Store Cupboard Staples - Oils

A good selection of condiments, spices, herbs and other staples are vital to your kitchen. I usually spend more for good quality products here because they last a while anyway and it makes such a difference to your food. Wholefoods (or Greenlife as it's called here in Asheville) has a really excellent selection of this kind of stuff but if you are looking for something exotic or really rare, you could try World Market, Dean and DeLuca and even Amazon.

OILS
Oil isn't just something you fry with, it can add flavour to food as well. I have 4 types of oil that are always in the cupboard...

Olive Oil - Light and extra virgin. The light is for cooking (frying onions or garlic for tomato sauce, for example) and the extra virgin is for dressings. Don't bother using extra virgin for frying, the taste is marred and it's too expensive. It's difficult to say briefly how important olive oil is in a whole range of cuisines and the variety of flavours. Keep at least one type and try different ones from different countries and regions as the tastes are incredibly diverse. Download this article from Saveur to learn more about the complex wonders of olive oil.

Canola Oil - For frying and roasting. This is a very healthy oil. Don't be fooled into buying the more expensive that says it has Omega oils in it. It's a con. All canola oil has these oils!

Sesame Oil - For flavour. It burns at a low temperature so if you use it in a stir fry mix it with canola. Use it in marinades and salad dressing for that authentic Asian taste.

Truffle Oil - Decadent, delicious and addictive. My sister-in-law turned me onto this oil and I am hooked. Get a good quality oil without any chemical ingredients. Black truffle is most common, Antonio Carluccio sells a wonderful white truffle oil at his chain Carluccio's that I adore and is sadly not available in the US. Don't fry with this, it is for flavouring and a little goes a long way! Sprinkle over scrambled eggs, add to steak at the last minute before serving or make an eye popping caesar salad dressing.

In addition to these there are plenty of nut oils such as walnut and coconut that I urge you to try. Experiment and discover your next delicious creation!

Spatchcocked Quail with wine and Cream

This is a green recipe

I have Valerie from the Double G Ranch farm in Leicester, NC to thank for this glorious dish. We went there at the weekend and bought the quails after a tour of their property where they rear goats, pigs, chickens and ducks.

Though I planned to add parsley, in my rush to get the food snapped for the blog so we could devour it, I forgot! It was still delicious, I highly recommend eating this with boiled new potatoes; they're coming into season now and they soak up the creamy juices wonderfully. Add a crisp green salad to cut through the richness and you have yourself a dish worthy of a top restaurant.

To spatchcock is to split the bird so that it sits flat. Do this with a pair of sturdy kitchen scissors, by snipping down either side of the backbone which you then discard. Splay the bird and push down on the breast to flatten. Do this thoroughly, I didn't and they were still a bit curved which meant they took longer to cook.

Ingredients for 2 People
- Two quails, cleaned and spatchcocked (see above)
- One large or two small shallots finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil
- 1/2 tablespoon of butter
- A glass of dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms (I like the little brown ones, I think they are called 'Bella' in the states)
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- A handful of chopped flat leaf parsley (include the stalks, they are sweet)

Method
- Heat the canola oil to a medium heat and fry the shallots until lightly brown
- Salt and pepper the quail and add skin down to the pan
- Brown on both sides
- Turn down the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through
- Check to see the bird is almost cooked by skewering a leg or making a little slit. The meat should start to look opaque but the juices should still be reddish-pink (this is important because you don't want the quails to overcook)
-Now add the butter and allow it to melt and foam in the pan
-Turn the heat high and IMMEDIATELY add the wine and reduce, if you are using a non-stick pan (which is best because you get lots of caramelized bits on the bottom), scrape to deglaze
-Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushrooms
-Cook the mushrooms until softish
-Add the cream, mix well with the sauce in the pan
- Cook until a thick, tan colour
-Sprinkle in the parsley, serve

* If you like messy eating this one is for you, eventually you will have to get in there and pull the delicious flesh off with your hands, but that makes it more enjoyable!*

Cooking Essential - Lemon Squeezer

I use lemons like a condiment. They are always in my fridge. I add the juice to all sorts of dishes that need oomph or use them in marinades and salads. This lovely and stylish tool juices lemons better than anything else. It is the perfect shape for getting every last drop of juice out and you can squeeze the lemon directly onto whatever it is you are cooking rather than collect it all in a dish first. Be warned, seeds do go astray with it so I advise squeezing over a tea strainer or small sieve. Feeling inspired? These squeezers are available all over the place, I bought mine locally. Go out, get yourself one, then try my spinach and lemon pasta dish below.

