The path less travelled

StarryGazieYorkshirePudding,a Celebration in Cornish food and faith

2011-12-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

My romance with Yorkshire almost goes back to early childhood, days in India. A sign of benevolence and a symbol of growth were signified back in those Indian days, with a piece of wood framed Slate, a chalk pencil and a plastic cricket bat and ball. Special days were spent huddled around crackling radio sets, delivering running commentary to the expectant ears of millions of cricket fans, whose idols would be playing county cricket during the off periods of Indian cricketing seasons.
Moving to England, in the early part of Millennium exposed me, gradually to the tongue of Britain: something of which we had familiarly learnt by rote as a part of our English syllabus in primary schools through the scripts of Dickens, and Dahls.In the first instance Yorkshire puddings, looked a lot like bhaturas, to me apart from the amusingly confusing part of it being romantically called “Pudding”. Working routinely behind a Sunday carvery, serving hundreds of the puddings at a stretch, soon erased the romanticism of rising, puddings and gave way to innovation. Adding lemon thyme, cooking in Beef dripping, and supplementing Black pudding instead of a sausage, made a cracking” Irish Toad in the Hole”. Imagination was taking a breather there, until I moved to Cornwall, and learnt more about the iconic “Starry Gazie Pie”, the origin of which I should say, is not even a bone of contention across the Tamar! Putting the Pudding element, together with the Stargazing element of the pie, we have a unique dish to savour.Personally I love to enjoy this snack, with a generous helping of Tartare sauce, or a ramekin of devilled mayonnaise. Tuck in!

Here’s a Recipe to try at home..
(This recipe makes about 8, puddings depending upon the size of the muffing mould)
300 ml (1/2 pt) whole milk
4 Freerangeeggs
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
2 Frozen Whitebaits
1 Pinch of Paprika (Hungarian)
250g (8oz) sifted Plain flour
What you simply have to do is,

Mix all ingredients except the flour, beating them well together. Whisk in the flour and keep aside.
Heat the muffin roasting pan with canola oil in a 450F oven until very hot. (Use chip fryer’s Oil for a rich fish flavour)

Carefully ladle in your batter, arrange the Whitebait in a crisscross, fashion and sprinkle some paprika on it and place back in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350F, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Open the door of the oven, and let the Stargazy Yorkshire puddings, rest in the mould for a few minutes.
Enjoy your pudding with a hearty bowl of tartare sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Read more about Cornwall"s connection with Starry Gazie Pie here,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargazy_pie

Three wise men in a gravy boat

2011-12-22T09:24:00.001-08:00

This definitely is, just the right time to put a layer of fat on! What makes Gran Britannia rather unique a nation is: when it comes to weather, sports and food we would rather be traditionalists and leave the rest to paunchy television shows. We like things done properly, just as yesteryears, and the years before them. When it boils down to Christmas shopping, there thus is no real exception! Just as the national treasury is busy dangling it’s empty coffers at us (which once was bright red and coated in exotic oriental suede!) and everyone on the street is either occupying something or striking over the unseen future: there is a band of desperate middle aged “house-bands” trying their hardest to camouflage their apparent embarrassments amongst semi clad (sweat shop mass produced) exotic lingerie models in innumerable High street flagship stores. Hello Christmas! or as they say in Spain,”Para Navidad”
Well, once the dreaded shopping is out of the way and the house is kind of stuffed with miles and miles of tatty gift wrapping paper and presents (that are situation ally called so, as they don’t tend to work more than once in real life and end up {organically donated} onto the loony shelves of impoverished charity shops, promising to plough precious pound sterling money to needful third world countries, which were once plundered dry to the bones by ancient mariners!)
Speaking of bones, how rather forgetful of me to have not thought about a good whiskey gravy to accompany our rather petite sophisticate Christmas celebration bird! Thanks to a certain goldylocked, hyena eyed, foul mouthed chef on popular television, we now rest assured that consuming salt rich granules (also known as Gravy)is the way to go.Afterall, someone in the glory days of British culinary renaissance was so successful, in selling the cubes of stock to the inhabitants of Gourmet Britain, they built a tower in the city of London to commemorate their accomplishment.
Now, I like doing things rather more adventurously. Just for a while I would forget my sense of disdain for all things French (It’s not that bad afterall, when it comes to scoffing off tonnes of fingerling shaped potatoes smothered in oil, and subtly christening it French Fries) and humbly request our friendly butcher (remember him!) to provide some giblets (sans liver) and turkey carcasses for our stock pot. Not bothering too much about when is a gravy not a jus, and otherwise, I place the bones et all along with some festively chopped carrots and onions, a few blades of mace, half a dozen peppercorns, a bunch of semi dried herbs from the neighbor’s unkempt allotment and brimful of cold Cornish water into a kettle and bring to a boil. Once the water has come to a boil, we skim off all the scum (dirt and stuff that accumulates in bones due to rising pollution levels on the planet) and leave the flavoured water to simmer on low heat for a couple of hours, to prevent the bones and vegetables from disintegrating.Once, packed with natural Cornish flavors I, strain the stock through a fine sieve, and keep aside for later.

Relieved that the bacon rolled stuffed slices of turkey are cooked to the point, and I have made arrangements for the bacon and chestnut rolls, bread sauce, chestnut purée, cranberry orange and port sauce and hot spiced chestnuts and prunes, to be ceremonially improvised upon, I have all the time to settle about adding finishing touches to my “gravy jus”.(Do I suddenly sound like Nigella on speed!)Into another sauce pan, sat majestically over low heat, I drain over the excess fat from the tray of cooked turkey rolls, pour in a wee dram of whiskey and boil furiously for a couple of minutes,untill hopefully all the bad alcohol has spirited away to the dreary recesses of the highlands. I stir in a handful of plain flour, and cook in along with the reduced fat and whiskey, before I have scraped off the last sediment of cooking juice from the poor pan. I gently pour in the home made turkey stock (bursting with good flavors) and whisk vigorously, to incorporate every bit of the flavoured flour into the liquid. Magic is realized when, the rather liquid turkey stock, starts thickening. and looking a lot like mum’s out of the packet gravy, tasting only a few notches better!(You know…?)Season, to taste, with a pinch of salt and red hot chilli peppers.

E voila! we have home made gravy, without lumps to accompany our celebrity Turkey!

and if you are already ventilating over food waste, and your” Christmas footprint”, over a rather overflowing stomach, visit us in a fortnight for a leftover party comprising of Christmas Ploughman’s and forced peas.

Merry XO, mas everyone!

Yours Flavoursome,

Rick Oliver

A taste of Cornwall

2011-12-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

When it comes to “Slowing down the pace”, Terra Madre day is perfect occasion to create tangible food memories and open new windows into customs and cultures of various communities. Here in the convivum of Slow Food Cornwall, the members and supporters had an electrifying, and thought provoking day, sourcing food from a local farmer’s market and pleasurably cooking and sharing it in natural surroundings using renewable energy sources, pondering upon ways to heal the planet and keeping it fertile for generations to come.

Walking around the Camborne (Historic Mining town) farmer’s market armed with hand made willow baskets, people from all walks of lives went shopping for food with slow intentions. For them Value was more significant than price. While a lecturer on Sustainable eco tourism bargained for half a dozen hand linked sausages made from rare breed pig’s belly (Hog’s pudding),a mother of two adventurously bought some Turkish halva made romantically out of tahini,pistachios and subtle rose petals. A master of Cornish Sardines brought some moolis from his kitchen garden which had the morning’s winter dew still glistening on their bottle green leaves. Someone had gone an extra mile in baking some cider flavoured bread, while another fish enthusiast had deftly skewered some freshly landed mackerel filets, and cured them in a thin coating of sweet chilli sauce. A soup kettle brimming with a vibrant mellow yellow butternut squash and coconut soup was constantly providing competition to the rare Cornish sunshine, as the locally pressed scrumpy was raring to cleanse the palette with rare hints of vintage Cornish apple varieties.

Sharing vehicles all along the way, to the Picnic site which was only a few miles away from the market, we were discussing the virtues of “Slow Living” in the light of the modern world. Gathered woods and tinder from the wilderness of the Tehidy, created a perfect kindle for some sustainably sourced Charcoal that warmed up our kettle in minutes for a hearty cup of Fairtrade tea. As ingredient after ingredient was produced from curious little picnic baskets, healthy conversations flowed from the subjects of Kea Plums, Cornish native Oysters,(An Ark produce),to good Olive oil, Beef and Ale pies, Cornish whiskeys and endangered Apple varieties. Slightly charred sausages,hog”s pudding coated with aged soy sauce and sesame oil and various seasonal vegetables warmed up the appetite for thoughtful conversations. Happy tummies, aided with a cold sea breeze squeezed out thoughts on aspects of Climate change, feeding the world the impact of Global warming, fish quotas and supermarket monopolies were measured in the light of GMOs, and TVPs.Cornish saffron cakes, home made apple crumble, and a whole lot of fudge, was washed down with gallons of freshly squeezed chemical free apple scrumpy.

As the winter evening drew to an early close, people from various food cultures and backgrounds breathed and shared the common spirit of “Earth Memories, in appreciation of a Good, Clean and Fair life.

Visit www.slowfoodcornwall.org,if you believe in Slow.

Piskies on Horseback(How to get the Christmas Turkey right)

2011-12-08T23:34:00.001-08:00

Seriously, Tis the season to be jolly! For once, I do not mind Christmas carols being played festively on cheap Chinese CD players in the middle of November. Gaudy paint laden baubels, hanging precariously from my bar waitresses” rabbit ears into my proudly earned pint of Tribute, and jumbo snow shovels being flogged off supermarket sail rails readying us for the unpredictable vagaries of nature.
Hurray, Father Christmas has finally joined Twitter and is giving Lady Ga Ga an inferiority complex. My name is Chef Ricky Oliver and I am here to tell you how not to cook like Nigella.(unless you are aspiring to be over nourished and gain a fair few dress sizes by January)
O.k. where do we begin! Every humble Englishman/woman has fond aftertastes of dry turkey, glossy semi dissolved gravy granules and (my favourite) putrefied Brussels sprouts. The richer you are(if you have triple disposable income or your relative is a banker)the bigger Christmas cracker you get to tug, and the bigger Christmas hat and wooly jumper you get to wear.
Unless you have decided upon, already to serve raw semi frozen turkey meat to half drunk Samaritans(relatives of all shapes and sizes, who have binged so much upon pre Christmas television cookery programmes theirs have become some sort of Confit walrus brain)why don’t you buy yours from a reputed friendly organic butcher.
If you are charming and lucky (or both!) and the butcher kind of fancies you, as butchers kind of fancy everyone: you can get your Turkey breasts sliced thinly and beaten evenly by a meat mallet (Escalope in French).Get the escalopes stuffed with Cornwall’s finest hand minced pork, sweet cranberries, happy sage leaves and wrap them in a sliver of smoky bacon.
Proper Job! When the big day finally arrives and you have semi exhausted yourself, getting the young and old out of bed (shake and wake..?), place the bacon wrapped turkey escalopes in a fireproof dish with a generous drizzle of chicken stock (cube will do, dissolved in some Cornish water) and bake in a pre heated oven, covered with a tin foil, for 20-25 minutes depending upon the thickness of the rolls.
Upon returning from the church, having lost rest of the will to cook! prod the fattest looking turkey roll with a fork, and if it jerks a tear rather than bleeding all over, your day is done! Peel off the tin foil from top of the tray and crisp up the bacon, on top of the turkey rolls.
Serve your moist, bacon wrapped bird, majestically with all sorts of enthusiasm and rich pan gravy.HO, HO, HO..You have managed to serve safe food to your Samaritans, apart from saving some bird for the rest of Africa to feed (Love food, hate waste!)

P.s.For a taste of real gravy, visit us in a fortnight.

Yours deliciously,

Ricky Oliver,
@freerangechef on Twitter

Be Sprouty! (In praise of super food)

2011-11-15T10:41:00.001-08:00

If I had to choose between going away and coming back from a holiday, I would always only choose the going on bit of it. Having spent a few decades upon this planet, it has finally started making sense that such a phenomenon is never going to happen. Travelling to India, my birth place is always a special journey, of unknown parameters. My school is no more next to a paddy field, and the coconut trees have long been replaced by wireless Smartphone towers.
Apart from the unmoulding, unpacking and reredirecting of emails, the most sinister of pleasures is to enjoy proper India breakfast, while stock lasts. Boxes of once loved (more out of necessity/and less out of choice) sugar coated cereals are replaced by umpteen packets of natural health food items, encased in recycled newspaper wrappings with undecipherable prints. One such high fiber packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, anti-aging constituents and enzymes is mung beans. Although available in conscience rich health food shops all over England, the ones brought from India (dodging the beady eyes of custom officials at British airports) is the real deal. To enjoy the joys and nutrition of the beans is an age old India frugal meal trick, providing vital slow release energy to the body.

All I do is
1. Soak 25 g of the mung beans overnight in 250ml water. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a rodent free dark area of the kitchen.
2. Next morning, drain the water, and a good sign of the beans being good to eat, is when the skin starts to retract from the centre.
3. Now some sprout enthusiasts would recommend you to eat the sprouts, just as it is and enjoy the natural sugars while I take it a notch up by quick coating them in some low fat rapeseed oil, a pinch of Cornish sea salt and a wee spoon of turmeric powder, a green chilli and some cumin seeds over low heat.
4.Broil the spices and chilli in rapeseed oil
5.Put the mung beans into the hot pan, and coat with spices
6.Enjoy the spiced, sprouted mung beans with plenty of bread
For more ideas of having a sprouted life in Cornwall, why not visit the living foods of St Ives: http://www.livingfood.co.uk/

and believe it for yourself.
Sanjay Says: You can add colour to the spiced mung beans ,by topping them with finely diced tomatoes, or red chilli flakes.

The Role of Chef in the evolving world food equation #BAD 11

2011-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Information is a strange bedfellow, use it wisely and you create lives, use it otherwise and you destroy far more lives forever.

In this ever changing world, where population growth and climate change work hand in hand, to squeeze the last bit of food from the bowls of nations that produce them, it is becoming more and more imperative for the Chefs of tomorrow to choose to propagate the right, sustainable food to feed the discerning bellies of the world.

Nature and its elements have a unique dynamics when it comes to producing fresh seasonal food at the expense of least natural resource based fossil fuels. With the development of transportation links, evolving tastes and global trade routes, every part of the developing world has the likeliness of exotic global food.

Bananas produced in the foothills of a South American country, can reach the shelves of a eastern Mongolian supermarket, in a matter of days, just as nimble sugar snap peas are flown daily with love and care from the hearts of African gardens to the glistening plates of glitzy London restaurants.

All is well, as long as human greed and gluttony does not interfere with the delicate cycles of nature. The moment we (human beings) start to have a taste of the exotic, we tend to over eat/indulge in the name of fashion and trend ignoring the damage it entails upon the ecosystems.

Over consumption of food ingredients like Cod fish, and caviar from sturgeon fish, the destroying of mangrove forests in Asian countries to satisfy the demands for fresh water prawns in European countries, and the use of slave labour to harvest tomatoes in Italy, are only a few poignant examples of price tag behind the cost of food.

The role of Chef, is thus of primary importance, when it comes to “What’s on the Menu?” Taking informed decisions, and keeping the Planet first, rather than profits and trends, is a clear path forward when it comes to the future of food. The balance between world hunger, famine and malnourishment and selective conscientious waste less cooking/eating, is a burning challenge for generations to come. Selective low energy traditional cooking techniques using less fossil fuels, choosing food/ingredients in season, with the least air miles behind them, Chef”s of tomorrow can be the “Ambassadors of Future Food sustainability”.

Here in Great Britain, never has food been the subject of such vital importance than the era we live in. Chefs of note are campaigning to conserve food produce while encouraging newer generations to imbibe a better lifestyle of healthy eating. If everyone plays their little roles, by being less wasteful and more respectful towards food produce, soon there will be natural ways to feed everyone on the planet without the need of genetically modified seeds and laboratory simulated food like protein organisms.

“What are your specials of the day?” Chef!

Pysk, Sten ha Cober (Fish, Tin and Copper)a Cornish Recipe

2011-10-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

Cornwall, this is Cornwall! If there is one place on Planet Earth, where glorious uncertainties is a way of life, this dear friend is the ultimate pit stop. Vagaries of nature, changing world trends and human greed, have all played their respective roles in shaping the lives of people who have made Cornwall their home(partly or forever).Although very different in nature,” fish, tin and copper” have been an interactive part of Cornish lives. Many a thousand pilchards have crossed the high seas, aboard copper bottomed vessels, packed to the capacity, in tin cans bound to satisfy hunger pangs of nations unknown. My modern day inspiration, in the form of a recipe thus draws pages from the unusual combinations of “Fish (Cornish sardines), tin (the receptacle) and copper (Blue Vein cheese)” and creates a feeling of connection between the essential elements of nature that have played a major role in shaping up the lives of generations of Cornish folk. Serves a Family of 4 adventurous eatersPrep 10 mins Cook 25 minIngredients8 Freshly landed Cornish Pilchards (Mature Sardines), scaled and filleted1 Large Aubergine sliced thinly4 Tablespoons Cornish Clotted Cream1 Egg beaten2 Table spoons Cornish Blue Cheese Grated1 Tea spoon Fresh Oregano Leaves3 Table spoons Olive oil1 Lemon QuarteredPreheat the Oven at 180 degrees.Cure the Aubergine slices with Olive oil, and keep aside.Slightly fry the Pilchards in a non stick pan, skin side down, and place in a shallow baking tin.Fry the slices of Aubergine in the same pan, for the flavours of Sardine oil to soak into them.Layer the fried Aubergine slices on top of the sardines, and sprinkle some freshly torn oregano leaves on them. Whisk the Clotted cream, mustard and egg along with the grated cheese and pour generously over the fish mixture. Bake the Pilchard Mousakka for 15 minutes (or until the cheese mixture starts bubbling and as a nice brown layer) Serve the Mousakka hot with a seasonal leaf salad and lemon wedges.Trivia” The Blue vein in a block of Blue cheese is copper sulphate, created by the introduction of penicillin into cheese blocks.

