Birdmania: Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010

Another year till Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Phew.  The last month has been a haze of food, drinks and airports. I am secretly glad it is over and I look forward to getting back into my daily routine.  

Although I feel like I don't ever want to eat anything but salad again (this will hopefully and probably go away soon), I thought I'd share the turkey Mr. Sprinkle and I made for Thanksgiving and the gorgeous duck that my mum cooked for Christmas.  Bless her - she cooked Christmas dinner two nights in a row so Mr. Sprinkle and I too could enjoy a traditional Danish Christmas feast despite arriving a day late due to the snow chaos at Heathrow Airport. 

But first let's go back a month to Thanksgiving. We had 10 friends over who helped us eat a beautiful pheasant from the amazing Clapham butcher Moen & Sons. We roasted it on top of garlic, cellery, red onions, carrots and parsnips.  

         

Like last year, we made Jamie Oliver's stuffing which consists of minced pork, sage, red onions, dried berries and chestnuts.  It is divine!  I also use Jamie Oliver's tip of mixing butter with lemon and orange zest and tucking it under the skin on the turkey breast together with fresh sage.  

                      

We served the turkey with potato gratin (courtesy of friends Pawel and Rena),  mashed sweet potatoes with marshmellows, green beans, lots of gravy and red cabbage.  No wonder my waistline slowly started expanding after Thanksgiving! 

Now to Christmas.  Traditional Danish Christmas dinner consists of roast duck, caramelised potatoes, gravy and red cabbage.  Due to popular request my mum also serves boiled potatoes and crisps heated in the oven.  The latter may sound weird, but is actually quite a common side dish with Christmas dinner in Denmark. My mum stuffs the ducks with apples and prunes.  It is delicious! 

I am happy to send full recipes your way should you be interested.  For now I would just like to wish you and yours all the very best for 2011! 

Two Nights in San Francisco

What was supposed to be an 8-day trip to Northern California has turned into a two week trip due to the snow which is paralysing Heathrow Airport.  I am with Mr. Sprinkle visiting his family. We spent some days in wonderful San Francisco last week, walking up and down the steep streets and, of course, enjoying some of the many culinary treats Fog City has to offer.
 

Like last year we decided to stay at Hotel Tomo in Japantown, a great little hotel in the midst of excellent Japanese restaurants and a stone's throw away from the lovely Filmore Street with its' great boutiques, bars and restaurants. This Japanese-inspired hotel is also in walking distance to Union Square and the Marina where you get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. 

 

Anyways, lets get to the food!

Right next to Hotel Tomo you will find the small Japanese supermarket Super Mira (1790 Sutter Street).  It is a gem.  You can buy freshly made sushi for very cheap and you fill find an impressive selection of sakes and Japanese snacks.  We picked up a delicious selection of sushi - california rolls, bbq eel rolls and spicy tuna rolls - and some dumplings.

We had dinner at Beretta (1199 Valencia St) with two friends. This Italian bar and restaurant is located in the Mission District where you will also find several bike shops and a lot of people in flanel.  Yup, this district is favoured by San Fran hipsters. 

This trendy restaurant has a no-reservation policy, but staff will kindly point you in the direction of the bar where you can sip cocktails or wine while you wait for a table.

Normally this would annoy me, but the bar is long and the cocktails are divine.  You will encounter many interesting cocktails on the menu - ever heard of an Airmail or a Mumbai Mule?  I hadn't but I am sure glad to have been acquainted! All are made with fresh citrus fruits and herbs such as basil and rosemary.  There are big bowls brimming with lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits on the bar.  The bartenders use these in your drinks meaning that you won't find a dry slice of lime that has spent two nights in a fridge in your drink.  It may sound strange, but the cocktails feel healthy because the ingredients are so fresh. 

I tried the Lonsdale (gin, apple, lemon, basil, honey) and the Mumbai Mule (saffron vodka, lime, ginger and fresh mint). The latter was my favourite, but both rank among some of the tastiest cocktails I've had in a long time. 

As for the food, we shared a couple of starters: roasted beets with ricotta salata, arugula & fennel salad with shaved parmesan and some herb onion bread with extra virgin olive oil.  I especially enjoyed the beets.  We shared two pizzas for the main course.   It was pretty good pizza though I would have liked to try their risottos or meat dishes.  Their butternut squash with rosemary and crescenza risotto certainly sounds very good.  For dessert we went for a scoop of vanilla gelato and panna gelato with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. What? Gelato with olive oil and sea salt, you may rightfully ask (I did), but it is surprisingly good. 

