Birthday presents
As my enjoyment of cooking is well known through the family, our eldest son recently ensured I got another cookery book: this time it was Nigella Express, and her tasty but speedy recipes.
To accompany this, I acquired a skillet with the intention of using it for some nice steak and venison recipes that I had seen, almost as a substitute for a barbecue.
Incidentally, February has frequently been a good month for an early barbecue in the garden, with the mild weather allowing us to fire it up very, very, early in the evening and letting the kids run around and burn off some steam before bed time.
However, the skillet has been used extensively over the past two weeks as I experiment with various combinations of meat - with varying degrees of success i.e. cries from my wife that "there are flames coming off it!!!"- accompanied by more traditionally cooked side dishes.
Tonight was - if I say so myself - a masterpiece.
Nigella - for it was her - fell open at the seared salmon with Singapore noodles, but in the absence of the metropolitan ingredients (just where can you get Chinese green leaves in Stornoway?) I improvised. A stir fry of sliced baby corn, orange pepper and grated carrot were added to the noodles and stock and cooked with curry powder whilst the salmon seared in a mere couple of minutes, with one side also coated in the same medium Madras powder.
Baby was hurriedly transferred from lap to front row baby seat in front of the fish tank, whilst we descended on the feast like two locusts leaving a health farm.
Yum! I'll be doing this again soon.
To accompany this, I acquired a skillet with the intention of using it for some nice steak and venison recipes that I had seen, almost as a substitute for a barbecue.
Incidentally, February has frequently been a good month for an early barbecue in the garden, with the mild weather allowing us to fire it up very, very, early in the evening and letting the kids run around and burn off some steam before bed time.
However, the skillet has been used extensively over the past two weeks as I experiment with various combinations of meat - with varying degrees of success i.e. cries from my wife that "there are flames coming off it!!!"- accompanied by more traditionally cooked side dishes.
Tonight was - if I say so myself - a masterpiece.
Nigella - for it was her - fell open at the seared salmon with Singapore noodles, but in the absence of the metropolitan ingredients (just where can you get Chinese green leaves in Stornoway?) I improvised. A stir fry of sliced baby corn, orange pepper and grated carrot were added to the noodles and stock and cooked with curry powder whilst the salmon seared in a mere couple of minutes, with one side also coated in the same medium Madras powder.
Baby was hurriedly transferred from lap to front row baby seat in front of the fish tank, whilst we descended on the feast like two locusts leaving a health farm.
Yum! I'll be doing this again soon.
12 comments:
Personally i have always felt that Stornoway needs a good deli. Perhaps just two or thre tables in it too where you can get a nice coffee.
Maybe to 21st century for Stornoway?
By the way has the Tapas bar failed? Its windows are whited out these days. They didn't seem to get into the ethos of Tapas. It should be lots of small portions that are cheap, rather than one sold as an expensive main course.
I agree with Anon 7.32
I know many people who would gladly welcome a really good deli in Stornoway. Somewhere where you could buy really good artisan bread, unsliced parma ham, fresh olives, a variety of goats cheeses etc, etc.
If someone takes the plunge with such a venture in Stornoway, I for one would do my utmost to support their business.
Who would have thought? An emergent metropolitan elite in Stornoway. No more Golden Wonder crisps in a pudding bowl served with cans of lager. We have now moved on to olives, a ‘selection’ of goats cheese and presumably gallons of Chablis with which to sous our swollen middle class livers. Life’s a beach and no mistake who needs effin windmills.
As most folk here seem to lack the entrapreneriual spirit how about an East European deli.
Borsch, nice spicy sausage, big slab of HIE funding
are you taking bookings Angus?
frankly a chain like the organic deli in Glasgow would be nice
Risotto Rice - looked in both the Co-op and Somerfield last week. Something that I would have thought would be a staple on the shelves. Nada.
Anyone who has walked through M&S food section in Inverness and been stopped in their tracks at the selection of fresh fruits, exotic vegetables and fine foods should realise how much we are losing out.
Although the other side to that is, that isn't this the place where we pride ourselves on our local produce, but no-one seems to sell the Western Isles on that fact anymore.
Local produce as you say could be a staple of a local deli
However trying to get a croft to grow said frre range/organic produce is nye on impossible. I have been told in Ness repeatidly that they are all used. Bollocks
The crofters commision need to come and visit these areas rather than just urban Stornoway.
That deli idea sounds good though -it would get my business
To Anon 11.30am
Viognier is the new Chablis.
Buckfast in the new Chablis in the Cearns
What about a community run deli - or does that smack of committes, grant laundaring and farce?
I remember a saying my old pa used to tell me - a camel is a horse designed by a committee.
surely locusts leaving a health farm would've had plenty to eat... locusts leaving an abattoire, now that's a different matter
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