the photographers' gallery cafe

i collect cafes. especially independent ones that don't have replicas sprouting up on every high-street. the photographers' gallery cafe has high ceilings and a linear seating made up square tables joined together to form a rectangle that cuts through the centre of the room. the walls, spotlit always have something interesting to offer. i am here to write my dissertation. i love writing at cafes. it gets my creativity going. it's got to do with the people and the space as well. there is the sporadic sound of the coffee machine. i had tea, not the best earl grey ever but my thick slice of lemon cake was sheer perfection. there was the sharp clean scent of citrus, a hint of grated zest and the whole thing just melted on the tongue. there is a nice selection of cakes (which made it hard to choose), apparently all supplied by Jo's who makes them at home. and there are also sandwiches which i haven't tried yet. however judging by the cake it's unlikely that the experience will be disappointing.

from the kitchen of 90, highbury and islington

cooking for people who love eating is always a pleasure. last night we did just that and it was very much a communal enterprise. i and i with the help of s and e threw together a rather successful meal that was accompanied by lots of cold citrusy white wine, laughter and fantastic conversation. dinner was… parcels of foil baked haddock accompanied by a new potato salad tossed in a generous glug of olive oil with flecks of fresh dill and dijion mustard. pan-fried asparagus rubbed with olive oil and placed on a bed of finely chopped garlic to flavor it spinach sautéed in olive oil in which i had fried plump cloves of garlic and then sprinkled some balsamic over there was also a large round of bread cut and spread thickly with garlic butter (press garlic through a garlic press or pound in a mortar and pestle, then combine with butter. you can add some dried herbs if you fancy) which we wrapped in foil and put into the oven for a good twenty minutes, at the same time as the fish was baking.

we finished of on a fruity note with grilled peaches that i basted with a syrup that was made of honey and balsamic vinegar warmed slightly over the stove for the two of them to mix together. they were served with greek yoghurt lightly sweetened with honey. there were also red red strawberries tossed with whole leaves of fresh mint, a liberal sprinkle of sugar and a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. 

the final note of the evening was fresh coffee served in large white cups 

i must admit that for me the best part of the evening was the time spent in the kitchen with i, chopped, washing, cleaning and cooking. we got substantial attention from the host and lots of help in putting everything together. m in particular had a field day mixing coin sized thick slices of new potatoes with olive oil, mustard and dill. there was much picture taking of the food as well as smelling of herbs that had been chopped. of course the garlic chopping was shied away from by the boys and i really didn’t want to have i chop garlic when she was all dolled up and looking lovely in a red dress. 

the food itself was thoroughly enjoyed (and no i am not making that up). i think the only leftover’s we had were the potatoes.

here are the recipes

for the fish 

get fresh fillets of haddock (one per person)

preheat oven to a hundred and eighty degrees celsius. 

place a fillet on a piece of foil large enough to wrap and seal it in

baste the fish with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with fresh dill (parsley works really well too)

grind some pepper and salt on to it 

top with a thick ring of lemon

fold the foil over and then seal the edges to make sure none of the juice escapes during baking. 

bake for twenty minutes of when the fish flakes easily

the new potato salad

boil new potatoes in generously salted water (they should be firm, don’t over do them)

cut into thick slices and when still warm toss with a liberal amount of olive oil, dijion mustard and lots of freshly cut dill.

pan fried asparagus spears

wash spears and then do away with the woody bit of stem at the end

rub with olive oil and toss with some finely chopped garlic

heat a frying pan with a little bit of oil until it is smoking hot

then lay the spears on and fry for five to seven minutes

season with a sprinkling of balsamic right before you tip them out of the pan

sautéed spinach with whole cloves of garlic

wash and roughly chop up the spinach leaves (you can use baby spinach if you like)

in a wok heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sauté whole cloves of garlic until they caramelize. 

then toss in the spinach leaves and let them wilt 

(the leaves should retain the brightness of their color. don’t over cook or you’ll lose the flavor)

a food filled saturday

the large window at nordic bakery

i did a walkabout london yesterday with a friend who is visiting from back home. soho revealed a host of new places to sample. in between i had a quick lunch at 

flat white. it’s a tiny café on berwick street with a very distinct vibe and a really dense smell of coffee. lunch was bite sized pieces of baked butternut and grilled mozzarella with a generous amount of caramelized onion chutney, sandwiched between two slices of crusty well toasted white bread. i finished of with the trade mark flat-white which bore a perfect fern in its foam top (just in case a flat white is an antipodean style coffee which is served as a strong shot of espresso served in a small cup with textured milk). a short walk (including a walk-out of maison bertaux) owing to indecision over dessert and my friend’s craving for cinnamon buns we landed up at the nordic bakery.

golden arches for the sophisti-cat

the d-i-y breakfast chronicles

jamie oliver calls it pukkola, it’s sold in grocery aisles as muesli, there is the soaked version called bircher muesli but whatever the name it is a brekkie food that i absolutely love. so here’s a home grown recipe. part of it is inspired by my mum and part of is my own addition. i am not particularly pushed with the measurements just because you can make it bulk and when you serve it’s really up to you how much you can tuck into and what consistency you like…

 making it…

two cups of pinhead/steel-cut oats (or rolled oats with do. i prefer the texture of steel-cut /pinhead oats)

a generous handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds

a generous handful of nuts – almonds hazelnuts pecan nuts (basically whatever you fancy)

a handful of plump raisins

some chopped dates or apricots

i like to dry roast my oats which is; preheat your oven to 325 degrees farenheit/160 degrees centigrade. spread the mixture of oats, nuts & fruit on a baking tray and roast for 5-7 minutes. be sure to stir in between as you don’t want the oats to burn. the oats should turn a light golden brown color. once that is done mix in the dry fruit and store in an airtight container.

putting it together & eating it

try and let the oats soak over night. it really does wonders for the texture. i like to soak mine in organic apple juice or milk. spoon out a measure of oats that works for you into a ceramic bowl. cover with apple juice or milk, cling wrap and put in the fridge. in the morning pull out the bowl of soaked oats and add milk or yoghurt to loosen up.

for the final touch here are a couple of ideas.

a couple of tablespoons of rachels organic yoghurt

a table spoon of runny honey

a mashed banana

grated apple

summer berries that leave streaks of color when stirred with a spoon