This is a green recipe

Serves 1 greedy person.

- Spaghetti, lasagne or linguine (so hard to measure and depends on your appetite, maybe a 1/4 of pound?)
- 1/2 bunch of spinach
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 small lemon
- 2 tablespoons of parmesan, pecorino or a mixture of both plus a couple of teaspoons for sprinkling
- pinch of nutmeg

Cook the spaghetti in well salted (please!) boiling water.
While it's boiling, blanch the spinach if it is young (just pour boiling water over it in a colander) or cook in a little water for a few minutes if it is coarse.
Drain spinach, squeeze dry and chop.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain and transfer back to the still warm pot.
Add the egg, lemon juice and cheese, mix well and then cover for a few minutes - OFF the heat, otherwise the egg will scramble.
Once the sauce has cooked and thickened, add the spinach.
Transfer to a warm plate or bowl, sprinkle with a little nutmeg and remaining cheese.

*Make sure the spinach is as dry as possible otherwise it will make the pasta watery. I don't add salt here because the pecorino is pretty salty, especially if it is Romano.*

Rabbit Ragu (ragu di coniglio)

Asheville's tailgate markets are such an asset to the city. At weekends and during the week you can find markets bursting with local produce allover the city; cheese, cured meats, handmade baked goods and even soaps, all find a place here. We are lucky enough to have one almost at the bottom of our hill. A favourite vendor of mine is East Fork Farms, because they provide two of my favourite meats - lamb and rabbit. Their ground lamb bursts with rich flavour and has elevated my already pretty good meat loaf to something intense and delicious.

The rabbit we bought from them was still whole (though thankfully without its head or fur), so I had to cut it up myself, fine but not for the Bugs Bunny lover! The advantage of a whole rabbit is that I could use the giblets and bones to make stock.

The picture above is of the tremendous ragu I made, and the recipe comes from Mille Fiori Favoriti, a great blog. If you try the recipe, be warned that the ingredients omit chicken broth though it's mentioned in the method. I added 1 cup of GOOD QUALITY stock in with the tomatoes. Don't be tempted to cut back on the cooking time, rabbit has no fat so needs slow cooking in some kind of liquid to keep moist and tender. Once the rabbit is cooked and falls of the bone, you could leave it whole and puree the sauce for a decadent variation.

Fruit Smoothie

This is a blue recipe


It's finally the season for peaches and they are sweet and perfumed. This smoothie takes seconds to make and will boost you for the day. If you happen to live somewhere where raw goat's milk is available legally, use it, the pro-biotics and clean taste are just fab. I often leave bananas to overripen so often peel them break them into pieces and freeze them, they are so tasty in a smoothie.

1 banana, riper the better
1 peach riper the better
1 1/2 cups of milk

Peel and break banana into pieces throw into a blender jug
Remove the stone from the peach but don't peel. Cut into pieces and add to jug.
Pour in ice cold milk.
Blend until complete smooth.

*If you have a sweet tooth then add a little honey or frozen yoghurt. You could also add a little flax or granola for a breakfast drink. I love just as is.*

Update

I know it has been a while since I have posted regularly. After moving a couple of times, my husband and I are now firmly settled in wonderful Asheville. I have been working on a cookbook that I plan to self-publish at the urging of my better half. It will be about seasonal food in the local area but the recipes of course, will be good anywhere!
I want to thank all my visitors who still keep me motivated, please carry on checking out my musings on food and stay tuned for the cookbook!