Mahogany (Cornish for Fisherman’s tipple)

2011-09-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

Nothing brought more joy to a Cornish fishing village of yester years, than the look of a bounty of freshly landed fish. Hard work and meticulous preparation eventually sorted the fish fit for consumption, and then the party began.”Meat, money and light, all in one night”, and for the less fainter hear-ted there was the traditional concoction of mahogany. Although not quiet sure of it’s origin, everyone who consumes it always comes back for seconds. My recipe here is a simple combination of Gin and Treacle and almost reminds me of “Old Monk, a rather home grown brand of pale brown Indian Rum”.Ingredients:Cheap Gin 2 PartsTreacle 1 PartHow do you do?Whisk 2 parts of gin, into a bowl that has one part of treacle.Mix well, with a whisk, and ladle out into shot glasses.Serve merrily with a serving of freshly scrowled Pilchards.

Stuffed Cornish Megrim sole with tomato chutney

2011-08-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Cornish Megrim sole is a rather neglected, species of Cornish fish. Delicious to eat, and packed with flavors, this great and economic way of enjoying white Flat fish. My recipe here is a unique combination of sweet Cornish Crab and the tart ness of tomato chutney.

Preparation time 20 minutes
Oven temperature 1OO Degrees
Cooking Time 15 Minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 small Megrim Sole fillets, skinned
100 g white breadcrumbs
Grated rind of 1 lemon
25g White Crab meat
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
50 g cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
25 g unsalted butter
25 g plain flour
5 g Curry Powder
300 ml Coconut milk
20g Tomato Puree

Garnish
Shell on prawns
dill sprigs/Lemon wedges

Method
1. Put the Megrim sole fillets on a clean chopping board, skinned side up. Mix together the breadcrumbs, white crab meat, lemon rind and dill, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Mix in the egg to make a binding soft consistency.

2. Place a spoonful of the crab stuffing on to each fillet and roll up and secure with a tooth pick. Steam in a preheated oven for 7-8 minutes.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter over a gentle heat in a heavy saucepan, add the flour, and gradually add the coconut milk, curry powder and tomato puree and bring the sauce to the boil, stirring continuously.

4. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Season to taste.

5. Ladle a generous spoonful of tomato curry at the bottom of a soup bowl. Place the steamed Sole filets neatly around and serve garnished with a lemon wedge and cooked shell on Prawn.

Cornish Pilchard and Hake Wellington,dish fit for the king

2011-08-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

Proper Lunch

As the legend goes, as long as there are Pilchards in the water, the Hake’s won’t be far away in Cornwall. Hot on the heels of the Pilchard season that begins in July, there are schools of Hake chasing the rather shimmering groups of Delicious sardines. Meaty and quiet firm in texture, Hake and Oil rich sardines are a delectable combination on the plate when paired in this unique twist on Beef Wellington. Wild mushroom, smoked mussels pate wrapped around the fish makes a dish fit for the King.
Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients
· 4,250g each fillet of Cornish Hake
· 4 Cornish Pilchards butter flied and boned
· 25 g Unsalted butter
· 2 chopped Red onions
· 100g mixed wild mushroom, chopped

· 25 g Smoked mussels
· Cornish Sea salt
· 4 slices Oak smoked salmon
· 25 ml Double cream
· 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
· 1 egg, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C Slice Hake fillet in half horizontally to yield 2 thin slices; set aside.
In a non-stick pan melt butter. Stir in onion mushrooms, and mussels and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside to cool slightly.
Using a blender mix the mushroom, mussels and cream mixture.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry.

Place 1 slice of the Hake fillet in the center of the rectangle. Spread with 1/2 the mushroom pate mixture and layer with 2 slices of Cornish Pilchards and another piece of fillet. Spread remaining pate mixture on top. Wrap the slice of smoked salmon around the fish, like a ribbon and fold pastry edges over the filling towards the edge like an envelope, and seal with egg. Brush pastry on all sides with egg.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve warm, with a refreshing salad and saffron and wild garlic aioli.

Lush!

Pilchards in Clouds (A recipe for Cornish Sardine Mousakka)

2011-08-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

There is something rather mouth watering about the word Mousakka.Fond memories of Saudi Arabian Kitchens, brings back subtle pictures to my Little Cook’s mind. Mountains of minced lamb, deftly tucked amongst lasagna of thin slivers of oregano laced aubergine (locally called Batimjan) made a dish fit for the kings. Here in Cornwall, I often like to marry the oiliness of bountiful Pilchards, with the earthiness of aubergines and top it all up with a rich cloud of Cornish cream. Ready in minutes, mousakka is a great way of introducing essential oils and fish proteins to your family’s diet. This is healthy comfort food, out of a tin!
Serves a Family of 4 adventurous eaters
Prep 10 mins Cook 15 min

Ingredients
8 Freshly landed Cornish Pilchards (Mature Sardines), scaled and filleted
1 Large aubergine sliced thinly
4 Tablespoons Cornish Clotted Cream
1 Egg beaten
2 Table spoons Mild Cornish Cheddar grated
1 Tea spoon Fresh Oregano Leaves
3 Table spoons Olive oil
1 Lemon Quartered

Preheat the Oven at 180 degrees.
Cure the aubergine slices with Olive oil, and keep aside.
Slightly fry the Pilchards in a non stick pan, skin side down, and place in a shallow baking dish.
Fry the slices of aubergine in the same pan, for the flavours of Sardine oil to soak into them.
Layer the fried aubergine slices on top of the sardines, and sprinkle some freshly torn oregano leaves on them.
Whisk the Clotted cream, mustard and egg along with the grated cheese and pour generously over the fish mixture.
Bake the Pilchard Mousakka for 15 minutes (or until the cheese mixture starts bubbling and as a nice brown layer)
Serve the Mousakka hot with a seasonal leaf salad and lemon wedges.
Personally I love savoring this dish with a chilled glass of Vermentino(Sardinian white wine specialty) and rustic bread. I drew inspirations for this dish from a French Television programme on You tube, which glorifies canned Sardines, watch it here.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C790KxZf60

Cornish Pilchard Niscoise (Cornish Sardines wrapped in summer)

2011-07-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Serves 2 Hungry Cornish Coastal Walkers
Ready in minutes

Sundays in Cornwall, have always been a good day for walking in the wild.

Whether embarking upon a coastal walk, or simply letting the dog’s out, one very often is likely to come across swathes and swathes of wild garlic leaves in the summer. Vibrantly green in colour, and almost bursting with chlorophyll, these wonderful leaves have a subtle marshy aftertaste that finds a way into many household recipes. In my rather simple idea below, the wild garlic leaves impart a garlicky undertone to the Cornish Pilchards, as well as retaining the moisture. A perfect dish to celebrate the Great British outdoors, on a shoestring.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for grill
4 Wild garlic leaves washed
4 in season Cornish Pilchards, gutted and scaled
1 Lemon juiced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large summer tomatoes sliced
12 Black olives pitted and chopped
A few fresh Basil leaves torn

Derekkly,
Brush the scaled and gutted sardines with half the oil, lemon and seasonings on both sides. Wrap the pilchards in Wild Garlic leaf. Brush tomato slices with remaining oil.Heat the Grill and briefly sear tomato slices, turning once and keeps warm. Place the wild garlic wrapped pilchards on the grill. Cook about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer fish to a warm platter with overlapping tomato slices. Scatter with olives, and basil leaves and serve, with a handsome amount of mayonnaise.

Foot Note: Cornish Pilchards, are slightly grown Sardines, and are at their best of elements, in the summer. Rich in Omega 3 Oils, they impart amongst the simplest forms of essential sea protein supplements to our body.

Semolina Pilchards Forever

2011-07-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Semolina Pilchards with Gooseberry Chuntney

Fish and the eating of it play a major role in the life cycle of a Hindu Bengali household. Moving to Cornwall and making it Home County was thus a natural choice, for me as a Chef and a Pescetarian.Amongst a wide variety of fresh sea and river fish that Cornwall has to offer, Pilchards (mature Sardines) are my favorite. Easily available, easy to cook, and rich in Omega 3 essential oils the recipe here, reminds me of the ingeniousness of my mum, who is known for rustling up the tastiest, of dishes out of humblest of ingredients. Essentially the gooseberry chutney can be replaced by any piquant condiment and the dish can successfully be made gluten free by substituting the semolina and flour by Chickpea flour.

Serves 2 Hungry Cornish Baby Rangers

Ingredients:
8 Cornish Pilchards, cleaned and gutted
100ml Greek yogurt
50ml vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
50 g semolina flour
50 g all-purpose flour
Cornish Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Gooseberry Chutney:

1Kg gooseberries
250g White onions
500g Caster sugar
280ml water
15g Table salt
570ml Cider vinegar
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

To Prepare:

Dip the Pilchard filets in yoghurt and marinate for a few minutes.
To Make the Chutney: Top and tail the gooseberries. Finely chop the onions and cook with the gooseberries in the water until they are soft. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chutney becomes thick. Cool it down and keep aside.
Pour the oil into a medium sized pan and heat the oil to 450°. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the semolina and all purpose flours with salt and pepper to taste.
Pull the Pilchard filets from the yogurt, letting any excess drip off. Lightly coat the fish in the flour mixture. Drop Pilchards into the oil, one or two at a time and fry 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Drain on a paper towel, and keep warm.
Serve the Pilchards Hot, on a coarse paper plate of yesterday’s newspaper (Just as the streets of Kolkata) with a generous helping of Gooseberry Chutney and a hot cup of freshly brewed tea!

Flavours of life (Cultivating a Seventh sense for Cornish food)

2011-07-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Imagine yourself closing your eyes for one moment, transporting yourself to a dark mine shaft, probably a century ago. Its 6.30 pm of a rather long Saturday evening and the lift is carrying you progressively upwards towards civilisation. A few lingering crumbs of afternoon Pastie still rumbling in your rather empty tummy. What would be the flavour you would be most looking forward to (that a Bal maiden would prepare for tea)!

Flavour is the sensory impression of food and is identified by the chemical interpretation of taste and smell. Cornwall and the life it supports have a plethora of flavours, which identify different moods, according to different seasons and reasons. A bite of slender wild garlic leaf picked randomly during a romantic coastal walk soothes the senses as much as, a sliver wrapped around Cheese enjoyed at the end of a meal at a top end restaurant chased by a thousand sparkling bubbles of a satisfying vintage of certain good year.

The uniqueness of Cornish flavours lies in its diversity. Ranging from the humble Cornish Earlies the succulent strawberries, from sexy sardines to mighty Megrims, from exotic saffron cakes to age old pasites, from ancient Meads to contemporary cyderrss..Cornwall has a falvour to suit every palette.

When a master of wine slurps a sip of last of the summer wine and rotates it around his mouth, the individual is trying to relate current flavour sensations with memories and anecdotes: and in a matter of moments the sommelier (wine waiter) creates an experience around the bottle which becomes a fond memory for ever.

In the recent past the flavours of the food, have been altered with natural or artificial flavourings, which affect and mislead the senses. Nature tends to choose a particular optical rotation, which determines the flavour. Most commercial flavour chemicals are of mixed optical rotation and create an illusion of taste.

My hopes and aspirations as a campaigning Chef and a humble gastronaut is that Cornwall, and its people keep on valuing the flavours of the past, enjoying the ones of the present while innovating flavours of the future and never should dawn the moment when we have to have bottled pasties, powdered Cornish scrowlers and organic Mother’s Milk Ice-cream...

Here’s a toast to the seventh sense of Good Clean and Fair flavour choices.

Debate what you put inside your body, as that is what “you” becomes forever!

@freerangechef (on twitter)

Cornish Salmagundi(Summer Salad in a Crab Shell)

2011-05-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Summer in Cornwall, brings the best out of the land the sea and the air that is touched by it. Little is known, and even more little is said about the cuisine and variety of food that was rustled up on sun kissed summer days embarking upon or having embellished a pirate’s job. A recipe that often surfaces out of these dare devil acts of courage under fire, is a Cornish Salmagundy.Food cultures around the world have a unique version each of a cold salad dish that is so simple to put together, yet so appetisingly stomach filling. Be it the American Cobb Salad, Indian Jhal Muri, or Jamaican Solomon Gundy end result is rather colourfully satisfying. Here is my Slow version of a Cornish Pirate’s Salomon Grundy, using the best of Cornish summer ingredients. What”s your Salmagundi?

A majestically simple Cornish Salmagundi, served in a Crab shell

Serves 2 Hungry Cornish Pirates
Preparation time: As quick as you want it to be

Selection of Handpicked Cornish Larder ingredients (Chicken and Bacon,Tomato,anchovies,White Crab meat,crawfishtails,red mullet and lettuce)
Ingredients:
A handful of Handpicked Cornish Crab meat
A few Anchovies
Some washed lettuce leaves
Roughly diced bacon and chicken pieces
A tomato cut into quarters
Few Crawfish tails
Spoonful of good mayonnaise or salad dressing
A Tea Smoked Cornish red mullet
Bread Croutons

Salmagundi has been a popular cold dish for centuries, often incorporating other cold meats, fish and a variety of vegetables.

All you need to do is”

1. In a cold salad bowl, place some washed salad leaves.
2. Place some crab meat in the centre of the bowl.
3. Arrange the anchovies, chicken, bacon, crayfish tails and croutons, top with a slice of smoked red mullet.
4. Serve cold with a generous helping of salad dressing or chive mayonnaise.
…enjoy Cornish Salmagundi with a chilled cheeky glass of Cornish Cyder.

Who said fast food has got to be fried, grilled or baked all the time?

Watermelon and Goats Cheese salad(A Spring Mood Food)

2011-04-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Watermelon, Goats cheese and peanuts salad

Working in Royal Kitchens has its benefits! Not only do you get to meet and work with people from various cultural backgrounds, you learn to make use of one of the many eating habits and combinations they bring along with them. My memories of a Saudi Kitchen banquets often brings back poignant memories of camels and stuffed dates in one hand while simple pleasures of mahalabia and chicken shawarma on the other.
Amongst a recipe binder full of simple flavor explosions, something that always sticks out as a summer favorite is the Turkish salad, of watermelon and cheese.
In Turkey, this popular salad is often made with Tulum, a ubiquitous goat-and-lamb's-milk cheese. In my rather world food perspective, a subtler goats cheese adds the milkyness to the dish, while the salted peanuts and roquette impart the required pepperiness.
Simple to prepare this is a great summer salad to enjoy with a glass of anything drinkable.

Ready in minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 Watermelon, cut into small slabs
100g fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon salad peanuts and sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
100g Roquette leaves washed

To prepare:
Peel the watermelon, and slice into thick slabs.
Arrange the sliced watermelons into a neat pattern.
Crumble the goat’s milk cheese around; spread the peanuts and sesame seeds.
Grate some orange zest on the salad. Sprinkle the roquette leaves around and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Enjoy this glorious blend of natural water, milk and seeds with happy feelings.

Cornish Shahi Tukra(A Royal Saffron Bread Pudding)

2011-04-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

India is a nation of Sweet tooths.When it comes to celebration, there is no looking back. Growing up in rural India, fond glimpses of half clad Halwais (Patisseries), deftly churning Mewa (Milk solids) out of vats and vats of buffalo milk, while skimming off inquisitive flies, with improvised fly swatters is only a sweet memory away. Entertaining visiting guests was a regular part of Indian hospitality and very often convenience, took over home made delicacies, when we were sent running to the local sweet shops to buy a variety of sweet meats.
One particular delicacy that often featured on our errand list was,” Shahi Toast/Tukre”.Very much a legacy left behind by the Raaj,this rather simple sweet sensation is a unique marriage of very staple Indian food produce, wheat(in the form of Bread),and Sugar in the form of the dipping stock syrup signifies all things prosperous. Shahi simply translates to “Fit for the King”. Often offered to the Gods, they are a popular favourite amongst all ages. In my ever evolving cooking journey; many a version of this simple classic has developed upon me. Landing in Cornwall, and being offered a plethora of ingredients, one special larder ingredient that always eats, and feels rather Royal is “Saffron Bread”. Making a dessert, Shahi Tukra thus with Saffron Bread and Clotted Cream, is a Marriage made in heaven.
Serves, 4 Ready in 20 Minutes.
Ingredients:
• 1 liter full-cream Cornish milk
• (400gm) sweetened condensed milk preferably Nestle
• 2 Table spoons Cornish Clotted Cream
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 Saffron Bread Sliced
• 1/2 cup raisins/sultanas
• Ghee to deep fry the bread
• Blanched almond slivers and Gold Leaves to garnish
Preparation:
Mix the milk and condensed milk in a thick-bottomed pan and boil till it reduces to half its original volume. Stir frequently to prevent from burning the milk. When the volume is reduced add the cardamom and the Cornish Clotted Cream mix well and remove from the fire. Slice the Cornish Saffron Bread, and cut them into quarters. Shallow fry the saffron bread quarters in ghee till they are crisp and golden. Remove from the ghee and drain well on paper towels. Put a layer of Saffron bread pieces at the bottom of a flat serving dish and top with the thickened milk mixture. Sprinkle the raisins on the bread. Garnish the dish with almond slivers a few Gold Leaves, and serve Royally!
This Royal Recipe will be demonstrated at Porthleven Food Festival 2011. http://www.porthlevenfoodfestival.co.uk/YPFestival/YPFestival.htm

From Cornwall with Love

2011-03-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Cornish Shahi Toast
(Rich Saffron Bread Pudding) Saffron inside
India is a nation of Sweet tooths.When it comes to celebration, there is no looking back. Growing up in rural India, fond glimpses of half clad Halwais (Patisseries), deftly churning Mewa (Milk solids) out of vats and vats of buffalo milk, while skimming off inquisitive flies, with improvised fly swatters is only a sweet memory away. Entertaining visiting guests was a regular part of Indian hospitality and very often convenience, took over home made delicacies, when we were sent running to the local sweet shops to buy a variety of sweet meats.
One particular delicacy that often featured on our errand list was,” Shahi Toast/Tukre”.Very much a legacy left behind by the Raaj,this rather simple sweet sensation is a unique marriage of very staple Indian food produce, wheat(in the form of Bread),and Sugar in the form of the dipping stock syrup signifies all things prosperous. Shahi simply translates to “Fit for the King”. Often offered to the Gods, they are a popular favourite amongst all ages. In my ever evolving cooking journey; many a version of this simple classic has developed upon me. Landing in Cornwall, and being offered a plethora of ingredients, one special larder ingredient that always eats, and feels rather Royal is “Saffron Bread”. Making a dessert, Shahi Tukra thus with Saffron Bread and Clotted Cream, is a Marriage made in heaven.
Serves, 4 Ready in 20 Minutes.
Ingredients:
• 1 liter full-cream Cornish milk
• (400gm) sweetened condensed milk preferably Nestle
• 2 Table spoons Cornish Clotted Cream
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 Saffron Bread Sliced
• 1/2 cup raisins/sultanas
• Ghee to deep fry the bread
• Blanched almond slivers and Gold Leaves to garnish
Preparation:
Mix the milk and condensed milk in a thick-bottomed pan and boil till it reduces to half its original volume. Stir frequently to prevent from burning the milk. When the volume is reduced add the cardamom and the Cornish Clotted Cream mix well and remove from the fire. Slice the Cornish Saffron Bread, and cut them into quarters. Shallow fry the saffron bread quarters in ghee till they are crisp and golden. Remove from the ghee and drain well on paper towels. Put a layer of Saffron bread pieces at the bottom of a flat serving dish and top with the thickened milk mixture. Sprinkle the raisins on the bread. Garnish the dish with almond slivers a few Gold Leaves, and serve Royally!
This Royal Recipe will be demonstrated at Porthleven Food Festival 2011. http://www.porthlevenfoodfestival.co.uk/YPFestival/YPFestival.htm

Home thouhts from abroad..in praise of Yorkshire puddings

2011-03-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

A Simple British institution: Yorkshire pudding

If there is one picture that every British epicurean has ever craved for away from home, it will be that of a proper roast beef dinner with a bigg Yorkshire pudding. (Second only to a Balti or korma)Lovingly called a popper, these crisp yet soft, air filled bundles of joy are far more than a pudding (a similar reputation of a gooey meringue/with explosions of sugar in the mouth is a rather more saturated version).Rather quick to make, these simple recipes are one of the hand me downs, that although working on basic principles of elevation, vary from household to household.
Yorkshire pudding moulds being pre heated with oil
Almost every Sunday and at many other established carveries where every day, hundreds of these popover are made, served and relished with joy. Here is a recipe that I follow, and my “Yorkies”, never fail to rise!

