MPM: 27th April 2015

Greetings everyone, and welcome to a more summery meal planning Monday than I can remember for a good long while.  The weather is, quite simply, GLORIOUS.  Which means that meals are tending to be a bit lighter and a bit fresher.

 

D and I are out Friday at a colleague's retirement drinks, out Saturday at a local event and leaving Sunday and Monday plan free at the moment until we decide how the long weekend is going to pan out.  So, not many meals to think about in advance this week.  Here's what we we will eating chez WWF...

 

Brown crab risotto with crab and chilli cakes and Parmesan crisps - a dish inspired by our recent trip to Whitby, where all along the seafront you can buy fabulous dressed crabs.

 

Bacon, egg and roasted asparagus salad with a honey mustard dressing

 

Trout with cauliflower and pickled mushrooms with brown butter sauce - D will be cooking this, an approximation of one of the dishes cooked in Masterchef finals week.  We are both in a very fishy mood at the moment!

 

Pea and ham soup.

 

Mmmm, looking forward to that little lot.  As ever, more meal planning fun over at Mrs M's...

Hello weight loss, my old friend...

For all my bravado a few weeks ago, I have yet to go back to a Weight Watchers meeting.  I don't know why, but the thought of setting foot through the door reduces me to a quivering wreck.  Definitely some issues there to work on.  But that is not to say that I have not been engaging in the Watching of the Weight.  I have a good few days under my (capacious) belt now and am feeling nicely in control even after our brief sojourn in Whitby.

One of my...issues is perhaps too strong a word but will do for now...with the WW model is the emphasis on the one weekly weigh in.  While I understand the reasoning behind it, it does set an awful lot of store by what you weigh in one particular moment in time rather than on the general progress.  I've recently found an app called Happy Scale which allows you to record a daily figure and then uses that to calculate a moving average as well as a record low summary.  So far, I like this approach.  The concern with daily weighing is always that it can be a bit obsessional, so I've switched my scales to kilograms - that way I can see and record the change in the numbers without really understanding what said numbers mean (I'm actively trying not to do conversion maths in my head).  I find that way there is a much less emotive connection between what the scales say and how I feel.  Logical?  Perhaps not, but you've always got to do what works best for you at any given time.

Anyway, it means that you are spared the interminable weekly weigh in posts for now - although I might do a semi regular update on progress if, for no other reason that to add a bit more accountability.  As to meetings, I just don't know...history tells me that I do better when I am going but history also tells me that I have a tendency to come to a juddering halt whenever I have a bad few weeks.  I'm keeping an open mind for the time being.

Whitby (and weight loss)

There are very few places in the world that I love as much as Whitby.  I've been visiting since I was a child and much of it has barely changed.  There is something completely timeless about the place.

For once, we were blessed with the weather. For the day and a half that we were there, we had constant sunshine and blue skies.  Whitby has a brooding quality which means that it suits grey skies and mizzle but it was so nice to walk round in short sleeves and feel the sun on our skin.

We went to the arcades, took a boat trip, climbed up to the Abbey and just...wandered.

On Thursday evening, we had planned to go for dinner at Green's bistro, which seems to be the closest Whitby gets to upmarket cooking.  But in the pub we found a corner table which was right by the window and afforded amazing views out across the seafront.  We couldn't bring ourselves to leave but lingered as the twilight fell and the lights of the arcades became increasingly gaudy in the gathering dusk.  So pub grub and cheap white wine it was, and then we fell into conversation with a large group of Goths who were there for Whitby Goth Weekend and ended up staying until well past the bell called time.  Next time, Green's!

Fish and chips at the Magpie Cafe were superlative as usual although I eschewed them in favour of  hake with a smoked haddock fishcake and creamy vegetables.  LOVED this and definitely would like to recreate something of the sort at home - I thought using a fishcake as an accompaniment was such a nifty little idea.

Points may have gone by the wayside to a certain extent, but prior to the trip, there had been a steady downwards trajectory all week, with a total loss of 2.6 kg across 6 days.  I expect to see a bit of a bounce tomorrow but nothing that a restrained weekend won't take care of.  I'm in a really happy place at the moment - I don't necessarily know what has caused the massive upswing in my general mood, but I am not going to knock it.  Onwards and downwards lovely friends, and a very happy weekend to you all!

MPM: 20th April 2015

Funny old week this week - I've got an exam on Wednesday so am a little bit...distracted, shall we say.  As soon as that is finished, D is picking me up and we are whisking off to Whitby for a couple of nights of R&R(&F&C).  We've planned the meals for tonight and tomorrow - I always eat the same dinner the night before an exam - and we know what we're having when we get back on Friday night, but the weekend remains a blank at the moment - probably some sort of roast on Sunday.  I'm sure we'll figure it out!

