The Real Food Festival 2013

Yay! Food! Festival! Sunshine! All is right with the world. Okay, perhaps sunshine was a bit optimistic (the one day I go out without my coat) - we did get battered by hailstones at one point... But the food part definitely lived up to expectations. 

"Taking over the whole Southbank Centre site in the heart of London, along the river Thames and around the Royal Festival Hall, the Real Food Festivals showcases some of the finest small producers in the country plus the best street food vendors on the scene, top chefs, live animals and music!" - The Real Food Festival.

So I wanted to share some of our lovely day with you...

We began with a demonstration by Omar Allibhoy (of Tapas Revolution fame), where he cooked six tapas dishes. He did Chorizo braised in Cider (which we promptly had for dinner that evening), Spanish Omelette, Gazpacho, Pan Con Tomate, Marinated Spanish Olives, Gambas (prawns) a la Plancha and Mussels. We picked up some really good tips from him and he has a book coming out in August! Yay! I shall add it to my Amazon wish list. At the end there was a tasting session but it was more of an aggressive free-for-all scrum of people grabbing for tasty morsels. I think I was elbowed in the boob several times. 

Then we explored...

Now we had a good idea of what was at the festival, it was time to start eating. Rob went straight for Barbecoa's pulled pork (£5). Apparently Terry Wogan also enjoyed one of these yesterday... Disappointingly, Rob found it overpoweringly sweet and said that it didn't have the texture of something that had been properly smoked and roasted dry for many hours (as a good pulled pork should). It felt more like it had been stewed in a slow cooker for a day. 

I opted for tapas from Donostia Social Club's food van - An Iberico Pig Cheek with Celeriac Puree (£5).

It was very, very nice. Plus the guys in the van are super friendly. The celeriac managed to deliver both a bitter and sweet accompaniment to the melt in the mouth meat. The sauce was rich and it was a treat to mop it up with a soft, fresh slice of bread. They had plenty of other things that I would have loved to have tried and as they visit Kingston quite often, I feel I will be making a return visit very soon. 

Rob, being the growing boy that he is, decided on a second course. A Black Pudding and Apple Sausage Roll from Little Jack Horner.

I had a conversation with a fellow foodie recently as to the underrated value of a good sausage roll. When treated with love, good ingredients and care, it is a noble and delicious food. Something that Little Jack Horner are definitely doing right. It was impossible to choose just one - I was temped by the Pork and Smoked Chilli.

Time for pudding. I'd spotted Crumbs and Doilies from a mile off. Their selection of cupcakes were to die for. Both full size and miniature - what could be cuter than a mini cupcake! Having trouble deciding, I went for the Popcorn Cupcake - a rum butter sponge with salted caramel icing and laced with crispy popcorn topping. A speciality for sure. It was so tasty. I was tempted to go back for a box but knew that my stomach wouldn't thank me for it. Rob went for a brownie from Outsider Tart. It took him more than a few hours to eat it.

It was a really nice day and I have to be honest - I am not at all hungry this morning. I had my fill. We enjoyed a nice post lunch walk in the sun in Richmond - our home. I just wanted to share with you how beautiful it is. Having serious Richmond love right now...

Think we're off out again in the sun today so I shall bid you adieu! Got a few tasty recipes lined up so stayed tuned for those fellow foodies!

Rioja Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Chorizo

There's nothing like rich and indulgent comfort food in the winter. Especially when it involves very minimal effort. It may also surprise you to discover that I've never had a lamb shank! I originally though that they were excruciatingly expensive, but these shoulder shanks were very affordable and were bought from the Waitrose meat counter. A perfect treat for a weekend dinner. This recipes comes from Lorraine Pascale's Home Cooking Made Easy. 

Rioja Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Chorizo

Serves 2

   Ingredients

• 2 lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• oil, for frying
• 350ml/12fl oz Rioja or 350ml/12fl oz good-quality beef stock
• 100ml/9fl oz balsamic vingear
• 1 garlic bulb, cut in half horizontally
• 2 bay leaves
• 1–2 tsp paprika
• handful black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 300ml/10fl oz beef stock
• 125g/4oz chorizo
• 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped

    

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 3

Season the lamb well with salt and pepper. Drizzle oil into a heavy-based pan set on a high heat.

Brown the lamb shanks all over and remove from the pan.

Add the wine and balsamic to the pan and boil for five minutes. Put the lamb shanks back into the pan along with the garlic, bay leaves, paprika, peppercorns, half the rosemary and the stock.

Once boiling, place the dish into the oven and cook for two hours. This can be elongated by turning the heat down if that's more convenient for your schedule.

Remove the dish from the oven and add the chorizo, onion, carrot and remaining rosemary, then return to the oven and cook for another hour. You want to make sure that the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Place the pot onto a high heat and boil for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened slightly.

