Monday, May 16, 2011

Fish Gouijons, Potato-Skewers and Fried Manchego Rolls

Blogging, blogging, blogging. Who cares? Really, who cares what we cooked and how we made it and how great it was. You were not there. You didn't taste it. You have no idea whether it was good, burnt or ordered from the local take-away.

We take beautiful pictures of our food with well placed spoons and forks, adding dimensions to the photos like they were our own children and we were entering them into a beauty pageant. We fold napkins in a 'this isn't folded I just threw it onto the side of the plate/table/board' way that takes so much time to get exact. It's the 'straight out of bed look' for food. We spend hours, minutes or days cooking a meal and for what? For it to go cold while it gets violated by a camera?

Food was supposed to taste good not look good and most of the food I eat anyway, is supposed to be eaten bloody hot. And why? Why do we care? Why do you care? Do you even care? It's hard to have a real genuine interest in food and want to learn more about, but you have to sort your way through blogs and text that make everything sound so nice. Everything sounds so perfect. So amazing! So seasonal! So inspiring! Oh! I wish I was there eating that. Rubbing that all over me or maybe Miss Salty Squid if she is drunk enough. It's hard trying to see past all the shite out there. I don't know what the point to this text is, so I guess it will blend in nicely with most of the other blogs out there.

We did manage to get a few minutes last weekend however, to think of and cook, three tapas and post about. It felt good. Just wish we could do it more often.


Fried Courgette & Manchego Rolls



Ingredients:
Manchego cheese, slice into cheese triangles; a courgette, thinly sliced, some breadcrumbs, a beaten egg and some seasoned flour. Salad leaves if you fancy.


Peel the courgette, then thinly slice and blanch in hot water for less than a min. I prefer to hire a personal trainer, stand him on a box and have him time the one minute. Perhaps the trainer could shout motivating slogans at the courgette - suggestions welcome dear reader. Plunge them under cold water - or in cold water, the main thing is that they get cold and stop cooking and don't loose their colour. Putting them under cold water literally, probably won't do anything. Leave to drain. Breadcrumbalise your manchego and fry in oil until nicely coloured. Remove from the pan and roll up in the courgette.



Potato Skewers with Parma Ham and Sage



Ingredients:
3 potatoes, washed and cut in thick wedges; fresh sage; Parma Ham; vegetable oil; salt, pepper & smoked paprika; wooden skewers


Roast the potatoes until tender. Remove from oven and season. When cool enough to handle skewer them and some Parma Ham. Stick back into the oven for 10mins to crispen up the ham. Remove and eat. Purple monkey dishwasher.


Fish Goujons with Mayo(s)



Ingredients:
2 white fish fillets (we used Oirish whiting), skin removed; breadcrumbs; beaten egg; flour; salt & pepper; lemon juice
For the mayo: 2 egg yolks; rapeseed oil; white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard; Harissa; tomato puree; fresh herbs (thyme, dill, chives, parsley...)

Make the mayo by beating the egg yolks in dark room, with a lightbulb hanging from the roof furnished with a solitary chair, with the mustard and vinegar then slowly adding the oil. Finish with the fresh herbs and or the harissa mayo.

Skin and portion your fish into bit size portions. Breadcrumbalise the fish and fry in oil until golden and the fish is cooked.

On the stereo:

Nelly Furtado, Beck. Tindersticks