Anyway, the meals we have got decided are as follows:

Roast chicken breast, lemon couscous, asparagus
Salmon fillet with pasta pesto
Truffled mushroom risotto

More meal planning fun over at Mrs M's.

Amelia Rope chocolate (being a little of what you fancy)

I am a fully paid up, card carrying, unashamed chocoholic. Let's just get that out of the way first, shall we?  If there is a pudding on the menu that involves chocolate in any shape or form, you can be 99% sure that I will order it.  If there are two, then I'll be trying to convince D to order the other one.

This has been going on for a long time.  My mother claims to still remember the look of bliss that passed across my face the very first time that I was given a chocolate button. And I'm sure that there is a story in the family annals about me as a toddler managing to steal and eat my way through an entire box of chocolates (and it does sound like the kind of thing that I would do - moderation and I are not regular bedfellows).

Mind you, I'm not a chocolate snob.  A four finger Kit Kat is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.  As is a bar of Dairy Milk, cold from the fridge and eaten with a cup of coffee.  But on the days when I don't have many points to spare yet need a chocolate hit, I tend to find myself turning towards the more expensive end of the market where you find greater intensity and complexity of flavour and thus can satisfy yourself with a smaller amount (theoretically).

And so it is that I wanted to commend to your attention the wonderful products produced by Amelia Rope.  If you're a chocolate fan - particularly a salted chocolate fan - then you need to give these a whirl because in terms of balancing flavours this woman is on a par with Willy Wonka himself.  The chocolate itself is superlative but factor in a dusting of sea salt and a few drops of one of Ms Rope's beautiful flavoured oils and you have an absolute masterpiece.  If I had to pick a favourite, I'd probably come down on the side of pale lemon and sea salt simply because it is a slightly unusual pairing and utterly, compellingly delicious.  If portion control is your issue, then follow the example of  D, who got me a box of salted chocolate cubes instead of an Easter egg; these are an absolutely perfect way for me to get a sweet fix at the end of the day and still feel relatively virtuous.

This is not a cheap product by any means, and the fixed £5 delivery charge means that you are better off buying a number of bars at a time - although this is no very great hardship.  If you are a fellow chocolate lover and you do give it a try then I'd love to hear what you think - or alternatively, get your own recommendations.

NB:  Sadly, this is not a sponsored post.  It is just bloody lovely chocolate.
NB2: If you are a Weight Watcher, both milk and dark chocolate are 1pp per 7g square.

Recipe corner: Hot cross bun pudding with salted caramel

I wasn't going to bother putting this one through the WW recipe builder, because frankly, there are some things that we are better off not knowing.  However, the original happened to include the nutritional information, so I've calculated the points for shits and giggles.  It's a scary number, but I promise you, if you make this recipe, you will thank me for it.  And we can all go for a long, daffodil strewn walk to burn if off, yes?

This recipe was originally published in March's Waitrose kitchen magazine and the only change that I made was to use skimmed rather than whole milk because I tend not to have whole milk to hand and I always feel that if a custard has double cream in it, it probably doesn't make an awful lot of difference.  It is a good dish for a dinner party because all the component parts can be made well in advance and then you just have to pour over the custard, strew the sugar and bake.  We did this just as we were sitting down to cheese and the timing worked out nicely.

We served this with a simnel cake ice cream which was basically a spice infused custard combined with dried fruit that had been pre soaked in brandy and Earl Gray tea, and chopped pieces of marzipan.  Vanilla ice cream would be a good accompaniment too though, or just a trickle of cream.

Oh, this makes slightly more of the salted caramel sauce than you need for four puddings, so keep the excess and pour over ice cream.  Or just eat with a spoon.

Ingredients

100 ml milk
100 ml double cream
Tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
Tbsp caster sugar
4 hot cross buns, chopped into eight pieces
Tbsp demerara sugar

For the caramel sauce:

110g caster sugar
40g unsalted butter
1 tbsp brandy
75 ml double cream
Pinch of sea salt

Serves 4, 16 pro points per portion

First, the caramel sauce.  Put the sugar in a large saucepan - it needs to have a big surface area and a heavy bottom (a bit like me!)  Set over a low heat and allow to melt slowly.  Swirl it occasionally to ensure it is warming evenly but do NOT be tempted to stir.  While this is happening you can combine the brandy and the cream and get the butter measured out.

When the sugar is melted turn the heat up SLIGHTLY and simmer gently until it has turned a deep amber gold colour.  Watch it like a hawk - it will go from beautiful to burnt very quickly.  When it has gone as dark as you dare remove from the heat and stir in the butter (it will spit, so be careful).  Then stir in the brandy cream and the sea salt until combined.

Take the four ramekins you are using for the puddings and put a generous couple of tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of each one, swirling for even coverage.  Do this straight away while the caramel is still nice and loose.  Arrange the hot cross bun pieces on top.  You can do this in advance and set aside.