To make 6 of these puppies..

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• 4 large free-range eggs
• Equal quantity of milk
• Equal quantity of all purpose/plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• A sprig of lemon thyme
• 2 tbsp lard, beef dripping/duck fat or vegetable oil

Preparation:
Pre Heat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade.
Pour the eggs and milk into a large mixing bowl and add the pinch of salt. Whisk thoroughly with a whisk. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Gradually sieve the same volume of flour (as the eggs) into the milk and egg mixture, using a whisk to create a lump free batter resembling thick cream, if there are any lumps pass the batter through a fine sieve.
in minutes the batter starts cooking and rising
Sit the batter to rest in the kitchen for a minimum of 30 minutes (batter made the previous day is better/some say!)
Strip some lemon thyme leaves into the batter.
Place a pea-sized piece of lard, dripping or 15 ml of vegetable oil into the chosen Yorkshire pudding mould and heat in the oven until the fat is smoking. Mix the batter again adding 2 tbsps of cold water and fill a third of each section of the tin with batter and return quickly to the oven.
and you have the perfect Yorkshire puddings
Leave to cook until golden brown approx 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180 degrees for five minutes to cook the puddings through. Repeat the last step again until all the batter is used up.

Enjoy Yorkshire puddings, inventively.

Falmouth Fish Fight (No Tags Attached)

2011-02-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

Macher jhol (FalmouthFishFight curry)
Taste is a state of mind.
No one ever disputes the beneficial side of eating more fish. Right from the early hunter gatherer days to the modern day trawling, the art of catching fish, which is a natural source of protein and essential oils, has always been subject to conditions of availability. In recent times it has been even more significant for the human race, to nurture, conserve and be concerned about being less boisterous and wasteful about this slow renewable source of food. As a Head Chef and the Chair of Slow Food movement in Cornwall, it is my role to support Hugh’s Fish Fight, http://www.fishfight.net/ and inform people about lesser known fish, that are equally if more tastier and plentiful, in the sea. Here is a simple recipe that shouts out Loud, that food does not always taste good when it comes out of a can, or deep fat fryer. Enjoy responsibly sourced food passionately.
Preparation and cooking time..20 min
Ingredients:
Serves 2

1/4 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
2 medium potatoes
5 green chillies
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 small Mackerel/Sardine or Gurnard
3 tbsp mustard oil
2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds

How to make macher jhol:
• Clean, cut and take off fish head. Clean inside of the fish and wash thoroughly.
• Cut the fish into half-inch thick slices. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and apply salt and turmeric powder. Wash, take off and cut potatoes into half-inch thick finger sized pieces.
• Wash, take off stems and slit the green chillies.
• Dry roast coriander and cumin seeds briefly, cool and grind to a fine paste, adding a little water. Heat up two-tbsp mustard oil in a pot till it just reaches smoking point.
• Remove, cool and heat up the oil again on medium heat. Mix in the fish slices, few at a time and fry for a minute on each side.
• Remove and keep aside. Mix in potato pieces to the pot and stir fry for two to three minutes.
• Heat up remaining oil in the same pan, mix in kalonji, slit green chillies and stir-fry briefly.
• Mix in coriander-cumin paste and stir fry on low heat up for a minute sprinkling a little water, if required.
• Mix in two-cup of water, sautéed potatoes, salt and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for four to five minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked.
• Gently slide in the pot fried fish slices and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for two to three minutes or until the fish is cooked.
• Serve hot with steamed rice.

Sanjay Says: Talk to your local fishmonger.Noone knows fish better than a Fisherman’s friend!

Bengali Masala Chips (Aloo Mosla Bhaja)

2011-02-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

My early childhood memories of summer school days, always reminds me of two distinctive food episodes. Every other morning, while, we were busy stuffing books and compasses into our “Jute Bustas”(a far cry from modern day man-bags),the sudden chug chug of the Hawkins pressure cooker, would herald the progressive readiness of freshly boiled rice, and a waft of spluttering mustard oil coating thin slivers of deftly julienned potatoes filled the placid air.A spoonful of organic Ghee,(Clarified at home),with a plateful of runny starch dripping Bhat (Rice),and crisp Bengali Potato Chips(aloo bhaja) would supplement energy for the rest of the active school day.
Here is a simple adaptation of mum’s Bengali style masala chips.

Serves 4
Preparation time: Minutes
Ingredients:
• 4 large Maris Piper Potatoes (cut into finger shape thin strips)
• 3 finely chopped Green Chillies (optional)
• 1 tsp Black Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 Dry Red Chilli
• 4 tbsp Mustard/Rapeseed Oil
• Sea Salt to taste

How to make Masala Chips:
• Heat oil in a flat pan and add the red chillies to it.
• When the chilly turns blackish red; add the cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
• Now add turmeric powder, green chillies and potato strips.
• Fry till the potatoes on high flame for 20 seconds and then on low flame till tender.
• Add salt to taste and stir properly for 1 minute; put off the flame.
• Serve hot with boiled rice, Gravy or some grated cheese.

Sanjay says: A great adaptation for this simple accompaniment, is to turn it into some posh “Potato Nachos”, by serving them topped with tomato salsa, jalapeño peppers, avocado guacamole and set sour cream.

Cream of By Catch soup AKA Cornish Dippy

2011-01-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

Cream of By Catch Soup
It is not very often that you can smoke a Chef out of his Comfort Kitchen
Zone (You could find one, stood behind the stove, sweating it out, passing
lewd comments, hating life in general). When in the early days of winter
thus, I got a chance to jump onto a little motor boat with the iconic Cornish
fisherman, “Chris Bean” from Kernow Sashimi
http://www.kernowsashimi.f2s.com/ there was no looking back. This was
food pilgrimage at its best.
Dressed in oil skin and armour of determination, no amount of rain or gail
force wind could deter me from living the dream. As the day passed and we
got on with our deck hand hobs (Which included untangling the nets and
grading spider crabs) one thing was obvious there was plenty of Dogfish
being chucked back into the sea. (Much more than the hovering local sea
gulls could eat)
Being money conscious Chef, the question that arose in my mind was, why
can’t we create awareness in people’s minds and hearts? Who knows
perhaps in some unknown fish factory in the world someone is already
making fish goujons and pies and fish cakes out of Dabs, Coleys and Dog
fish.
According to Chris, what was once a out of fashion fish, like Gurnard and
Red mullet and was used primarily as bait: is now prized in London
restaurants .The role has to be played by modern day Chefs to start a trend
of eating lesser known but beautiful fish.
A lot of my cooking draws fond pages from my early childhood days. Fish
being a prime source of protein and readily available, often featured on my
Bengali mum’s lunch menu. Amongst many complex preparations, one
simple dish always did the trick. Here is a recipe for “Macher Jhol”which is
a wee bit similar to traditional Cornish “Dippy”
Cornish Dippy
Serves 2 Hungry Cornishmen
Ingredients:
6 Pilchards/Cornish Sardines (Gurnard or Dogfish can replace this)
200ml Double Cream
4 Large Cornish Potatoes
To prepare:
Clean and Gut the fish.
Peel and slice the potatoes.
Simmer the fish and Potatoes, in a pan until soft.
Serve hot with a slice of lemon and plenty of bread to mop the sauce.

Dial J for January

2011-01-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

When the wallets are empty, your feet sore (dancing) and the stomachs full
of food (unto the neck), you know you have definitely stumbled upon another year of living
dangerously. As far as memory goes, there has never been a perfect start to a year! The budget says,
you will have an extra few grand of disposable income to spend on caviar, and truffles instead of tuna
steaks frozen at source and button mushrooms (Unless of course you are an investment banker)
Fortunately though, not everything is as grim and tinted as it seems. In a
desperate attempt to squeeze the last penny, out of our pockets, Supermarkets are employing more and
more hard line strategists to woo us, the spenders in. Chances are you will buy more cola than you ever
can drink more milk that will drain down the sink and more crisps than ever before.Ofcourse for even
reduced prices.
January in Britain ushers in unpredictable weather. Restaurant Kitchens
can be busy one day, and quiet the other. In periods of quiet or otherwise, seep out the best kitchen tell
tales of many dimensions. Who burnt a tonne of onions while speaking to his girlfriend on the phone,
who slept with whom, and someone who, could smell a Biriyani being ready to serve from the Hotel
bus stop.
Amongst all the perks of being a Chef, is the joy of meeting people.
People from all walks of life, so very often commit their whole lives behind the stoves aiming to
provide amicable meal experiences to discerning customers. There have been a few remarkably
memorable characters, amongst all my favorites and not so favorites across the journey of Cooking.
Ricardo Chiccarelli, the Italian Stallion is one such guy! Full of life and enthusiasm. Here is a dish that
he rustled up, some January evenings intending to warm his cockles up (and impress the ladies). What
result it did produce, was never a cup of my tea; although what really mattered was that the broth
tasted heavenly! Farmed mussels are plentiful in this weather. Before they go spawning a kilo or two
of mussels, make a great low calories supper to share over television dinners.
The key word is frugality. Stretch the pound. Be calculative, and less wasteful. Consider smart ways of
reusing your leftovers, and soon the pennies will take care of the pounds.
Chiccarelli”s Drunken Mussels:
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 lbs of Wild/Farmed Mussels - Cleaned and debearded
4-6 Roma Tomatoes - chopped
Dry White Wine( Cooking wine will do!)(Beyond measure!)
½ Red onion - diced
4 Cloves of fresh garlic - smashed
handful of flat leaf Italian Parsley - roughly chopped (enough to garnish with)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add butter & melt. Add onions & sauté’ until translucent.
Add minced garlic & cook for roughly another minute. Add cleaned & debearded mussels & enough
wine to steam the mussels. Place lid on top of pan. Cook for a few minutes until all of the mussels are
open. Add your chopped tomatoes give a quick stir. Garnish with parsley & season with salt and
pepper to taste. Serve immediately with lots of crusty bread.

Mission Statement (A Chefs eye view of Fishermen’s mission)

2011-01-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Very often we forget to acknowledge the path that takes us to the
end of the journey. When it comes to consuming fish, the journey from “Sea to Plate” and the
vital role that hard working fishermen put in, is often forgotten. My role as a Head Chef and
an educator is to give to the relentless marine warriors a proper share of respect and
adulation.
Fish and fishermen has been an integral part of my upbringing
since early days in Bhagalpur, a native town in east India. Growing up in a suburb bordering
an east Bengali refugee colony ingrained in me the taste, feel and touch of a fishing village.
Many a tales of success would very often be dotted with dreary half narrated tales of
amputation, loss and abstinence. Life to a fishing family was a constant saga of crests and
tides of joys and despair.
When in Cornwall, earning a livelihood working as a Chef; life is
touched by the sea. As an industry guardian and ambassador of modern taste, it is an even
bigger responsibility to create a link between the food consumer and the producer.
Participating in cooking demonstrations at Newlyn and other food festivals, helps educate the
man on the street about what efforts and tribulations go into producing good quality fish
source.Littlle charity events and acts of kindness often make a huge impact on families in
despair and in need of perking up.
In pursuit of many poignant answers, I have embarked upon
special spiritual journeys to live “a day in the life of Cornish fishermen”. Armed with kind
blessings of the iconic Fishermen’s mission in Newlyn I have spent nights of anticipatory
comfort in one of the most memorable rooms atop the mission building in Newlyn.Taking
traditional boat trips into the early morning sunrise, oil skin on my back and a pair of deck
hands gloves with the backdrop of the St Michaels mount, (standing guard to all hands at
sea) I have tasted the salt of a fisherman’s life.
Glorious uncertainties are the real joys of life. The secret of the
unknown, the direction of the wind, the pattern of weather and last but not the least, the
movement of the fish determines the difference between the catch of today and many not so
successful days. Fishermen are a differently courageous kind of human beings. They
definitely have developed a mechanism to beat pains, hardships and despair.
We must assume a role to eat more fish, support local
fishermen and their families; so that artisan fishing lives its legend for generations to come.
Now when the fish are up on deck and piling to our knees
We slip and slide and wonder why we ever went to sea
But then ashore we sell the catch – that’s easier to bear
For its beer all night in the Sailor’s Arms when we get paid our share
Ever wondered what is a Cornish Fisherman’s favourite fish dish?
Difficult but simple to rustle up, here is a recipe that always makes my mouth water!
Cornish Fishermen’s Coriander & Chili Monkfish Cheeks
Ready in minutes, monkfish cheeks are a great scallop alternative, and are generally great
conversation starters.
Ingredients:
Cornish Monkfish cheeks, 300g
Corn flour, 1 tbsp
Red chili (chopped) 1
Soya sauce, 1 tbsp
Brown Sugar, 1 tsp
Fresh Coriander leaves (chopped), 1 stalk
Ginger, 20g
Sesame Oil, enough for shallow-frying and reserve some for stir-frying
Method:
1. Lightly dust the monkfish cheeks with corn flour.
2. Shallow-fry the monkfish cheeks in hot oil until slightly brown. Drain and set aside.
3. Chop the ginger and coriander together.
4. Stir-fry the chopped ginger and coriander until slightly brown, and add together the
chopped chili and the remaining ingredients.
5. Bring the monkfish cheeks in and mix well. Garnish with some coriander and serve warm
tucked in a bun..
This is the ultimate fishermen’s lunch!

The path less travelled: Eating the past

2011-01-06T06:08:00.000-08:00

The path less travelled: Eating the past: "Chew, don’t gulp! was a dinner table lesson often laid down to me, in my early Bengali Indian childhood. Three decades and a million food ad..."

Eating the past

2011-01-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Chew, don’t gulp! was a dinner table lesson often laid down to me, in my early Bengali Indian childhood. Three decades and a million food adventures away: the journey of a thousand food miles still, begins and ends, with following food traditions and its hidden nutritional benefits.
The rainbow of my multicultural food vignettes began with childhood memories dug deep into humble Indian upbringings. Be it the use of certain spices as mood food, to using roots and stems to cure stomach ailments, using plant extracts as sources of sugar and salt: was only a common, economic and practical happening in frugal Bengali households. The significance of natural pure ingredients, untouched by wax, or bleach or any artificial preservative naturally enhanced the immune systems while using banana leaves as crockery alternative was only common.
Influenced slowly by industrialization and modernization, packets of Maggi convenience noodles were trickling plentifully into villages that did not have the provision of fresh water to boil them in! However, there still was a pocket of the society that believed in fresh ingredients, bought daily, in season and cooked at home using traditional methods, making the food fit to be offered to the Gods, as well as to satisfy human consumption.
Imbibing upon taking up cooking as a noble way of discovering food cultures, while serving the humanity at the same time, my food journey has taken me to some very interesting pit stops. Be it the traditional Aloo Paratha in Delhi served with a freshly smashed onion, the Spiced Sorpotel in Goa, the Margoog in Riyadh, to the Saffron Cake in Cornwall, what binds food is the tradition.
Traditional eating habits in Cornwall, is as old as time itself. Humble Pasties, awe inspiring Stargazie pies, or the lesser known Kiddly broth; there is a rhyme and reason behing every special concoction. The Cornish diet, is based upon traditional beliefs and practices that proves itself to be right over and over again. A ploughman’s crib, a fisherman’s croust, and a huntsman’s mossal, will withstand every test of time.
You are what you eat! Although traditional Cornish diet included doses of animal fat, and dripping, heavy physical activities and walks helped digest and assimilate most of the extras. Half of modern day diseases are indigestion based. The future clearly is in our hands. The sooner we realize this, sooner we can make a difference to our own lives.

http://blog.taragana.com/science/2010/04/16/earths-missing-heat-impacting-climate-change-10907/

2010-04-18T08:10:00.001-07:00

http://blog.taragana.com/science/2010/04/16/earths-missing-heat-impacting-climate-change-10907/

Restaurants Battle Supermarkets for Noncooking Consumers

2010-04-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

Restaurants Battle Supermarkets for Noncooking Consumers: "Breakfast has been getting lots of attention from fast-food restaurant chains..."