Moving on to breakfast.  A favourite of ours is The Grove (2060 Filmore Street) which is 5 minutes from Hotel Tomo by foot.  Like so many other good breakfast places it is full of Macbooks, but the food and service is good.  I opted for Huevos Rancheros (when in California....) while Mr. Sprinkle went for the poached eggs with hashbrowns and bacon.

A final restaurant tip - if you find yourself shopping in Macy's on Union Square (you most probably will) then treat yourself to a burger in Hubert Keller's Burger Bar on the 6th floor. Overlooking Union Square, this is paradise for burger lovers.  

The menu has everything from your standard beef burger to the $60 Rossini burger containing Kobe beef, foie gras and truffles to the Surf & Turf Burger which consists of black angus and half a grilled lobster.  Not to be missed, but be sure to bring an appetite!  I devoured my American Classic Burger before I could take a photo. I guess sometimes no photo says more than a thousand words. Yes, it was that inviting. 

Do you have any tips on where to eat and drink in San Francisco? 

Brunch at No. 67 in Peckham

I went for brunch at No. 67, a café in Peckham, this morning.  I am not a big fan of brunching - I always worry that the service will be slow as I am a pretty unpleasant person when my stomach is empty. I admit to it though I take some comfort in the fact that it runs in my family. 

Nonetheless I agreed to meet my friends, Pawel and Rena, for brunch at this café between Camberwell Green and Peckham High Street. I'm really glad that I did.  I had never heard of the place, but it has a cosy vibe and, most importantly, the service is fast and friendly.  

The menu has a Spanish twist so the closest you will get to a full English is a full Spanglish where the sausage and bacon is replaced by chorizo and morcilla.  Two in the group went for this option and very much enjoyed it.  I had the salmon and scrambled eggs.  Simple, but good and it came with nice fresh sourdough bread.  Two others in the group went for the baked eggs - eggs baked with tomatos and a side of beans.  They were happy with their choice.  The bill came to £48 for 5 meals, 5 large coffees (cappucinos, lattes etc.), 1 orange juice and 1 vanilla milkshake.  

The space is very clean and light thanks to its white walls and big windows. It doesn't feel sterile though and it is clearly popular with the hip and trendy locals.  

No. 67 is in the South London Gallery.  We had a look at the current exhibition after our meal. I am no art critic, but I'd definitely make the café my reason for heading down here.  The lunch menu looked good and I have no doubt that it would be a great place for an afternoon coffee and a cheeky piece of cake. 

Being part of a gallery it is closed on Mondays, but otherwise open from 10am - 6pm.  On Wednesdays it is open till 10pm. 

Tuesday Night Pizza

After a long day at work I gave myself a pat on the shoulder for remembering to take out pizza dough from the freezer this morning.   I made pizza last week and, as usual, I made a huge batch so I could freeze half of it for another meal.  You might as well make life easy for yourself every now and again!  

I used to be sceptical about making pizzas, always imagining opening the oven only to find a soggy pizza, but luckily I discovered Jamie Oliver's pizza recipe.  It is easy to make and the base comes out really crisp and delicious.  I second Jamie's suggestion to use Tippo 00 flour.  It makes all the difference.

As for the tomato sauce, I fry a thinly sliced clove of garlic in a bit of olive oil before adding a tin of tomatoes and either fresh or dried basil.  Let it simmer for a bit and you are ready for the fun part: toppings.  

I'm pretty traditional when it comes to pizza - prosciutto with mushrooms is a staple as is pepperoni (with mozarella of course), but there is no reason not to be more adventurous with your toppings.

What are your favourite pizza toppings? 

Ale and Venison Stew

My brother and his girlfriend are visiting from Copenhagen. Yesterday I took them to some of my favourite places in London (guess where?): the farmers' market by Oval Station and Borough Market.  The result?  Loads of good food was sampled and we schlepped home a lot of delicious meats, cheese, herbs and vegetables.

After carefully browsing the selection of treats at the farmers' market, we set our hearts on some diced venison which we decided to stew last night.  Last time I cooked a venison stew I used red wine, but this time I cooked it in ale.  I also used smoked bacon so it came out quite different to the last one.  I prefer this one as it has more flavours and  I like the smokiness and saltiness from the bacon.