Put the milk, cream and vanilla in another pan and bring to just below boiling point - you want there to be lots of bubbles all around the edge just busily breaking the service.  While it is getting there you can whisk the egg yolks and sugar together lightly.  Remove the milk and cream from the heat and pour in a slow, steady stream over the egg yolks whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.  You can make this in advance as well.  Place some cling film directly on the top of the custard to prevent a skin forming as it cools and set aside.

Prior to serving, preheat the oven to 180.  Pour the custard over the buns and sprinkle with the demerara sugar then bake for 20 minutes or until golden.  You can drizzle more sauce on before serving if you like (and who wouldn't?)

Cheap Eats in Leeds: Red Chilli

(A very special guest post today from my partner in [calorie] crime!  For previous Cheap Eats in Leeds posts see here and here...)

Hi, D here, I'm being allowed to say a few words with regards last night's "failed" cheap night out.

The plan was to take S to Nation of Shopkeepers which is my current favourite place in Leeds for a burger; the less said about Leeds List's top ranked New York Burger Kitchen the better - or maybe it's a story for another time, who knows.

We arrived a little later than we would normally have supper (look at me being posh, I'm Northern so normally I'd say tea when I obviously mean dinner for most people) but not so late as to...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

So we arrived at NOS and I sent S to find a table while I ordered the drinks which was both a smart move and a mistake because once they had been served I proceeded to make my food order and...

Barman: "I'm sorry, the kitchen closed early tonight."
Me: "!!!"
Barman: "Did you only come in for the food?"
Me: "Yes we did."
Barman: "The drinks are on us then."
Me:  "Are you sure?"  (Free drinks!  Living the dream!)
Barman: "Yes."
Me: "Thank you,"  (Result!)

Of course now we needed to work out where to eat.  We contemplated Almost Famous which is situated next door and the burgers looked good apart from that "Shut Up America" abomination (Oreo ice cream sandwiches are NOT burger toppings) but as I was determined to get S to try the NOS burger first I thought something else made more sense.

And thus it was that we made the short trip over the road to Red Chilli, somewhere I'd visited previously.  I must admit that we didn't keep the cost under £30 (the self imposed limit for Cheap Eats) but we could have managed it if we had shared a single main which would have been more than enough for the two of us.  As if was, S took a lot of hers home in a doggy bag.

Anyway, the waitress came over to take our order and S went for salt and pepper squid to start followed by a Beijing style tofu main.  Then something happened that I have never encountered before.  I asked for a portion of duck tongues to start and the waitress said no!...

Waitress: "You should have the chicken dish," (pointing to the item next to the duck tongues.
Me: "I'd like the duck tongues please."
Waitress: "Have you had them before?"
Me: "No."
Waitress: "They're cold and bony."
Me: "I'd like the duck tongues please."
Waitress.  "They're not really for you.  There are other dishes that you might like."
Me: "!!" (Is she saying they're only for Chinese people?)

Now I should tell you - there are ways of getting me not to do something but telling me that I can't do it is not one of them.

Me: "I'd like the duck tongues please."

At this point she finally took my order and didn't seem to have any quarrel with the mutton dish or the egg fried rice that I ordered for us to share.

(I'm sorry, this was supposed to be a few words and I've already written quite a bit, perhaps the editor will cut some of this out (Ed:  Nah, people are plenty used to me rambling on...)

So the dishes arrived and the duck tongues turned out to be both fiddly to eat and delicious.  There is no easy or polite way to despatch them - I was covered in duck juices, fat and hot sauce.  The sauce was tasty but fiery, and it was a cumulative kind of heat - my mouth was tingling by the end of the starter, and for a good while afterwards.  If you don't mind eating like a caveman and enjoy heat than I can recommend these wholeheartedly.

Duck tongues

 Meanwhile, the salt and pepper squid was a fine example of the genre, nicely peppery and cooked to perfection.

As for mains, the tofu dish was OK but I prefer our own black pepper tofu which is actually a Yotam Ottolenghi dish.  My mutton was lovely so all in all I think that I preferred my dishes - man like meat as S might say.

Mutton, tofu

We settled up and then headed for home with very full stomachs to watch Masterchef (which we both agree is not shaping up to be a vintage year).

The End.

Thanks for letting me say a few words....

D

(As for my two penn'orth - I love this place.  The menu is so interesting with a variety of dishes that go well over and above the usual suspects.  I can't tell if it is genuinely authentic - I've never been to China - but it doesn't seem overly Anglicised.  As D said, it is easy to do cheaply as well - the portions are such that one starter, one main and one side would feed two people pretty easily.  Highly recommended.)

Red Chilli
6 Great George Street
Leeds
LS1 3DW
0113 242 9688

MPM: 13th April 2015

After being a little OTT with our spend for Easter Sunday, D and I decided to reign it in for a couple of weeks.  Which has meant taking a critical look at the contents of the freezer and the cupboards and using those as the basis for meal planning.  We've actually ended up with some really yummy dishes - (I would definitely rock the Masterchef invention test) and, across two weeks, our total food shopping bill has probably come in at around £50 in total.