Local Sourcing: Restaurants 'Farm It Out'

2010-04-09T00:43:00.000-07:00

Local Sourcing: Restaurants 'Farm It Out': " Three months ago, the University of North Carolina (UNC) in..."

Sanjays Kitchen newsletter

2010-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

Falmouth, Cornwall
January 2010
www.sanjayskitchen.co.uk

Hello fellow foodies,

Tell you what 09, has been yet another quick and eventful year. What began with a quest for learning about good food, discovering new fresh ingredients and producers, has been amongst the most exciting ones. Not to bore you with any more of self proclamation, I was wondering how many times you have made a real effort in making Clarified butter. Simple as it may seem, very often it is these little tricks that make us the show stoppers.

What is clarified butter? How do you make it?

Clarified butter is pure butterfat from which the milk solids and water have been removed. It has a higher smoking point than whole butter, which means it can be used for sautéing without burning. Following are two methods of clarifying butter, depending on how you'll be using it.

Method 1 -- This clarified butter is good to use for sautéing. Melt at least 1/2 cup butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. When melted, skim off the white foam. Let the butter simmer; continue to skim off the foam until the butter no longer produces any foamy residue. After about 5 minutes, the butterfat should be clear, and the grainy residue at the bottom of the pan will be lightly browned. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off the clear butterfat, leaving the browned bits behind in the pan.

Method 2 -- This clarified butter is not simmered like the one above; use it for sauces, such as Hollandaise or a dipping sauce for lobster. Melt at least 1/2 cup butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. When melted, remove the pan from the heat and skim off the white foam. Let the white, milky liquid settle to the bottom of the pan, then ladle off the clear butterfat. Discard the milky residue.

Cool and refrigerate the clarified butter in a tightly sealed glass jar, which prevents the absorption of odors. If all the milk solids have been removed from the butter, it will stay fresh for several months.

Now then, once you have Clarified butter on hand, there is a lot you can achieve in your kitchen. Be it coating your boiled vegetables, to frying your toast, the options are endless.

Well what is your best kept Clarified butter secret?
Share it with us and who knows that could become the “Star Recipe”, of next month’s newsletter.
(Don’t forget to mention your name, and email id, to receive a Free Sanjay”s Kitchen “Star recipe certificate” for you to proudly collect)

The birth of a newsletter:

When I first thought of publishing a newsletter for Sanjay”s kitchen, there were a few ideas that crossed my mind. Keeping in hand all of your valuable suggestions, I have decided to make this a monthly collection of quirky, happening food ideas, generated by you, the readers. Drawing pages from my early Indian upbringings, the best recipes are the ones that are unwritten, hand me downs from every granny to her grand daughter.Let”s use Sanjays kitchen as a platform to exchange ideas, uproot myths and benefit our souls by discovering tricks of Happy Cooking.

Coming up:

In the special February issue, I would like to hear about your quirky Valentines food ideas, and any relevant picture messages, recipes and links will be gladly posted onto the newsletter. The deadline for the entries is 7th of February. Apart from this, there will be fun activities and web links to all things romantic.

Free Recipes:

For a collection of varied seasonal recipes, vignettes and verbal poo, why don’t you visit?
http://www.scribd.com/Prosenjit76

Spot on!
Sanjay
sanjayskitchen@gmail.com

Saki

2010-01-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

Ultimate Chicken Curry fix

2010-01-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

SANJAY KUMARS BASIC CHICKEN CURRY FIX

Ingredients for 4 servings

4-6 medium tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3cm/1in piece root ginger
2 garlic cloves
1-2 mild green chillies
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground turmeric
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml/3½fl oz water
6 chicken breasts diced
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 lime (or lemon)
a small bunch of coriander leaves
cooked rice,/naaan bread to serve

Method

1.Chop the flesh of tomatoes roughly and put it down on
a plate to one side.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion.
Fry the onion in the vegetable oil in a large heavy-based
saucepan over low to medium heat for about ten minutes,
stirring from time to time so that it turns an even
Golden brown. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the ginger and the garlic.
4. Slit the chilli using a sharp knife.
Slice the flesh away from the cluster of seeds in the middle.
Avoid touching any part of the chilli with your fingers
if you can, as it is very easy to get chilli in your eyes,
And that will sting.
5. Measure the ground spices into a teacup.
Add the ginger, garlic and chilli to the pan, stir
Them around and fry for another minute or so.
If you want your curry to be hot as well as spicy, include some
Or all of the chilli seeds. Then add the spices in the cup into the
Onions. Fry the spices for a minute or two, stirring all the time
so that they do not stick. Add some salt and freshly ground
Black pepper.
6. Pour in the water and the tomatoes, bring to the boil,
Turn down the heat a little and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes.
7. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and stir them around so they
are covered with the sauce. Put the lid on the pan
, turn the heat down and let the chicken cook for 15-20 minutes,
Stirring occasionally.
8. Now add the yoghurt to the chicken and stir it in.
When the sauce is gently bubbling again, scoop up a little
in a teaspoon, blow it cool and taste it. The sauce will probably
taste quite sweet because of the tomatoes. Cut the lime in half
and squeeze its juice into the sauce. Stir and taste again,
and decide whether you want to add the second half.
9. Finally, chop the fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle them on
to the curry just before you serve it with the rice or naaan bread.

SANJAYS TOP TIP..
To prepare this curry, you make a sauce from vegetables and spices first, then add the meat and stew it. The sauce is then thickened with yoghurt, and the sweetness of the curry is balanced with a little sour lime juice

Cooking from scratch

2010-01-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Cooking from scratch

Dear,
“Kitchen whisk-kids”,

Why I love to cook, is because I always feel hungry!!!!!
Cooking is something that any one with an open mind and the willingness to learn can do.
The recipe is pretty simple:
Put in some safety, sprinkle a few skills and fold in some great fresh ingredients….
And never hesitate to taste your own food. Yummmmmyyy.

In the next couple of “Kiddy-pies”, we will be learning some important safety and cooking skills while acquiring special treats for life.
Happy Cooking.

…………………………………

Playing it safe

Every good Chef needs an assistant to answer his/her questions.
No matter how experienced you are in the kitchen, make sure you talk to your parents and have them around before raiding the fridge, slicing with a knife, working around the stove, and electrical appliances as food processors, and mixers.
Cooking is a great way to stretch your creativity, by making new recipes and polishing on your mathematic skills by confirming dishes according to portion sizes.

Before we forget:

*Make sure your work area is well lighted and there is plenty of fresh air.
*Make sure your floor is dry, slip proof and you are wearing safe shoes covering your toes, incase anything falls from the surface.
*Wear protective heat proof clothing, and cover any hair with nets.
*Wash your hands before starting to cook, and wash them every time you have handled any meat or fish products.
*Cold foods need to stay cold and hot foods hot, to prevent growth of harmful germs.
*Keep your knives sharp, and dry and store them away as soon as the job is done.
*Always put handles of pots and pans facing inwards to avoid accidents.
*Use oven mitts to handle hot food coming out of ovens.
*Always be alert, and keep an eye on the food.

Who does what?
Always have your parents on hand, to watch over you.
If you are,
3 years old. You cold wash fruits and vegetables, tear lettuce and stir dressings.
4 years old. You could grease cake pans, peel eggs and mash bananas with a fork.
5-6 years old. You could measure ingredients, set the table and garnish food.
7-8 years old. You could help plan the meal, beat ingredients with a whisk, and make a salad.
9-12 years old. You could open cans under supervision, shred cheese and vegetables and make simple “Kiddy-pies”.

Butterflies in my stomach

2009-12-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it’s cool to talk about my feelings, about food. To be perfectly honest, I have never been a fussy eater, myself.
Early childhood was spent weaning on rich creamy milk from water buffaloes, and an occasional treat of palm sugar brought a big grin on my baby face.
In my good old school days, food was a resource leading to play. Waking up, was half the fun! The whistling sound of the pressure cooker, marked the dawn of another, school day. While someone was busy dabbing more vanishing cream on the half asleep face, tepid spoonfuls of rice and lentil soup (Kedgeree to a Scottish soldier) would flow swiftly down my hungry tummy.
School lunches were brief elements of surprise, bringing out mums creativity and talents in home economics. Growing up on half ripe bananas and fragrant guavas in a tropical country would sometime be replaced by toasted sandwiches filled with spicy potato and peanut fillings. (It was always a treat to open the Tiffin –box at the at the stroke of lunch hour and unveil the much anticipated secrets).Rare celestial occasions would lead us to buy lunches, from the canteen stall that traded in various fried, quirky assortments, which included tamarind sticks and jhal muri(spiced puffed rice).
The graduation into the heart of my mum’s bengalee kitchen was a slow transition. It all began, with hiding amongst the pleats of mum’s sari while playing hide and seek, and often tumbling into a sack of flour, or an inquisitive fish head. Beads of enthusiasm graduated me into podding peas, and picking spinach leaves, in winter and religiously guarding bales of drying wheat germ from peckish stray crows in the summer.
My first recipe, at the tender age of five was a cold refreshing glass of sherbet(Drink), mixed on a hot summer afternoon, when mum was busy catching up on a little dose of siesta. Brewed meticulously out of freshly squeezed lime juice, mixed with generous spoonfuls of rocksalt, and sugar whisked into an ice cold bowl of freshly drawn well water, it was a welcome break to the sweltering heat.

Oyster by the sea

2009-12-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

OYSTER BY THE SEA
December 10, 2009, Terra Madre Day
Falmouth, Cornwall, UK
Nurturing a Slow Taste—Festiggia Venti Anni________________________________________
Every day at The Greenbank Hotel, in Falmouth, Cornwall, is a Terra Madre day (http://www.greenbank-hotel.co.uk/). When it comes to the Celebration of twenty years of good, clean and fair eating /drinking, there are no exceptions made.

With a county that is blissfully spoilt for its bountiful biodiversity, I am never short of choices as a Head chef when it comes to throwing a feast. We began our day marveling some Native Cornish oysters, still smelling of the sea beds.

Coupled with some crisp winter sunshine we were lucky enough to have Ranger, the Oyster farmer himself on hand: who wove an amazing story about the beautiful tradition of harvesting Native oysters using sail powered working boats (http://www.cornishnativeoysters.co.uk/).
The oysters were followed hot on heels with a cold scoop of the Kea Plum sorbet which uses fruit from the historic plum orchards on Tregothnan Cornish estate combined with Roskilly’s organic milk and ice cream (www.roskillys.co.uk).

Once our palette was cleansed, we leisurely moved onto our main course, which was a rich saffron flavoured risotto finished with Cornish yarg cheese (A delicious semi-hard cheese from Cornwall, deliciously creamy under the rind and slightly crumbly in the core (http://www.lynherdairies.co.uk/).

It has a young, fresh, slightly tangy taste and is made by hand in open round vats and covered with nettle leaves to give an excellent after taste) and topped with some locally landed crayfish tails (http://www.mstevensandson.co.uk/).

Through comfortable streams of enthused words, punctuated with little bites of fresh local seafood ,the afternoon melted into a suitable salute to Carlo Perini’s ,dream of a life less hurried. When it came to the pudding course the stomach was already feeling happy as we polished off the afternoon with a subtle glass of Polgoon vineyard’s Sparkling Peren (Polgoon Sparkling Peren is a unique Cornish Champagne-style top quality sparkling Perry made using exactly the same ‘traditional method’ used to make Champagne made by Polgoon Vineyard in Penzance.(http://polgoonvineyard.vpweb.co.uk/default.html)

We parted exchanging happy hugs, having pleasant thoughts of blessings that God has bestowed upon us in the form of “Slow unhurried and responsible food”.

Joie de vivre
Sanjay Kumar

10 tips for using LinkedIn

2009-12-04T08:44:00.001-08:00

10 tips for using LinkedIn

Posted using ShareThis

What shall I bee?

2009-11-26T15:04:00.001-08:00

Whoever switched on the wind yesterday evening on the river Fal got it really wrong!!!Wayward ships moored halfway across the Carrick roads, swayed listlessly as life boat after life boat left the safe havens of Falmouth bay to respond to infinite SOS calls. As the wind howled past the hollow twittering masts of lonely working boats, a sudden twist of fate landed me amongst a nest of half smashed, and windswept sea gull eggs.

By now your intuitive enzymes must have started to twitch your guts, as to what exactly is my subject of origin. Well afterall, every good story teller gets to divulge its identity in the first few formative words!

Strange things do happen in strange lands, during the strangest of times!!!

So, landing upon my back side,( well actually being that young I had only partial control over my senses) amongst a pile of half cracked sea gull eggs, my chances of survival were thin.Beleiving in the voice of my royal ancestors,( who I had not mortally seen yet, and only heard of in broken conversations) I gathered strength and rolled over to my side, hanging precariously into the rumbling waters of a vengeful river Fal.

The following hour was living hell. Saving myself from the jaws of a meandering river snake, to dodging a wayward flying twig only to be edging close to a sharp cliff end, reminded me of all the blessings I have had in my previously rather uneventful life. A few of my half a dozen siblings were already earth citizens, discovering their senses and the joys of eating locally sourced food, while there I was fading progressively into oblivion, solely because of my laziness to evolve.

A little slip of grip aided by another sharp gust of wind and torrential rain, ended my safe land experience and forced me to become a fellow traveler on the manic wave raft of the gregarious Fal.
Never had I thought in my wildest of dreams that, one day I would be braving the vagaries of nature along with thousands of sea creatures, be it curious looking one armed crabs, to sluggish spotted seals and lusty barnacles. As the wind picked up in speed, so did the obedient waves, howling in unison…as if there was an unfinished job to be done. A strange wave of fear ran down my spine as I almost lost consciousness.

God only knows when I dozed off, partly aided by fear and partly by exhaustion. The last amount of energy reserve was fast combusting, as a sudden tapping sound on my head woke me up from my deep dream of unease. In the first instance, I sensed the end!!!
Perhaps this was the way to go: being trounced under the weight of some wayward wild bird. Moments of excitement slowly gave way to spans of sudden comfort. The cause of my so called end was infact Rosen, a wayfaring bumblebee that had lost its way in the fiercest of storm and landed on me as a final floating resort to rest its tired wings..

Unsure of my own future, I promised to keep afloat as long as my skin held turgid.

Misery had created a bond of the odds. Dried up honey drops from the summer, on Rosen’s tattered wings, gave away an occasional wave of scent to the rather unsettled air, as the weary indefatigable lamp of the nearby lighthouse provided distant comfort. Tales of succulent Kea plums and romancing around the tea vines of Tregothnan almost masked away the effects of a rapidly dying storm. Rosen, had an excellent gift of the gab mind you, and a deep insight of the Life around Fal.

Amidst counting what a blessed life Rosen, had lived and countless beautiful flowers she had pollinated, calm had finally returned to the Falmouth bay. Dawn was breaking reluctantly over the silent hill of Roseland as I finally had found a comfortable little sandy beach to rest my much battered structure. Although emotional, Rosen the bee parted on a rather sweet note.

A mixed feeling of pride and insignificance fills up my weary self. Giving up sometimes is not an option, I guess! And I better get on with it ….and if I do not camouflage myself, chances are, I will soon end up as an exotic omelette on a local restaurants foraging menu.

Hah! So much to be a wild duch egg!!!

“Red sky at night shepherds delight
Red sky in the morning……..”

Keep on keeping on

2009-11-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Key note speech for the 26th of November

Good afternoon,

On behalf of the Green bank Hotel and the entire starcast of the hospitality industry I congratulate the class of 2009 Camborne College, on successfully reaching this vital day.

As rightly said by Doug Marlette,” We are all children in various stages of growing up”.

Every blue moon, it occurs to me, what would be more fun if I had not been a Chef for the past 16 years of my life. Coming from humble Indian parenthoods, while options and jobs were limited, there was no career more convincing and versatile that could offer me so much Spice, while enjoying the better tastes of life. As a chef and core hospitality personnel, challenges are umpteen, while offering perks that are soul satisfying. Be it the sub zero temperatures of Ice bar in London, to the Scorching heat of Saudi Arabian kitchens, to the humid catering college days of Kolkata India, catering has always been a driving force.
Every day in life, is a school day for me. Beginning as a lanky catering college student in the early nineties, in Kolkata nothing seemed more cool than being a fun loving chef .Reality check soon stepped in after graduation when, being a gold medalist and mastering every word in Larousse gastronomique, ended me up in being a line cook washing boxes of ice berg lettuce every night shift in the kitchens of an American restaurant chain, dreams were only sky high!! With a lot of determination, and conviction I spirited up next in the massive kitchens of Hyatt regency, where tonnes of Pizza dough and pasta flour didn’t dampen my will. Couple of years later I moved on to the tranquil beaches of Taj exotica Goa, where the sun and sand married with the vast array of seafood made me fall in love with cooking forever. Saudi Arabia was an amazing experience, where cooking was a medium to bridge global gaps. Moving on to Raymond Blanc boot camp, instilled confidence, while teaching me vital lessons in professionalism, and diligence (This is where I got promoted to a Sous chef within 4 months, partly out of luck and partly out of perseverance). Hotel du vin, was a great place to let my ideas go wild while grooming myself up for the big job. Here at Greenbank, my first head chef job has not been a cake walk, having evolved around the beauty of Cornish produce and the ability to chase the Cornish dream.

Hospitality industry is as old as Civilization itself. It is a big and charming world out there. Here are a few tips that will benefit you in this amazing journey you are going to embark upon.