Eating the Country - Seafood at Southport

This place is great for atmosphere and good honest seafood, shrimp were a little overcooked but still pretty good and the crabcake was really tasty. Loved the fact they gave us salad instead of tons of fries. They have a great system where you just go and get beers as and when, then tell them at the end how many you had. View of bay stunning, clientele and staff friendly and fun. If you ever come by Southport, check it out.

Eating the Country - Asheville

It's amazing when you visit somewhere and never have a bad meal - anywhere. If you want to eat some incredible food Asheville is a foodie's paradise. We were there for 3 day and had everything from nouveau local food, latin inspired, organic and traditional a la carte. Above is a picture of the Sisters McMullen bakery full of incredible cupcakes and great sandwiches, and cheap too.

Locally Sourced

Our first night we ate at Table on College Street. They change their menu everyday and pride themselves on using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. I ordered rabbit and was impressed with how tender it was. The peas and ricotta gnochi were good accompaniments, however I found the sauce a little overpowering for the subtle taste f the meat.

Staff in the restaurant were friendly and knowledgeable concerning the menu and I had the biggest martini I have ever seen. Great atmosphere, recommended.

Rockin' Pizza

Second night we went to the Mellow Mushroom on Broadway Street. The pizza is more deep pan, but the toppings and sauce are delicious, I went for the Kosmic Karma pizza which had spinach, feta and pesto - really wonderful. Unfortunately it was raining when we went so couldn't sit out on the terrace, this would've been preferable as we found it a bit too loud inside.

Food with a View

For a dinner with oodles of atmosphere you can't beat the Grove Park Inn. Nestled in the mountains just outside of Asheville the views are truly spectacular. We ate on the Sunset Terrace which has an a la carte menu of steaks, duck, seafood and more. We opted for their 3 course for $30 with mussels to start followed by steak diane and cheesecake for dessert. Everything was perfectly cooked and with perfect seasoning, and considering the views, this is an excellent bargain.

Breakfast

We ate breakfast at 3 different places, all great.

Over Easy Cafe on Walnut Street

West End Bakery on Haywood, West Asheville

Chorizo on Page Avenue - by far our favourite, service was a little 'relaxed' but food well worth the wait. Tortillas with eggs, thick pieces of bacon, chutney, guacamole, cilantro-fragrant salsa. Heaven.

Pear and goats cheese salad

THIS IS A GREEN RECIPE

This is a great salad as a starter.

- First, caramelise some pecans. Whip up some egg whites (about 2 large ones) until foamy and drop raw pecans into them

- Remove the nuts and drop them into a zip lock bag containing sugar , toss to coat

- Bake in a low oven for about 20 minutes on a greased baking tray

- leave to cool

- Meanwhile cute a log of goats' cheese like chevre, into wheels and coat in panko

- Grill until crispy

- While the cheese is grilling put salad leaves and slices of crisp pear on each plate

- Dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

- Finishe with the cheese and pecans

Chicken Soup

THIS IS A BLUE RECIPE

This is my mother-in-law's wonderful chicken soup. It is simple and hearty with huge noodles.

She makes her soup by cooking chicken breasts in broth then removing and cutting up the breasts while the noodles cook. She then adds sweetcorn and the shredded chicken back to soup. Wonderful.

Eating The Country - Part 2

I make it a rule when visiting somewhere that I try the local specialities first and in North Carolina this means seafood and good 'low country' cooking. The first two pictures show lunch we had at the Raleigh farmer's market. Broiled scallops with home fries, hush puppies and 'slaw. My father-in-law tells me that hush puppies come from years back when cooks would throw a little to the family dog to hush it up. These scallops were just wonderful, tender and flavoursome and ridiculously cheap.

On to the charming and quirky city of Wilmington and a lunch of catfish, grits and collard greens. I love all green vegetables and so collards are a great find. I was surprised at how much I loved the grits too which were creamy and mellow and soaked up the sauce of the fish beautifully.