This week, I've got book group on Tuesday, so D will be freezer diving (there's a portion of coq a la biere in there that I reckon has his name all over it) and on Wednesday we're heading out for another one of our Cheap Nights Out, as we continue to explore the best and lowest priced that Leeds has to offer.  Elsewhere we will mostly be eating:

Sausages, mash and onion gravy
Burmese chicken soup
Chilli con carne with rice and herbed yoghurt
Spaghetti with 'Nduja

More meal planning fun over at Mrs M's.

Recipe corner: tuna and apple mousse

This is not really a recipe so much as telling you a list of ingredients to bung in a food processor and blitz to an inauspicious looking paste.  It is very tasty though.  We served it as a dip prior to Easter Sunday lunch, with strips of toasted pitta bread and crudites, but it is also lovely on toast with some crisp slices of cucumber.  The amount listed below will yield enough to fill two large ramekins. The original recipe (which I have tweaked ever so slightly) comes from "Chocolate and Zucchini" by Clotilde Dusoulier.

Ingredients

1 large can of tuna in brine or spring water, drained
1 shallot, quartered
1/2 crisp green apple (a Granny Smith is ideal), cored and quatered
Juice of half a lemon
Small handful of fresh coriander leaves
60g ricotta
1/2 tsp chilli powder
25ml olive oil

Serves 4 (generously), 3 pro points per portion

Er, place ingredients in food processor.  Season.  Blitz.

Ca, c'est tout.

Further notes on Easter Sunday

When playing host, D and I like nothing more than to feed people until they pop and wash said food down with as much wine as we can ply them with.  Our motto is never knowingly underfed.  Except that we are both quite pretentious so would probably try and translate it into Latin.

To kick off our Easter excesses, there were dips - a smoky, garlic laden baba ganoush and a surprisingly delicious tuna and apple mousse. The recipe for the latter will follow shortly, since it is one of those things that is incredibly quick and easy to knock up and is marvellous smeared over pitta, crudites or crackers depending on what you have to hand.

Then, to start, D's latest iteration of a prawn cocktail notable in particular for its smoky avocado puree and sun dried tomato flatbread.  Smoke and avocado is an absolute winning combination which we first encountered during a recent trip to The Yorke Arms and we found that the easiest and tastiest way to achieve it was by making scant use of this product: Liquid Smoke.  Seldom has a condiment been so aptly named; if you're a fan of smoky, barbecue flavours, I would definitely check this out.  Meanwhile, the flat bread was nicked wholesale from one of Jamie O's 15 minute meals and basically consists of blitzed up sun dried tomatoes in oil with flour, baking powder and a little water and then pan frying it until blistered and crispy.  Incredibly simple but an excellent way to add flavour and texture to the dish.

Dessert was another recipe that I'm going to put up here later this week because it is imperative that it is shared - salted caramel hot cross bun pudding with simnel cake ice cream.  If you like fruit, spice and rich vanilla sweetness then it is very important that you make this before the shops decide to stop selling hot cross buns (although I reckon a tea cake might do at a pinch).  Stay tuned, hop pickers!

Italian inspired stuffed leg of lamb with Spring on the side - Easter Sunday chez Foodie

For all that Easter is the arguably more significant religious festival (to Christians, at least) it is Christmas Dinner that has become the biggest occasion in the home cook's calendar.  This year, D and I wanted to try and redress the balance a little bit.

It had to be lamb.  You can't not cook lamb at Easter.  And,to be honest, if you're going to cook lamb, it is very hard to go wrong with Tom Kerridge's superlative lamb shoulder on boulangere potatoes. If you've never cooked that little beauty, dear Reader, then you need to give it a go.  But I wanted to do something a little bit different this year, and took to t'Internet for some alternative inspiration.

I ended up, thanks to some inspiration from a dear friend, with an approximation of this recipe, courtesy of the Jamie Oliver magazine.

I started with a leg joint that my friendly local butcher boned out and butterflied for me.  It is worth asking a professional to do this if you possibly can, although a husband with access to You Tube and a sharp knife will make a jolly good attempt if you're pushed.  I smeared a couple of heaped teaspoons of green pesto across the meat then added roughly chopped artichoke hearts, still golden and peppery with oil, anchovy fillets, a thick coating of Parmesan breadcrumbs, a carpet of flat leaf parsley and plenty of seasoning before rolling the beast up and securing with string.  There are some powerful, salty ingredients in that stuffing, such that it sounds like it might be slightly too much - but rest assured that in conjunction with the sweet, fatty lamb it works like an absolute dream.

