Indy goes foody retro

This is a post from Indy - who posted it to the comments section of the first post ever on this blog - God bless her :)

I've just been flicking through 'Mrs. Beeton's Book Of Household Management' from 1859. I've not even got past the Analytical index. For example, as listed under 'S':

Shalot, or eschalot.. .p410
Sheep, the general observations.. ..p678
Poets on the.. ..p730
Sheep's brains, en matelote.. ..p740
Shepherds and their flocks.. ..p710
sherry.. ..p1416

Next week, 'General observations on Beverages' and a recipe for 'Everton Toffee' !

Sounds alright by me - I think that we should all be forced to cook 'Everton Toffee 'at least once a week. Keep up the good work Indianna.

Update: If you fancy having butchers as the legend that is Mrs Beeton check out http://www.mrsbeeton.com/

Wales for foodies

This Obeserver Article reviews lots of eateries in Wales. Not that I usually eat anything other than BBQ or Andy's curries when I'm in wales.

Guardian list of specialist food websites

This link lists some specialist food websites. Worth a look through as it lists suppliers of weird and exotic ingredients.

Thai Food Ingredients | Cooking | Temple of Thai

Thai Food Ingredients | Cooking | Temple of Thai

FoodFever - eat out, eat in, eat easy

It's not quite a recipe but it has loads of info about food.

FoodFever - eat out, eat in, eat easy

Ringo Stingo

Fiery lamb curry

This is the best curry i have ever cooked! its better than the red fort!!!!!!

As the name suggests, this is a very hot dish, not for people with a weak constitution. This is one of the few Indian dishes that contains heat in every sense - both 'chilli hot' and 'spice hot'. You can decide the amount of heat you'd like. Discard most of the seeds from the chillies if you want to reduce the heat, or keep them in if you want it really hot.

Serves 4

25-35 dried red chillies, stalks removed
11/2 tsp cloves
150g ghee or vegetable oil
250g plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
20g ground coriander
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp salt
3 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves
6 green cardamom pods
5 black cardamom pods
75g garlic cloves, finely chopped
250g onions, finely chopped
1kg leg of lamb or goat with bone chopped into 2.5cm cubes
750ml lamb stock or water
30g coriander leaves, finely chopped

Set aside 3 or 4 of the dried chillies to use later; put the remainder to soak in 125ml water. Also put aside 4-6 of the cloves and 1 tbs of the ghee. Mix the yogurt with the cumin seeds, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the rest of the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the remaining cloves, the cinnamon leaves and the green and black cardamoms. When they begin to crackle and change colour, add the garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring constantly. Stir in the meat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the red chillies and add to the pan.

Continue cooking for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the meat starts to brown. Now add the spiced yogurt and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the liquid from the yogurt has evaporated. Add the stock or water and bring to the boil, then cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender. Check the seasoning. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

To prepare the tadka, or tempering, which boosts the flavours, heat up the reserved ghee or oil in a large ladle over a flame (or in a small pan) and add the reserved cloves and dried red chillies. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the ghee changes colour and the spice flavours are released. Pour the contents of the ladle over the lamb curry, sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve.

The John Curry Potato Curry

John Curry Potato Curry

Serves 3-4

2 tbs sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped
8 red chillies
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt
500g potatoes, peeled and diced, or whole new potatoes
chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until slightly browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, then stir in the chillies, chilli powder, cumin seeds and salt to taste. Add 125ml water and cook, stirring, until excess liquid has evaporated.

Add the potatoes together with another 125ml water. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the spice mixture, then put the lid on the pan. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not breaking up.

Remove the lid and continue cooking until the oil separates out. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot. whooooooooooooo.....