Food Tourism

Being a foodie means that I love to find a good market but it's not just because I love to eat. Markets are a great opportunity to learn about the landscape and history of a place. This market in Raleigh was full of fresh produce as well as wonderful preserves, pickles and gourmet foods. It was an eye opener and I made some discoveries - apple butter for example, never heard of it and though we bought some, I haven't tried it yet. And the muscadine grape which is used for wine making in the region.

Eating the Country

One of the best things about travelling for me is discovering new food. People are often dismissive about food in the US, claiming it's all about the portions. I have always found my trips to America to be real culinary adventures. The supermarkets alone are an experience, even overwhelming after the simple markets of Zambia. I was amazed at the freezer sections in supermarkets here, easily 4 times the size of the ones in Zambian supermarkets.

To be honest, the awe is short-lived when you realise that a lot of the processed foods sold in the US are rather awful. The one exception I make is for Twinkies! I have a real passion for these terrifyingly bright yellow cakes with cream so sweet your teeth ache just looking at them. Bad for you they may be but I love them. I also love peppermint patties; they are one of the few candies I can stand.

Supermarkets aside, we are in North Carolina where there is a strong food culture of seafood and southern cooking and I am looking forward to sampling all the 'low country' has to offer.

To be continued...

Best Brownies

THIS IS A YELLOW RECIPE

I have a good friend to thank for this recipe for brownies. A decent brownie is a very special thing and so often I find when I buy brownies they are either far too sweet of dry and spongy (basically like a chocolate cake). These brownies are dense, dark and chocolatey as any brownie should be. I use walnuts for these because I think the slightly bitter taste goes so well with the chocolate, but also because the brownies my mum used to make had walnuts in too.

8 tablespoons of butter

A 100 gram pack of chocolate – 70% cocoa solids

¼ cup of cocoa

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 tspn vanilla (optional, I suggest substituting for espresso for extra depth)

Pinch of salt

½ cup flour

Handful of nuts

Pre-heat the oven to 160 °c

Melt the butter with the chocolate and cocoa

Add the sugar, leave to cool (if you're impatient, plunge saucepan into cold water)

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat well

Pour into a lined tin (I use a loaf tin)

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the batter is set and starts to smell cooked

Don't do the skewer test because you want the mixture to be a little undercooked

Stir-fried aubergine (eggplant) with tomato and chili

THIS IS A BLUE RECIPE

I went for lunch at a Chinese restaurant and had this more-ish dish so decided to try and make it at home. It goes very well with the my adobo recipe from a few days ago.
For 2

2 tablespoons of oil

1 large aubergine cut lengthwise into sticks of about 1 inch thickness

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 dessertspoon of sweet chili sauce

A dash of hot chili sauce

½ dessertspoon of rice vinegar

1 couple of dashes of light soy sauce

Heat the oil and add the aubergines, add some salt

When softish, add the tomato and soften

Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat down, cook until the aubergine is soft and transparent

Chocolate Almond and Fig Clusters

THIS IS A GREEN RECIPE

This is the perfect snack, the chocolate is the 70% cocoa kind, so less calories and the almonds and dried figs are sweet, crunchy and very good for you.

Melt your chocolate 100 gram chocolate bar in a bowl over hot water

When melted add enough almonds and chopped up figs so that they are covered in chocolate and there is no excess chocolate in the bowl (like when you make rice crispy cakes) – ½ cup of each or more

Use a teaspoon to spoon the clusters onto a greaseproof paper lined tray or plate

Put them in the fridge to set

When cold and hard store in a rigid container in the fridge, they can last for ages if they are not eaten up in a few days!

*you can use half dark and half milk chocolate if you find the chocolate too rich but this will increase the fat content*

Aubergine/Eggplant Baked Pasta

I know, I know, yet another pasta al forno dish! I can’t help it, I find baked pasta so comforting and easy for larger numbers. Make sure you make enough sauce otherwise it gets really dry when baked.