Find something that you are really passionate about. This gives you a strong sense of purpose and it is a big part of happiness. To do that, you need to be honest with yourself, observant, and make the most out of a situation.
Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them. You will be challenged to do your best and they would elevate your thinking. Smart people will challenge you to think harder and in entirely different ways. Search criticism to become a better self.
Find allies rather than adorers. You can choose to surround yourself with adorers who are easy to be around but never tell you when you screw up. Instead, seek out allies who are honest with you when you feel you are not living up to your potential; people who challenge you to be the best you can be.
Find the courage to do things you are not ready to do. Doing something you are not ready to do isn't comfortable. But in pushing through this discomfort you will learn a lot more about yourself. You learn you can do something you did not think you could do, or you'll learn where you're limits are. Either is valuable. It's important to push through that uneasiness because that's how you really grow and you really reach.
Find places where you're comfortable with.. Passion becomes an amazing neutralizing force for the fear or uneasiness one might usually feel.
You can help others find things. Be an information fountain. Power comes from sharing information. Sharing leads to connection, connection leads to collaboration, collaboration leads to creativity and innovation.
Let me be honored to once again, commend the works of Rachel turland, teachers and industry forces at the Camborne College, who work hard to provide the hospitality industry with fine free thinking individuals like you. Half of my kitchen force at the Green bank comprises of enthusiastic apprentices, who toil hard to make their marks on the face of the hospitality industry.

Thank you, and “Keep on keeping on.

How to enjoy Cornish food responsibly…

2009-11-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

I am sorry this note pad does not have spell check or word count on it.

Good evening delegates. It has been a great pleasure for me and David to be serving a Cornish spread to you all. In a subtle kind of way food has played a pivotal role in the evolution of major world cultures, spanning from the holy lands of Mesopotamia to the more contemporary United Nations refugee camps in Swat valley of Pakistan.

Here in Cornwall, food has always played a central role in the society. Be it the starry Gazie pie or the infamous reggae reggae pastie, or the Roddas clotted cream, every ingredient has a special story to narrate.

On behalf of every crab claw, every pint of Betty stogs and every scoop of Roskilly’s farm house ice-cream welcome you all and wish you a colorfully cultured Cornish experience.

Nasdroviye.

A hurriedly scripted speech at the Tolmen centre, welcoming the delegates of Eroc.

Gone Crabbing

2009-11-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Around the shallow waters of my native Cornish habitat in Falmouth bay, they call me Morveren, the crab. No one ever bothered to explain to me why and when did I loose one of my limbs, or was I born like that. Legend has it, my father was a well known Cornish crab, who was served poached at the royal banquets in London, and my mother was from the highlands.

However in the sixteenth golden year of my eventful life, I have seen it all.

Many a tropical storm, has brewed and withered, many a cruise ship repaired on the docks and many a fishing nets and pots have made unsuccessful bids in curbing my enthusiasm .Here I am, leading the “Cornish high life”, entertaining kids of all ages, by imparting my appearance as a loyal visitor of the pontoon during the local Maritime museum’s Crabbing session .To be honest ,I love it because,I have always been a peoples person myself, and once in a while I get to eat bacon, when they have run out of the usual Mackerel for bait.

Once the summer is out of the way, and I have had enough of swimming in the deep blue sea, avoiding sharp edges of wind swept surf boards, and prying eyes of deceptive sea gulls, I generally wade inwards to the tranquil waters of the Falmouth bay, looking for some fun and company. Generally all of my younger cousins have either been featured in tasting menus of famous restaurants in friendly European countries, or lead a rather low key life within the four walls of domestic aquariums.Honestly, I detest most of them. Sometimes I get to flirt with muscular male spider crabs, but deep down I have a crush on Gorran, the lobster.

Living with only one claw, has its advantages. Local fishermen know me well, and generally chuck me back to the sea with the by catch, even if I do get careless and get caught. The trick of the trade about crabbing is all about show business. Hold tight to the bait, and as it gets suffocating in the air, let go of the hook. Directly!!!

Apart from the light pollution from the gigantic ships at the docks,( which is breeding insomnia among a lot of my brethren) and a few stray non bio-degradable plastic shopping bags, that tend to suffocate us lot, and a few minor oil leaks from visiting super yatches,life is good! There is still plenty of fresh air to breathe, some good Cornish spirit to get happy drunk on, and of course the hope that one day Man and nature will live in harmony, just as good old days of yesteryears.

Crib, Croust, Mossal (Time to eat)

Tall tales of a tea totaller

2009-10-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Falmouth, Oyster festival 09

Autumn brings the sights and smells of roasted wood fire in the thin Cornish air.
As the heavy foot fall of adventurous European tourist thins, Falmouth as any other Cornish sea town gets ready to pick up pieces from another rained down summer. Christmas is not quiet around the corner, and while charity Christmas cards are back in on shop windows with a wrinkly almost peeling off price label, it’s time to welcome yet another yearly Oyster festival .Melancholically, the festival marks Man’s ever waging crusade against the forces of nature. Be it the algal bloom or violent root rot, there is always a degree of slip between the cup and the lip.

With a plethora of fresh produce to work with, it is never too difficult to brew up a storm, in Cornwall. When it comes to cooking for a community based event, it is always good to finish a meal off in style; with a good cuppa.
Here is what we ended up serving a bunch of ten professional tea connoisseurs (And how many times have we recklessly lost our biscuit to the bottom of a sweet cup of tea, while trying to weave our way out of some wayward wafting thoughts, in the horizon…)

Tea appreciation society recommended masala chai pannacotta, and home made biscuit

Prep Time: 15 minutes to cook
4-5 hours chilling time.

Serves: 6 posh Betty stogs
(Cornish for Ladettes!)

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon gelatin
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons TAS Earl grey tea leaves
How to make your own:

Put water in saucepan and sprinkle gelatin on top.
Let stand for a minute, then heat slowly until dissolved, for about 3 minutes.
In another saucepan, heat double cream, milk, and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring just to the boil, then immediately take off the heat.
Add the earl grey tea leaves and let steep for 5 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve, and mix in gelatin mixture.
Pour into 6 tea cups (Quiet loosely inspired by the Italian way of serving tiramisu in expresso cups) and chill 4 hours.
To serve: Serve in the cups, with some red currants, and homemade short bread.

Festival of Cornish oysters 09

2009-10-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Drawing inspirations, wages and plenty of fresh air from Falmouth for the; past 20 months, has never dampened my spirits to arrange a special show during the yearly Falmouth oyster festival this October.
Coinciding with the Hindu festival of Diwali, armed with the support of my team at the Greenbank Hotel, we started the “Falmouth Oyster project”, where we teamed up with local schools and postulated the idea of cooking healthy seafood in community.
Here is the menu we served to the lucky table of ten, on the 17th of October.

.Pani puri, (chopped crayfish tails, potato and coriander in pastry shell, with tamarind water, scallop shell and cress mix)

…………………
Duck wonton with butternut squash veloute and crisp parmesan
…………….

Turbans of locally landed sole stuffed with locally smoked oyster, and salmon, grain mustard butter, grilled tomato.

……………..

Tea appreciation society recommended masala chai pannacotta, and home made biscuit.

And here is a recipe, for you all to try at home

Turbans of locally landed plaice, stuffed with Fal bay oyster, and locally smoked salmon, grain mustard butter, and grilled tomato.

Serves 2 hungry Cornish soldiers
Ingredients
2 Plaice filets (South coast fisheries)
4Fal bay Oysters (smoked)
2 Slices Smoked salmon (Atlantis smokery)
100ml Double cream (Lillie brothers)
2 Tbsp Spingo Grain mustard (West Country fruit sales)
1Bunch flat leaf parsley (West Country fruit sales)
1 Tomato (West Country fruit sales)
1 Lemon

Cooking
Preheat the oven to 180* c.
Place the sliced smoked salmon on one end of the plaice filet and top with a smoked oyster. Starting from that end, roll fillet lengthwise. Secure ends together. . You should have 2 white rose circles with pink centers. Arrange turbans (roses) in a circle around inside rim of a 9" x 1/2" round oven proof dish. Cook in the preheated oven for 10 mins,
While the fish is cooking, pour the double cream in a saucepan, add a spoonful of grain mustard and bring to a boil.
Pour the sauce around the cooked fish, and serve garnished with a grilled tomato and lemon wedge.

Nimboo chai

2009-10-07T05:24:00.000-07:00

Nimboo chai

Long before pet bottles started haunting dioxin emitting landfills in third world countries, lemon tea was a humble concoction drunk out of single use earthenware cups (bhanrs) to fend away a lot of not so serious ailments.
Many a humid Kolkata summer afternoons were spent gauging local newspaper pages, while savoring every last drop of the amber liqueur in make shift tea stalls. Dreams they say need no boundaries to brew.
Nimboo Chai, my dear friends has been a feel good drink: for as long as history began, repeating itself!
Fact enough ,second only to water ,tea is the most consumed beverage in the world!(Shame you can’t loose points on your licence,if you are breathalyzed crossing the limit of sound on the M40,after having a cuppa or two in a swanky little chef café!)
When Sir Thomas Lipton landed in the wee island of Ceylon, he spotted potential straight away in the foothills of Dimbulla.A few centuries hence; the taste test has withstood many a man made calamity. Just as the simplicity of the beverage is in its variety over the years, lemon tea has become an essential feel good drink all over the world.

So how do you brew your own, cuppa-nimboo chai/
Simples!

To make 2 cups of tea:

All you need is,

3 cups of Soft water
1 lime squeezed
A little sliver of ginger smashed
Half a tea spoon of sugar
TAS tea leaves/bags

And you have to do is:
In a saucepan boil the water with ginger and sugar. When the decoction is bubbling profusely, and starting to change colour, squeeze in the lime juice and add tea leaves/bag. Turn off the flame and allow the flavours to infuse. Strain and serve hot or chilled, it’s up to you.

Tea treats: Nimboo chai is scientifically hypothesized to be good at healing stomach aches, heart burns and minor cases of flu. For everything else there is NHS.

Preservation of resources

2009-09-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Ant and the Grasshopper
The advent of autumn often brings me back to overflowing urns of tomato ketchup (Catsup to humble bengalee house wives) and apple jelly around the Kumar households in rural India. While the patriarch of the house was busy procuring post monsoon fish, mum would be religiously engaged haggling on prices of excess tomato, mangoes and apple stocks to prepare her signature concoctions for the forthcoming winter months.
Here in Cornwall, autumn is a good time to end up with a whole glut of food. Whether your mini allotment is overflowing with beans, or your local shop selling plums on a rebate, or the farmers market has a surfeit of seasonal strawberries, there is always a way around it. Not only does preservation present mini thrills down your bowel out of a jar, it also brings back healthy scents and flavors of summer in the kitchen. More so, nothing beats a jar of home made damson chutney, given with love at an intimate party.
Being the Head chef of a busy hotel kitchen, it is always a daunting task to stay on top of wastage, while coming up with innovative ideas to preserve food. A wilted bunch of chervil turns into a beautiful bright green Pesto sauce, while punnets of bruised strawberries produce the sweetest coulis.
Why Preserve Food?
Long before the age of Internet shopping, super refrigerators and mega supermarkets, preservation was the best tool to beat the odds and prices in the dearth of winter. Jams, jellies, pickles, chutneys, smoking, salting, drying, canning or bottling, are some common ways of preserving food. Preserving stretches the budget, and very often retains the freshness and goodness of the produce long past its calendar month of birth.

Jams, Jellies, marmalades

Making jam or jelly is great way to make the most of plentiful summer fruits with the minimum amount of fuss or equipment.
Freezing
Some food products can be blanched in salt solutions and frozen effectively. Green summer vegetables are classic examples of this category.
Canning
Canning is the method of preserving food in jars. The food is packed into jars, sealed and sterilized to a high temperature.
Pickling and Chutney
The addition of vinegar (pickling) to food acts as an antiseptic by creating an acidic environment which prevents the growth of the food spoiling bacteria. Pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut, onions, beetroot, fish, even fruits, are much loved pickled foods.

Smoking, Salting, Drying
Smoking food especially fish is a great way to have your omega 3s. Although salting is out of favour due to low salt diets, it works wonders with gravadlax. Any abundant fresh herbs and berries can be dried for later use.
Drink - Liqueurs, Syrups and Cordials
There are some lovely drinks that can be created from fruits, nuts and flowers.

As, a guru of modern English would say” Make hay while the sun shines”,
Never hesitate to innovate, indulge and let others do the mathematics.

Simples…

Scallops recipe

2009-08-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

SEARED FAL BAY QUEEN SCALLOPS WITH FRESH FENNEL SALAD,CRISPY PANCETTA AND CORIANDER PESTO
MAKES 2 FIRST COURSE SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS
OLIVE OIL….2TABLE SPOONS
FENNEL BULB…01
SPRING ONIONS…2
CORIANDER……1 BUNCH
RED CHILLI…..1 DESEEDED
TAMARIND PULP…..20GMS
ROASTED PEANUTS…UNSALTED……..20GMS
GROUND NUT OIL……………50ML
BUTTER ..UNSALTED………2TBS
QUEEN SCALLOPS ………….06 DRY
PANCETTA ..PRESLICED…..2 NUMBERS
CORNISH SEA SALT………………2GMS
FRESHLY GROUND WHITE PEPPER….3GMS
LIME………………………………………….01
EMPTY SCALLOP SHELLS AND SEAWEED FOR GARNISH
PREPARATION
PLACE THE SLICED PANCETTA ON A NON STICK PAN,OVER LOW HEAT..AND COOK UNTILL ALL THE FAT IS RELEASED AND THE BACON CRISPS UP.
USE A KITCHEN TOWEL TO ABSORB ALL RELEASED FAT.
SEASON SLICED FENNEL AND SPRING ONION WITH A PINCH OF CORNISH SEA SALT ,AND CRUSHED WHITE PEPPERCORN AND KEEP ASIDE.
MIX THE WASHED CORIANDER LEAVES ,SOAKED TAMARIND PULP ,DESEEDED RED CHILLI AND PEANUTS,IN A BOWL AND SLOWLY EMULSIFY WITH GROUNDNUT OIL .KEEP THE CORIANDER PESTO IN A JAR .
DUST THE SCALLOPS WITH CORNISH SEA SALT AND CRUSHED PEPPER. IN A VERY HOT PAN WITH MELTED NUT BROWN BUTTER AND OLIVE OIL,SEAR THE SCALLOPS UNTILL GOLDEN BROWN ON BOTH SIDES AND OPAQUE IN THE CENTRE.
DEGLAZE TH SCALLOPS WITH A DASH OF LIME JIUCE.
SIT THE EMPTY SCALLOPS SHELLS ON A BED OF SEA WEED,HEAP THE FENNEL SALAD IN THE SHELLS GENEROUSLY.
PLACE THE COOKED QUEEN SCALLOPS ON TOP OF THE SALAD,AND DRIZZLE A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF CORIANDER PESTO ON TOP.
SERVE HOT GARNISHED WITH A PANCETTA CRISP,AND A CHILLED GLASS OF CAMEL VALLEY CORNWALL BRUT 2004 SPARKLING WINE.

Tip…a jar of coriander pesto jazzes up your thai fishcakes and vegetable soups,while adding a zing to a normal bowl of stir fried noodles.

Crab claw recipe

2009-08-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Sanjay says…Have lots of bread handy to mop off the coconut rich, seafood sauce! The colorful sweetness of the coconut milk and crab,
balances the subtle saltiness of the smoky bacon, a classic combination of seafood and pork, that so symbolizes the ethos of Slow food of today. “Enjoying, responsibly sourced food, passionately”.

Srilankan style Cornish crab claws with sweet chili sauce
and Smokey bacon.

Serves: 1 hungry Cornish miner

Processing time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

--Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of sliced garlic
Fresh coriander leaves
4 Cornish crab claws
1 green chilli
5 g Ginger root sliced
10 tablespoons of coconut milk
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
Lime wedges
1 Rasher smoked bacon crisped

Method:
Combine the sliced garlic, coconut milk and the deseeded green chilli in a sauce pan.
Put the Cornish crab claws in the mixture.
Boil the claws, until all of the liquid has evaporated.
Serve hot, drizzled with sweet chilli sauce, plenty of lime wedges and fresh coriander leaves, and juliennes of smoked bacon.

Newlyn bay Free Cornish seafood recipes

2009-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Supporters of the Newlyn fish festival,and fish lovers.
Here is a collection of a few of my recipes that you can practice at home and enjoy the joys of eating fish.
More illustrated recipes can be downloaded from my website at
www.sanjayskitchen.co.uk

Jerk seasoned Cornish Tuna Niscoise
With poached Ducks egg, and kalamata olives

Serves: 01 Hungry Cornish man
Preparation time…15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Cornish Tuna steak
10ml olive oil
1 Duck egg
1 /4 lemon wedge
A handful of lizard leaf salad
20ml white wine vinegar
30 Gms Sugar snap peas
25Gms Jerk seasoning*
80 Gms Cornish earlies
5 Kalamata olives Pitted
3 Cherry tomatoes
Slices of French bread
Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

 Place the duck eggs in simmering water with white wine vinegar and poach for 5 minutes.
 Top and tail the green beans, boil for 2-3 minutes and refresh under cold water.

Method:

 Cure the Cornish Tuna in Jerk seasoning for 15 minutes; Grill the steaks for 1 minute on each side.
 Boil the Cornish Earlies in salted water and slice them into roundels. Pan fry the roundels in Olive oil and keep warm.
 Put the lizard leaves in the bowl and top with the green beans and kalamata olives.
 Place the cooked Tuna steak on top of the salad.
 Arrange the poached ducks egg around the tuna.
 Put the hot sautéed potatoes and cherry tomatoes around the salad
 Finish with a lemon wedge and, fresh coriander leaves.

Sanjay says, “Food has always played an important role in unifying the world. I like to cook this dish, as it promotes diversity through the unity of flavour. A perfect compliment to the present day British society!! Each element in this dish, has a unique geographic origin, flavour and identity, yet, carefully arranged in a plate, it offers a feast to the eyes and tongue alike”.

To serve:

Serve the salad warm, with plenty of French bread to mop the silky egg yolk. Locally sourced Mackerel or Sea bass can be a good alternative to Cornish tuna.