To accompany, I wanted some side dishes that would incorporate the same sort of robust flavours as the meat but might be slightly lighter than the Sunday dinner norm.  I revisited an old friend, a cannellini bean puree flavoured with lemon and roasted garlic which provided a soft, flavourful blanket on which to build the plate up with roasted new potatoes, pan roasted asparagus (still not local alas - I'm waiting for the start of the season with bated breath) and a delicious braised fennel gratin with lemon and Parmesan.  Minted peas would be another excellent addition here if you felt so inclined. 

Happy Easter!

I hope, most fervently, that you all had chocolate for breakfast...or, at the very least, a hot cross bun.

I'll be back soon with tales of an Italian inspired roast leg of lamb and the recipe for a VERY indulgent but seriously good Easter pudding.

In the meantime, I leave you with news that at least one person does not appear to be perturbed by the decline in Creme Egg quality this year...

Cheap Eats in Leeds: Bundobust

D and I are on a continuing mission to sniff out the best places to eat out in Leeds for under £15 a head.  Earlier this month, we headed to The Black Swan for superlative pizza.  Now we come to D's March choice: Bundobust.

The venue

Bundobust is another relatively recent addition to the Leeds scene, opening its doors last July.  Word has clearly spread since the place was full to the gunnels on a miserable, wet Monday evening.

The concept (and I sort of hate using that word in conjunction with restaurants) is an Indian street food kitchen situated in a real ale pub.  And the overall feel of the place is quite canteen-esque - certainly functional rather than beautiful.  But that happens to suit the style of the food down to the ground.

The order

A selection of Indian street food consisting of:
The ultimate bhaji (onion, cauliflower and spinach)
Something called Bhel Puri, which is a cold dish of puffed rice and noodles, flavoured with tamarind chutney
Indian style scrambled eggs with flatbread
Dhal and rice
Oh, and some spiced popcorn.

This lot came in at a grand total of £23.  Absolutely bargainous.

The food

This is street food, it is not to be nibbled at politely.  It arrived at the table in takeaway style cardboard tubs.  It was neither pretty nor pretentious.  What it was, was completely delicious.  I was particularly taken with the spicy eggs which we hoovered up between us - definitely something to recreate at home.  The dhal as well was fabulous, a soft, tender hug of a dish humming with ginger.  I probably could have lived without the spiced popcorn which was fine but slightly underwhelming in terms of chilli flavour.

I think this is the kind of place that is going to divide the crowd - it is not for meat eaters (the menu is entirely vegetarian), and it is certainly not for people who want a comfortable chair and a proper knife and fork.  But for cheap, tasty, exciting food and a good selection of craft ales, it is definitely somewhere to sniff out. 

Bundobust
6 Mill Hill
Leeds
LS1 5DQ

MPM: 30th March 2015

Much as I enjoy writing weekly meal planning posts, I am occasionally surprised when Monday rolls around and I realise that I haven't managed to write anything else.  I'm sure that I have more to say but at the moment I'm operating on cruise control and just trying to get through to the Easter break.  Which won't be that much of a break because I'm going to have to spend a decent chunk of it working towards my next exam.  Sigh. 

Still, it seems churlish to complain too much when Spring is most definitely in the air, roast lamb is on the menu for Easter Sunday and I have a box of L'Artisan du Chocolat salted caramel mini eggs tucked away to enjoy next week. 

On the menu in the meantime (taking us up to the weekend):

Kedgeree
Warm chicken liver and bacon salad with raspberry dressing
Roast pork with roast potatoes and leeks in cheese sauce
Cod BLT salad

A couple of lighter, salad based dishes on there to reflect the longer, brighter days.  Have a very happy Easter everyone, and head over to Mrs M's for more meal planning fun!

MPM: 23rd March 2015

This week is rather fishy.  In the sense that we will be eating quite a lot of fish - not that there is anything suspicious going on. At least, I don't think there is.  If anything crops up, I'll let you know.

So yes, lots of fish on the menu. Which is good news as far as I am concerned - I love fish.  I had a brief vegetarian phase when I was about sixteen but was one of those sort-of-fake ones who continued to eat fish because I just couldn't bear to give it up.  It turned out that I couldn't really stand to give meat up either - it was Christmas dinner that did for me in the end - but the point is that I could entertain the thought of being without meat but not without fish.

The meal plan:

Skate wings with brown butter and caper sauce  (one of my all time absolute favourite dishes.)
Egg, chips and beans (a bump from last week.  The frozen chips lived to fight another day but they WILL be despatched.)
Gnocchi with mussels (or prawns if the mussels remain elusive) and saffron
Soup
Fish and chips (D insists on this once a month and I don't put up much of a fight)
Roast pork with appropriate trimmings

More meal planning fun over at Mrs M's.

Countdown

So D and I were chatting this week and I promised that I would go back to WW meetings after Easter that will be Wednesday 8th April.

