“Cruciferous vegetables?” we blink, “what are they?” I’m familiar with groups such as alliums and know a little of brassicas but have not a clue about this curious term. Continue reading All the leaves are brown but the sky isn’t grey…
Tag Archives: Seafood
Beneath a Cerulean Sky
I’ve been having an extremely odd time lately, and last week I was unwell again (not seriously so) but last weekend I was in great need of cheering up. Usually comfort food for me might be of the stodgier variety but it was hot…man it was hot and I yearned for a Mediterranean beach, with seafood. Being at home and watching re-runs of Rick Stein on a loop had not helped this longing and let’s just say, I won’t be jetting off anytime soon so… it was one of those times when The Med needed to come to South London. Continue reading Beneath a Cerulean Sky
Southern Sole
Look at these beautiful glossy Lemon Sole…. you can always tell a fabulously fresh fish by the slime…which sounds terrible but is really true.
This March has yielded a few really sunny days and although cold, bitingly so at times, there is nothing like tipping your face toward the sun after a long British winter.
So, off we went for an afternoon on the coast, a really good bracing walk along the beach, snack in the mighty fine Old Neptune Pub.
Chilli Crab Noodles
There is nothing like the flavour of crab freshly cooked. The sweet white meat contrasting with the buttery richness of the brown…
A few years ago, I decided the time had come to cook a live crab for myself, formerly having relied on the fishmonger to provide me with the ‘end’ product. I bought the crab at Brixton market and sat on the bus for my return journey, feeling slightly faint as Gerald (it probably doesn’t help to name them?) moved about within my shopping bag. Once home, I put the bag on the table and went away to seek counsel from the oracle that is Rick Stein for the required method of humane despatch, arriving back into the dining room I saw the bag ‘walking’ across the table (sideways of course). Continue reading Chilli Crab Noodles
Indian Summer, Moroccan Autumn
Spiced seafood and lentil salad.
Hanging in our kitchen is a calendar which was a gift from our friend DJ Ozz. It has become something of an annual tradition for The DJ to commit one of our group trips to calendar form for posterity and by way of a Christmas present to each of us.
For the past month, our friend Mata’s beaming face has been looking out over us with the deep blue Marrakech sky behind her. I turned the calendar over to Oct
ober this morning, a little late I know, to see an image of Mata standing in the Souk and it jolted me straight back to the sounds and smells (also mainly being horribly lost) in the old Medina. Continue reading Indian Summer, Moroccan Autumn
Wholesome Seafood Chowder with simple soda bread
So January demands that budget is observed, and that the excesses of Christmas are put to one side. However…
I know what works for me and broadly speaking it’s higher protein and lower carbs with veg being colourful and appetizing. Of course all this will be coupled with moving around a lot more!
What I needed today was something wholesome and comforting, what I do from Monday when work and healthy living loom will be a little different but when I weigh up what went into this recipe, it’s a lot of goodness and very little else. Continue reading Wholesome Seafood Chowder with simple soda bread
No R in August
There is a lot of talk around shellfish in months that do not have an R. Then there is the puzzle of seeing restaurants all over Europe doing Mussels all year round. One of the factors in this is that rope grown mussels or ‘farmed’ mussels are ok to eat in the summer months. The shells are thinner but the mussel meat is good. The spring time is the spawning period so I would not even eat rope grown mussels at that time of year.
We picked up some farmed mussels at the market and decided on the classic moules a la crème. Continue reading No R in August
Outlaws, Poets and High Flying Birds
When I met up with my friend Marmoset the other day, she reminded me that it has been a year since she left Robben Island (our former place of employment). Meaning that is has been over a year ago since we took ourselves on a girls weekend to celebrate her escape. We visited The St Enodoc Hotel for dinner at ‘Nathan Outlaw’. A reminder of the year gone past spurred me to write about it before the memory fades too much further, because it is very worthy of a post. Continue reading Outlaws, Poets and High Flying Birds
Mind Games
I am in the middle of the city on a cool, grey and damp summer’s day…the sounds of sirens, car horns, buses, penetrating my peace. I’m taking myself to the beach…. Continue reading Mind Games
Heart and Sole
This week has all sorts of resonance. It’s the anniversary of the D Day landings, not that I’m connected to that piece of history any more than most others but seeing a lot of the war history to mark the anniversary makes me feel sad. Continue reading Heart and Sole
In Search of the Catfish Café... 