Yummy!
Locally smoked mackerel and wild garlic yarg tart

Ingredients:
Makes 1x25 cm tart to serve 6-8

For the pastry For the filling
125g unsalted butter, cubed 250g Wild garlic yarg
250g all purpose flour 3 smoked mackerel fillets
1 egg yolk 6 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
250ml double cream
Juice of ½ lemon
A few pinches ground nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
Dressed salad leaves, to serve
Preparation:
 First, make the pastry. Place the butter and flour in a food processor, and then mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 50ml cold water, add to the mixer and continue processing until it forms a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour. Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before you want to roll it.
 Next, butter a 25cm tart tin and sprinkle with a little flour. Dust the dough with flour and roll out to 3mm thick. Carefully lift the dough onto the tart tin, then press down into the base and trim the edges, leaving extra to allow for shrinkage. Prick the base with a fork, and then chill for 30 minutes.
 Preheat the oven to 170C. Line the pastry with a sheet of greaseproof paper, then fill with dried peas or beans and bake for 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to 140C and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until dry. Remove from the oven and set aside.
 Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Skin the mackerel fillets, cut them in half lengthways and flake the flesh, removing any bones. Beat together the yolks, eggs, cream, lemon juice and nutmeg, and then season. Scatter the mackerel, spring onions and grated wild garlic yarg over the cooked tart shell. Preheat the oven to 180C Place the pastry case in the oven, and then carefully pour over the cream mixture until it reaches the rim of the case, being careful not to let it overflow. Cook for 30-40 minutes until set.
Sanjay says,

To serve: Remove the tart from the oven, trim off any excess pastry and serve with dressed salad leaves.

Cornish seafood and growfair cauliflower tabbouleh

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower
1 kg (2 1/4 lb.) Mussels
12 cooked small Shrimps + 4 for garnish
200 g (7 oz.) Crab meat
1 sweet pepper
50 ml (3 tbsp.) white wine
100 g (3 1/2 oz.) shallot
1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tbsp. chopped mint + a few leaves for garnish
Juice of half a lemon
4 tbsp. olive oil
Preparation:
 Peel the cauliflower. Wash it and grate it to form a fine "couscous."
 Place it in a fine-meshed strainer and immerse in boiling water for 50 seconds.
 Wash the mussels and cook in a saucepan with 50 ml white wine until they open up. Shell them.
 Peel the shrimp.
 Combine the crabmeat, mussels and shrimp.
 Chop the shallot and finely dice the pepper.
 Combine the cauliflower couscous with the shallot, pepper and herbs.
 Add all the seafood. Season with lemon juice and olive oil.

Sanjay says,

To serve:
 Place the cauliflower and seafood tabbouleh in the center of the plate.
 Garnish the perimeter with sliced lemons and tomatoes.
 Add 1 mint leaf and 1 whole shrimp.

Potted Cornish Crayfish tails and crab with
toasted whole meal bread and lemon

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 ounces unsalted Cornish butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 ounces Cornish clotted cream
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch ground mace
Pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped chives
12 ounces Crayfish tails drained
8 ounces white/brown crab meat
2 tablespoons chopped dill

Preparation:
 In the bowl , combine the butter, lemon juice, clotted cream, shallots, sherry, salt, mace, cayenne, and mix with a rubber spatula.
 Add the crab meat and crayfish tails mix to combine.
 Fold in the dill. Transfer to a large bowl, smoothing the top with the spatula.
 Chill until just firm, not letting the butter get too hard, about 30 minutes.

Sanjay says,

To serve:
 Serve, garnished with a whole cooked shrimp, toasted whole meal bread and lemon wedge.

Champagne saffron and mussels’ soup with
oyster beignet caramelised onion crostini

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the soup For the beignets

3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded 1/2 (12-ounce) container fresh oysters
1 cup dry champagne 1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 large leek chopped 1/2 cup milk
1 medium celery rib, chopped 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2-1/2 Rich Fish Stock 4 large eggs
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 bay leaf Vegetable oil
12 black peppercorns
12 parsley stems 4 Caramelised onion crostini
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:
For the soup

 In a nonreactive soup pot, combine mussels and champagne. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and cook until mussels have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove mussels from shells, reserving 6 large mussels and 6 half-shells for garnish. Discard any mussels that don't open.
 Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a large bowl. In same soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add leek and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add fish stock, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, and saffron, remaining cooked mussels, and reserved mussel liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes
 Remove and discard bay leaf. In a food processor or blender, purée soup in batches until smooth and return to soup pot. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch with cream and stir into soup. Add salt and pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain soup through a sieve into a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.
For the beignets
 Drain oysters, reserving 1/2 cup oyster liquor. Coarsely chop oysters; set aside.
 Combine flour and lemon rind in a small bowl.
 Combine reserved oyster liquor, milk, and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Add flour mixture all at once, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon 1 minute or until mixture leaves sides of pan. Remove from heat.
 Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition until smooth. Fold in oysters and chives. Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 375°. Drop oyster mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls into oil. Fry, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on wire racks.
Sanjay says,
To serve:
 Divide soup among 6 soup plates and garnish each serving with a mussel on the half-shells. Top the soups with an oyster beignet and a crunchy red onion crostini.

Smoked locally landed native hand dived king scallop on a
bed of baby spinach and home made sweet chilli relish

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Scallop shells ...4
Smoked scallop meat....08
Baby spinach leaves.....16
Sweet chilli sauce....10 tbs

Preparation:

 Slice the smoked king scallop meat into two halves.
 Lay four of the washed baby spinach leaves on the bottom of the scallop shell.
 Neatly arrange the four halves of the smoked king scallop meat on top of the baby spinach.
 Drizzle the sweet chilli sauce lavishly on top of the scallop meat. Serve around with a glass of Chilled Cornish bubbly.

Sanjay says, “Any left over scallop trimmings can add a lot of character to a sad risotto, or aroma to a dull fish stew. Sweet chilli sauce comes in handy in my larder to enliven a pasta dish or simply dunking my dripping fried chips in”.

Bengali style five spiced@ coconut flavoured Cornish mussels

Serves: 4
Ingredients:

2 lbs live mussels
2 cups water (or any good quality stock)
1 can of coconut milk
1 small onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 tsp paanch phoran
2 tbsp mustard seed oil (or vegetable or canola)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
salt to taste
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Preparation:
 Thoroughly wash and scrub the mussels and discard any beards that remain attached to the shells. Also, discard any mussels that are open and fail to close shut when lightly tapped. Drain well and set aside until needed.
 In a large wok on medium heat, add the mustard seed oil and then carefully add the paanch phoron spices. After the splattering has subsided, add the onion. Stir fry until lightly browned and then add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry for an additional 2-3 minutes and add the turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander and salt. Add the water and the coconut milk. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
 Add the cleaned mussels, reduce the heat, cover and steam for 6-8 minutes by which time all the mussels should have fully opened. If any mussels have failed to open, discard them. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

Sanjay says,

To serve:
 Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

Sanjay’s Quick Crayfish Chilli Cheese Toast

Serves: 3
Ingredients:

1 (4 ounce) chopped green chillies
30 ml mayonnaise
6 slices French bread, toasted
6 slices Cornish yarg cheese
Boiled crayfish tails in brine
1 lemon cut into wedge

Preparation:
 In a bowl, combine the chillies and mayonnaise.
 Spread over each slice of bread.
 Top each with a cheese slice and a generous amount of drained crayfish tails. Broil the slices and keep under the heat for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Sanjay says,

To serve:
 Serve hot with home made ketchup and lemon wedges.

Crabmeat crusted hand dived scallops with
Cornish hogs pudding and Cornish earlies salad

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 tb Oil
1/2 lb Hogs pudding
1/2 c Minced onions
2 c Peeled diced Cornish earlies
1 tb Chopped garlic
2 tb Chopped green onions, green part on
12 lg Diver scallops; shucked, cleaned
Salt; to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper; to taste
24 Cornish Fairings
4 tb Butter; melted
1/2 lb Crabmeat; picked over
1 tb Finely-chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 c Fried parsley sprigs

Preparation:
 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
 In a large sauté pan, heat the oil. Add the hogs pudding and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions. Continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes
Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and green onions. Set aside and keep warm. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
 Place the scallops in a large oven-proof oval ramekin; all of the scallops should touch each other.
 In a mixing bowl, crush the fairings. Stir in the butter. Mix well. Season the crust with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and crab meat. Mix well. Season the crust with salt and pepper. Spread the crust evenly over the scallops.
 Place in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven.

Sanjay says,

To serve:
 Mound the potato salad in the center of four plates. Arrange three scallops around the salad.

Goan spiced crab cakes, pappadums, avocado and tamarind

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1/4 c Corn oil 1 tb Chopped chives

1 Onion; diced small
1 Egg; beaten

1 tb Peeled; minced fresh ginger
1 cup Japanese breadcrumbs
1/2 tb Minced garlic Cornish sea salt to taste
1 ts Coriander seeds; ground Freshly-ground black pepper;

1 ts Cumin seed; ground Cayenne; to taste
1/4 ts Turmeric Avocado
1 Tomato; diced small 4 c Baby greens
1 c Crabmeat; carefully picked
4 Pappadums
2 md Shrimp; minced to fine paste 1/4 c Tamarind chutney

2 Limes; zested (chopped), and juiced
8 Sprigs cilantro; washed

Preparation:
 In a large saute pan, heat one tablespoon of the corn oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and the tomato and continue to cook until it turns dry. Remove from the heat and cool down.
 In a large mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, the cooled onion mixture, shrimp, chopped lime zest and juice, cilantro, chives, beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of the panko. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix well so that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Test a small quantity by forming a teaspoon of this mix into a small patty and frying it in a pan. Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.
 Divide this mixture into 4 equal portions. Form into balls and flatten to form small patties. Put the rest of the panko on a cutting board. Place the patties one at a time in the bread crumbs.
 Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet large enough to hold the crab cakes on medium heat. Add the oil and fry the crab cakes. When the cakes turn a light golden color, flip them over and cook them on the other side until they are light golden in color. Using a slotted spatula, remove and drain on a paper towel.
 Take 4 large plates and place the baby greens in the centers and a pappadum on top of the greens. Fill each pappadum with a scoop of Avocado and top with a crab cake. Spoon the tamarind around the plate.

Sanjay says,

Pea and mint pancakes with smoked Salmon and
Citrus Crème Fraiche

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Coarse sea salt
4 ounces sugar snap peas trimmed
1/2 cup green peas
1 bunch mint
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup crème Fraiche or sour cream
4 ounces smoked rainbow trout, sliced
Freshly snipped chives for garnish

Preparation:
 Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and then lightly salt it. Blanch the sugar snap peas in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sugar snaps to the ice water bath (keep the water at a boil). Once cool, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sugar snaps to a bowl.
 Add more ice to the water bath. Repeat the blanching process for the shelled peas, blanching them for 3 minutes or until tender, and shocking them in the ice bath. Transfer the cooled peas to a small bowl and coarsely mash them with a fork, add the julienned mint.
 In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar snap peas, milk, and cream, and purée until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the egg. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and a pinch of salt, and whisk to combine. Fold the mashed peas into the batter.
 Heat the oven to 250°F.
 In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. Drop tablespoons of batter into the pan. When the edges are lightly browned after 2 minutes, flip the pancakes, lower the heat as far as it will go, and cook until the pancakes are done in the centre and the bottoms are browned, about another 2 minutes. Transfer the pancakes to a baking tray lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Keep the pancakes in the warm oven until all the batter has been used.

Sanjay says,

To serve:
 Serve topped with a dollop of crème Fraiche, a slice of smoked trout, and a sprinkling of chives.

Cornish coastal Seabass Thakumaar Doi mach

Serves: 3
Ingredients:
500 Gms Sea bass, de-scaled and cleaned
100 Gms of mustard oil or any other cooking oil
4 cloves
4 small cardamoms
2 inch pieces cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 inch ginger
1 small bulb garlic
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
100 grams of sour curds/yogurt
Salt and sugar to taste
A few green chillies
2 tsp. clarified butter (ghee)
Preparation:
 Clean and wash the fish pieces thoroughly, and cut it into squares or rectangles of around 4 inches dimension. Wipe dry.
 Smear 1 tsp. turmeric and a little salt to the pieces. Keep aside.
 Grind the onion, garlic, and ginger till turns into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
 Beat the sour curds/yogurt with half cup of water till smooth and set aside.
 Heat oil to smoking.
 Lightly fry the fish pieces and keep aside. In the heated oil, now, add the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Then add the ground paste of onion, garlic, and ginger. Fry lightly till the spices are browned.
 Now mix the remaining one teaspoon of turmeric powder and the red chili powder with three teaspoons of water and add to the frying paste. Fry again. Stir to prevent the spices from sticking to the pan.
 Now add to this the beaten sour curds. Stir the mixture and add one more cup of water.
 Now add salt to taste and a teaspoon of sugar or less if you want. Add the green chilies and cook a while till the excess water begins to dry up and till the gravy comes to a boil.
 Next gently add the fried Seabass pieces let it cook on high heat till the oil separates and floats on top. Before taking off from the fire add the clarified butter,to give a smooth finish to the dish.
Sanjay says, “Doi Mach is a very popular Bengali dish religiously savoured during Kali pujo. Here is Doi Mach recipe using some fantastic Cornish sea bass”.
To serve:
 Serve hot with some steaming hot rice and prawn crackers

Mille feuille of Locally Smoked Haddock,
Red mullet and Sea lettuce

Serves: 1
Ingredients:
For the haddock and mullet
150g skinned haddock
1 Red mullet butter flied
1 long sheet sea lettuce washed
For the potatoes
4 Cornish earlies scrubbed
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
25 g crayfish tails in brine
1/4 bunch spring onion sliced
squeeze lemon juice
For the sauce
1 tbsp dry spingo mustard
50ml double cream
100ml aromatic fish stock
5 smoked mussels
1 tomato peeled and diced
For the poached egg
1 duck egg
250ml white wine vinegar

Preparation:
 For the smoked haddock and red mullet:
Lightly oil a small baking tray or dish and put the haddock and red mullet wrapped in sea lettuce on this ,and then put into the oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
 For the crushed potatoes:
Cook the Cornish earlies in a pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Drain the potatoes and stir in the rapeseed oil, the crayfish tails and spring onion. Crush lightly with a fork and add a squeeze of lemon juice.
 For the sauce:
Bring the fish stock to a boil and reduce to half, pour in the double cream and put the mustard, a pinch each of salt and pepper and when the sauce starts to thicken add the tomato concasse and smoked mussels.
 For the poached egg:
Put a pan of water on to boil with the white wine vinegar. When it is nearly boiling, crack the egg into a cup and quickly drop into the water. Poach for 3 minutes.
Sanjay says, “whole meal granary bread is recommended to accompany this dish to mop the rich sauce off the plate while enjoying the complexities of the delicately matched flavors”.
To serve:
 Spoon the potatoes onto the plate and place the haddock on top. Place the poached egg on top and serve with a generous drizzling of the rich mustard sauce.
Garam Masala dusted Newlyn bay Filet of Halibut
Served with crushed Bombay style Cornish earlies, new season Rowes farm Asparagus and Coconut-Curry Butter
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
180 ml dry white wine
120 ml heavy cream
80 ml coconut milk
15 g Greenbank curry powder
225 g cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cornish sea salt to taste
60 ml vegetable oil
4 <150 Gms> fillets Newlyn bay Halibut
15 g garam masala
For the Bombay crushed earlies
200 Gms Cornish earlies (boiled in their skin)
3 Gms Turmeric powder
1 gm Chilli powder
2gms Ground Coriander
1 gm Ground Ginger
1 bunch Cornish asparagus, Trimmed

Preparation:
For the sauce:
 Pour white wine, cream, and coconut milk into a saucepan; season with curry powder. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the liquid has reduced to 1/2 cup< about 10 minutes.>
 When the liquid has reduced, turn heat to low, and whisk in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until all of the butter has incorporated. Do not allow the mixture to boil or else it will separate. When the butter has incorporated, season to taste with salt and set aside to keep warm.
 Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. While the oil is heating, lightly season both sides of the Halibut with garam masala and salt.
 Sear the Halibut in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes on one side, then turn over, and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until done. Deglaze with clarified butter and finish with a drizzle with a squeeze of lemon. Briefly drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil, keep aside.
For the Bombay crushed potatoes:
 Heat some oil in a pan, cook off the ground cumin, and turmeric powder, add rest of the tomatoes. Add the boiled Cornish earlies and coat them generously with the spiced tomatoes. Crush the spiced potatoes and keep warm.
 Blanch the Cornish asparagus spears in salted water for 2-3 minutes and keep aside.

Sanjay says, “This fish dish is a great marriage between oriental flavours and fresh Cornish summer produce .Reminds me of a typical summer afternoon, discussing Sachin Tendulkar’s feats on the cricket pitch while enjoying a subtle South Indian fish dish in one of the eponymous Mumbai cafes, only inches away from the sea”.
To serve:
 Spoon a generous amount of crushed earlies on the fish plate. Sit the Halibut on top, and place the blanched asparagus spears criss crossing each other. Drizzle the coconut butter around and garnish with a bunch of Confit cherry tomatoes on the vine, and a pickled lemon wedge.

Cornish housewife’s Asian Seafood Risotto

Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 bulbs fresh lemon grass -- chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups fish stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce -- nuoc mam
2 limes -- juiced
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1 1/2 pound medium prawns -- shelled and deveined
1 ½ pound scallops
1 ½ pound mussels
1 ½ pound clams
3 tablespoons minced mint
salt and ground white pepper
Preparation:
 Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add lemon grass, ginger, garlic and shallots and sauté over low heat until soft.
 Meanwhile, place coconut milk, stock, 1/2 cup wine, fish sauce and lime juice in another saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer.
 Add rice to saucepan with lemon grass and cook, stirring, a minute or two. Add remaining wine and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk mixture and stir until it is absorbed, then continue adding the mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Rice should be al dente after about 15 minutes.
 Stir in shrimp; cook until they turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the mussels and clams until they open, then add the scallops and cook until they are translucent. Fold in mint. Season with salt and pepper and divide among soup plates.

Sanjay says, “ ”.

