I ever called home as an adult....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:03 PM |
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September 12, 2004
Mountain Oysters with Cockle Sauce
The summer is gone, the hills are obscured by a grey veil of clouds and drizzle and I am planning my winter-getaways (Portugal and, possibly, the Miami Winter Music Conference -- watch this space). Already, it is time for nostalgic...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:06 PM |
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August 27, 2004
Greek Sunday Roast
This is a special dinner to round off the olympics. I actually cooked it last weekend to see John off to a conference in Verona (the lucky bastard). It's the last of the Greek recipes for now -- we're back...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:43 PM |
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August 24, 2004
Greek-style mushroom fritters
Manitarokeftedes me Skorthalia (mushroom fritters with garlic dip) This is a nice little starter:...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:53 PM |
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August 21, 2004
Dips & Bits
Great -- every time I sit down in front of the TV, Britain seems to win another gold medal! A healthy lunch while vegging on the sofa consists of lightly toasted pita bread with salad and dips. Apart from the...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:51 PM |
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August 18, 2004
A Green Greek Supper
Sport is bad for you. Whoever said it was good for you? Five days in and I am already hooked to the box; the Olympics being about the only occassion I watch daytime-TV other than at Christmas. It's alright for...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:04 PM |
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August 15, 2004
Greek Salad and Moussaka
With the Olympics comes Food Fit for the Gods. Two weeks of Greek eats which I will review here as I get along. For the most comprehensive Greek recipe site on-line go to: greek-recipe.com. However, the recipes below are based...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:54 PM |
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June 17, 2004
Borth Beach BBQ (recipes)
The weather has been changeable lately, but in the evenings the sun usually comes out and BBQ smoke is wifting up from the neighbours garden through the open office window. I’m dead jealous (they’ve got family visiting. The squealing of...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:20 PM |
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June 06, 2004
Soup and Bread
Yesterday, I baked a loaf of bread. If you hit someone over the head with it, you'll knock them out. Hmmm - I should have used a little less rye in the mix......Read this update
Posted by Denni at 09:30 PM |
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May 25, 2004
Springtime treats
Aahh asparagus... At this time of year, from May to early June, I grow all nostalgic about my country of origin....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:26 PM |
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May 12, 2004
(why not try...) tripe
The stomach lining of ruminants, in most cases the rumen and reticulum (first and second stomach) of bovine animals, is a favoured ingredient in many of the world's regional cuisines....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:08 PM |
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