Friday, May 16

Why Cats Have 9 Lives - Parts 3 and 4

3. They Sunbathe On The Second Step Down:



4. They Do Impersonations Of Drunken Draught Excluders:

Monday, May 12

The More Things Change.....

A few days ago Gordon Ramsay proposed making it illegal to serve food that was out of season. The video can be found on the BBC.

I am a great fan of Mr Ramsay, but I think jailing chefs for serving frozen peas may be a little bit extreme....

By coincidence,I found this passage in a cookbook yesterday....

My object in writing this book....[is to emphasize]...two aspects of cookery which are increasingly disregarded: the suitability of certain foods to certain times of year, and the pleasure of eating vegetables, fruits, poultry, meat or fish which is in season, therefore at its best, most plentiful and cheapest.

The writer was Elizabeth David, the book Summer Cooking.

The book was first published 53 years ago, way before Gordon Ramsay was even born.

Some things never change in the world of food, it seems...

Sunday, May 11

It's Barbie Time!

Like most men, I normally hate shopping. Like the SAS, it’s in and out as quickly as possible for me! (Note to Wife – Don’t you dare…)
There is one exception however. Food shopping.

To get the best from real food shopping, as opposed to Supermarket Shopping (which is best done using the SAS tactics above), one has to approach the task with love, and a healthy sense of curiosity.

Considerable amounts of video tape, ink, and hot air have been expended recently by foodies and chefs alike promoting seasonal eating. It has become one of the mantras of the switched-on, footprint-reducing kitchen trendy.

I am afraid the Phantom will never be totally at ease with the “no more than 30 food miles” brigade. I would love to buy nothing but locally produced food. But take my shopping yesterday as an example… I bought pita breads from Cyprus, Baked Yigantes beans from Greece (Palirria, by far the best brand) and parsley and coriander from Cyprus too.

It’s hot, it’s sunny. I made my own Hummus (with Italian chickpeas) and an aubergine puree with eggplants from Turkey. My chicken (for kebabs) was from Ireland. And guess what? It all tasted devine. And that is what counts for me. I don’t live on the Mediterranean, but when it’s hot and sunny, Greek and Turkish cuisine does the job for me. All I ask is that my ingredients are fresh and tasty, and I will check out three or four grocers for the best….

If I was to make a salad out of this weeks veg box, I would be eating spring cabbage and beetroot, with carrots and broccoli on the side. Good for a stir fry, but I want to be outside in weather like this…