To serve:
 Season with salt and pepper and divide among soup plates and serve.

“Goan Prawn Curry with Cumin Rice Pilaf”

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
50ml vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped
Pinch of ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
60ml coconut cream
2 tbsp fresh, sieved tamarind
160ml coconut milk
600g large, raw tiger prawn tails
Salt to taste
Preparation:
For Prawn Curry:
 Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and fry for 10 minutes until soft. Add the ginger and green chili and fry for 1 minute. Add the turmeric, coriander, and cumin and chili powder. Mix well. Add the coconut cream and cook until the oil separates out from the mix.
 Add the tamarind and coconut milk and bring the sauce to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shell the prawns (leaving their tails on, if you like) and remove the dark digestive cords. Wash the prawns in cold water and drain them thoroughly.
 Drop the prawns into the sauce, add salt to taste and gently simmer until the prawns are cooked - about 5 minutes.
 The sauce should be of pouring consistency. Garnish, if you like, with shredded spring onion, and serve with rice.
For Pilaf (Rice):
 Boil the basmati rice for 15 minutes, and drain.
 Sauté some cumin seeds in vegetable oil, add the rice and coat it, evenly.

Sanjay says, “ ”.
To serve:
 Serve hot, garnished with fresh coriander leaf.

Tregothnan estate afternoon tea, turmeric and ginger poached locally landed Monkfish tail with crayfish and freshly podded pea fried rice and watercress oil

Serves: 2
Ingredients:
4,07 oz Monk fish tails
100 gms fresh crayfish tails
1 stem ginger
1tbsp turmeric powdered
1 bunch fresh watercress leaves
150 Gms cooked basmati rice
50 Gms freshly podded peas
5 ml soya sauce
01 shallot chopped finely
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 TREGOTHNAN ESTATE AFTERNOON TEA
Preparation:
For the oil:
 Pick through the bunch of watercress for any dead /wilted leaves and discard them.
 Put the watercress in a kitchen blender and slowly blend 100 ml of the olive oil into it.
 Make a fine paste of the leaves, and pass it through a fine muslin cloth.
 Reserve the green oil in a cool place.
 Fill a heavy bottom kitchen skillet with water, drop the crushed ginger root, turmeric powder and TREGOTHNAN ESTATE AFTERNOON TEA BAGS into the pan and bring to a boil.
 Place the Monkfish tails in the poaching liquid and simmer gently until the fish becomes firm and achieves a pale yellow color.
For the fried rice:
 Heat 50 ml of the olive oil in a hot skillet and brown the chopped shallots.
 Add the crayfish tails, freshly podded peas and the cooked basmati rice to the shallots and mix well. Adjust the seasoning with a splash of soya sauce.
To assemble:
 Spoon the crayfish fried rice in the middle of a deep bowl plate.
 Sit the TREGOTHNAN ESTATE AFTERNOON TEA poached monkfish tail on top of it, and serve garnished with a few prawn crackers and a generous drizzle of watercress oil.

Sanjay says, “ ”.
To serve:
 Serve garnished with a few prawn crackers and a generous drizzle of watercress oil.

Stargazy pie according to Sanjay Kumar
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Scallop shell....02 boiled
Puff pastry sheet....01
Sardine ...04
Dry scallop with roe...04
Boiled egg......01
Native fal bay oysters...02
Monkfish tail.....200gms
Onion....01 large chopped
Garlic....01 clove,peeled and chopped
Tomato...02 chopped
Turmeric......1 tsp
Coriander........1 tsp
Cumin powder.......1 tsp
Chilli powder........1 tsp
Egg wash....10ml
Saffron strands...few strands
Milk...15ml..
Vegetable oil..20ml
Cornish sea salt...5gm
Peppercorn....2 gm
Preparation:
 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
 Heat a sauce pan, with vegetable oil, and soften the onion, garlic and tomatoes, with spices.
 Neatly arrange the scallops , oyster meat, monkfish tail, and boiled egg in the base of a scallop shell.
 Season the fish with Crushed Cornish sea salt and freshly crushed pepper
 Spread the tomato and onion mixture on top of the fish mix, and lay the sardines on top, with their heads facing skywards.
 Cover the scallop shells with the puff pastry sheets, leaving the heads of sardines looking out of the pastry and seal the edges with egg wash.
 Brush the surface of the pastry with saffron soaked in milk
 Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes

Sanjay says, “ ”.

To serve:
 Serve garnished with curly parsley, on a bed of local seaweed with some coriander tossed boiled pink fir apple potatoes from across the Flushing.

Paupiette of Newlyn bay Plaice, Atlantis smoked salmon,
wild garlic and crab mousse line
With new season Grow fair Cornish asparagus
and wild rice risotto, tomato and Chilli salsa

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Paupiette
600g Plaice fillets skinned
300g Smoked Salmon sliced.
4 Wild Garlic Leaves
50 g mixed white and brown crab meat
Risotto
12 asparagus spears
30 g teaspoon butter
2 chopped shallots
100g Arborio rice
50g wild rice
50 ml dry white wine
500ml fish stock
Sea Salt to taste
Salsa
16 fresh cherry tomatoes finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Preparation:
For the Paupiette:
 Gently beat out the plaice fillets between 2 sheets of cling film, place a thin slice of smoked salmon, wild garlic leaf and a mousse of white and brown crab meat on each fillet and roll into a paupiette starting from the tail of the fillet and wrap tightly in cling film, chill well.
For the Risotto:
 Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter).
 Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green colour and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.
 In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated. While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, add the wild rice and continue cooking and stirring until the stock is absorbed, and the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
 Gently stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the salsa:

 Start with chopping up the fresh cherry tomatoes. Prepare the chillies and red onion. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Let sit for an hour for the flavours to combine.

Sanjay says, “ ”.

What the head

2009-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Be it Dante’s “Divine comedy” or the dream sequences of Sopranos, fish head has a special place in world food culture. To add to its glory, it is bloody marvelous to weave through the mosaic of bones, squeezing the juicy bits out. The fun I guess is in contemplating upon the sheer majesty of the appendage that so very well in many species of fish becomes the source of life and death, et al.
Talking of which reminds me of early winter afternoons where a lone village fishmonger would wait optimistically for a wandering tradesman, interested in buying his rather ugly looking fish head.
A makeshift hand fan improvised deftly out of local sal leaves would try frantically to fend off any wandering house flies from prying adventurously upon the freshly gutted, jet red gills of a local river fish.
World cuisines vary according to regions and common beliefs. Goan fish head curry and mums Chenchdabring back memories of hot monsoon afternoons of the Asian subcontinent. Nothing compares to Crappit heid a traditional Scottish highland dish. A more recent Cornish revelation “Stargazy Pie”, which edifies fish pie to the all time hall of fame, by arranging pilchards with their tails toward the centre of the pie and their heads poking up through the crust around the edge, so that they appear to be gazing skyward.

Nutri fish

2009-08-15T20:27:00.002-07:00

Nutri fish

Tales have always been told, about the super food nature of nutrition that fish provides to our natural diet. Lessons imparted, in every Bengali Brahmin family in India tempted a young convert to eat fish, leading to every possible pleasure in life. The fish head enhanced eye sight, while the skin made you fairer and the bones stronger, and eating the specially interesting bits made you get a wife as beautiful as goddess durga. Some less curious wannabe super heroes would just eat fish because it was fun, to pull out tasty morsels from a maze of bones.
Whatever fish you are willing to eat; nutritionally it is one of the most valuable food products around.
The flesh is an excellent source of protein that helps the growth and repair of our body cells.Fish, is low in carbohydrates and saturated fats. Oily fishis rich in fat soluble vitamins A and D, and almost all fish is rich in riboflavin, niacin, B6, B12, pantothenic acid and biotin. Fish is an abundant source of minerals, and some small fish provide a useful amount of calcium when eaten whole. Fish is relatively low in calories as compared to other rich in protein foods and many varieties are rich in Omega 3 , which is an essential fatty acid.
Many diet patterns across the world support the fact that consuming fish relates to lower chances of cardiovascular diseases, smoothens the skin and promotes longer life spans amongst individuals.

Finding nemo

2009-08-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

What do you call the food prepared from fish?, well Fish isn’t it!
Here is a collection of facts and figures that will make your eyelids flutter in awe, and by the way do fish have eyelids? No but Sharks do!
More fun fish information can be accessed at….http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/

From shore to plate

2009-08-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

FROM SHORE TO PLATE
Buying a proper piece of fish is half the battle won. Before you have embarked upon the elaborate process of deciding upon what’s to feature on your menu, deciding upon the desired result is vital.
Various outlets offer fish or fish products in Fresh, frozen, canned or smoked packages.
FRESH IS BEST!!!
When choosing fresh fish, it is imperative to choose the freshest fish possible.
Very often it is cheaper to buy a whole fish, as it offers a good indication of freshness, and desired results are meticulously achieved.
Fish should look moist and fresh, eyes should be bright, flesh firm, gills red and scales should sparkle.
Fresh fish should smell of the sea, and not fishy! Some fish tend to have a natural slime, which can be removed by rinsing with cold running water. When selecting fish fillets, flesh should look moist and bright.
A good fishmonger should tell you when and where the fish was caught, landed. Try and buy fish at busy fish mongers where the turnover is high.
The flesh should be firm and should spring back if pressed lightly. If fingers leave a depression the fish is no longer fresh. If you can twist a fish enough to kiss its tail, it’s no more a fresh one!!!!
Mollusks and crustaceans should smell sweet and briny and not of sewage.
Bivales such as mussels, oysters, scallops should be bought alive and avoid the ones with chipped shells.
Live lobsters and crabs should be active when alive, and should feel heavy when cooked.
Any blackening on the joints of Crustaceans display their staleness.

WHY DO MUMS GO TO ICELAND?
While fresh fish is seasonal and pretty much for the day,frozen fish is available all year round and has a longer shelf life.A lot of fish nowadays is frozen at sea and is of the best quality,to preserve the freshness.Frozen fish is generally available pre prepared thus making it practically easier to handle.
It is a common belief that some fish tenderizes when frozen! Octopus is a prime disciple, of this faith.
White fish can be frozen, wrapped properly for up to four months, while oily fish can be stored for three months.Shellfish; especially prawns should be consumed within two months of freezing.
CAN CANS
One of the handiest store cupboard ingredients is canned fish, which can keep fresh, almost indefinitely ,is a great picnic food and is generally a great tool to store oily fish. Cornish pilchards are prime examples, of this trade.

SMOKIE JOES
Smoking is a process of preserving fish, and adding a characteristic smoky flavor. Depending upon the desired outcome, fish can be cold or hot smoked.Salmon, Kippers and Haddock are prime categories while Tout and Mackerel are catching up with the trend.

BRINING, PICKLING AND DRYING
Are some other ways of adding extra life and flavour to fish.

Catch of the day

2009-08-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

With three quarters of the planet being surrounded by water, it is hard to ignore the bounties that is on offer in the form of fish .Fish can be harvested from wild fisheries or could be farmed much similar to modern day agriculture. Although Habitat destruction and commercial extinction are problems that haunt many species of fish, it is encouraging to read the label and identify the traceability of the food we consume, both for sustenance and pleasure.
Seafood in Britain evokes fond memories of shrimping, crabbing and burly fishermen returning with their prized catches. To broadly classify the booty of fish available to consume, by the type of flesh:
White fish..Has a distinctively white flesh, common examples are sole and sea bass
Oily fish...Has oil distributed through the flesh, giving it a grey or reddish tinge; examples are trout, mackerel and pilchards.
Shellfish…Is generally a fish enclosed in a shell.Crustaceans, have limbs and a shellsuch as crabs and lobsters, while mollusks have a shell only like oysters and mussels.
Depending upon their shape fish can be,
Round…This is a large group of fish that has rounded body with eyes at either side of the head and swim with their dorsal fin up, common examples being the infamous Sharks and rather famous Salmon.
Flat…Have both eyes on the top of their head and swim on their sides, common examples being Skate and sole.

Made to measure

2009-08-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Made to measure

“Any given job in life gets easier,with the availability of proper tools,” said Chef, Michael House a deft chef de poissionaire.In this modern day and age of packed dinners, and fast food, more and more fish and fish produce we see and access, is out of deftly packed polystyrene trays: however the joys of preparing your own fish, is worth getting your hands dirty on.
Long before my christening to the modern British kitchens, memory reminds me of a designated area with invisible boundaries, that served the purpose of a fish prep , in my Mum~s kitchen. Amongst the most basic of fish preparation kit, was a metallic concoction called Baithi, that could be used not only to scale the fish, but also to chop it up into desired portion sizes.
A specially marked kitchen cloth was used to wipe off the blood stream oozing out of the gills and plenty of water supply was at hand to wash off the undesired mess created around such an operation. Not to forget, a flexible fly swatter and a make shift bamboo wand to fend off the prying eyes of the beloved cat “Bhola”,dying to have a first release of the “Catch of the day,” was a must have .
Moving swiftly on from my nostalgic,trips to virtual fish worlds of South east Asia, here are a few basic tools that come in handy in every fish preparation laboartory!
1.Descaler ..Just as scales help fish to survive in sub zero temperature of the vast oceans they also can be a painful impediment to the joys of consuming a perfectly fried/poached fish.
Every part of the world has over the years come up with a practical solution to this problem, by creating a descaler: that scrapes off the plastic like dead cells and exposes a glistening and delicate skin underneath. The descaler, may be of any given shape, provided it offers a strong grip, is pliable, has one smooth and one jagged edge and has a bow shaped blade.
2. Scissors..With the scales taken care of, and the fish washed off in running cold water, a pair of scissors comes in handy. Trim off the tails, snip off the fins, remove the gills and even tidy up a fillet by getting rid of the belly is one, of a versatile number of jobs that can be accomplished using the scissors. The rule of the thumb is to have a strong pair of blades, ideally fabricated out of good quality stainless steel and soon you will be using it to achieve great results which includes, removing the tender back bones of pilchards, and digging through the innards of a tenderly boiled lobster tail. Go snipping..
3. Filleting Knives..Unless you are hacking through tonnes of inanimate Tunain a nondescript Japanese fish market, all you ever need to filet and portion a fish, is a Filleting knife.
A sharp, flexible blade wins the battle, much more suitably than a blunt one :that even if was handed down the generations as a lucky charm, generally ending up stabbing you in the tendons.
The joys of filleting a fish effectively, with the slightest amount of flesh left on the bone, is a little taste of good feeling you can always keep close to your happy cooking heart , once you have mastered it!
4.Pin boners..A job well begun is half done, and while you are all set to impress your friends, why not do a Proper Job, by eradicating the tender bones that often are subjects of contention for many an innocent fish lovers throats.A pin boner is nothing but a posh pair of pliers, with an extra amount of Va Va Voom. Keep a glass of water handy to frequently get rid of the prized acquisitions.
5.Miscellany…A well designated chopping board ,a tea cloth to have a strong grip on the fish while scaling, gutting and filleting ,and a steady supply of tap water comes in handy.
The other way around is, to have a local fish monger under your wings who could mop off all of these steps, while you are finishing mopping off another episode of “House” from your set top box.

DID YOU KNOW

2009-03-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

A COW GIVES
200,000 GLASSES OF MILK
IN HER LIFETIME...........

HAVE A HEART,DON'T WASTE YOUR CHEESE

BEST BITS

2009-03-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

COOKING IS...........
NOT ABOUT COMPETING WITH YOUR TASTE BUDS
COOKING IS.............
ABOUT COMPLEMENTING YOUR TASTE BUDS

EN..SURE?

2009-03-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Make a difference

2009-03-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

TURN A DRIPPING TAP OFF
SAVE WATER............

SLUMCAT BILLIONAIRE

2009-02-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Movies they say,are the real mirrors of the society.
Nothing can be more poignant than this years Oscar awards,in accentuating this fact even more.
While ,the runaway success of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE,makes me feel more and more proud of being An unknown Indian who is trying everyday to keep his feet on the ground,this rag to riches story also sums up the power of Dreams.At the end of the day,its a story,based in India.The land of a thousand dreams.And funny enough on the same day that a handful of slum dwelling kids from Mumbai were traveling first class to Los angles to participate in the Oscars,a few hundred misled kids were being removed from the streets of United Kingdom for being antisocial...
Theres something in this years Oscar awards for everyone,MISERY takes the center stage once again...and Mama MIA,its what sticks to the mind more than any picturesque singalong movie set in a picturesque Greek island can ever etch on our delinquent memories.
Theres always a chance ,specially when its a multiple choice question....
a>
b>
c>
or
d>...................dream on...............