I feel better that I've set a date in my head, and I'm aiming to not spend the next few weeks on one of those bonkers "I've got to eat everything now because I won't be able to have it soon" frenzies.  It's simply not true in any case - I've never had to be overly restrictive about my eating following the WW plan, just a bit more careful and considered.

I have another exam on the 22nd April, and part of me thinks I should wait until after that - it was trying to balance study, exam stress, work and dieting which led to me taking a break in December that turned into a three and a half month hiatus.  But, as I've said before, there's never an ideal time, so let's give it a go.

I'm not that interested in numbers at the moment, just getting back into good habits.  So I may ask the leader to not tell me my actual weight for the first few weeks, just to record it on my card so that I can look when I'm ready.  Sounds bonkers, but I know a few people from the message boards who have done just that and found it to be a helpful way of shifting the focus away from results and on to process.

I'd say wish me luck, but I think wish me a severe stomach bug to give me a boost for the first weigh in would be more useful at this stage....*

*Joke.  Honest.

MPM: 16th March 2015

It is Sunday afternoon as I write this and so may I take the opportunity to send all the mothers out there (and I know that many of the participants in MPM fall into that category) belated but heartfelt warm wishes.  I do not have children, nor any very strong current desire to change that status quo, but I must admit to feeling slightly misty eyed at all the pink posies and daffodil arrangements in the flower section of Waitrose.  The cat got me a card though, which also made me sniffle a little bit.

What is this Mummy's Day?

Anyway, meal planning for this week.  After yesterday's shockingly expensive leg of lamb (seriously, has it always been that price?)  most of the rest of the week is quite...restrained.  D is out on Friday and Saturday is yet to be decided.

Sea bass fillets with chraimeh sauce and courgette couscous (our take on an Ottolenghi recipe)

Egg, chips and beans (we have some oven chips in the freezer, bought for my father in law when he came round to cat sit, that need using up.)

Corned beef hash (bumped from last week)

Thai chicken soup

Coq a la biere with probably mashed potatoes (from the Le Gavroche cookbook).

And that's us!  More meal planning fun over at Mrs M's.

The Yorke Arms, Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale

I had been to the Yorke Arms once before, back when I could still see my feet and had yet to learn ten synonyms for foam.  I remember little about the food, just that the hearty portions meant that we had to undo our trousers to drive home.  This time, wise to this, we booked a room and embarked upon a strict programme of  pre dinner abstinence.  Which lasted until we arrived in situ and found home made cakes by the kettle.

It was with trepidation, therefore, that I agreed with D that we would go for the tasting menu.  On the previous visit we had been floored by the a la carte.  Still, I was wearing a dress, so there was plenty of room for stomach expansion, and a stiff gin and tonic in front of the cosy lounge fire had sharpened my appetite.  And, in any case, my concerns lasted until the amuse arrived at the table – blood orange jelly, horseradish cream, raw slivers of rhubarb.  This demonstrated a kitchen with a much lighter touch than I remembered and one, moreover, which was capable of delivering enthralling and quirky flavour combinations. 

Indeed, the difficulty is picking a highlight.  Every component of every course - and on some plates this was quite a number - was sensitively handled such that they shone both singly and as part of the whole.  Cured salmon with langoustine, crab, caviar and tomatoes, for example, sounds like a cacophony of competing flavours but came together in delicate fishy symphony.  This was possibly my favourite dish of the evening.

Oh, but then there was truffled quail with raisins and delicate zips of preserved lemon.  And a fascinating vegetarian dish that used freekeh, a grain that neither of us had come across before but both agreed we would be happy to try again.  For D though the star of the proceedings was the braised oxtail wrapped in buttery puff pastry, sausage roll like, on the side of the venison main course.  The meat was so soft that it collapsed at the merest brush of the fork, darkly flavoursome and providing a wonderful coating of rich iron flavour in the mouth to cushion the tender venison.

The only misstep in the proceedings was the second of two desserts; I found the Grand Marnier soufflé to be overcooked and under flavoured.  But since it came with a chocolate and olive ganache which had me making all sorts of inappropriate noises, I was willing to forgive and forget.

So overall, a fantastic dinner with far more interest and complexity than I was expecting, Plus  a comfy bed within staggering distance whereto we could repair to compare food babies.  This is a little gem buried deep in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, a place that I thoroughly recommend if you're looking to head somewhere for some serious indulgence.  

The Yorke Arms
Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale
Pateley Bridge
nr Harrogate
North Yorkshire
HG3 5RL
01423 755243

Cheap Eats in Leeds: The Black Swan

D and I have a problem when it comes to eating out and it's called, "Can't-get-the-bill-down-to-two-figures-itis".  To remedy this we have set ourselves a challenge.  Can we find a series of venues in and around Leeds where two people can eat well for £30 or less?  The rules are simple: we each choose one venue a month.  It can't be a chain restaurant and it has to be possible for each person to have a meal and a drink for £15 a head.  Is there good food to be had for such a sum?  In an exciting new blog series, we're going to find out...