Serve the meat and vegetables with lashings of sauce and a side dish. I chose to do mashed carrot and swede, but you could use spring greens or creamy mashed potato.

Guest Post: August Foodie Pen Pals

I have a special treat for you all - a post written by someone other than me! So without further ado, let me introduce to you Rebecca Doyle...

I’m definitely a ‘foodie’ but I’m not a blogger, so please excuse my lack of writing skills. August was my second month of foodie pen pals, it also happened to be a surprisingly busy and discombobulating month, but I’ll spare you the details.

Georgie’s parcel couldn’t have arrived at a better time – I was struggling with two OU deadlines and in a fair bit of pain from a spinal condition. So I was in a somewhat delirious state when I opened the box… Georgie’s handwritten letter (with photo included!) talked me through the carefully chosen contents of the parcel. She’d gone with a Spanish/Mexican theme after I’d told her that I was brought up with Spanish and Middle Eastern culinary influences.

I dived in… to discover not only some chilli crostini, but also some homemade chilli jam – things were looking up. I had to try these two together straight away. A yummy, sticky chilli jam with a really feisty kick on the crunchy crostini – oh yes, a winning combo already! 

Like a demented, deadlining nutcase, I munched through way too many of these in one sitting, the chilli firing a new enthusiasm and clarity for the assignments I was tackling. Thanks Georgie! Also in the parcel were some homemade custard tarts. Not those horrible bland, anemic, eggy ones that our post-war relatives seem to enjoy so much, but those of the Portuguese variety. Oh dear, how did you know, Georgie? Delicious. They were also great the next day heated briefly in the oven.

Next up ... a chorizo, one of Georgie’s favourites, and something I’m also a little partial to! She had kindly included a Thomasina Miers recipe for Chorizo and Potato Quesedillas – which looks delicious. However, I’m afraid this chorizo didn’t get as far as those lovely looking quesadillas, but I will try that recipe soon.

After sampling a couple of little slices with the crostini and chilli jam (very nice too), I used the rest of it that evening in a very simple potaje (stew) with ingredients I had to hand – butter beans, potatoes, red peppers, lots of garlic, some oregano and thyme from the garden, smoked paprika and some tomatoes. Real comfort food inspired by the recipes of my Spanish abuela.

Lastly, there was some homemade Mexican hot chocolate mix. I love a bit of cinnamon in my hot chocolate – perfect for late-night study. Thank you so much for creating such a fun parcel, that helped fuel me through those essay deadlines that I’m so rubbish at hitting. Thanks also for introducing me to your blog and all your
great recipes. Stuffed peppers this week!

Thanks to Rebecca for a lovely and horrendously ego-boosting post. You can follow Rebecca on Twitter - @beccasbonbons.

Chorizo Carbonara

So, it's been a little while since I've blogged. This is totally unacceptable, but I've been having an extremely busy august. Firstly Rob and I moved into our own bijoux love nest in South West London. We've been enjoying access to butchers, fishmongers and cheeseries and the amount of greenery. Having my own kitchen is a complete blessing and we've been experimenting with different recipes nearly every night.

As well as sorting out flat admin, my mother's impending wedding is approaching at an alarming rate.  Last weekend we enjoyed a great hen do - baileys, boats and feather boas all featuring!

You may remember the foodie pen pals project that I wrote about last month. I really enjoyed creating my box this month, but due to unforeseen courier issues I still haven't received my box. Apologies for the delay in this, I will be posting as soon as I receive my anxiously awaited parcel.

Luckily amongst the crazy month that was August, we encountered a bank holiday and I found the time to set up a  post. Bank holidays are made for relaxing and eating deliciously rich fayre. This time, after a long National Trust walk, we tried a Chorizo Carbonara. I've never had a good carbonara before, only the gloopy microwaved versions. Rob tells me I am missing out greatly, and after trying this version, I will be ordering a carbonara on our next visit to an Italian.

This recipe comes from Hugh Fearnley's River Cottage Everyday. It's fantastically quick and requires minimal effort with maximum tasty gain.

Chorizo Carbonara

Ingredients:

Enough spaghetti for 2 hungry people

1 tbsp olive oil

175g Diced chorizo

2 large egg yolks

100ml double cream

Salt and Pepper to season

In a jug, beat together your egg yolks and cream and season with pepper and a smidgen of salt. Put to one side.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook to your preference (I would suggest an al dente texture).

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add your diced chorizo and cook until golden and crispy.

Drain your pasta and add it to the chorizo pan. Pour in your cream/egg mixture and whisk together, taking the pan of the heat. Serve immediately! There's no need to worry about ensuring the egg is cooked, the heat from the pasta/meat will cook it.