Recent converts

2009-02-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

What a week it has been...marathon cooking sessions,lots of good food and wine polished with some great conversations.
Here is a list of metric conversions that makes life much easier,for everyone who is trying to decipher recipes from either side of the pond...
Measurements (British, metric and US)

* 1 ounce flour = 25g = quarter cup
* 4 ounces flour = 125g = One cup
* 8 ounces flour = 250g = Two cups
* 2 ounces breadcrumbs (fresh) = 60g = One cup
* 4 ounces breadcrumbs (dry) = 125g = One cup
* 4 ounces oatmeal = 125g = One cup (scant)
* 5 ounces currants = 150g = One cup
* 4 ounces shredded suet = 125g = One cup (scant)
* 4 ounces butter and other fats, including cheese = 125g = One stick
* 8 ounces butter and other fats, including grated cheese = 250g = One cup
* 7 ounces caster/granulated sugar = 200g = One cup
* 8 ounces caster/granulated sugar = 250g = One and a quarter cups
* 8 ounces meat (chopped/minced/ground) = 250g = One cup
* 8 ounces cooked, mashed potatoes = 250g = One cup
* One ounce (1oz) = One rounded tablespoon
* One tablespoon of liquid = 3 teaspoons
* One teaspoon liquid = 5ml
* One British teaspoon is the same as an American teaspoon
* One British tablespoon liquid = 17.7ml
* One US tablespoon liquid =14.2ml
* 8 tablespoons = 4 fluid ounces = 125ml = Half cup
* 8 fluid ounces = 250ml = One cup (Half a US pint)
* Half pint/10 fluid ounces = 300ml = One and a quarter cups (scant)
* Three quarters of a pint/15 fluid ounces = 450 ml =Two cups (scant) or one US pint
* One British pint/20 fluid ounces = 600ml = Two and a half cups

Ingredients

* Bacon rashers = Bacon slices
* Bannock = Flat round cake
* Bicarbonate of soda = Baking soda
* Biscuits = Crackers/cookies
* Boiling fowl = Stewing fowl
* Broad beans = Lima beans
* Cake mixture = Cake batter
* Castor sugar = Granulated sugar
* Celery stick = Celery stalk
* Chipolata sausages = Cocktail sausages
* Cornflour = Cornstarch
* Chips = French fried potatoes
* Creamed potatoes = Mashed potatoes
* Crisps = Potato chips
* Demerara sugar = Light brown sugar
* Dessicated coconut = Flaked coconut
* Digestive biscuits = Graham crackers
* Double cream = Whipping cream
* Essence = Extract
* Farls = Quarters
* Fats = Shortening
* Flaked almonds = Slivered almonds
* Frosting sugar = Powdered sugar
* Glacé = Candied
* Golden syrup = Light corn syrup
* Hough = Shank of beef
* Icing = Frosting
* Jam = Preserves
* Mince/minced beef = Ground beef
* Mixed spices = Allspice
* Nut of butter = Pat of butter
* Pinhead oatmeal = Irish oatmeal
* Rasher = Slice
* Ratafia biscuits = Almond flavoured cookies/dried macaroons
* Roast Potatoes = Oven browned potatoes
* Salt beef = Corned beef brisket
* Scone = Shortcake, biscuit
* Self raising flour = All-purpose flour with baking powder
* Single cream = Light cream
* Soft brown sugar = Light brown sugar
* Spring onion = Scallion/green onion
* Stewing steak = Braising beef
* Stoned raisins = Seedless raisins
* Strong plain flour = Unbleached white flour
* Sultanas = Seedless white raisins
* Treacle = Molasses
* Unsalted butter = Sweet butter
* Wholemeal = Wholewheat

Utensils and Methods

* Ashet = Meat dish
* Baking sheet or tray = Cookie sheet
* Case = pie shell
* Fry = Pan Fry (with fat)
* Frying pan = Skillet
* Girdle = Griddle
* Grate = Shred
* Greaseproof paper = Vegetable parchment or waxed paper
* Grill = Broil
* Gut = Clean
* Jelly bag = Layers of cheesecloth
* Knead = Punch down
* Knock Back = Punch down
* Large pot = Dutch oven or a deep cooking utensil with a tight fitting lid
* Liquidizer = Electric blender
* Mince = Grind
* Polythene = Plastic wrap
* Prove = Rise
* Pudding cloth = Cheesecloth
* Roasting tin = Roasting pan with rack
* Sandwich tins = Round-layer pans
* Sieve = Sift
* Stew pan or pan = Kettle
* Tartlet tin = Muffin pan
* Vegetable mill = Food mill
* Whisk = Beat/whip

Oven Temperatures

* Gas Mark 1 = 275F = 140C
* Gas Mark 2 = 300F = 150C
* Gas Mark 3 = 325F = 170C
* Gas Mark 4 = 355F = 180C
* Gas Mark 5 = 375F = 190C
* Gas Mark 6 = 400F = 200C
* Gas Mark 7 = 425F = 220C
* Gas Mark 8 = 455F = 230C

SEASON TO TASTE

2009-02-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

A Few hundred marauders, huddle around the screen of an aging television set in an unknown Indian village on a cold rained down winter evening.The occasion is auspicious and epic.On air is now showing"SHOLAY"a movie where ,Larger than life AMITABH BACCHAN is fighting the evil.Someone says out loud,"SAHAB MAINE AAPKA NAMAK KHAYA HAI****SIR I HAVE EATEN YOUR SALT FOR LIFE!
Salt has been an essential part of human appetite for as long as hunger itself.With hunting began the ever increasing problem of surplus amounts of meat and a very little ways to preserve it for the long cold desperate months .Salting ,not only flavored the meats,but dehydrated the surfaces thus preventing harmful bacteria to grow on the surfaces.
Over the years a lot of wars have been lost and won over a pound of salt.Mahatma Gandhi's mass mobilization of the Indian middle class almost directed India towards the dawn of Independence.Drawing inspiration from the foothills of Himalayas,where lies one of the richest layers of archaeological sea salt is this recipe that very often brings back bitter sweet memories of my early child hood days when table salt was sold out of huge jute bags ,still smelling of the mustiness of the sea,and food was an unpretentious means of feel goodness....

ROASTED MANGO COOLER
AAM PANNA

Ingredients:

6 medium sized Raw Mango
3 cup Water
1 tsp dry-roasted and grounded Cumin Seed
1/2 tsp Red chili Powder
1 tsp Rock Salt
3 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp chopped Mint Leaves
12 crushed Ice-cubes

METHOD...

Steam the raw mangoes in an oven steamer for 20 minutes.
Drain off the water and then peel, stone and pulp the mango with a spoon.
Place the pulp in a deep bowl.
Add water, sugar, salt, chili and cumin.
Whisk thoroughly.
Stir in the mint and whisk again.
Serve chilled with crushed ice.

Street vendors ladle glass full of this soothing summer drink,quenching the thirst of millions of Indians old and young out of a earthenware pot ,generally identified by a red muslin cloth surrounding the pot.
Enjoyyyyyy...
****

want desire and necessity

2009-02-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

Human wants are endless....
Over the years Life on Earth has become more and more comfortable.
Gone are those days of long walks in scenic gardens,followed by a traditional family meal accompanied by a healthy meaningful conversation!The advent of Television and super Computers has not only shrunk the world and broadened minds,but also has aided laziness,unsocial attributes and an overall unending quest for the unattainable.
Only recently following hot on heels, of the daily news feed on a reputable television channel that predicted the nations economy to be in "Recession",was a glitzy advertisement for a Sofa company, that promised to make you realize all your dreams once you posted your derriere on it...If sitting all day long on a sofa, bought on loans that prompts your credit card bills to skyrocket;makes life any more comfortable..you are a super hero>>>>
We all love living the dream!But more realistic achievable dream.There still are villages in India that do not have a regular supply of free flowing potable water in taps,but have corner shops that have mass produced "Maggi noodles" on their shelves.
With peak oil fast approaching,and climate change only a season away,we have to decide whats best for us!Someone has to lead by example...
It is only by inspiring the youth of the coming generations, that we can conserve the resources of this beautiful planet for years to come.
It is thus imperative to be less greedy for pleasures we can do without, and live a minimalistic life : full of little joys that we are so missing out upon.
A DAY IN A WEEK WITHOUT LISTENING TO THE RING TONE OF YOUR MOBILE PHONE..
A DAY IN A MONTH WITHOUT MY REGULAR DOUBLE JD AND COKE
A DAY IN A YEAR WITHOUT MY BUSINESS CLASS TRIP TO THE CANARY ISLANDS
A DAY IN A DECADE WITHOUT MY 12 LAPTOPS,5 REFRIGERATORS AND 7 FUTONS
A DAY IN A LIFETIME WITHOUT MY SOMETHING MONEY CANT BUY
CHANGE, MAKE CHANGE!!!!!!

Potato pleasures

2009-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Original ,they say is still the best!
< Unless, you are cutting a detour to the nearest Pound land for a Christmas tree lookalike >
The quest for an ultimate Mashed potato recipe,is an unending one..Every day brings newer vistas of flavors and taste sensations that is better than the previous one.
Although! sometimes the easiest of jobs are the easiest ones to falter upon.A touch more of water and the mash turns into mush,a touch less and its dry as chalk...
Here is a recipe for a Black Pudding mashed potato that serves as a proper homage to umpteen number of lives lost to the severe Irish Famine of the yesteryear.

BLACK PUDDING AND PARSLEY MASH

Serves...4
Ingredients...

900 gms Waxy potatoes peeled and quartered
100 gms Black pudding,peeled and diced
1 bunch Curly parsley washed
1 Red bell pepper chopped finely
50 ml Whole milk
I tbs unsalted butter
1 Lime

Method..
# PLACE THE DICED POTATOES IN A SAUCEPAN WITH WATER,AND SEASON WITH SEA SALT AND BOIL FOR 15 MINUTES ,UNTIL SOFT.
#FRY THE DICED BLACK PUDDING IN A NON STICK PAN.
#DRAIN THE COOKED POTATOES,AND PASS THEM TROUGH A FINE SIEVE OR A MOULIE ,FOLD IN THE MILK AND BUTTER .
#STIR THE FRIED BLACK PUDDING INTO THE MASH WITH FINELY CHOPPED PARSLEY AND DICED RED PEPPER.FINISH WITH A DRIZZLE OF LIME JUICE.

BEST SERVED AS, A PERFECT BED TO LIGHTLY POACHED CHICKEN BREAST OR SHAMELESSLY WITH A COUPLE OF PAN SEARED FAL BAY QUEEN SCALLOPS.

ENJOY

A decent fishcake recipe

2009-02-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Brushing my eyes through the dusty alleyway of a derelict North Carolinian book shop, something caught my eyes on the shelve: that proudly proclaimed Cook books old and new.To someone tracing British food history,in America this was a prized possession,an original version of Jane Grigsons epicurean cookbook.Fleeting past the dusty pages hurriedly,I could almost imagine all things good, I was missing being on the other side of the pond. Very soon putting a lid on my instantly brewing urge to raid the next door brewery on Franklin street,I slipped a crisp twenty dollar bill to the till assistant and in exchange, securely tucked the prized possession into the sanctums of my woolly jumper.
Unputdownable as it was,many a recipe brought back imaginations of life as it must have been in the post war Great Britain,and what a daunting task it was for housewives to produce miracles out of ordinary ingredients.Of all the dishes that have always signified a wholesome meal is the much common,yet less glamorized yet never to go out of fashion,"Fish Cakes".
Immortalized by everyone,from comedians,to painters:from roadside chippies to west ends Michelin starred bandwagons,this is a dish that never bears its weight on the menu.Its! comfort food ,that is very difficult to make mistakes upon.Be it the Kamaboko in Japan to the legendary Thai fish cakes ,there's one for everyone.
Moving down to Cornwall ,apart from all things great,life has given to me an opportunity to "look the fresh fish in the eye",and right enough there is enough variety to create a different flavored Fish cake for every day of the year.Amongst my no frill recipes,here is one, marrying the flavors of locally smoked Haddock and spring onion with the pungency of caper berries .

Atlantis foods smoked Haddock and Spring Onion Fish Cakes with fresh tomato and caper berry salsa.

Preparation time*: 15 minutes
Cooking time*: 15 minutes
Serves*: 4

Ingredients:

· 25ml olive oil

· 450g Atlantis foods smoked haddock, skinned

· 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

· 3 large potatoes peeled and diced

· 2 egg yolks

· 2 colves

· 1 bunch spring onion

· 60ml fresh parsley

· 1 tomato deseeded and diced

· juice of 1/2 lemon

· 20gms caper berries

· 1 red onion peeled and chopped

· ½ bunch fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Poach smoked haddock and onion in the milk with the clove, over a low heat ,in a covered pan until onion has softened and fish has cooked and is flaky. Strain, reserving the milk. Cool.

2. Flake fish and add to the mixture with onion, half the parsley and the spring onion. Boil the peeled potatoes in the milk, drain excess milk and crush roughly. Mix the flaked fish with egg yolks and the crushed potatoes and form in the shape of a Pattie.

3. Heat the oil in a clean frying pan over a medium heat. Shallow fry the patties in the pan for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden.

4. For the sauce, blend olive oil with a juice of lemon, freshly chopped coriander leaves,caper berries,chopped red onion and diced tomato.

5. Serve hot with a generous helping of tomato salsa and lemon wedges.

Enjoy.....

HALF FROZEN DESSERT ICE

2009-02-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

its all over for another umpteen number of years to come.
Falmouth ,rolls back to normal.Fish caught off the quay will again, tomorrow have glistening morning dewy eyes.The abominable snow man has almost melted into a slender genetically modified Israeli carrot.Sea gulls of every shade on the co lour card have had enough of pecking all day on carelessly littered bin bags on the old high street.Much infamous taxi cabs have started rolling out of nowhere again...and as the chilly moonlit night glistens away to glory: another arctic cold wave has kissed the highlands of nearby Flushing ,goodbye.
Life goes on.............just as the sea,unbiased...come rain or snow,for tomorrow there will be another high tide washing all our bad tastes away....almost forever

AN INDIAN WINTER WONDERLAND

2009-02-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Snow has always been a mesmerizing part of my life.
Born and brought up in a north east Indian family in the foothills of the Himalayas ,never did life bring ,this aspect of charismatic weather pattern amongst us.Only, long after I had taken the life changing trip to Oxfordshire in the search for western beliefs and a better life, that I first came across this awe inspiring scene of melodramatic extents
My earliest memories of Snow,are a little bit more soothing! when mum would squeeze my chubby cheeks ,with her periodically ridged hands and apply a dab of white moisturizing creamPonds cold cream on it> during dark and never ending winter evenings.The smell of carrot halvas and potato stuffed flat breads,would make me feel hungry all the time.The Snow with its cooling effect had a unique effect on me,as suddenly ,even after days of getting away with not having a proper shower,I would start feeling purified and chaste :with the fragrant moisturizer spreading a subtle waft of daisies around my much fairy tale addicted brains,at least temporarily!!!!!!
And then the odd pot of Snow would be stacked away in one of the less frequently dusted drawers of the "Dressing table"never to see the day of light for another hundred light years to come.
Teenage gave arrogance and rebellion a new wave, and soon applying "Snow" on the face was deemed" uncool"and frivolous.The next feeling of Snow was rather more real and something that entices my palate even today.Bales and bales of spun sugar specially in bright pink,rolled around a frail little ice cream stick suddenly started flooding the fairgrounds.What a sensation it was to try and eat as much of the pink snow without getting any of it to stick to the tip of your nose,and many a senseless romantic conversations got lost in trying to concentrate upon,dodging the droplets of melting Snow smudging your recently laundered cardigan.
As I write this post ,staring at me through my window sill a shallow gleam of winter light reflects through the countless Snow laden leaves of a Cornish winter tree,bringing back memories of a snowy Indian evening huddling around a oil lit lantern waiting for the dinner time to arrive and dive into some piping hot cups of freshly brewed Darjeeling tea,chased by Aloo Parathasand a big dollop of Yoghurt to finish. Another reason to believe in the adage,
"LIVE TO EAT AND EAT TO LIVE"

Gods own county

2009-02-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

Rightly enough!did say someone...Everything begins and ends with water.
Through my carefully measured walks on the cobbled paths of a chilly winter,Cornish afternoon a strange bead of sweat trickles down my well kilted back.What a contrast to the unending troop of cascading waves lashing against the otherwise pristine Falmouth shores.Surely enough ,being the worlds third largest harbor is a feat in itself.Through the annals of history, Falmouth and its episcopal docks have seen it all,from super cargo ships to world record breaking voyages,from shoals of now endangered fish stocks to much infamous basking sharks,from power hungry American soldiers to quill wielding painters...and it still seems to the naked eye,the day has just begun.Terraces of identical buildings with their airily majestic windows, cry out loud to the vastness of the unknown,almost giving out a half moist farewell kiss to those who call it the final port of call before conquering the foreshores of the unknown.
And what about the food!
IN here, there"s something to please everyone. Where better, than in Cornwall, does wind and water so work gloriously in unison.Amongst my numerous day trips to hand reared vegetable farms, to identify the freshest of produce,the quality of artisanly grown organic vegetables here, is awe inspiring.Little did I know the taste difference between courgette flowers grown on the north facing cliffs of the Flushing to their less interesting south facing cousins,unless I ceremoniously dipped them in a rich Cornish ale batterSkinners Brewed Betty Stogs,this time>and golden fried them to perfection.
Whats even better! you dont have to feel guilty after having your share of calorific density:theres a long list of long and short coastal walks you can embark upon to get back to your special K look before the first rays of summer sun embraces the Cornish yonders.
And might as well dunk, the Crisp Courgette flowers in a pot of Sweet chili sauce,
yummeeeeeeeeeeeee!

How high is high

2009-01-31T04:37:00.000-08:00

These could be my last famous words,or my less famous first ones.
Whatever it brings to the world,I would earnestly dedicate it to the common man on the street on this Thirty First day of January 2009,not certain which way to go.In the posts following this one,we will try and address various world events,life situations and unusually amusing situations through the eyes and ears of a humble Indian man trying to make a better palce of this planet ,one step at a time.Having an opinion, is an art and a basic civic right of the free world,and I will be very obliged to exchage views and ideas on improving my e-space shedding light on your valuable comments.
Based in a picturesque part of Falmouth United kingdom,as I sit on my dilapidated ,tidyly organised study table..slowly wading in, is a massive oil tanker ready to rest in its holding place amongst the ever increasing number of retiring ships across the Carrick roads,all through to Truro.The weather is uniquely British and there is a blanket of fog that obscures the rest of the world from a pair of pensioners huddling around an ageing chimney fire.The streets are filled with an air of anticipation,twined with the unique waft of swede/beef/potato cleverly encased in a blanket word "Cornish Pasty".
Professionally I work as a HeadChef of an epic hotel,and take pride in creating meticulously presented dishes that are a feast to the eye,tasting great on the palate,using freshly sourced ethically traded produce.Nothing entices me more than the gleamaing pair of eyes on a Megrim sole caught hours before in the icy waters of Newlyn Bay,or Swede plucked out of the ground , just a stones throw away.
Passion is not just an ordinary seven letter word we learn in schools.Its an everyday obcession,to challenge your senses.Good movies,thoughtful music,epic paintings and silly walks across the icy coastal paths are some other things I patronise apart from loving my dear wife ,who keeps me grounded and aiming for more.
Here*s a blog to all things good,
a good claret,the first sip of a mornings cup of coffee,the taste of salt on a postage stamp
and ofcourse to the fun of having an opinion and reaching out to the unknown....
Happy Blogging