S's March choice: The Black Swan

I briefly mentioned this place when we visited the nearby Shears Yard - we popped in for cocktails and I fell in love with the espresso martini.  I was also very taken with the amazing looking pizza oven.  So my choice this month was clear.

The venue

The Black Swan, which I believe is a relatively new venue, is a three in one kind of deal.  They are a pub serving an impressive selection of real ales alongside the cocktail list, they have a downstairs pizza restaurant, which is in a room off the main bar, and an upstairs pub food bit (which we have yet to try but which looks excellent).  Sometimes these types of hybrids can get quite confused (or confusing) but the staff here are friendly and helpful and the operation seems to be quite slick - drinks we ordered at the bar were added to our food bill without any problems.

The order

3 pints of ale (D couldn't resist a second chocolate chipotle stout),
2 rather large and generously topped pizzas (pancetta, taleggio and capers and ricotta and spicy sausage respectively),
1 golden syrup creme brulee to share
.
The bill came to £35.50 - so slightly over budget, but if we hadn't ordered the dessert we would have been bang on.

The food

This was the best pizza I've eaten in a long time.  The sour dough base was crisp and charred on the outside with a beautiful flavour.  The toppings were generous and exceedingly tasty.  The menu itself was a delight for a true pizza lover - simple but thoughtful flavour combinations.  I will never again be likely to darken the doors of the Pizza Express just down the street when I have this little gem to visit.  I already can't wait to go back.

The Black Swan
37 Call Lane
Leeds
LS1 7BT
0113 827 2349

MPM: 9th March 2014

Some excellent eating last week - the tuna steak baguette was a resounding success as was yesterday's Empire roast chicken, both of which have been added to my spreadsheet of "Meals that I want to cook again" - a mammoth list if ever there was one.  This week, I am out Thursday and D is out on Friday so they're unplanned and likely to consist of prick and ping or beans on toast, and Saturday we hope to do a recipe book night but the dishes are still to be finalised.  Elsewhere...

Salmon with curried mussels
Roast chicken with leek fritters and a garlic and lemon yoghurt dressing
Corned beef hash
Roast lamb with various accompaniments - this is a trial run of Easter Sunday lunch on which I'll be sure to report back if it all goes to plan!

More meal planning fun over at Mrs M's.

Recipe corner: Tuna steak baguette with Asian slaw

I think it is both a good thing and a bad that I have no particular expertise in any one cuisine (unless cheese on toast can be said to be a cuisine - in which case I am basically the love child of Ken Hom and Madhur Jaffrey.)  It means that I can't tell authentic from inauthentic which is a shame, and I put things together without due regard for tradition which would have matrons the world over wagging their fingers expressively.  But, equally, I am generally guided by what I think tastes good and unrestricted by a food's particular heritage. Which means that my cooking may be confused, but a lot of the time it is pretty yummy.

Take this dish.  At the outset it was just to be a steak sandwich, with all the traditional accompaniments, except the steak in question was to be tuna.  And then somehow it veered over to Asia with delicious results. The idea of using baguette was very much inspired by the Vietnamese banh mi, a wonderful collision of French and Asian traditions, and the crunchy side slaw was a perfect accompaniment - zingy, crunchy and jam packed with wonderful flavour.  This is definitely one to add to the dinner rotation list.

Ingredients

For the baguettes:
2 pieces of baguette, split lengthways
2 tuna steaks
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp wasabi

For the slaw:
Quarter of white cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
Half a bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
Red chilli, deseeded and sliced
Handful chopped coriander
Handful chopped mint leaves
Handful chopped Thai basil leaves
2 tsp soft brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the chopped veg (reserving the green parts of the spring onions), chilli and herbs.

In a separate bowl prepare the dressing, and reserve until required.  Whisk the sugar into the vinegar until complete dissolved and then add the other ingredients.  Check and adjust seasoning as required - remember, the fish sauce is very salty so you shouldn't need to add much by way of salt.

Bring a non stick frying pan up to a high heat.  Season the fish and then cook for around 90 seconds on each side.  Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing on the bias,

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and wasabi, season to taste, adding a touch of lemon juice if it looks too thick, and then slather over one side of the baguettes.  Arrange the tuna on top and scatter with the chopped greens of the spring onions before bringing together in one messy, juicy sandwich.

Dress the slaw and serve on the side.

The elephant in the room [apart from me]

It occurs to me that this blog hasn't really been much about Weight Watchers lately.  This is probably because I have not counted a point since the beginning of December.  I initially thought about writing some sort of apologia, but then thought better of it.  The truth is, I just haven't been in the right place and if your head isn't in the right place then it doesn't work.