To feed 4 friends:
500g of diced venison
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
6 pieces of smoked bacon (I swear by Giggly Pig bacon from the farmers' market)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 cellery sticks, washed and sliced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pint of ale (I used Black Sheep Ale)
2 bay leaves
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
5 large sprigs of fresh thyme
3 pepper corns
0.5 L of beef or venison stock
freshly ground pepper

  

1. Cut or slice the bacon into small strips and put them into a large hot pot on the stove.  Let the strips fry until light brown and the fat has melted.  Then add the onions and garlic.

2.  Add the venison and freshly ground pepper once the onions turn light brown. When the venison turns brown, add the bay leaves, carrots and cellery.  Stir it around and add the thyme and rosemary.  Fry for another couple of minutes while mixing everything around.

3. Add the pepper corns and pour in the ale and stock.  Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for at least an hour.

My brother made a mash out of potatoes, celeriac and garlic which went really well with the stew.  It would also be good with boiled potatoes.

  

Pheasant Breasts with Apples and Bacon

My mum visited this weekend and cooked an amazing dish which I wanted to share with you.  My grandmother taught her how to make it so this is a proper hand-me-down recipe.   

It all started at the Farmers' Market by Oval Station where my mum and I picked up 10 pheasant breasts (for just £10 pounds!), bacon and apples.  Hard to go wrong with these 3 ingredients, ey?Well, add some cream and you are home free!

To serve 4 friends:

8 pheasant breasts

8 pieces of smoked bacon

8 apples (washed and cut into boats)

150 ml of single cream

150ml of water

pepper

1. Turn the oven on and set it to 200 degrees.  

2. Heat a pan on the stove.  Fry the bacon on the pan until crisp and brown.  Take the bacon off.  

3. Fry the pheasant breasts in the fat left from the bacon (add a bit of oil if there isn't enough fat left) for a few minutes until they turn brown.  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper while they are on the pan.  Take them off the pan and place them in an ovenproof tray.  

4. Now fry the apple boats on the pan in the remaining fat for a few minutes.  Place them around the pheasant breasts in the tray.  Place a piece of bacon on top of each pheasant breast.

5. Pour the single cream onto the pan which you have just used to fry the bacon, pheasant and apple.  Add 150ml of water.   Mix it together.  Switch off once it starts to boil.  Pour it over the apples, pheasant and bacon in the tray.

6. Place the tray in the pre-heated oven for 30 - 45 minutes.

Serve with boiled potatoes or potato wedges. 

Minestrone Soup

"Oh no, I forgot to take meat out of the freezer" I exclaimed yesterday morning as I walked to work with Mr. Sprinkle to which he dryly answered that a.) things could be worse and b.) we do in fact not need to eat meat every day.  Fair enough, I suppose, although I always have a hard time coming up with tasty vegetarian options (as any vegetarian friend who has dined chez moi will know).

My main ideas tend to be salads or pasta with pesto or tomato sauce.  But walking home last night I, partly thanks to the cold,  had an enlightening moment and a bowl of minestrone appeared before my inner eye.  That good old Italian classic. Here is how I made it.

To serve 4 people:
1 large peeled and chopped onion
1 washed and chopped leek
3 washed and chopped celery sticks
4 small washed and peeled potatoes
3 washed and peeled carrots
1 bay leaf
2-3 tablespoonfuls of dried thyme
2 peeled and chopped cloves of garlic
tomato paste
1 can of tomatoes
1 can of flageolet beans
0.5L of chicken stock 
150g of small pastas or spaghetti
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat some oil in a big pot.  Add the leeks, celery, onion and garlic.  Fry for a few minutes.  Then add the rest of the vegetables, the bay leaf and thyme.  Fry for another couple of minutes.

2. Add 3 tablespoonfuls of tomato paste and the beans.  Mix it all together. Add the canned tomatos and chicken stock.  You want everything to be covered so add a bit more water if necessary.  Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Bring it to a boil again.  Add a bit more water if you don't think it is enough to boil the pasta.  Then add the pasta/spaghetti and boil it according to the instructions - usually 11 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to your liking and enjoy!

I had some leftover bread from the weekend which I sliced thinly before putting on cheddar cheese.  I grilled these in the oven till the cheese started melting (about 3-4 minutes) and served them with the soup.  Very good combination!