Serves 3-4

- One 500 gram packet of short pasta (rigatoni, macaroni, gomiti, penne etc)
- 1 tablespoon of light olive oil
- 800 gram tin of plum tomatoes
- ½ pint of yoghurt
- Tablespoon of pesto (the best you can get or homemade is ideal)
- 1 large aubergine (eggplant) finely sliced into rounds
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup of hard Italian cheese – a mixture of pecorino and parmesan would be great

- Heat the oil and add the tomatoes

- Cook down to make a thick sauce (this takes quite while, about 40 minutes) , add salt to taste

- At the same time cook the pasta in well salted water

- Add the pesto and mix well – remove from heat

- Add yoghurt and mix well

- Put the cooked pasta in a baking dish

- Pour over the sauce

- Top with aubergine and cheese

- Cover and bake for 30 minutes

- Cook uncovered for another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbling and the aubergine is cooked through

Potatoe Salad Without Mayonnaise but still good!

THIS IS A BLUE RECIPE

This potato salad is a lovely alternative to the usual mayonnaise drenched one. It is simple to prepare and probably much better for you. We ate it with salty fried halloumi and it was the perfect accompaniment. Boil lots of potatoes so you can keep it for a few days and add it to packed lunches – we made the mistake of not doing this!


-500grams of baby new potatoes or small waxy ones that will keep their shape when cooked, halved or quartered depending on size
- 1 large clove of garlic minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (or experiment with other less sweet types of vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- salt and pepper
- large handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender
- Meanwhile combine the vinegar, oil, garlic, mustard. Salt and pepper – a good grinding of each. Taste for seasoning.
- Drain potatoes when cook through, return to the warm pan, add the vinaigrette combine well and cover pan with a lid to keep the potatoes warm and allow the heat to take the edge of the garlic – stand for 5 mins or so
- Before serving add the parlsey

Pancake Breakfast

For years we’ve been eating pancakes at weekends for breakfast and the recipe has changed much, but I think I finally have the best version down. The vanilla makes the pancakes so tasty and the milk powder adds richness. I like to use a mixture of butter and oil because you get that buttery taste without it burning, plus if you use something like Canola oil you are cutting down on the butter while still getting some of the taste. I like them with honey and fruit (mango, banana or berries) so I don’t feel totally unhealthy!

- 2 cups of white flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of golden cane sugar (or normal white)
- 1 tablespoon of milk powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 500 mls of milk

- Butter and oil for frying

- Sift all the dry ingredients together
- Add milk and egg and beat well until smooth
- Heat a small mixture of oil and butter in a small frying pan (just enough grease to cover the bottom, no more)
- Pour in a ladle or so of batter – keep the heat moderate
- Fry until the top bubbles, flip and do other side
- Keep cooked pancakes in a warm oven while you do the other

Fish Fried Rice

A great way to use up cooked rice – we always boil more than we need and freeze the rest for quick meals like this one. To keep this as healthy as poss I used canola oil which has omega oils in it. Choose a firm fish that will keep its shape when cooked – I used Nile perch (one of the few types of fish we can get here) but any thick white fish should do like cod or haddock though it may flake a little.

For 2

- 1 tablespoon of canola, vegetable or light olive oil
- 1 tsp on cumin
- 1 tsp or ground coriander seeds
- 1 large cup of cooked rice
- 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
- 1 large clove of garlic finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery finely chopped
- 1 large ripe tomatoe finely sliced
- 2 white fish fillets cut into large bite sized chunks
- 1 small chilli finely chopped – optional
- 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger
- 1 dessertspoon of rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1 dessertspoon of fish sauce
- ½ dessertspoon of tamarind or pad thai sauce
- 1 dessertspoon of soy sauce (depending on how salty/sweet you like it)

- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium hear

- Fry the spices for minute or so

- Add the onion and soften

- Add the garlic and celery and fry until the celery is fairly soft

- Add the tomato and chilli if using and cook until tomatoes are liquid

- Add the fish and ginger and fry fish on all sides

- Add the rice and the rest of the ingredients

- Cook until fish is tender

· You could also add any of the following – cashew or peanuts, beaten egg, fresh coriander , tuna or crab meat, bean sprouts etc, etc, etc!