It's not a question of making excuses (they're boring to both write and read), it's just a question of not being there and I think anyone who has ever successfully lost weight - actually, ever successfully achieved anything worth achieving - will understand what I mean. 

Do I still want to lose weight?  Most days, yes.  Most days, I am vain enough to care that I would look prettier if I was a few stone lighter.  Most days, I am concerned enough for my (generally good) physical health that I think I need to make more of an effort.  But some days I am happy - or, at the very least, content.  And contentment is fine - contentment is good but the danger is it leads to complacency and I am not yet close enough to goal to be complacent.

There is a delightful freedom to not worrying about points.  As may be clear from this blog, I love cooking, and the ability to not have to measure every ingredient that goes into a dish is rather liberating.  To not have to plan my day's food to within an inch of its life is...well, it's nice.  The break has been nice.

It is temporary.  And when normal services resumes you will be the first to know.

Edited to add: This is my 500th post!  Goodness.  Not what I would have chosen but there you go...probably sums up the contrary nature of my writing here over the past few years.  As ever, beloved readers, thank you for popping by and maybe by the end of the next 500 rambles I'll be sylph like and sorted!!

Meal planning - better late than never?

Well, it may be Tuesday but here we are with meal planning Monday.  We had a fantastic weekend (of which, more to follow) but got home very late on Sunday night which meant that yesterday I was attempting to chase my tail all day and not being very successful about it.

Still, there is a meal plan for the week.

Last night we had a delicious old favourite that was bumped several times in February - bumped, in fact, all the way into March - oven baked red pepper and chorizo risotto.  I love this dish!  It is simple, tasty and just the kind of thing that you want to sink into at the end of a tiring day. 

Elsewhere this week:

Chicken and mushroom curry (the result of a freezer dive)
Tuna steak sandwiches with wasabi mayonnaise and Asian inspired slaw
Black pepper tofu
Empire roast chicken with Indian gravy and Bombay style roasties

Quite a spicy week ahead!  I am so pleased to see a veggie dish in there - we definitely need to develop more of a repertoire of decent vegetarian friendly evening meals - it helps keep household costs down not to mention being environmentally sound.

Anyhoo, more meal planning fun, as ever, over at Mrs M's. 

MPM: 23rd February 2015

Colour me excited - this week D and I are off for my belated birthday meal at the very lovely Yorke Arms.  Then we are spending a night with my parents, and then we are off down to Herfordshire to spend the weekend with a couple of lovely friends.  D is due to be running a half marathon with them - I am due to be drinking copious quantities of coffee and, um, cheering them on.

Of course this means in terms of meal planning that only three nights are to be spent at home (get us with a social life) and one of those nights is likely to be freezer pot luck.  The two remaining are both pasta dishes, since D likes to fuel up the week before a race and I never need an excuse to eat pasta.

So, the rather curtailed plan goes like this:

Salmon fillets with pasta pesto
Lobster mac and cheese.

And that, my friends, is that!  Pop over to Mrs M's to see meal planning posts that actually involve a plan.

Recipe corner: Baked buffalo chicken wings

Chicken wings, popcorn and burgers consumed in front of an American football game (which I find utterly incomprehensible by the way, is that the idea?) may not sound particularly romantic but it was how we chose to celebrate our Valentine's Day nonetheless.  Ever since our New York trip in December 2013, certain items of Americana have become synonymous with...well, love, laughter and celebration.

I don't suppose that the buffalo wings we ate in the Third Avenue Alehouse were baked, so this recipe can't be said to be a true replica, however I thought that my wings, originally from Good Food magazine, were delicious and feel a lot more sinful than they actually are.  I can imagine doing these for supper with some salad, creamy dressing and crusty bread.  You could (in fact, you should) fashion some sort of blue cheese dip to go with them, but since I have yet to figure out how to make that anything less than a gazillion points I shall hold off blogging that one for now.

Ingredients

400g (about 4 large) chicken wings, halved at the joint

For the marinade:

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp cider vinegar
0.5 tbsp smoked paprika
0.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp Tobasco sauce
1.5 tbsp clear honey

Serves 2, 8 pro points per portion

Combine the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl, adding additional seasoning to taste.  Add the chicken wings, toss well, and then leave, covered with cling film in the fridge - a few hours will do but overnight is optimum.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 (160 fan).  Line a large baking tray or roasting tin with tin foil or else you will be scrubbing at baked on Buffalo sauce for weeks.  Lightly spray the foil with oil to prevent any sticking.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the wings from the marinade, setting the bowl aside for the time being.  Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.  After this time, drain off any excess oil that has accumulated and then pour the reserved marinade over the chicken, tossing well to coat.  Turn the oven up to 200 (180 fan).

Replace the wings in the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes, after which time the marinade should be mostly evaporated and the wings covered with a spicy, sticky glaze.  Try to avoid eating straight away as you will probably burn your chin.